Pubs and restaurants may be able to serve food and alcohol outside in April if COVID-19 cases keep falling across the country, new reports suggest. And it’s welcome news as we all wallow in the current lockdown. Perking up the prospects of summer, a Downing Street insider told The Sun that the reopening of the hospitality sector could well be fast-tracked, as a result of the current lockdown working as planned.
The hospitality industry was hinted to be given permission to reopen in April with a no-alcohol rule in recent reports, and now, it looks as though that plan could be scrapped altogether. Just earlier this year, it was also reported that the tier system would end to make things simpler – with the rule of six and social distancing expected to remain in place throughout summer. The ‘substantial meal’ and curfew rules will also be scrapped, as they were seen as too confusing.
A Government source said: “We will hopefully be sipping pints in the spring sunshine sooner rather than later.”
The optimistic news comes as the UK’s R-rate dropped below one for the first time since July – as the country continues on its way to meeting its vaccination target, with 15 million Brits vaccinated so far.
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