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Public transport safe again as Brits can go back on trains and buses after coronavirus crisis
BRITS have been told it is safe to go back on trains, buses and public transport again after the coronavirus crisis.
As case numbers have plummeted in the UK, Boris Johnson has made a bid to reopen the nation and get wary people out of their homes by assuring them it IS safe to get public transport.
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The PM formally ditched "work from home" advice today in the biggest policy shift since March and will leave it up to employers on whether to let their staff work from home.
Mr Johnson said in a statement today: "In England from today we are making clear that anybody can use public transport while encouraging people to consider alternative means of transport where they're available."
The shift is aimed to try and bolster Britain's economy, which has taken a massive beating, and get Brits spending again.
Despite most businesses being allowed to reopen, public transport has remained eerily quiet - with many people continuing to work from home.
The PM stressed it was safe to travel on public transport but to use other modes of transport if possible.
But Mr Johnson said from August 1, people could start heading back to the office to boost the economy and return the nation to "near normal".
The new measures announced today include:
- Handing councils powers to shut pubs and cafés without going to Government first through "lightning lockdowns"
- Giving the NHS an extra £3billion so hospitals are "battle ready" for winter
- Setting a target of 500,000 tests a day by the end of October
- Putting a time frame on social distancing so the nation can finally have a hug
Face masks are already mandatory on public transport and 20,000 people have already been stopped for not covering up on London buses and tubes.
People have followed the "work from home if you can" advice strictly and have avoided going back to offices wherever possible.
The Government plans to use a "whack-a-mole" strategy to keep local outbreaks from becoming a national crisis again - and local authorities will able to introduce "lightning lockdowns" where there are outbreaks.
Mr Johnson urged Brits to look to the future as the UK comes out of the coronavirus crisis and even more measures were released.
He said: "So we are making sure we are ready for winter, and planning for the worst.
"But even as we plan for the worst, I strongly believe we should also hope for the best."
He added: "In the end human interaction, face to face conversations are important. Many businesses, tell me that.
"It's why we're saying is from August 1, if they can talk to their employees, if everyone can discuss it in a serious and grown up way, if we can be confident that the places of work are COVID secure.
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"Then employers working with their employees should be encouraging people to get back to work, where that is right for that employee."
He revealed extra measures would be put in place to boost local response and get Britain on track to finding a "new normal" with people returning to offices.
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