Ministers are desperately trying to quell a backlash over easing lockdown today despite the coronavirus alert level not having been reduced – as experts warned the relaxation could cause a second spike.
With beaches and parks again swamped as people take advantage of scorching weather, Business Secretary Alok Sharma was forced to deny there is a ‘dash’ to get the country back up and running.
He insisted the new contact tracing system means measures can be tightened again in specific areas if there is a flare up.
But Downing Street was forced to admit the alert level has still not been reduced from level four to three, even though the guidance suggested easing of lockdown is not possible until it was reduced.
Tories and top scientists have voiced alarm about the consequences of the tweaks in England – which include six people from different households being able to meet up in public places or gardens, primary schools starting to return, and more shops opening. There are concerns it will be impossible to put the ‘genie back in the bottle’ if cases do increase, with one MP telling MailOnline the government had gone from ‘baby steps to giant steps’ with nothing in between.
The Government has frantically been urging Britons to act ‘sensibly’ as they enjoy a host of new freedoms, following crowded scenes across the country yesterday before the overhaul officially came into force.
However, the Association of Directors of Public Health said ministers had not even met their own five tests.
The PM’s spokesman said chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and the newly-established Joint Biosecurity Centre discussed the level last week but did not alter it.
‘In terms of the alert level it’s moving down from four to three,’ the spokesman said, stressing that the lockdown easing was based on the five tests. ‘We’ve obviously been in the process of setting up the new centre and making it fully operational, and I think we’re only now getting to that point.’
Downing Street was forced to admit the alert level has still not been reduced from level four to three, even though the guidance suggested easing of lockdown is not possible
People fill up the beach at Westbay in Dorset today as they take advantage of relaxation of the lockdown rules
The market on Portobello Road in London has been reopened today as the country starts to get back towards normality
There were huge queues outside IKEa in Nottingham as shops began to reopen
Shoppers wear masks as they stroll through marketplaces in London as lockdown restrictions ease
Millions of ppils in year 1, Year 6 and Reception are also returning to classrooms today for the first time since March
Officials were left concerned over the speed at which lockdown was being lifted
Huge queues of people were seen attempting to enter the shop in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Car showrooms, including the above in Maidstone, Kent, are also now allowed to reopen
A street food vendor in Camden Market prepares his stall as he welcomes customers again amid easing of restrictions
Social distancing went out of the window at beaches and beauty spots across the country over the weekend and with 77F (25C) predicted today and 84F (29C) tomorrow they are expected to be packed again.
Police were powerless to stop it yesterday, with senior officers saying the lockdown had ‘to all intents and purposes ended’.
The most horrifying pictures came from Durdle Door in Dorset, which was closed on Saturday so an air ambulance could land on the sands, which was packed with sunseekers. But hours later it was packed again with police unable to stop it because the cove and beach is privately owned.
Asst Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, of Dorset Police, said: ‘As there were too many people on the beach, we had no option but to put people together to allow helicopters to land. Yet again, we would remind the public that if an area looks too busy, please go home or elsewhere. I am encouraging you all to do the right thing to avoid spreading the virus and reduce the impact on local communities.’
Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The five tests haven’t yet been met. We know how quickly this virus can spread and it’s difficult to predict then with quite a lot of the measures being eased at once what the impact that will have on the R value. We’re also concerned about meeting all the other operational challenges ready to meet a potential rise in infections.’
She said the national testing programme and the test and trace scheme must be ‘robust and ready’, and that personal protective equipment (PPE) supply must be adequate. ‘We’re not feeling just yet that we’re confident enough to meet any potential challenge if the Government goes too quickly on easing lockdown measures,’ she added.
Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and an adviser to Nicola Sturgeon, said today that a second spike of cases in Britain seems likely.
