TASTE OF FREEDOM
Brits flock to garden centres and hit the golf course as lockdown tweaks start TODAY
BRITS are flocking to garden centres and hitting the golf course as lockdown tweaks start today.
Cooped up people have also poured onto the roads and crammed into buses and trains as they get back to work.
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Long queues formed at garden centres around England as green-fingered Brits revelled in the chance to stock up on supplies.
Other headed to beauty spots around the UK after government guidelines on travelling for exercise were relaxed.
And sporty Brits dusted off their golf clubs and practised their putting as they flocked to courses around the country.
It comes as:
- Leaked Treasury documents showed that the coronavirus crisis could lead to a £165-a-year income tax hike for workers
- McDonalds opened 15 restaurants for delivery today
- The UK economy shrunk by 5.8 per cent in March, the biggest fall on record
- Hundreds of businesses were suspected of pushing furloughed staff back to work
- Experts said one in four coronavirus victims were not directly killed by the bug
Shoppers headed out of their homes to load up on plants, flowers for the first time during the lockdown.
Long queues were seen forming in garden centres around England as horticulture enthusiasts took advantage of the new rules.
Among the slight changes to the rules is a relaxing of outdoors exercise restrictions - with cooped up Brits allowed to exercise as much as they want each day.
Social distancing remains in place and only certain sports are allowed to be played within household groups.
But centres that have reopened are limiting how many people will be allowed in at the same time under social distancing guidelines.
Customers have to stay two metres apart, and cafes and play areas are not opening.
Meanwhile, garden centres in Scotland are still closed and are likely to remain shut for now.
Garden centres are one of the first non-essential retailers to open their doors under the new guidelines.
TENNIS COURTS REOPEN
poll showed 70 per cent of people who took part felt comfortable about garden centres reopening.
Golf courses in England have also reopened today, with courses in Wales due to open to members from next week.
But courses in Scotland and Northern Ireland have remained shut because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tennis fans have also been swinging their racquets as courts reopened today.
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Under the new rules, is still not allowed to meet up with a group of pals in the park for a kickabout, but those living together can play tennis or golf and sit down in a park.
Friends and family members not living together are finally allowed to meet face-to-face from today - but only two people can meet at a time, still must not hug and need to remain two metres apart.
Garden centres and DIY stores are opening back up and have seen an influx of traffic, with Brits keen to crack on with home improvements.
And many people unable to work from home are heading back to the office after weeks of coronavirus lockdown.
While much of the pandemic restrictions are still in place - the Prime Minister gave workers unable to to their job from home the green light to get going again today.
He urged people to not use public transport unless they have to - instead suggesting they get on a bike or walk to work.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- People living in England can now spend an unlimited time outside exercising and sunbathing. While it is still encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, you can lie in a park and go for a longer run or bike ride from today while remaining safely distanced from others.
- Households can now play certain sports together - such as tennis or golf or go angling. But for now you must still only play them with people you have been living with.
- From today you can meet up with one other family member or friend you don't live with at a time. You can sit outside together but must not have contact and keep two metres between you at all times.
- You are allowed to view a house from today but again, must take precautions and keep a safe distance from anyone you don't live with.
- People are allowed to take day trips to get to the countryside, national parks and beaches in England - but have been urged to respect the local communities, keep a safe distance and avoid hotspots.
- You are still not allowed to visit relatives or friends at home, or host them at your house.
- If you can work from home, you should. Only those who absolutely cannot perform their job from home should be leaving the house to work.
- Advice on avoiding public transport aside from essential journeys remains in place, and staying overnight at a holiday or second home is also not allowed.
- Fines for those who break the rules will now start at £100 in England, and will double on each further repeat offence up to £3,200. Stricter rules remain in place in the rest of the UK.
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Tubes and trains are noticeably busier than they have been in the last few weeks as Britain gets moving.
The A102 at Greenwich, South East London, already had queues of vehicles building up this morning, and workers have been piling onto the London Underground.
Anyone who doesn't absolutely have to take public transport shouldn't - walk, run or cycle your way to work instead, keeping a safe distance from others, new guidance from the Government says. But it adds if you do have to get on it, then try and face away from other people if you possibly can.
Speaking yesterday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "We continue to ask people to only go to work if they cannot do their jobs from home, that's because even as transport begins to revert to a full service, the two-metre distancing rule will only leave effective capacity for one in ten passengers overall.
"One in ten. Therefore, it's crucial that we protect our network by minimising the pressures placed upon it and ensure it's ready to serve those who most need it."
If you go on public transport you should wear a mask or face covering and keep two metres from other travellers, it advises.
It is not legally required that commuters do so, but the Government now urges anyone in shops or on public transport to use one if they can't stay apart from others.
To cut down any chance of overcrowding, it is also recommended employers should be able to offer more flexible start times to try and avoid everyone piling onto public transport at rush hour.
This will help reduce the crowds and keep travelling as safe as possible - as normal services have not yet resumed and are still reduced.
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Wash your hands as soon as you can after travelling anywhere, and before you head out of the front door. If you see hand sanitising stations anywhere, use them, the guidance says.
Britain's real coronavirus death toll has passed 40,000, concerning new analysis suggests.
Changes in the guidelines have caused confusion and anger - as people remain unable to visit relatives or friends at their homes, but can now be shown around a property for sale.
The move to unlock the housing market will enable buyers and renters to complete purchases and view properties in person, while visiting estate agents, developer sales offices or show homes will also be allowed.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The Government estimates more than 450,000 buyers and renters have been unable to progress their plans to move house since lockdown measures were introduced in March.
Unlimited exercise, sunbathing and meeting one person from another household in a public space is now allowed, as long as the two-metre rule is respected, while golf clubs, tennis courts and angling have been given the green light.
Restrictions on how far people can travel to get to the countryside, national parks and beaches in England have also been lifted - but people have been warned to respect local communities, keep their distance from others and avoid hotspots or busy areas.
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