Fertility clinics in the UK can open again from 11 May to offer treatment to families
wanting to have children.
Clinics - both NHS and private - will first need to show they can provide safe and
effective treatment, the fertility regulator said.
There must be social distancing in waiting rooms and more appointments by phone
may be used, as well as PPE.
The move is part of a plan to ramp up services again now that the peak of
the epidemic is past.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement at the government's daily
briefing on coronavirus, saying he knew "how time sensitive and important"
this was for families affected.
"When I say thank you to all those staying at home, of course I'm saying thank you
on behalf of the lives you are saving - but also on behalf of the lives the NHS can
now create," he said.
Sally Cheshire, chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) -
said the closure of clinics had been "extremely distressing" for patients and this would be
"good news" for those trying for a much longed-for family.
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