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Coronavirus: Six ways the lockdown has changed the UK Coronavirus: Eight ways the lockdown has changed the UK
(12 days later)
Life in the UK has been transformed since restrictions were brought in to curb the spread of coronavirus.Life in the UK has been transformed since restrictions were brought in to curb the spread of coronavirus.
On 23 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said all non-essential travel and public gatherings had to stop, with people urged to leave home only for exercise, to shop for essential items, for medical care, or when their work could not be done at home. The restrictions, which have affected all aspects of society, will be reviewed this week and the government has promised to lay out a "comprehensive plan" to restart the economy, reopen schools and help people travel to work.
All shops selling non-essential items closed along with pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and places of worship. The restrictions, which have affected all aspects of society, will continue until at least early May. But how has life changed over the past six weeks?
So, what else has changed? 1) Some have returned to their cars
1) People are largely keeping their distance While other transport use has consistently stayed down, there has been a slight uptick on the number of vehicles on the road.
The aim has of the lockdown is to limit the spread of coronavirus, to help the NHS to cope and ultimately reduce the number of deaths from the disease. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries has said she wants to ''reinforce'' how important it is that people carry on reducing their travelling.
The government says the number of new cases is stabilising and suggests there is evidence that the public's adherence to the measures is starting to have an impact. Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police have warned of speeders ''using the quieter roads as their own personal racetrack" after a motorist drove at 115mph on a 40mph road.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, said: "It's not taking off in that sharp uptake, it's not gone sky high. And if anything there might even be some flattening. That is because of what we're all doing with social distancing." Meanwhile, trips to supermarkets and workplaces are still down significantly compared with the start of the year, according to Google data.
The way people are using the health service is also changing. However, visits to parks have almost returned to normal levels, after dropping by more than 50% in the first few weeks of lockdown.
In March, the number of people attending A&E dropped whilst the numbers of calls made to 111 - the NHS hotline - reached record highs. Several parks, including Brockwell Park in South London, briefly closed at the start of April amid social distancing concerns. But Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has since said that people "need parks" and councils must keep them open.
2) Fewer journeys made It also appears slightly more people are travelling to their workplaces, which may be a factor behind the higher number of cars on the road.
The public's use of transport has fallen dramatically, although this trend started before the lockdown measures were announced, as many people started to work from home. 2) The UK is 'past the peak' of the disease
Overall transport use - road, rail and the Tube in London - fell by 60% between early February and the beginning of April according to the Department for Transport. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is "past the peak" of the coronavirus outbreak, but has stressed the country must not "risk a second spike".
Footfall at major railway stations across the country has also fallen significantly, data from Network Rail suggests His comments may surprise some, given the jump in deaths during the last week of April, the BBC's Health Correspondent Nick Triggle says.
In the week before the lockdown measures were brought in, footfall at Birmingham New Street station stood at over half a million. But that had fallen by 86% at the start of April to 71,230. It's a similar trend for London and Manchester. But those figures have been inflated by the retrospective inclusion of deaths in the community, mainly care homes, which date back to March.
Trips to parks and beaches on 11 April, the third Saturday of lockdown, were 37% lower than normal according to Google analytics data. But a week into the restrictions, they had been down by over half. By tracking hospital deaths, which are a sign of transmission in the general population, there is strong evidence that the UK hit the peak on 8 April.
Six ways the lockdown has changed the UK Mr Johnson says the UK must keep the R rate - the number of people to which one infected person will pass the virus - below one in order to avoid a second peak
3) Crime is down but anti-social behaviour is up 3) The health service went digital
In England and Wales, crime fell by 28% in the four weeks to 12 April, compared to the same time last year. Home burglary, for example, was down by more than a third, as people spent far more time indoors. The way people are using the health service is changing.
However, incidents of anti-social behaviour rose by 59%. Only about 14% of doctor's appointments were carried out over phone or video link in the year to February 2020.
The increase was likely to be linked to breaches of lockdown measures, with more than 3,200 fines issued in England, the National Police Chiefs' Council said. But that has all changed, with the number of phone appointments doubling in March as the public became conscious of the need for social distancing.
Meanwhile, the National Domestic Abuse helpline has seen a 25% increase in calls since the lockdown, the charity Refuge says. The Royal College of GPs has said most people were "pretty happy" with phone appointments. But charity Age UK has urged doctors not to drop home visits and to "proactively" seek out vulnerable patients.
It is now receiving hundreds of extra calls for help every week. At the same time, the number of people attending A&E dropped while the numbers of calls made to 111 - the NHS hotline - reached record highs.
Isolation can make pre-existing abusive behaviour worse, but isn't the reason for it, says Refuge, which runs the helpline. But the health service says it is vital that people continue to seek medical help if they need it.
Other countries have seen increases, including a 32% rise in reported domestic violence cases in France and a 12% increase in calls to Spain's gender violence hotline, since lockdowns began. "If you do have symptoms of stroke, chest pain and think it might be a heart attack, a sick child who is deteriorating, if you are a pregnant woman and the baby is not moving as much as it used to - it is important you don't delay," says NHS England's medical director Stephen Powis.
