Prime Minister Boris Johnson has amended his “stay at home” instruction to a less severe “stay alert” message.
In his address to the nation, the PM has tonight outlined a “roadmap for re-opening society”, which allows people who cannot work from home to return to work, as long as they can safely social distance.
He has advised people going back to work to avoid public transport if possible and preferably travel by car, bicycle or on foot.
From Wednesday onwards, Boris Johnson is encouraging people to take unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise, enabling people to sit in parks and play sports with members of your own household.
In his broadcast, the PM made clear: “This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week. Instead, we’re taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.”
Boris Johnson announced that there could be a phased re-opening of shops and primary schools in England from 1 June, so long as the virus remains under control.
He also indicated that “if the numbers support it”, some public places and parts of the hospitality sector may re-open in July, provided that they have social distancing measures in place.
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 PM has established a new “Covid Alert System”, which contains five levels and helps to indicate how strict social distancing measures must be.
The new “COVID Alert Level” is calculated by combining the R (rate of infection) and the number of coronavirus infections. The fewer the infections and lower the R, the lower the alert level.
The new system will eventually be able to detect surges of infections in specific areas.
The PM said: “We are shining the light of science on this invisible killer and we will pick it up where it strikes.”
Boris Johnson told the public that the government is being driven by science, data and public health in its effort to bring the UK out of lockdown. He stressed that all progress made is being closely monitored each day.
However, the PM reiterated several times throughout his speech that the plan is “conditional.”
Mr Johnson said: “If there are outbreaks, if there are problems, we will not hesitate to put on the brakes.”
The PM ended his broadcast by stating his new, all-important message to the public: “Stay alert, control the virus, and save lives.”
If you would like to ask the PM a question tomorrow, you can do so through the link in his tweet below.
Do you want to ask me a question tomorrow?
If so, you can submit yours here: https://t.co/T3xF9WkOyk pic.twitter.com/0YjII03Y8P
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) May 10, 2020
Image courtesy of Number 10 via Flickr, with thanks (photo by Andrew Parsons).
