It’s been quite a month for people in Hull and across the country. Big changes to lockdown in England came a month ago with friends and family able to meet up outside again in small groups, in gardens, pubs and restaurants. Step 3 of the Lockdown Roadmap is now here and it’s the biggest return to normal we’ve had so far!
Indoor dining and drinking is back, along with cinemas, theatres and other entertainment venues.. Check out the new rule changes and what’s reopened around Hull since yesterday.
Meeting outdoors
Limits to the number of people you can now meet in your garden or any public spaces will change. Previously we were limited to groups of 6 people or 2 households, but now we’ll be able to have up to 30 people gathering at once.
Meeting indoors
Friends and Family outside your support bubbles will now be allowed inside your house for the first time since last summer! The rule of 6 or two households will apply here now instead. It’s still advised to keep windows open and to maintain social distance as much as possible. Your friends and family will now also be allowed to stay overnight too!
Care home residents will now be able to have up to five named visitors, and greater freedoms to enjoy low-risk visits outside their home without having to isolate on their return.
Hugging!
The best news of all… you can finally hug your family and friends again! BUT the government are still advising to socially distance as much as possible and to use caution when having close contact with family and friends. Those who aren’t vaccinated yet, have a greater risk of catching and transmitting the disease. Even those who are vaccinated can still catch and transmit the virus so stay cautious and use common sense.
Pubs & Restaurants… Inside!
For most of April, having a drink at the pub meant keeping your coat on and staying out as long as you could bear it. But with the latest step, changes to the rules mean that all pubs and restaurants are now allowed to open for indoor use with covid safe restrictions in place. Rule of Six will still apply here.
This means that restaurants that previously weren’t able to open under Step Two in April, have now opened including the restaurants inside St Stephens Shopping Centre, Prospect Centre and Princes Quay.
Museums, Galleries & The Deep
This is huge! We’ve sorely missed all the fun things we can do around Hull. Fun attractions including The Deep, Ferens Art Gallery, Streetlife Museum and Hull and East Riding Museum are all reopening for pre-bookings.
Indoor Fun
There’s an extensive, new indoor adventure golf attraction that opened in St Stephens too! Lost City Adventure Golf were originally due to open in June last year, which was then postponed to November, and then December but the lockdown meant they couldn’t. But happy days, they finally opened their doors yesterday and you can take a look round with our Facebook Live.
Indoor karting at TeamSport in West Hull and Storm Paintballing in the city centre are all fairly new attractions which opened just months before lockdowns. They’ve also reopened.
Parents will no doubt be delighted that Children’s Play Centres have reopened again too.
Water Parks
Swimming at indoor pools has been open since Step Two on April 12. However, pools that have water slides and splash areas weren’t allowed to open them. However, from 17 May, leisure centres like Woodford and Bridlington will be able to reopen their fun stuff. There are also a number of water parks across Yorkshire you might want to check out.
Theatres and Cinemas
Hull New Theatre will be reopening from this Thursday with a new series of Covid-Safe performances including two award-winning musicals – Priscilla Queen of the Desert and SIX. Before they come to Hull though, former king of the jungle Joe Pasquale will be on the New Theatre stage performing in John Godber’s new comedy, April in Paris which opens on Thursday 20 May.
After securing much-needed government funding, local-favourite Hull Truck will reopen will reopen in a few weeks time on 7 June with the first in The Trilogy of Monologues. BAFTA nominated Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street & Broadchurch) will be starring in the first production titled The Greatest Play In The History of The World.
Now this is what I’m most excited for.. cinemas! Odeon at Kingston Retail Park, Vue inside Princes Quay, Cineworld at Kingswood, Reel in St Stephens and Parkway at Flemingate, Beverley have all reopened. Latest research shows that cinema is one of the things we all miss most right now so I’m sure most of us will be happy they’re back.
Spectator Sports
The season might be over for Hull City after becoming EFL League One Champions recently. But Hull FC might have enjoyed going back to the KCOM Stadium last night had it not been for the result. Hull KR fans will have to wait a little longer before their next home match on 30 May. Fans haven’t been able to attend any games since the start of the pandemic so this will be a welcome treat.
Gigs & Events
All live entertainment events such as music and comedy can make a return this week, once again with social distancing in place.
Hull’s Comedy Lounge are one such venue who’ll be back in action this week with confirmation that their first comedian will be back on stage on Thursday 22 May.
Remaining outdoor entertainment, such as outdoor theatres and cinemas can open. An outdoor performance of the classic Moby Dick will be performed by the John Godber company in June at Stage@TheDock.
Indoor sports & exercise classes
Those fitness classes at the gym and indoor five-a-side are back on the cards with restrictions now allowing for groups to meet and exercise together… “socially distanced of course!”
Hotels & places to stay
The Village Hotel in Hessle 
DoubleTree by Hilton in Hull City Centre 
Holiday Inn at Hull Marina
Hotels, B&Bs and Hostels have taken a big hit during the pandemic. But many of Hull’s hotels were allowed to reopen for guest stays yesterday. So with friends and family now able to come and see us, it’s a good time to find a deal at a nearby hotel.
Holidays Abroad
Ok so it might be a bit limited for now, but from next week there are 12 countries on the government’s green list where they believe it’s safe enough to travel to and come back without having to quarantine. Portugal is on the list so immediately, holiday bookers got in there last week with that one. But there are other smaller islands you may want to check out. Here’s a full list from the BBC.
Private Events
Weddings can now have up to 30 people there, along with christenings and other life events as well as receptions. Limits on Funerals have also been lifted with no set limit on the number, but will depend on the venues capacity.
