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'UNLOCKDOWN'
Boris Johnson wants Britain back to work from MAY 26 if coronavirus cases are low enough
BORIS Johnson wants Britain to be back at work from Tuesday, May 26 as long as coronavirus cases are low enough.
Ministers have pencilled in the Tuesday after the second May bank holiday to put the PM’s plan to restart the economy into action.
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Boris will unveil his blueprint to take the nation out of its gruelling Covid-19 lockdown next Thursday.
In detailed plans being drawn up across government now, offices, factories and some shops will be given two-and-a-half weeks to install new government social distancing measures, such as perspex screens and gaps between desks.
No10 also thinks it will need that time to persuade millions of nervous Brits it is safe to return to the workplace as long as its guidance is followed.
A poll yesterday revealed two thirds of Brits were suffering from “coronaphobia” and were too scared to leave the house or return to work.
Tonight a senior Government figure described the last week of May as “our best hope” — adding: “You won’t find anybody who thinks it will be any earlier than that.”
The new Track and Trace programme to hunt down and isolate new Covid-19 infection chains will also be up and running by then to give extra protection against the virus spreading again.
The force of 18,000 trackers, copied from South Korea, has been given a start date of May 18.
'MANAGING UNLOCKDOWN'
Downing Street is also nervous about acting before the second bank holiday this month, fearing millions would take it as a sign it’s safe to pour into parks and onto beaches over the early summer break.
While a No10 source last night described May 26 as the most likely date for lockdown to start being relaxed, a final decision on timing is “very much a live conversation”.
If infections are not deemed to have fallen enough by experts on the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, the plan will be delayed beyond May 26.
Not all sectors will be told they can return to work that soon.
The hospitality and entertainment industries are expected to remain closed for months longer, in a blow to pubs, restaurants and cinemas.
Other coronavirus restrictions are also likely to remain in place for some time, such as the ban on all social gatherings.
Boris Johnson was described as “bullish” today when he briefed nine regional mayors on his latest thinking during a conference call.
One senior official on the call said Boris dubbed his plan “managing unlockdown”.
The official added: “Boris was pretty upbeat and bullish about his plan, but pretty cautious about applying a timeframe.
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“He made it clear throughout that avoiding a second peak in his priority.”
Schools are also not expected to be told to reopen until June, which will stop many parents from being able to return to work.
Ministers also now think they have a huge job to persuade millions of Brits to go back to work even when it is safe to do so.
A Cabinet source said: “We will need to do a massive confidence-building job as everyone is still terrified. We have to persuade people it’s safe to go back.
“It’s all well and good central Government saying, ‘do this now’ if the public don’t want to.
“The truth is, in terms of timing the public are as big agents in this as we are.”
Hosting No10’s daily press conference on Friday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock attempted to reassure one nervous father by saying: “We are not going to reopen schools if it isn’t entirely safe to do so”.
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But he ducked saying whether parents would be let off fines if they refused to send their kids back to classrooms.
Alongside the PM’s plan, Business Secretary Alok Sharma will next week publish nine different papers containing guidelines for all workers outlining how to keep safe.
They will range from outdoor work such as construction sites, to the high street, manufacturing sites and home visitors, such as plumbers and electricians.
BLEAK OUTLOOK FOR BARS AND PUBS
Unions say they have been asked to prepare members to ramp up rail services from mid-May onwards.
But the Department for Transport said no formal instruction has been given to rail companies.
Up to half of all trains were cancelled across the country when the lockdown was ordered on March 23.
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A special unit has been set up in the Cabinet Office to coordinate all the lockdown exit work, with the ministries of Transport, Business, Health and Education all contributing, and the Treasury providing an overview.
It emerged yesterday that three-quarters of all restaurants and bars say they cannot break even with social distancing measures enforced.
Numbers of customers will have to be slashed by up to 70%, ending any hope of making a profit.
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Boris Johnson says 'we are past the peak' and are on the 'downward slope' of coronavirus and his lockdown easing plan will come next week
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