- Report from the Metro ref lockdown. Guesswork? Archived Message
Posted by Mary
on April 21, 2020, 3:05 pm
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'Senior ministers are pushing a ‘traffic light’ system to lift the lockdown, it is claimed. Under the plan, restrictions could begin to be eased starting from May 11, with small shops allowed to reopen as well as hairdressers and nurseries. The public would still be urged to avoid non-essential travel but schools would also begin to reopen, starting with primary, GCSE and A Level students first to go back part-time. The next phase could come on May 25, when restaurants would be allowed to take customers, all pupils could go back to school while observing social distancing, companies with fewer than 50 staff would be allowed to reopen and people could take public transport while wearing face masks. June 15 would see a ‘green light’ for wider freedoms, with pubs and cinemas allowed to reopen and gatherings such as weddings able to take larger crowds. Those over 70 faced a ‘red light’ for longer, however, potentially having to wait for a vaccine to be available before they can get back to normal life. The Mail on Sunday reported that the plan was under consideration to save the economy amid splits in the cabinet. Some believed the lockdown should remain in place to avoid further deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. However, Michael Gove denied reports that the government will start relaxing current coronavirus lockdown measures within weeks. Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said: ‘It is the case that we are looking at all the evidence, but we have set some tests that must be passed before we can even think about easing the lockdown.’ Gove added that it was ‘entirely understandable’ that people want to know the way out of lockdown, which was put in place on March 23. However, he noted that it is still too early to tell. He continued: ‘It’s very important, when we are still in the process of making sure we can reduce the rate of infection and also reduce the number of deaths, that we maintain the steps that we have. ‘Of course we are looking at the data. It is the case that the rate of infection appears to be flattening, but we do not want to take steps too early, because the most important thing is that the NHS and the public’s health is protected.’ Lockdown was extended by a further three weeks by First Secretary of State, Dominic Raab, on Thursday.' https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/20/traffic-light-system-may-see-hairdressers-clothes-shops-opening-may-12581177/ |
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