British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that citizens should be going back to work, although the stay-at-home guidelines are still in place in the UK.
"I want people to be back to work as carefully as possible", Johnson said in People's PMQs, while working from home. "I think everybody has sort of taken the 'stay at home if you can' advice - I think we should now say, well, 'go back to work if you can'. Because I think it's very important that people should try to lead their lives more normally."
He also expressed a desire to see more Britons shopping, eating out and returning to work freely, but with safety rules ensured.
On 4 July, the UK government continued its gradual easing of coronavirus-induced restrictions by allowing hairdressers, theatres, and cinemas to reopen. The required level of social distancing was also cut from two metres (six feet six inches) to one metre.
Restaurants, pubs, and hotels are provisionally being allowed to reopen in England from Saturday. Starting on Monday, nail salons and beauty shops will reopen their doors to citizens, and on 25 July, gyms and indoor pools are expected to open again.
As of today, the UK has registered a total of 289,678 coronavirus cases and at least 44,735 fatalities, the Johns Hopkins University count says.
