Rules on mask-wearing, social distancing and crowd limits will all be changed from July 19 – with England’s seven-month lockdown all but ending in two weeks’ time.
During a press conference on Monday evening (July 5), Boris Johnson confirmed that most of the remaining national COVID measures would be removed later this month – with evidence suggesting the vaccination programme has weakened the link between case numbers and hospitalisations.
From July 19, people will not be legally obliged to wear face coverings, but are advised to do so in busy spaces such as public transport.
The ‘1m +’ distancing guidance is also being removed.
Restaurant/pub customers will no longer have to sign in via QR codes and bar service will resume.
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Large events – including festivals – will be permitted to return in full, whilst the nightlife sector will also reopen.
“It will no longer be necessary for government to instruct people to work from home”
Boris Johnson says step four of easing Covid restrictions means there will also be “no Covid certificate required as a condition of entry to any venue or event”https://t.co/OA1zbFS9Iipic.twitter.com/JNTWQYskxG
Plans for changing isolation measures for fully vaccinated people and children will be discussed by the Health Secretary tomorrow (July 6), whilst the Transport Minister is due to give an update on international travel rules later this week.
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A final decision on these measures is set to be made on July 12.
The PM admitted the pandemic was “far from over”, but that if “we couldn’t open up in the coming weeks, when could we?”
COVID restrictions – including social distancing and face coverings – were originally due to be lifted back in June.
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However, a fresh surge in cases – attributed to the more infectious Delta strain of COVID-19 – forced the government to push back the final step on their roadmap out of lockdown.
On June 14, Johnson said a delay was necessary so that the NHS had extra time to “give crucial jabs into the arms [of those] who need them.”
The PM said the vaccine rollout has since proven “successful”, and the gap between first and second jabs for the under-40s will soon be shortened from 12 weeks to eight.
The 7-day moving average for daily COVID cases in the UK is more than 24,000 – the highest since January.
The death rate, however, has remained low.
Daily deaths from COVID-19 are currently averaging 17 per day, compared to 1,100 in the first month of 2021.
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Six teenage boys arrested following stabbing of 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre
Emily Sergeant
Six teenage boys have been arrested following the stabbing of a 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to reports of a ‘serious assault’ near the Riverside Shopping Centre in central Rochdale on Saturday (29 August), and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed.
The young boy currently remains in hospital receiving treatment, while a police investigation into the incident is open and ongoing.
Two teenage boys were first arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article on the same day the incident occurred (29 August), but have since been released on bail.
Officers then made four further arrests yesterday (31 August), again all teenage boys who were arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article, with enquires ongoing.
A Section 60 and 60AA ‘stop and search’ authority was introduced in Rochdale town centre following the recent incidents in area and following reports of youths carrying weapons in the locality, and this has now been extended to 3pm today (Tuesday 1 September).
“This was a serious and sustained attack that could have had far more tragic consequences,” explained Detective Superintendent, Richard Hunt .”Our team of experienced detectives is working around the clock to understand exactly what happened, identify all those involved, and secure the strongest possible evidence.
“We will relentlessly pursue every lead available to us and will leave no stone unturned in bringing all those responsible before the courts.
“Community safety remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to ensuring those who seek to bring violence onto our streets are held fully accountable for their actions.”
Can you help? Anyone who witnessed the incident, was in the town centre at the time, or has any mobile phone, CCTV, or dashcam footage, is urged to come forward and speak to police on 101, quoting log 2750 of 29/08/2026, or using the LiveChat function on the GMP website.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
The Manc -
5th July 2021 
