PLAY TIME
When can soft play centres reopen in England?
SOFT play areas are set to reopen on May 17, the Prime Minister announced today.
It comes as business, such as pubs and restaurants, open for inside trading.
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The PM also confirmed:
- Overnight stays for groups of up to six people or two households
- Wedding, receptions and other parties can take place with up to 30 people
- Cap on funeral numbers is lifted
- Hugging is given the green light - but Brits must remain cautious
- Holidays abroad, with Brits able to travel to green list countries without quarantine
- Business and hospitality can reopen for inside service
When will soft play centres reopen?
Soft play centres will reopen on May 17, as part of the roadmap.
This is stage three of the unlocking of lockdown, and focuses on the reopening of indoor venues.
Other places that will reopen on this date, as long as conditions allow, include cinemas, bowling alleys and casinos.
A full list of everything reopening on May 17 include:
- Cinemas
- Theatres
- Concert halls
- Museums and galleries
- Adventure playgrounds and activities
- Amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
- Bingo halls
- Casinos
- Bowling alleys
- Skating rinks
- Games, recreation and entertainment venues such as escape rooms and laser quest
- Play areas (including soft play centres and inflatable parks)
- Model villages
- Snooker and pool halls
- Trampolining parks
- Water and aqua parks
- Indoor visitor attractions at theme parks and film studios
- Indoor attractions at zoos, safari parks, aquariums and other animal attractions
- Indoor attractions at botanical gardens, greenhouses and biomes
- Indoor attractions at sculpture parks
- Indoor attractions at landmarks including observation wheels or viewing platforms
- Indoor attractions at stately or historic homes, castles, or other heritage sites
- Conference centres and exhibition halls, including for the purposes of business events (subject to the capacity limits)
How long have soft play areas been closed for?
This depends on what part of the country you live in.
Before the third national lockdown, England was using the Tier system to manage the coronavirus crisis.
Soft play areas were allowed to remain open in areas placed under Tier 1 and Tier 2 restrictions, but they had to close in Tier 3 and Tier 4 places.
All venues nationwide had to close following the third lockdown, which came into force on January 5.
What rules are expected to be in place for soft play centres?
We don't know yet exactly how soft play centres will look when they reopen.
However, venues had to follow certain rules when they reopened after the last lockdown.
This included areas being vigorously cleaned and visitor numbers reduced.
Visitors over the age of 11 had to wear face coverings and parents were expected to make sure their little ones socially distance.
Other measures included:
- Reduced visitor capacity
- Online pre-booking
- Temperature checks for staff and visitors
- Removing tables and chairs to separate family groups
- Perspex screens at reception and cafes
- Hand sanitiser units and extra hand washing stations
- Increased cleaning
- Air sterilisation and ventilation
- New cafe procedures
- Antibacterial fogging
- Removal of loose play items like ball pits
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