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| UK's new 'stay alert' advice still means stay at home, says No 10 | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Ahead of Boris Johnson address, Labour says latest messaging risks making people think lockdown is over | |
| No 10 has clarified its new “stay alert” advice will still ask people to stay at home as much as possible and keep 2 metres apart in public, after Nicola Sturgeon led criticism of the slogan for being unclear about whether the lockdown is over. | |
| Downing Street faced a chorus of disapproval after replacing its advice to stay at home with the new “stay alert” instruction, with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all saying they wanted to stick with the original message. | |
| Ahead of an address to the nation at 7pm on Sunday, Boris Johnson confirmed the advice would change, but tweeted out a clarification of what “stay alert” would mean, after critics said it was meaningless and vague. | |
| The government said the new principles of “stay alert” were: | |
| Staying at home as much as possible. | |
| Working from home if you can. | |
| Limiting contact with other people. | |
| Keeping distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible). | |
| Washing your hands regularly. | |
| Self-isolating if anyone in your household has symptoms. | |
| More specific details are to be set out by the prime minister on Sunday evening, but the first steps of loosening the lockdown are likely to be allowing unlimited outdoor exercising within household groups and the reopening of garden centres this week. | |
| The government briefed the latest “stay alert” messaging to the media overnight, ahead of Johnson’s speech about easing the lockdown. But in a sign the UK’s “four nations” approach is fracturing, Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, said she had been given no advance sight of the slogan. | |
| “The Sunday papers is the first I’ve seen of the PM’s new slogan. It is of course for him to decide what’s most appropriate for England, but given the critical point we are at in tackling the virus, #StayHomeSaveLives remains my clear message to Scotland at this stage,” she said. | |
| Vaughan Gething, the Welsh health minister, said there had been no agreement from the devolved administrations and stressed the message for Wales “has not changed: stay at home and if you do go out observe the social distancing rules”. | |
| Arlene Foster, the first minister of Northern Ireland, also said it was right to the stay with the original slogan. She told the BBC: “On the whole, the message is to stay at home. We will say we are not deviating from the message at this time.” | |
| Labour said the “stay alert” messaging risked people thinking the lockdown was over, with people already having flocked to parks, beaches and street parties over the warm bank holiday weekend. | |
| Speaking to Sky News, Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, defended the slogan, saying the time was right for the UK to start gradually getting back to work as normal as the coronavirus epidemic is past its peak. | |
| Jenrick acknowledged the virus “continues to be prevalent, too many people are still dying of this and we’re going to have to live with it for a long time”. | Jenrick acknowledged the virus “continues to be prevalent, too many people are still dying of this and we’re going to have to live with it for a long time”. |
| But he told the Ridge on Sunday programme it was right to “update and broaden” the message to the public. | But he told the Ridge on Sunday programme it was right to “update and broaden” the message to the public. |
| “I think that’s what the public want and that they will be able to understand this message, which is that we should be staying home as much as possible but when we do go to work and go about our business we need to remain vigilant, we need to stay alert,” he continued. | “I think that’s what the public want and that they will be able to understand this message, which is that we should be staying home as much as possible but when we do go to work and go about our business we need to remain vigilant, we need to stay alert,” he continued. |
| “And that means things like respecting others, remaining 2 metres apart, washing your hands, following the social distancing guidelines because the virus continues to be prevalent, too many people are still dying of this and we’re going to have to live with it for a long time.” | “And that means things like respecting others, remaining 2 metres apart, washing your hands, following the social distancing guidelines because the virus continues to be prevalent, too many people are still dying of this and we’re going to have to live with it for a long time.” |
| Jenrick said the message had to be changed to encourage people to resume their roles at work while staying safe. It follows concerns in the Treasury about the huge numbers of people who have been furloughed at a cost of £8bn by 3 May. | Jenrick said the message had to be changed to encourage people to resume their roles at work while staying safe. It follows concerns in the Treasury about the huge numbers of people who have been furloughed at a cost of £8bn by 3 May. |
| “We’re not going to take risks with the public. I understand people are anxious about the future but we want now to have a message which encourages people to go to work,” he said. | “We’re not going to take risks with the public. I understand people are anxious about the future but we want now to have a message which encourages people to go to work,” he said. |
| “Staying home will still be an important part of the message but you will be able to go to work and you will in time be able to do some other activities that you’re not able to do today.” | “Staying home will still be an important part of the message but you will be able to go to work and you will in time be able to do some other activities that you’re not able to do today.” |
