The plan has now been set out for how we move away from legal restrictions and the measures to go ahead if the next step on the roadmap to recovery is approved on 19 July.
Boris Johnson announced on Monday 5 July that the government were looking to move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make informed choices.
The measures set to be dropped on July 19 if approved, include the limit on social contact, 1m-plus rule in the majority of settings, legal requirement on face coverings, capacity caps on businesses and other restrictions.
Guidance on working from home will also end with symptomatic testing and contract tracing set to continue.
This is a much-needed step on the road to normality and provides a light at the end of the tunnel after such a difficult time for local businesses, who will welcome the clarification and the time given in order to get ready to operate at higher levels and capacity.
There are however, several areas still yet to be clarified that will need to be explained to provide businesses with confidence moving forward.
Plans on keeping non-symptomatic testing for workplaces free, self-isolation rules and international travel will need to be laid out along with any contingency plans for any future roadblocks and any support made available to businesses if this were the case.
We would urge a measured approach from the government to the full reopening of the economy, with a reactive and responsive strategy on businesses support moving forward. As businesses see financial support begin to relax and loan repayments due, they are far from in the clear when it comes to their confidence to operate fully and ability to support cash reserves. It is possible that businesses could struggle with acclimatising themselves to a return to normality and may need further support from government in order to keep them afloat.