UK PM Set to Unveil ‘One-Meter Plus’ Rule as He Claims Coronavirus Increasingly Under Control

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is allowing hotels and holiday parks to reopen in a fortnight, as he is set to unveil the 'one-meter plus' rule.

Since the country has been in lockdown, he saw this move a part of the package aimed at restarting the United Kingdom's crippled economy. However, tourist spots with shared facilities like campsites will have to wait longer to be able to open again.

The ministers are considering and negotiating 'air bridges' with around ten countries to allow foreign holidays to resume.

Coronavirus Is 'Increasingly Under Control'

PM Boris Johnson insisted that the coronavirus is 'increasingly under control' and has given Britons the green light for holidays and haircuts. According to Boris, there is 'not much more to wait now' for movement on lockdown as he is certain to halve social distance in his speech on Tuesday.

Though he warns that other precautionary measure such as wearing of face masks still plays a big role in controlling the spread of the virus, he emphasized that he is sticking like glue to the roadmap that from July 4, hairdressers in England are allowed to operate again.

The UK holiday season is expected to begin within two weeks when PM Johnson permits hotels and vacation parks to resume its operations.

In his speech, PM Johnson said: "The disease is increasingly under control, and I just want people to reflect on that important fact."

"It's going down; we are getting it down. So, of course, as we make that progress it will be possible to open up more, and you will hear more about what we want to do with not just non-essential retail but with the hospitality sector from July 4, and we're sticking absolutely like glue to the road map to the plan that I set out on May 10," he added.

But again, people mustn't forget about the pandemic and ignore its effects in society. Boris assured everyone that he would be giving more instructions this week with regards to the progress on social distancing.

Down to One-Meter Plus Rule

As the UK's rate of infection continues to go down, scientists have approved of the reopening of salons which is received with a cheer from the country's 30,000 hairdressers.

A Whitehall source told the Sun that salons would be getting a big rush of appointments when it is officially announced. But the source cautioned that face coverings would surely be mandatory.

This move came as Britain reported 128 new coronavirus deaths, the lowest Saturday figure since lockdown was imposed in March, bringing the total to 42, 589 cases.

On Friday, scientists confirmed that the epidemic is shrinking by 4% every day, with the R rate remaining below one, this further downgrades the UK's threat level.

Ministers are now poised to revise the two-meter rule down to one-meter plus as their attention turns from fighting the pandemic to rescuing the country's crippling economy. This allows people to keep just one-meter distance apart as long as they take precautions, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

Moreover, ministers are negotiating 'air bridges' with up ten countries, including France and Spain, to allow Britons to go abroad without being subjected to the 14-day quarantine when they return.

They are also looking into ways of testing arrivals at airports which could help end blanket restrictions. Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, insisted that the government is 'on plan' to get more sectors of the economy up and running on July 4.

But bars and restaurants have little chance of getting back to business, as usual, any time soon.