Johnson issued a request to those who are able to work from home until the virus is under control – weeks after the government launched a high-profile campaign to encourage people to return to their office fees and workplaces.
And he announced that face masks would be made mandatory for hospitality and retail sector employees and passengers in taxis. Masks are already required for customers on public transport and in the store. Moreover, the mask command will become law, not just guidance.
Citizens and businesses violating the rules will be fined; The government is to provide additional police funding to help them enforce sanctions. Police will also have the option of requesting military assistance, if they are overwhelmed. That doesn’t mean soldiers patrol the streets: Downing Street said the military could be used to fill office roles and protect protected sites, prompting police to enforce a virus response.
Johnson said if the situation does not improve, measures will remain in place for six months, meaning large gatherings at Christmas could be impossible for many families.
The new rules only apply to England. Health policy in the other three UK nations, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is determined by their distorted administration; They are also expected to tighten restrictions in the coming days.
The announcement comes at a crucial time for the UK, a country where the first wave of Covid-19 led to the highest death toll in any European country and the worst recession in any major economy.
But exactly what should be done to tackle the UK’s huge coronavirus problem is the subject of heated political debate.
Johnson’s new move will offend members of his own ruling Conservative Party on both sides of the debate, including members of his own cabinet.
The second quarter of 2020 saw a 20.4% drop in GDP, and an epidemic has been declared among those who believe that ignoring the second wave of Covid-19 should be a priority.
Senior party right-wingers fear that the long-term impact of economic losses and job losses will be more costly than the virus; People on the other side of the debate say a second, shorter, “circuit breaker” lockdown to save lives is an economic blow.
The relatively polite move unveiled by Johnson on Tuesday appears to be an attempt to calm both sides; The prime minister told parliament he would not listen to “those who say let the virus rip,” or those who want a state of “permanent lockdown.”
Critics have already noted that Johnson’s government recently urged the nation to return to the fees to save street businesses such as sandwich shops and pubs, which suffer from a lack of daily trade for commuters.
The government also introduced a popular “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme, which found that diners were allowed up to 0% per capita to dine in restaurants whose doors had to be closed due to the epidemic.
Johnson is facing some difficult months of his difficult premiere.
Not long ago public health experts were talking about the real possibility of a second wave, meaning the government would have to choose between pubs and schools.
At the time, government officials said this was framing crude and the epidemic could not be seen as a zero-sum game. They believe it is possible to keep and eat their cake.
But with the case escalating and the country preparing for what could be a brutal winter, Johnson will soon have to make choices that will be declared against the economy and public health, or individual liberties against the national lockdown.
And that position no small-state, liberal Conservative prime minister imagined they would have.
Correction: An earlier version of this story was wrong about how long the new sanctions would last. The story has been updated to show that it can be up to six months depending on the situation.
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