So it's confirmed - we're going to be allowed to eat and drink inside in restaurants and bars again. Today Boris Johnson announced that the planned reopening for 17 May is still on. "The data now supports moving to step 3 in England from next Monday 17 May," he said, which means that many restaurants, pubs and bars without outside space will finally be able to reopen again after being closed for the past five months.
The new reopening does come with its own rules, of course. As ever, you can read our updated guide on the current rules on dining out in England right now (and going forward) - but here's a reminder of what changes next week.
- From 17 May, you will be able to eat and drink inside again (hooray!)
- Hotels will also be able to open from this date (if you're planning on a UK getaway, here's our guide to foodie hotels).
- As before, you'll still need to check in with the NHS app and masks will have to be worn when arriving and when moving about the premises
- The rule of six also applies indoors - so that means up to six people can meet up - or more people as long as they are just from two separate households.
- You also have to have a seat while eating or drinking.
- Up to 30 people can now meet outdoors
This is, of course, a Very Big Thing for the hospitality industry and one more significant step along the road to normality for the rest of us. Personally, we've been extremely lucky with the weather in the past few weeks (even if we've had to wrap up a bit) but we're pretty sure that most of you are looking forward to actually going into a restaurant from next week - we know we are.
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