behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium. 26 june – the "grab a jab" initiative sees hundreds of venues, including stadiums, shopping centres and theatres, turned into temporary vaccination centres in order to increase the number of people receiving covid vaccinations. thousands of people attend anti-lockdown protests in london. 28 june – health secretary sajid javid tells mps the uk government can "see no reason to go beyond" the "target date" for lifting restrictions in england on 19 july, and that although covid-19 cases have risen the number of related deaths have not. 29 june – ministers suggest the covid control system for schools in england that sees groups of pupils required to self-isolate following a single positive test could be scrapped in the autumn in favour of daily testing. a study has found the covid death rate in greater manchester has been 25% higher than the rest of england throughout the pandemic. scotland's health secretary, humza yousaf, announces that the ban on non-essential travel between scotland and the north west of england will be lifted from midnight. 30 june – education secretary gavin williamson says he wants to see an end to the bubble system in schools that sees whole groups of pupils sent home to self-isolate after an increase in the number of pupils unable to attend school. july 2021 1 july – prime minister boris johnson announces he will set out the final step of the roadmap for lifting restrictions in england in the next few days, and says he hopes that life will return to as close as possible to its pre-pandemic status. 3 july – as covid cases rise again, the british medical association calls for some covid restrictions to remain in place in england beyond 19 july. 6 july – england cricket is required to name a replacement squad for its one day international series with pakistan after the original team have to self-isolate because of positive covid tests among their members. more than 60,000 people are allowed to attend england's euro 2020 semi-final match with denmark at wembley stadium, meaning the stadium is at 75% capacity. 8 july – the uk government confirms that fully vaccinated uk residents arriving into england from amber list countries will no longer be required to quarantine after 19 july, but will still be required to pay for covid tests. hospitals in leeds postpone planned elective surgeries due to dealing with a rise in covid cases. a study by imperial college london attributes a faster rise in covid cases among men over the preceding two weeks to fans watching euro 2020. 10 july – ministers are reported to be considering exempting fully vaccinated nhs staff in england from having to self isolate if they are contacted by contact tracing. 12 july – health secretary sajid javid and prime minister boris johnson confirm almost all covid restrictions will be removed in england on 19 july. public examinations for secondary school students are to resume in 2022, with pupils likely to have advanced warning of exam topics. 13 july – mayor of london sadiq khan confirms that face coverings will continue to be mandatory on london's transport network after 19 july. the house of commons votes 319–246 to approve legislation requiring the compulsory vaccination of care home staff in england from october 2021. a snapshot of school attendance figures from one day during the previous week shows that almost 1.5 million pupils were absent due to self-isolation. 15 july – pavement dining and outdoor pint licensing in england is to continue for a further year to help the hospitality industry. 17 july – children aged between two and 16, adults aged over 50 and those in at risk groups will be offered a flu vaccine over the coming winter to help tackle both covid and influenza. the 2021 challenge cup final between castleford tigers and st helens is held at wembley stadium in front of a crowd of 45,000 spectators, half the stadium capacity. transport for london says that services on the metropolitan line between aldgate and amersham have been suspended due to a staff shortage caused after they received "ping" alerts from the nhs covid-19 app. services on the piccadilly line and district line are also affected. 19 july – the final stage of covid restrictions are lifted in england, allowing nightclubs to reopen and abolishing social distancing rules, while the wearing of face coverings no longer required by law. with nightclubs allowed to reopen, the uk government announces that people wishing to enter nightclubs and other venues with large gatherings will need to be fully vaccinated from the end of september 2021. 20 july – official school attendance figures for england show that 1.7 million pupils (23.3%) were absent from school during the week of 12–16 july. over a million of those absent were off school for covid-related reasons, but only 47,000 of those had actually tested positive for the virus. 21 july – a shortage of workers caused by the self-isolation "pingdemic" is reported to be affecting local authorities' ability to carry out refuse collections in some areas of england. data released by the care quality commission shows that 39,000 of the people who died after testing positive for covid-19 in england between 10 april 2020 and 31 march 2021 were care home residents. nhs workers in england are offered a 3% pay rise "in recognition of unique impact of the pandemic" on them. 26 july – a survey by public health england indicate that 40% of adults in england gained weight during lockdown, with the average weight gain being half a stone (equivalent to 3 kg). 29 july – it is reported that some nightclubs in england have begun to ask clubgoers to produce an nhs covid pass (proof of vaccination) before being allowed entry. 31 july – the bbc reports that ministers are no longer planning to make full vaccination compulsory for university lecturers in england. august 2021 6 august – england’s r number is estimated to be between 0.8 and 1.1, a fall from the previous week when it was estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.4. 