– adults aged 40 and over are invited to book their first covid vaccination. clubbers have gathered at a venue in liverpool for the first nightclub event to be staged as part of trials for mass gatherings. the two-day event is expected to be attended by 6,000 ticketholders who are required to take covid tests before and after attending, but can attend without face coverings and observing social distancing requirements. surge testing takes place in parts of east london following the discovery of two cases of south african variant covid-19. may 2021 1 may – government scientist professor sir mark walport urges people to be "patient" ahead of the next planned relaxation of covid rules on 17 may. 2 may – bristol's annual grand iftar community event is held online due to the coronavirus pandemic. the meal, which represents the breaking of fast at sunset during the muslim holy month of ramadan, is held in the city's easton district and attended by 6,000 people. 3 may – it is reported the government is planning to lift the 30 people limit at funerals from 17 may, meaning an unlimited number of mourners can attend so long as they can socially distance safely. the number permitted at weddings will rise from 15 to 30 on the same day. prime minister boris johnson suggests there is a "good chance" england's 1m social distancing rule can be scrapped from 21 june. 4 may – care home residents are permitted to leave their residence for low-risk trips such as walks or garden visits without the need to self-isolate for 14 days afterwards. 5 may – a sheffield schoolgirl loses a high court case to prevent her school from "requiring or encouraging" pupils to wear a face mask; she had argued that being required to wear masks risked "serious harm" to children's physical and mental health. 7 may – the restored shrine of st. amphibalus at st albans cathedral is to include a memento of the covid-19 pandemic with the addition of a carved figure wearing a mask; the shrine's restoration was delayed by the pandemic. 10 may – prime minister boris johnson confirms the "single biggest step" in the relaxing of restrictions for england on 17 may, but urges people to "exercise caution and common sense". from that date indoor hospitality will reopen and people will be able to hug again. johnson also confirms that face coverings will no longer be required in secondary schools in england from 17 may. england records a day without any covid related deaths. 11 may – the uk government confirms that from 17 may people in england who have had both covid vaccines will be able to use the nhs app as a proof of vaccination; a paper version will also be available by calling 119. a freesom of information request discloses that eleven greater manchester police officers were fined for breaches of covid regulations during the first twelve months of the pandemic. 12 may – hospitality sector firms in the greater manchester town of bolton express their concern at the easing of restrictions as the area experiences a fresh covid surge. it has one of the highest rates of the indian variant among its unvaccinated young population. 13 may – roughly a million people in england aged 38 and 39 become eligible for their first covid vaccine, with pregnant women directed to vaccination centres offering the pfizer of moderna vaccines. 14 may – prime minister boris johnson confirms the next round of relaxation of the coronavirus restrictions in england will go ahead on 17 may, but that the increase in numbers of indian variant covid could pose "serious disruption" to the easing of restrictions on 21 june. he further suggests some "serious choices" may be required if the variant is found to be "significantly" more transmissible. in order to help tackle the indian variant, the gap between first and second vaccinations is narrowed to eight weeks for people in the top nine priority groups. the army is to be deployed in bolton and blackburn with darwen to help with the distribution of covid tests. as the rules regarding face coverings for school pupils in england are relaxed from 17 may, pupils in the north west are advised to continue wearing them until 21 june amid concerns about indian variant covid. 16 may – speaking on bbc one's the andrew marr show, health secretary matt hancock says a local lockdown in bolton has not been ruled out as a way of tackling the rise in cases of indian variant covid. 17 may – restrictions are relaxed allowing indoor hospitality to reopen with groups of up to six people. bingo halls also reopen. over 6,000 vaccinations have been carried out in the bolton area over the preceding weekend as health officials seek to control the spread of indian variant covid. 18 may – people in england aged 37 become eligible for their first covid vaccine. 19 may – the vaccination programme is extended to those aged 36 living in england. with 2,967 cases of indian variant covid now confirmed in the uk, surge testing and vaccination is expanded to a further six areas – bedford, burnley, hounslow, kirklees, leicester and north tyneside. 20 may – people aged 34 and 35 are invited to book their first covid vaccine. 21 may – public health england officials are investigating a new covid variant which has presented 49 cases in the yorkshire and humber area. 22 may – england's vaccination programme is extended to people aged 32 and 33. 26 may – people in england aged 30 and 31 are invited to book their first covid vaccine. 27 may – prime minister boris johnson says there is nothing in the data to suggest the final lifting of restrictions in england cannot go ahead on 21 june. pupils at four schools in kirklees, west yorkshire are being offered surge testing amid rising cases of indian variant covid in the area. a coroner is to determine whether the death of bbc radio presenter lisa shaw may have been complicated by her receiving the oxford–astrazeneca vaccine after she was treated for blood clots within days of having her first vaccination. 