Pubs and beer gardens in England must remain closed throughout June despite reports earlier this week.
It was claimed on Monday that June 22 was the expected date for reopening pubs in a bid to save millions of jobs across the hospitality industry.
However The Guardian reports Downing Street has quashed any suggestions this is the case. According to the paper, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said the government’s roadmap “sets out our ambition to reopen open pubs, bars and cafes as soon as possible; but the date in the roadmap is from 4 July, subject to advice at the time.”
Proposals to allow beer gardens to open from June 22 were first reported on Sunday night in the Financial Times, which cited three Whitehall officials.
Pubs and restaurants were forced to close when the country went into lockdown on March 23, but many had already shut their doors before this, leaving staff unable to work.
Earlier reports suggested Prime Minister Boris Johnson was worried about the economy "falling off a cliff".
There does continue to be warnings from scientists over lifting lockdown restrictions too fast and the current two-metre social distancing rule would still make it impossible for many hospitality businesses to reopen.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma is reportedly set to argue that the two metre-rule could be halved in order to help struggling businesses.