7 august – students at the university of sussex who are fully vaccinated are being offered the chance to win £5,000, with ten prizes on offer. 12 august – figures show that a record number of people are waiting for nhs hospital treatment in england, with a total of 5.45 million on waiting lists. 15 august – the uk government confirms 23 august as the date by which all 16 and 17-year-olds will in england will have been offered a covid vaccine, or the chance to book an appointment. 17 august – six of the uk's teaching unions have written to education secretary gavin williamson to call for urgent action for better ventilation in schools amid concerns about a rise in covid cases when pupils return to the classroom for the new academic year. 19 august – official figures show that two areas of newquay in cornwall had of the highest covid rates in england during the week ending 13 august, along with yarborough near grimsby in lincolnshire. 24 august – as covid cases rise in cornwall, the county's tourist board asks people to stay away from the area unless they have pre-booked holidays. 25 august – data from public health england indicate that the rate of covid cases in south west england is "by far" highest among those aged 15–24. 26 august – nhs organisations in england have been told to prepare for a possible extension of the covid vaccination programme to 12–15-year-olds. but the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation is reported to have concerns about the effect of the covid vaccine on other vaccines administered to young children. the latest figures from public health england indicate covid cases are on the rise again in most areas of england, apart from london and yorkshire and the humber, where they have fallen. 27 august – following an uptick in the number of covid cases in the south west, cornwall, the isles of scilly, devon, plymouth and torbay are to receive hextra help from the department of health and social care to help curb the increase. this will include mandatory face coverings for school and college students when gathering in communal areas. scientists advising the uk government believe it is "highly likely" there will be high levels of covid in schools in england by the end of september. 28 august – the royal national lifeboat institute says that lifeguards have been withdrawn from two beaches in lincolnshire after one of their number tested positive for covid. september 2021 2 september – as schools prepare to return for the new academic year and concerns mount about their potential base as a spread for covid, dr yvonne doyle, medical director of public health england has said schools are not "drivers" or "hubs" of covid infection. 5 september – vaccines minister nadhim zahawi confirms that v will be required for nightclubs and other indoor venues in england from the end of september. 6 september – the uk government confirms the nhs in england will get an extra £5.4bn over the coming six months to help deal with the backlog caused by covid, and to help with its response to the pandemic. 7 september – addressing the house of commons, prime minister boris johnson announces a new health and social care tax worth £12bn designed to deal with the backlog caused by covid and improve social care in england. 8 september – official figures have revealed that people in the north of england were 17% more likely to die from covid-related illnesses than those in the rest of the country. 9 september – figures show that 5.6 million people were on nhs england's waiting lists in july, while the average waiting time for an ambulance during a life threatening call was eight and a half minutes in august; the target is seven minutes. 12 september – speaking on bbc one's the andrew marr show, health secretary sajid javid confirms plans to require proof of vaccination for nightclubs and other venues in england have been scrapped. 10 downing street says the plans will be kept "in reserve". 14 september – officials at northern lincolnshire and goole nhs foundation trust confirm that patients at grimsby hospital have been forced to queue outside a&e due to "high demand for services". boris johnson discusses plans to emphasize vaccine boosters and vaccination of children 12–15 as part of efforts for handling the autumn and winter months. johnson left open the possibility of "plan b" measures (which would include reinstating mask mandates, and possibly mandating proof of vaccination for certain venues, bringing england in line with restrictions in the other home nations) in the event of another surge, aiming to avoid lockdown. 17 september – al fresco dining is set to continue in central london, but may not do so in soho, it is reported. manchester united releases figures for the 2020–21 football season indicating that losses it made at the turnstiles from physical attendances at matches were offset by money made from broadcasting. 21 september – staff at cornwall's eden project are given a "wellbeing week" off work as a thank you for their work during the pandemic. 24 september – england's r number falls slightly to between 0.8 and 1.0, down from 0.9 to 1.1 the previous week. some schools in corby and kettering in northamptonshire have brought back face mask requirements amid rising covid cases in the area. 26 september – the great manchester run is held, following its cancellation in 2020 due to covid. 30 september – data shows the level of face-to-face gp appointments in england has changed little since the winter lockdown, with 58% of appointments conducted in person during august 2021; this compares with 54% in january and a pre-covid level of 80%. the uk government confirms that gcse and a level examination grades in england will be returned to pre-covid levels over the next two years. october 2021 1 october – the uk government confirms that gcse and a-level grades in england will be returned to pre-pandemic levels over the next two years following unusually high grades during 2020 and 2021. public examinations for secondary school education will be