Dennis Fisher, 77, who has travelled to Keswick from Huddersfield for three nights, is the first person to enjoy a coffee in Jasper's Coffee House this year.

He says it is "superb" to be back inside a cafe.

"It is what we have all been waiting for. It has been so cold," he says.

"I have been visiting Keswick for 50 years and I come up here most months."

Sarah Bell, the manager of the cafe, says she is hoping to maximise on a "tourism boom".

"It has been hard for the staff, the stop and start of it all. To get a catering business up and going again from scratch every single time it is really difficult," she says.

She says she does not expect the next stage of reopening to happen on 21 June. But she says the business has diversified by doing more takeaways and she thinks if things stay the way they are, then "we can make some money".

Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), is urging people to be cautious as lockdown eases, even if they have been vaccinated.

He tells the BBC: "I think if you are going to be in an enclosed space, you must wear a really well-fitting mask, you must wash your hands and maybe travel with some hand sanitiser and do everything you can to reduce the likelihood of you being infected, even if you're vaccinated."

Referring to the variant first found in India, which is thought to be more transmissible, Prof Openshaw says it is important to vaccinate people as "fast as possible", adding that the rollout out should "extend down into the younger age groups who are being infected by this new variant, even those under the age of 18".

Image source, PA Media

As we’ve been reporting, the guidance on close contact is changing from today.

People from different households in England and Scotland will be able to choose to hug their friends and family for the first time in months, but the government is urging people to be cautious.

We have gathered some advice from coronavirus experts on how to hug safely.

1. Be selective. "Personally I'm going to restrict my hugging to family members and not beyond," says Prof Sally Jane Cutler from the University of East London. "I think we have to be very conserved about who we choose to hug."

The government's new advice suggests, external people should take extra care with those vulnerable to Covid, and maybe choose not to hug elderly relatives - especially if either hugger is not vaccinated.

2. Keep it brief. The length of time you spend in close contact with someone also makes a difference. "Don't spend too long making face-to-face contact, make it a brief hug," says Dr Frank Atherton, Wales’ chief medical officer. The government's own updated advice on hugging also makes this point. "Longer periods of close contact increase the risk of transmission, but remember that even brief contact can spread Covid-19 - and there is no such thing as a fully safe period of close contact," it says.

3. Avoid face-to-face contact. "Try and avoid being face to face, so perhaps if you turn your face away slightly, and even wearing a mask could help," says Prof Cath Noakes - who sits on the Sage committee that advises the government.

You can read more of the experts’ tips here.

Blackpool's Sea Life Aquarium has been preparing for the return of indoor visitors by playing music to their marine creatures.

Special underwater speakers have helped to recreate the noise of tourists and families.

BBC reporter Fiona Lamdin reports for us from the bottom of a shark tank.

Image source, Reuters

We have already mentioned concern over the spread of the variant first identified in India.

Now London Mayor Sadiq Khan is calling for young people in areas of London where there are cases of the B.1.617.2 Indian variant of Covid to be vaccinated earlier than planned.

Khan says about 400 people have tested positive for the variant across the capital.

Khan is asking for "flexibility" from health officials so that young people in the five boroughs where the bulk of the cases were found can be vaccinated ahead of other parts of the city.

Early evidence suggests vaccines do work against this variant.

Image source, Joe Leam

Masters student Joe Leam, 25, is flying from London to Lisbon today for a holiday. Portugal is now on the green list of countries, meaning travel is allowed as long as you take a test before you come back and then pay for one when you arrive.

"The main reason I’m going is for mental health," he says. "To have a change of scenery to try and improve things.

"The monotony and repetition of being in the same environment was a struggle during lockdown."

Joe says he has an underlying health condition (he’s now fully vaccinated) and was living with older people so "had to be very careful and stay in the house" during lockdown.

"Going away to a new environment that I can explore is a chance I had to take," he says."It’s the first day one could escape having been stuck inside for a long time, and so I latched on to the opportunity and booked the flights."

Coronavirus restrictions have been in place in England for more than a year.

The UK’s devolved nations have worked to their own timeframes in easing measures.

England officially entered its third coronavirus lockdown on 6 January after a new variant first discovered in south-east England sparked a surge in infections and hospital admissions, which pushed the NHS to the brink.

People were told to stay at home except for certain reasons – such as medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work for those who could not work from home.

Schools and colleges closed to most pupils, while all non-essential retail and hospitality, except for takeaways, had to close along with leisure venues.

At the end of February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his four-stage roadmap for a "cautious but irreversible" easing of restrictions.

On 8 March, England’s primary schools reopened, with most secondary schools returning in phases to allow time for Covid testing.

