Britain heading for a limited easing of lockdown next week

[webfact]

Britain heading for a limited easing of lockdown next week

By Elizabeth Piper

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly question time debate in Parliament in London, Britain May 6, 2020. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a very limited easing of Britain's coronavirus lockdown next week, adopting a cautious approach to try to ensure there is no second peak of infections that could further hurt the economy.

 

Johnson is due to announce the next steps in Britain's battle to tackle the novel coronavirus on Sunday following a review by ministers of the current measures that have all but shut the economy and kept millions at home.

 

His government has been criticised for moving too slowly to tackle the outbreak which has led to more than 30,000 deaths in Britain - a charge the government dismisses by saying it has taken the right decisions at the right time.

 

But with an increasing number of anecdotal reports that more people are flouting the lockdown in anticipation of Sunday's announcement and a public holiday on Friday, ministers are under pressure to make any new rules as clear as possible after being criticised for mixed messaging.

 

At a cabinet meeting of his top ministers, Johnson said Britain would advance "with maximum caution" and be guided by the science and data when considering whether any of the strict social distancing measures could be eased.

 

"Any easement to the guidelines next week will be very limited," his spokesman told reporters.

 

Any easing of Britain's lockdown represents a huge risk and could be stalled by an increase in infection rates, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday, warning that if social distancing lapsed, the virus would spread exponentially.

 

"We are at a critical moment in the fight against the virus and we will not do anything which risks throwing away the efforts and sacrifices of the British public."

 

Ministers fear a swift easing could lead to a second peak in infection rates, which might overwhelm hospitals and force a second shutdown of businesses.

 

Earlier, the Bank of England underlined how deeply the lockdown had hurt the economy, saying Britain could be headed for its biggest economic slump in over 300 years.

 

Johnson, who says he fought for his life after himself contracting COVID-19, has ploughed money into a support programme for businesses, but appears to be erring on the side of caution of immediately firing up the economy.

 

GRADUAL MOVE

Officials suggest there will be a gradual move towards re-opening businesses. Ministers say that those operating outdoors might be able to find a way to work in the summer months but have warned that it was too soon to re-open schools.

 

To try to shore up support for his action plan, Johnson briefed opposition leaders on the latest situation, with Labour leader Keir Starmer saying there needed to be a national consensus on the next steps in tackling the virus.

 

"He also reiterated the seven principles that he wants the government to consider when planning for the next phase, including safety at work and preventing a cliff-edge to the job protection scheme," a spokesperson for Starmer said.

 

Johnson also wants to pursue a strategy that unites the four countries of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland, with his spokesman saying the four-nation approach was the best way forward.

 

But Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the only change to the lockdown which had been floated in the media that she might agree to in the immediate future was the limit on people only exercising once a day.

 

"I must make judgments informed by the evidence that are right and safe for Scotland," Sturgeon, who will decide on whether to ease measures in Scotland, told reporters.

 

(Writing by Elizabeth Piper and Michael Holden; editing by Kate Holton and Stephen Addison)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-08

 

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[JonnyF]

Good news. Sensible social distancing is the best way forward at this point, not full lockdown.

[Yinn]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

We are at a critical moment in the fight against the virus and we will not do anything which risks throwing away the efforts and sacrifices of the British public."

30,000 die in hospital already. 10,000+ more in “care homes”.

500+ everyday. Worse one in Europe.

300+ NEW infections everyday.

 

The peak not finish in UK, not control it, but want to open quickly for money. IMO is stupid, will increase again, must close again. For what?

 

UK do bad job control covid already. Now will be worse more. 

 

I hope thailand government ban UK tourist come until it finish there. Maybe in one year?

[Yinn]

56 minutes ago, webfact said:

Johnson, who says he fought for his life after himself contracting COVID-19

 

57 minutes ago, webfact said:

He also reiterated the seven principles that he wants the government to consider when planning for the next phase, including safety at work

 

 

 

Wow. Say, but not do.

[faraday]

Spoke with my sister last night in blighty...

 

Still not wearing masks!

[Yinn]

3 minutes ago, faraday said:

Spoke with my sister last night in blighty...

 

Still not wearing masks!

Some westerners refuse the mask, protest social distance, want to shake everyone hand. 

Fight for “ human rights”.

 

Think a virus care about “human right”? Gee. Stupid.

Protest the virus??? Virus not speak English sure.

 

 

 

 

[pegman]

Worst reponce to the pandemic if it wasn't for the Americans. BoJo seems determined to out Trump Trump. Fortunately for Scotland they have independence in how they go forward. It will be interesting to compare victim counts between England and Scotland once this is all done with. 

[colinneil]

2 minutes ago, pegman said:

Worst reponce to the pandemic if it wasn't for the Americans. BoJo seems determined to out Trump Trump. Fortunately for Scotland they have independence in how they go forward. It will be interesting to compare victim counts between England and Scotland once this is all done with. 

Why wait until it is over to compare numbers between Scotland/ England?

