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Coronavirus: Markets, car dealerships and garden fetes set to open from June

Markets are set to reopen from June

Market stalls, car dealerships and garden fetes will reopen from June, the prime minister is set to announce next week.

Sky News has confirmed that Boris Johnson plans to ease restrictions on open-air activities, with National Trust parks also expected to be allowed to open from next month as long as indoor sections stay closed.

The PM will hold a cabinet meeting on Monday to update ministers on how the government will slowly ease the coronavirus lockdown for certain sectors in England.

He will also discuss giving the green light for some non-essential stores to open.

While no changes are expected before June 1, it is understood there will be guidance and advice relating to which shops and attractions can open under step two of Mr Johnson's roadmap to a 'new normal'.

In the coming days he is expected to announce the easing of open-air restrictions for the public, as well as provide an update on the new trace and test system, give an announcement on schools, and provide more detail on how the government will unlock the nation.

The new test and trace system is set to launch next week, with 25,000 contact tracers recruited.

A Number 10 spokesperson said the rollout of the test and trace system will mean that "in time, lockdown will no longer be necessary for the vast majority of the public and instead it will be possible for there to be a targeted lockdown for a small number of people".

"For this to be effective, everyone will need to stay alert and play their part to control the virus and save lives.

"By working with our tracers and complying with the rules, the public will avoid unknowingly spreading the virus to their family and loved ones and this new test and trace service will help to control coronavirus."

Under UK law, all government's lockdown measures need to be reviewed every three weeks.

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Scientific advice that guides the strategies includes efforts to keep the 'R number' below one - the rate showing how many people a person with coronavirus infects.

All four home nations are loosening measures to allow people more freedom, but they do differ in their approaches as they make their own decisions on health - and nobody can yet move across borders.

Mr Johnson previously said the original "stay at home" guidance "couldn't be starker" when the most stringent lockdown was first announced on 23 March.

But he admitted the new "stay alert" coronavirus message, introduced on 10 May, is "more complicated", after his plan to ease lockdown was criticised for being confusing.

The "conditional plan" for easing the coronavirus lockdown in England sets out three phases.

Mr Johnson has previously said step two, which could be enacted from the start of June, would include some school classes returning, a "phased reopening" of shops and the possibility of enabling small wedding ceremonies.