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U.K. Lockdown Could Be Eased from Monday, Boris Johnson Says

Johnson Says Some Changes to U.K. Lockdown Likely From Monday

(Bloomberg) --

The U.K.’s coronavirus lockdown is likely to begin to be eased from Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, even as the country became the first in Europe to record more than 30,000 deaths from the disease.

“We will want, if we possibly can, to get going with some of these measures on Monday,” Johnson told the House of Commons. He said he will set out the next phase of the government’s strategy in a public statement on Sunday because it would be a “good thing” if people know what to expect before the changes come into operation the next day.

Johnson, who returned to Parliament for the first time since contracting coronavirus in March, is under pressure to get the British economy moving again without causing another surge of deaths, amid criticism that he was slow to react to the crisis. The latest daily figures on Wednesday showed a further 649 people had died from Covid-19, bringing the total to 30,076, while the number of confirmed cases rose to more than 200,000.

“What people want to see is a careful, sensible program attracting the widest possible support to continue to suppress the disease right down but to allow our economy to start up again,” Johnson told members of Parliament.

As part of its plans to exit the lockdown, the government has already said it will roll out a mass program of tracking and tracing coronavirus cases. Johnson also set a new goal to raise testing capacity to 200,000 a day by the end of the month, from about 108,000 now.

U.K. Lockdown Could Be Eased from Monday, Boris Johnson Says

Crucial Data

The prime minister said any changes to the lockdown will be made based on the latest scientific data, which will come through over the coming days.

Ministers are trying to find a way to ease restrictions without triggering a second spike of infections that could overwhelm health care systems. Though officials say the U.K. is past the peak, they’ve also warned any changes to current rules must ensure transmissions are kept under control given the absence of a vaccine.

Johnson’s spokesman, James Slack, said people should prepare for a “different kind of normal,” and the government will adopt a phased approach to easing restrictions. The prime minister’s statement on Sunday will focus on social-distancing measures, he said.

“Everything is not going to be able to return to normal all at once,” Slack told reporters on a conference call.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government’s preference is for a nationwide approach to easing the lockdown, but said the wider test, track and trace program would enable a more local approach if needed to tackle future outbreaks in the community.

He also called for infrastructure and construction projects to resume as soon as it is safe to do so, and said the pandemic will not stall the government’s plan to boost investment in economically disadvantaged areas of the country.

Backlash

As the government prepares to ease lockdown measures, it is also drawing up guidance for employers on how to safely resume work. Ministers circulated seven papers to businesses and trade unions on Sunday, setting out what steps firms will need to take when restrictions are eventually eased. They include social-distancing measures and stricter hygiene rules.

But that prompted a backlash from the Trade Unions Congress, which said the proposals wouldn’t protect workers, a theme that was taken up by Tory and Labour MPs on Wednesday.

“No worker should have their life or the life of their loved ones risked simply by going to work,” said Andy McDonald, the opposition Labour Party’s employment rights spokesman.

Conservative MP Jane Stevenson said many people are “nervous” about returning to work, while fellow Tory Dean Russell sought reassurance the government will work with health and safety authorities to ensure workplaces are safe.

Business minister Paul Scully defended the proposals as an “early draft” and said there will be “plenty” of opportunities for employers and unions to give feedback.

Head to Head

Earlier in Parliament, Labour’s new leader Keir Starmer said the government had been too slow in its response to the outbreak, and demanded Johnson explain how the U.K. had recorded the worst death toll in Europe.

Johnson accepted the time will come for looking at whether his administration took the right decisions, but argued that it was too early to compare the U.K. death toll to that of other countries.

There have been calls for an independent public inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic, which minsters have not so far committed to.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.