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LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will establish a five-tier warning system for the coronavirus in England on Sunday (May 10) when he outlines the government roadmap to gradually ease the blockade measures that have shut down much of the economy for almost seven weeks.
Johnson will use a televised address at 6 p.m. GMT to announce limited changes, including encouraging more people who cannot work from home to return to their offices and factories, and allowing people to exercise more than once a day, according to a government and British minister. media.
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The government’s iconic motto “stay home” will be replaced by “stay vigilant,” a decision that drew criticism from opposition parties for being too ambiguous.
“We need to have a broader message because we want to slowly and cautiously restart the economy and the country,” Housing Minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News, adding that Johnson will set the roadmap for “the coming weeks and months.” .
In a separate interview on BBC TV, Jenrick said staying home would remain an important part of the government’s message and that “there would be no major reopening of the economy tonight.”
Britain has reported 31,587 deaths from the coronavirus, the second highest number of deaths in the world after the United States, and some 215,260 confirmed infections.
The Sunday Times reported that scientific advisers had told the government that deaths could exceed 100,000 by the end of the year if the closure measures are relaxed too quickly.
READ: Britain considers quarantine for foreign visitors
Johnson will detail a five-level warning system for England, ranging from “green” at level 1 to “red” at level 5 to signal COVID-19 risk in different areas and allow the government to increase restrictions whenever possible. necessary.
The government wants the other constituent nations of the United Kingdom, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to follow the same steps, but they have the power to diverge in their measures.
Jenrick said the country is currently at 4 on the scale and the authorities want it to be reduced to 3 as quickly as possible.
“At each stage … we will be in a position to open and restart more aspects of the economy and our lives,” he said, adding that the changes would be conditional on keeping the virus under control.
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.
READ: UK sent COVID-19 evidence to the United States for processing: Minister
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter that her message to Scotland would continue to be to stay home.
Opposition parties criticized the government’s new slogan of “stay alert” as confusing.
“There is no room for nuance,” Labor Party health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth told BBC TV. “Many people will be puzzled … This virus really exploits ambivalence and thrives on ambiguity, we need clarity at all times.”
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