Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the planned reopening of hospitality venues from 4 July 2020 will occur simultaneously with potential revisions to the two metre social distancing rule.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced that, from 4 July pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes (including workplace canteens) in England will be able to reopen both their outdoor and indoor spaces and offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance. Businesses should refer to the guidance that has been issued, and the updated guidance can be found at Gov.uk website.

Our advice is changing to state that people should either stay 2m apart or, where this is not possible, ‘1m plus’ – which is one metre plus mitigations. These mitigations will depend on the workplace or setting.