England tiptoes out of lockdown

LONDON: England tentatively began easing its coronavirus lockdown yesterday, with some people who cannot do their jobs at home urged to return to work, as stark economic data showed the disastrous impact of the pandemic.

The worsthit country in Europe with more than 40,000 deaths from Covid19 according to official data, Britain has been in extensive lockdown since March 23. Yesterday, people in manufacturing and certain other sectors were being asked to return to work if they could.

GDP data released yesterday showed the economy shrank by a record 5.8% in March compared with February, and the April data is likely to be even worse as the country was under lockdown for the entire month.

The Government is loosening restrictions very gradually, for fear of triggering a second peak of infections. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has described the process as a ‘‘supremely difficult’’ balancing act.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which have semiautonomous governments, are sticking with a ‘‘stay at home’’ message for now, leaving England to take the lead in sending some people back to work.

The Government has faced a barrage of criticism that its new guidance — Stay alert, control the virus, save lives — was confusing. Appearing on Sky News TV, transport minister Grant Shapps was asked why estate agents were being allowed to restart house viewings when people could not have their own relatives to visit.

‘‘The truth of the matter is, you have to start somewhere. The lockdown message was very straightforward — it was just stay at home. Now, as we start to unlock, of course, there have to be decisions made,’’ Shapps said.

‘‘There is no perfect way of doing this, and we’d ask people to use their common sense . . . Right now, there has to be a cutoff somewhere.’’

Workers were being advised to avoid public transport if possible, and schools remained closed, prompting questions about how parents and people who could not get to work by other means were supposed to manage.

Employers faced the daunting task of creating safe environments for their staff, with detailed guidance on oneway systems at entry and exit points and in stairwells, spacing out workstations and other minutiae.

For those still working from home or unable to work, there was only a very slight change. People are allowed out to exercise more than once a day, and two people from separate households are allowed to meet outdoors if they keep 2m apart.

South Korea health authorities said yesterday they had no immediate plans to reinstate strict social distancing rules despite a fresh coronavirus outbreak in Seoul.

Officials have scrambled to trace and test thousands of people over the past week after a cluster of new infections linked to nightclubs and bars in Seoul’s Itaewon district raised fears of a second wave outbreak.

Officials have linked at least 119 cases of Covid19 to the night spots, which had just reopened as part of the country’s move to ease lockdown measures to jump start its struggling economy. Eleven of the 119 patients are 19 years old or younger. — Reuters