On 22 February, Boris Johnson unveiled a roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions across England after weeks of a third nationwide lockdown.

The Prime Minister is keen to prioritise the return of all pupils to classrooms, and announced plans for socialising and the reopening of non-essential shops and businesses.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Food shops, supermarkets, off-licences, corner shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, mobility and disability support shops, builder’s merchants, bicycle shops and bike and car repair services are all allowed to remain open.Garden centres and agricultural supply shops are also categorised as essential retailers.

Market stalls selling essential goods, medical providers (including dentists), vets, launderettes, funeral providers, banks, post offices and building societies have also been permitted to remain open throughout the lockdown.

The government categorises non-essential businesses as being “any business or venue that provides goods for sale or hire” that are not listed under the essential business banner.

These include clothing stores, homeware stores and home design showrooms, tobacco and vape shops, businesses selling electronic goods (including mobile phone shops), charity shops, antiques stores, betting shops and car showrooms.

Some of these businesses are permitted to continue offering delivery and click-and-collect services, but the government says “door-to-door sales should not take place, and sales activities should be conducted remotely (such as by phone, online, or mail).”

Non-essential shops include everything from clothing, books, department stores and technology stores.

Mr Johnson said that from 12 April, under step two of lockdown easing, non-essential retail will reopen.

This is along with hairdressers and nail salons.

Non-essential shops were also one of the first businesses permitted to reopen after the first lockdown in 2020.

Although it is worth considering that this is the earliest date this could happen and the opening could be pushed back if there are changes to the risk assessment by the government.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said that retail has a low impact on the transmission of the virus.

Prior to the last lockdown, Sage recommended that “opening non-essential retail safely would require a significant effort to ensure that environments are appropriate to minimise transmission (for example social distancing and hygiene measures, ventilation)”.

This means that rules relating to social distancing, the wearing of face masks and a limit on the number of people allowed inside a shop are likely to continue when shops do eventually reopen.

For many bricks-and-mortar retailers, the pandemic has been the final blow, however.

Small and independent retailers have also been among the hardest-hit businesses during the pandemic.

Not only have they had to conform to government restrictions but – even when allowed to open – many consumers worried about contracting the virus have opted to shop online rather than in-person.