The Government’s plea for people to “stay at home” amid the coronavirus pandemic may have proved "slightly too successful", a leading statistician has suggested after data showed Britons are fearful about any easing of a nationwide lockdown.
According to a recent survey by Ipsos Mori, more than 60 per cent of Britons would feel uncomfortable carrying out regular activities such as visiting bars and restaurants or using public transport if the lockdown is eased in the next month.
More than 40 per cent would also be reluctant to go shopping or send their children to school, and approximately a third of Britons would be concerned about going to work or meeting friends, the survey suggested.
Commenting on the figures, Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, of Cambridge University, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday that it was "much harder to frighten to people to stay at home than it is to reassure them they can go out again".
