Test and trace check-in no longer required under new proposals for businesses

The Government also plans to remove all restrictions on social gatherings in pubs, bars and restaurants, and masks will not be needed in shops.

Christopher Hammond Director of the Sukhothai Thai restaurant in Leeds, uses the Venue Check-in feature of the new NHS Covid-19 mobile phone application (PA Archive)

Bars and pubs will no longer need customers to sign into venues using the Test and Trace app and restrictions on how many people can meet will end, the Government has announced.

New guidance published by the Government, due to come into effect from July 19 will also see all settings allowed to reopen, including nightclubs and karaoke bars.

Limits on social contact of six people or two households indoors, along with 30 people outdoors will also be scrapped and Covid-secure restrictions including table service can end.

Closed bars in Clapham, south London (PA Wire)

Covid-status certificates will also no longer be required by law and face masks will not be needed in bars, restaurants, cafes and shops.

Social distancing rules inside places like supermarkets, cinemas and pubs will also end from July 19 – subject to confirmation next Monday.

Regulations on working from home unless necessary will also come to an end but the Government said staff must still be allowed to stay home if asked to self-isolate.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said of the return to offices: “The Government is no longer telling people that it is necessary that they should work from home and the rest is for employees and employers to work out for themselves.”

The Government added it will provide further guidance on how businesses can reduce unnecessary contact in the workplace, where it is practical.

Venues will still be encouraged to offer QR codes for customers to scan via the NHS Covid-19 app, but it will no longer be a legal requirement.