Boris Johnson says he hopes country can return to 'normal' life in time for Christmas
17 July 2020, 11:08
Boris Johnson today said he hoped for a return to "normality" in time for Christmas as he unveiled changes to the government's stance on working from home.
Mr Johnson said that from August 1, people should return to work "if it is safe" and "provided employers have done the work they should have done to make their work places Covid-secure".
He said it was not for the Government to tell employers if staff should return to their workplaces.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson's latest lockdown changes - explained
"What we're saying now is that if employers think it would be better and more productive for their employees to come into the office and they can work in a safe way, in a Covid-secure way in the office, then there should be discussions between employers and employees and people should take a decision."
Mr Johnson also announced new powers for local authorities in England to tackle covid-19 outbreaks, saying that he hoped things would head towards "normality" in time for Christmas.
The prime minister unveiled a series of measures including allowing councils to put in place "local stay at home orders", closing certain premises and restricting transport in the event of a spike in cases.
Boris Johnson announces changes in working from home advice from August
The new powers come into effect from Saturday and will allow local authorities to shut outdoor spaces and cancel events, Mr Johnson said.
"It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest, possibly in time for Christmas," he said.
"If we continue to pull together, as we have done so far, I know we can beat this virus: hoping for the best, but planning for the worst, and it’s in that spirit that we must carry on waging this long, hard fight against coronavirus."
In other developments, the Prime Minister announced:
- Stadiums and conferences can restart from October, provided it is safe
- Employers should speak to staff with the aim of bringing workers back from August 1 if they have made it safe to do so and if it is more productive to have them in the office
- From August 1, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and weddings of up to 30 people are allowed, but nightclubs and soft play areas must stay closed
Boris Johnson: Local authorities will get more powers to bring in lockdowns
Bowling alleys and skating rinks can reopen from August 1, he said, but nightclubs and soft play areas must remain closed.
He said that the government hopes to be able to allow stadium events and conferences to start again from October.
He said: "From August 1, we will reopen most remaining leisure settings, namely bowling, skating rings, casinos and we will enable close contact services, beauticians to resume.
"Nightclubs, soft play areas - sadly - need to remain closed for now, although this will be kept under review.
"We will restart indoor performances to a live audience, subject to the success of pilots, and we will also pilot larger gatherings in venues like sport stadia, with a view to a wider reopening in the autumn.
"We will also allow wedding receptions for up to 30 people."
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Yesterday chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said that he saw no reason to change the current guidance for people to work from home if they can.
It emerged yesterday that Mr Johnson had allocated an extra £3bn for the NHS to deal with a possible second wave of coronavirus.
No 10 said the money will give hospitals greater capacity while also ensuring routine treatments and procedures continue unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Sir Patrick warned that Covid-19 is likely to be around for a number of years, amid fears that the virus could rebound in the winter.
