As of 12th April 2021, we hit our 2nd biggest milestone in the easing of restrictions here in the UK. The Government Roadmap is a series of planned dates for getting life back to normal following the successful roll-out of the vaccination programme.
With spring in the air and the sun shining, this easing into normality has come as a true blessing. You can now enjoy the following activities:
Meeting people
you can meet people from other households, outdoors in groups of 6 (or 2 households if this is more than 6). You must still maintain safe, social distancing with your friends but are able to get out and have some much-needed socialisation time.
Retail
Until now, all non-essential retail has been closed. This included clothes and electronics shops. Now, these shops are open and available to the public. We know online shopping can be great, but it is nice to see these businesses back in action again! The nation’s favourite cheap clothes store, Primark, was met with many people excited to spend their money!
Hospitality
Like shops, bars and restaurants have had hard times during the pandemic, being forced to close for long periods in order to protect peoples safety. Now, you can have a drink in your local pub or a meal in your favourite restaurant. At present, you can only sit outside to do this, but the great news is that the weather is warming up!
Sports and Recreation
Outdoor sports such as tennis and basketball courts have opened up once more. Gyms have reopened for people to get their much needed exercise kick, too. On top of that, outdoor recreation venues such as zoos and theme parks have re-opened, making a fun day out a possibility once more!
Travel within the UK
You can travel to meet people outdoors and are now able to stay overnight in a hotel for a UK holiday, but you cannot stay overnight at another person’s house. While the government encourages you to stay home as much as possible still, it is now a possibility to explore the UK a bit more!
What we still cannot do:
• Take a holiday overseas (you could face a £5000 fine for doing so)
• Stay overnight at another person’s house
• Hug or get close to people outside of your household
• Eat or drink at a hospitality venue indoors
• Go to a nightclub
While there is still a little way to go before life resumes as normal, it is great to see some major changes happening here in the UK – and we for one cannot wait to welcome you back at our next milestone on 17th May 2021!