Prime Minister Boris Johnson said England may resume the pause by easing closure rules, with the possibility of reopening theaters, casinos and beauty salons, but warned there will be tougher penalties for people who is breaking social distancing while lockdown.
The government try to balance the desire to restart the economy with the risk of causing a new height of coronavirus infections. Some Parts of England remain under tighter localized restrictions after outbreaks.
In plans announced Thursday night, the government said that as of August 15:
- Indoor performance venues can be opened
- Wedding receptions can take place with up to 30 guests at a seated meal
- Indoor gaming centers, bowling alleys, skating rinks and casinos can be opened
- Beauty salons, tattoo parlors, spas, and barbers may offer “close contact” services.
- Sporting events will also begin testing how to attract spectators, starting with the World Snooker Championship this weekend.
But to enforce social distancing rules, fines for not wearing a mask, currently 100 pounds ($ 130), will now double with each repeat offense, up to a maximum of 3,200 pounds ($ 4,189). And new fines will be introduced for hosting or facilitating meetings of more than 30 people.
“Most of the people in this country are playing with the rules and doing their job to control, but we must focused and we cannot be complacent,” Johnson said in an emailed statement.
The government has now developed that capability and is testing a new contact tracing app aimed at helping identify people exposed to the virus. The goal is to be able to isolate people at risk without re-freezing the entire economy.
