What’s open from April 12? Full list of businesses opening TODAY in next lockdown roadmap stage

NON-ESSENTIAL shops are among the businesses allowed to open their doors again today, as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Monday marks a major milestone as England enters step two of the roadmap out of lockdown, and that means new rules allowing many more businesses to reopen.

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Shoppers can visit more stores in person as they reopen on MondayCredit: Alamy

Shops and other non-essential business were given the green light last week by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reopen on April 12.

He said the vaccine rollout is to thank for getting Britain recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and insisted further steps of the roadmap will be able to go ahead as planned.

Major change today will be followed by the third stage of lockdown easing on May 17 when indoor mixing will be allowed.

As well as shops opening their doors again, pubs and restaurants will be allowed to open from today – but only for outdoor dining.

Eager punters queued up from midnight to get their first pub pint in despite freezing temperatures in some places and Mr Johnson has urged people to drink responsibly.

What are non-essential shops?

SHOPS described as non-essential by the government under lockdown rules include:

Clothing shops
Homeware shops
Toy shops
Charity shops
Vehicle showrooms (other than for rental)
Betting shops
Tailors
Tobacco and vape shops
Electronic goods shops
Mobile phone shops
Auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
Market stalls selling non-essential goods

But customers will have to wait the extra month before moving indoors with their pints, at step three of the plans to reopen the country and the economy.

Most Wetherspoons in the country have opened their doors from 9am today and many Green King pubs will be opening from around midday to serve pints and food.

Gyms are opening from today too, but group classes are not likely to resume until the next steps in May comes into force.

Puregym is opening its doors in England, but anyone craving cardio in Scotland will have to wait until April 26, and in Wales will have to wait until May 10.

Hairdressers and Beauty Salons are now allowed to open, but you’ll still have to wear a mask when you sit in the chair.

That’s the same as piercers and tattoo parlous.

They might not offer any services for your face as the recommendations on the Gov.uk website still suggest face-to-face contact should be avoided, but they are opening up on Monday for other appointments.

Monday marks a major change to the rules as lockdown eases

Public buildings such as libraries and community centres are also opening with the new rules, and that means indoor pools are open too.

And most outdoor attractions including zoos, theme parks, and drive-in shows (like cinemas and concerts) are now able to reopen.

Another rule coming into play is that shops will be allowed to stay open until 10pm from Monday to Saturday in a bid to spread out shoppers and avoid congestion.

What businesses are reopening from Monday?

Clothing shops
Homeware shops
Charity shops
Toy shops
Vehicle showrooms (other than for rental)
Betting shops
Tailors
Tobacco and vape shops
Electronic goods shops
Mobile phone shops
Auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
Market stalls selling non-essential goods

Other businesses that are allowed to reopen on Monday include:

Pubs (outdoor service only)
Restaurants (outdoor service only)
Hairdressers
Gyms (indoor exercising – but no classes)
Beauty salons
Spas
Tattoo shops
Libraries
Theme parks
Drive-in cinemas
Drive-in performances
Zoos
Community centres

What are the rules for reopening?

Brits heading to the pub might have to take a jacket or wear an extra jumper.

Pubs and restaurants are only allowed to open if they have outdoor spaces, so customers will have to spend their visit in the garden.

You’re only allowed to head inside to use the toilet and you’ll have to wear a mask to do so, unless you are exempt.

Social distancing rules are still in place and you’ll only be able to sit on tables of up to six people.

These can be your friends or family though, as that falls in line with the latest rules on meeting outdoors.

You’ll also have to sign in when you arrive but most pubs will have someone greet you at the door and take your details.

Check out all the new pub rules you’ll have to follow.

Shops will also require you to wear a mask unless you are exempt and they will usually have a limit on how many people can enter at one time.

Some clothing stores are opening up their fitting rooms right away while others are waiting, but you will still be able to make returns if what you’ve picked up in-store isn’t quite right.

A lot of salons or appointment based businesses will require you to make a booking in advance and they won’t be accepting any walk-ins.

What businesses CAN’T reopen on Monday?

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

All these businesses should be able to open on May 17 when step three of the lockdown roadmap is put into action.

And nightclubs and larger events won’t be going ahead until at least June 21.

A twice-weekly free rapid Covid test is also now available to help the continued easing of restrictions and give Brits the confidence to venture out again.

The reopening of non-essential retail comes a week after the Easter weekend – a crucial trading period for shops.

Retail industry groups have previously expressed disappointment that this critical footfall in stores would be missed.

Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium welcomed the reopening plan but warned that some shops will never reopen.

BRC boss Helen Dickinson said: “The cost of lost sales to non-food stores during lockdown is now over £22billion and counting.

“Every day that a shop remains closed increases the chances that it will never open again – costing jobs and damaging local communities.”

Only essential shops have been allowed to open since January in the latest lockdown, including supermarkets and pharmacies.

Other retailers considered non-essential have been closed since the start of the year – but they have been allowed to offer click and collect services.