The UK Government issued a 50 page document at 2.00pm today which is entitled Our Plan to Rebuild – The UK Government’s Covid-19 recovery strategy.
The Prime Minister will address the Commons at 3.30pm.
Some of this only applies in England.
But it gives more detail to the Prime Minister’s statement made last night on TV which has resulted in some confused messaging and criticism.
The document sets out the various stages of the recovery and what will happen when.
For example in England from Wednesday 13 May 2020, while workers should still work at home if they can, those whose workplace is open should travel to work. There are specific sectors mentioned such as food production, construction, manufacturing, logistics, distribution and scientific research in laboratories. The only exception is those like hospitality and non-essential retail which during the first stage the Government requires to keep closed.
Workplaces must follow the new Covid-19 Secure guidelines which are mentioned in the guide, but not specified.
The advice is to avoid public transport wherever possible, and the UK Government actively encourages walking and cycling by providing funding for widening pavements – in the same way as The Scottish Government has already done here.
The UK Government recommends wearing masks in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible. They say that homemade cloth face-coverings can help reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances. They are not meant to help the wearer but those people they come into contact with. They differentiate between face coverings and masks which are to be reserved for those front-line healthcare staff who really need them.
One key difference is that the UK Government allows people in England to drive any distance to an outdoor space for exercise, but not to travel to other parts of the UK, as it would be inconsistent with the rules there. But social distancing must be respected at all times.
Other key dates are 1 June when the government hopes to open nurseries and primary schools in England, and 4 July when more businesses there may be able to open.
There is much more content in the document than we have currently had time to read, and we embed it for you below:
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