She said: ‘Looking at other countries in East Asia it seems in some way inevitable. Other countries have shown there’s a path to controlling this outbreak. This is about getting a robust testing, tracing and isolating system up and running. It’s about having monitoring in schools, care homes, hospitals and institutions so you can quickly detect if there are new cases and make sure you break up those clusters. This is about mandatory masks on public transport. What’s really frustrating is there are things that can be done quite simply that aren’t being done’.
Restrictions across the country are lifting today as schools reopen for Reception as well as years One and Six and outdoor markets reopen along with car showrooms. Horse racing will resume at Newcastle Racecourse but there will be no spectators present at the venue as mass gatherings remain banned.
And vulnerable people who have until now been advised to stay indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic will be permitted to go outside.
Families hosting barbecues should consider having a ‘bring-you-own-chair’ policy and not allow guests to help with the washing up, the Government has said.
From today, groups of up to six people will be allowed to meet outside in England as lockdown restrictions are relaxed.
Shop owners in Shepherd’s Bush market have also started reopening their stalls today along with many others through the UK
There have been attempts to enforce social distancing measures in the newly opened public spaces
The change will mean children could spend time in a park with their grandparents or families could have friends over for a barbecue.
But guidance published last night warned against sharing garden equipment such as tables and chairs with people outside of your household ‘because of the risk of transmission’.
‘You could bring your own or if you have to use chairs, for example, you should wipe them down carefully with household cleaner before and after use,’ it said. Paddling pools and private swimming pools should also be out of bounds for visitors.
Members of different households are told to still stay two metres (six foot) apart and will not be allowed to hug each other.
If having a picnic or barbecue, ‘you should not pass each other food or drink unless you live together’ the advice states.
It adds: ‘You should not use plates or utensils that someone from another house has touched – either bring your own or ensure you have thoroughly cleaned them before using.’
Visitors are allowed to access a garden by walking through a house if that is the only way to get there, or go indoors to briefly use the toilet.
But it warns if you are at someone else’s house, ‘you must not go inside to help the host carry the food out or to help with the washing up’.
Customers observe social distancing at the indoor Kirkgate Market in Leeds as it reopens
The changes to the lockdown also means that from today people can exercise or play sport in groups of up to six people from other households.
But they are warned they should not play contact sports like rugby or football with anyone outside their household. ‘Tennis would be ok as long as you aren’t doubles partners,’ the guidance states.
‘You should try to avoid shared equipment, for example you should use your own tennis racquet, golf club or basketball.’
Britons have been urged to act ‘sensibly’ as they enjoy a host of new freedoms from today – including meeting with friends and family, the reopening of some shops and pupils returning to school.
This was echoed by Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, who said ‘we need to be very careful’ at this ‘critical time’.
She added: ‘We have to keep applying the social distancing measures, limit the number of interactions we have. Very carefully and sensibly pick up those easements to make our lives better, but not overdo it. So limit the number of interactions.’
Dr Harries said it was important to do not just what is possible, but what is ‘sensible’. She added: ‘What is sensible to do is have as few interactions as possible as you can with other people in all settings.’
One reason ministers say the lockdown can be lifted is the rollout of the test-and-trace programme. They claim they can carry out 200,000 tests a day.
However, the latest figures yesterday showed the Government carried out just 115,725 tests in the past 24 hours.
Despite the Government’s optimism, there is growing dissent among scientists over measures being lifted while the number of new cases is still very high.
Six have publicly criticised the decision, four of whom are members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of Sage and an expert in experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said there needed to be a ‘massive gearing up’ of testing and tracing before the restrictions were eased to ‘any large degree’.
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme: ‘To me, we need the numbers [of cases] to be much lower. We need also to gear up test-and-trace in order to be able to cope with many thousands of cases which are now being seen
Low water levels at Corbridge in Northumberland after the driest May on record since 1896
The dry spell in Northumberland has seen people take advantage of the good weather in Corbridge
Meanwhile Professor Devi Sridhar, an expert in global public health at Edinburgh University, told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: ‘It’s a big risk and gamble for exiting lockdown with a larger number of deaths than we did when we actually entered lockdown months back.’