31 may – as england's ban on evictions expires, the joseph rowntree foundation warns that as many as a million people face losing their homes in the coming months; 400,000 householders have already been received, or been told they will receive, eviction notices, the charity says. a pop-up vaccination centre is set up for the day at twickenham stadium after nhs north west london had 15,000 doses of pfizer vaccine to spare. the centre breaks with the national convention by offering anyone over the age of 18 a walk in vaccination appointment. demand is high and gates are closed at 6.45pm. june 2021 1 june – the uk records 0 deaths from covid-19 over a 24 hour period for the first time since march 2020 2 june – prime minister boris johnson says there is still "nothing in the data" to suggest england's 21 june date for lifting restrictions should be delayed. the uk government announces its plan to help pupils in england catch up on missed education. the scheme is allocated £1.4bn over three years, but is criticised as a "damp squib" by headteachers. prime minister boris johnson promises there will be more money to follow. sir kevan collins resigns as education recovery commissioner, stating the funding "falls far short of what is needed". 3 june – bedford borough council announces that door-to-door covid testing will begin over the coming weekend; bedford has the fifth highest number of covid cases in the uk with 158 cases per 100,000. 5 june – media outlets, including lbc, report that people aged over 40 are set to be offered their second covid vaccination after eight weeks rather than twelve in order to help keep on track the 21 june date for relaxing restrictions. surge testing begins in bradford amid concerns about the spread of indian variant covid in the area. a pop-up vaccination centre is opened for the day at belmont health centre in stanmore, harrow, offering anyone over the age of 18 the chance to have a covid vaccine. 6 june – health secretary matt hancock tells sky news that indian variant covid is 40% more transmissible, but confirms that two vaccine doses work just as effectively against it as previous variants. he also says the government is "absolutely open" to delaying the next round of lifting restrictions past 21 june. on the topic of care home patients, he rejects claims made by dominic cummings that he said they were being tested for covid before being discharged from hospital and returned to residential homes, but that they "would" be tested once adequate capacity was in place. 8 june – england's vaccination programme is extended to adults aged 25–29. greater manchester and parts of lancashire are to receive a "strengthened package of support" that includes military support and support for covid testing in schools in order to tackle indian variant covid. the advice for those living in the area has also changed, with people urged to meet up outdoors and avoid travelling to different areas, though the uk government stresses this is not a local lockdown. 10 june – data from nhs england shows that hospital waiting lists have exceeded five million for the first time. 11 june – the association of directors of public health has urged the delay of the 21 june easing of restrictions in order to "stop us going backwards". it is subsequently reported the government is considering a four week delay to the 21 june plans. 12 june – a pop-up covid vaccination centre is held in sheffield, for anyone over the age of 18, and is quickly oversubscribed, requiring health officials to ask people to stop coming. 14 june – prime minister boris johnson announces that england's relaxation of coronavirus restrictions planned for 21 june will be delayed by four weeks, until 19 july. the cap on wedding parties will be removed though. by then it is planned that every adult will have been offered a first covid vaccine, with at least three quarters having been fully vaccinated. leading figures in the live music and theatre sectors describe the delay as a "hammer blow" to their industries. the hospitality industry urge the government to provide urgent financial help for the sector. 15 june – people aged 23 and 24 become eligible to book their first covid vaccination. 16 june – the vaccine rollout opens to those aged 21 and 22 in england. it is reported covid vaccinations are to become compulsory for care home workers in england. this is subsequently confirmed by health secretary matt hancock. 18 june – roughly 1.5 million people aged 18, 19 and 20 become eligible for their first covid vaccination. a total of 721,469 bookings are made during the first day of the programme being open to everyone over 18. scottish first minister nicola sturgeon announces a travel ban between scotland and parts of greater manchester and salford from monday 21 june because of rising covid cases in the area, a move that sparks anger from mayor of greater manchester andy burnham, who accuses the scottish government of "hypocrisy". 19 june – more pop-up vaccination centres are opened across england in a bid to offer every adult in england a first vaccine by 19 july. 21 june – prime minister boris johnson says that things are "looking good" for the lifting of restrictions on 19 july. several hundred people celebrate the summer solstice at stonehenge despite official advice to avoid doing so because of covid restrictions. three police officers are injured and fourteen people arrested at an anti-lockdown protest in central london. 23 june – education secretary gavin williamson suggests gcse and e level exams in england are likely to face "adjustments" in 2022 to factor in time lost because of the covid crisis. 25 june – a study of nine pilot events collectively attended by a total of 58,000 people has found no major transmission to have occurred, with just 28 covid cases detected. a four day pop-up covid vaccination clinic begins at arsenal stadium, with arsenal f.c. offering those who attend a free