The coronavirus blockade could last until JUNE, but the chancellor is pushing for an earlier departure so people can go back to work – The Sun

GREAT BRITAIN could remain blocked until June, but Foreign Minister Rishi Sunak is pushing for measures to be eased next month to save the economy.

Up to two million people could lose their jobs and the UK is seeing the worst economic crisis in 300 years, experts warned yesterday.

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Whitehall sources told the Daily Mail that Mr. Sunak fears the British have “over-interpreted” the closing council, and believe that only designated key workers should be working.

They said they want to “strengthen the message” that people should be trying to work unless their entire sector has closed or they cannot practice safe social distancing at work.

Sunak will support a three-week extension of the blockade, to be announced tomorrow, but he is said to be “deeply concerned” about the economic impact.

Opinions are divided in the cabinet, and other ministers are said to be pushing for the closure to last until the end of May, or even until June.
There are fears that lifting it too early would see a terrifying second wave.

But keeping it closed for too long runs the risk of a complete economic collapse as experts have predicted.

When the death toll in the UK reached 12,107, the full scale of the Covid-19 crisis emerged in government figures that predicted the country’s economy could shrink by a record 35 percent in June.

Unemployment could soar to 3.4 million and the deficit could spiral to £ 218 billion this year.

The figures, produced by the Office of Budgetary Responsibility, predict a decline not seen since the 1700s.

Ministers are concerned about the economy’s ability to recover from that routine, and about the billions of pounds paid to finance wages and support businesses.

He said last night that those schemes should be in effect by the end of the month, leaving only days to request and receive the funds before the April payday.

Sunak tried to rebuke rumors that there had been a split between the cabinet ministers during the shutdown the night before.

He said: “Right now, the most important thing we can do for the health of our economy is to protect the health of our people.

“It is not about choosing between economics and public health; common sense tells us that doing so would be counterproductive.”

One plan was to begin easing social distancing measures in early May, after the first bank holiday.

Secretary of Education Gavin Williamson, Secretary of Business Alok Sharma, Secretary of Commerce Liz Truss, and Secretary of Labor and Pensions Therese Coffey are supporting Mr. Sunak to open the country as soon as possible.

One in ten small businesses plans to close or sell, the Federation of Small Businesses has recently warned, while one in five aims to reduce its size.

The chancellor said yesterday: “TThis is an unprecedented time and an unprecedented crisis and one that required an unprecedented economic response.

“So in that sense, it is not surprising to see some of these numbers, as it is unlike anything we’ve discussed before.”

Meanwhile, some ministers are pushing for students to return to the classroom as soon as May 11, it was reported last night.

A cabinet minister told The Telegraph: “We have to make sure that this economic recession is V-shaped and not L-shaped.”

“We should start throwing things that can be thrown, so elementary schools should reopen and so should non-essential stores.”

“If you can go to Sainsbury’s to buy non-essential items while observing the rules of social distancing, why can’t you do it at other stores?”

They added: “It appears that older and vulnerable people will be held in isolation for six months instead of three.”

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former leader of the Conservative Party, agreed and said: “Schools are important because they allow parents to return to work, particularly elementary schools because those are the children who are too young to be left alone at home. The reopening of primary schools is the key to unlocking the workforce. ”

Working with the Treasury, Downing Street is said to be planning a gradual reduction of sector-by-sector restrictions.

Other options on the cards to help lift the blockade could be to reopen other stores, send some back to work, or allow youth to leave first.

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This morning, the new Labor chief, Sir Keir Starmer, urged ministers to establish their plan for what will happen next.

“Therefore, the question for Thursday is no longer about whether the blockade should be extended, but what is the position of governments on how and when it can be eased in due course and on what criteria that decision will be taken” Sir Keir said in a letter to the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab.

“Overcoming this crisis requires taking the British public with you,” he added.

“The government must be open and transparent … Silent pressures on communities across the country cannot be underestimated.”

He added: “I think some of the decisions made in the last few weeks were too slow and they did not learn quickly enough from other countries, let’s not repeat it.”

But a British government source said all decisions would be guided by scientific advice and data.

“Talking about an exit strategy before reaching risk peaks confuses the critical message that people need to stay home to protect our NHS (National Health Service) and save lives,” said the source.

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Nursing home assistant, 21, working her first job dies of coronavirus a few days after being infected