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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/may/12/uk-coronavirus-live-sunak-expected-to-extend-furlough-scheme-as-lockdown-confusion-continues
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| UK coronavirus live: recession already happening, says Rishi Sunak, as furlough scheme extended | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Guidance published for businesses on how to operate safely; UK coronavirus death toll passes 40,000, official figures say; further lockdowns inevitable without stronger plan, scientists warn | Guidance published for businesses on how to operate safely; UK coronavirus death toll passes 40,000, official figures say; further lockdowns inevitable without stronger plan, scientists warn |
| Police Scotland are urging motorists to drive safely after a number of people were charged in connection with high level speeding offences over the bank holiday weekend. | |
| The force revealed that between Friday 8 May and Sunday 10 May, 12 men were detected driving at speeds between 93mph and 111mph around one junction of the M876 near Larbert, a town near Falkirk. The men, aged between 19 and 66, will be reported to the procurator fiscal. | |
| Other incidents across Scotland over the weekend included speeds of between 101 and 119mph on the A90 in Aberdeenshire. | |
| Reiterating that the stay-at-home message is still in place for Scots, Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock, head of road policing said: | |
| The mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region have written to Boris Johnson to warn that the government’s change of coronavirus message comes “too early” for the north west of England.Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram said they were “concerned about the substance of what was announced” on Sunday. They want the government to publish the ‘R’ reproduction rate at a regional and sub-regional level to enable authorities and people to make informed decisions based on local risk.In a letter sent on Tuesday, they write: | |
| The mayors also expressed their disappointment over the “lack of meaningful consultation and advance knowledge” of the changes announced on Sunday, which have an “immediate and direct impact” on policing and public transport in the north-west as in other regions. | |
| Q: People in places like Lincolnshire are worried about tourists arriving under this week’s new guidelines. What assurances can you give them? And when will tourism resume? | |
| Sharma says the new guidelines do not allow people to go and visit places and stay the night. | |
| On tourism, he says the government has put in place various measures to help businesses in this sector already. | |
| But he says it is vital to avoid a second peak. A second peak would be the worst possible thing for businesses, he says. | |
| And that’s it. The press conference is over. | |
| Q: You need union cooperation. So will you drop the pledge in your manifesto to curb their powers? | |
| Sharma says he has been collaborating with the unions. The government will continue that approach, he says. | |
| Q: So do the manifesto pledges remain in place? | |
| Sharma says he is focusing on working with the unions to address the coronavirus crisis. | |
| Q: What penalties can the HSE impose? | |
| Albon says it can use enforcement notices requiring certain activities. It can also prohibit certain actions. If an employer breaches that, that is an offence. | |
| Powis says NHS staff are trying to implement the guidelines saying relatives should be able to be with someone dying. He says it will get easier as hospitals become less over-loaded. | |
| Q: If an unscrupulous employer tries to make people work in an environment that is not safe, will the government support them if they refuse to work? | |
| Sharma says employers have a duty to keep employees safe. That is enshrined in law. If they feel the workplace is not safe, they must take that up. If that does not work, they should go to the HSE. He says the guidance includes contact numbers. He says the HSE will also be conducting spot checks. | |
| But he says his impression is that most employers want to do the right thing. | |
| Albon says there will be some employers who don’t do the right thing. | |
| People have been contacting the HSE already. She says their impression is that, in the vast majority of cases, employers are at fault because they don’t know what the right thing to do is. When told, they mostly comply. In the small number of cases where they don’t, the HSE will take enforcement action, she says. | |
| Q: Why does your advice treat people under 70 the same, when people in their 20s are at much less risk than people in their 50s? | Q: Why does your advice treat people under 70 the same, when people in their 20s are at much less risk than people in their 50s? |
| Sharma says every death is a tragedy. That is why the government advice tries to protect people. | Sharma says every death is a tragedy. That is why the government advice tries to protect people. |
| Sarah Albon, chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive, says the guidance for firms makes allowance for who is in the most vulnerable category. | Sarah Albon, chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive, says the guidance for firms makes allowance for who is in the most vulnerable category. |
| Powis says the older people are, the more at risks they are. | Powis says the older people are, the more at risks they are. |
| But age is not the only risk factor. Obesity, underlying health and ethnicity are also factors, he says. | But age is not the only risk factor. Obesity, underlying health and ethnicity are also factors, he says. |
| Q: At one stage experts were saying there could be between 7,000 and 20,000 deaths. Why did you get it so wrong? | Q: At one stage experts were saying there could be between 7,000 and 20,000 deaths. Why did you get it so wrong? |
| Powis says the original reasonable worst case scenario envisaged 500,000 deaths. He says the UK is doing much better than that. | Powis says the original reasonable worst case scenario envisaged 500,000 deaths. He says the UK is doing much better than that. |
| Q: What can you do to help care homes stay open? | Q: What can you do to help care homes stay open? |
| Sharma says the government is providing support to businesses. He acknowledges this is a difficult time. | Sharma says the government is providing support to businesses. He acknowledges this is a difficult time. |
| He says the cumulative value of “bounce back” loans is £8bn, and the business interruption loans scheme has paid out £6bn. | |
| Q: But care homes don’t need to furlough staff. And their business is not interrupted. Yet they still need help. | Q: But care homes don’t need to furlough staff. And their business is not interrupted. Yet they still need help. |
| Sharma says the business support offered is among the best in the world. | Sharma says the business support offered is among the best in the world. |
| Here is the hospital data slide. | Here is the hospital data slide. |
| And here is the final slide. | And here is the final slide. |
| The global deaths comparison chart has been abandoned. | The global deaths comparison chart has been abandoned. |
| Downing Street suggested this might happen at the briefing early. The figures were a huge embarrassment to No 10, so perhaps it is not surprising that they have been erased from the daily record. (See 2.35pm.) | Downing Street suggested this might happen at the briefing early. The figures were a huge embarrassment to No 10, so perhaps it is not surprising that they have been erased from the daily record. (See 2.35pm.) |
| Prof Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, is now presenting the rest of the slides. | Prof Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, is now presenting the rest of the slides. |
| He says there are in an “updated format” compared to how they used to be presented. | He says there are in an “updated format” compared to how they used to be presented. |
| Here is the transport use one. | Here is the transport use one. |
| Here is the slide for deaths of those who tested positive for coronavirus | Here is the slide for deaths of those who tested positive for coronavirus |
| And this slide shows deaths where coronavirus was suspected, as well as where it was confirmed. | And this slide shows deaths where coronavirus was suspected, as well as where it was confirmed. |
| He says this shows the death rate falling, including in care homes. | He says this shows the death rate falling, including in care homes. |
| Sharma says the government wants workers to feel safe as they go back to work. | Sharma says the government wants workers to feel safe as they go back to work. |
| Sharma says he thinks he has reached a consensus with unions and business on the guidelines for safe working. (See 10.30am.) | Sharma says he thinks he has reached a consensus with unions and business on the guidelines for safe working. (See 10.30am.) |
| The messaging has changed too, Sharma says, as he introduces slide three. | The messaging has changed too, Sharma says, as he introduces slide three. |
| The next slide shows the three steps for the way ahead. | The next slide shows the three steps for the way ahead. |
| Sharma is now reminding people of the strategy. | Sharma is now reminding people of the strategy. |
| He introduces the first slide. It shows the alert levels. | He introduces the first slide. It shows the alert levels. |
| Sharma is now reading out the latest testing and death figures. | Sharma is now reading out the latest testing and death figures. |
| The figures are here. | The figures are here. |