People queue outside a barber shop in Soho in London, Britain, April 12, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Another 2,524 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,393,307, according to official figures released Tuesday.
The country also reported another 33 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,307. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
More than 33 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.
Earlier Tuesday, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed a major move of the region's lockdown easing from Monday next week.
According to the rules, travel will be permitted between Scotland and other parts of Britain and all shops are able to reopen from Monday next week. Pubs and restaurants can also reopen, but alcohol will only be served outside.
Sturgeon said as the coronavirus cases continue to fall in Scotland, she hopes that by the "deeper part of the summer", "something much more like normality" will be possible.
"We are hopeful, very hopeful, of seeing sustained progress," she said.
In England, all shops reopened from April 12 as lockdown eases, along with hairdressers, beauty salons and other close-contact services.
Restaurants and pubs were allowed to serve food and alcohol to customers sitting outdoors. Meanwhile, gyms, spas, zoos, theme parks, libraries and community centers can all open.
On May 17, restaurants and pubs are expected be allowed to resume indoor service and see most rules on gathering outdoors lifted.
The British government's four-step plan is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
