PMs message

Yes ,semperfidelis, it seems we are the laughing stock of Europe. Have had more emails from European friends - in difficult circumstances and much restricted themselves - now especially concerned for our welfare.

Frances O'Grady got it right about the consultations that should have taken place to ensure all employers are forced to comply with new health and safety guidelines for those returning to work this week. As she says, most employers will wish to do this. There are rogue employers for whom sanctions must be put in place if we are not to have another spike in the death statistics.
Northern Ireland/Ireland have proved they are good at consulting across the board during this crisis to achieve consensus on a way forward.
Boris should learn from this.

Started well, became confusing to say the least. The 50 page document should have been presented first, then the speech, or at best speech should have been abbreviated.

As far as I remember, Boris only said last night that people should be ‘ encouraged to go back to work’, and gave no timescale. Of course, there may be more information in the 50 page dossier.

semperfidelis
I'm surprised that you don't check facts before posting.
Cheltenham 2020 was 10-13 March, before lockdown.
Boris made the announcement at 8.30 on March 23rd that measures were in place to lockdown the country due to the virus, a full 10 days after Cheltenham finished.

Why have a school summer break? Nobody's going anywhere?

Hi from Oz you guys! We are in much the same situation as you with information changing daily. I am guessing your pollies i.e. Boris et al are feeling their way the same as ours. No one knows what's round the corner. We are tentatively and minimally lifting restrictions - e.g 10 people at an out door gathering from next Friday - social distancing still applies. I have a daughter in the airline industry who has effectively been stood down without pay for the last six weeks, I really feel for anyone who is out of work through no fault of their own. This situation is unprecedented in our lifetime - it isn't a war as we know wars of the past but it is a war just the same - us against the virus! Stay well everyone!

Very woolly. The only thing many of us want is to be able to see family members in small groups. Never mind, we will get through it and it is better to have a muted step by step coming out. I don't understand why he wants the very youngest children to return to school first. It is almost impossible to keep them socially distanced and their hygiene can be questionable at the best of times, which makes them ideal super spreaders. Surely it would be most vital to get the older pupils back first; in particular those who have important exams next year and who have missed far too many crucial lessons already.

As clear as mud. We can go out as much as we like but we should stay at home. There are already too many who flout the rules. Brace yourselves for a second peak ?

I feel he and his government have lied to us for so long and so often that I no longer believe a word he utters, however serious he tries to come over. There is certainly more sense coming out of Scotland and Wales at the moment. I am totally unmoved by him. Stay Alert as a slogan is ludicrous; we were told that when the likelihood of terrorist attacks was high. Alert for what exactly? Sneezes? Coughs? Silent joggers? The frontline workers in the NHS must feel stabbed in the back. A quote from an intensive care consultant in Wales in The Times This morning reads: “Just watched the conga lines/street parties on the news. The nation has lost its f***ing mind. We’re strapping in for the second wave. I’m so, so tired, and so pissed off. We’ve had a few days of respite and I was starting to feel hopeful. Can’t believe I was so naive.” Draw your own conclusions. Stay Alert, indeed - don’t be so feeble, Prime Minister .......

So if Boris consulted with the other countries in the UK how come we are not doing the same as the other three? I am very impressed with Nicola and the Welsh in their stance on the virus, it was clear what we can and cannot do. Boris is a complete muddle, return to work tomorrow, oh yes, just let me arrange childcare, and has my workplace got in sanitiser and to wipe down door handles. And given that every public toilet in the country is closed just how are workplace loos going to work. We really need another three weeks of lockdown before anything changed.

At first I thought nothing too drastic that's ok...
Then I wondered how I would feel if:
I was in a job which I couldn't do from home
I had to use public transport (shudder when I think of how many London bus drivers have died)
If I weren't confident that my employers would implement reasonable safety measures.
My young children had to go back to school but I had to work
I didn't have a trade union to represent my concerns.
I lived near the Welsh or Scottish borders
And nothing about masks. I really thought there would be something about masks. I protect other people wearing one. They protect me.