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show there are an average of 7,700 new cases of coronavirus a day in England, with data from Kings College London suggesting there are 11,300 infections daily across the UK.
From today, groups of up to six family members or friends will be able to meet up outside provided they keep two metres apart.
Outdoor markets and car showrooms will reopen and pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 will be returning to school.
Mr Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: ‘It is thanks to the terrific dedication of the British public, alongside the continued hard work of our NHS, that we are able today to move to step two of our recovery strategy and begin to carefully ease some lockdown measures.
‘With children returning to schools, some shops reopening and a chance to see friends and loved ones outside our households, this is an important step for our wellbeing and that of the country. But we must stay alert and it is absolutely vital that everyone continues to follow social distancing guidelines so that we can control the spread of the virus. The message to the public is simple: Stay alert, control the virus, save lives.’
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also defended the plan, saying: ‘We can’t just stay in lockdown forever. We have got to transition.’
Asked whether rules will be tightened again if infection rates increase, Mr Raab said: ‘If there is any uptick – and it could be in a locality, it could be in a particular setting – we will target very carefully measures that would apply to it, so we can take these steps but also keep control of the virus.’
Social distancing is enforced as food trucks start selling again at Kirkgate market
Contact tracing was abandoned in March, but was relaunched as the NHS’s flagship test-and-trace scheme last Thursday.
It has faced a chaotic first few days with operators claiming they were not fully trained and only told the night before that the scheme was going live. Many of the ‘tracers’ also suffered IT issues.
Ministers last night reassured parents that reopening primary schools today is safe amid fears many will keep their children away.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said it was ‘extremely important’ children went back to school.
It comes as a study suggested up to half of families may shun sending their youngsters to lessons due to worries about the spread of coronavirus.
The majority of primaries are expected to open from today, despite fierce opposition from the National Education Union. At the 11th hour, the union again attempted to scupper openings, claiming they should be delayed until June 15 to protect youngsters and teachers.
But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson attempted to allay parental and staff concerns, insisting that Government decisions throughout the pandemic are ‘based on the best scientific and medical advice’.
He said: ‘I want to reassure parents and teachers that the welfare of children and staff continues to be at the heart of all of our considerations.’
Speaking at the Downing Street briefing, Mr Jenrick said ministers believe it is ‘possible to open schools safely’. He pointed out that 80 per cent of schools have been open throughout the pandemic, with thousands of teachers already educating children of key workers as well as vulnerable pupils.
Mr Jenrick said: ‘It may be that there are some parents out there today who have not yet made the decision to send their children back to school but will do so in the days ahead when they’ve seen other people make that step and schools manage to reopen safely.
‘I certainly hope so, because it’s extremely important that we do get children back to school.’
A shopper walks through the world-famous markets in Camden wearing a face mask
Government safety measures include returning primary pupils having access to coronavirus testing, along with symptomatic members of their family. They will be kept in small, socially distanced groups of no more than 15 throughout the day, with staggered breaks, lunchtimes, drop-offs and pick-ups.
Boris Johnson wants nurseries and early years providers to reopen today, and primary schools to allow back their Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 groups. Some students in Year 10 and 12 will be allowed to meet face-to-face with their teachers at secondary school from June 15.
The majority of primaries are expected to reopen. But many are only admitting a fraction of eligible pupils, with the introduction of rotas, as they struggle to adapt to smaller classes and reduced teacher levels.
The National Foundation for Educational Research surveyed 1,233 head teachers in state primary and secondary schools in England.
They expect nearly half (46 per cent) of families to keep their children at home because of their concerns around coronavirus or the need to self-isolate. The figure is slightly higher for primary schools (47 per cent) compared to 42 per cent in secondary schools.
Across all schools, those with the highest proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals – an indicator of poverty – estimate the figure to be 50 per cent. This compares to 42 per cent in schools which have low levels of disadvantaged students.
