FIRMS which have to stay open should not be afraid of doing so as life must continue despite the lockdown, a Tory minister said today.
Construction workers and delivery drivers should carry on working as Britain needs houses building and to get parcels no matter what, Nadhim Zahawi stressed.
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People shouldn’t use the lockdown as an excuse for “those who hate the private sector to pile unfair criticism on them”.
He stressed that it was a difficult time for businesses – just like the rest of the public.
Today the ministers wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “These are difficult times for businesses, as they are for all of us. We cannot allow those who hate the private sector to use this crisis as an excuse to pile unfair criticism on them.”
Mr Zahawi said there was work that could not be done from home, “whether it’s construction or packing boxes in an Amazon warehouse – but we still need houses built and deliveries made”.
Last week construction workers revealed how they felt they had to go into work even when they were sick – as they would not get paid if they stayed off.
Some construction sites have shut but others remain open.
Ministers stressed that if people could not work from home, they were allowed continue to go in, even if their work was not essential.
They pointed out that some work was essential to continue – such as emergency repairs or building homes.
Opposition politicians have called on the Government to ban ALL non-essential work and send them home.
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Many businesses have shut their doors even though they can continue to operate delivery services – including McDonalds and Greggs.
They said they couldn’t maintain safe levels of staying two metres apart at all times, so had to shut.
This week has seen more photos of packed tubes as Brits face their morning commutes.
Londoners have begged the Mayor to put on more tubes to make it less crammed for people who have to go in to work.
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