Image source, Getty Images

Queues began to form early this morning as high street stores prepared to reopen in Wales

Covid rules have eased to allow non-essential retail and close-contact services to resume, as well as travel to other parts of the UK.

Learners are returning to schools, sixth forms and colleges, while universities will provide students with a mix of face-to-face and online classes.

Queues started to form outside fashion stores TK Maxx and Primark in Cardiff city centre at 07:00 BST.

"I'm glad they're open," said one man queuing outside St David's shopping centre.

"We haven't been able to do any shopping for the kids since actually December."

Another said it was "good to see everyone out supporting the local shops", adding that she was hoping to buy some sports gear.

"We got some things to take back from Christmas," she added.

Image source, Supplied photo

The fact some areas are seeing snow today is a reminder, as if it were needed, that England does not always enjoy pleasant temperatures for dining outside.

But despite this, hundreds of bars, pubs and restaurants are successfully applying for outside drinking and dining licences as restrictions ease.

Liverpool has been one of the most active councils, approving almost 200 temporary licences for business, as well as running a grant scheme last year to help hospitality providers buy outdoor seating, heaters and shelters.

Natalie Haywood, who co-owns a group of venues in Merseyside, says being able to serve outside last year was "an absolute lifeline" and "made us feel like we were on holiday, when we couldn't go anywhere".

She says sitting outside on Castle Street with her daughter, in the sunshine last year, it "really felt like we were in Italy".

Natalie and other hospitality business owners will be hoping the sun shines on their businesses this week - and that it has the potential to herald a surge in European-style cafe culture. Read more here.

Laurie Dyche
Reporter, BBC Radio Nottingham

A long queue of shoppers has formed outside Primark in Nottingham early this morning, as non-essential shops reopened for the first time in months.

The queue from the shop on Long Row stretched to the Old Market Square.

Some shoppers have said they woke up at 5:00 to beat the crowds.

One woman said: "I think it's about normality. And pants."

The city council has urged shoppers to keep themselves and others safe when they are out shopping.

Councillor Sam Webster, portfolio holder for finance, growth and the city centre, says it is "great news" more retail outlets could open.

However, he adds: "Social-distancing rules still apply and there will clearly be limits on the number of people who can enter premises at any one time. There will likely be queues outside some shops and we’ll need to be patient and sensible.”

Image source, Reuters

In a rare admission of weakness, China's top disease control official has said the efficacy of the country's Covid vaccines is low - but later said his comments were misinterpreted.

China has developed four different vaccines approved for public use, but some trials abroad have suggested their effectiveness is as low as 50%.

Gao Fu told a press conference China is considering mixing vaccines as a way of boosting their efficacy.

However, he later appeared to backtrack on these comments, telling state media Global Times "protection rates of all vaccines in the world are sometimes high, and sometimes low".

More than 100 million people in China have now received at least one dose of a vaccine. The country insists the jabs are effective, and says it will only grant visas to foreigners who've had a Chinese vaccine.

Read the full story here

It's been a formal affair at the reopening of The Greyhound Inn in Warslow this morning.

Watch the moment the Peak District pub marks its first day back with a gong:

Shoppers have started queuing outside London's Oxford Street stores this morning as some of England's lockdown rules are relaxed.

From today, non-essential shops and hairdressers are allowed to reopen, while pubs and restaurants are allowed to serve customers outside.

Some people were spotted running to join the queue outside JD Sports while crowds gathered around the front doors of nearby TK Maxx.

A large queue was also formed outside Size? in Carnaby Street.

Marika Smith, general manager of Hough End Leisure Centre, Withington, Manchester, says she "has not slept the last two nights" in anticipation of reopening today.

It is the third time the leisure centre has reopened after being closed through government restrictions but staff feel confident they can stay open safely and consistently.

• What can I do today?

Marika says: "To keep people safe, we took best practice from our previous restarts... one-way systems, cleaning stations, cleaning regimes, cashless, bookings only by the app, so only pre-booked sessions allowed.

"All of the swimming is fully booked, you can't get on any, and the same for the busy parts of this evening, 6-7 o'clock, is fully booked.

"We have had quite a big uptake of new people coming to the centre, which I think could be down to people realising that they have spent a lot of time at home and just wanting to get out and about and doing something.

