'Super Saturday': What you can and can't do in East Anglia from July 4 as coronavirus lockdown eased

  • Anglia

Pubs, restaurants, hotels, cinemas and hairdressers will be able to reopen in England from July 4, providing they follow Covid secure guidelines.

Details on the next stage of the coronavirus lockdown being eased were announced by the Prime Minister as the number of Covid-19 infections drops.

Boris Johnson said the two-metre social distancing rule will be relaxed to "one-metre plus", with people advised to take precautions such as wearing face coverings.

"Where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should", Boris Johnson said.

"But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of one metre-plus, meaning they should remain one metre apart while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission."

  • Watch an explanation of what changes can be expected on July 4

Some venues that have been closed since March will be able to welcome visitors again as long as safety measures are in place, with the announcement marking the most significant step yet towards a return to normality.

Boris Johnson told MPs in the House of Commons "our long national hibernation is beginning to come to and end and life is returning," but he warned "it will be all too easy for that frost to return".

He said all measures will be "under constant review" and the government "will not hesitate to apply the handbrake, or reverse measures, should the virus begin to run out of control".

So what will you be able to do from July 4, with some MPs already calling it 'Super Saturday'?

The prime minister warned that all steps were under constant review. Credit: PA

What will change on July 4?

  • Two households can meet indoors and stay overnight in self-contained accommodation, including in hotels and bed and breakfasts

  • Hairdressers will open with appropriate precautions, including the use of visors

  • Churches will be allowed to reopen in England for weddings with a maximum of 30 people

  • Places of worship will be allowed to hold services but singing will be banned

  • Theatres and concert halls can open but are not allowed to host live performances

  • Restaurants and pubs will be limited to table service to encourage minimal staff and customer contact. Venues will be asked to collect contact details of customers for the NHS Test and Trace system

  • Playgrounds, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades can open if it is safe to do so

  • Hotels, holiday apartments, campsites and caravan parks can open but shared facilities must be cleaned properly

  • Libraries, social clubs and community centres will open their doors

  • Recreation and sporting venues will be allowed to open, but indoor facilities, including changing rooms and courts, will remain closed and people should only play close contact team sports with members of their household

  • Primary and secondary education will recommence in September with full attendance

Places of worship will be able to reopen for prayer and services including weddings with a maximum of 30 people. Credit: ITV Anglia

What won't change on July 4?

  • “Close proximity” venues like nightclubs, casinos, spas and beauty salons will remain closed "for now"

  • Massage, tattoo and piercing parlours and nail bars will stay closed until the government are "confident they can operate in a Covid-secure way"

  • Indoor gyms, Bowling alleys, indoor skating rinks, swimming pools and water parks will stay shut

  • Indoor play areas including soft-play cannot open from July 4

  • Exhibition or conference centres will stay closed other than for those who work for that venue.

What's the reaction here in the East?

There's been a mixed reaction from shoppers in Norwich city centre.

Some say opening businesses will help restart the economy but others argue it it "too soon" to be visiting places like hairdressers, pubs and restaurants.

Meanwhile, the major easing of lockdown is great news for pubs in the East, with some struggling financially during the pandemic.

Peter Anthony is the landlord of The Rose and Crown pub and campsite in Bedfordshire.

A huge number of measures have been considered to open safely on July 6, to make sure customers are kept safe and to get the pub up and running again.

The Rose and Crown pub in the village of Ridgmont Credit: ITV Anglia

The pub has been doing takeaways since it closed in March and will look to continue that once they open again.

The showers at the camp site will stay closed but the toilets will reopen for guests booked to stay overnight.

Peter says consumer confidence is key and is hoping people will be encouraged to come back.

"The pub is the hub and in a small village, a lot of our customers are from here", he said.

"We are looking forward to seeing them all back here, I won't have to drink on my own so often!"

Cinemas are also celebrating the announcement - including the Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds who are already planning a number of distancing measures to ensure customers are as safe when they open their doors.

"We're going to make sure that it's as safe as possible so that everybody feels comfortable to come back," Andrea Holmes from the Abbeygate Cinema said.

"Our staff will be wearing masks, there'll be sneeze screens in place, lots of hand sanitiser around and washing facilities.

"The social-distancing will be marked up for clearly for customers, and also there'll be signs everywhere so that people know when they can go and how that will be handled in the cinema."