All the businesses opening on May 17 in next stage of lockdown roadmap

PUBS and restaurants can open inside under plans to ease lockdown restrictions in May.

On April 12, restrictions were eased slightly allowing groups of six or two households to meet outside, as well as the opening of some businesses.

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Pubs will be able to serve beer outside again from April 12Credit: PA:Press Association

It came after students returned to England schools on March 8.

Non-essential retailed reopen on April 12, as did pubs and restaurants for outside service.

The PM has insisted he’s confident further steps of his roadmap out of lockdown will be able to go ahead as planned.

If things do go to plan then on May 17 the next stage of the unlocking plan will go ahead.

Below we explain how this will affect businesses.

Businesses reopening on May 17

Pubs (indoor serving)
Restaurants (indoor serving)
Steam rooms
Saunas
Cinemas
Bingo halls
Bowling alleys
Big events (with capacity)
Sports stadiums (with capacity)

Businesses that rely on an indoor setting will be allowed to open their doors to customers again from May 17.

This will include pubs and restaurants, both of which would be allowed dine-in customers from this date.

It is understood big events and sports stadiums could be allowed, but with capacity limits in place.

Up to 10,000 people will be allowed in outdoor spaces where people can spread out, while stadiums will be limited to up to 4,000 people, or 50% capacity.

Indoor events will be capped at 1,000 people, or 50%.

Other businesses that will be allowed to reopen at this time include indoor entertainment, such as cinemas and bingo halls.

Gigs are supposed to restart from June 21, but they may be allowed to go-ahead with limits on numbers and social distancing from as early as May, especially with vaccination figures reaching higher numbers.

Businesses reopening on June 21

Nightclubs
Larger events

All other restrictions could be lifted from June 21 and Brits will be able to feel a sense of normality by July, as long as the pace of the vaccine rollout continues the way it is, and infection rates stay down.

That means nightclubs could finally be allowed to reopen and weddings and funerals should be allowed without restrictions on numbers from June 21.

By the end of July, every adult is expected to have been offered a first dose of the Covid jab.

Any other businesses that weren’t mentioned as part of the roadmap should be open by this point, if all goes to plan.

So far none of the dates have been threatened to be pushed back, but the roadmap can be altered by the PM if coronavirus cases start rising or the vaccine programme misses targets.