Freedom Day arrives with most lockdown restrictions lifted in England

Never mind the supply chain, UK has bold new space sector strategy

Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Freedom Day arrives with most lockdown restrictions lifted in England.

Freedom Day for England has finally arrived, as of today Monday, July 19, there are no limits on how many people can meet or attend events, nightclubs can reopen, and table service will not be necessary in pubs and restaurants across England.

Boris Johnson has however pleaded for people to take personal responsibility in place of Government instructions, urging “prudence and respect for other people”, he had previously warned the pandemic has not ended.

The PM’s own circumstances highlight this as he will miss the reopening because he is self-isolating after being a close contact of Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive for Covid.

There was a backlash when the news was announced Mr Johnson could dodge quarantining through a test scheme – he will not now be leaving the country retreat of Chequers until July 26.

“We’re doing a big opening up. If we don’t do it now we’ll be opening up in the autumn and winter months when the virus has the advantage of the cold weather,” the Prime Minister said in a video.

“We’ll lose the precious firebreak we get with the school holidays. If we don’t do it now we’ve got to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it? This is the right moment.

“But we’ve got to do it cautiously. We’ve got to remember that this virus is sadly still out there. Cases are rising, we can see the extreme contagiousness of the Delta variant.”

From today, all legal limits on the number of people who meet inside or outdoors are removed, with businesses, including nightclubs, able to open their doors again. There will also be no more limits on capacity for concerts, theatres and sports events and the one-metre plus rule for social distancing will end.

Face masks will no longer be legally required, though Mr Johnson has suggested wearing them in situations like crowded public transport, and some parts of the country, including Transport for London’s services, are set to still require them. Limits on named visitors to care homes are lifted.

Teleworkers home guidance will also go, with employers asked to plan to make sure staff return to their office environments safely.

Businesses can require Covid certification to allow entry to events or venues but there will be no legal compulsion to do so.

However, border controls through the traffic light system will remain and “contingency measures” will be retained for use if needed, though a return to restrictions will be avoided if possible, the Government said.

It also recommends continuing to keep up good hygiene, ventilating spaces and wearing a covering in enclosed or crowded places.


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Ron Howells

Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.

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