Britain’s embattled high streets can spring back to life from Monday as the Government tonight gave the final go-ahead for shops to reopen.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma confirmed that all non-essential retailers will be allowed to lift their shutters on June 15 as expected.
The move will provide a lifeline for businesses and workers who have taken a battering from the effects of coronavirus.
And it will also provide a relief for weary consumers who have been stuck at home for months.
Making the announcement at tonight’s Downing Street press conference Mr Sharma said: ‘This is the latest step in the careful restarting of our economy and will enable high streets up and down the country to spring back to life.’
But he dashed the hopes of thirsty pub-goers hoping that their favourite boozer might re-open ahead of schedule, saying they are still on course to open in July at the earliest.
‘Of course, there are businesses which still remain closed. As soon as we can we will publish further safer working guidance for restaurants, pubs and bars, as well as hairdressers, barbers, nail bars and related services,’ he added.
‘I know there’s been a lot of speculation about when we might be able to reopen these parts of the economy and I completely understand why we’re all so keen to get them back up and running, and I absolutely share that enthusiasm.
‘But we continue to follow the road map which set out our ambition to reopen these sectors from July 4 at the earliest.’
Business Secretary Alok Sharma confirmed that all non-essential retailers will be allowed to lift their shutters on June 15 as expected
Photos showing the steps being taken by Marks and Spencer ahead of reopening on Monday, including plastic screens and baskets being disinfected
All the businesses that reopen will have to have strict social distancing measures in place if they are to open.
Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s Shadow business minister, said: ‘This news will be welcomed by many including struggling high street businesses which have been forced to close to keep us safe.
‘It’s important though that employers keep their staff protected, and that they and the public have confidence in the measures ministers have set out to limit the spread of this virus as the lockdown is eased.
‘Many challenges remain for our high streets. Ministers must decide on clear guidelines for hospitality businesses reopening as soon as possible so bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can have certainty.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the initial go-head for the retail restart last month.
But it was always subject to the coronavirus infection rate continuing to decline.
Today’s confirmation comes despite fears that the R rate of infection is still high.
The Government insists it is below 1 in all regions of the UK, despite the only published local breakdown showing it is above 1 in the North West and South West of England.
A Downing Street spokesman said before the announcement that there was ‘no update’ from chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty on the alert level, which remains at four out of five.
Britain’s coronavirus death toll today jumped by 145, with Northern Ireland having now gone three days in-a-row without recording a single fatality as the outbreak continues to fade.
It means the official number of Covid-19 fatalities now stands at 40,742. But separate grim statistics released today suggested the disease has already claimed at least 51,000 lives in the UK. Other data shows nearly 64,000 ‘excess deaths’ have already been recorded in the UK since the outbreak spiralled out of control in March.
Essential retailers like supermarkets and pharmacies have not closed their doors at all, while car showrooms and outdoor markets were cleared to reopen on June 1.
This latest step sees non-essential, non-hospitality businesses allowed to reopen.
It came as economists warned MPs that UK unemployment could take the best part of a decade to return to pre-coronavirus levels despite the Government pumping billions of pounds into job retention schemes.
Leading economists told the Treasury Committee they predict ‘really high unemployment for the foreseeable future’ as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
This is despite programmes like the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS), which has pumped billions of pounds into trying to prevent widespread laying off of staff.
Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, told ministers at the Government’s Treasury Committee that households should prepare for a ‘big labour market shock’.
He said there had been ‘way too much’ talk of a ‘v-shaped recovery’ – where GDP returns to previous levels relatively quickly.
And he warned that if unemployment was to hit 10 per cent, it could take the UK seven years to recover back to pre-pandemic levels of around 4 per cent.
He said: ‘I think we will see some spark back in activity as we leave the hard lockdown. But in terms of employment growth, the reasons to be nervous are that the sectors which are generally the quickest to bring people back to work are hospitality and retail.
‘They were a big part of bringing people back into work in the financial crisis but that won’t be so easy this time.
‘We expect really high unemployment for the foreseeable future.
‘Next year we will be dealing with unemployment when we thought we would be dealing with record employment and we will debating tax rises over the first half of this decade.’
Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, told ministers at the Government’s Treasury Committee that households should prepare for a ‘big labour market shock’
Almost half the British public would support relaxing Sunday trading laws for a year to aid the high street
Meanwhile Pub landlords say they need to know within the next 24 hours if they can reopen this month, in order to prepare properly.
