Can I travel to the beach?
THE weather is hotting up across the UK just as coronavirus restrictions are being lifted.
Here's everything you need to know if you fancy popping to the beach.
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Can I go to the beach now?
PM Boris Johnson has lifted the stay-at-home guidance to allow groups of up to six, or two households, to meet outside in England.
This means pals can bask in the glorious sunshine and head to the beach.
The ‘stay home' message has also been ditched, so it will not be illegal to travel to see relatives outdoors further afield - though the public are still advised to meet up with friends and family locally.
A No 10 source said: “Today marks the first real freedom for so many people who haven’t seen their loved ones for months.”
Boris wants to kick off “a Great British summer of sport” and outdoors— urging the public to get outdoors and take in vitamin D to boost immune systems against Covid.
Can I travel to the beach?
The stay-at-home message has been ditched from March 29 and Brits can simply be told to "minimise travel".
It means the public will be advised to meet up with friends and family locally - but it will not be illegal to travel to see relatives outdoors further afield.
Brits should make sure to only gather outside while following social distancing guidelines for any events as the lockdown begins to ease.
And people should minimise the frequency of social gatherings, and the numbers present, "wherever possible".
Nigel Huddleston, the minister for sport, said members of the public should “think carefully about how they travel” as the stay home rule is scrapped in England today.
He said: “I think if people are travelling they need to think very carefully about how they travel, where they fill up for petrol, if they need food and so on.”
“You can probably get that locally before you go on the journey because what we don't want is people intermixing in different parts of the country to any greater degree than necessary."
What are the social distancing rules at the beach?
Social distancing rules are to stay two metres away from everyone except those you live with
It is also paramount that you wash your hands and try to avoid bottlenecks like public loos due to the risk of transmission.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
As with any other public area it is at your own risk to go to potentially crowded areas, so look for a more quiet beach.
If you are coming from an area that is experiencing high rates of infection then do not travel to areas with lower rates as you could cause an outbreak in the local population.
You might want to also consider bringing a packed lunch and other items you may need to avoid local shops.