SHOPS hairdressers and pub beer gardens will reopen from April 12 in England but people must not be complacent about the risks still posed by coronavirus, Boris Johnson said. Confirming the next step on the road map out of lockdown, the Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference he was looking forward to a pint of beer in a week’s time. But he said the difficulties facing countries in Europe illustrated the risks still posed by the pandemic.
PREMISES allowed to reopen on April 12 include non-essential shops, hairdressers and nail salons, gyms – for people going on their own or with their household, libraries, community centres, zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas. Self-contained accommodation including campsites and holiday lets will also be allowed to receive guests. Bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers outdoors, but groups will be limited to two households or by the “rule of six”.
SO-CALLED “vaccine passports” could have an “important role to play both domestically and internationally, as a temporary measure” but Mr Johnson faces opposition from MPs on both sides of the Commons who are concerned about the civil liberties implications. A certificate could cover whether someone had received a vaccine, had a negative coronavirus test or had contracted and recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months.
THE global travel taskforce review warned “the state of the pandemic abroad, and the progress of vaccination programmes in other countries” meant it was impossible to say yet whether foreign holidays would be allowed from May 17, the date earmarked as the earliest possible for the resumption of international trips. It confirmed the Government is examining a traffic-light system for countries, with travel to green list nations requiring no quarantine on return to the UK – although tests will still be required – although it is too early to say which destinations will be in that category.
MORE than 70 MPs, including 40 Conservatives, have signed a pledge to oppose the “divisive and discriminatory use of Covid status certification”, suggesting the move could face defeat in the Commons. Mr Johnson acknowledged there were “complicated ethical and practical issues”, particularly if the certificates were confined only to cover vaccines, which is why ministers were also considering test results and evidence of having natural antibodies.
ENGLAND’S chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned “this virus will be with us for the foreseeable future” while chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance suggested the pandemic could result in long-term changes in behaviour. “On social distancing, I think one has to understand what that might mean longer term,” he told a Downing Street press conference. “And it probably means things like hand hygiene and the fact people will take time off if they get ill and stay at home rather than going into work, testing to know if you’ve got it or not. Those sorts of things are likely to be important baseline measures going forward.”
THE Government said a further 26 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 126,862.
SEPARATE figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 150,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
THE Government also said that, as of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 2,762 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,362,150.
NHS England data shows a total of 4,983,852 jabs were given to people in the North-East and Yorkshire between December 8 and April 4, including 4,203.046 first doses and 780,806 second doses.
HERE is a breakdown of the confirmed new cases across the North-East and North Yorkshire in the last 24 hours:
County Durham 37,676 was 37,659
Darlington: 7,435 was 7,424
Gateshead: 13,674 was 13,665
Hartlepool: 8,808 was 8,803
Middlesbrough: 12,353 was 12,346
Newcastle: 23,282 was 23,266
North Tyneside: 12,357 was 12,344
North Yorkshire: 29,368 was 29,345
Redcar and Cleveland: 9,248 was 9,247
South Tyneside: 11,284 was 11,281
Stockton-on-Tees: 15,739 was 15,729
Sunderland: 21,936 was 21,923
York: 12,219 was 12,215
Total increase: 132
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