The Prime Minister is expected to outline his plans to Parliament for the reopening of pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers next month.
Boris Johnson will discuss England’s approach to the changes with the COVID-19 Strategy Committee today.
The PM will give an update on the next stage of easing lockdown guidelines in Parliament on Tuesday and is also widely expected to reveal the outcome of a review to the two-metre social distancing rule.
In line with the government’s roadmap for lifting the lockdown, 4th July marks the start of “phase three”.
This phase is expected to give some businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors the green light to reopen to the public and Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously stated that England is “clearly on track” to further ease these lockdown restrictions.
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A spokesperson for No. 10 also said: “The reason we are able to move forward this week is because the vast majority of people have taken steps to contain the virus.”
“The more we open up, the more important it is that everyone follows the social distancing rules.”
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“We will not hesitate to put the handbrake on to stop the virus running out of control.”
Wikimedia Commons
Speaking to Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Matt Hancock stated that the next phase could include pubs and restaurants reopening, as well as people being able to get haircuts again.
He said: “We’re clearly on track for that plan because of the number of cases coming down and the plan does refer to hospitality and some of the other things that are closed that so many people want to see open”.
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Government ministers are now believed to be looking at a number of measures to ensure reopening is “safe”.
When it comes to the two-metre social distancing rule, Security Minister, James Brokenshire indicated that a reduction in the two-metre social distancing rule could also be combined with other measures being introduced for some settings, such as face coverings or separating barriers.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Brokenshire said: “I understand that real urgency, that desire, whether it’s for haircuts, whether it’s to go out and get a meal to be able to socialise”.
“It’s just that clarity on doing that in a way that does not impact or risk further issues around public health and, obviously, the second spike that we are determined to avoid, so there is a lot that will be brought together in terms of all of those different elements.”
He also indicated that the government would informed in making this decision by by scientific evidence and also “experience [from] around the world”.
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For further guidance, support and information amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus here.
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According to the latest figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care, a total of 42,632 people have sadly died after testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
As of 9am 21 June, there have been 7,890,145 tests, with 175,018 tests on 20 June.
304,331 people have tested positive.
As of 5pm on 20 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 42,632 have sadly died.
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 21, 2020
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
The Manc -
22nd June 2020 
