Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in Parliament that the 26 January would mark the end of the ‘work from home’ recommendation, mandatory Covid passports and mandatory face mask wearing.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “This is fantastic news for the hospitality sector, after the critical Christmas trade was laid to waste for the second year running. Lifting the working from home recommendation is a particularly important move as it enables town and city centres, and the businesses that are their lifeblood, to begin their revival and recovery. These businesses will be eagerly looking forward to welcoming their customers back over the coming days and weeks.

“The end of mandatory certification is also a hugely welcome step, particularly for English nightclubs and those businesses whose trade has been drastically restricted by the measures. Certification had deterred customers from spontaneous visits and severely limited trade. We would now urge the devolved administrations to begin removing these and other conditions at the earliest opportunity.

“This signals a move to a more balanced reaction to dealing with the virus. It’s critical that the health infrastructure remains in place, such as testing capabilities. Some hospitality businesses may retain safety measures in order to keep their staff and customers safe, but the nation must avoid further restrictions in future as the virus becomes endemic.

“We now urge Government to consider removing existing restrictions on international travel so that the sector can play its full part in the nation’s economic recovery and so we can look forward to a prosperous and jubilant 2022.”