Coronavirus: ‘Too soon’ to end lockdown but health secretary ‘comfortable’ with some businesses reopening

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News it is still too soon for UK lockdown measures to be relaxed, but says he is “comfortable” with some businesses reopening.

Mr Hancock said that while the daily number of UK deaths due to coronavirus meant the country was not yet ready to start easing some social-distancing rules, he was not opposed to building sites and hardware stores resuming work.

Companies including hardware chain B&Q, house builders Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon, and car makers Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan, Aston Martin and Bentley have announced plans to begin asking staff to return to work or re-started in a limited capacity.

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And Mr Hancock told Sky News he endorsed their decisions as long as guidance was followed.

“The things that are restarting are things that we never required to close in the first place, but what the companies have been doing is working out how they can have safe working following the social distancing rules whilst people are at work,” he said.

“Throughout we’ve allowed hardware stores to stay open, and the construction industry, but what businesses have been doing is taking the last couple of weeks to work out ‘ok how do you stay open and stay within the social-distancing rules at work?’

“So it’s absolutely fine for those businesses to stay open because they were never required to close by the social-distancing rules.

“I’m comfortable with what they’re doing”.

It came as the AA said car use in the UK had increased to its highest level since before the lockdown began.

According analysis of data from 5,000 drivers with a tracker in their vehicle, average car trips rose to 0.47 on Wednesday – the highest it has been since mid-March – having fallen as low as 0.4 on weekdays and 0.2 on Sundays.

While some businesses are preparing to reopen, The Sun is reporting that hairdressers will be forced to remain closed for up to six months because government scientists believe there is no safe way of them operating without the risk of spreading the virus.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday outlined how the nation would eventually look to begin relaxing its lockdown measures, but Mr Hancock said the UK as a whole was not yet ready to implement such changes.

“The truth is, it’s still too soon, safely, to change those measures,” he said.

“Although the number of people who died yesterday was lower, it was still over 600, so it’s still too high.

“I just urge people to continue sticking to those rules, because it’s working and we’re flattening that curve but we need to see it coming down.”

He added that Boris Johson was in “good shape” as he continues his recovery after contracting COVID-19.

“I’m sure he’ll come back as soon as his doctors recommend it,” he said.

“That decision is for the prime minister in consultation with his doctors. I spoke to him yesterday, he’s on very good form and is clearly recovering.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: ‘Too soon’ to end lockdown but health secretary ‘comfortable’ with some businesses reopening