Prime minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday (23rd June) that restaurants, hotels, theatres, music halls, cinemas and museums can open from 4th July in England, when social distancing rules will be eased. Mr Johnson said that people should remain 2 metre apart where possible but a ‘‘one metre plus’’ rule will be introduced.
Prof Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Officer, said, Covid-19 will be in circulation “at least” until next spring and the relaxation represents a “reasonable balance of risk”. The prime minister warned that all steps were “reversible”.
Walpole welcomes the announcement yesterday giving the green light for our hotels, restaurants and museums to move ahead with their plans for re-opening from 4th July and the proposed introduction of the 1-metre plus rule. The gradual unlocking of retail initially and now the hospitality sector is a positive step towards recovery - and of course, the highest standards of health and safety for employees, guests and customers remain the greatest priority for all Walpole members.
The venues listed as being able to reopen in England on 4th July include:
Bars and restaurants but only with a table service indoors, and owners will be asked to keep contact details of customers to help with contact tracing
Hotels and holiday apartments but shared facilities must be cleaned properly. Hotel spas and swimming pools unable to open.
However, the impact of the 14-day quarantine does remain a significant challenge for the UK’s next phase of recovery, given the importance of international visitors which drives British tourism across the country. We know all departments across Government are working hard to balance the necessary priorities of health and safety with the economic recovery and the very real benefits of tourism and look forward to further announcements following the review on the 29th June.
Learn more about the new measures by visiting the Government website.
