England is to enter the next step in the easing of lockdown restrictions on Monday, May 17.
As a result, people will have more freedom to meet friends and loved ones indoors - instead of having to brave torrential rain and gale force winds outside.
Boris Johnson announced yesterday that from Monday, people will be able to meet indoors in groups of six - or in two separate households.
As MEN reports, this means shopping trips will be permitted for groups of six to the likes of Primark, New Look and IKEA - as long as you follow individual store guidelines.
Some retailers may ask shoppers to limit how many people enter their stores at the same time, so it's important to check what the rules are before entering.
In a statement, the chief medical officers of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, said: “Following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the light of the most recent data, the UK chief medical officers and NHS England national medical director agree that the UK alert level should move from level 4 to level 3.
“Thanks to the efforts of the UK public in social distancing and the impact we are starting to see from the vaccination programme, case numbers, deaths and Covid hospital pressures have fallen consistently.
“However, Covid is still circulating with people catching and spreading the virus every day so we all need to continue to be vigilant.
“This remains a major pandemic globally.
“It is very important that we all continue to follow the guidance closely and everyone gets both doses of the vaccine when they are offered it.”
