The Prime Minister is expected to make an announcement on the new rule on Tuesday. Under the “one metre plus” plan, which would start from July 4, people would keep one metre away from others if they take additional measures such as wearing face masks or meeting outside.
Restaurants, pubs and bars would use partitions between tables that are less than two metres apart as part of the rule, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Mr Johnson has been under mounting pressure to abandon the current two-metre social distancing rule amid warnings many businesses would not survive with the restriction in place.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak dropped a huge hint the two-metre rule would be relaxed in England as he visited shops in North Yorkshire on Saturday.
He said the outcome of a review by the Prime Minister into the social distancing measure would be “announced this week”, adding: “Obviously that's something that will make an enormous difference I think to many businesses who are keen to see a change.”
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10.05am update: Labour would back end of two-metre rule if other safety measures in place - Shadow Health Secretary
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth has said Labour would support the end of the two-metre rule if other safety measures are put in place.
He told The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC: "Yes, under certain circumstances.
"But we also need to see a greater use of face masks, I would've thought.
"As I've said, certain staff, workers who are very public-facing in their day-to-day action, perhaps greater use of face shielding, let's get testing and tracing up and running."
9.40am update: Hancock says ‘we're clearly on track’ to further ease lockdown
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said "we're clearly on track" to further ease the coronavirus lockdown with the reopening of the hospitality sector and hairdressers as early as July 4.
He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday: "We're on plan, we will of course be setting out more details of that plan and in the plan it states that on around July 4 we will take further measures if it's safe to do so.
"We talk about hospitality and outdoor hospitality in that plan but there are a whole series of other services especially where you need to be physically close to someone to carry it out like a haircut - a lot of the country does need a haircut."
Pressed if that could mean haircuts resuming on July 4, Mr Hancock said: "I'm not going to rule that out. We'll set out the details as soon as we can.
"We're clearly on track for that plan because the number of cases coming down and the plan does refer to hospitality and some of the other things that are closed that so many people want to see open."
9am update: Public transport users not wearing face masks correctly, expert warns
Many public transport users are not wearing their face masks correctly, an expert has warned.
The wearing of face coverings has been mandatory on public transport in England since June 14.
Professor Susan Michie, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies' (Sage) subgroup on behavioural science, told The Sunday Telegraph that many people appear to be wearing their face masks below the nose and holding the front of items to remove them rather than using the straps behind the head.
She added that a national campaign might be needed on how to wear face coverings correctly.
8.30am update: China reports 26 new coronavirus cases
China reported 26 further coronavirus cases on Sunday, with 22 of the new infections in Beijing.
There has been a spike in cases in the capital which has been linked to a wholesale food market.
A total of 227 people in Beijing have tested positive in the latest outbreak.
7.55am update: Australian state hit by spike in coronavirus cases
Victoria has extended its state of emergency until July 19 after a spike in coronavirus cases.
The state reported 19 new infections on Sunday, the fifth day of double-digit rises.
The surge in Victoria comes as other states have recorded few new cases for several weeks.
7.30pm update: Spain to welcome Britons without quarantine
British tourists will be welcomed to Spain from today without the need to quarantine, the country’s foreign minister has said.
But anyone returning to the UK would still need to quarantine for 14 days under the Government’s rules for arrivals into Britain.
Foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told BBC News: "We will allow British visitors to enter Spain just like the rest of the EU as from June 21 freely and without the need for a quarantine.
"We're discussing with the UK authorities to see if they would do the same on their side, we nevertheless are doing this out of respect for the 400,000 British citizens that have a second residence in Spain and are dying to benefit from their homes in our country.
"We do hope they (the UK Government) will be sensitive to the 250,000 Spaniards that are also living in the UK and would like to enter the UK without a quarantine."
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2020-06-21 09:02:55Z
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