LEDBURY is open again following the government's long-awaited "Freedom Day"

From July 19, the majority of Covid-19 restrictions no longer apply, giving town residents the chance to get out and enjoy themselves once more.

We asked Ledbury Reporter readers what they thought of restrictions being lifted, and whether they would continue with mask wearing and social distancing.

Peter Fryar said: "I went to a Football Match on Tuesday evening as well as a pub, restaurant, and a couple of Ledbury shops.

"I used my mask as I have been, and found most people in all those settings doing much the same.

"Very reassuring, common sense is widely used. Look after yourself."

Though restrictions have been lifted, the majority of businesses are continuing with them in some form.

One Ledbury business, the Y Pass Fish and Chip Shop, told customers on Facebook: "Here at Y Pass we have decided to continue operating in the same way despite the new lifting of restrictions.

"We want to continue to keep customers and staff safe as well as trying to remain open for business.

"We respectfully ask customers to continue wearing masks in the shop as we will, maintain social distancing and use the hand sanitisers provided.

"We won’t be offering an eat in service for the time being however you can continue to enjoy eating your takeaway food in the garden area.

"Thank you for your understanding and continued support."

Another Ledbury business, The Mews barber shop, also confirmed it was keeping its previous Covid-safety measures in place.

A post said: "With the relaxing of the current covid restrictions going ahead we would like to urge all our customers to still continue to wear masks, this is not compulsory but is advised.

"We ourselves will also be wearing our usual PPE and continuing our high standards of cleaning between customers."

People in England are being urged to continue wearing face coverings in crowded places, and use the NHS Covid-19 app to check in to venues, despite legal requirements to do so being lifted.

An official information campaign, which will hit airwaves, newspapers and other media from Thursday, will see the Government replace its “hands, face, space, fresh air” slogan with its new catchphrase: “Keep life moving.”

A video fronted by TV doctor Dr Amir Khan will also recommend people continue to follow social distancing guidance, as the film shows a young man stepping off a pavement to allow an older neighbour to pass.

The advice comes despite Monday being trumpeted as England’s “freedom day”, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson removing almost all legal restrictions, including social distancing guidelines.

The campaign comes as hundreds of thousands of people are being hit by a “pingdemic”, causing chaos for a number of industries.

Retailers are struggling to keep shelves fully stocked amid staff shortages caused by the number of people being told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, including via alerts from the Covid app.