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People wearing face masks while shopping at an open fruit and vegetable market in Leicester
Councils in England have been given new powers to close stores, cancel events, and close outdoor public spaces to control local coronavirus outbreaks.
The prime minister said the move would allow councils to respond more quickly to outbreaks “where speed is paramount.”
The Association of Local Governments said it hoped it would avoid the need for stricter local blockade measures.
Meanwhile, a government scientific adviser warned that the pre-closure return to life is “very far away.”
An additional 40 coronavirus deaths have been announced, bringing the total number of people who died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK to 45,273.
‘Lightning blocks’
In announcing the new powers for the councils, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the Downing Street press conference on Friday: “It has to be right that we take local action in response to local outbreaks: there is no point in closing a city in a part of the country to contain an outbreak in another part of the country. “
Johnson also said ministers will receive clearer guidance on where they can step in to “close entire sectors or types of premises in an area” and advise people in specific zip codes to stay in their homes.
The government’s guidance says the measure “significantly” increases the powers of the councils, and as such should be used “with discretion.”
Johnson said the additional powers would allow local authorities “to act more quickly in response to outbreaks where speed is paramount,” in what he called “lightning strikes.”
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James Jamieson, chairman of the LGA, which represents council leaders in England, welcomed the announcement and said the additional powers would hopefully lessen the need for stricter local measures.
“The councils know their local communities better and know how to tackle each unique outbreak,” Jamieson said.
He added that the use of enforcement powers “should be a last resort option” and called for more “granular-level data” to be made available to councils to “enable them to be better able to act in real time to increase infection ” rates “.
Liverpool City Mayor Steve Rotheram said more detailed data, such as the daily number of people reporting symptoms, would allow councils to target messages to certain groups, for example, younger people in a particular area.
“The message therefore could be that we use some of our footballers to get the message out of not going out or wearing masks or covers,” he said.
“It really is about making sure we can send the right message to the right people at the right time.”
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC that the government would provide daily updates to local areas.
He said there were “problems” with the exchange of data due to the rules of the General Data Protection Regulation.
“We have been working on all that to establish these local agreements and that will help dramatically,” the transportation secretary told Radio 4’s Today program.
New powers for the councils came when the prime minister established a “road map” for a return to “normalcy” at Christmas as part of a relief from the blockade in England.
Johnson said it was his “sincere hope” that the remaining restrictions could be revised in November, at the earliest, and possibly withdrawn at Christmas.
At a glance: the latest changes in England
- Of July 25 Indoor gyms, pools, and other sports facilities may reopen
- In August 1 the government will update its tips for going to work, asking employers to make decisions about how and where their staff can work safely
- Starting on the same date, most of the remaining entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen, including bowling, skating rinks, casinos and all close contact services such as estheticians.
- Theater and live indoor concerts may resume with socially distant audiences
- Wedding receptions will also be allowed for up to 30 people starting next month
- Of September, schools, kindergartens and colleges will be open to all children and youth full time, while universities are also working to reopen as much as possible
- Of October, the government intends to allow the public to return to the stadiums, while conferences and other business events may resume, subject to the pilots’ result
But Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told the BBC that the return to normality prior to the closure of the operation was “very far.”
“If what you mean normally is what we used to do until February and mid-March of this year: go to work normally, travel on buses and trains, go on vacation without restrictions, meet friends, shake hands, hug and so on, that’s a long way, unfortunately, “he told the Today show.
“We won’t be able to do it until we are immune to the virus, which means until we have a vaccine that is safe and effective.”
“If we go back to that kind of normal behavior, the virus will come back very quickly.”
Back to work?
Also on Friday, the government abandoned its council to avoid public transport in England.
Employers were also told that it would be up to them to discuss with workers whether it was safe for them to return to workspaces from August 1.
Shapps told BBC Breakfast that the use of public transport was “very low” and that people had the ability to return, even with social distancing.
“In many cases, we are pretty empty, for example, trains, particularly during the day, and we are saying that there is actually more capacity there. Now you can go back; anyone, not just key workers, can now use public transportation.” “
However, he advised people to continue walking or cycling to work if they could.
Delegated administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the power to set their own hours to ease restrictions.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called for an urgent review of how coronavirus deaths were recorded in England after Public Health England said the deaths may have included people who tested positive months before they died.
Other nations in the UK only include those who died within 28 days of a positive test.
PHE said it will continue to make the figures available on its dashboard.
But officials from the Department of Health and Social Care said it will no longer link to the data in social media posts or update the figures on the department’s own coronavirus website while the review is being conducted.
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