Lancslass1 I would prefer Nicola Sturgeon as she has her head in the right place. Actually I would really like the Prime minister of NZ as she is brilliant but the Etonians and their ilk would not allow her . Caroline Lucas would get the job done. Do you see a pattern emerging here??

Boris gave a clear outline of what is to be the new, or next situation, and said there will be more detail to come today. Probably quite enough for people to take in in one go. We are still feeling our way along, and will be for some time. Dependent upon on how life unfolds in the next few weeks, and whether there is another spike, we can then move forward again. I have a great deal of sympathy with those making such staggering decisions as these are uncharted waters for the whole world - and we need to be 'alert'; the new buzzword.

GabriellaG54 I didn't hear Boris say we could socialise with our families (unfortunately) but with our households - there is a difference

What do workers do who don't drive or walk etc as too far away?
Sit on public transport! I don't think so!!
His done a lot of harm already lockdown started much to late.

Protection clothing etc Much too late
Now he's starting ending Much too soon

We need someone who knows what their doing, before
Another goodness knows how many die that need not

I have three family members in the NHS and their very concerned.
Boris is on route to another peek!! I'm so hoping his not, but
going out again! parks etc! Too soon!! In parks out for day, they will be using public toilets etc door handles ? Closed spaces ?
Opening schools! Even in small groups Too Soon again small places, door handles etc etc
I'm now hoping this cold weather will keep more people
from having days out parks, beached etc, as Boris clearly isn't

Boris do think!!! And get better advisers!!!!!

I only saw parts of the speech and thought Boris looked ill at ease. He'd much rather use sound bytes and hyperbole than long sentences with careful phrasing.

I am awaiting the detailed guidance in the hope that things will be clearer.

Very clear speech and as for going back to work the key words were 'from' tomorrow and don't use public transport unless you ' have to'

Many say they are confused, but I thought the message was fairly straight forward.
Go to work if you can’t work from home, keep to the 2 metre rule and wash hands regularly.
Stay in your family group during leisure time, but your free to play footie in the park with your household and free to spend more time in the great outdoors with social distancing in mind, you can even travel by car to a destination for exercise purposes. Don’t visit other households.
What’s not to understand about that ?

Yes, an Eton mess!! Sturgeon was better, as was Jacinta Aherne, the New Zealand prime minister at managing the whole thing Lancslassl how can you stay alert against a thing you can't see? Until test, track & trace are working its dangerous to go out

The weight of traffic on major roads and crammed tube trains this morning, meant that the population clearly thought Boris obliged workers to go back today with only 12 hrs notice.

He actually meant Wednesday and it's shameful that it wasn't made clear.

If he yatters on too much people switch off in their brain and if he doesn't say enough then people want it spelled out in words of one syllable.

Whatever, the rest of cabinet are not singing the same song, each muddling their way through a maze of information and trying (but failing miserably) to coordinate with their colleagues.
It would, IMO have been clearer had the PM only given rules on this next stage, 4 down to 3.
After all, some will only forget the later stages and at the moment, they're irrelevant.
BJ should have concentrated on a 4 point plan for this next 3 weeks to June and been absolutely clear to employers, that worker safety has to be in place before employees return, no matter how big or how small the company. Otherwise they could be fined.
Worker safety and that of their families to whom they return at the end of the day, cannot be compromised.

Agree with you Grannygravy13, many are getting too comfortable on Furlough. Yes, with taking sensible precautions as we have been doing they can go back to work. I think children should only go back to school in September. Pointless going back for a few weeks before the summer break.

The introductory speech was good. The rest more confusing. The roll out -each step circumscribed by checks on the infection rate decreasing isn’t bad. I need to read all the details.
A big mistake was changing the mantra.
I read a post yesterday that said,
“When large numbers of the population didn’t even get STAY HOME, how are they ever going to understand STAY ALERT, even if they google what it means?”

The usual bluff, but this time with a lot of fist clenching. Why has it taken since March to introduce checks at Heathrow? Why were the Cheltenham Races allowed to take place? We are the laughing stock of Europe.

Hairdressers, beauticians, dentists and opticians are not returning to work as they cannot socially distance 2 meters apart.

Lancslass1 Jeremy Corbin