UK lifts quarantine rule in England for European countries

It is crossing the wires that the UK is lifting the quarantine rule in England for countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain from July 10, in news reported by Sky News. 

Meanwhile, as it stands, there are concerns that the UK’s virus situation will get out of hand in recent days following a spell of good weather which the population went out to enjoy in droves, and in many instances not obeying the social distancing measures. 

Across Europe, governments have started to open their borders after weeks of closure during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a series of measures to take effect from 4 July, easing the lockdown in England.

Restaurants, pubs and cafes in England will also be allowed to reopen, providing they follow safety guidelines.

All hospitality indoors will be table service only, and contact between staff and customers will be limited, they are still worried that it is too soon and that the UK government had not done enough in the first place to prevent the outbreak. 

The EU has recommended the bloc opens its external borders from July 1 to 15 countries. These are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China (although China is subject to confirmation of reciprocity).

• EUR/GBP bears watchful over COVID-19 and Brexit risks

As for the coronavirus situation in the US,  the latest data published by Florida state’s health department revealed that the confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday surged by 10,109, or 6.4%, to a total of 169,106. This print marked the biggest single-day increase since the pandemic started.

“In June, Florida infections rose by 168% or over 95,000 new cases,” Reuters reported on the matter. “The percent of tests coming back positive has skyrocketed to 15% from 4% at the end of May.

• Wall Street Close: Benchmarks close holiday shortened week on a NFP high