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UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson answers questions from the public on lockdown exit plans UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson answers questions from the public on lockdown exit plans
(32 minutes later)
Official death toll rises by 210; government publishes 50-page blueprint; Keir Starmer says Johnson’s strategy has caused ‘considerable confusion’Official death toll rises by 210; government publishes 50-page blueprint; Keir Starmer says Johnson’s strategy has caused ‘considerable confusion’
“We have an ambition to get at least some hospitality going by July 4th,” Johnson said.
He added British people are an “ingenious bunch” and will find ways to keep the economy going if a vaccine isn’t found soon.
Johnson said the Common Travel Area will remain between Northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland.
Johnson said it is right that devolved nations are taking slightly different approaches to the lockdown as the virus is spreading at a different pace across the UK.
“You’ve got to respect local issues, local flare up, local problems,” he added.
When asked when will the public be allowed to see their family members, Johnson said: “There are new flexibility to ensure that people can see somebody who isn’t in their household, but you have to do it one by one, outdoors and obeying social distancing.”
“What we said to over-70s – who in my experience are often in rude, robust health – was they should take care. We didn’t say they should be shielded,” Johnson said.
People with serious underlying health condition must be still protected, he added.
Whitty said he is confident there will be a solution to the coronavirus, “but it will take time.”
Patrick Vallance, the government chief scientific adviser, said “there’s been great progress made” on vaccines across the world.
He said he would be surprised if there wasn’t either a vaccine or therapeutic drug.
When asked whether he approved of the change of guidance, professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, said Professor Chris Whitty, said: “We’ve been involved in all stages of the process.
“Neither Sir Patrick and I would consider ourselves to be comms experts so we’re not going to get involved in actual details of actual comms strategies.”
Whitty could be responding to the Guardian’s story that they were both not asked to approve the controversial new “stay alert” message
I don’t think any of us expect that suddenly tomorrow there will be a flood of people back to work, Johnson said. “We’re taking baby steps.”
In response to a question on childcare arrangements for people who have been asked to return to work, but are not key workers and can therefore not send their children to schools, Johnson said it was an obvious barrier to work and employers should be understanding.
The Guardian’s political correspondent Kate Proctor tweeted what stay alert means.The Guardian’s political correspondent Kate Proctor tweeted what stay alert means.
First question asks if people can see friends and families in the park if they maintain social distancing.First question asks if people can see friends and families in the park if they maintain social distancing.
Johnson said people can go to the park to exercise alone or with members of their own household, but if someone want to meet a person outside of your household, it must be them and another person - as a pair.Johnson said people can go to the park to exercise alone or with members of their own household, but if someone want to meet a person outside of your household, it must be them and another person - as a pair.
“If everyone stays alert and follows the rules, we can control the coronavirus by keeping the R down,” Johnson said.“If everyone stays alert and follows the rules, we can control the coronavirus by keeping the R down,” Johnson said.
The R, or the “effective reproduction number”, is a way of rating a disease’s ability to spread.The R, or the “effective reproduction number”, is a way of rating a disease’s ability to spread.
Johnson: “Yes, staying alert, for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible.”Johnson: “Yes, staying alert, for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible.”
Johnson reiterates: “Those who cannot work from home should now speak to their employer about going back to work.”
Throughout the period of the lockdown, the UK has been in level four of the government’s Covid alert levels, Johnson said.
The UK is now in the position to take careful steps to go to level three.
Johnson starts the press conference with the latest update on coronavirus cases and deaths. There have been been another 210 coronavirus deaths in the UK, taking the total to 32,065.
Boris Johnson’s evening presser is about to start. The prime minister will be taking four questions from journalists and eight from members of public.
Branches of Burger King and Starbucks will reopen this week, as the UK’s cafes and restaurants begin to emerge from the coronavirus lockdown, Hilary Osborne and Rebecca Smithers report.
The Guardian’s political correspondent Kate Proctor explains what the new lockdown rules are
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the prison estate continues to rise, the daily update from the Ministry of Justice shows.
As at 5pm on Sunday, 397 prisoners had tested positive for the coronavirus across 74 prisons, a 2% rise since Wednesday, when the data last published, while the number of infected prison staff rose to 479 workers across 69 prisons, an increase of 7% in the same period.
The number of prisoners who have contracted Covid-19 and died stands at 21, while eight staff have died, including one prisoner escort and custody services worker.
There are around 81,000 prisoners across 117 prisons in England and Wales, and around 33,000 staff working in public sector prisons.
The BBC has broadcast a short speech by Sir Keir Starmer responding to the prime minister’s address last night. It will be on BBC One later, but it has already been on Radio 4. Here are the main points.
Starmer accused Johnson of failing to provide enough clarity about the way forward. “If we’re to complete the journey safely a roadmap needs clear directions,” he said. Here is the passage in full.
He highlighted a series of questions that he said the government had failed to answer. He said:
He said that he was committed to “working constructively with the government in the national interest”.
He said that there should be no return to “business as usual” after the crisis was over. He said:
I’m finishing now. For the rest of the evening, including for the Boris Johnson press conference at 7pm (where most of the questions will come from members of the public, not from journalists), Aamna Mohdin is in charge.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said the “risks are too great” to ease the lockdown and that too many people are still dying in her address to the nation.
Sturgeon said the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen by almost two thirds in the last four weeks, while the number of deaths registered in a single week fell last week for the first time since the epidemic started
The first minister welcomed this progress, but described it as fragile. She said:
Sturgeon said too many people are still dying in Scotland and the situation in care homes remains a serious concern.
The R number, the rate at which the virus reproduces, is still close to one, she added. If it exceeds one, the virus could rapidly take off again.
The Scottish government announced one change to the rules yesterday; allowing people to exercise outdoors more than once a day. But the rest of the lockdown remains in place, despite some easing announced in England.
Sturgeon said:
Sturgeon emphasised the important of people in Scotland remaining at home, describing the measure as key to protecting loved ones. She said:
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this afternoon the prime minister’s spokesman confirmed that, when Boris Johnson spoke about testing a town’s water supply for Covid earlier (see 4.28pm), he was talking about sewage. “Waste water” was a polite term for it, the spokesman said.