Non-essential retail to open on April 12 if Covid conditions met

Boris Johnson said non-essential retailers will be allowed to reopen from April 12 at the earliest, as part of the government’s four-part plan to reopen the economy. 

Johnson said the reopening of non-essential shops would be undertaken at the same time as other high street businesses such as hairdressers, restaurants and outdoor hospitality but he indicated that social distancing and mask-wearing would likely need to continue. 

He said each step out of lockdown would be measured against four conditions: tracking the pace of the vaccination programme; infection rates and whether they are putting pressure on the NHS; and the emergence of any new coronavirus variants. 

Johnson said schools would be allowed to return from March 8, along with allowing two people from separate households to meet in outdoor public spaces.

From March 29, Johnson said outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households could be allowed. On May 17, Johnson said the rule of six would be abolished for outdoor gatherings, depending on the virus data; some indoor mixing would be allowed; and cinemas, hotels and live events would be allowed with social distancing measures in place. 

Depending on the data, Johnson said he hoped that the fourth step could begin from June 21, potentially seeing all limits on social contact removed and allowing the last parts of the economy, namely nightclubs, to reopen.

The prime minister also announced that the government would be launching a series of reviews to explore further ways of easing limits, including looking at ways of facilitating international travel, which is not scheduled to resume until at least May 17.

Johnson said his roadmap will “cautiously but irreversibly” ease restrictions in England but he warned that no vaccine would ever offer 100% protection against the virus.

He also said “we cannot escape the fact” that reopening the lockdown would see case numbers and deaths rise because “there will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccines”.