Shops, gyms to reopen in England under new COVID-19 plan

LONDON (AP) — Haircuts, shopping trips and visits to the pub will be back on the agenda for millions of people when a four-week lockdown in England comes to an end next week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday.

Johnson confirmed to lawmakers that on Dec. 2 the government will lift the stay-at-home instruction introduced early this month to curb a new surge in coronavirus cases. Shops, gyms, personal care businesses and leisure facilities will be allowed to reopen, and collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume. Fans will also be allowed back into sports stadiums for the first time since March.

Johnson said “the scientific cavalry is now in sight,” and breakthroughs in mass testing and vaccines should eliminate the need for lockdowns by the spring. But first, he said, “we must get through winter without the virus spreading out of control and squandering our hard-won gains.”

He said England’s lockdown will be replaced with regional measures involving three tiers of restrictions based on the scale of the outbreak in different areas. The measures have been toughened slightly from a similar system that was in place last month because government scientific advisers say those measures weren't enough to stop the virus spreading.

In the top tier, pubs and restaurants will have to close except for takeout and delivery. In other areas they will have to close by 11 p.m.

In the lower two tiers, indoor and outdoor spectator sports can resume with capacity limits.

The rules apply to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have their own restrictions.

People will have to wait until up-do-date data is released later in the week to learn what tier their local area will be in, but the government says most of the country is likely to...