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| UK coronavirus live: Two-metre rule could be relaxed as lockdown eased, minister suggests | UK coronavirus live: Two-metre rule could be relaxed as lockdown eased, minister suggests |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| BBC reports it has seen regulations which include staggered shift times and reduced hot-desking | BBC reports it has seen regulations which include staggered shift times and reduced hot-desking |
| In an interview on the Today programme this morning Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust, a medical research charity, and a member of Sage, the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies, said that there was “nothing magical” about the two-metre rule and that other ways of minimising contact might be as effective . He told the programme: | |
| (As this BBC analysis by David Shukman explains, some of this “old data” goes back to the 1930s.) | |
| In his interview Farrar also said that, when the lockdown eased, he would not approve of separate rules applying to the over-70s just on the basis of their age. He said: | |
| Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, joining the blog for the day. | |
| We’ve already covered the main lines from the interviews giving by Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, this morning. (See 8.49am.) Here are some of the other points he’s been making. | |
| Wallace refused to back President Trump’s claim that evidence exists to show the coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, went further yesterday, claiming there was “enormous” evidence to this effect. But Wallace would not endorse these claims. Asked if he agreed, he replied: | |
| Wallace rejected claims there was a blanket rule saying the over-70s have to rigorously self-isolate. He said: | |
| Wallace’s comment is correct, but it is striking that six weeks into the lockdown, there is still confusion about what the rules actually say. The problem was also highlighted by this tweet at the weekend from Matt Hancock, the health secretary, in response to the Sunday Times splash. | |
| The confusion arises because there are three groups of people covered by social distancing rules: normal people; around 1.5m people described as “clinically extremely vulnerable”, who have been told to “shield” at home at least until the end of June; and the over-70s and other “clinically vulnerable” people. | |
| Special rules (pdf) apply to the “clinically extremely vulnerable”. But people who are just “clinically vulnerable” are told to apply the same rules as everyone else, with the proviso that they should take “particular care” to minimise contact with people outside their home. | |
| Wallace said the absentee rate from coronavirus in the armed forces was about half that seen in the rest of the community. He said that might be because of the “strong personal discipline” imposed on members of the armed forces to follow hygiene routines. | |
| Half the workforce at a care home on Skye have been sent home after contracting Covid-19, in a major outbreak which has infected nearly all the facility’s elderly residents. | |
| NHS Highland tested all the staff and residents at Home Farm care home in Portree after cases emerged last week and found 28 out of its 34 residents were positive for Covid-19 and 26 of its 52 staff. | |
| Soldiers from Royal Regiment of Scotland have set up a mobile testing site in Broadford, a village on Skye, and extra staff have been drafted into help run the home with the help of the local council and NHS Highland. Infected staff have been told to self-isolate for seven days and their immediate family for 14 days. | |
| Dr Ken Oates, the board’s director of public health, said: | |
| Ian Blackford, the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said the outbreak was particularly worrying because the nearest hospital ventilators were in Inverness, 112 miles away. | |
| Sir David King, a former government chief scientific adviser who will chair an “independent” alternative to the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) at midday, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the new board was necessary because he feared experts were deferring to ministers. Asked if that meant they were not free to speak their minds, he responded: | Sir David King, a former government chief scientific adviser who will chair an “independent” alternative to the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) at midday, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the new board was necessary because he feared experts were deferring to ministers. Asked if that meant they were not free to speak their minds, he responded: |
| King will launch his “alternative Sage” – in which experts will discuss the UK’s approach to coronavirus – on YouTube at 12pm. You can watch it here. He’ll follow up with a press conference at 4pm. | King will launch his “alternative Sage” – in which experts will discuss the UK’s approach to coronavirus – on YouTube at 12pm. You can watch it here. He’ll follow up with a press conference at 4pm. |
| King said yesterday that public trust in science risked being damaged by potential political interference. He cited the government policy on face masks, which he said appeared to be politically convenient, but ran in contradiction to the best available evidence. | King said yesterday that public trust in science risked being damaged by potential political interference. He cited the government policy on face masks, which he said appeared to be politically convenient, but ran in contradiction to the best available evidence. |
| The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has been speaking to broadcasters this morning. The PA Media news agency has quotes from his interview with Sky News, in which he said that ministers were trying to source as many masks as possible in case they change the advice to recommend the public wears them. | The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has been speaking to broadcasters this morning. The PA Media news agency has quotes from his interview with Sky News, in which he said that ministers were trying to source as many masks as possible in case they change the advice to recommend the public wears them. |
| Wallace was asked whether people would be hesitant to return to work when the lockdown is eased after weeks of strict stay-at-home messaging. He said: | Wallace was asked whether people would be hesitant to return to work when the lockdown is eased after weeks of strict stay-at-home messaging. He said: |
| Wallace suggested the two-metre distancing rule could be relaxed to allow people to go back to work. | Wallace suggested the two-metre distancing rule could be relaxed to allow people to go back to work. |
| Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, has been speaking to BBC Breakfast. She said the public “deserve to be levelled with” over a detailed plan for easing lockdown measures. | Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, has been speaking to BBC Breakfast. She said the public “deserve to be levelled with” over a detailed plan for easing lockdown measures. |
| An article in today’s Guardian reports that government scientific advisers are examining the impact of letting children in their final year of primary school return to classrooms from 1 June. | An article in today’s Guardian reports that government scientific advisers are examining the impact of letting children in their final year of primary school return to classrooms from 1 June. |
| You can read the full report here - | You can read the full report here - |
