London – Boris Johnson wants a haircut and a beer. Like millions of other Britons, the prime minister will be able to have a trim…
London – Boris Johnson wants a haircut and a beer.
Like millions of other Britons, the prime minister will be able to have a trim and a tipple on Saturday, when the country takes its biggest step yet out of coronavirus lockdown with the reopening in England of restaurants, pubs and hairdressers, along with secular and sacred venues including cinemas and churches.
Britain is also opening up to travel, announcing Friday that it will scrap a requirement for people arriving from dozens of countries to spend 14 days in isolation. Starting July 10, quarantine will be lifted for arrivals from countries deemed “lower risk” for the coronavirus, including Australia, Japan, France, Spain, Germany and Italy – but not the United States, the world’s worst-hit country from COVID-19.
For isolation-weary Britons and cash-starved businesses, relief at easing the three-month lockdown is mixed with trepidation. Britain has the highest COVID-19 toll in Europe, with more than 44,000 confirmed deaths, and scientists say the coronavirus is still on the loose. Even the usually ebullient Johnson said this week that the virus was “ still circling like a shark in the water.”
“Without doubt, lockdown has saved many hundreds of thousands of lives,” Johnson said at a news conference Friday. “But it has also had a devastating impact on our way of life and our economy.”
Johnson urged Britons to enjoy themselves, and has said he plans to have a pint and get his shaggy blond locks trimmed this weekend. But he also urged people to be careful and follow social distancing rules.
“This is a big turning point for us,” he said. “We’ve got to get it right.”
When pubs and restaurants reopen Saturday, it will be anything but business as usual.
