Health secretary Matt Hancock has denied that the government is confusing the public with its messaging over the coronavirus lockdown.
England’s latest Covid-19 guidelines, announced by Boris Johnson on Sunday night, have been met with confusion and anger as people have questioned what they can and cannot do.
Over the past 24 hours, the government has been forced to correct senior ministers over when people should return to work and whether they can meet relatives and friends in parks.
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The situation has also been complicated by the different regulations enforced across England, Wales and Scotland.
Whereas Westminster has dropped its “stay at home” messaging, replacing it with “stay alert”, the Scottish government has opted to extend its current lockdown and restrictions by three more weeks.
But speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Hancock insisted that the public in England understood the government’s messaging.
When asked if there was a degree of confusion, he replied: “No I don’t. I think that the public really understand what we’re trying to do here, which is, as a country, we need to continue to control this virus.
“The public have done an amazing thing over the past six weeks by using common sense, following the social distancing rules and bringing R right down.”
Despite widespread uncertainty over the new government advice, the health secretary earlier refused to directly answer whether people have a legal right not to go to work if they do not feel safe due to coronavirus.
“Well this needs to be a collaborative effort,” he said on the BBC’s Breakfast programme. “Absolutely workplaces need to follow the guidelines on making a workplace safe for Covid, so that is very important.
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“Critically, everybody who can work from home should continue to work from home.”
Asked for a second time whether people are protected by law if they feel unsafe in the workplace, Mr Hancock said: “Well, employment law has not changed, but that isn’t the point.
“The point is that businesses and employees should be working together to make the best of a very difficult situation.”
The health secretary also clarified that people who wish to meet with one other person from outside their household should only do so in public places.
Asked if someone could meet a friend in their garden, as long as distancing rules were adhered to, Mr Hancock said: “It’s not necessarily more safe than meeting in a park, and we said that should only happen in public places.
“For instance, a lot of people can only get to their garden by going through their house, and being with people indoors is not as safe as outdoors, and so that is why we have come to this judgement.”
Mr Johnson’s address to the nation, and the subsequent announcements made by the government, have been met with sharp criticism across the political spectrum.
On Monday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that Mr Johnson’s TV broadcast had raised as many questions as it answered and lacked “clarity and consensus”.
“The prime minister said he was setting out a road map, but if we’re to complete the journey safely a road map needs clear directions,” he said.
“So many of us have questions that need answering. How can we be sure our workplaces are now safe to return to? How can we get to work safely if we need public transport to do so? How can millions of people go back to work while balancing childcare and caring responsibilities? How do our police enforce these rules? And why are some parts of the United Kingdom now on a different path to others?”
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “In changing the advice and changing the messaging the government has spread confusion and put at risk what people have fought so hard for. The prime minister is creating more confusion than clarity by badly communicating his government’s plans.”
