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Tough measures against coronavirus will last for “months” rather than weeks, a Cabinet minister warned today as scientists met to consider formally when it may be safe to ease the lockdown.
Therese Coffey cautioned that Britain will not return to normality quickly, telling Sky that social distancing and self-isolation “all form part of the strategy”, adding the battle against coronavirus wasn’t going to be over in weeks, “it will take months as we try and do other elements”.
She said the development of a vaccine may take some considerable time. “In the short term, the focus is on that treatment, stopping the spread.”
The Government’s chief scientific advisers were meeting by video conference to discuss lockdown and are expected to recommend the restrictions be extended another three weeks, with the next review in early May.
Among issues that may be decided this week are whether to change advice to the public over whether face masks should be worn in some circumstances.
Before and during Coronavirus lockdown – In pictures
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Buckingham Palace
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Piccadilly Line tube
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Big Ben
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Millennium bridge
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Wembley Stadium
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St Pancras International train station
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Downing Street
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Victoria Station
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Regent Street
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The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace
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London’s National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
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Edinburgh’s Royal Mile
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Barry Island, South Wales
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Bath
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Bath
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London’s Waterloo station
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London Bridge
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London’s Canary Wharf Jubilee Line platform
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London’s Canary Wharf Station
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London’s Buckingham Palace
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London’s Tower Bridge
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London’s Leicester Square
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London’s Millennium Bridge with St Paul’s Cathedral
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London’s Criterion Theatre
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London’s Palace Theatre
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London’s Phoenix Theatre
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London’s Canary Wharf Station
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Bournemouth beach
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Bath
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Bath
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Barry Island, South Wales
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Bournemouth beach
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Buckingham Palace
AP
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Piccadilly Line tube
AP
4/33
Big Ben
AP
5/33
Millennium bridge
AP
6/33
Wembley Stadium
AP
7/33
St Pancras International train station
AP
8/33
Downing Street
AP
9/33
Victoria Station
AP
10/33
Regent Street
AP
11/33
The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace
AP
12/33
London’s National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
PA
13/33
Edinburgh’s Royal Mile
PA
14/33
Barry Island, South Wales
PA
15/33
Bath
PA
16/33
Bath
PA
17/33
London’s Waterloo station
PA
18/33
London Bridge
PA
19/33
London’s Canary Wharf Jubilee Line platform
PA
20/33
London’s Canary Wharf Station
PA
21/33
London’s Buckingham Palace
PA
22/33
London’s Tower Bridge
PA
23/33
London’s Leicester Square
PA
24/33
London’s Millennium Bridge with St Paul’s Cathedral
PA
25/33
London’s Criterion Theatre
PA
26/33
London’s Palace Theatre
PA
27/33
London’s Phoenix Theatre
PA
28/33
London’s Canary Wharf Station
PA
29/33
Bournemouth beach
PA
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Bath
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Bath
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Barry Island, South Wales
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Bournemouth beach
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In key developments:
- Concern about the fate of elderly people in care homes and the staff who look after them deepened as Britain’s largest operator revealed that two thirds of homes had cases of Covid-19.
- The row over shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals and care homes intensified. Nadra Ahmed, chairwoman of the National Care Association, said homes were struggling to pay for PPE for their staff.
- After 12 bus drivers and six other Transport for London workers died from Covid-19, a union warned that the disease was “a killer” for people dealing with passengers. “I’m hearing, on an hourly, daily basis, horrific stories,” said Bobby Morton of Unite.
- Heathrow called for global governments to agree a common standard on medical screening at airports so that aviation can get back to work.
Ms Coffey said Boris Johnson was “recovering well” from coronavirus at Chequers and it “will be a decision for him” whether he gets involved in the decision about lockdown.
She insisted she was “confident” that the Government will achieve its target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month.
On ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Ms Ahmed said that care homes were struggling to source and pay for PPE, and prices were “not sustainable” for the care sector.
She said the Government had removed VAT on essential kit for the NHS and urged it to do the same for the social care sector.