| In the second instalment of his interview with Sun newspapers – the first having been published in the Sun on Sunday – Boris Johnson said he feared he would not live to see his son born when he was admitted to intensive care with Covid-19. | In the second instalment of his interview with Sun newspapers – the first having been published in the Sun on Sunday – Boris Johnson said he feared he would not live to see his son born when he was admitted to intensive care with Covid-19. |
| Asked if he had ever worried he might not live to meet his son Wilfred, who was born on Wednesday, he said: | Asked if he had ever worried he might not live to meet his son Wilfred, who was born on Wednesday, he said: |
| The prime minister said he “couldn’t see the way out of the skip” but that he had a “natural buoyancy or refusal to give in or harbour negative thoughts”. | The prime minister said he “couldn’t see the way out of the skip” but that he had a “natural buoyancy or refusal to give in or harbour negative thoughts”. |
| Johnson added: “I owe my life to our doctors and nurses and the healthcare workers. They pulled my chestnuts out of the fire, no question.” | Johnson added: “I owe my life to our doctors and nurses and the healthcare workers. They pulled my chestnuts out of the fire, no question.” |
| Guardian political correspondent Kate Proctor reports on today’s front page that tech firms are in talks with ministers about creating health passports to help Britons return safely to work using coronavirus testing and facial recognition. | Guardian political correspondent Kate Proctor reports on today’s front page that tech firms are in talks with ministers about creating health passports to help Britons return safely to work using coronavirus testing and facial recognition. |
| The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, is speaking to broadcasters this morning. He’ll be on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme at 8.10am. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves is also doing interviews with a range of broadcasters. I’ll bring you highlights from what they say. | The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, is speaking to broadcasters this morning. He’ll be on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme at 8.10am. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves is also doing interviews with a range of broadcasters. I’ll bring you highlights from what they say. |
| A selection of bankers, including the heads of commercial banking at HSBC and RBS, will give evidence on the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis | A selection of bankers, including the heads of commercial banking at HSBC and RBS, will give evidence on the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis |
| The government’s former chief scientific adviser David King will launch his “alternative Sage” meeting of experts on YouTube at midday. They will discuss the UK’s approach to coronavirus. It should be worth a watch. He’ll follow up with a press conference at 4pm. | The government’s former chief scientific adviser David King will launch his “alternative Sage” meeting of experts on YouTube at midday. They will discuss the UK’s approach to coronavirus. It should be worth a watch. He’ll follow up with a press conference at 4pm. |
| The business secretary, Alok Sharma, will take questions in the Commons from 2.30pm. Expect him to be asked about that draft guidance for employers. | The business secretary, Alok Sharma, will take questions in the Commons from 2.30pm. Expect him to be asked about that draft guidance for employers. |
| The information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, and Matthew Gould, who is heading up the NHSX contact tracing app, will also appear before parliament’s joint committee on human rights at 2.30pm. They will discuss the privacy issues surrounding the new app. The NHSX app is being trialled on the Isle of Wight this week. | The information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, and Matthew Gould, who is heading up the NHSX contact tracing app, will also appear before parliament’s joint committee on human rights at 2.30pm. They will discuss the privacy issues surrounding the new app. The NHSX app is being trialled on the Isle of Wight this week. |
| The health secretary, Matt Hancock, will take this evening’s Downing Street coronavirus press conference at 5pm. Politico’s London Playbook reports that he will unveil plans for a vast South Korean-style “test, track and trace” scheme. | The health secretary, Matt Hancock, will take this evening’s Downing Street coronavirus press conference at 5pm. Politico’s London Playbook reports that he will unveil plans for a vast South Korean-style “test, track and trace” scheme. |
| As reported yesterday, it is expected that the government will extend the current lockdown measures on Thursday and that Johnson will use Sunday’s press conference to set out a more detailed plan for how and when they will start to be lifted. | As reported yesterday, it is expected that the government will extend the current lockdown measures on Thursday and that Johnson will use Sunday’s press conference to set out a more detailed plan for how and when they will start to be lifted. |
| Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s UK coronavirus live blog. I’m Frances Perraudin and I’ll be bringing you the latest updates in the country’s response to the pandemic. | Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s UK coronavirus live blog. I’m Frances Perraudin and I’ll be bringing you the latest updates in the country’s response to the pandemic. |
| A draft government plan to ease the coronavirus lockdown has been seen by the BBC. It includes the suggestion that employers should minimise the number of people using equipment, stagger shift times, reduce hot desking and maximise home-working. The guidance also states that – where the 2 metre physical distance between employers can’t be maintained – PPE, screens and additional hygiene procedures should be used. | A draft government plan to ease the coronavirus lockdown has been seen by the BBC. It includes the suggestion that employers should minimise the number of people using equipment, stagger shift times, reduce hot desking and maximise home-working. The guidance also states that – where the 2 metre physical distance between employers can’t be maintained – PPE, screens and additional hygiene procedures should be used. |
| The director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning that businesses needed the government to be as specific as possible in its guidance. | The director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning that businesses needed the government to be as specific as possible in its guidance. |
| Elsewhere, a request by UK universities for a £2bn bailout has been rejected by the government. Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, has instead said that institutions could continue to charge the full £9,250 annual tuition fee for undergraduates while campuses remained closed and face-to-face classes were suspended, as long high standards of online teaching were maintained. The government will also bring forward £2.6bn in tuition fees that universities would have received at the start of the next academic year, as well as £100m in research funding. You can read the full story from our education Richard Adams here – | Elsewhere, a request by UK universities for a £2bn bailout has been rejected by the government. Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, has instead said that institutions could continue to charge the full £9,250 annual tuition fee for undergraduates while campuses remained closed and face-to-face classes were suspended, as long high standards of online teaching were maintained. The government will also bring forward £2.6bn in tuition fees that universities would have received at the start of the next academic year, as well as £100m in research funding. You can read the full story from our education Richard Adams here – |