: Pubs, Restaurants and Museums Open as England Eases Coronavirus Lockdown #WorldNEWS LONDON — The pints are being supped and the unkempt hairdos cut and styled as England embarked Saturday on

Pubs, Restaurants and Museums Open as England Eases Coronavirus Lockdown #WorldNEWS
LONDON — The pints are being supped and the unkempt hairdos cut and styled as England embarked Saturday on its biggest lockdown-easing yet, one that many think has come too soon given still-high levels of coronavirus infections and deaths.
In addition to the reopening of much of the English hospitality sector, including pubs and restaurants, for the first time in more than three months, couples can tie the knot once again and film buffs can catch a movie at the cinema.
Museums and libraries also got the green light, but gyms, swimming pools and nail bars remain shut. Restrictions on travel and social contact were loosened as well; people from different households can now go into each others homes, for example.

And many individuals despairing at what they saw in the mirror had their hair professionally trimmed. For all types of businesses, there are social-distancing rules that must be followed.
“It was doing my head in to be honest, I’m just glad it’s gone now,” William Brown, a 25-year-old plant engineer, said at Headley’s Barber Shop in Blaby, central England.
Owner Stephanie Headley, 35, was equally relieved to be back in business for the fist time since the full lockdown was announced on March 23.
Headley said she was a “bit anxious and has been inundated with appointment requests since the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the latest easing of the lockdown last week.
I can’t wait to see all the dodgy haircuts that have come out of quarantine,” she said.
Though the easing of the lockdown was warmly welcomed by many, there are concerns the British government is being overly hasty, even reckless, in sanctioning the changes. The U. K. has experienced one of the worlds worst outbreaks so far; the official coronavirus death toll of 44,131 is the third-highest behind the United States and Brazil.
Critics point to the experience elsewhere, particularly in some U. S. states, where the reopening of bars and restaurants has been blamed for a spike in infections as drinkers abandon social distancing after imbibing a few of their favorite tipples.
Tim Sheehan, co-owner of Franklins, a pub and restaurant in southeast London, said he was concerned Saturday night would be “like New Year’s Eve” in some pubs, particularly those that cater to younger people.
The four nations of the U. K. — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have eased the virus-prevention restrictions at different speeds over the past few weeks. The restrictions in England, with a population of around 56 million, or 85% or so of the U. K. s total, have been lifted the most, triggering concerns that the Johnson government is being unduly influenced by economic factors.