Nail bars, outdoor pools, and beauty salons can reopen in Leicester from Wednesday, but restrictions on gatherings in private homes and gardens will remain in place, Matt Hancock has said. “My gratitude goes out to the people of Leicester who have all made sacrifices to keep the virus at bay and protect their local communities,” the health and social care secretary said. “The rate of infection has now dropped to a safe enough level to allow further businesses including beauty salons, nail bars and some outdoor venues to reopen in the area. Current restrictions on gatherings must remain in place to further bring down the rate of infection.” The east Midlands city was the first area in the UK to be placed under local lockdown, on 30 June, after its infection rate rose to 135 cases per 100,000 people. This fell to 60 cases per 100,000 in the week beginning 7 August. Leicester’s lockdown was partially lifted in July, with schools and nurseries allowed to reopen, and then further in early August, when pubs, bars and restaurants were permitted to resume business. The latest review implements the easing of restrictions introduced nationally on 11 and 13 July, and means nail bars, beauty salons, tanning booths and salons, spas and beauty salons, massage parlours, tattoo parlours, body and skin piercing services, and outdoor pools can lawfully reopen. People are still not permitted to meet others in a private home or garden, except as part of a support bubble, and cannot visit someone else’s home or garden even if they live outside the affected area. Shielding will also remain in place, but will be relaxed to allowed people to meet outdoors in a group of six while maintaining social distancing, and for single-adult households to form support bubbles. For many in Leicester, it felt like the latest in a long line of confusing messages from the government. “I can’t understand why sitting in a garden is more dangerous than going into a beauty salon,” said Rachel Jackson, 55, who lives with her husband and 16-year-old daughter. “It’s just completely confusing. I feel like the messages are really mixed. “I feel like the government’s making policy up on the hoof. I don’t think you’d find many people in Leicester who’d think that they were doing a good job of it.” However, the news was a welcome relief for many affected businesses, such as the Beauty Haven in Stonybridge. “I can see the light of the tunnel,” said owner Hannah Stanley, 37, although restrictions on facial treatments mean it will be a while before her business gets completely back to normal. “It’s a difficult time for our industry at the minute, but we’re more than ready – we’ve had our PPE in place for months.” For those who are shielding, the lack of transparency is particularly worrying. Harriet Clarke, a 49-year-old social policy lecturer, has been social distancing at home from her partner who is shielding – under the new guidance they can live normally again for the first time since March. “There isn’t any sort of reasoning or evidence provided [for the changes], so I find that really quite stressful,” she said. “Previously we’ve been told to be incredibly careful, but now we’re not being given information about why they’ve relaxed the guidance, at a time when lots of us might be expected to go back to work or children go back to school.” After seven long weeks of restrictions, the announcement has left many in Leicester disappointed. “I’ve given up hoping, because every time you hope, they let you down again,” said Jackson. “I just hope the kids can go back to school. I think if we have to stay locked down to make that happen, then I’m prepared for that.”