UK Further Eases Lockdown... Restaurants, Bars, and Hotels Resume Operations

The famous British tourist attraction, the London Eye, reopened on the 17th (local time) following the easing of lockdown measures. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The UK, which has been gradually easing lockdown measures until June, entered the third phase of easing on the 17th (local time).

Since March, the UK has been slowly easing lockdown measures in four phases at five-week intervals. From this day, restaurants and pubs have resumed indoor operations, and theaters and hotels have also started accepting guests.

Overseas travel to some countries has also become possible. Performances and sports events with audiences of fewer than 10,000 people have resumed. The BBC reported, "Millions of people will gather indoors, hug family and friends, and visit pubs."

In the fourth phase, which will be applied on June 21, all legal restrictions will be lifted. Businesses that were the last to be banned from operating, such as nightclubs, will reopen, and restrictions on the number of attendees at weddings will be removed.

However, concerns about lockdown measures are growing as the India-origin variant virus is spreading rapidly in the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared on BBC and Sky News the day before and confidently stated, based on early research results, that "the vaccine will be effective against the India-origin variant virus."

However, the UK government decided to determine whether to implement the fourth phase measures on June 14, one week prior, depending on the spread of the India-origin variant virus.

The UK's cumulative COVID-19 cases stand at 4,452,756, ranking seventh worldwide. The cumulative death toll is 127,684, ranking fifth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.