| Pressed if there was a danger the message was too woolly, Jenrick said: “Well, I hope not. We need to have a broader message because we want to slowly and cautiously restart the economy and the country.” | Pressed if there was a danger the message was too woolly, Jenrick said: “Well, I hope not. We need to have a broader message because we want to slowly and cautiously restart the economy and the country.” |
| The difficulties of conveying the message were underlined when Jenrick was pressed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show about what it meant. He said: “Stay alert by staying home as much as possible, but stay alert when you do go out by maintaining social distancing, washing your hands, respecting others at work.” | The difficulties of conveying the message were underlined when Jenrick was pressed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show about what it meant. He said: “Stay alert by staying home as much as possible, but stay alert when you do go out by maintaining social distancing, washing your hands, respecting others at work.” |
| Opposition politicians and some scientists said the slogan was too unspecific and would leave people thinking they no longer need to stay at home. | Opposition politicians and some scientists said the slogan was too unspecific and would leave people thinking they no longer need to stay at home. |
| Ashworth also told Sky the country needed clarity from the government on how they were meant to act as there was “no room for nuance” when dealing with a life-threatening virus. | |
| “The problem with the slogan is that people will be looking at it slightly puzzled,” he said. | “The problem with the slogan is that people will be looking at it slightly puzzled,” he said. |
| Ian Blackford, the SNP leader in Westminster, said: “What kind of buffoon thinks of this kind of nonsense? It is an invisible threat. Staying alert is not the answer.” | Ian Blackford, the SNP leader in Westminster, said: “What kind of buffoon thinks of this kind of nonsense? It is an invisible threat. Staying alert is not the answer.” |
| Prof Simon Wessely, regius professor of psychiatry at King’s College London and director of the health protection research unit in emergency preparedness and response, said it was difficult to know what “stay alert” meant, adding: “Research in similar situations shows that what the public most want is specific guidance on what to do and what not to do. I am not sure how this answers that.” | Prof Simon Wessely, regius professor of psychiatry at King’s College London and director of the health protection research unit in emergency preparedness and response, said it was difficult to know what “stay alert” meant, adding: “Research in similar situations shows that what the public most want is specific guidance on what to do and what not to do. I am not sure how this answers that.” |
| Prof Til Wykes, vice-dean of the institute of psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience at King’s College London, agreed. He said: “It will just be confusing, be open to misinterpretation and likely to increase risky behaviour – that means taking risks that will affect everyone and increase infections,” she said. | Prof Til Wykes, vice-dean of the institute of psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience at King’s College London, agreed. He said: “It will just be confusing, be open to misinterpretation and likely to increase risky behaviour – that means taking risks that will affect everyone and increase infections,” she said. |
| However, the government’s move to start reopening the economy won praise from some Conservative backbenchers who have been pressing for an end to the lockdown. David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said he believed the government should allow “people to rely more on common sense than blanket rules”. | However, the government’s move to start reopening the economy won praise from some Conservative backbenchers who have been pressing for an end to the lockdown. David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said he believed the government should allow “people to rely more on common sense than blanket rules”. |
| Jenrick also explained the government would adopt a new “five-level” threat system to describe the risk the UK faces from coronavirus. | Jenrick also explained the government would adopt a new “five-level” threat system to describe the risk the UK faces from coronavirus. |
| “At the moment we believe the country is at four on a scale of five, with five being the most concerning and our aspiration is to bring that down as swiftly as we can to three,” he said. | “At the moment we believe the country is at four on a scale of five, with five being the most concerning and our aspiration is to bring that down as swiftly as we can to three,” he said. |
| “And at each stage, at each of those milestones, we will be in a position to open up and restart more aspects of the economy and of our lives.” | “And at each stage, at each of those milestones, we will be in a position to open up and restart more aspects of the economy and of our lives.” |
| The decision over when and how to lift the lockdown has been the subject of a huge battle within the cabinet and the wider Tory party. | The decision over when and how to lift the lockdown has been the subject of a huge battle within the cabinet and the wider Tory party. |
| Johnson has been on the cautious side of the argument, along with the health secretary, Matt Hancock, with cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, as well as many other Tory MPs, among those pushing for more thought to be given to the economic consequences. | Johnson has been on the cautious side of the argument, along with the health secretary, Matt Hancock, with cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, as well as many other Tory MPs, among those pushing for more thought to be given to the economic consequences. |
| With tensions running high, the Mail on Sunday reported a row between Johnson and Hancock, who is said to have asked the prime minister to “give me a break” over the pressure he was feeling about the crisis. | With tensions running high, the Mail on Sunday reported a row between Johnson and Hancock, who is said to have asked the prime minister to “give me a break” over the pressure he was feeling about the crisis. |