Draft Government Plan Reveals Possible Post Lockdown Workplace Rules

A draft government plan has revealed rules that may be imposed on workplaces as the UK eases lockdown restrictions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would outline the 'roadmap' out of lockdown this week and the BBC has seen a draft which outlines measures workplaces may have to follow.

PA

The draft proposes reduced hot-desking, staggered shift times and maximised home-working. It also says additional hygiene procedures, physical screens and the use of protective equipment should be considered where maintaining distancing of 2m (6ft) between workers is impossible.

However, the section marked PPE as yet only says 'more detail' will follow, amid concerns about how companies might source it and a lack of clarity over whether employers must provide it.

Johnson will also announce on Sunday that year 6 children - aged 10 to 11 - will be allowed back to primary school from 1 June, according to The Guardian. They will be closely followed by other primary school years, and years 10 and 12 in secondary schools, the paper reports.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is said to be focusing on year 6 as a priority as these pupils need to transition to secondary school in September.

A Whitehall source told The Guardian: "The focus is getting primary school pupils back first but only if the R [a measure of how the virus is spreading] is at a safe level. After primary schools have returned we will then look at years 10 and 12."

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned yesterday that Johnson's 'roadmap' would not represent things returning to 'business as usual'.

Speaking on Sophy Ridge on Sunday, he said: "I don't think we should expect us to go from this situation that we have at the moment of social distancing back to where we were in February - that's clearly not going to happen and I don't think anyone imagines that for one moment.

"The most important thing is that the absolute focus of what the Prime Minister will be announcing later in the week is that what we do going forward doesn't undo the brilliant work people have been doing to get that R number below 1 - the all-critical reproduction rate doesn't come back up because that's when we'd see a second spike.

"So no I'm afraid it is definitely not going to be business as usual but we do want to make sure that people understand where the route-map lies."

Topics: UK News, Coronavirus

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey