Coronavirus: Public should not expect update on extending lockdown this week, No 10 hints

Boris Johnson is likely to need “extra time” to set out a blueprint for easing the lockdown, No 10 says, hinting the public should not expect an update this week.

The government is required by law to review the restrictions by Thursday, when it was expected to confirm they will remain in place or tweak the rules slightly, depending on scientific advice on the coronavirus.

But the prime minister’s spokesman appeared to confirm he will make a major speech on Sunday – and that no announcement on extending the lockdown would be made before then.

“We are at a critical moment in the fight against this virus and it is going to be crucial that we get the advice to the public right,” he said.

“If it means taking some extra time to do that, then that’s what we will do.”

The spokesman said ministers were only required to carry out the review by 7 May – not make the decision public by that date – adding: “We might not announce anything on Thursday.”

Any period of silence will leave Mr Johnson at risk of being usurped by Nicola Sturgeon, who has regularly spoken out ahead of Downing Street as the crisis has unfolded.

The Scottish first minister hinted she expected to make an announcement on Thursday, while saying she did not expect to “announce any meaningful changes at this point”.

No 10 has faced growing criticism that it has failed to come clean with the public on the options for relaxing restrictions, whether in schools, workplaces or in other public places.

Most other European countries have set out detailed timetables – but Mr Johnson’s promised “roadmap” is likely to merely outline alternatives, without any possible dates attached.

It has been clear for two weeks that the main features of the lockdown – strict social distancing, not mixing with households and only leaving the house for legitimate reasons – will remain after Thursday.

Ministers are awaiting evidence that there is no risk of a second spike of infections, and have yet to start the contact tracing vital to isolate new cases.

Despite No 10 trying to keep a lid on its options, a leak has already revealed that businesses will be allowed to relax the two-metre rule if other safeguards are in place, once the go-ahead is given.

One of seven draft plans urges employers to reduce hot-desking, close canteens and cut staff numbers by staggering shift times while maximising home-working.

Similarly, it is widely expected that pupils in the top year of primary schools will go back first, possibly on 1 June.

The prime minister’s spokesman again underlined the cautious approach, warning that lifting the lockdown too soon would be “the worst thing” that could be done.

“The British public have sacrificed an enormous amount to fight this virus, to protect the NHS and to save lives,” he said.

“We are at a critical point and the worst thing that we could do is lift the measures too soon and risk a second peak which overwhelms the NHS.”

Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk