In his Downing Street message on Friday, UK PM Boris Johnson said it was his "sincere hope" the remaining social distancing restrictions could be reviewed in November, at the earliest, and a "more significant return to normality" would be possible by Christmas in December.
Local authorities in England have been handed fresh powers from Saturday to be able to order shutdowns of shops and events as part of government's plans to impose localised lockdowns in the event of a flare-up in coronavirus cases in particular areas. Johnson had confirmed new powers for local councils during a Downing Street briefing, when he laid out plans for a further ease up in lockdown by lifting travel restrictions on public transport and giving employers the option to get their workforce back into work from August 1.