Since 29 March, two households or groups of up to six people have been allowed to meet outside - including in private gardens – while outdoor sports facilities including tennis courts and golf courses reopened.

On 12 April, non-essential retail, hairdressers, gyms, zoos, theme parks and outdoor hospitality reopened.

Nick Beake
Europe Correspondent

“Thank the Lord” says Vina Ludovina, with a huge smile as she drops to the floor as if she were praying. “We’ve been closed for six months so this is such great news.”

We found her frantically cleaning her restaurant in Albufeira for the first wave of returning British tourists.

Her husband was at the market buying fresh fish. But he wasn’t splashing out too much – this couple are going to wait and see just how many visitors they actually get this week.

But there is excitement and relief everywhere you turn. Katia Salgueiro, an ice cream seller, tells us her UK customers were the best by far.

Tourism bosses on the Algarve say - in normal times - nearly half of all foreign arrivals at Faro are British, contributing half a billion pounds to the Portuguese economy every year, in a good year.

From the little bars to the huge hotels, this cash will be a lifeline.

Image source, Reuters

As we've reported, Bolton has seen a sharp spike in infections since mid-April and the B.1.617.2 variant - first found in India - now makes up the majority of new cases.

Because of this, the town's residents are being urged to come forward for vaccinations.

Dr Helen Wall, who is leading the town's vaccine rollout, says it was "emotional" to see more than 6,200 people vaccinated there at the weekend.

Prior to the push, about 10,000 people in the highest priority groups were yet to be vaccinated.

She says many who had been eligible for some time came for a jab over the last two days and she hopes the programme has "made a big dent" in the list of outstanding eligible residents.

The "variant of concern" has also been detected elsewhere in Lancashire, in Blackburn, as well as in Sefton on Merseyside.

Read more

At Heathrow Airport, travellers are excited to be able to take to the skies again.

They include Nellie and Jill, who are heading to Portugal today. They say the past few weeks have been stressful however, especially as it was only confirmed on Friday they could definitely travel to the country.

The pair nearly cancelled but decided to hold their nerve - but it was then a scramble to get PCR tests over the weekend.

Jill says: "Adding all the documentation wasn't easy, but we persevered and we're glad we did."

They say they're looking forward to a glass of wine on the balcony when they arrive.

Gary, also heading to Portugal, says he's only had one day off in the past year - so he's choosing to go away at the first available opportunity.

When he arrives, "once the paperwork is in the safe, it's time for well-earned me time", he says.

Others travelling include Billy Young who's on his way to Ibiza to see his wife for the first time in seven months. The couple are applying for residency there, but when Billy came back to the UK in October to work for the NHS, he found he was not able to return.

As Ibiza is on the amber list, he has had to get special permission to travel. Billy says he's "vaccinated and will follow all procedures".

James Shaw
BBC Scotland reporter

People in Glasgow between the ages of 18 and 39 are being invited to get their vaccinations sooner than previously planned, to cope with a Covid upsurge in the city.

The local health board says appointments are being made for next week and they're also finalising plans to bring forward second vaccinations for people over 50.

While restrictions in most of Scotland are being eased today, Glasgow and Moray in north east Scotland are remaining under tighter controls because of increases in coronavirus infections in both areas.

You can read more about the situation in Glasgow here.

Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland

Image source, Siberia Bar

Stuart McPhee, director of Siberia Bar in Aberdeen is getting ready to get back to serving alcohol indoors later.

He tells Good Morning Scotland there are new measures in place to make customers feel safe.

"It's another step back towards normality," he says. "We have a healthy booking pipeline and people are keen to get back indoors and enjoy socialising again. We are looking forward to it."

He says the outdoor opening has been encouraging.

"People are not scared to get out and about," he says.

Restrictions and Covid safety measures are still in place.

He says: "We have everybody doing a mandatory track and trace at the front door and we have to display a capacity notice and we have a curfew time of 22:30. "Those times are quite restrictive and the sooner we can get back to normal the better things will be for us in terms of viability."

Image source, Siberia bar

Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent

The NHS app has been updated over the weekend to show details of users’ vaccine record.

“Check your Covid-19 vaccine record” is now the top option in the "Your Health" tab of the app, which was created two years ago to give easy access to GP services such as appointments and prescriptions.

Some app users had previously had access to vaccine records, but now an update means they are easier to find and available to all.

What is not included is any record of test results, and it isn’t yet clear whether overseas border agencies will accept the app as proof of vaccine status.

Image source, PA Media

Welcoming holidaymakers for the first time in months is a "big relief", Gatwick Airport chief executive Stewart Wingate says.

He expects the number of travellers to increase tenfold by the end of May - but this will still be less than 15% of the numbers seen before the pandemic.

