Julian Metcalfe, CEO of Itsu restaurants, said returning to retail was “scary” but there was no reason the industry could not come back with “strength and positivity”.

He added that he did not think the government roadmap to easing restrictions should be sped up or changed.

“It’s slow but it’s purposeful and that’s what everyone desperately needs, and what we need is clarity,” he told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“I don’t think they should change it now, I think we should stick to it.”

Young black workers have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic, with more than 40 per cent now unemployed, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The unemployment rate for black youths between the ages of 16 and 24 is significantly higher than that of their white counterparts, of whom only 12.4 per cent were without a job in the same period.

Eleanor Sly has more details in this report:

Sir David King, former chief scientific adviser to the government, has raised concerns about a third wave of infections in Chile, where a significant proportion of the population has been vaccinated.

Asked about the easing of lockdown restrictions in England, he told Sky News: “From the point of view of the population itself, we’re all dying to get out of lockdown.

“From the point of view of the epidemic, I think it’s all a little bit more worrying.”

He added: “Chile is a country where the rate of vaccination amongst the population was third highest in the world – they were ahead of us in terms of the number of people who have had the vaccine – and they’re suddenly now into a third wave.”

Large crowds of early morning shoppers have been lining up outside clothes stores and shopping centres across England as they prepare to reopen today.

In video footage captured outside the Arndale centre, in Manchester, people can be heard complaining about pushing and are told to move back.

Crowds have also gathered outside JD Sports on London’s Oxford Street and outside Primark, in Birmingham.

A senior police officer has warned forces will not be able to respond to all breaches of coronavirus restrictions as crime rises towards pre-pandemic levels.

As beer gardens and outdoor restaurant dining reopen in England today, theft, shoplifting, burglary and violent crime linked to alcohol consumption are all expected to increase.

Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association, told The Independent’s home affairs correspondent Lizzie Dearden that crime and incident levels were already “not far off pre-Covid levels”.

Boris Johnson has urged the public to “behave responsibly” as shops and beer gardens reopen in England for the next stage of the government’s lockdown easing plan.

Hairdressers, nail salons, gyms, swimming pools, libraries and outdoor attractions such as zoos and theme parks will also welcome back customers in what the prime minister described as a “major step forward in our road map to freedom”.

“I’m sure it will be a huge relief for those business owners who have been closed for so long, and for everyone else it’s a chance to get back to doing some of the things we love and have missed,” Mr Johnson said.

“I urge everyone to continue to behave responsibly and remember ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ to suppress Covid as we push on with our vaccination programme.”

Peter Stubley has this report.

Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay tuned for rolling updates and statistics as pubs, restaurants, non-essential shops and gyms reopen in England for the first time in months.