Boris Johnson is set to announce that zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas throughout England are set to reopen from next Monday
The Prime Minister is assumed to reveal the outlines for the government’s latest plans of the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions at Wednesday’s daily coronavirus press briefing.
Mr Johnson is expected to announce that the outdoor attractions can begin to reopen business as long as visitors and staff follow the current social distancing rules in the UK.
Some zoos, such as Chester Zoo and London Zoo, have reported large amounts of financial loss due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A number of Conservative members of parliaments, as well as the Prime Minister’s father, Stanley Johnson, have been calling for the reopening of zoos to ensure that they survive the crisis.
This move will pave the way for zoos to reopen in England alongside the reopening of certain non-essential shops, such as clothes and charity shops, which can also begin to resume business from the 15th of June.
Alok Sharma, the UK’s Business Secretary, said on Tuesday that the government “we continue to meet” their five tests for lifting the current coronavirus lockdown restrictions in place across the nation, meaning that retailers can begin to reopen for business if they abide by the appropriate safety guidelines.
Robert Halfon, the chair of the education select committee, said he was “happy” zoos would open.
But the Tory MP tweeted a call for Boris Johnson to:
“set out a national plan on how we get schools opening again and a catch up programme for left-behind pupils whose life chances are being damaged by being off school for 40% of school year”.
This comes after plans for all primary school year-groups in England to return to the classroom before the end of the term are to be scrapped by the government.
Earlier this week Chester Zoo, which has been closed since the 21st of March, referred to its future as “on a knife edge”, despite the government pledging to provide financial support to the sector.
A Downing Street official said: “People are continuing to make huge sacrifices to reduce the spread of coronavirus and avoid a second spike, but we know it is tough and where we can safely open up more attractions, and it is supported by the science, we will do so.
“This is by necessity a careful process, but we hope the reopening of safari parks and zoos will help provide families with more options to spend time outdoors while supporting the industry caring for these incredible animals.”
The Prime Minister continues to emphasise that the British government wants the nation to move forward carefully in regard to the further easing lockdown measures.
Wednesday’s announcement on zoos reflects the government’s belief that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is less likely in an outdoors environment and is based on the current social distancing stance being held by the government.
While steps to reopen the nation’s economy are being taken, the slow progress on restarting the country’s education systems shows that coming out of lockdown is not always easy and not always in the hands of government ministers.