"Its also great for mental health as well, it is hugely important for gyms to be open because not only does it have great physical benefits, it helps people's mental health as well."

Image source, PA Media

Today is the first day that all 350,000 pupils in Northern Ireland are returning to school.

For many of those in post-primary years eight to 11, it will be their first time back in the classroom this year.

Primary and pre-school pupils, as well as those in years 12-14, made a phased return to school in March, before the Easter break.

All school staff and pupils in years 12,13 and 14 are being asked to take twice-weekly lateral flow device tests.

This is to reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted in schools, the Public Health Agency says.

Post-primary pupils have to wear face coverings in classrooms, unless they are exempt.

Separately, musicians and music teachers have been calling for a ban on indoor singing in schools to be overturned. They say this is at odds with guidance elsewhere in the UK.

Image source, PA Media

At hair and beauty salon Strand & Lock in the Custard Factory in the heart of Birmingham's creative quarter in Digbeth, staff welcomed their first customer in months.

Amy Smith - who had not been to a stylist since before the first lockdown last year - said she was "thrilled" to be back at a salon.

"It's great to be here, I've been going with this weird little top knot for a few months now," she said. "I'm going to a go to a beer garden experience later, so it's going to be good."

Lizzie Hewitt and Danny Law are the salon's co-owners.

Mr Law says they will be "absolutely full to the rafters" with customers all this week, but it feels like the "third launch" for the business - which was only set up in November 2019 - because of repeatedly having to lock down.

He adds: "It's a mixture [of feelings], there's a little anxiety from the general change of seeing no-one to seeing people again.

"But with work we're just really, really pumped, we're really excited to start."

As we reported earlier, the weather is due to warm up slightly as pubs and restaurants reopen outdoors in England. But as these pictures show, it was a cold start to the day...

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

BBC Radio 5 Live

Pubs have reopened in England and the first pints are well under way. But will customers coming flooding back?

Angie Uren is the landlady of the Coach & Horses pub, in Bradfield Green, Cheshire.

She's just signed up for another five years of tenancy but says it is difficult to know whether pubgoers will return.

"It's going to be very difficult [to make money] because we don't really know what customers will want, whether they're going to come out, with it being so cold," she says.

"We really don't know to be honest with you."

But she is optimistic.

"We've got some of our regular customers that we've been in touch with, they're going to come in and see us.

"We're hoping that people passing will see people in [here]. It's getting the confidence back... people are very confused at the moment."

Away from the UK, tens of thousands of people have gathered to take a dip in the sacred Ganges river even as a deadly second Covid wave is sweeping India.

The devotees are marking the second day of an auspicious bathing day on Monday at Kumbh Mela in the town of Haridwar in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Police officials say they are struggling to impose Covid-19 safety protocols and fine violators due to the huge crowds at the site.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

For people and businesses in England, this is the day when some of the rules are relaxed, but some firms have already gone bust during the pandemic.

So what's the mood on the High Street in this next easing of lockdown?

Julian Metcalfe, chief executive of Itsu and founder of Pret a Manger, says Itsu is "well positioned and raring to go to feed our loyal customers".

He says he hopes the food retailer will welcome more customers than ever before, saying people will be looking for "fresh healthy food".

He adds "everyone is hesitant and a bit nervous" but says: "There's no reason we can't come back with real strength and positivity."

And he says retailers just "desperately need some clarity" and to stick to the roadmap for easing the lockdown.

Sacha Berendji, of Marks and Spencer, which is reopening its clothing and home departments, says: "The pandemic is definitely not over and we do need to make sure we come out of this in a safe and responsible way."

But he says he is excited for customers to have a "great and hopefully inspiring shopping experience with us".

On the future of the business, he acknowledges "we have seen customers flip into shopping online".

"I do believe shopping going forward will be a combination of online and physical retail and it's absolutely vital that we move as fast as possible to get ourselves in the right shape for that," he says.

Image source, PA Media

At hair and beauty salon Strand & Lock in the Custard Factory in the heart of Birmingham's creative quarter in Digbeth, staff have been welcoming their first customer in months.

Amy Smith - who has not been to a stylist since before the first lockdown last year - says she is "thrilled" to be back at a salon.

"It's great to be here, I've been going with this weird little top knot for a few months now," she says.

"I'm going to a go to a beer garden experience later, so it's going to be good."

