Restrictions on the nightlife and travel sectors are expected to ease when England finally exits lockdown on July 19 – but advocacy of mask-wearing and social distancing may continue for several months.
The nation is running four weeks behind schedule in its bid to lift remaining measures – with ‘Freedom Day’ delayed by the emergence of a Delta variant which has sent cases spiking to their highest levels in months.
COVID rates have now returned to February levels – with (7-day rolling) average cases per day now above 11,000.
Ministers are reviewing travel restrictions following industry pressure (including a mass protest at Manchester Airport this week) – with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps set to provide an update to MPs on Thursday (June 24).
The hospitality sector is also urging the government to rapidly rethink COVID rules – with some venues reportedly losing money by staying open due to limits on indoor capacity.
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But whilst these sectors continue to push for change ahead of the big reopening date in July, it appears that social distancing and masks may remain in place in England beyond the end of lockdown – even if they are only advised rather than required.
Mask-wearing may shift from a rule to a recommendation / Image: Unsplash
Ministers have been making all the right noises regarding July 19 reopening, with the Prime Minister and Health Secretary seemingly satisfied with the present data.
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However, according to The Telegraph, social distancing and face masks will continue to be recommended through summer and beyond.
The newspaper claims that laws underpinning face covering and social distancing rules are due to be lifted in time for July 19 but “advice to Britons to that effect is set to remain in place”.
It is expected, however, that the Rule of Six – which limits indoor gatherings to half a dozen people – and table service in bars/restaurants will be scrapped, giving hospitality venues the ability to welcome more customers.
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Mask-wearing may continue beyond July 19 / Image: ismail mohamed via Unsplash
Some experts have emphasised that measures such as hand-washing, distancing and face masks are all necessary to keep the virus at low levels.
Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at Public Health England, previously stated that some measures may last “years” and that it was worth waiting “until other parts of the world are as well vaccinated” as England to stop using masks.
Sadiq Khan has also expressed concern for dropping the use of masks, with a spokesperson for the London Mayor telling the Evening Standard: “Evidence shows that the wearing of face masks gives many Londoners the confidence that they can travel safely on public transport.
“People feeling confident they can travel on our tubes, buses and trains as they get busier will be a vital part of encouraging more people into central London as restrictions are lifted further, and it is something that we will continue to look at closely.”
Liam and Noel spent a wholesome Gallagher Easter together for the first time in years
Danny Jones
We wish you a belated and brilliant Gallagher Easter, courtesy of Noel and Liam, who spent the holiday together, along with family members, for the first time in god knows how many years.
In all seriousness, we do hope you had a lovely long weekend, but we’ll admit we’re far more interested in the Gallagher brothers spending the bank holiday together than anyone else.
No offence.
As far as largely inane celebrity news, this particular brand is the kind we get up for, mainly because we have alerts on for everything Oasis and/or Gallagher-related since the long-awaited reunion was announced. Safe to say the algorithm knows exactly what we want.
So we had a BIBLICAL Easter Sunday Noel Donavan and Sonny popped over to ours for a cup of tea it was absolutely incredible to meet the young guvs i obviously blew there minds coz im cool as fuck you heard it here 1st LG x
Hopping on social media (let’s be honest, he’s never off it) to share the good news, Liam confirmed that he and his big bro spent at least part of the Easter break together, along with some of the Gallagher kids.
Noel’s daughter Anaïs and Liam’s youngest, Molly and Gene, may have been spotted together on multiple occasions recently and look to have buried the feud along with their dads, but to our knowledge this may have been the first time some of these kids have ever met their cousins.
While it wasn’t a complete family reunion, the idea of the Burnage boys sitting with a brew alongside their children is quite a surreal image to picture in our mind’s eye – but then again, so were those first snaps of the brothers together in the same room before the comeback was officially announced.
Donavan Gallagher was just two years old when Oasis split up back in 2009, so there’s the plenty of reason to assume he had at least seen the mini Manc before that point; second son Sonny, however, was only born in 2010, so LG may have never even seen him in the flesh before.
In fact, Noel has insisted in the past that his younger sibling hasn’t met his of his kids bar his eldest daughter, Anaïs. As the kids were present, we’re going to faithfully assume the rider consisted of strictly tea and chocolate.
Given the unprecedented meeting and the fact the communion took place over Easter, for once, Liam describing it as ‘biblical’ feels actually somewhat accurate.
Once again, we’re just glad to see and hear any positive stories about the Manc music icons and we just pray they keep up the families until the reunion world tour is over at the very least.
We were also delighted to see that Radio X once again voted an Oasis track as ‘the greatest British song ever’ – can you guess which one it is?
Featured Images — BBC Three (screenshot)/Press Shot/@erintheredmc (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Social media beauty spots and selfies blamed for record rise in mountain rescue callouts
Daisy Jackson
There’s been a record rise in the number of young people needing help from mountain rescue teams – and social media has been blamed for luring unprepared people into potentially dangerous situations.
As well as these viral beauty spots – such as Mam Tor – the rise in call-outs has also been attributed to ‘poor-quality map apps’ which can stop functioning when in areas with poor phone service.
According to an exclusive report in The Guardian, it’s now tourists under the age of 24 who are most likely to need mountain rescue’s assistance while out walking.
The data provided by Ordnance Survey said that the number of call-outs from this age group has almost doubled between 2019 and 2024.
Overall rescues increased by 24% over a similar period.
A spokesman for Mountain Rescue said that young people are drawn to places like the Lake District after seeing images on social media, but are often not dressed or equipped properly for the conditions.
Nick Giles said people are often ‘too reliant on mobile phones’ and unprepared for the changes in weather and terrain that come with hiking.
Mike Park, chief executive of Mountain Rescue England and Wales, told The Guardian: “We know from incident reports that more and more people are tempted into risky locations by Instagram posts and the navigation apps being used aren’t always suitable for an outdoor environment.
“Add to that a tendency to follow popular routes online without knowing the hazards and context, and it’s not surprising that those likely to be relying most on their phones are the ones getting into difficulties.”
Before you head out on any hike or walk, you should make sure you’re prepared and equipped – see Mountain Rescue’s tips HERE.
The Manc -
24th June 2021 