Brewers need at least three weeks to deliver draught beer, and industry leaders say they need that long to train staff on how to maintain proper social distancing rules.
Mr Johnson was reported to have earmarked June 22 as the date when pubs and restaurants across the nation could be allowed to reopen.
But premises opening on that date would only be able to offer a smaller range of draught ales while breweries increase production, The Sun reported.
Socially distanced queuing, no changing rooms and tills behind screens – the new high street normal for shoppers
Customers will soon enter a world of one-way systems and quarantined footwear when non-essential stores in Britain are allowed to reopen next week
Thousands of shops, department stores and shopping centres can open from June 15 as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased.
But things will look very different in the revamped stores, with checkouts behind screens, toilets and changing rooms closed, a limit on the number of customers allowed inside the store at any time and no seating available.
Stores will also feature markings outside to assist with socially-distanced queuing and encourage customers to shop alone where possible.
Some retailers could follow Aldi, which is putting traffic lights at store entrances as a new way of limiting shopper numbers. Customers can enter when the lights turn from red to green, which will open the automatic doors.
Many outlets will also be expected to provide cleaning stations at the front of store including hand sanitiser, disinfectant wipes for basket handles and the regular cleaning of key touch points such as handrails.
Other safety measures include storing returned items for 72 hours before putting them back on the shop floor, and placing protective coverings on large items touched by the public such as beds or sofas.
The Government said non-essential shops including those selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and electronics can open on June 15, along with tailors, auction houses, photography studios and indoor markets.
Businesses will only be able to open once they have completed a risk assessment.
Spot checks will be carried out and local authorities will work with the Government to ensure complaints by the public are followed up on.
Hopes of a Spanish holiday fade: Spain isn’t discussing ‘air bridges’ with the UK and instead wants EU-wide agreement – as Government is ‘set to DROP 14-day quarantine by June 29’ and Ryanair bookings for Mediterranean breaks DOUBLE in a week
British holidaymakers’ plans for a summer holiday in Spain were thrown into confusion today as the country said it was not discussion the creation of an ‘air bridge’ for tourists with Britain.
The UK Government is expected to drop its 14-day quarantine policy by the end of the month in favour of bespoke deals to allow two-way travel to low-risk countries, it was claimed today.
Travel company bosses in Britain say they have been assured that the plans will be altered within weeks, with two legal challenges already filed against ministers.
But Madrid today said it was only speaking to other EU states about a bloc-wide agreement for travel from external nations.
A source told the Reuters news agency it would only introduce its own rules if no such agreement could be reached.
This raises questions about the possibility of opening up the Costas to UK tourists in a matter of weeks.
Passengers arrive at London Heathrow Airport yesterday as new quarantine measures come in
Home Secretary Priti Patel speaks in the House of Commons in London yesterday as she comes under pressure over the Government’s new quarantine scheme for UK arrivals
Spain, severely affected by the pandemic but which now seems to have it under control, has taken a stricter approach than other countries and only plans to start opening its borders to foreign visitors on July 1.
Britain, whose coronavirus death toll is the highest in Europe, introduced a 14-day quarantine for international arrivals on Monday.
Portugal has said it is discussing a travel corridor that would exempt British visitors returning from Portugal from that quarantine period, facilitating tourism.
But Spain has no plans to do the same, the foreign ministry source said.
‘Spain has called for a common (European Union-wide) approach to opening the borders. If this is not done, it will establish its own criteria,’ the source said.
‘The UK is in a period of transition. This means that they will receive the same treatment as EU and Schengen countries for the opening (of borders to tourists), unless they stay out of it because of the epidemiological situation.’
Meanwhile, Spain will allow about 6,000 tourists from Germany, where the pandemic is largely under control, to fly to the Balearic Islands from June 15, two weeks before the country reopens its borders, to test how to restart tourism
The Foreign Office is also thought to be close to dropping its advice against all non-essential travel around the world for Britons – and could do so by the end of June.
It comes as budget airline Ryanair revealed bookings for flights to Mediterranean destinations had doubled compared to a week ago, reported The Times.