"It's an important day for us, and important first step," he says. "Very much we're looking forward to seeing more countries added to the green list in the weeks ahead, as the vaccination programme has continued to accelerate and is being rolled out across Europe, and hopefully the infection rates fall."

England's travel green list has the fewest restrictions and means travellers will not have to quarantine on return from those destinations.

• Which countries are on the green list for foreign holidays?

Image source, PA Media

Matt Hancock will give an update to parliament on Covid-19 later.

The Office for the Leader of the House of Commons says the health secretary will be giving an oral statement and we're expecting it at about 16:30 BST.

Simon Browning
Business Reporter

Image source, Simon Browning

For those who’ve made the decision to head to Portugal today, I imagine it’s been a stressful few days like it has for us.

Gone are the days of chucking some trunks and a small sun cream into a bag with your passport to jet off to the south of Europe. Travel now involves a huge amount of planning. Not just the beaches you want to visit, but your Covid tests to get in and out of the country you’re visiting, as well as all the local Covid protocols and then those in the UK when we get back.

To get into Portugal today we did a PCR test on Friday. It wasn’t that easy to sort and cost £129 for a courier to drop off, wait for us to test and then take away.

A negative result (which I got) is needed for entry to Portugal. Once I got the result, I had to log into to our airline website and log the certificate. This was complicated.

Issues with the testing site meant I couldn’t get the certificate to download. After a whole load of faff, it worked. Then you need to fill in a Portugal Passenger Locator form with all your details of your stay in Portugal and your UK home details.

You need to download this and add to the site too. You’re also advised to print all these certificates for border inspection. I don’t have a printer at home – and I don’t go to the office, so this involved sorting that as well.

You also need to take an antigen test which you need to buy, take with you and use as a pre-departure test for when we’re leaving Portugal. This £40 test has to be done in front of a clinician before flying back to the UK.

I’m doing a video call with a clinic in the UK 24 hours before I travel back so they can see me do it and the result. When I get back to the UK, I must do a PCR test within two days of my arrival and this has to be organised in advance of departure. This was another £99.

Choosing to travel in these circumstances takes real commitment and perseverance. One other passenger mentioned to us she felt like a guinea pig with all the tests. As summer progresses, industry and government want prices to come down to make it easier for passengers.

Image source, PA Media

One of the things many people will be looking forward to as part of today's rule changes is hugging.

But Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) tells BBC Breakfast hugging is a "high-risk procedure" and says we should be "extremely cautious" amid the easing of restrictions.

"Some of us are quite happy not to be hugging and kissing many times on the cheek," he says. "This is a high-risk procedure, I would say in medical terms and I would certainly not be embracing people closely.

"I think you can greet people perfectly well at a distance with a smile and a kind word."

He adds: "I think we're all in agreement that this is a moment when we need to be very cautious if we're going to preserve our freedoms going forward into the summer."

Conwy's Castle Hotel general manager Joe Lavin says phones have been "melting" due to very strong demand ahead of welcoming customers back from today.

"We're looking at a full weekend from this weekend and beyond," he says.

Mr Lavin says the "biggest change" to the business has been adopting track-and-trace technology and an online booking system.

Meanwhile, Sian Shepphard, owner of the Horse and Jockey pub in Pontypool, says advance bookings for inside dining have been "brilliant", although the business has remained busy in its beer garden prior to the rules being eased further.

"We've got lots of measures in place just to make sure that everyone's safe but primarily has a good time and actually is able to come out and eat inside a restaurant," she says.

But Anna Redfern, who owns Cinema and Co in Swansea, called the Welsh government's rules for the hospitality and tourism trade "bewildering".

"The government is telling us what direction to walk in, what doors to use and they're just impractical," she tells BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"Trying to navigate through this rule book which is supposed to be guidance is really stressful."

Image source, Getty Images

As we reported, all mainland council areas in Scotland - with the exception of Glasgow and Moray - have moved from level three to level two Covid restrictions today.

The easing allows limited numbers of people to socialise indoors and lets pubs and restaurants serve alcohol inside until 22:30.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney tells BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland there are grounds for optimism, but the rising infection rates in Glasgow and Moray show any progress is "fragile".

People should tread "carefully and cautiously and warily" as restrictions are relaxed, he says.

"As we enjoy some of the restrictions we now have, we have to treat them with a great deal of care."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has also said it is "vital to be cautious".

You can read more here.

About 100 people gathered for a drink in the early hours at a pub in Coventry that opened its doors at midnight.

Image source, PA Media

Customers in England are able to get served indoors again as lockdown eases.

The owner of the Oak Inn, Darren Lee, says the pub was not "overly busy" but the early opening had been well received.

He says his locals were "really glad to be back inside - they're really up for it" and hoped larger numbers would build through the day.

Image source, PA Media