The further easing of lockdown restrictions in England - due to come in this weekend - has been postponed for at least two weeks, amid concerns over an increase in coronavirus cases.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson attending a remote press conference to update the nation on the novel coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic inside 10 Downing Street in central London on July 31, 2020. Photo: AFP
Casinos and bowling alleys will remain shut, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying it was time to "squeeze the brake pedal".
Wedding receptions of up to 30 people were meant to be allowed as part of the changes but cannot yet happen.
Face coverings will be mandatory in more indoor settings, such as cinemas.
People attending places of worship will also be required to wear face coverings, in a change that will be applied from next weekend.
But planned changes to guidance for those who have been shielding during the pandemic, and advice for employers, will still go ahead.
Johnson made the comments during a special Downing Street briefing, where he was joined by England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty.
Prof Whitty warned that it might not be possible to ease the lockdown any further, explaining that the "idea that we can open up everything and keep the virus under control" is wrong.
Asked whether it was safe for England's schools to open fully to all pupils in the autumn, he said it was a "difficult balancing act" but "we have probably reached or neared the limits of what we can do in terms of opening up society".
The rethink follows new restrictions for people in parts of northern England, after a spike in virus cases.
The prime minister said progress against coronavirus continues, with the daily and weekly number of deaths falling, but warned that some European countries are "struggling" to control it. The UK must be ready to "react", he said.
A further 120 people have died with the virus in the UK, according to the latest figures, and 880 new cases have been recorded.
Highlighting the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Johnson added: "The prevalence of the virus in the community, in England, is likely to be rising for the first time since May."
He said that the reopening of society had always been "conditional" on "continued progress against the virus", but with "numbers creeping up" it was time to "squeeze that brake pedal in order to keep the virus under control".
He urged people to "follow the rules, wash our hands, cover our faces, keep our distance - and get a test if we have symptoms", summing the advice up with a new slogan: "Hands, face, space, get a test".
Johnson said the planned reopening of "higher risk settings" on 1 August would now be delayed for at least a fortnight.
This means that the following will not be able to take place until 15 August, at the earliest:
- the reopening of casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks and remaining close contact services
- indoor performances
- pilots of larger gatherings in sports venues and conference centres
- the expansion of wedding receptions to allow up to 30 people
- beauty treatments that involve the face, such as eyelash, eyebrow and threading treatments
Fans attended the World Snooker Championship when it started on Friday as part of a pilot to test the return of larger crowds to sports venues. The tournament will now go ahead without spectators until at least 15 August, which is when the final is scheduled to begin.
The British Beauty Council said the changes were "very disappointing for a sector that has already seen delay after delay in reopening".
Separately, face coverings will be compulsory in more indoor settings where people are likely to come into contact with people they do not know, such as museums and places of worship, from next weekend. They are already required in shops, banks, airports and other indoor transport hubs.
The prime minister said the rules for face coverings would become enforceable in law from 8 August.
However, he said the plan to pause shielding for those most vulnerable to the virus will go ahead from Saturday.
That means some 2.2 million people who have been self-isolating in England during the pandemic can return to work, if they cannot work from home, as long as their workplace is Covid-secure.
Guidance for employers will also change as planned from the start of August, providing "more discretion over how employees can work safely, whether by continuing to work from home, or attending a Covid-secure workplace", Johnson said.
The latest announcement came shortly after new lockdown rules were introduced in parts of England, banning separate households from meeting each other inside their homes and private gardens.
The rules, which came into force at midnight, impact people in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire, parts of West Yorkshire, and in Leicester.
They also ban members of two different households from mixing in pubs and restaurants, although individual households will still be able to visit such hospitality venues.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast that the increase in transmission in the affected regions was due to people visiting friends and relatives, citing fresh data from contact tracing.
The changes come as Muslim communities prepare to celebrate Eid this weekend, and nearly four weeks after restrictions were eased across England - allowing people to meet indoors for the first time since late March.
Speaking about the latest restrictions in parts of northern England, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government had made the "right decision", but urged it to "improve" what he called "extremely poor" communication.
Ministers have said police forces and councils will be given powers to enforce the new rules.
In other key developments:
- A 14-year-old girl is being treated for a life-threatening illness after being "gravely neglected" by her family during lockdown. The High Court's Family Division has been asked to intervene to take the girl into care
- The Scottish government has warned residents not to visit areas of England affected by new local lockdown rules
- Police and council officers are patrolling the seafront in Bournemouth and Poole as thousands descend on the towns' beaches. Local councils, including Brighton and Hove and Thanet - are warning day-trippers to stay away due to large crowds
- Scotland is developing its own coronavirus contact-tracing app, which it hopes to have ready for use in the autumn
- In Wales, up to 30 people can meet outdoors and children under 11 will not have to social distance from Monday. Facilities such as swimming pools, gyms and indoor play areas will be allowed to reopen from 10 August
- Tory MP Craig Whittaker has defended his claim that some Muslims in West Yorkshire are "not taking the pandemic seriously"
- BBC