All UK arrivals – including Britons – must now fill in an online ‘contact locator’ form setting out where they will live for a fortnight. Refusal to do so risks a £1,000 fine.
But Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary has labelled it ‘worse than useless’ amid claims police will take ‘no immediate action’ even if a passenger gives a false address.
One legal challenge has already been launched by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair in a joint action which plans to ask the High Court for a judicial review.
A second has also been put forward in a pre-action letter by lawyers on behalf of Simon Dolan, owner of Southend-based charter airline Jota Aviation.
His team have written to Home Secretary Priti Patel and pointed out that even the Government’s own scientific experts had not supported the quarantine plans.
And a third challenge is now being considered by the new group Quash Quarantine which represents more than 500 hotels, travel and hospitality firms.
Its spokesman Paul Charles, who is also chief executive of the travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline: ‘The Quash Quarantine group, consisting of over 500 travel and hospitality companies seeking to overturn the recently-introduced quarantine measures, has received private assurances from senior Government sources that travel corridors will be in place from June 29.
‘We urge the government to signal to the travel industry publicly and urgently that this is the case, as well as amend FCO advice on non-essential travel.
Passengers gather near passport control at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 arrivals hall yesterday
Passengers abide by the social distancing measures as they queue at the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras yesterday
‘We are still considering our options regarding legal action, including whether to join BA’s claim or launch our own action, but would prefer that June 29 is confirmed as soon as possible for the start of travel corridors.
‘The industry needs urgent visibility on a timetable for travel to begin again.’
But the plans do not appear to be putting off British travellers, with Ryanair reporting a large increase in bookings among UK families.
Mr O’Leary said: ‘Our bookings doubled this weekend compared with the previous weekend; mainly with UK families booking holidays to go to the Canaries, the Algarve, the Balearics, Malaga and Italy.
‘Most people in the UK know that the quarantine is completely bonkers and useless.
‘Most are gambling, in my view correctly, that the quarantine has so little credibility that it will be removed before the end of June anyway.’
One border source said yesterday: ‘It’s been a complete farce. The vast majority of passengers have not filled in forms in advance.
‘Those who have filled it in are given an online reference number, but immigration officers can’t log in to check whether that form has been filled in properly.
‘It’s been impossible to socially distance in the Heathrow arrivals halls because so many people have been milling around.
‘There’s been trouble at Heathrow and at Calais and Coquelles, where the UK border checks take place for the Channel Tunnel. It’s a mess.’
The scheme was further undermined last night as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) issued guidance which revealed the light touch forces will adopt when checking up on travellers during quarantine.
Even if a false address appears to have been given, police should take ‘no immediate further action’, the guidelines say, and the case simply referred to the UK Border Force.
If police visit an address where someone is supposed to be self-isolating and there is no answer, the NPCC says further visits are ‘suggested’ but there should again be ‘no immediate further action by police’. That case should be referred to Public Health England.
And if police discover someone at a different address to the one they gave on their form, they should only remove the person to their given address ‘as a last resort’. An NPCC spokesman said most of the responsibility fell to Public Health England, adding: ‘Police have a limited role in quarantine regulations.’
In the event of a case being referred by PHE to the police for action, he added: ‘We will seek to establish the circumstances and we will continue our approach of engaging, explaining, encouraging and, only as a last resort, enforcing.’
Passengers arriving at Stansted on a flight from Eindhoven in the Netherlands criticised the measures yesterday.
Ali Gurlek, 30, a software developer from London who spent the weekend visiting friends in the Netherlands, criticised the quarantine rule as lacking in ‘common sense’.
He said he had to take public transport from the airport to his home where he will self-isolate, adding: ‘If we have it then it’s going to spread that.’
‘It doesn’t look very common sense,’ he added.
At the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, Sylvain Preumont, 50, a business manager who makes a weekly trip from Paris, said as a frequent traveller he was exempt but that he was no fan of the policy.
‘It makes no sense,’ he said. ‘This was invented to reassure people… then we realise that it’s not feasible.’
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said border measures were needed but quarantine was a ‘blunt instrument’.
‘We have got the situation where – weeks ago – other countries put quarantine in and we didn’t,’ he told LBC Radio. ‘Now as everybody’s lifting it we’re putting it in. I would much prefer to see some sort of testing regime at the airport.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘The most efficient way to get through the border is to fill out the form before travelling here.