Legal restrictions to end 19 July, PM confirms

Covid-19 restrictions are set to end in England from step four of the roadmap after the prime minister set out how life will "soon return close to normal".

Boris Johnson told the nation that the decision to open up will be made in a balanced and careful way, adding that people’s personal judgement will now be key in learning to live with the virus.

Subject to a final review of the data on Monday 12 July, legal restrictions will end on Monday 19 July.

This means limits on social contact will end, with no restrictions on indoor or outdoor gatherings. All on-trade venues currently closed will be allowed to reopen, including nightclubs, and there will be no legal requirement for table service in hospitality settings. 

Face coverings will no longer be legally required in pubs and bars, shops, schools, or on public transport, although guidance will be in place to suggest where people might choose to wear one, such as where you come into contact with people you don’t usually meet in enclosed and crowded places.

The one metre plus rule will be lifted, other than in specific places such as at the border to help manage the risks of new variants coming into the country. 

​There will be no legal requirement on the use of Covid-status certification as a condition of entry for visitors to any domestic setting. Weddings, funerals and other life events able to take place without limits or restrictions.

Vaccinations and infections 

Over 79m vaccine doses have now been administered in the UK, and every adult has now been offered at least one dose, with 64% of adults having received two doses. Johnson signalled the government’s intention to move to a new regime whereby fully vaccinated people would no longer need to self-isolate if identified as a contact. Further details will be set out in due course.

The government has also confirmed the rollout will now accelerate further by reducing the vaccine dose interval for under 40s from 12 weeks to eight. This will mean every adult has the chance to have two doses by mid-September.

The prime minister made clear that "learning to live with the virus" meant cases would continue to rise significantly, even if the success of the vaccination programme meant hospitalisations and deaths will rise at a lower level than during previous peaks.

He set out how cases could rise to 50,000 per day by 19 July, with daily hospital admissions and deaths also rising although more slowly.

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