Businesses up and down the country made their final preparations yesterday as England got ready to take a huge step towards freedom. Pub tables were wiped, hotel rooms were dusted and West End performers warmed up ahead of the third stage of lockdown easing. The tanks on display at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, which also opens today, were given a spruce-up. Bars, pubs and venues across the country were allowed to open their doors for indoor service as the lockdown rules changed at 12.01am today. More than 60,000 beauticians and hairdressers have lost their jobs, with the number of full-time staff slashed by 21 per cent.

Source: Daily Mail May 16, 2021 21:58 UTC