Six out of 10 employees have not returned to workplace

ONLY 40 per cent of adults in employment left the house to go to work in the last week, an ONS study has revealed.

Guidelines are being drawn up to ensure workplaces are “Covid-19 secure”, and those who cannot do their job at home are being encouraged to return.

However, as lockdown restrictions gradually ease, only 4 per cent more people went back to work, compared with the previous week (36 per cent), the ONS figures show.

The confidence of parents in sending their children back to school also remains low, with almost two thirds (63 per cent) not happy to let them return to the classroom this month, according to the survey of 1,224 people in Britain.

Meanwhile, Britons are feeling increasingly safe when venturing outside their homes, with the proportion of those comfortable going out rising from 33 per cent to 41 per cent. The level of comfort varied depending on the activity, the survey suggested.

Groups of up to six people from different households are now able to meet outdoors, or in a garden, while continuing to practise social distancing with those who do not live in the same household.

While 60 per cent of adults felt safe meeting someone outside their household in the open air, this fell to 36 per cent when it came to visiting garden centres.

Parks continue to provide a refuge for many households, particularly those without access to a garden. Almost half of those surveyed (49 per cent) had visited a public green space this week, with exercise among the most common reasons for going out.

Others were exercising and doing essential food shopping.

The Transport Secretary announced this week that face coverings would be obligatory on public transport from June 15, including buses, trams, trains, coaches, aircraft and ferries.

Yet the majority of Britons appear to be comfortable with not wearing masks in less crowded environments, the survey suggests. Only 28 per cent of those surveyed said they used a protective mask outside their home in the last seven days. People were most likely to wear them when shopping.