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Johnson, who spent a week in the hospital with coronavirus last month, has made it clear that he will proceed with “utmost caution” to ease the blockage.
FILE: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a press conference addressing the government’s response to the new coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), within 10 Downing Street in London on March 17, 2020 Britain on Tuesday 17 of March. Image: AFP
LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a new public notice on the coronavirus on the Sunday before his announcement on how to facilitate a national blockade, but warned that he would proceed cautiously as the death toll in Britain, which is already the highest high in Europe, continues to rise.
In a televised address to the nation at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT), Johnson is expected to extend most of the stay-at-home orders imposed in late March, though the garden centers will reopen.
But in a sign of gradual change to get the country moving again, he tweeted new public advice for people to “stay vigilant,” to replace the current catchphrase of “stay home, save lives.”
It urges people to stay home “as much as possible” and limit contact with others, a more forgiving message than the previous rules so that they only go out when necessary and don’t meet anyone outside their home.
Johnson, who spent a week in the hospital with coronavirus last month, made it clear that he will proceed with “utmost caution” to ease the blockage.
It is studying a plan to contain infection rates in the long term, and ministers are considering imposing a 14-day quarantine on anyone who enters the country from abroad.
An alert system to monitor the outbreak is also being developed, which will report when and how blockade measures could be lifted, or adjusted, at the national and local levels.
DOES NOT RUN TOO FAST
Johnson has been criticized for not taking the outbreak seriously enough at first, he still shakes hands in early March and delays the imposition of a blockade.
Britain has now recorded more than 31,500 deaths among people who tested positive for COVID-19, the second highest number in the world after the United States.
There are increasing demands from their own MPs to lift the blockade as it wreaks economic havoc: The Bank of England this week forecast a 14% drop in British GDP this year.
But in an interview with the Sun newspaper on Sunday, Johnson warned that it was now “the most dangerous part.”
“We are past the peak now, but we will have to work even harder to take each correct step,” he said.
“Mountaineers always say that going down from the top is the most dangerous part. It is when you are likely to be overconfident and make mistakes.”
“You have very few options to climb, but on the descent you have to make sure you don’t run too fast, lose control and stumble.”
CONFUSION MESSAGES
The government has had to lower expectations on Johnson’s speech, after newspaper reports earlier this week suggested the blockade would be eased.
Public adherence to the rules has been good so far, but crowds flocked to the parks this weekend to take advantage of the warm weather.
There is some concern that the government’s “stay alert” message could sow confusion, with Scotland’s prime minister among critics.
“Given the critical point at which we are dealing with the virus, #StayHomeSaveLives remains my clear message to Scotland at this stage,” Nicola Sturgeon tweeted.
Johnson’s announcement will only affect England, as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have already announced that they will continue to stay home.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the new “stay alert” message was about people taking “personal responsibility” by keeping social distance and washing their hands.
“We should stay home as long as possible, but when we go to work and return to our business, we must remain vigilant,” he told Sky News television.
He revealed details of the new alert system, run by a new biosecurity center, which will assess the risk of coronavirus at one of five levels and monitor the impact of any changes.
Britain is also testing a new phone app to identify localized outbreaks, and in recent weeks it has increased its ability to detect coronaviruses to around 100,000 per day.
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