THE UNITED Kingdom is on track to do away with social distancing measures in a matter of weeks, Boris Johnson has said.
The Prime Minister was campaigning in northern England when he was asked by reporters about the planned easing of restrictions in the coming weeks, including the return of indoor dining and holidays abroad on 17 May.
Mr Johnson said they expect to reopen as planned on 17 May, but said they must do so cautiously, as they do not want the return of foreign travel to bring new variants of the disease to the UK.
He also confirmed that the government and public health experts still expect 21 June to be the date social distancing measures can be scrapped-- meaning people will no longer have to stand at least one meter away from others.
The social distancing measures also meant that the number of customers allowed in a pub or restaurant is lessened as each table must have at least one meter between them-- the scrapping of 'one-metre plus' laws would be a huge boost to the hospitality industry.
In an optimistic tone yesterday, Mr Johnson said "I think we've got a good chance, a good chance, of being able to dispense with one-metre plus" by the aforementioned date.
Nightclubs and raves have been reopening in certain parts of England as part of a 'Covid-safe' test ahead of the wider reopening of society n order to see if large crowds can gather without causing a spike in restrictions.
In Ireland, restrictions will be eased throughout May and June, though there has been no discussion on when or if social distancing measures will be scrapped.
You can read more about Ireland's reopening here.
See More: Boris Johnson, Covid, Reopening, Social Distancing, UK
