Disunited kingdom as PM Boris Johnson promotes his coronavirus recovery road map
- England eases lockdown but Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland opt to stay at home
- UK has been one of the worst-hit countries in the global pandemic, with more than 32,000 deaths
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson fleshed out his strategy to gradually ease the country out of lockdown with a speech to parliament and a 50-page document but conceded the new messaging and softening of the rules only applies to England.
Instead of the new “Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives” message now promoted by Johnson, the devolved parliaments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales decided to stick to the old “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”.
“The government are today submitting to the House (of Commons) a plan that is conditional and dependent, as always, on the common sense and observance of the British people and on the continual reassessment of the data,” Johnson said on Monday. “That picture varies across the regions and home nations of the United Kingdom, requiring a flexible response. Different parts of the UK may need to stay in full lockdown longer, but any divergence should be only short term because, as prime minister of the UK, I am in no doubt that we must defeat this threat and face the challenge of recovery together.”
Under the new lockdown rules for England, people working in essential sectors such as food production, construction and manufacturing – jobs that can’t be carried out at home – should go back to work.
For the first time the government also “advised” people to wear cloth face coverings when travelling on public transport or entering enclosed spaces. From June, primary schools will reopen, although parents who choose not to send their children to school will not face fines.