23 Jun 2020
Prime Minister Covid-19 Statement
- From the outset, we have trusted in the common sense and perseverance of the British people.
- In the first half of May nearly 69,000 people tested positive, by first half of June this number was under 22,000.
- The number of new infections is declining by between 2-4% every day.
- We do not believe there is currently a risk of second peak of infections that might overwhelm the NHS.
- We continue to meet the five tests and the Chief Medical Officers of all four nations have downgraded the UK’s alert level from 4 to 3.
- Devolved administrations will respond to this alert decrease at their own pace.
- Thanks to our progress we can now go further and safely relax restrictions in England.
- At each step, caution will be important and steps are reversible.
- With immediate effect, we will ask people to follow guidance on social contact instead of legislation.
- From 4 July:
- The 2-metre social distancing rule will be changed to 1-metre+. The current rule prevents most of the hospitality industry from operating. Where it is possible to keep 2m apart, people should. Where this is not possible, people should keep a distance of 1m+. We are publishing guidance this afternoon on how business can take steps to protect staff and customers in light of this rule change. The experts judge that mitigations that can be put in place at 1m+ would create the same risk that there is at 2m with no mitigations.
- Two households of any size are able to be in any setting, inside or out. This does not always have to be the same two households. We are not recommending meetings of multiple households indoors.
- Outside, the guidance remains that people from several households can meet in groups of up to 6.
- We will reopen restaurants and pubs. All hospitality indoors will be limited to table service and guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact.
- We will ask businesses to help respond to NHS contact tracing by collecting details from customers as happens in other countries.
- Hairdressers will also reopen with appropriate precautions, such as visors. We also intend to open other close contact practices, such as in nail bars, as soon as we can once we are confidence that they can operate in a covid secure way.
- People will be free to stay overnight in self-contained accommodation, such as hotels and campsites as long as facilities are kept clean.
- Most leisure facilities and tourist attractions will reopen if they can do safely; including outdoor gyms, playgrounds, cinemas, arcades, libraries, social clubs and community centres.
- Recreation and sport will be allowed. Indoor facilities will remain closed and people should only play close contact team sports with members of their household.
- Places of worship will be able to reopen, including for weddings with a maximum of 30 people.
- Close proximity venues, such as night clubs, soft play areas, swimming pools and indoor gyms will need to remain closed for now. The Business and Culture Secretaries will establish taskforces to help these areas become covid secure.
- We will also work with the arts industry on guidance to allow theatres to resume live shows as soon as possible.
- Public services will increasingly resume face to face proceedings.
- Wrap around care and formal childcare will restart over the summer.
- Primary and secondary education will recommence in September with full attendance. Those children that can go to school already should do so.
- These measures will restore a sense of normality.
- The virus has not gone away and we will continue to monitor the data. As in other countries, there will be flare ups for which local measures will be needed. we will not hesitate to reintroduce restrictions when and where appropriate.
- Stay alert, control the virus, save lives.
- Keep washing hands, staying 2m apart where possible and take mitigations where not, avoid public transport where possible and wearing a mask where not, getting tested immediately and self-isolating if instructed.
- Our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end. A new, but cautious, optimism is palpable. We will continue to trust in the common sense and community spirit of the British people.