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In a typically bustling city like London, the weeks of staying safe at home might seem like they’ve particularly dragged. But Londoners used to being on the go are expecting a glimmer of hope this week as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to lay out plans for the easing of the UK’s lockdown measures.
The prime minister’s ‘roadmap’ for the end of lockdown is expected to be revealed on Sunday May 10. At Thursday’s (April 30) daily briefing from Number 10, Johnson said that the government was seeking answers to, ‘how we can get our economy moving, how we can get our children back to school and back into childcare, and how we can travel to work and how we can make life in the workplace safer’.
Although it’s hard to predict what easing would look like in London, some reports have started to help build a bigger picture. The BBC has shared details of a draft plan from the government meant for businesses and trade unions, which outlines the measures that would be implemented upon the return to work. It discusses the use of increased protective gear and facial coverings in the workplace, a reduction in hot-desking and the idea of staggered work or shift patterns to reduce person-to-person contact in the workplace.
The transport secretary Grant Shapps has also discussed the introduction of a one-way system at train stations to help to continue to enforce social distancing for commuters. Meanwhile, plans are in place at City Hall to widen cycle lanes and pavements in the capital in order to encourage people to avoid public transport when measures are eventually eased.
While there’s no apparent timeline outlined for the return to work yet, there’s currently talk of older primary school children being allowed back into UK classrooms as soon as June 1.
The UK first went into lockdown on March 23. Most workplaces and all schools and social venues closed, with people asked to stay at home and all non-essential travel banned.
Until the ‘roadmap’ is revealed on Sunday, find all the latest guidelines for moving around London right now.
Should you be wearing a face mask as you do it? Read here.