MIND THE GAP
Boris Johnson hints 2 metre rule on brink of being SCRAPPED saying ‘watch this space’
BORIS Johnson is on the brink of easing the two-metre rule in what would be a massive step towards unlocking Britain’s shops, schools and pubs.
The PM told the nation to “watch this space” on the ruling as he declared the country was moving into the next phase of the Covid battle.
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It came as the coronavirus alert level was lowered to amber today with death and infection rates continuing to tumble.
Another 173 fatalities were announced, taking the UK toll to 42,461.
Government scientists were said to be “totally comfortable” with ditching the two-metre rule in another big clue it would be cut.
The move would pave the way for England to reduce it to one metre and ease lockdown on July 4.
The PM said that as coronavirus “diminishes among us” and the alert level came down England could make “progress on our plan and social distancing measures”.
He added: “Watch this space. We will be putting in further changes the science allows.”
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Mr Johnson said Britain was moving into a new phase of the Covid battle where national lockdown will be replaced with local, targeted measures.
He also urged Brits to try to conquer their fear of Covid-19.
He went on: “We have got to start thinking of a world in which we are less apprehensive about this disease.
“Yes, it has been a horrible shock for the country and for the world and I think the British people have worked incredibly hard to drive it down.
"But we are starting to make some real progress with test and trace, treatments for the disease.
“I hope as we go towards the autumn people will be much, much more confident.”
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Mr Johnson pushed home his point on a visit to Bovingdon Primary Academy in Bovingdon, Herts, where he practised social distancing with pupils and washed his hands at a playground sink.
Downing Street is expected to make the crunch decision on the two-metre rule within days.
Scientists are expected to agree if measures such as wearing masks, sitting back to back and ensuring that windows are open are used to help cut coronavirus infection risk.
A source said: “We have made the science clear and it’s now a matter for politicians to work out what policy they want to adopt on the back of that.”
The source said infection rates were halving every two weeks in another boost to a potential July 4 day of action.
England’s largest hospital trust, meanwhile, said it had no Covid patients in intensive care for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
'VIRUS WEAKENING'
New cases admitted were “less than double figures” in recent days.
Dr David Rosser, who heads the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, also said there were signs coronavirus-infected patients “don’t seem as sick, on average, as they were”.
Dr Rosser said there were only 43 active-Covid patients in treatment across the trust, which runs four hospitals. Another 140 were “in prolonged recovery”.
During the pandemic’s April peak the trust had 100 patients on ventilators.
He said there were signs the virus might be weakening.
He said it would be extremely difficult for hospitals to return to full capacity.
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He added: “The NHS’s capacity was stretched slightly beyond its limits. We lost pretty much 30 per cent of our capacity by changes we have had to make to make patients and staff safe.
"There’s a lot of things we were doing before, that we simply don’t have capacity to do at the moment.”
He said prioritisation meant there were “some pretty unpleasant decisions” having to be made on what services could be offered.
He added: “We are not going to be in a position where we are going to be able say for the next 18 months we are going to have five orthopaedic theatres and three general surgery theatres.
“We’re going to have to make sure all our resources are as flexible as possible.”
He said it was unfair to blame the Government for the failure of its track and trace app.
Dr Rosser said the main problem lay with the refusal of big tech firms to share their platforms.
He said: “That’s a pretty disgraceful position. Tech companies should be pretty profoundly ashamed.”
Mr Johnson, meanwhile, is due to review the lockdown on June 29.
No10 is under growing pressure to act after pubs, restaurants and gyms warned they would go under unless social distancing was cut.
Pubs and shops bosses said the two-metre rule must be halved to save millions of jobs.
Andrew Goodacre, of the British Independent Retailers Association, told The Sun: “It is great news to see the threat level coming down.
“If the scientists have the confidence to lower the rating, politicians should have the confidence to ease more restrictions.
"We need to see a relaxing of the two-metre rule, so more shops can open and thrive, and we want to see cafés and restaurants reopening.
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“The sooner action is taken and hospitality is given the green light to resume, the better.”
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James Calder, from the Society of Independent Brewers, said: “Now that the UK alert level has been lowered, the Government should confirm as a matter of urgency that pubs can reopen on July 4 so small breweries can start making the beer and restock the pubs.
“Many more pubs will be able to open if social distancing is reduced and the Government should review the evidence as soon as possible.”
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