All the businesses opening on May 17 in next stage of lockdown roadmap

PUBS and restaurants open for indoor service today, as the latest stage of easing lockdown restrictions is underway.

The loosening of rules will give Brits a well deserved taste of freedom.

🔵 Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest updates

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As well as the reopening of some businesses, overnight stays are allowed for groups of up to six people or two households.

Weddings, receptions and other parties can also take place with up to 30 people.

The cap on numbers attending funerals has also been lifted, in line with venue guidelines on the number of people who are allowed.

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Plus, you can hug close members of friends and family. But people must remain cautious.

Holidays abroad have also been given the go-ahead, with Brits able to travel to green list countries without quarantine.

Below we explain how the next stage will affect businesses.

Businesses reopening on May 17

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• Pubs (indoor serving)
• Restaurants (indoor serving)
• Steam rooms
• Saunas
• Cinemas
• Bingo halls
• Children's play areas
• Hotels, hostels and B&B's
• Bowling alleys
• Big events (with capacity)
• Sports stadiums (with capacity)
• Theatres
• Concert halls (with limits on attendees)
• Museums and galleries
• Adventure playgrounds and activities
• Amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
• Casinos
• Skating rinks
• Games, recreation and entertainment venues such as escape rooms and laser quest
• 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)

Businesses that rely on an indoor setting are now allowed to open their doors to customers again.

Some larger events are also set to finally kickstart again.

Indoor events such as gigs will have a capacity limit of 1,000, or 50% - whichever is the smaller number.

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Meanwhile, outdoor events will be able to welcome up to 4,000 or 50% capacity.

But outdoor events which are seated, such as football matches, will be capped at 10,000 or 25%.

Other businesses that have also reopened from today include indoor entertainment, such as cinemas and bingo halls.

Businesses reopening on June 21

• Nightclubs
• Larger events

All other restrictions could be lifted from June 21 and Brits will be able to feel a sense of normality by July, as long as the pace of the vaccine rollout continues the way it is, and infection rates stay down.

That means nightclubs could finally be allowed to reopen and weddings and funerals should be allowed without restrictions on numbers from June 21.

By the end of July, every adult is expected to have been offered a first dose of the Covid jab.

Any other businesses that weren't mentioned as part of the roadmap should be open by this point, if all goes to plan.

So far none of the dates have been pushed back, but the roadmap can be altered by the PM if coronavirus cases start rising or the vaccine programme misses targets.

The PM has already hinted that lockdown easing may be delayed beyond June 21, as he vowed to "rule nothing out" to combat the Indian Covid strain last week.

Businesses which reopened on April 12

A number of businesses have been open since April 12.

• Clothing shops
• Homeware shops
• Toy shops
• Vehicle showrooms (other than for rental)
• Betting shops
• Tailors
• Tobacco and vape shops
• Electronic goods shops
• Mobile phone shops
• Auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
• Market stalls selling non-essential goods

Other businesses that were allowed to reopen on April 12 include:

• Pubs (outdoor service only)
• Restaurants (outdoor service only)
• Hairdressers
• Gyms (indoor exercising - but no classes)
• Beauty salons
• Spas
• Libraries
• Theme parks
• Drive-in cinemas
• Drive-in performances
• Zoos
• Community centres

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