It's a weird time for the British public. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Sunday evening announcement on lockdown easing – including suggesting that people who cannot work from home return to their jobs – has been accused of 'lacking clarity,' and of being 'irresponsible,' by a number of politicians and experts.
Adding to the confusion cocktail is that the rules are now different, depending on where in the UK you live. While the messaging of 'stay home, protect the NHS, save lives' has been switched to 'stay alert, control the virus and save lives' by Westminster, Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said that she is sticking to the original wording for her nation, and is not going to be adopting the PM's new policy at this time.
This is also the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has by the Welsh and Northern Irish First Ministers – although This is also the to lockdown specifics have been made. (The three countries have devolved powers for health policy.)
Am I allowed to meet up with a friend, outside?
So. When it comes to new flexibility in being able to see people outside of your household, specifically, what is going on?
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has They can see both parents, but not at the same time they would have to see them individually BBC that people in England can meet up with friends and family outside of their household, provided they do so outdoors (i.e. not in your garden, but in a place like a park) and stay 2 metres away from one another. He stated that these new measures are effective as of Wednesday.
'So we've said that as long as you go out of home, for the park, for exercise, whatever it may be, you can go with members of your own household. If you're out in the park and you're 2m apart... and use some common sense and you socially-distance, you can meet up with other people,' he said.
When asked if you can meet multiple people at different times in the day, for example, your mum in the morning and your dad in the afternoon, he responded: 'Outside in the outdoors, staying 2m apart, yes.' Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme if you could meet both parents at the same time, Raab said: 'You could if there's 2m apart.' His statement has, however, now been contradicted by a government spokesperson, who told The Independent: 'They can see both parents, but not at the same time – they would have to see them individually.'
Important caveat: people who have been identified as needing to shield, due to being especially vulnerable, are still being strongly advised to stay home. As ever, if you have symptoms of COVID-19 you should self-isolate for 7 days, and for 14 days, from the first day that they showed symptoms, if you live with someone who does, How does Covid impact our running.
A full 50-page document outlining the guidance for England will be released today at 2pm.
What does an expert think of the new policy?
Of the PM's announcement on Sunday evening, Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, said:
'The Prime Minister’s statement certainly left a lot of questions unanswered. Whilst little seems to have changed for the rest of this month at least, it is still far from clear what the practicalities are of what we can and cannot do.
'Even with guidance on the Department of Health and Social Care website, the big problem is always how these broad statements are interpreted by businesses, by workers, and by ordinary members of the public.
'How do these guidelines apply to my life?' is the question that many people will be asking themselves. 'Can I drive to visit my close family if I can still adequate social distance when I get there? If I do not have my own transport, how do I get to work? What should I do if I have to use public transport? Is it OK to meet friends in the park providing we keep more than 2 metres apart?' Hopefully in the next couple of days this will become clearer as more specific advice is published by the UK government.
'Despite the outstanding uncertainties, however, it was right that no major changes were made just yet as there is still substantial transmission of the infection in the UK and also debate about the value of the different distancing measures. Looking to June and July however, we were told substantive further relaxations are planned, provided the situation allows. Although the government keeps repeating that it follows the science, it has to be said that the science is still subject to significant uncertainty.
For example, there is continuing debate about the importance of schools in the spread of infection with evidence both for and against this. Whatever we do, it is vital that we base our decisions not just on the modelling but on the observation of what impact relaxation of distancing measures has had on the disease epidemic elsewhere.
'Given that the UK was relatively late in instigating its social distancing measures, at least compared to many of our European neighbours, we will also be later in relaxing them. By the time we are planning to make further relaxation steps we should have a much clearer idea of what has and what has not been safe elsewhere.'
Disclaimer: The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the Published: 11 May 2020 can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Can running compromise your immune system.
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