Boris Johnson has announced his roadmap out of England’s third lockdown today (22 February).
The Prime Minister has outlined his four-step plan on easing lockdown restrictions. If cases continue to fall, nightclubs and festivals can reopen from 21 June at the earliest. The plan is to be driven by data, rather than dates.
The final step will see England lift “all legal limits on social contact”. Boris Johnson said, “We will reopen everything and up to, including nightclubs and large events.” He added the government will potentially use “testing to reduce the risk of infection.”
In the lead-up to the full reopening of nightclubs, Johnson’s plan is to resume outdoor hospitality – as part of the plan’s second stage – from 12 April. Gatherings can be made up of six people or two households.
Stage three will see indoor hospitality return from 17 May, when most social contact rules will be lifted. Furthermore, outdoor performances with an audience of 4000 people can return, whilst indoor performances are to be capped at 1000 people.
Recently, Music Venue Trust announced that 13 out of 30 venues in the UK were removed from their crisis list, meaning they’re no longer at risk of imminent and permanent closure. The list included venues such as the new Bristol arts space Strange Brew and Sheffield’s Plot 22.