London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Pubs & shops in England to reopen in April, schools start back in two weeks, as PM Johnson unveils Covid lockdown exit

Pubs & shops in England to reopen in April, schools start back in two weeks, as PM Johnson unveils Covid lockdown exit

All pupils in England will return to the classroom on March 8 and some businesses will reopen next month, UK PM Boris Johnson said on Monday as he unveiled a four-stage plan to take the country out of its Covid-19 lockdown.
As well as the return of schools, the first step of easing lockdown also allows outdoor sports facilities to reopen from March 29, allowing people to meet again for playing football, tennis and golf, among other sports.

Under Step 1, up to six people from different households will also be allowed to meet outside – or two households may gather in a larger group for outdoor activities such as a picnic.

The four steps will be spaced at least five weeks apart in order for reviews to be carried out on the infection rate, with all current restrictions potentially being scrapped by June 21.

Johnson told MPs in the House of Commons that England could not “persist indefinitely” with lockdown due to the impact on the economy and people’s lives.

The PM said the four-step plan amounted to a “cautious and irreversible” easing of lockdown. The opposition Labour Party has backed the plan.

Under so-called Step 2, which will begin no earlier than April 12, non-essential retail and other services such as gyms, hairdressers, nail salons, zoos, libraries and drive-in cinemas can re-open.

Pubs will also re-open outdoors and punters will not be required to purchase a substantial meal in order to drink alcohol, as was the case under previous government Covid rules.

From May 17, Step 3 would allow up to 10,000 fans to enter stadiums for professional sports events, while pubs and restaurants will also be allowed to re-open for indoor service.

Under this stage, the so-called “rule of six” will be axed and up to 30 people may gather in a group outside, while 30 people may also attend weddings and funerals.

Under the fourth and final step, from June 21, nightclubs could reopen and the restrictions on events like weddings would be eased.

The conditions for each stage of restrictions to be lifted include that vaccine deployment continues to be effective, that hospital admissions do not increase, and that new variants of the virus do not pose any threat.

Johnson’s roadmap for lifting restrictions comes as health officials confirmed on Monday that almost 18 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the national average number of people testing positive for the virus has decreased by 16.2 percent compared to the previous week.

On Monday the UK reported 10,641 new cases of Covid-19 and a further 178 deaths within 28 days of positive test. In total more than 120,000 people in the country have died from the virus.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×