The hospitality industry will be able to re-open from 4 July as Boris Johnson unveiled the biggest easing of lockdown restrictions yet.
The prime minister said the fall in new infections in recent weeks has allowed him to finally reduce the two-metre rule on social distancing, allowing the sector to get going again.
Speaking in the House of Commons he revealed pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers will be among the businesses able to open again in less than two weeks time - as long as they follow new guidelines on making their premises Covid-secure.
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He said the UK’s “long hibernation is coming to an end”.
Other places set to unlock their doors are hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, holiday homes, campsites, caravan parks and boarding houses.
Places of worship, libraries, community centres, cinemas, bingo halls, museums and galleries can also re-open, as can theatres and concert halls - but without any live performances.
Outdoor playgrounds and gyms can re-open, but indoor gyms, swimming polls, spa and fitness and dance studios will not be allowed to.
Nightclubs, casinos, bowling alleys and indoor skating rinks will also have to wait to get going again, as will nail bars, beauty salons, massage, tattoo and piercing parlours.
Johnson also revealed a major change to people’s social lives, with people now allowed to invite another household into their homes, and stay over, with no limit on the size of the group.
And with no exclusivity rules, a family could invite one set of grandparents over on one occasion, and meet the other set of grandparents on a different occasion, as long as they keep to social distancing.
This new policy is separate to the “support bubble” system previously announced, and is based on what the government says is clear evidence the UK is getting coronavirus under control, with the R rate below one and the number of infections falling at a rate of 2-4% a day.
It comes a day after Britain recorded its lowest daily death toll since mid-March, with just 15 deaths registered on Sunday.
And the number of new cases dropped to below 1,000 for the first time since lockdown began on 23 March.
But the government is warning if the virus begins to pick up again they won't hesitate "to put the handbrake on and reverse" the changes" announced.