BBC show it daily, all you need to do is look, or are you too busy trying to discredit Boris and the English.

[Neeranam]

50 minutes ago, colinneil said:

BBC show it daily, all you need to do is look, or are you too busy trying to discredit Boris and the English.

Don't believe a word of what the BBC say, especially regarding Scotland.

Also, the fact that Bill Gates sponsors the BBC is scary.

[Neeranam]

2 hours ago, Yinn said:

I hope thailand government ban UK tourist come until it finish there. Maybe in one year?

Like they banned the Chinese a couple of months ago?

[Neeranam]

Boris is a total failure and the sooner we Scots get independence the better!

 

 

[Andrew65]

1 hour ago, pegman said:

Worst reponce to the pandemic if it wasn't for the Americans. BoJo seems determined to out Trump Trump. Fortunately for Scotland they have independence in how they go forward. It will be interesting to compare victim counts between England and Scotland once this is all done with. 

True, but Scotland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, a bit like New Zealand. London alone has almost double the population of Scotland. That I think is a kicker.

Scotland's population density 67 people per km sq
England's population density 671 people per km sq

Edited May 8, 2020 by Andrew65

[pegman]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

Why wait until it is over to compare numbers between Scotland/ England?

BBC show it daily, all you need to do is look, or are you too busy trying to discredit Boris and the English.

I did check and from what I found Scotland has about 1,800 victims and England/Wales 30k. That's a significantly higher rate in England/Wales than in Scotland. Of course that could change but with BoJo running amuck I highly doubt it. I must confess I have no use for Tories in my own country or elsewhere. As for England most of my ancestry originated from there, other than a grandfather from Milton, so I have a big place in my heart for it. 

[colinneil]

40 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Boris is a total failure and the sooner we Scots get independence the better!

 

 

The sooner we Scots get independence, you are surely joking, as you keep prattling on about you getting Thai citizen ship.

 

[JonnyF]

3 hours ago, Yinn said:

30,000 die in hospital already. 10,000+ more in “care homes”.

500+ everyday. Worse one in Europe.

300+ NEW infections everyday.

 

The peak not finish in UK, not control it, but want to open quickly for money. IMO is stupid, will increase again, must close again. For what?

 

UK do bad job control covid already. Now will be worse more. 

 

I hope thailand government ban UK tourist come until it finish there. Maybe in one year?

Actually the figures suggest it has peaked.

 

 

There's also little evidence to suggest that full lockdown is better than social distancing. Thailand and Sweden are 2 examples of countries that didn't do a full lockdown and are doing better than other countries that did a full lockdown.

 

On the money issue, do you realize that a weak economy leads to increased deaths in the population in the long term? So it's not as simple as saying "You care economy more than you care people". You are over-simplifying things.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

Actually the figures suggest it has peaked.

 

There's also little evidence to suggest that full lockdown is better than social distancing. Thailand and Sweden are 2 examples of countries that didn't do a full lockdown and are doing better than other countries that did a full lockdown.

 

On the money issue, do you realize that a weak economy leads to increased deaths in the population in the long term? So it's not as simple as saying "You care economy more than you care people". You are over-simplifying things.

 

 

 

Agree with that  -  although comparing Thailand or Sweden to the UK also over-simplifies it.

 

 

Moving out towards a 'new normal' is essential for all the reasons you mention; the sooner that starts, the better. The strategy for that, and controlling it, will be interesting.

[Andrew65]

50 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

 

Agree with that  -  although comparing Thailand or Sweden to the UK also over-simplifies it.

 

 

Moving out towards a 'new normal' is essential for all the reasons you mention; the sooner that starts, the better. The strategy for that, and controlling it, will be interesting.

The cold hard reality is that how long can a Gvt go on paying 6 million people (UK) for doing nothing, whilst the economy's also at a virtual standstill? The British taxpayer'll be stumping-up for this for the next 5-10 years, it's a real game-changer for Boris' government, and the country.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Andrew65

[Bluespunk]

5 hours ago, Yinn said:

30,000 die in hospital already. 10,000+ more in “care homes”.

500+ everyday. Worse one in Europe.

300+ NEW infections everyday.

 

The peak not finish in UK, not control it, but want to open quickly for money. IMO is stupid, will increase again, must close again. For what?

 

UK do bad job control covid already. Now will be worse more. 

 

I hope thailand government ban UK tourist come until it finish there. Maybe in one year?

40,000 dead? Where do you get that number from?

[dunroaming]

5 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

True, but Scotland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, a bit like New Zealand. London alone has almost double the population of Scotland. That I think is a kicker.

Scotland's population density 67 people per km sq
England's population density 671 people per km sq

Valid point. The reason that London and the south east has the most cases is down to the fact it is not only densely populated but also very transient.  You simply cannot compare England with Scotland or indeed New Zealand.

 

Of course it is important to get the economy going again but there has to be a balance between safe practices and businesses surviving.  For me, I don't think they should lift lockdown until the NHS have enough PPE to protect them and right now they don't!

