People in England will be able to hug loved ones, dine in restaurants and go on holiday abroad from Monday.

The move to the next stage of the road map out of lockdown on May 17 came as the Covid-19 alert level in the UK was downgraded after a “consistent” fall in cases, hospital admissions and deaths.

Confirmation that England would move to step three on the road map came from Mr Johnson at a Downing Street press conference earlier this week.

The biggest easing of lockdown measures so far is designed to encourage people to take more personal responsibility for managing the risks posed by the virus.

The Prime Minister said: “This unlocking amounts to a very considerable step on the road map to normality and I am confident that we will be able to go further.”

The road map remained on track for the next stage on June 21 and Mr Johnson promised that later this month the Government would set out “what role there could be – if any – for certification and social distancing”.

WHAT CAN I DO FROM MONDAY?

  • People will be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to 30.
  • People will be able to meet indoors in groups of six, or two households.
  • Pubs and restaurants will be able to serve customers indoors, although they will be limited to table service.
  • Cinemas, museums, theatres and concert halls will be allowed to reopen although there will be capacity limits on large events.
  • The “stay in the UK” restriction will lift and people will be able to travel to “green list” countries, such as Portugal although they are still being advised not to go to destinations on the amber list.
  • Up to 30 people will be allowed at weddings, although dancing will still not be allowed, and the cap on the number of mourners attending funerals will be lifted, in line with the safe capacity of the venue.
  • Secondary school pupils will no longer be told to wear face masks in class and communal areas.

WHY ARE RESTRICTIONS ABLE TO BE EASED?

The easing of restrictions came after the UK’s senior medics said the threat level should be lowered from “level 4” to “level 3”, means that the epidemic is in general circulation, but transmission of the virus is no longer deemed to be high or rising exponentially.

The UK Covid-19 threat level has not been below level 3 since the start of the pandemic and the last time it was at this level was mid September 2020.

The threat level was raised to its highest level, level 5, on January 4 when officials raised concerns the NHS was at risk of being “overwhelmed”.