"Let's change the way we shop."

This is the statement emblazoned in huge letters on the side of one of the most famous department stores in the world, in Europe's busiest shopping area - Selfridges on Oxford Street.

Over the past year, as restrictions have been put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus, consumers have been forced to alter the way they shop, with many turning to online retailers.

Now, as stores are allowed to reopen, what's left on London's most famous shopping street?

Walk the entire street noting down all of the defunct stores and you will find that 28 out of 212 shops - over 13% - are either boarded up or their occupants have clearly left for the last time.

So how can Oxford Street woo customers back its stores?

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has called upon the G7 group of wealthy nations to lead a "herculean mobilisation" to push for global mass vaccination against coronavirus.

The ex-Labour leader wrote in the Guardian that £22bn was needed to ensure yearly vaccinations for lower income countries until Covid no longer claims lives.

The UK government said millions of doses had been sent to developing countries under the Covax scheme, which aims to ensure vaccines are shared fairly among rich and poor nations.

But the scheme has been criticised for failing to deliver jabs to developing nations quickly enough.

The G7 is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the European Union.

You can read the full story here.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

While today marks a first step back to some sort of normality for people living in England, it is also a first step back towards profitability those who run small businesses.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Vanita Parti, chief executive of Blink Brow Bar, a chain of eyebrow threading salons, says there is "lot of pent up demand" for her services.

"We've had 1,000 clients on our waiting list from February," she says. "As soon as the appointments were up we became fully booked for the next few weeks."

She says she hopes this means a positive future for the business "if all goes well", but stresses "we've got to plan for the worst possible".

Nic Till, owner of Riverhead Coffee cafes in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, says she is "optimistic" about the future for the next few months.

"Especially Cleethorpes which is a seaside town - popular for vacations," she says.

On Monday's chilly weather, she says she still expects customers to come out for a coffee.

"Over the past few months we've had our loyal fans who've been standing outside in the rain so I think it might just be welcome to have a seat," she says.

And she adds: "I think people are just eagerly anticipating a nicer summer time so I think there's a lot of positivity."

After a cold weekend - including snow in many parts - what will the weather look like on Monday, as pubs and restaurants reopen outdoors in England?

The good news is it will stay mainly dry. But temperatures will feel chilly, with highs of 11C expected in London, 10 in Cardiff, 9 in Edinburgh, and 8 in Belfast.

Watch the forecast for Monday, and the week ahead, below.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

It's a morning that many holiday businesses in England have been waiting for because self-catering accommodation can now open.

This has been the case in Wales since 27 March - but lots of firms there have chosen not to reopen due to a of lack of business, including Jo Wait, who owns Valley Yurts on the border between Powys and Herefordshire.

"I would say that 80% of our guests are from England," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We are about four miles from the English border, our post code is England but our council is Wales," she adds, saying that many of their guests were confused about whether they were allowed to come.

"We decided it was more straightforward to open [today]."

Jo says they spent the winter building extra infrastructure to ensure they could meet Covid guidelines, some of which is no longer necessary under today's rules.

But she says: "It has had a lot of impact financially but we've felt its been worth it because we don't want to let down our guests.

"I'm sure the infrastructure will help us for the future and we just hope that we get a very busy summer ahead."

Simon Jack
BBC Business Editor

Shoppers, gym fans, domestic holiday makers, outdoor drinkers and diners, plus those in need of a haircut will share the government's hope that today is an irreversible step towards old and cherished freedoms.

So will the business owners who will be welcoming them back.

But this significant easing of lockdown is also an important test.

Will customers want or be able to return in sufficient numbers for firms to break even and if they don't, what will it take to make the economy work again?

Only two in five hospitality venues have any outdoor space and the rules over future inside opening are still unclear.

The government and the opposition have distanced themselves from requiring Covid certificates for day-to-day life but the government has also hinted individual businesses may require them if they wish.

Hospitality chiefs have told the BBC they fear having to choose between two different ways to lose money - half empty venues without certificates or full ones with extra staff and hassle to check Covid status.

Demand may vary by sector.

Hairdressers are booked solid, retailers are hopeful of high footfall and are welcoming longer opening hours but some holiday parks are reporting subdued bookings as many of their public amenities remain closed.

It is a test for everyone - but a welcome one for most.