Businesses to have COVID restrictions eased from 12 April

From Monday, 12 April, the government said additional premises will be able to reopen with the rules on social contact applying. Indoor settings must only be visited alone or with household groups, with outdoor settings limited to either six people or two households.

This includes non-essential retail; personal care premises such as hairdressers, beauty and nail salons; and indoor leisure facilities such as gyms and spas (but not including saunas and steam rooms, which are due to open at Step 3).

Public buildings such as libraries and community centres will also reopen.

The majority of outdoor settings and attractions can also reopen, including outdoor hospitality, zoos, theme parks, drive-in cinemas and drive-in performances events.

Hospitality venues will be able to open for outdoor service, with no requirement for a substantial meal to be served alongside alcohol, and no curfew. The requirement to eat and drink while seated will remain.

The government encouraged people should continue to work from home where they can, and minimise domestic travel where they can, while international holidays are still illegal.

Funerals can continue with up to 30 attendees. Weddings, outdoor receptions, and commemorative events including wakes will be able to take place with up to 15 attendees (in premises that are permitted to open).

Significant parts of the indoor economy and further outdoor settings will reopen from 12 April, after data confirmed the government’s “four tests” for easing COVID restrictions had been met.

The assessment was based on four tests:

• The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully;
• Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated;
• Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS; and
• Assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new variants of concern.

However, Prime Minster Boris Johnson urged caution, with no changes to social contact rules and many restrictions still in place.

Outdoor gatherings must still be limited to six people or two households, and you must not socialise indoors with anyone you do not live with or have not formed a support bubble with.

The government also noted that a COVID-status certification system will be developed over the coming months, which could allow higher-risk settings to be opened up more safely and with more participants.

Over the coming months, a system will be developed which will take into account three factors: vaccination, a recent negative test, or natural immunity (determined on the basis of a positive test taken in the previous six months).

Events pilots will take place from mid-April to trial the system. All pilots are checking COVID status, initially this will be through testing alone but in later pilots vaccination and acquired immunity are expected to be alternative ways to demonstrate status.