(Bloomberg) — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed restaurants, pubs and shops will open again as England’s lockdown is eased next week, but the ban on foreign travel may remain for longer.
The earliest date for resuming non-essential international travel will be May 17 and officials warned Monday that a further delay could be required if coronavirus infections continue to surge elsewhere in the world. A decision will be taken nearer the time, they said.
“We can’t be complacent — we can see the waves of sickness afflicting other countries, and we’ve seen how this story goes,” Johnson said at a press conference in London on Monday. “We still don’t know how strong the vaccine shield will be when cases begin to rise, as I’m afraid that they will.”
In England, falling hospitalization and death rates and the successful rollout of vaccines, which has seen more than 31.5 million people given at least one dose, means the country is on course to continue gradually lifting restrictions that have been in place since early January.
That means from April 12…
