10 May 2020

Boris Johnson’s TV speech: The unanswered questions

10 May 2020

The Prime Minister has set out “the first sketch of a road map” towards reopening society in England amid the fight against Covid-19.

But viewers of the televised address, which lasted around 13 minutes, may have been left with some unanswered questions.

The PA news agency has listed a few queries the public may still have as they enter week eight of lockdown.

– When can we visit family?

– Should we wear masks?

– How can people go to work when schools are still closed and there are no childcare facilities?

– Which other employees, aside from those in manufacturing and construction, are expected to return to work?

– How can employers encourage people to go back to work so soon without having seen the guidance and having had time to introduce new measures?

– What is the new guidance for employers to make workplaces “Covid-secure” and what does that mean exactly?

– Are workers allowed to refuse to go to their workplace if they believe it is unsafe, and will they be protected from being disciplined or sacked?

– Will people have to cram on to packed trains, buses and tubes to get to work if they do not have a car or live within walking or cycling distance?

– Will people be stopped from getting on to public transport because of the two-metre social distancing rules?

– How will social distancing on public transport be monitored?

– Does the Prime Minister believe workers and unions should be consulted before any return to work?

– How will any subsequent increase in Covid-19 cases in workplaces be monitored?

– Will the Health and Safety Executive be given more resources to check on the health and safety of workers?

– If someone has been furloughed, and now cannot return to work due to childcare issues, will they still be supported?

– If someone who works in manufacturing or construction is shielding, should they continue with shielding and will they be supported?

– Why does the Government believe a quarantine for UK arrivals will be effective now, when they did not bring in such a measure before?

– Will arrivals by sea be included in the quarantine plan?

– How and when will the Government get to the stage when it can ensure that hundreds of thousands of people are being tested every day?

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