The local lockdown will be lifted in parts of Leicestershire as soon as this weekend following a review by public health experts, the Government has said.
Areas outside of Leicester City and the borough of Oadby and Wigston will align with national lockdown rules in England from Saturday.
From July 18 non-essential shops, bars, restaurants and hairdressers not in the continuing protected zone will be permitted to open.
Schools and childcare settings outside the protected area will also be able to open from the same date, in line with national restrictions.
The emergency lockdown in Leicestershire is set to be lifted from July 18 to allow non-essential shops, bars, restaurants and hairdressers to re-open. The city of Leicester and the borough of Oadby and Wigston will remain closed off though
Thanking the people of Leicester for following public health advice, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'I know the past two weeks have been difficult for those living in and around Leicester, especially those who have been shielding for so many weeks.
'While we are not yet in a position to lift all the restrictions in place, we are now able to take cautious steps to allow areas outside of Leicester City and the borough of Oadby and Wigston to fall in step with national guidelines and introduce some relaxations within the City of Leicester and the borough of Oadby and Wigston.
'I realise that this will be frustrating for those areas that remain under additional restrictions and I am determined to be straight with you all, we will ease restrictions as soon as the data shows that it is safe to do so.'
However, non-essential shops and schools in Leicester City and the borough of Oadby and Wigston will only be allowed to re-open from July 24 as there is a higher prevalence of coronavirus in these two areas.
Bars, restaurants and hairdressers in these areas must remain closed and are set to be reviewed on August 1.
Non-essential shops and schools in Leicester City and the borough of Oadby and https://set-magazine.com/clearpores-review-does-clearpores-really-work/ Wigston will only be allowed to re-open from July 24 as there is a higher prevalence of coronavirus in these two areas
The Government said shielding advice remains in place for the entire area of Leicester, including where restrictions have been eased.
It said the changes to measures follow a fall in the seven-day infection rate and the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19, but warned they remained above the national average.
According to data published on Friday, Leicester's rate of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 population dropped from 126.1 in the seven days to July 7 to 92.9 in the seven days to July 14.
It was 132.3 in the seven days to June 30.
People were reminded to continue to socially distance, regularly wash their hands and self-isolate and get a test if they develop coronavirus symptoms.
Leicester's mayor has slammed Matt Hancock for taking a 'sledgehammer approach' to the city's lockdown and accused the government of 'party political' aims after restrictions were focused on areas run by Labour and the Lib Dems.
The Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby reacts as he remotely watches this evening's announcement by Health Secretary Matt Hancock
The Health Secretary announced last night that only schools and nurseries will be allowed to reopen from next Friday, July 24, with the rest of the city still facing a raft of limitations on their freedom.
Under the plans, councils would be given local powers to shut non-essential shops where necessary, pubs and restaurants will remain closed, and restrictions on non-essential travel and only having social gatherings of up to six people will remain in force, pending another review in a fortnight.
In an urgent statement to the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said the coronavirus infection rate in the city is still too high for lockdown to be lifted.
Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was critical of the decision to keep restrictions in force across the Labour-run city of Leicester and Liberal Democrat-controlled Oadby and Wigson.
He said: 'They have chosen to focus on the city geographical area - effectively the area of the county that votes Labour, and that's just scandalous.
