Places of worship are set to reopen next weekend.

Boris Johnson announced places of worship could reopen from July 4 in the House of Commons as he announced the reopening of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers.

He said: "I know that many have mourned the closure of places of worship. And this year Easter Passover, and Eid all occurred during the lockdown. So, I'm delighted that places of worship will be able to re-open for prayer and services, including weddings, with a maximum of 30 people, all subject to social distancing."

The Right Reverend Peter Hill, the Acting Bishop of Chelmsford, has welcomed the government’s announcement.

He said: "This is very welcome news and marks another important step on the journey towards us being together in our sacred spaces for prayer, worship and to serve our communities.

"As always it is important to make clear that this is permissive guidance and not an expectation that all churches will be able to open for public worship from 4 July. We recognise that for many, this will not be possible to do, whilst ensuring that the necessary safety measures are put in place. Indeed, it will not be possible for any church to return to the normality of the pre Covid-19 world at present.

"We must continue to take seriously our responsibility to keep people safe from infection, particularly the vulnerable in our communities."

The Diocese of Chelmsford, ‘the Church of England in Essex and East London,’ is the second largest in the Church of England with a population of more than 3 million across Essex, the unitary authorities of Southend and Thurrock, and the five east London boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest.