Boris Johnson unveiled plans to reopen England after weeks of Covid-19 lockdown. Despite having one of the highest death rates from coronavirus in Europe, the Prime Minister is moving much faster to ease restrictions on social distancing than his counterparts in Ireland.
Job
During his televised speech on Sunday, Johnson urged people who were unable to work from home to return to work.
This means that certain employees, such as construction and manufacturing workers, are returning to work today. The Prime Minister has been criticized for asking people to return to work and at the same time asking them to avoid public transport.
In Ireland, construction workers and others who work outdoors will not return to the workforce until next week. There is no mention in the Irish plan of when the factory workers should go back to work.
Schools
Primary schools could open as soon as June in England. However, high schools will not return until September.
In Ireland, primary and secondary schools will not reopen until phase five of the Government’s roadmap. However, there have been questions about whether schools will be able to return in September.
Exercises
Starting Wednesday in England, people will be encouraged to exercise as often as they like and allowed to sunbathe in parks and beaches.
Sports such as tennis, golf and sport fishing will also be allowed. Similar rules for sport and exercise will be introduced here next week.
One difference is that England only allows households to participate in sports activities, while in Ireland, groups of four can meet to play sports as long as they meet social distancing guidelines.
Near
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes a walk in central London after the outbreak of coronavirus disease, London, Great Britain, May 11, 2020. REUTERS / Toby Melville
REUTERS
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes a walk in central London after the outbreak of coronavirus disease, London, Great Britain, May 11, 2020. REUTERS / Toby Melville
Restaurants, cafes, pubs
Restaurant and cafe rules are similar in both countries, with July destined to reopen these businesses.
The plan in English does not give a date for the reopening of the pubs, while the Irish road map suggested that August will be the earliest date for the bars to return.
There is pressure from lobbyists in both jurisdictions to allow pubs to reopen earlier.
Airport arrivals and quarantine
Johnson decided that people arriving in England from Ireland and France will be excluded from the quarantine rules.
In Ireland, all passengers arriving from abroad must be isolated for two weeks. The government is also in the process of making it mandatory for arrivals to fill out a passenger location form so that authorities can monitor them.
Facial coatings
In England, citizens are urged to wear face shields when in contact with people they would not normally know. This includes when they are on public transport or when they are shopping.
In Ireland, advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) on facial coatings was removed from the Government’s roadmap to reopen the county.
Nphet recommended that the government draft guidelines to cover their faces in the coming weeks to be published in early June.
Island-wide consensus
Scotland and Wales will not follow the Downing Street plan because they believe it is too early to lift the restrictions.
The Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly have been working together behind the scenes on their responses to the virus. However, the government’s decision not to inform northern leaders of its road map caused some tension.
