Two-metre rule could be reduced, signals PM
BORIS JOHNSON has said he hopes the two-metre social distancing rule can soon be reduced to enable businesses such as pubs and restaurants to reopen faster.
Confirming that he had asked the Government’s scientific advisers to look again at the guidance, the Prime Minister yesterday said he was optimistic “we will be able to reduce that distance” as the coronavirus lockdown was lifted.
Appearing before the Commons liaison committee, Mr Johnson acknowledged that the decision to adopt two metres in the Government’s guidance had been the subject of debate between ministers and advisers.
However, he pointed out that while the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies still believed it was the “right interval”, it had previously altered its guidance in other key areas, such as the use of face coverings.
“My own hope is that as we make progress in getting the virus down, in reducing the incidence, that we will be able to reduce that distance, which I think will be particularly valuable in transport and clearly the hospitality sector,” he told MPS.
Mr Johnson also said that he was now “more optimistic” about the hospitality sector, adding that the “we may be able to do things faster” than the current plan for companies to reopen from July 4 at the earliest.
While Mr Johnson did not give a deadline for reconsidering the twometre rule, his intervention opens up the possibility that it could be relaxed later next month, as more shops and businesses begin to reopen under step two of the road map out of lockdown.
The two-metre rule is also opposed by a growing number of senior Conservative MPS, who point out that the country has adopted some of the most stringent social distancing requirements of any country in the world.
Separately, a number of other experts have also called for greater flexibility, arguing that enabling members of the public to spend shorter periods closer together is safe.
While Sage has previously advised that changing the guidance would risk confusing public health messaging, Mr Johnson’s intervention suggests that its experts could take a different view once the rate of infection has fallen to more manageable levels.