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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set up a five-tier warning system for the coronavirus in England on Sunday when he outlines the government’s plans to slowly begin easing the shutdown measures, British media reported.
Johnson is expected to use a televised address at 7 p.m. to announce next steps in Britain’s battle against the pandemic after a blockade that has nearly closed the economy and kept millions at home for nearly seven weeks.
The media reported that Johnson would detail a five-level warning system for England, ranging from “green” at level one to “red” at level five to signal Covid-19 risk in different areas and allow the government increase restrictions when necessary.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have some powers over their own closure measures, but they are expected to remain in line with what the government announces for England.
Color-coded systems to distinguish regions with more or less risk have been used in other countries as they arise from blockades, including France and India.
Britain has reported 31,587 deaths from the coronavirus, the second highest number of deaths in the world after the United States.
Johnson is expected to say that people will now be allowed to leave their homes to exercise more than once a day and that garden centers, which sell plants, seeds and garden equipment, may reopen.
“This is the dangerous part,” Johnson told the Sun newspaper on Sunday. “We are past the peak now, but we will have to work even harder to take each correct step.”
“Mountaineers always say that getting off the peak is the most dangerous thing. That’s when you are likely to be overconfident and make mistakes. “
The media reported that the government would change its slogan “Stay home” to “Stay alert”, as those who cannot work from home will begin to be encouraged to return to offices and factories, provided that strict rules of social distancing can be followed .
Johnson will chair an emergency Cobra committee meeting with cabinet ministers, delegated nation leaders and London Mayor Sadiq Khan before his prerecorded speech at 7pm.
On Monday, the government will release a 50-page document outlining the full plan to cautiously restart the economy for MPs after figures suggested the total death toll in the UK exceeded 36,500, the highest in Europe.
The change in messaging will come amid concerns that workers may not feel comfortable taking up their roles after weeks of firm instructions to “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.”
That could be a test for ministers, as unions warn that they may not recommend their members to millions of people to resume their functions if security is not guaranteed.
“The union movement wants to be able to recommend plans for the government to return to work,” wrote Unison, Unite, GMB, Usdaw and the Congress of Trade Unions in a letter to the Observer.
“But for us to do that we need to make sure that ministers have listened and that we stay safe and also save lives at work.”
Meanwhile, a government scientific adviser told the Sunday Times that the UK could suffer more than 100,000 deaths by the end of the year if the measures are relaxed hastily, adding: “There is very limited room for maneuver.”
Johnson acknowledged the magnitude of the danger and said “we will have to work even harder to take each step correctly” now that the peak is passed, before making a mountaineering analogy.
“You have very few options to climb, but on the descent you must make sure you don’t run too fast, lose control and stumble,” he told Sun on Sunday.
Later this week, Johnson will address the 1922 Banking Conservatives Committee amid concern that some of his MPs will not be confused by the gradual relaxation.
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps said Sunday in the Downing Street briefing that Johnson would act with “extreme caution.”
The incoming changes for England were expected to be very modest, increasing the limit to just one form of exercise per day and allowing for the reopening of garden centers.
But in a tightening of the measures, fines will be fined for those who don’t follow the rules.
Shapps did not deny that the ministers were planning to impose a 14-day quarantine on people arriving in the UK by plane from any country other than the Republic of Ireland.
He declined to respond to widespread calls for clarity, as it is unclear whether the rule would also apply to passengers arriving by boat and whether companies would receive additional support for fear that the move would be disastrous for the industry.
However, the cabinet minister addressed concerns that progress in the running of the bulls was being damaged, saying “throw it away because it’s sunny outside this weekend, that would be absolutely tragic.”
Earlier, Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford said Johnson’s announcement for England would be “very much in line” with the “smallest” relaxation given in his country.
He added that schools in Wales will not reopen to most students in June. –PA and Reuters
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