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On Sunday
Boris Johnson will announce how far lockdown restrictions will be eased in
England and today the Scottish and Welsh governments gave some clues as to what might be said.
In short, don’t expect any major changes. Speaking at the the daily No.10 press briefing on Friday, environment secretary George Eustice said the
UK was still “not out of the woods” when it came to the
Coronavirus threat.
Here are five things we learned about next week’s easing of the coronavirus lockdown...1) There will be ‘no dramatic overnight change’Despite some headlines earlier this week proclaiming “freedom beckons”, one thing that was made clear on Friday was that Brits should not expect any major changes to the lockdown currently in place.
Wales announced restrictions in the country will continue for a further three weeks, with three “modest adjustments” from Monday while those in Northern
Ireland have been told there will be only “nuanced changes” to the clampdown on movement.
Speaking on Friday, Eustice, said: “We have to be realistic that there isn’t going to be any dramatic overnight change, we will be very very cautious as we loosen the restrictions we have, as the data that we’re outlining on a daily basis shows we are not out of the woods.”2) Not all countries are following the same pathThe UK looks likely to operate under slightly different lockdown rules next week after announcements by the leaders of the Welsh and Scottish governments suggested deviation between nations.
The announcements come around 48 hours before Boris Johnson is due to declare the result of the UK government’s review into what rule changes should be brought in for England.
Speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, Nicola Sturgeon said there was a “helpful recognition”in her call with the PM that the “four UK nations may well move at different speeds if our data about the spread of the virus says that that is necessary to suppress it”.3) You could be allowed to exercise outside moreBoth
Scotland and Wales have announced that people in those countries will be allowed more exercise, the most significant move so far in lifting restrictions.
Welsh leader Mr Drakeford announced that, as of next week, people west of Offa’s Dyke will be allowed to exercise more than once a day.
In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the “only change” being considered “in the immediate term” is on allowing longer than one hour of outdoor exercise a day.4) Garden centres could reopen (and drive-through McDonalds already should be)Another easing of the restrictions announced on Friday was allowing garden centres to reopen if they can observe social distancing rules.
This has only been specifically mentioned by the Welsh government so far which also said local authorities will also be able to begin planning how to open libraries and municipal recycling centres.🏴 Lockdown restrictions will continue in Wales for at least the next three weeks.🏴 We must not lose the progress we have made in dealing with Coronavirus.🏴 While minor adjustments will be made, the advice remains #StayHomeSaveLivespic.twitter.com/xPLftrFNLJ— Welsh
Labour (@WelshLabour) May 8, 2020Elsewhere, Eustice urged the reopening of some restaurant take away services, saying “a McDonalds drive-though is made for the social-distancing situation we are in”.
The environment secretary said he had been in touch with “food-to-go outlets” about how they could serve the public safely while lockdown measures are in place.
Many restaurants including McDonalds and KFC chose to close all their stores despite being exempt from the government’s lockdown rules.5) It’s not a one-way streetAny easing of the restrictions is reliant on the infection rate of the virus remaining manageable.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden warned if there was “any indication that things are starting to get out of control” the government “won’t hesitate to step back” and reimpose certain bans on interactions.
It comes after newspaper reports that pub gardens and cafes with outdoor space could be allowed to reopen, with restrictions on sunbathing and playing outdoor sports also relaxed.Related... This Is What Your Weekend Might Look Like In Post-Lockdown Britain Government Minister Urges McDonalds Drive-Throughs To Reopen