4) Shopping sales 4) Millions have turned to the government's furlough scheme
Six weeks ago, many people would have never heard of furlough.
But millions now rely on the scheme, which pays up to 80% of the wages of staff at businesses struggling to operate under coronavirus restrictions.
About 185,000 firms applied for the scheme on 20 April, the day it went live. Those claims alone covered 1.3 million workers and cost the Treasury an estimated £1.5bn.
Many more have applied since then, with two thirds of businesses polled by the Office for National Statistics reporting they have furloughed at least part of their workforce.
One in four of firms still trading said their turnover had fallen by at least 50% since the lockdown.
At the same time, applications for universal credit have soared on this time last year.
About three quarters of a million claims were made in the first week of lockdown, over 20 times as many as would apply in an average week.
While there is still considerable pressure on the benefits system, the figures show that the number of claims is now starting to come down, having peaked in the first week of lockdown.
5) Most think normal life is a long way off
The majority of the public think normal life won't resume for at least four months, with about 40% saying they think it will take over six months for this to happen, according to the ONS.
And the lockdown is having a significant effect on the way people live, with four in 10 saying it had affected their travel plans and their wellbeing, while one in five said it had affected their relationships.
6) Frozen food and alcohol are lockdown bestsellers
It appears that many people were turning to baking and drinking after a month in lockdown.
Half of the 10 products seeing the biggest growth in the week to April 25 were related to home baking, with sales of fresh dough and pastry rising by 110% on the same time a year earlier.
Meanwhile, sales of stout were up 83% and cider up 63%, with overall sales of alcohol rising by more than a third.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, sales of frozen and long lasting foods have also risen significantly on a year ago, according to the figures from consultancy Neilsen.
In the week before the restrictions started, supermarket sales were 43% higher than the same time last year, as many rushed to stock up amid fear of shortages.In the week before the restrictions started, supermarket sales were 43% higher than the same time last year, as many rushed to stock up amid fear of shortages.
But average sales fell by 7.4% over the first fortnight of lockdown according to consultancy Neilsen. But average sales fell in the first fortnight of lockdown, before going back up again.
"When the country was told not to travel people stopped shopping," says Mike Watkins, Nielsen's head of retailer and business insight. "They had already bought a lot of stuff, and their larders and freezers were full.""When the country was told not to travel people stopped shopping," says Mike Watkins, Nielsen's head of retailer and business insight. "They had already bought a lot of stuff, and their larders and freezers were full."
However, supermarket sales were back up to almost 9% higher than average in the week ending 11 April - perhaps people had eaten all the extra food they had bought. Are more people breaking lockdown?
So, what have the most popular items been? 7) Better air quality
Beer, wine and spirits sales at supermarkets shot up by a third in the week before the bank holiday, as people stocked up ahead of the long weekend.
Sales of computer games and software shot up by 140%, closely followed by bulbs and seeds. Sales of stamps and of fresh dough and pastry were both up almost 80%.
However, overall sales of non-food items continued to decline, with toiletry purchases down 23%.
5) More demand for benefit
Close to one million people have applied for universal credit since the lockdown began.
Of these, 473,000 applied in the first eight days, almost as many as applied during the whole of the preceding three weeks, and almost 10 times as many as would apply in an average week.
Universal credit is a consolidated monthly payment for those of working-age, replacing a host of previous benefits including income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit, child tax credit and working tax credit.
While there is still considerable pressure on the benefits system, the figures show that the number of claims is now starting to come down, having peaked in the first week of lockdown.
6) Better air quality
Air pollution levels in the UK have dropped significantly in the weeks since the country went into lockdown.Air pollution levels in the UK have dropped significantly in the weeks since the country went into lockdown.
The level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has fallen across the UK, with the daily average down almost 40% on the same period last year. The level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) has fallen across the UK, with the daily average down by about 50% on the same period last year.
NO2, released from car exhausts, is a serious air pollutant.NO2, released from car exhausts, is a serious air pollutant.
Some cities have seen levels fall by more than 60%, including Brighton and Portsmouth, according to BBC analysis of Defra statistics.Some cities have seen levels fall by more than 60%, including Brighton and Portsmouth, according to BBC analysis of Defra statistics.
Daily readings from air quality monitoring stations were compared with the same period last year. 8) Crime is down but anti-social behaviour is up
In England and Wales, crime fell by 28% in the four weeks to 12 April, compared to the same time last year. Home burglary, for example, was down by more than a third, as people spent far more time indoors.
However, incidents of anti-social behaviour rose by 59%.
The increase was likely to be linked to breaches of lockdown measures, with more than 3,200 fines issued in England, the National Police Chiefs' Council said.
Meanwhile, the National Domestic Abuse helpline saw a 25% increase in calls in the first two weeks of lockdown, rising to 49% after three weeks, the charity Refuge says.
It is now receiving hundreds of extra calls for help every week.
This piece was first published on 13 April and has been updated to include the latest statistics.This piece was first published on 13 April and has been updated to include the latest statistics.
Reporting by Eleanor Lawrie, Ben Butcher, Joel Massey, Jake Horton and Nicholas Barrett. Additional reporting by Joel Massey, Jake Horton and Nicholas Barrett.