MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2020) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced on Friday that the next stage of England's COVID-19 economic reopening, which would have seen ice skating rinks, casinos, and bowling alleys reopen, has been postponed for two weeks due to the rising number of coronavirus disease cases.
"On Saturday, August 1, we had hoped to reopen in England some of the higher-risk settings that had remained closed. Today, I'm afraid, we're postponing those changes for at least a fortnight," the prime minister said.
This postponement will largely affect non-essential recreational centers, which will now not be allowed to reopen until August 15, the prime minister said.
"That means until August 15 at the earliest, casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and the remaining close-contact services must remain closed. Indoor performances will not resume, pilots of larger crowds in sports venues and conference centers will not take place," Johnson remarked.
The prime minister also announced that tougher rules on the wearing of facial coverings in indoor spaces will come into force from August 8.
"We will also extend the requirement to wear a face covering to other indoor settings where you're likely to come into contact with people you do not normally meet, such as museums, galleries, cinemas, and places of worship. We now recommend face coverings are worn in these settings, and this will become enforceable in law from August 8," Johnson said.
With just a few hours' notice, many parts of northern England were placed under tighter social distancing restrictions on Friday amid a surge in new coronavirus disease cases. The new restrictions, which include a ban on separate households meeting one another in a domestic setting, cover Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and the eastern parts of Lancashire.
When asked by a journalist if the measures were a return to lockdown, the prime minister stated that it was merely a return to social distancing.
"What we're introducing today in the north west should not be characterized as a return to lockdown. I know many people will feel that it is disruptive and intrusive on their lives, but really it is a return to some of the social distancing measures we've seen before," Johnson commented.
On Thursday, the UK's Department of Health and Social Care registered 846 new positive tests for the coronavirus disease, a significant jump from the 763 new cases confirmed the day before.
The UK's lab-confirmed COVID-19 case total now stands at 302,301, and the country's death toll currently stands at 45,999.
