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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Sunday (May 10) a phased plan to facilitate the blockade of coronaviruses across the country, with schools and shops beginning to open from June 1, provided rates infection stay low.
In a televised address, Johnson also announced plans to introduce quarantine for people arriving in Britain by air to prevent new infections from abroad.
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Almost seven weeks after a national order to stay home was established, more than 31,800 died during the outbreak in Britain, the worst number in Europe and second only to the United States.
Johnson, who spent a week in the hospital with COVID-19, said the measures had come “at a colossal cost to our lifestyle,” but said it would be “crazy” to waste progress moving too soon.
“This is not the time simply to end the blockade this week,” said the 55-year-old, but revealed a “conditional plan” to ease the measures in England in the coming months.
READ: UK Minister Warns No Big Changes in Virus Blocking
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Starting this week, he said the government would be “actively encouraging” people to return to work where they couldn’t do it from home, for example, in manufacturing or construction.
Starting Wednesday, unlimited outdoor exercise, with sports like golf, tennis and fishing, would be allowed, provided they only involved members of the same household.
In the second phase, Johnson said daycare centers and children as young as 11 could start returning to school starting June 1 at least, and that some nonessential stores may reopen.
By July, “we hope to reopen at least part of the hospitality industry and other public places” that could force social distancing, for example, the cafes in the parks.
However, officials warned that pubs were unlikely to reopen for months, while older boys would likely not return to school until September.
Infection rates will also be closely monitored under a new alert system, which will build on existing movements to increase testing and contact tracking.
“If there are outbreaks, if there are problems, we will not hesitate to stop,” Johnson said.
“We have passed the initial peak, but it is going down the mountain which is often more dangerous.”
MIXED MESSAGES
Johnson has been criticized for not taking the outbreak seriously enough at first, still shaking hands with people in early March and delaying the imposition of a blockade.
READ: British Prime Minister Johnson is under fire for handling the coronavirus crisis
But there are increasing demands from their own MPs to get the economy moving again, particularly after the Bank of England forecast a 14% drop in British GDP this year.
Johnson paved the way for his gradual plan by issuing new public councils, replacing the old slogan “stay home, save lives” in favor of “stay alert” advice.
But it drew criticism from delegated governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are responsible for the blockades in their nations.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned, in particular, that infection rates in his country were still too high to relieve even a little bit of confinement advice.
“We should not squander progress by relaxing too early or sending conflicting messages,” he told reporters.
“Let me be very direct about the consequences if we did that: people will die unnecessarily.”
QUARANTINE PLANS
Johnson did not give any details on the quarantine plan, but officials suggested it could be filed in the coming weeks and would last 14 days.
Although it was initially proposed for people arriving from abroad by plane, it could be extended to ports and train stations.
Johnson’s office said France would be exempt from quarantine, after Paris excluded Britain from its own similar plans, while media reports suggest there will also be an exemption for Ireland.
READ: Britain will not quarantine France travelers at this stage
Airlines UK, the trade body for companies registered in the United Kingdom, had previously warned that such a measure “would effectively kill international travel to and from the United Kingdom”.
But officials say that if infection rates drop within Britain, stopping new cases from abroad will be an important tool.
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