PM outlines detail on 'support bubbles'

By Gareth Jones, Newgate Public Affairs

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, provided today’s briefing and set out further easing of restrictions to lockdown in England. He began by outlining progress against the government's five tests and noted that the death rate and the number of positive cases both continue to fall, so the government is able to proceed with some further adjustments.

From this weekend, single adult households (adults living alone or single parents) will be able to form a support bubble with one other household. This means they are able to act as if they live in the same household and can spend time in each other's homes. The Prime Minister said that the government is making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown. He stressed that this measure is not designed for those who do not qualify to start meeting inside people's homes, because that remains against the law, and those who are shielding cannot take part. 

In addition, Johnson noted that shops would be able to open on Monday. He announced that outdoor attractions such as safari parks and drive-in cinemas would be allowed to re-open on Monday, along with Zoos (as long as indoor areas remain closed). Places of worship will be allowed to open for individual prayer from this weekend.

Arguably most contentiously, the Prime Minister addressed the issue of schools. He said that the rate of infection is "not quite low enough yet" and the government cannot, therefore, bring back primary schools for all pupils before the summer. He added that he wants all pupils back to school in September if the infection rate is under control. He stated that the Education Secretary would outline details of a ‘catch-up programme’ for pupils next week. 

Elsewhere today, Prof Neil Ferguson gave evidence to the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee and stated that imposing lockdown in the UK a week earlier could have cut the death toll "by at least a half”, noting that the epidemic was doubling every three to four days before lockdown interventions were introduced. Separately, an OECD report said that Britain's economy is likely to slump by 11.5% in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, which is slightly worse than predicted falls in other countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy.