Coronavirus: UK lockdown to continue for months, despite easing of restrictions

UK Prime Minister gives a gentle prod to restart some parts of the economy, but dashes hopes of an end to lockdown restrictions.

A family gather around the television to watch Boris Johnson give a televised message to the nation. Picture: AFP

The British public will remain in the grip of a coronavirus lockdown for months, but prime minister Boris Johnson has gently prodded some parts of the economy to restart.

In a prime time address to the nation on Sunday evening, more than seven weeks after imposing the tightest restrictions on civil liberties since WWII, Mr Johnson said construction workers and manufacturing workers would be “actively encouraged” to go back to work if they can’t do so at home, but they shouldn’t take public transport and instead walk or cycle to work.

As we start to recover from #coronavirus, we all need to play our part by following the rules.

This is how to #StayAlert ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/h3zsa6rRdq

— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) May 10, 2020

Construction had not been shut down in the UK in the first place, but many companies have been taking advantage of the government’s generous furloughing scheme amid concerns to protect employees, leading to a collapse in that sector’s output.

Mr Johnson’s only other minor concessions to the country’s tight lockdown measures first introduced on March 24 was to allow more outdoor exercise and sunbathing, people being able to drive to destinations and that members of the same household can play sport together. This is a nod to recent studies showing the virus transmission is more likely to be in congested indoor environments.

If we all #StayAlert and follow the rules, we can control the virus by keeping the rate of infection (R) and the number of new cases down.

Stay Alert ⚠️
⬇️
Control The Virus 📉
⬇️
Save Lives 💙 pic.twitter.com/KULsVfAVyT

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) May 10, 2020

Mr Johnson’s strategy appears now to try to dampen the number of infections — which are still running at more than 4000 new cases a day — and to ramp up track and trace testing. On Sunday, the UK death toll rose by 346 to a total of 31,587.

He claimed the reproduction rate of the virus was between 0.5 and 0.9 across the country.

The prime minister announced a complicated series of five phases, in which primary school years might be allowed to resume after June 1, with cafes and other hospitality venues potentially allowed to operate after July 1.

If we as a nation begin to fulfil the conditions I have set out, then in the next few weeks and months we may be able to go further.

We are driven by the science, the data and public health.

It depends on all of us – the entire country – to #StayAlert to keep the R down. pic.twitter.com/KuiPs7mQL8

— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) May 10, 2020

The key government messaging had also been changed to “stay alert”, rather than “stay at home”; and to “control the virus” rather than “protect the NHS”.

“To chart our progress and to avoid going back to square one, we are establishing a new Covid Alert System run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre,” Mr Johnson said.

“That Covid Alert Level will be determined primarily by R and the number of coronavirus cases. And in turn that Covid Alert Level will tell us how tough we have to be in our social distancing measures – the lower the level the fewer the measures.

“The higher the level, the tougher and stricter we will have to be.”

A graphic shown on UK television during Boris Johnson’s address to the nation earlier this morning. Picture: Getty Images

He added: “And of course 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.

“We have been through the initial peak – but it is coming down the mountain that is often more dangerous.”

The announcement was met with concern with the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying people will be confused as to how they will get to work on Monday morning without using public transport.

Mr Johnson also mentioned that the country had to “rapidly reverse” the awful epidemics in care homes and in the NHS.

“With every day we are getting more and more data. We are shining the light of science on this invisible killer, and we will pick it up where it strikes,” Mr Johnson said.

But in a blunt message to the public he stressed that while there had been some progress in satisfying at least some of the conditions, the lockdown would be maintained.

“And so no, this is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week,” he said.

“Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.”

He also foreshadowed that when virus transmission is significantly lower, he will impose quarantine measures on people arriving into the country by air.