The government has published its Covid-19 recovery strategy for England, setting out a timeframe for a return to normality and measures to tackle the threat of a second wave and local outbreaks. These are the main points:
Local lockdowns
Local authorities have been handed significant new powers, to be used with “discretion”. From Saturday they can close individual premises and public outdoor places and prevent events taking place. Councils are required to notify the government as soon as possible after exercise of such powers and to review their decision at least once every seven days.
They will be able to seek support from ministers to close schools or limit attendance to certain year groups.
Draft regulations will be published next week detailing possible interventions by ministers “to address more serious and wider-spread cases”, which could include:
Closing businesses and venues in whole sectors, such as food production or non-essential retail, or within a defined geographical area.
Imposing general restrictions on movement of people, including requirements to stay at home, preventing overnight stays outside the home, or restrictions on entering or leaving a defined area.
Limiting how many people can meet and whether they can travel in and out of an area to do so.
Restricting local or national transport systems – closing them entirely or introducing capacity limits or geographical restrictions.
Mandating use of face coverings in a wider range of public places.
Preparations for a second wave
Antigen test capacity – the test that tells you if you currently have the virus – is now running at more than 200,000 tests a day, compared with fewer than 2,000 at the start of March, according to the government. This target will increase to at least half a million a day by the end of October to tackle a potential winter outbreak.
In his speech on Friday, Boris Johnson said the number of ventilators available to patients across the UK had risen to almost 30,000, up from 9,000 before the pandemic.
Auditing is taking place to ensure winter stockpiles of equipment and personal protective equipment are at the right levels. Shortages of and supply problems with PPE were a recurring issue during the first wave of the pandemic.
The UK’s biggest ever flu vaccination programme is planned to help relieve pressure on the NHS. A communications strategy to improve awareness of the service is being targeted at priority groups including black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, non-English speakers and others at particular risk.
Backward contact tracing is being introduced to identify sources of outbreaks.
An app will be introduced to enable individuals to book a test easily, and “if trials support it” allow for digital contact tracing. It will also let people scan the unique QR codes of venues they have visited to help with contact tracing.
The government says there will be a trebling of the size of local health protection teams from 360 people to 1,100 by the end of July.
An additional £3bn of funding is being provided to the NHS in England to get ready for winter, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also receiving additional funds. The cash is intended to enable the NHS to continue to use the extra capacity acquired from private hospitals and also to maintain the Nightingale hospitals until the end of March next year.
Easing of lockdown
Most remaining leisure centres – namely bowling alleys, skating rinks and casinos – are to reopen from 1 August, and all close-contact services such as those offered by beauticians will be allowed to resume. Beauty salons have been allowed to open since Monday but with restrictions on procedures carried out directly in front of the face. The government was accused of sexism after setting rules that allowed men to have their beards tidied but prevented eyebrow and upper lip waxing or threading – services largely, but not exclusively, used by women.
Subject to the success of pilots, indoor performances – meaning gigs and theatre- will restart to live audiences from 1 August. Pilots will also take place, some from late July, in sports stadiums and venues hosting business events, with a view to wider reopening in October should they be successful.
Wedding receptions with sit-down meals for up to 30 people will be permitted from 1 August.
The document expresses hope for a return towards normality in spring next year “in all cases” but “by November at the earliest”.
Returning to workplaces
Details in the document are scant, with two sentences simply saying: “Give employers more discretion on how they ensure employees can work safely. Working from home is one way to do this, but workplaces can also be made safe by following Covid-19 secure guidelines.”
Johnson fleshed this out somewhat in his speech, saying advice would be updated on 1 August, replacing the current guidance to work from home where possible.
The decision rests on the shoulders of employers, who Johnson said would be asked “to make decisions about how their staff can work safely”. He added: “Whatever employers decide, they should consult closely with their employees, and only ask people to return to their place of work if it is safe.”
It is a toning down of Johnson’s message last week that people should “go back to work if you can”, which prompted unions and business groups to raise concerns about a hasty return to the office.
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