As expected, PM Boris Johnson has announced......>

UK: As expected, PM Boris Johnson has announced that COVID-19 restrictions will

be significantly relaxed as of July 4. 

- The UK has been the last major western state to reopen its hospitality sector

following what has been the worst outbreak of the disease in Europe.

- Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels, cinemas, places of worship, museums

and a number of other hospitality, tourist, and cultural areas will be allowed

to reopen with social distancing guidelines in place. 

- The social distancing rules will be changed to guidelines, with the distance

reduced from 2 metres to '1 metre plus', meaning 2 metres distance should be

kept where possible, but 1 metre as a minimum where it is not. 

- The economic impact is unclear, with only table service permitted at pubs and

cafes potentially limiting the ability of some locations to reopen. 

- There are also likely to be privacy and security concerns over the requirement

of pub/cafe/restaurant patrons to provide their contact details in order to

allow for track and trace should a COVID-19 outbreak occur.