Half of UK have failed to grasp rules on lockdown

NEARLY HALF the public do not fully understand current coronavirus lockdown rules, a study suggests.

Researchers found that only around 51 per cent of adults said they understood the current Covid19 restrictions.

Only 13 per cent of the respondents said they fully understood them.

The University College London Covid- 19 study found this was an improvement on the 45 per cent who felt they understood the rules in England in July.

Those responses came after lockdown restrictions were firstly significantly eased on July 4.

But it was a significant drop from the initial lockdown period when 90 per cent of respondents said they understood what was and was not permitted.

Lead author Dr Daisy Fancourt, associate professor at the college’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said the findings were especially worrying at a time when case numbers were climbing.

“Levels of understanding around what is and isn’t allowed under current lockdown restrictions have dropped markedly since the nationwide strict lockdown ended,” she said.

“This issue may well also be exacerbated by the newly introduced system of tiers in England and the differing policies of the devolved nations.

“As well as this potentially leading to people breaking rules they don’t fully understand, confusing messages or unclear communication could result in people disengaging from trying to keep abreast of restrictions, which could well lead to lower compliance in the long term.

“These developments are especially worrying at a time when the number of cases continues to climb. It is vital the Government improves communication of lockdown restrictions and ensures they are as simple to understand and follow as possible.”

The study of more than 70,000 people also found that understanding of the rules was lower in England than in both Wales and Scotland.

It said that in Wales, 15 per cent fully understood and 62 per cent understood the majority of the rules.