South Uttlesford gets set for Freedom Day

Emile Galvin and Louise McIntyre set up De La Terre on Dunmow High Street in June and have praised the community for supporting them over the past month.

The pair said Dunmow's appetite for small businesses inspires a "massive" amount of confidence that the hospitality industry will recover from the Covid pandemic over the coming months.

The government's roadmap out of lockdown is set to reach Step 4 on Monday, July 19 when most legal limits on social contact, including the one-metre rule, are set to lift.

Emile said: "De La Terre has been a long time coming. The fact that we are open is unreal.

"I have high hopes for the future and I hope more people are able to come and enjoy De La Terre.

"We still need to be a bit cautious, but it's time to start enjoying other people's company again - that's what I'm looking forward to."

With a small space, Emile says De La Terre staff will still enforce the "rule of six" indoors, which will no longer be a legal requirement from Monday.

Face coverings will no longer be required by law, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday members of the public are "expected" to wear masks in enclosed spaces.

Nightclubs can reopen.

People who test positive for the virus will still be required to self-isolate.

Business leaders in Uttlesford hope these rules will inspire confidence in the hospitality industry.

In Stansted, staff at the Queen's Head urged customers to look out for those who are feeling less confident returning to pubs and restaurants.

A spokesperson for the Queen's Head said: "Our message to customers is: Be safe and look after others who might want to take certain precautions."

Stansted's bars and pubs on Lower Street (Image: Google Earth)

Slawek Stafin is part of the team reopening The Chequers in Felsted.

He said: "We're pushing through and staying positive.

"Everyone here in Felsted follows the rules and without their support, we would not be able to do what we're doing."