London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 25, 2025

UK govt considering ending social distancing indoors from next month in 'last lap' of pandemic – reports

UK govt considering ending social distancing indoors from next month in 'last lap' of pandemic – reports

The UK government is reportedly planning to scrap its ‘one metre-plus’ social distancing rule, but retain the use of face masks and screens, in indoor venues from June 21 as part of a proposed easing of Covid-related restrictions.
When the country enters ‘Step Four’ of its lockdown roadmap, all pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas are expected to be allowed to operate at full capacity, according to news reports. Test runs at live events are currently being held to gauge whether crowds can return to stadiums and concerts too.

Discussing the UK’s “last lap” of the pandemic on Sunday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab claimed Britain is “really close to turning the corner” but stressed that safeguards like masks will remain in place to protect against a potential future wave of infections.

“By the time we get to June 21, almost all social restrictions will be lifted, so there’s only a little bit more time to go but it's right we do that in a careful way,” Raab told Sky News. “We just need to make sure that in the last lap... we are careful and we don’t lose the gains we’ve made.”

However, an unnamed government source downplayed those comments, telling the Daily Mirror tabloid that the policy “genuinely isn’t decided yet.”

Raab’s remarks came on a day when 5,000 music fans crammed into Liverpool’s Sefton Park for a concert by the band Blossoms – one of the government’s official pilot events to help determine if major summer music festivals can be conducted safely after the June deadline.

Concertgoers had to take a supervised lateral flow test at designated testing centres in the city on Saturday, and were only allowed in if the test was negative. They were encouraged to follow up with more sensitive PCR tests on Sunday and again on Friday. This will help to determine whether there was any spread of the virus at the event.

Researchers with clipboards also mingled with the crowd, taking notes on several variable factors including audience movement and interaction, ventilation, duration, catering and alcohol consumption.

Preceding Sunday’s six-hour show were two nightclub events in the city on Friday and Saturday, which were attended by 3,000 people each night.

“The pilots have shown us that mitigations have worked sufficiently to allow us to remove social distancing, at least in the settings that we really need to in order to get them in a viable position again,” an unnamed government source told the Times paper.

“The kind of thing we’re looking at is keeping in place mask wearing, extra ventilation, staggered entry – all of that has been shown to have worked so far,” the source added.

The Times report said large-scale events will still have a hard cap on numbers beyond June 21, however, to avoid “pinch points” on public transport.

Additional details on the final easing of restrictions, which will follow the resumption of indoor hospitality on May 17, are expected to come via a report being prepared that will allegedly factor in some test events from across the country.

Under ‘Step Three’ of the roadmap, indoor gatherings of a maximum of six people, or two households, will be allowed from May 17. At the same time, indoor venues could be instructed to follow social distancing and require face coverings in return for the removal of hard caps on capacity.

Also from May 17, large-scale events will be allowed with reduced capacity, with outdoor venues permitted to be half-full or host 4,000 people, whichever is lower. Bigger stadiums can have up to 10,000 attendees.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×