When will cafés and restaurants reopen after coronavirus lockdown?

It's been three long months since cafés and restaurant owners were last able to welcome customers inside.

Lockdown has meant that people have been unable to visit their local eateries for a three-course meal or a cup of tea and a slice of cake since mid-March.

Some businesses have been able to reinstate takeaway or delivery services, but others have still remained closed entirely, with staff on the government's furlough scheme.

However, things look set to change, certainly in England, as the government announces changes to the two-metre rule that can help pave the way for cafés and restaurants to reopen in full.

When can restaurants and cafés reopen?

Masks and visors may become a more common site in restaurants (MAST IRHAM/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

On Tuesday Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light for café owners and restaurateurs - along with pub landlords and hairdressers - to welcome customers again from July 4.

This is being done by changing the two-metre guideline to "one metre plus", which will allow people to be closer together if they take additional precautions, such as by wearing masks or having a screen between them.

However, this will only apply to England, with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments easing lockdown at different speeds.

Fast food chains have been some of those offering takeaway, drive-through and delivery services for some weeks now, however none have been able to invite walk-in customers since lockdown began.

What will restaurants look like when they reopen?

Sitting alongside each other in a café or restaurant could become more common (Getty)

Dining experiences look set to change once restaurants and cafés are open again.

The Prime Minister said on Tuesday that table service will be the norm, while contact details will be collected from customers.

The "one metre plus" rule in restaurants could mean that diners can sit within two metres of other tables if they're sat back to back. Those dining together could be asked to sit alongside one another.

Menus could also be disposable, while cutlery - which could also be single-use - looks set to be brought out with food, rather than laid out in advance.

Tables will also be thoroughly cleaned between each set of diners.

Some restaurants will not reopen at all, with branches of Frankie & Benny's, EAT and Carluccio's all being closed permanently during lockdown.