Coronavirus: New rules on social distancing, and leisure facilities announced

The prime minister has announced that cinemas, museums and galleries can reopen from 4 July

Cinemas and playgrounds in England are being allowed to reopen from 4 July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Museums and libraries, hairdressers and hotels, theme parks and arcades and places of worship will all be allowed to have visitors and customers again.

They were closed in March to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

However, like shops, which reopened earlier in June, these venues will have to put important measures in place.

Visitors will have to pre-book tickets to limit the amount of face-to-face contact, follow one-way systems and they'll need to social distance when queuing.

Social distancing rules on how much space people should leave between themselves and others is also changing on that date.

Currently, people are told to stay two metres from others. From 4 July, that will be changed to one metre.

Mr Johnson said it was still a distance which made it harder for the virus to pass to others.

Another change from 4 July will see people from two different households being able to meet each other indoors.

Mr Johnson said the changes meant all pupils would be able to return to school in September too.

He warned that any changes introduced could be reversed if they lead to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, but said he trusted people to use their common sense. "The virus has not gone away," he said.

Social distancing

Currently in England, people have to remain two metres apart when out and about

The prime minister met with senior politicians and scientists on Monday to work out whether the changes could be made safely.

The UK has been on lockdown since March and some of the restrictions that were introduced early on have been relaxed because the situation has been improving over time, with the number of coronavirus cases falling, he told Parliament on Tuesday.

The change affecting social distancing, which brings the distance down to one metre, is the minimum distance recommended by the World Heath Organization (WHO). It says staying that far apart from other people helps to stop coronavirus spreading.

Several countries including China, Denmark and France have a one-metre social distancing rule in place.

Will the changes affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales?

Shops in Wales have been closed since March

Scotland and Wales have not yet announced any changes to the two-metre social distancing rules, or said when more leisure facilities will be opening. However they are still making some changes being made to lockdown measures.

Northern Ireland had already said it was bringing in the one-metre rule for schools when they reopen in August and that hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes are set to reopen from 3 July,

Also in Northern Ireland, groups of up to six people can meet indoors. It means Northern Ireland has become the first part of the UK to allow limited indoor gatherings, but people will still need to maintain social distancing.

In Scotland, it's now a must for passengers to wear masks on public transport. This covers trains, buses, planes and taxis. However, children who are five and under and people with particular medical conditions don't have to follow this new rule. The Scottish government also wants people to continuing restricting their travel.

Lots of shops reopened in England and Northern Ireland last week and non-essential shops in Wales have opened for the first time in several months. Some shops are reopening in Scotland on 29 June.

Like in England, the shopping experience will look very different, with social distancing measures in place to ensure customers are able to shop safely.

Wales also has a limit on how far people are able to travel from their homes and this means shoppers will only be able to visit stores within a five-mile radius from where they live.