PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has warned the Government will not hesitate to reimpose tough lockdown restrictions if the public act irresponsibly.

Hundreds of businesses in the town will reopen on Saturday as the hospitality industry begins to rebuild following the damage caused by coronavirus.

Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants can reopen in what is a major relaxation of the lockdown.

Speaking at the Downing Street coronavirus briefing today, Friday, Mr Johnson labelled it as the ‘biggest step’ yet in the road to recovery.

He said: "Without doubt, lockdown has saved many hundreds of thousands of lives but it has also had a devastating impact on our way of life and our economy.

“And, of course, lockdown has not yet been lifted entirely."

Mr Johnson added social distancing is still essential and the Government can only lift the remaining national restrictions as and when it is safe to do so.

But as the hospitality industry prepares to reopen for business, as well as hairdressers and barbers, the Prime Minister said: “I know everyone will be looking forward to the relaxation of national restrictions.”

He says, as the lockdown eases, people should focus on ‘supporting the livelihoods’ of business owners and their employees up and down the country.

"All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening to work out a way to trade that keeps their customers safe," he said.

But Mr Johnson stated the success of these businesses and the economic health of country ‘is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly’.

He added: “We must not let them down.

“We will only succeed in reopening if everyone works together again because we are not out of the woods yet.

“The virus is still with us and the spike in Leicester has shown that. If it starts running out of control again, this Government will not hesitate in putting on the breaks and reimposing restrictions.”

Mr Johnson says anyone who flouts social distancing and Covid-19 secure rules is putting people at risk and 'letting down' businesses and workers.

Meanwhile, he emphasised social distancing is still essential and that the Government can only lift the remaining national restrictions as and when it is safe to do so.

And he highlighted the 'targeted approach' in England.

“With each local outbreak, we see what works well and what not so well so that we do better next time," he said.

He says the country has ‘substantial’ testing capacity to enable the Government to get a grip on emerging outbreaks in local areas.