[Baerboxer]

8 hours ago, Yinn said:

30,000 die in hospital already. 10,000+ more in “care homes”.

500+ everyday. Worse one in Europe.

300+ NEW infections everyday.

 

The peak not finish in UK, not control it, but want to open quickly for money. IMO is stupid, will increase again, must close again. For what?

 

UK do bad job control covid already. Now will be worse more. 

 

I hope thailand government ban UK tourist come until it finish there. Maybe in one year?

 

Certainly ban French, Italian, Spanish, and Belgian tourists too then. Or do you believe they've done a good job?

 

[Baerboxer]

14 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

Valid point. The reason that London and the south east has the most cases is down to the fact it is not only densely populated but also very transient.  You simply cannot compare England with Scotland or indeed New Zealand.

 

Of course it is important to get the economy going again but there has to be a balance between safe practices and businesses surviving.  For me, I don't think they should lift lockdown until the NHS have enough PPE to protect them and right now they don't!

 

Agree with you, but would add that London and the South East are different to the other parts of England and Wales. Dense populations, many from sectors of the community that have been statistically identified as more at risk and the entry point for many arrivals into the UK. UK doesn't test arrivals and hasn't closed its borders.

[vogie]

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Boris is a total failure and the sooner we Scots get independence the better!

 

 

"We Scots = The SNP.

[bkk6060]

I have always enjoyed traveling Britain.

Sure wish them good luck with this hope it is all the right decision.

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, pegman said:

Worst reponce to the pandemic if it wasn't for the Americans. BoJo seems determined to out Trump Trump. Fortunately for Scotland they have independence in how they go forward. It will be interesting to compare victim counts between England and Scotland once this is all done with. 

 

Given the unknown variables and moderating factors of this pandemic it's very difficult to predict the right response. If you try to group countries by like response the results are often different. Similarly some countries have had good results but employed very different responses.

 

The different ways of calculating cases and deaths attributed to Covid 19 - what they include, what they don't, being used by countries also clouds things. 

 

A great deal more research will need to be done before valid conclusions can be made.

 

As for Scotland, the Scottish National Socialist Leader is simple trying to hand on to as much control (power ego) for as long as possible; always talks in the singular person to emphasize she makes all the decisions (power ego but makes sure her muppets have no one to question her) and is loving her power trip; and will constantly try to twist any facts for political gain as she has done since replacing Salmond. 

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Boris is a total failure and the sooner we Scots get independence the better!

 

 

 

Heil Nicola!

 

She, as she likes to spout off, runs things in Scotland. She's in charge of health in Scotland and she'll make all the decisions. And whatever happens, the British tax payer will fund her cock-ups; and she'll blame anyone for everything as she never ever is wrong.

 

Good luck with her.

[Baerboxer]

5 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Actually the figures suggest it has peaked.

 

 

There's also little evidence to suggest that full lockdown is better than social distancing. Thailand and Sweden are 2 examples of countries that didn't do a full lockdown and are doing better than other countries that did a full lockdown.

 

On the money issue, do you realize that a weak economy leads to increased deaths in the population in the long term? So it's not as simple as saying "You care economy more than you care people". You are over-simplifying things.

 

I read yesterday that the British government statisticians include "deaths suspected as being due to covid 19" in the official figures. Whereas some other countries only include confirmed definite cases.

 

 

[tribalfusion001]

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Don't believe a word of what the BBC say, especially regarding Scotland.

Also, the fact that Bill Gates sponsors the BBC is scary.

The BBC is paid for by the licence fee and BBC worldwide is funded by the tv shows it sells abroad. BBC Media Action does have some funding by Bill Gates https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/about/funding

[tribalfusion001]

13 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

I read yesterday that the British government statisticians include "deaths suspected as being due to covid 19" in the official figures. Whereas some other countries only include confirmed definite cases.

 

 

Correct we include suspected deaths as many who die at home or in care homes are not tested. It's totally fake way of collecting the figures seeing as 96%+ have multiple underyling medical conditions and the people who die at home or care home could have terminal cancer.

[RuamRudy]

22 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Correct we include suspected deaths as many who die at home or in care homes are not tested. It's totally fake way of collecting the figures seeing as 96%+ have multiple underyling medical conditions and the people who die at home or care home could have terminal cancer.

It isn't fake at all. Cause of death is not determined by picking a random number from a bag - in the absence of verifiable evidence, qualified medical examiners use their expertise to determine what is the most likely cause of death.

 

I must admit though, your thought process is straying worryingly close to Johnson's eugenics fantasy. All our days are numbered. That some are closer to the end than others does not make the fact that COVID might have further hastened their departure any less of a scandal.

[natway09]

I certainly hope that they are very limited restrictions,

The UK never took it seriously anyway,

My friend returned via Heathrow 3 days ago from Thailand, no checks, questions, request for accommodation details   ,,,,,,,,,nothing just walked straight through ,,,,,,shocking really