Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today (23rd June) that pubs, restaurants and hotels can reopen in England early next month when the social distancing rule is relaxed, easing the coronavirus lockdown that has all but frozen the economy. Hair salons and barbers will also be permitted to open but nail bars, beauty salons, gyms and pools will have to remain closed.
The new social distancing rules state that where it is not possible to stay 2 metres apart, people are advised to keep to a social distance of “1 metre plus” with the plus referring to other safety & heath measures, such as installing screens, facing away from each other, putting up hand-washing facilities and wearing masks on public transport.
To put in context, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong and Singapore recommend social distancing of 1 metre, and many people also choose to (or are required to) wear face masks in public spaces. Australia, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal advise people to keep 1.5m apart. Switzerland this week also reduced the required distance to 1.5m from 2m and the US recommendation is 6 feet (1.8 m).
