The COVID-secure guidelines non-essential shops will have to follow if they want to reopen in July

NON-ESSENTIAL shops, including hairdressers, pubs and beauty salons, will have to follow strict COVID-secure rules before they can reopen again.

The government has today released formal details of how it plans to gradually ease the coronavirus lockdown and reopen the nation.

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The three-step roadmap to recovery was outlined by Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he addressed the nation on Sunday night.

A rough timeline for when each stage will begin has also been revealed, although this depends on whether the government's five tests have been met.

So far, we've only met two of them - the NHS has the capacity to provide critical care across the UK and that the country has seen a sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from the coronavirus.

All non-essential shops, such as cinemas, restaurants, mosques and churches, were ordered to close on March 23 to help slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Reopening these types of businesses is part of phase three of the government's plans, which won't be rolled out until July 4 at the earliest.

Exactly when each stage of the plan will be enacted on depends heavily on whether or not we can carry out business while also curbing the spread of the virus.

If at any point the NHS looks like it will become overwhelmed, the government has said it will take action to restrict our movements to slow the spread.

Before non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen they must ensure that:

• Individuals are able to keep their distance from people outside of their households,
• They're reducing the risk of transmission by limiting the number of people that individuals come into contact with,
• Changing shift patterns to reduce the number of people in the office at one time,
• Keeping workspaces ventilated.

Venues that are naturally crowded and where it would be hard to practice social distancing will have to remain closed until it's safe enough to reopen them.

Re-opening of these types of "high-risk businesses" may be phased in, beginning with pilots to test whether it's possible for them to operate even partially.

More specific details of what rules shops will need to follow will be released closer to the time, and only if phase one and two are successful.

Phase one begins today, with businesses including construction firms and those in food production being encouraged to go back to work from today.

The second phase will be to get children back into classrooms, starting with primary school kids.

The huge 50-page plan also revealed:

• People won't get the chance to see their relatives again properly for at least weeks to come - but ministers are looking at allowing one household to see another one
• Brits will be advised to wear face masks on public transport and anywhere where people can't stay 2m apart
• The Government want all primary school kids to go back to school for a month before the summer holidays
• The public are now allowed to go outside for leisure reasons, but they can't stay overnight for a holiday
• Sporting events to take place behind closed-doors for broadcast within weeks
• The guidelines workplaces will have to follow when staff go back to offices
• The guidelines non-essential shops will have to follow if they want to reopen in June

Employers will have to keep workers apart and install more bike facilities when staff go back to offices, the new guidance suggests.

It comes at workers are urged to avoid public transport if they can help it.

Brits have also been told to wear homemade masks in enclosed spaces where social distancing isn't possible such as on public transport.