A woman crosses the millennium bridge in front of St Pauls Cathedral wearing a face mask for protection against the corona virus on March 16, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images
A woman crosses the millennium bridge in front of St Pauls Cathedral wearing a face mask for protection against the corona virus on March 16, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images
A woman crosses the millennium bridge in front of St Pauls Cathedral wearing a face mask for protection against the corona virus on March 16, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images
A woman crosses the millennium bridge in front of St Pauls Cathedral wearing a face mask for protection against the corona virus on March 16, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images

Covid roadmap: What can you do in England from April 12?


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

On April 12, England will move to the second stage of the Covid roadmap out of lockdown.

More places will open and people will be able gather as a single household or bubble indoors, or in a group of six people or two households outdoors.

Non-essential retail stores will open, as will indoor leisure centres such as gyms and swimming pools.

Outdoor areas at cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs and social clubs will also be able to reopen, including for takeaway alcohol.

These venues will be allowed to let customers use toilets inside.

At any premises serving alcohol, customers will be required to order and be served using table service.

Personal care services will also be able to reopen, including hair, beauty and nail salons, tattoo studios, spas and massage centres.

Outdoor attractions and public buildings, such as community halls, centres and libraries, will reopen.

Self-contained holiday accommodation will be able to reopen but will be restricted to use by a single household or support bubble.

Wedding ceremonies and civil partnerships, as well as funerals and wakes, will also be allowed to take place indoors. Social distancing guidance will still apply.

Wedding receptions may only take place outdoors during this phase.

Some outdoor events, organised by a business, charity, public body or similar group, can go ahead subject to conditions.

Throughout the spring, the government will run a research programme that will include enhanced tests to see whether larger crowd sizes and reduced social distancing are a viable option in future.

Lockdown began to lift in England on March 29, when outdoor sports centres were opened and people were allowed to attend organised events at them.

At venues such as gymnasiums and outdoor pools, people were able to use the facilities in a group of six people, or with members of up to two households.

England's current lockdown rules

  • People can meet outdoors in a group of six from any number of households, or in a group of any size from two households only
  • People can take part in formal, organised outdoor sports with any number of people, with outdoor sports venues allowed to reopen
  • Childcare and supervised activities allowed outdoors for all children
  • Organised parent and child groups can take place outdoors for up to 15 attendees (children under five will not be counted in this number)

What happens in May?

From no earlier than May 17, most social contact rules outside will be lifted although gatherings of more than 30 will remain illegal.

Indoors, the rule of six or two households will apply – although the government has said it will keep under review whether it is safe to increase this.

Indoor hospitality, entertainment venues such as cinemas and soft play areas, the rest of the accommodation sector and indoor adult group sports and exercise classes will also reopen.

Limited crowds will also be allowed at sporting events.

All remaining restrictions on social contact could be lifted from June 21, allowing for larger events to go ahead and nightclubs to reopen.

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Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)

Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)

The specs
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  • Torque: 760nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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MATCH INFO

Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern:
 Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)

Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The specs

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ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

MATCH INFO

Borussia Dortmund 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')

Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2