➤ ‘PM WILL ACT WITH EXTREME CAUTION’:
BORIS JOHNSON will proceed with “extreme caution” in easing the lockdown, a Cabinet minister has said, as he warned the public not to “throw away” their hard work by going outside.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would be “absolutely tragic” if people damaged the success social distancing has had on tackling coronavirus by leaving home to enjoy the warm weather.
His warning came yesterday after police said they are “fighting a losing battle” as Londoners headed to parks and beachgoers descended on Brighton’s pebbles.
The Prime Minister was expected to announce only very modest changes in detailing his “road map” for easing the lockdown this evening, but there are concerns mixed messaging has prompted the public to head outside.
Mr Shapps said: “It’s vital that we don’t throw away essentially the great work of seven weeks of people respecting very impressively the rules and the guidelines by throwing it away because it happens to be sunny outside this weekend, that would be absolutely tragic.”
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, he said the Government would be proceeding with “an unbelievable degree of caution”.
“Extreme caution is actually the watchword on this,” Mr Shapps added, after figures suggested the overall death toll for the UK has passed 36,500.
His warning was echoed by deputy chief medical officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who said the PM’s next steps will be “extremely cautious and extremely careful and extremely painstaking”.
Police in Hackney, east London, said that “sadly we’re fighting a losing battle in the parks today”, adding: “Literally hundreds of people sitting having pizza, beers, wines.”
And the Maritime and Coastguard Agency pleaded with the public to stay away from beaches, revealing it had to deal with 97 incidents on Friday – the highest figure since lockdown began in March.
Earlier, Welsh First Minister Mark
Drakeford said the PM’s announcement for England would be “very much in line” with the “very smallest” easing granted in his nation.
Mr Shapps said the four nations “have actually largely moved in lockstep”, dismissing concerns of a rift in the UK-wide response to Covid-19.
The apparent rise in people going outside came after warnings against sending out “mixed messages” with newspaper reports suggesting sunbathing and picnics could be permitted as early as tomorrow.
But Mr Shapps dismissed allegations the Government’s messaging strategy was confusing, saying: “I think that most people are more than capable of understanding what is meant.”
The Transport Secretary did not dismiss suggestions that the Government had told the airline industry of plans to impose a 14-day quarantine
on people arriving from any country apart from the Republic of Ireland.
He declined to address widespread calls for clarity, with it unclear whether the rule would also apply to passengers arriving by boat and whether businesses would receive extra support because of fears the measure would be disastrous for industry.
A final decision on how and when the Government’s furlough scheme will be phased out is also anticipated this weekend, it has been reported.
Talks on the future of the costly support programme will be held in advance of Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” announcement this evening, the Financial Times said.
At least 6.3 million people are currently having up to 80% of their salaries paid by the taxpayer under the furlough system at a cost of some £8bn.
Earlier this week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he was preparing to “wean” workers and business off the programme amid concerns that the nation was becoming “addicted” to it.
But the newspaper said there are worries that a shutdown of the scheme in June could put millions of jobs at risk “if companies were forced to open during weakened economic conditions after the lockdown ends”.
The Financial Times added that ministers have flagged the possibility of the scheme instead being phased out over the coming months “while also bringing in greater flexibility to allow some workers to return parttime initially”.
Craig Beaumont, director of external affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses, told the paper: “We really hope to see progress made on a parttime furlough because smaller businesses in particular benefit from being able to quote for new work, keep in touch with employees and pay their invoices.”
In other developments:
■ The UK Government failed to meet its own 100,000 tests per day target for the seventh day in a row, saying there were 96,878 in the 24 hours up to 9am yesterday;
■ The Department of Health said the number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus increased by 346, meaning official figures suggest the overall death toll for the UK has now passed 36,500; and
The PM was expected to say garden centres could reopen in England from Wednesday as long as social distancing measures can be enforced.
Mr Shapps led the briefing to announce a £250m emergency package to boost cycling and walking, warning that only one in 10 passengers could travel on some forms of public transport while abiding by the two-metre social distancing rule.
“Getting Britain moving again” presents an “enormous logistical challenge”, he said, but would be aided by pop-up bike lanes, wider pavements and cycle and bus-only streets.
“Moving beyond Covid will be a gradual process, not a single leap to freedom, so when we do emerge the world will seem quite different,” Mr Shapps added.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the “significant funding” but the airline industry issued warnings about the Government’s quarantine plans.