Image copyright PA Media Pubs and restaurants in Leicester are set to reopen from Monday as a number of lockdown restrictions in the city are lifted.
It follows an announcement by Health Secretary Matt Hancock that lockdown restrictions had been tightened in parts of northern England.
He said those restrictions on household visits would also apply in Leicester.
The borough of Oadby and Wigston on the outskirts of the city is moving completely out of local lockdown.
People living in Leicester, Oadby and Wigston were told to observe strict measures from 29 June after a spike in coronavirus cases.
Oadby and Wigston MP Neil O’Brien tweeted the local lockdown had been lifted in the area and it was now subject to the same restrictions as the rest of Leicestershire.
The Department of Health and Social Care said restaurants, cafes, bars and hairdressers in Leicester would be able to reopen from Monday but leisure centres, gyms and pools would remain closed.
Cinemas and museums are also allowed to open and religious ceremonies can take place, a spokesman added.
Leicester West MP Liz Kendall tweeted she has spoken to Mr Hancock and called it “great news”.
“This has been an unbelievably difficult period for our city but people’s hard work and sacrifices have paid off,” the Labour MP said.
But she described the government’s handling of the lockdown as “totally shambolic” and “lessons must be learnt for the future to prevent others going through the same”.
Earlier, Leicester’s mayor Sir Peter Soulsby had shared his frustration with the government.
“We haven’t got a clue what’s going on, we really haven’t. We’ve been messed about all day.
“They were going to make the announcement much earlier in the day, then they were going to make it around 4pm, then 5pm, and now we understand they’re not even going to discuss it until 6pm. What a way to run a country.”
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