All non-essential shops to open in England but pubs and restaurants to take hit

All non-essential shops and gyms are set to re-open when England emerges from lockdown on 2 December, the prime minister is expected to announce today.

Boris Johnson, who is currently self-isolating, is to reveal details of a tougher three-tier system of localised restrictions to the House of Commons at 3:30pm on Monday.  

Under the plans, more areas are expected to be placed into high-risk or very high-risk tiers, with measures within those tiers also made more stringent.

Ministers will announce on Thursday which restrictions each area will be under.

Non-essential shops will be allowed to open in all areas, giving a boost to struggling retailers reliant on Christmas sales for their survival.

Pubs and restaurants will remain under tighter restrictions however.

It is understood pubs will need to keep last orders at 10pm but can remain open for an hour after that.

Pub owners have pushed back against a 10pm curfew introduced before the lockdown, arguing that the government has not presented scientific evidence that it is effective.

Businesses in tier 3 will reportedly only allowed to offer takeaways, while those in Tier 2 must serve food with any drinks.

Mike Kill, chief executive of the Night-time Industries Association urged the prime minister to allow later opening times.

“Please consider that last orders an hour before closure, will create mass ordering prior to the service closing, with the potential for more people consuming alcohol quicker over a short period of time, and then systematically spilling out on the street at 11pm, it’s why the traditional ‘happy hour’ was scrapped.”

 “It would be more considered to have a last entry or staggered closure strategy relevant to the individual premises operating license. This would then detract from people buying in excess to beat last orders and would allow businesses that are able to open the opportunity to generate some sustainable trade within a safe environment”

Among other changes to be introduced, outdoor grassroots sport is also set to be lifted, the BBC reported.

Cinemas will be allowed to reopen in tier 1 and tier 2 areas, according to the Telegraph.

In a bid to keep case numbers down as businesses re-open, a new mass-testing system is to be introduced.

Areas placed in tier 3 will use "lateral flow" tests that have been used on more than 200,000 people in Liverpool and which give a result in 30 minutes.

People identified as having been in contact with someone with Covid-19 will be offered repeat tests once every seven days. They will not have to self-isolate if the tests are negative.

Mr Johnson is expected to tell MPs that "we are not out of the woods yet" but that "with expansion in testing and vaccines edging closer to deployment, the regional tiered system will help get the virus back under control and keep it there".

Families will be allowed to get together with a small number of friends and relatives over Christmas for a limited number of days, the government has suggested.

After talks with devolved administrations, the Cabinet Office said ministers endorsed a shared objective of introducing a temporary amnesty from social mixing restrictions to allow “some limited additional household bubbling” over the festive period.

No 10 is yet to confirm how many days the reprieve will apply for, but reports have suggested the measure could last between 22-28 December.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, stressed on Sunday that it will not be a “normal” Christmas, indicating that the government will continue to request people follow social distancing rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus.