PMs message

OK. This is a transcript of part of Johnson's speech:

And the first step is a change of emphasis that we hope that people will act on this week.

We said that you should work from home if you can, and only go to work if you must. We now need to stress that anyone who can’t work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work.

And we want it to be safe for you to get to work. So you should avoid public transport if at all possible – because we must and will maintain social distancing, and capacity will therefore be limited. So work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can’t work from home. And to ensure you are safe at work we have been working to establish new guidance for employers to make workplaces Covid-secure. And when you do go to work, if possible do so by car or even better by walking or bicycle. But just as with workplaces, public transport operators will also be following Covid-secure standards.

And from this Wednesday, we want to encourage people to take more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise. You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports, but only with members of your own household.

Can someone show me where he says to go back to work on Wednesday? Because I'll be b*ggered if I can see it.

Some posters must have heard a completely different speech...

Emilymaria, that was a great post

And we all thought Teresa May was out out of her depth with Brexit?She has nothing on Boris!! She got out at right time...

Why arent we doing what the other 3 british nations are doing then,if were a 'UNITED KINGDOM'???AND WHAT DOES THE QUEEN THINK OF THIS UNPLANNED PLAN??

They should have done away with markets ALL OVER THE WORLD- isnt that how it started,in a blinking market?!!

Allsortsofbags:

We as gown ups will have to do what we think is right and reasonable

Except that we're subject to reprimands and fines from the police if we get it wrong. Nobody has ever told us, 'use your common sense' - our actions are dictated by the law. And that is why people are concerned that they don't understand.

I tried really hard to listen to the whole thing and understand it last night. I found it hard, because the same points kept being repeated, and there was a lot of irrelevant explanation.

Clearly, the practicalities hadn't been thought through. I saw on Twitter that some people's HR departments had contacted them to advise them what to do, but many small businesses don't have an HR department to do that.

I can only assume the people to whom this was 'clear' didn't have any decisions to make last night about whether to go to work, how to get there and what to do with their children and not key workers whose children can be looked after at school!

Youre wrong about the buses- a LOT of old people have still been getting on sons bus on market days as usual throughout this(rest of days,only a handful,going to work) so now they will get on in droves again for the free travel.its ludicrous!

Boris Johnston was not clear. He was as usual a bumbling baboon, telling us what we want to hear. What was clear is that he has no idea what to do, that's okay because nor has anyone else but pretending he does is not OKay.
We were expecting so sort of plan but we are told it's in a 50 page document. 'Really' is everyone going to have access to it and if they did are they going to read and understand it.
Like many people I did not know what he mean't
'Stay alert'. Does it mean we are now free to go about our own business?
'People can meet grandparents, one at a time in the park, Yep that is really going to work.
People can go to work but not use public transport. So a lot of traffic jams coming up.
I could go on but enough of the waffle. I will take notice of what Scotland, Ireland and Wales are doing and ignore the
lunatics living No 10.
God help us

I'm glad to be living in Scotland, at least we have another three weeks, think we all need this. More cases in Germany since their lockdown was lifted! Goes to show we're not over it yet!

growstuff the teachers would teach them. Round here teachers have been on a roster system, and if no key workers children are in school, they are at home.

The PM’s address to the nation was full of waffle, punctuated by plenty of punching the air, included absolutely no detail and has resulted in nothing but mass confusion. People don’t know if they should return to work today, on Wednesday or if at all. Apart from anything else, the path out of lockdown should be debated in parliament before the PM goes on TV telling us how it’s going to pan out. Johnson’s narcissism will be his undoing.

Useless...he may as well have not bothered ….Go back to work tomorrow (but NOT on public transport and not if you can work at home !!) GO outside for more fresh air …….Stay Home …...Garden centres to open on Wednesday (only thing that made sense !) Visit your relatives one at a time (but if that involves public transport, then presumably not !!)….cafés etc not to open until JULY (by which time they may all have gone bust !)...children to go back to school 1 June ...that sounds like a good idea but those that are still panicking may not think so …….Sounds more like a sketch from Monty Python ...all we need now is a Ministry of Silly Walks ...already got the Ministry of Silly Idiots....

MayBee70-you cant worry me any more than i already am- and my son says that work gave them masks/gloves,in the beginning of this but the masks are not right,they can't see to drive properly with them so most drivers took them off! I fear for him.its always been his 'dream job', but he shouldnt have to risk his life for it- hes only 30.

Here in France they have been counting the deaths in the Retirement homes virtually from the start.
I think this muddle over the statistics is a bit of a smokescreen.

Jennywren’s staying at home (@JennieTodd20) Tweeted:
Matt Lucas sums it up - why would we need a 50 plus page document when it’s clearly this simple ? t.co/Z9MngxxnrC

blubber It would appear so! Anybody who thinks that five and six year olds understand social distancing hasn't met a real child. I was wondering about the Year 10s people want to have go to school during the summer holidays and who exactly is supposed to teach them.

Clearly a LOT of people DONT have common sense though! What about all the idiots who have still been partying?still had folk in/out of their houses?still hanging out in groups on the streets? Still trailing hundreds of miles for a 'walk'?or to pick up a purchase from ebay? Or still just sunbathing/walking around like it doesnt apply to them??Remember all the stuff that people with sense has posted complaining about on here???YES???Them- theyre the ones WITHOUT the sense- and theres clearly many of those- many many more who went unseen,or were never caught doing it!THE ONES STILL SPREADING IT HAVE GOT NO SENSE! And now hes given them free rein to 'decide for themselves' so,how are police going to give bigger fines?They'll just say " we'd decided that was ok for us"!Total lunacy!! Its just to allow enough to catch it to try the 'herd immunity' idea that was suggested at beginning- we have become an experiment! And it wont end well.

I thought what BJ said was clear and I understood it was the shorthand version (details in the document) of what has been agreed by the government.

We as gown ups will have to do what we think is right and reasonable, just like we have been doing.

People will carry on doing whatever they are going to do irrespective of what BJ / the government says. We've seen lots of that already even in lockdown.

For people who are trying to navigate through the situation and do the right thing I think you have to go into the larger document, try to figure out the information and do the best you can.

As for what will employers do ? Same as always, some will do their upmost to follow the rules and others will do their upmost to flaunt the rules.

How individuals manage the situation is going to be more of what we've already seen, some doing as much of the right thing and others not caring at all.

I do feel for lots of people who will have some very difficult choices to make as to how to balance wants and needs.

Wanting to stay safe and really do the right thing yet having to go to work, use GP childcare and all the other difficult choices people make in life really. Those choices are just harder now.

As for us our only change is we can go for a drive round, not getting out of the car, to help ease the cabin fever. We are retired and very lucky, AC will continue working from home for the foreseeable future so no real impact and we are very aware how fortunate we are.

Lulu16 I agree with you. I realise how naïve I was to think that people would end up being more tolerant and kinder. I think it's been divisive. People's attitudes have hardened if anything.

Nannan2: I don’t really want to worry you even more than you are already but the statistics issued today show that bus drivers (along with security guards) are the worst affected. And yet people are now being encouraged to go back to work using public transport etc. Why are English workers more expendable than Scottish, Welsh and Irish ones? Sadly, it seems to me it’s all about their leaders.

As they say - “ You can Please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time” Difficult job for whoever.

Noni he would have been reading from a prompter.

Reception and year 1 first back in school! Is he trying to spread infection among the young ones first?

Who's going to teach the pupils during the summer holidays?

I am aware of that Marieleez thank you. But, while the rest of the world was watching what was happening in China and acting accordingly, Johnson was boasting about shaking hands with Covid19 patients. I don't think he took it seriously until his own attack forced what looks like a Damascene conversion. I am also aware that Hancock is Health Secretary, but thanks again for pointing this out.

I thought it was an excellent speech. No looking at notes or pauses - direct, understandable, positive, had gravitas instead of clowning and I thought it was as clear as it could be, given the unknown of the virus.
People criticising it for being unclear weren't listening properly. At no point did he say people who have to go to work because they can't work from home have to be back at work within 12 hours. He actively wants people to go back to work, no doubt to kickstart the economy again, but the workplace needs to be safe to go back to first, which is also what he said. In some instances that will be quick and easy and in others less so. And of course there will be questions from some companies as well as individuals, depending on what their work is, but that cannot be covered in a short speech which needs to keep everyone's attention.
I think he is doing as well as anyone could with the situation now, after a very poor start.
Fingers crossed we have a vaccine soon, that the economy recovers fairly soon and importantly that China is made to close all its open "wet" markets. Otherwise there will be another, possibly much worse, virus on its way.
Brexit has disappeared off the news, but will have to be addressed soon, like it or not!