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The six big changes to lockdown Boris Johnson just announced in Parliament
Everything you need to know…
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has addressed the nation today to impose a curfew on England’s pubs and restaurants, plus other new updates to the current rules.
Mr Johnson addressed the House of Commons starting at 12:30pm, where he confirmed the latest updates.
The latest rules could be in place for six months, according to the Prime Minister, who warned people ‘not to be complacent’ as the virus poses a threat.
The new rules are being put in place due to the rate of Covid-19 spread, something Mr Johnson said is not just driven by more testing but also due to an increasing positivity rate.
He added that the Covid alert level increased to four yesterday, ‘so this is the moment when we must act’.
From Thursday evening pubs, bars and restaurants in England will be required to close by 10pm. They will also be required by law to only provide table service to help issues regarding social distancing.
Mr Johnson will be addressing the nation in a TV announcement at 8pm this evening.
The new updates from the House of Commons:
10pm curfew & table service only in hospitality venues
The curfew rules used in some areas which are in local lockdown are set to be rolled out across the country. This means all hospitality and leisure venues will be forced by law to close between 10pm and 5am, including pubs, bars, restaurants, bingo halls, cinemas and takeaways (which will be allowed to make deliveries but not to have customers in the takeaway).
There is also expected to be tougher enforcement for pubs and restaurants when customers are found breaking the rules. Mr Johnson said: “to help the police enforce this rule that means, alas, closing not just calling for last orders, because simplicity is paramount.” Last orders must be called at 9:30pm.
The hospitality industry will also be restricted by law to table service only from Thursday as well as the new curfew rules.
‘Back to work’ replaces ‘work from home’ with immediate effect
Brits have been urged to return to offices for the past few months, however, the message from the government has now shifted to work from home if and where you can.
Office workers are being asked to work from home but for those people who need to go to work they should continue to do so in a Covid-secure way.
Fine increases
Failing to wear a face covering or breaking the rule of six has previously resulted in a £100 fine, however this has now been doubled to £200.
Additionally, the £10,000 fines that were already in place for people who don’t quarantine will now be also applied to businesses.
Face coverings
The requirement to wear face coverings has now been extended to include retail staff, and all taxi users (including private hire vehicles) from Thursday. From Monday, all staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to drink or eat, must wear a face mask.
Follow Social Distancing
The Prime Minister is expected to continue to emphasize ‘hands, face, space’. Furthermore, the capacity on weddings, from Monday, has now been reduced to 15 people. 30 people can still attend a funeral.
The rule of six has now been extended to indoor adult team sports, although five-a-side football has been removed from this.
Delay to certain sectors re-opening
From October 1st, there is a further delay on opening indoor concert venues plus a halt on the trials of spectators returning to sport events.
Commuters could be facing the steepest rise in the cost of train travel in more than a decade just months after prices were already increased.
It has been predicted today that train prices across England and Wales could rise by nearly 5% before the New Year.
The 2021 rise in prices was delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic when train travel was at an all-time low, however, tickets still saw a price rise of 2.6% in March.
Abhijit Tembhekar / Flickr
And this morning, the Retail Prices Index for July 2021 was confirmed as 3.8% by the Office for National Statistics, meaning passengers could see fares rise by 4.8% in 2022, which would be the largest hike since 2012.
This means that the cost of rail travel could increase twice within ten months, and would see a Manchester-Glasgow off-peak return rise by £6.30 to £94.90, according to Metro.
Though all hope isn’t yet gone – changes to the fares in 2022 are still yet to be confirmed.
Jon David Houghton / Wikimedia Commons
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “No decision has been made on national rail fares.
“The government is considering a variety of options and we will announce our decision in due course.”
This news has come as train travel in Manchester and beyond is on the rise – earlier this month, we reported that zero cases of Covid were found in Manchester Piccadilly Train Station, despite thousands of commuters using the station’s services as offices reopen.
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