england and wales is extended by two months to 23 august. chelsea are declared the winners of the 2019–20 women's super league after the season finished early, while liverpool are relegated. the 2020–21 season is scheduled to start on 5–6 september. premiership rugby announce plans to restart their 2019–20 season on saturday 15 august, assuming it is safe to do so. 7 june – the weekly surveillance report by public health england (published 11 june) concludes that the week ending today has "no significant overall excess all-cause mortality". acute respiratory outbreaks in care homes continue to decline, but there is a small increase in outbreaks in hospitals. new seroprevalence data finds antibodies indicating exposure to covid-19 in around 4% of blood donors in the south east and east england in the previous week. 8 june - the department of health and social care extends availability of tests to all adult care homes, not just those for over-65s, and states there is capacity to send homes over 50,000 test kits a day. dental practices can reopen 9 june – the uk government drops plans for all primary school children to return to school before the end of the summer term, describing it as unfeasible. the english league one and league two seasons are finished early following a vote by clubs in both football leagues. 10 june – prime minister boris johnson announces a further easing of lockdown measures in england from 13 june that will allow people living alone to spend time in one other household as part of a "support bubble". the group will be treated as if they are all part of one household so social distancing will not apply, but they cannot switch the household with which they are in a bubble or choose multiple households, and these new rules do not apply to people who are shielding, who must continue to isolate. johnson announces that plans are being drawn up for a school catch-up programme over the summer months that will allow schoolchildren to catch up with missed schoolwork, with the plans to be outlined by education secretary gavin williamson shortly. 11 june – figures published by the department of health and social care indicate that in nhs test and trace's first week of operation, 31,700 contacts were identified, of whom 26,900 (85%) were reached and asked to self-isolate. details of these contacts were provided by two-thirds of the 8,117 people who tested positive during this time and had their case transferred to the system. figures from nhs england show the pandemic's impact on cancer care. the number of people being assessed by a cancer specialist after referral fell by 60% in april when compared to 2019, with 79,500 referrals. in the same month patients beginning treatment fell by 20% to 10,800 when compared with april 2019. the government comes under pressure from conservative party backbench mps to reduce the two metre social distancing rule, which they feel is damaging the economy. 13 june – parts of the health protection (coronavirus, restrictions) (england) (amendment no. 4) regulations 2020 (si 588) come into effect. in england and northern ireland, households with one adult may now become linked with one other household of any size, allowing them to be treated as one for the purpose of permitted gatherings. this also allows the members of one household to stay overnight at the home of the other. the government refers to this as a ”support bubble”. the rules on gatherings are also relaxed to allow medical appointments and births to be accompanied, and to permit some visits to people in hospital, hospices and care homes. 14 june – prime minister boris johnson commissions a review into the 2-metre social distancing rule, amid concerns its continuation may make large parts of the hospitality industry not viable. the review will be completed before 4 july, when pubs and cafes are scheduled to reopen. on the eve of the reopening of non-essential retailers, johnson urges people to "shop, and shop with confidence". 15 june – the remainder of the health protection (coronavirus, restrictions) (england) (amendment no. 4) regulations 2020 (si 588) come into effect, allowing the general re-opening of english retail shops and public-facing businesses apart from those that are on a list of specific exclusions such as restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, most cinemas, theatres, museums, hairdressers, indoor sports and leisure facilities. outdoor animal-related attractions such as farms, zoos and safari parks may open. places of worship may again be used for private prayer (but not for communal worship). english libraries still have to remain closed. the health protection (coronavirus, wearing of face coverings on public transport) (england) regulations 2020 come into effect, requiring travellers on public transport in england to wear a face covering. secondary school pupils in england from year 10 and year 12 return to school. the 2020 great north run, scheduled for 13 september, is cancelled because of the covid-19 outbreak. 16 june – the uk government announces that the school meals voucher scheme will be extended to cover the summer holidays, allowing 1.3 million disadvantaged children to access free meals during the holidays. the decision is a reversal of an earlier decision to suspend the programme during the holidays. 17 june – english premier league football returns after a 100-day absence. 19 june – the uk government announces a £1bn fund to help children in england to catch up with work they have missed while schools have been closed. education secretary gavin williamson also confirms that all children will return to full-time schooling in september. dr. david rosser, chief executive of the university hospitals birmingham nhs foundation trust (uhb), england's largest hospital trust, confirms there are no covid-19 patients in the trust's intensive care units for the first time since march. he also says there are signs covid patients “don’t seem as sick, on average, as they were”. 22 june – the uk government announces that the 2.2 million people in england who have been shielding since the beginning of lockdown will no longer need to do so from 1 august. from 6 july they will be able to meet up outside with up to five other people and form a "support bubble" with another household. 23 june – prime minister boris johnson announces that social distancing rules for england will be relaxed from 4 july, with people required to stay a metre apart but advised to maintain two metres distance whenever possible. he also confirms that pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers can reopen on the same day, but social distancing must be maintained. spas, nail bars and gyms are among premises that must continue to remain closed. two households can also meet up indoors from 4 july, and need not be exclusive to each other like the bubble system. weddings with up to 30 guests will also be permitted. in a bid to assuage concerns from the fitness industry that gyms will not be opening on 4 july, culture secretary oliver dowden subsequently announces on twitter that the government hopes to reopen gyms in mid-july. 25 june – the uk government announces plans to relax rules for england and wales allowing pubs and restaurants to utilise outdoor spaces such as terraces, pavements and car parks, while outdoor markets and fetes will no longer need planning permission. figures from nhs test and trace indicate that in its first three weeks of operation in excess of 100,000 people have been asked to self-isolate after being contacted by contact tracers, while the service has contacted three quarters of the people whose details have been supplied to it. the uk government publishes a five-stage plan for reopening theatres. but it is quickly criticised by theatre unions as "meaningless" and "woeful" because it contains no provisions for investment in the performing arts. 26 june – merseyside police issue a dispersal order after fans of liverpool football club gather for a second night of celebration after the team won the premier league title the previous day. 28 june – home secretary priti patel confirms a sunday times report that the government is considering imposing a local lockdown on leicester, which has seen a spike in covid-19 cases. of the 2,494 cases reported in the city, 658 of them (around 25%) occurred in the two weeks preceding 16 june. 29 june – following a spike in covid-19 cases in leicester, health secretary matt hancock announces the reintroduction of stricter lockdown measures for the city, including the closure of non-essential retailers from the following day, and the closure of schools from 2 july. people in leicester are advised to stay at home as much as possible, while it is recommended that all but essential travel to, from and within the city should be avoided. of the 2,987 positive cases in leicester since the pandemic began, 866 (29%) were reported in the two weeks preceding 23 june, while hancock says leicester accounted for "10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week". sir peter soulsby, the mayor of leicester has criticises a lack of communication between the uk government and leicester city council which he describes as "intensely frustrating". the uk government publishes guidelines for weddings in england, which are permitted from 4 july. up to thirty people can attend, but without singing and without a reception to follow the ceremony. the england and wales cricket board confirms that the 2020 county championship season will begin on 1 august. 30 june – england's exam regulator, ofqual, says that any gcse or a level student who is unhappy with the results they are given will be able to sit exams in all subjects in the autumn. gcse exams in maths and english language only will also be available in early 2021, if needed to cope with demand.