Boris Johnson has told Conservative MPs that he would like to scrap the “one-metre plus” rule in hospitality settings when the last step of the “roadmap” out of lockdown is reached on June 21st. Doing so would help businesses damaged by lockdown to get back on their feet, the Prime Minister said. The MailOnline has the story.
The Prime Minister said eliminating the measure was the “single biggest difference” the Government could bring about in order to get Britain’s pubs back into action, and he was eager for the rule to be scrapped by June 21st…
As long as the rule is in force, pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and other hospitality businesses remain financially unviable, having to legally keep customers separated while using their premises, industry leaders have warned.
Many have had to keep their doors closed throughout the coronavirus crisis.
Britain’s daily Covid deaths have fallen by more than a third in a week as seven more victims and 2,874 positive tests were recorded. Yesterday’s infections were up slightly on the 2,657 last Thursday, a rise of about eight per cent, but the national case rate has remained stable since April.
More than 37 million people have now received one vaccine injection – the equivalent of more than 70% of all adults – and 21.2 million are fully inoculated.
But the rise of the Indian Covid variant had sparked concerns that plans to end social distancing measures were in jeopardy, but on Wednesday Mr Johnson told the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs he was confident about abolishing the one-metre plus rule next month.
He said: “We are hopeful we can do that at the end of the road map.” But Mr Johnson added that it depends on figures “continuing in the right direction”…
One MP who was at the 1922 meeting said: “[Boris] seemed very upbeat about removing the one-metre-plus rule next month.”
Worth reading in full.
