People in the United Kingdom will now be able to hug close family and friends and meet indoors at pubs, restaurants and cinemas from next week, as the lockdown rules are eased further.

Hugging will be a personal choice as people are allowed to meet indoors in a group of six or as two households, staring May 17. However, social distancing rules will continue to remain in place for shops, pubs, restaurants and offices.

Infection rates in the UK are at their lowest since September, according to Prime Minister’s office, while deaths and hospitalizations are at their lowest since July. UK chief medical officers also brought down the COVID-19 alert level from four to three, suggesting that the epidemic is in general circulation while transmission is not high or rising exponentially… (NDTV – Bloomberg, May 11, 2021)