Pools, gyms, sports facilities and more have all been given the go ahead to reopen in July.
Here are a few dates for your diary. Outdoor pools are able to reopen from Saturday, July 11, along with the resumption of outdoor gigs and performances, provided social distancing measures are in place. Nail bars, salons and tattoo studios have all been given the green light to open on Monday, July 13. And finally—the news many have been waiting for—indoor gyms and sports facilities (i.e. indoor pools) are able to reopen from July 25.
There will, of course, be strict guidelines that these venues must adhere to, such as capacity limits, floor markings and reduced use of showers and changing facilities. The likes of open air theatres and live music venues will be encouraged to use electronic ticketing systems.
Beauty salons, although able to open from Monday, will not be allowed to carry out ‘face to face’ treatments such as eyelash treatments and face waxing/threading.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The reopening of gyms is the news millions across the country have been waiting for with many people desperate to jump on a spinning bike or dive into a pool.”
But he also warns that “these measures are conditional and are reversible”, stressing that government will act accordingly if cases start to rise dramatically.
Recreational team sports are also allowed to return from July 11, so long as they can prove COVID-safe plans, which will need to be submitted to the government. Supporters will be able to attend these fixtures too, in groups of no more than two households, or no larger than six people from different households.
Excitingly, Dowden also mentioned that there would soon be small trials of indoor performances, to work out “how we can confidently usher socially distanced audiences indoors as soon as possible”.
SEE ALSO: a fabulous drive-in cinema with London’s biggest screen arrives this July.