Following on from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's address to the nation last night, the government has released a 60-page roadmap outlining the new rules for visiting public places, staying at home, working and public gatherings.
Also outlined in the new guidelines are rules for which shops and businesses are permitted to open, and which will have to remain closed for the timebeing.
While food retailers, markets, hardware stores and garden centres can remain open, places like gyms, hairdressers, beauty salons and leisure centres will remain shut.
These are the new rules for which shops can and can't open in England as set out by the government.
Places which can open include:
- Food retailers
- Food markets
- Hardware stores
- Garden centres (from Wednesday 13 May)
- Certain other retailers can remain open
Places which can't open include:
- Restaurants and cafes, other than for takeaway
- Pubs, cinemas, theatres and nightclubs
- Clothing and electronics stores; hair, beauty and nail salons; and outdoor and indoor markets (not selling food)
- Libraries, community centres, and youth centres
- Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, gyms, arcades and soft play facilities
- Some communal places within parks, such as playgrounds and outdoor gyms
- Places of worship (except for funerals)
- Hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, campsites, caravan parks, and boarding houses for commercial/leisure use, excluding use by those who live in them permanently, those who are unable to return home and critical workers where they need to for work
The document also states: "Other businesses can remain open and their employees can travel to work, where they cannot work from home.
"From Wednesday 13 May, the government will also allow outdoor sports facilities – such as tennis and basketball courts, golf courses and bowling greens – to open, but you should only use these alone, with members of your household, or with one other person from outside your household, while keeping two metres apart at all times."
Shops currently considered "non-essential", such as fashion or homeware retailers, could be able to open from the start of June, the Government said.
However, other businesses, such as pubs, hairdressers and cinemas will have to wait until July before they can reopen.
In documents, the government said: "All other sectors that are currently closed, including hospitality and personal care, are not able to re-open at this point because the risk of transmission in these environments is higher."
It added: "Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to re-open safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.
"Nevertheless the government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows."
