By Karim El-Bar
LONDON (AA) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday urged people to act responsibly while enjoying summer.
“All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening, to work out a way to trade in a way that keeps their customers safe,” Johnson said in his speech ahead of so-called “Super Saturday” when lockdown restrictions are eased across England.
“But the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly. We must not let them down,” he said.
“Just as when we first locked down, we will only succeed in reopening if everyone works together. Because we are not out of the woods yet,” he said.
Johnson added that the government aimed now to move from a national lockdown to local lockdowns where necessary: “Our goal remains to enable as many people as possible to live their lives as close to normally as possible in a way that is as fair and as safe as possible.
“To achieve this we need to move away from blanket national measures to targeted local measures.”
From tomorrow, pubs, restaurants, cafes, and hotels will be allowed to reopen. The government said pubs will open from 6am, in an effort to avoid them opening just after midnight.
Some sectors are still closed, such as indoor gyms, nail bars, and mass gatherings. Johnson said the government will set a timetable next week to reopen them.
The government also launched its “Enjoy Summer Safely” campaign.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak tweeted: “This morning we’re launching a new #EnjoySummerSafely campaign.
“As more hospitality and leisure businesses open from this weekend, we should go out and support them whilst following the guidelines to protect ourselves and others.”
Johnson said on Twitter: “Today I spoke to business leaders who are supporting the government's #EnjoySummerSafely campaign.
“As more hospitality and leisure businesses open from this weekend, everybody must follow the COVID-19 Secure guidelines wherever they are to protect themselves and others.”
