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The Prime Minister said previously that the transmission rate – the “R” number – was below one for the whole country, meaning the virus was in retreat nationwide.
But he said he could only “unlock the economy gradually” because it was vital nothing was done that would reverse the hard-won gains of the nation’s “effort and sacrifice”.
In a blow to easing lockdown restrictions, the number of cases in care homes has now driven up the coronavirus reproductive rate. The Government has admitted the reproductive ‘R’ rate is now running at one in parts of the country.
Four strategies
The UK’s coronavirus epidemic peaked around April 8 and in recent weeks there has been an overall decline in admissions to hospital, the number of people in intensive care, and deaths.
But will that mean an end to social distancing, or could we be facing a lockdown until the end of the year?
Ahead of Mr Johnson’s speech, here are the four potential strategies for leaving the lockdown.
- Intermittent social distancing
- Allow the healthy and immune out
- Seek and destroy
- Wait for vaccine or treatment
Read the pros and cons of each strategy here.
The five tests
During a Downing Street press conference on 16 April, Dominic Raab, deputising at the time for Boris Johnson, set out five tests that must be met before the Government would consider lifting measures.
They are:
- Evidence that the NHS can cope across the UK
- A sustained fall in daily death rates
- Evidence that the rate of infection is decreasing
- Confidence that supplies of testing and PPE are able to meet demand
- No risk of a second peak
You can read more here on What are the Government’s five tests, and how far is the UK from passing these to lift lockdown?
Work
The Prime Minister placed an emphasis on the need to “fire up the engines of this vast UK economy” when he last addressed the nation having returned to work. It is likely to form a prominent part of his speech this time around too.
The Treasury and business departments have been in talks with firms about drawing up guidelines laying out how workplaces can operate safely, with proposed measures including wider walkways on building sites and the provision of hand sanitiser dispensers.
Companies will be asked to provide face coverings for staff who are required back at work.
Office workers who can work from home are expected to be asked to continue doing so for the time being.
It will be recommended that offices are recalibrated to allow for social distancing – with screens and barriers erected to protect people working side-by-side.
Meetings will be advised to take place remotely wherever possible and employers will be encouraged to provide hand sanitiser and properly ventilate buildings.
Ideas to help kickstart the country’s economy include staggered start times in offices and factories, and delayed lunch hours to limit the likelihood of overcrowding among workers in town centers.
One source with knowledge of the plans said it amounted to “the death of the rush hour”.
Companies will be encouraged to set up ways to take temperatures and testing facilities for Covid-19, with the instructions to send home immediately anyone who tests positive.
Companies will also be expected to make more use of the videoconferencing technology that has been used in the lockdown.
