U.K. Cinemas and Museums Next in Line as Johnson Eases Lockdown

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce the latest stage in lifting the coronavirus lockdown on Tuesday in a move expected to give the green light for cinemas and museums in England to open their doors from July 4.

Alongside an announcement on whether to halve the minimum “social distance” between people to one meter, Johnson will unveil plans to help the arts and culture sectors recover from restrictions imposed in March, according to a government official who asked not to be identified.

“A month ago around one in 400 people had the virus, now it’s around one in 1,700,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the daily virus briefing on Monday evening. “This means that tomorrow the prime minister will be able to set out the next steps in our plan to ease the national lockdown.”

Johnson has been under pressure from politicians in his own Conservative Party to speed the relaxing of restrictions to help rebuild the British economy as it faces its worst recession in 300 years. Pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen as soon as July 4, but many warned they won’t be viable if forced to keep customers two meters (6 feet 7 inches) apart.

The prime minister met with senior ministers Monday to discuss the findings of a review into the distancing rules and will present his conclusions to his full cabinet Tuesday morning before announcing them in the House of Commons later in the day.

Easing With Warning

Hancock suggested Sunday that distancing could be reduced so long as other measures are brought in, such as wearing face coverings, using clear plastic screens and sitting back-to-back.

Any easing will be accompanied by a warning that restrictions will be reimposed if infections start running out of control, the official said. People will be told they still need to stick to government guidelines to stop a resurgence of the virus, which has killed 42,647 Britons.

Last week, non-essential shops were allowed to reopen as the U.K. gradually emerged from the lockdown imposed on March 23. The decline in deaths and cases of the virus saw the pandemic alert level lowered Friday, a step that allows for the further easing of restrictions.

The guidelines for cinemas, museums and galleries are likely to include one-way systems, enhanced ventilation and pre-booked tickets to help stop the spread of the disease, the official said.

Economy, ‘Shielding’

The crisis has left the government paying the wages of millions of private sector workers and many businesses face an uncertain future as the support is unwound. Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak are looking at ways to help the economy recover, including possible tax cuts and targeted spending.

Ministers are committed to infrastructure investment outlined by the prime minister before his victory in December’s general election, Hancock said, even though government debt has increased as a result of the pandemic.

“Our view on infrastructure projects is that we need to accelerate them rather than slow them down in order to provide for a bounce back in the economy that everybody wants to see,” Hancock said. “Unfortunately borrowing is obviously going up, but this is a one-off hopefully. A once in a century event.”

The government announced on Monday that the most vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with pre-exiting conditions, will be advised it is safe to stop “shielding” and encouraged to go out and mix with other people while following guidelines for social distancing.

But Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer, warned they may be asked to start shielding again if the virus spikes later in the year, though by then the advice may be better tailored to individual needs.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.