The two metre social distancing rule will be relaxed to one meter (with mitigations) from 4 July to allow parts of the hospitality sector to reopen from the lockdown, the Prime Minister has announced.
This phase three of the three-stage plan to unlock England will be welcome news to the hospitality sector that has not been able to operate.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will reopen at their own pace.
Pubs, cafes and restaurants will be able to reopen as long as they collect contact details from customers, subject to existing data protection rules.(see below).
Hairdressers will also be able to reopen as long as visors are used.
The one metre apart rule will be allowed as long as prescribed safeguards are put in place to reduce the risk of Coronavirus transmission, though people should keep to two metres apart where possible.
Driving lessons and theory tests will restart on 4 July in England, and car driving tests will restart from Wednesday 22 July 2020
New guidance for hospitality includes:
From now on people will be asked to follow guidance on social contact instead of legislation, which will also allow from 4 July two households of any size to meet in any setting inside or out. And it doesn't always have to be the same two households.
The government has published guidance for specific types of venue.
The government has separately published guidance for people who work in hotels and guest accommodation, indoor and outdoor attractions, and business events and consumer shows. The guidance makes clear that the following measures should be put in place:
The Government may allow fairs, outdoor markets and on-street drinking and dining without planning permission in England this summer under a new Business and Planning Bill. Local authorities will have the flexibility to set their own conditions and the right to withdraw pavement licenses if areas are not kept clean.
The following have to remain closed:
The opening up of the economy following the COVID-19 outbreak is being supported by NHS Test and Trace.
Venues have to assist the service by keeping a secure, temporary record of their customers and visitors for 21 days, in a way that is manageable for the business, complying with GDPR, and assisting NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed.
There will be a need to carry out a Privacy Impact Assessment before collecting customer contact details;, and have a policy in place that requires the deletion of such data after the mandatory 21 days, and actually delete it. The policy can be posted on the venue's website, if it has one.
Venues may also face having to deal with requests for copies of data they hold on an individual, so it will be important to know how to respond, ensuring any information released is given only to the correct person.
Review of two metre social distancing guidance - Summary of review findings
Check out our Business after COVID-19: Transition Knowledge Hub for more guidance and advice on managing the pandemic.