Britain goes back to work: Government will urge people to cycle or walk to their job – and wear face masks when they get there - as unions threaten to derail the return of schools and public transport
- Boris Johnson to address the UK tomorrow night to set out lockdown exit plan
- Plan expected to see people urged to cycle or walk to work wherever they can
- Businesses will also be told that they have to provide all staff with face masks
- Meanwhile, garden centres are expected to be allowed to reopen on Wednesday
- Fears unions could derail plans for increased public transport, return of schools
Boris Johnson's plan to ease the UK's coronavirus lockdown will see people urged to cycle to work, firms told to provide staff with face masks and garden centres allowed to reopen from Wednesday.
The Prime Minister will use an address to the nation tomorrow night to set out his lockdown exit strategy.
He told Cabinet last week that he will be proceeding with 'maximum caution' in order to avoid a second wave of deadly infections.
But he is expected to detail initial changes to some of the draconian curbs currently in place to allow the UK economy to get moving again.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, is due to use his appearance at the daily Downing Street press conference this afternoon to announce a major cash injection to improve cycle lanes.
An emphasis is likely to be placed on increased cycling in the coming weeks due to fears that the public transport network will not be able to cope with a surge in passenger numbers while also trying to stick to social distancing rules.
Transport unions have threatened to derail any move to get too many people back onto trains and buses as chiefs have said they 'will not compromise on the health, safety and livelihoods of our members'.
Teaching unions have sounded a similar warning relating to the phased return of schools.
Boris Johnson, pictured in St James' Park in London this morning, will set out his lockdown exit plan tomorrow night
The plan is expected to encourage people to cycle or walk to work if they can, with firms also due to be told to provide workers with face masks. Cyclists are pictured at Buckingham Palace yesterday
The government is also expected to tell all travellers returning to the UK they will have to self-isolate for 14 days or face fines. Heathrow Terminal 5 is pictured on March 15
Ministers are thought to want to start sending children back to classrooms in June but unions have said they will not sign off on the plans until a test and tracing system is fully operational.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is also expected to announce that firms will be required to provide returning staff with face coverings.
The wearing of such masks will not be compulsory in England but it will be recommended while at work, while shopping and while using public transport.
The Cabinet Office has paid for machines to make the coverings which will then be sent to companies to allocate in order to avoid a run on medical-grade masks which the NHS needs, according to The Telegraph.
However, such a move is unlikely to be enough for critics, with former health secretary Jeremy Hunt today arguing that temperature-checking machines should be installed at the entrances to all restaurants and offices.
Mr Johnson's long-anticipated 'road map' for getting out of lockdown is expected to set out 'milestones' for the easing of measures.
Initial changes - some starting from Monday - are likely to focus on outdoor activities due to the reduced rate of transmission outdoors compared to indoors.
Mr Johnson will announce that garden centres will be allowed to open their doors to customers from Wednesday May 13.
Nursery bosses will have to ensure shoppers obey social distancing measures, such as keeping two metres away from others, and will be expected to put restrictions in place, including queuing systems and installing Perspex shields to protect till staff, in a similar way to supermarkets.
A senior Government source said: 'Garden centres are typically open large open-air spaces where the risk of transmission of coronavirus is lower.
'With strict social distancing measures in place we believe they can open safely from next week.'
It is also understood ministers are preparing to recommend that commuters use their bicycles for journeys to work, in a bid to reduce the number of people using public transport.
Mr Shapps will later unveil a further £250 million for extra cycle lanes, while trials on the use of e-scooters on British roads are due to be fast-tracked.
The lockdown plan is due to set out a phased restarting of the UK economy with different sectors returning at different times.
However, those workers who can work from home could soon be given the legal right to do so.
This would stop them feeling compelled to go to the office, make it easier for workplaces to comply with social distancing measures and reduce the strain on public transport.
The plans are under consideration by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, according to The Telegraph.
Polls suggest the Government could face an uphill battle to persuade some workers to return to their firms with much of the UK population having some degree of 'coronaphobia'.
A survey conducted by YouGov between May 7-8 found that just 15 per cent of the population believe Mr Johnson should immediately lift coronavirus restrictions.
When asked if it was right to lift the lockdown now, some 75 per cent said it would be wrong, 15 per cent said it would be right and 10 per cent said they didn't know.
Commuters are still using public transport including the Northern Line in London, but there is a lot more space compared to passenger numbers before the coronavirus lockdown
Union bosses have sent a list of key measures to the Government which they say must be met before pupils in England can safely return to their desks.
It includes extra money for deep cleaning and personal protective equipment (PPE) and local powers to close schools if clusters of Covid-19 infections break out in a particular area.
The joint statement was sent to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson on Friday by bodies including the NAHT school leaders union and the National Education Union (NEU).
The tests that the school workforce unions said were 'essential' to have in place before pupils return include no increase in pupil numbers until full rollout of a national test and trace scheme.
TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'Parents and staff need full confidence that schools will be safe before any pupils return.
'The government must work closely with unions to agree a plan that meets the tests we have set out.'
Unions are also flexing their muscles when it comes to the return of more public transport services due to concerns about staff safety.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: 'There is a headlong dash to lift the lockdown on our transport services for the 18th May and it is fraught with danger for both passengers and staff alike.
'To maintain the Governments own social distancing guidance would mean huge logistical and staffing input to manage passenger flows onto trains and it is imperative that all staff involved in this process are properly protected.
'RMT will not compromise on the health, safety and livelihoods of our members and we will not agree to anything that fails to put the safety of staff and passengers first.
'If that means advising our members not to work under conditions that are unsafe and in breach of the government's own guidelines then that is exactly what we will do.'
As well as setting out how measures will be eased, the PM's plan will also detail how some rules will be toughened to avoid a second peak of the disease.
That is expected to include requiring all travellers returning to the UK to self-isolate for 14 days, dashing hopes of a swift return to foreign holidays.
The Times said that those who break the rules could face fines of up to £1,000 or even deportation.
Such a measure is seen as key to stopping a second wave once the UK has suppressed the number of domestic cases.
Briefing reporters on Friday, Downing Street confirmed quarantining foreign visitors was being 'looked at'.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford preempted the 'exit strategy' from Westminster as he declared yesterday that only 'small and modest' easings are possible to avoid coronavirus flaring up again. Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon (right) stopped short of announcing any loosening at her briefing in Edinburgh, saying the 'only thing' they are looking at is permitting more outdoor exercise
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