HANDBRAKE WILL STAY ON
Prime Minister’s outline for exit from lockdown in England makes clear it could return at any time
BORIS Johnson last night outlined ‘the first sketch’ of an exit from England’s coronavirus lockdown – but warned he was ready to slam on the brakes again at any moment.
In a televised statement to the nation, the Prime Minister said shops and primary schools south of the Border might be able to start reopening next month under ‘conditional’ plans for a slow return to normality.
Mr Johnson said it would be ‘madness’ to end the lockdown now and risk a second spike of the epidemic. He acknowledged that although the lockdown had brought the virus under control it had come at ‘a colossal cost to our way of life’.
The ‘Stay Home’ slogan, which has characterised the lockdown, was replaced with a new message to people to ‘Stay Alert’. The slogan will not be adopted in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Setting out his three-step exit from the lockdown, the Prime Minister said the Government was now in a position to safely relax some restrictions, mainly involving outdoor activities.
From Wednesday, people in England will be allowed to sunbathe at parks and beaches and take part in some outdoor pursuits where social distancing can be maintained, such as tennis, golf and angling.
Workers in sectors such as construction and manufacturing will be ‘actively encouraged’ to return to work, although they will be expected to travel by car or bicycle rather than crowding on to public transport.
Mr Johnson said that the new message amounted to: ‘Work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can’t work from home.’
In the second phase of exiting lockdown, starting on June 1 at the earliest, children’s nurseries will be allowed to reopen and primary schools will restart for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
Non-essential retailers, such as clothing stores and shoe shops, will also be allowed to reopen in a ‘phased’ way.
In the third phase, some elements of the hospitality sector, such as cinemas, park cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, might be allowed to reopen in July, as might churches and mosques.
But the Prime Minister said these moves would risk an explosion in the virus if taken now, warning that the second and third phases could be delayed by weeks or even months.
‘I must stress that all of this is conditional,’ he said. ‘It all depends on a series of big ifs.’
He said that fines for breaking the social distancing rules will be increased from £60 to £100 to deal with persistent offenders.
Mr Johnson also confirmed plans to impose 14-day quarantine periods on people arriving in the UK from abroad, despite warnings it could deal a fatal blow to the travel industry. The measure will apply across the country.
He warned that ministers would ‘put on the brakes’ if cases of the virus start rising again – with tighter lockdown measures potentially brought back. ‘We will be monitoring our progress locally, regionally and nationally, and if there are outbreaks, if there are problems, we will not hesitate to put on the brakes,’ he said.
‘We have been through the initial peak but it is coming down the mountain that is often more dangerous.’
No announcement was made relaxing the rules preventing households from mixing, meaning that families face a continuing wait to see their loved ones.
And there was no sign of relief for pubs or businesses such as hairdressers, which rely on close personal contact with customers.
Mr Johnson will update MPs this afternoon and publish a 50-page ‘road map’ setting out his plans.
The new plans mean that England will be moving at a different speed from the rest of the UK for the first time since the epidemic struck.
Last night’s statement came after a series of virtual meetings yesterday with the Cabinet, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the other leaders of the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland.