Outdoor attractions where people can stay in their cars, such as safari parks and drive-in cinemas are allowed to open from Monday, Boris Johnson confirmed.

As part of the daily coronavirus briefing, the PM also said that zoos can re-open from 15 June as long as visitor numbers are managed and safeguards are put in place such as reptile houses remaining closed.

Places of worship will also be able to open for individual prayer this weekend.

‘Support bubble’

Setting out the progress made against the five tests implemented for adjusting the coronavirus lockdown, Johnson said the number of patients admitted to hospital and those on ventilators had come down from their peak.

The number of daily deaths had also continued to fall as have new positive cases. With more PPE equipment and with Johnson confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS, he is “satisfied that all five tests are still being met and we can proceed with the following further adjustments to the lockdown in England.”

As a result, from this weekend, single adult households – adults living alone or single parents with children under 18 – will be able to form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household.

Johnson explained: “All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household, meaning they can spend time together inside each others’ homes and do not need to stay two metres apart.

“I want to stress that support bubbles must be exclusive – meaning you cannot switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households. And if any member of the support bubble develops symptoms, all members of the bubble will need to follow the normal advice on household isolation.

“We are making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown measures. It is a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions. It is emphatically not designed for people who don’t qualify to start meeting inside other people’s homes – that remains against the law.”

However he added that for those who are shielding, the government can’t advise them to form a support bubble at this stage given their vulnerability to the virus.

Johnson added: “I know that these changes are only incremental and that some of you, many of you, may be hoping and waiting for more.

“I also know that people will once again find anomalies or apparent anomalies in what people can and cannot do.

“And as I have said before, I’m afraid that is just inevitable when we are only able to give people a small amount of the freedoms that they usually enjoy.

“I urge everyone to continue to show restraint and respect the rules which are designed to keep us all safe. It’s only because of the restraint that everyone, you all have shown so far that we are able to move gradually out of this lockdown.”