Coronavirus: Some lockdown measures could be eased as early as next week, Boris Johnson suggests

Boris Johnson has hinted that some lockdown restrictions could be eased as early as Monday, if new data backs a relaxation.

“We want, if we possibly can, to get going with some of these measures on Monday,” the prime minister told MPs.

The hint came as Mr Johnson confirmed his long-awaited roadmap of options for escaping the lockdown would be announced on Sunday – three days after the review required by law.

And Downing Street appeared to foreshadow a change in advice by using a “stay safe, save lives” hashtag on its Twitter feed in place of the “stay home, save lives” message it has used over the past six weeks. Public Health England was reported to have emailed orders to drop the “stay home” message from communications from Saturday evening as authorities prepare to move to a “new phase”.

Mr Johnson’s spokesperson declined to comment on the PHE message and played down the significance of the Twitter slogan, telling reporters: “We have used a variety of messaging across social media since we began this phase of the response.”

Downing Street said that Mr Johnson’s announcement on Sunday will deal only with social distancing measures, and not the package of financial support for businesses provided by the Treasury during the lockdown. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reported to be planning a statement next week to unveil moves to roll back the “furlough” arrangements under which the state pays up to 80 per cent of salaries for staff who would otherwise be laid off.

The prime minister’s comments could herald changes designed to get more businesses up and running and more people back to work. But social distancing instructions for individuals – requiring people to stay two metres apart and not mix with other households – are expected to remain in place for longer.

Mr Johnson added later: “It would be an economic disaster if we pursue a relaxation of these measures now in such a way as to trigger a second spike.”

The government has a legal obligation to conduct a six-week review of lockdown restrictions on Thursday, when ministers are due to hold a virtual cabinet meeting.

But No 10 indicated that this may result in no more than a statement that the review has been conducted and measures are staying in place pending a further announcement on Sunday.

The PM’s spokesman said it was possible that further expert scientific and medical advice submitted after the review deadline may have to be taken into account, and cabinet could meet again on the weekend.

“There’s a deadline tomorrow in terms of having to carry out a review,” said the PM’s spokesman. “We will want to ensure we get any subsequent announcement right and if that means taking a little extra time then that’s what we will do.”

The spokesman indicated that Mr Johnson will not be setting out a firm timetable for the removal of various restrictions in his statement on Sunday.

“If you are going to point towards potential date, you want to feel confident that you are going to be able to make those changes on the dates you have given,” he said

And he cautioned that any relaxation of lockdown will be gradual: “Everything is not going to be able to return to normal all at once. This is not going to be a case of flicking a switch. People will have to prepare for a different type of normal.”

Any “easements” in the lockdown conditions will be monitored carefully to ensure they are not creating the risk of an increase in the rate of infections and a rise in the reproduction measure – known as R – towards the critical point where each infected person passes the disease on to more than one other person.

In a further comment hinting at continued caution, the prime minister admitted it was “right to say that an epidemic is going on care homes”.

He also dodged a demand from Keir Starmer to make a full statement personally to MPs on Monday, saying only that a government minister – not necessarily himself – would do so.

Mr Johnson said the delay until Sunday was “very simple”, allowing the government to assess new scientific data and prepare the public for any changes on the first working day of the week.

“We have to be sure that the data is going to support our ability to do this,” the prime minister said.

Earlier, he appeared to blindside Matt Hancock, the health secretary sitting nearby, by setting a new target for coronavirus tests of 200,000 a day in little over three weeks’ time.

“He is right that capacity currently exceeds demand,” he told the Labour leader.

Then he added: “The ambition, clearly, is to get up to 200,000 a day by the end of this month – and then to go even higher.”

The new target may not be welcomed by Mr Hancock, who could only claim to have hit his target of 100,000 daily tests last week by including tens of thousands “in the post”.

Earlier, the health secretary suggested one possible easing could allow cafes to open if they only served customers sitting outdoors, where the infection risk is far lower.

Businesses are being consulted on loosening measures to allow more offices on workplaces to open – without the strict two-metre separation rule – but trade unions have attacked them for putting workers at risk.

During his first prime minister’s questions since March, Mr Johnson also pledged that nobody would be put at risk as the economy unlocks.

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