Gove confirmed the news this morning
Family and friends will be able to hug each other once again from 17 May as coronavirus restrictions ease across the country, Michael Gove confirmed this morning.
This will be welcomed by people across the country, who have been separated from loved ones for several months due to strict coronavirus restrictions.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, the Cabinet Office Minister said: “Friendly contact, intimate contact between friends and family is something that we want to see restored.”
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to confirm the plans of the next steps in the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown in a press conference on Monday, Gove said.
"Friendly contact, intimate contact between friends and family is something we want to see restored"
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says the PM will confirm a further easing of restrictions this week#Marr Covid https://t.co/WkY0sdFAEd pic.twitter.com/OcfWisdcN1
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 9, 2021
Other restrictions that are expected to be relaxed on 17 May include: Domestic overnight stays, rule of six or two households indoors, indoor hospitality and organised adult sport indoors.
On international travel, Gove said: “We have already indicated a proportionate relaxation on international travel – very, very limited at this stage because we have to be safe.”
The government is set to use a ‘traffic light system’ during the upcoming summer holiday period, which will categorise countries in three lists, namely ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’, according to their Covid-19 risk factor.
A country will be allocated a traffic light colour after evaluating the following factors: rate of infection, percentage of population vaccinated, situation surrounding variants of concern and access to reliable scientific data.
