Coronavirus news: Packed scenes spark concern as pubs reopen across England and holiday makers flock to coast
The latest updates from Saturday 4 July
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Your support makes all the difference.People relished their first pub drinks in more than three months, went to restaurants and finally got haircuts on Saturday as England took its biggest steps yet towards the resumption of normal life after the coronavirus lockdown.
Some pubs started serving from 6 am, sparking worries of over-indulgence, while a number of hairdressers were reported to have opened at the stroke of midnight.
In Spain, more than 200,000 people in the north-eastern region of Catalonia were sent back into lockdown after several new outbreaks of the coronavirus were detected.
Easing of lockdown restrictions will lead to 'some young people overdoing it'
Easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions across England will lead to some "decompression" and "overdoing it" by a minority of young people, a police and crime commissioner has said.
Marc Jones, Lincolnshire's Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think there will always be some over-doing going on and I don't think tonight will be any different from any other Saturday night, sadly, in that regard.
"I do think there is an element of decompression going on, particularly with younger people who have had some very responsible parents keeping them in over recent weeks.
"We are seeing some gatherings that police are having to deal with in parks and open spaces, and I think those kind of things are going to last for a few days and then we should start to get back to normal."
Tokyo seeks travel curbs as new infections tops 100 for third day
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike urged residents of the Japanese capital not to travel beyond its borders today as new coronavirus infections topped 100 for a third day, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Tokyo confirmed 131 new cases of infections of the coronavirus today, NHK said.
Cases in Tokyo have risen to a two-month high, driven by the spread of the virus in the capital's night spots. Of today's tally, 100 were people in their 20s and 30s, Kyodo news agency said, citing Ms Koike.
Tokyo on Friday reported 124 new cases, up from 107 the day before, partly due to increased testing among night-life workers in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro districts.
Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday the government was not planning to reintroduce a state of emergency.
Curbs on movement pushed the world's third-biggest economy into a recession in the first quarter, with a deeper contraction expected in the April-June period.
Reuters
People in Wales told not to travel more than five miles to English pubs
The Old Stables Restaurant reopens at Allerton Manor Golf Club, Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA)
People in Wales must continue to follow the five-mile advice and stay local this weekend as pubs open over the border in England, the Welsh first minister has said.
Mark Drakeford said while those living very close to England may be able to visit pubs that are open, it would not be possible for the majority of people in Wales.
Police forces have also urged Welsh residents to heed the "stay local" advice while Transport for Wales said public transport should only be used for "essential travel".
While pubs in England were able to open from 6am today, those in Wales will only be able to operate outdoors from 13 July.
The "stay local" requirement in Wales will end on Monday when two households will be able to form one extended household - enabling families to be reunited.
Mr Drakeford said: "Please, wherever you are in Wales, this weekend is not a reason or an excuse to abandon all the things that you have worked so hard to achieve.
"Please continue to do those things and help to keep Wales safe."
PA
'It's like winning the Premier League'
Andrew Slawinski at the reopening The Toll Gate in Hornsey, north London (Aaron Chown/PA)
Regulars have returned for much-anticipated drinks at the Toll Gate Wetherspoons pub in Turnpike Lane, north London.
Andrew Slawinski, 54, who bought a Guinness, described his first pub pint in three months as "gorgeous".
He told PA news agency: "It's like winning the [Premier] League."
A range of measures have been implemented at the pub including contact tracing forms, Perspex screens and compulsory table service.
Opinion: I’m not going anywhere near a pub today
There’s a gun at my head and two options: Either watch the last 20 years of Razzie “Worst Picture” winners or go to a pub on the day they reopen (today), writes James Moore.
As any public health expert will be only too happy to tell you, the coronavirus hasn’t just disappeared in a puff of microbial smoke. It’s still with us.
F1 records zero positive coronavirus results from 4,032 tests
Formula One has had no positive coronavirus results at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Organisers have today confirmed zero positive results were recorded from more than 4,000 tests on drivers, team staff and personnel who are at the Red Bull Ring, having carried out the tests through the week since Friday 26 June.
Traffic backed up on motorways as people enjoy relaxed lockdown rules
Motorists have reported queues of traffic, including many caravans, on major motorways in England this morning as people take advantage of being able to spend the night away from home for the first time in three months.
An RAC poll earlier this week showed some 31 per cent of motorists – equivalent to 10.5 million – planned on spending the night away from home this weekend.
Images shared on Twitter show vehicles packed on to the M5 near Exeter, in Devon.
'It's all a bit strange'
Joe Munday, from Ashford, in Kent, had his hair cut and ordered a pint at a pub before 10am today, but said the experience felt "strange".
The 19-year-old carpenter visited Razor Room and then the County Hotel, a Wetherspoons pub, with two friends.
"It's nice to be able to do this again, however it's all a bit strange," he told PA.
"[Being in the pub] feels like being in a posh restaurant, all very sort of to yourself with the table you're on."
Opinion: Now is the moment to do things differently in Lisbon
Like many cities, we’re reassessing our post-pandemic priorities and putting the key workers that drove Lisbon through the Covid-19 crisis at the top of the list. Now is the moment to do things differently, writes Fernando Medina.
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