‘Bitter blow’ for music

Easing up of lockdown is axed by PM I won’t let virus cause more pain, says Johnson as number of Covid cases rise

A PLANNED easing of lockdown has been postponed a day before it was due to come into effect as the Prime Minister warned the country “cannot be complacent” amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

Measures due to be lifted today, including allowing small wedding receptions and reopening bowling alleys and casinos, have been delayed for at least two weeks.

And in a strengthening of precautions, Boris Johnson announced that face coverings will become mandatory in indoor settings such as museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship from August 8.

At a Downing Street press conference yesterday, the Prime Minister revealed what he described as a “pretty punchy” new slogan – “Hands, face, space” – for people to be mindful of in their efforts to control the spread of Covid-19.

Standing alongside Mr Johnson, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned that it might not be possible to ease lockdown further, saying the UK had “probably reached near the limit or the limits” of what can be done to reopen society.

Mr Johnson told the briefing: “As we see these rises around the world, we can’t fool ourselves that we are exempt. We must be willing to react to the first signs of trouble.”

He added: “We cannot be complacent and I won’t stand by and allow this virus to threaten to cause more pain and more heartache in our country.”

He said that, with numbers rising, “our assessment is that we should squeeze that brake pedal to keep the virus under control”.

THE DECISION to postpone plans to allow indoor performances has been described as a “bitter blow for the music industry”.

Theatres and music venues were told they could hold socially distanced live performances inside their venues from today.

However, Boris Johnson put back measures while warning the country “cannot be complacent”.

Music Venue Trust, which represents grassroots music venues, said the decision added to the debts of venues who were working within Government guidelines.

It said it was “saddened but not surprised” to hear the news.

The Office for National Statistics said there had been an increase in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in England, with Mr Johnson saying the prevalence of the virus in the community was likely to be rising for the first time since May.

According to the ONS, between July 20 and 26, there were around 0.78 new Covid-19 infections for every 10,000 people in England – equal to around 4,200 new cases per day.

This is up from an estimated 2,800 new cases a day in the previous week.

Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, speaking yesterday.

Data released yesterday also showed the R value for the UK is between 0.8 to 0.9, a slight change from 0.7 to 0.9.

Prof Whitty told the briefing: “I think what we’re seeing from the data is that we have probably reached near the limit or the limits of what we can do in terms of opening up society.

“So what that means potentially is that, if we wish to do more things in the future, we may have to do less of some other things.

“And these will be difficult trade-offs, some of which will be decisions for Government and some of which are for all of us as citizens to do.

“But we have to be realistic about this. The idea that we can open up everything and keep the virus under control is clearly wrong.”

Despite the delay to the Government’s planned way forward on reopening, Mr Johnson said he encouraged people “still to think of wonderful staycations here in the UK”.

Other reopenings that will not take place as planned across England today include indoor performances, pilots of larger gatherings in sports venues and conference centres and closecontact services such as facials and make-up application.

Mr Johnson said that while most people were following the rules, there would be a greater police presence to ensure the public was adhering to the requirements around face coverings.

He stressed that local authorities could close premises and cancel events not following the guidance.

Shielding advice will still be paused as planned today and guidance around allowing more discretion for employers with regard to staff returning to work will also go ahead, the Prime Minister said.

We’ve probably reached the limit of what we can do to open up society.