Good siesta. I am joined today by Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England and Sarah Albon who is the Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive.
First, I want to update you on the latest statistics on the coronavirus reply.
2,007,146 checks for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 85,293 checks carried out yesterday.
226,463 human beings have tested positive, that’s a boost of 3,403 instances since yesterday.
11,605 human beings are currently in clinic with coronavirus, up from 11,465 the previous daylight
And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all ambiences, 32,692 have now died. That’s a boost of 627 accidents since yesterday.
This is of course devastating account for clans across the UK, and we all need to stay alert and control the ailment.
I just want to remind human beings of the minutiae of the next aspect of our action against coronavirus that we set out this date.
If we turn to the first transparency, in order to monitor our advance, we are establishing a new COVID Alert Achievement Arrangement, with five achievements, each relating to the achievement of blackmail posed by the ailment.
The alert achievement will be based primarily on the R amount and the figure of coronavirus instances.
And in turn that alert achievement will determine the achievement of social distancing parts in position.
The lower the achievement the fewer the parts; the higher the achievement the stricter the parts.
The social distancing parts remain critical in our attempts to control the ailment.
Throughout the age of lockdown, which started on March 23 we have been at Achievement 4.
Meaning, a COVID-19 contagion is in general circulation, and conveyance is high or rising exponentially.
But thanks to the hard effort and atonement of the British human beings in this isolation, you have helped to bring the R achievement down and we are now in a situation to begin moving to Achievement 3, in careful strides.
As you see on the next transparency, we have set out the first of three strides we will take to carefully modify the parts, gradually ease the isolation, and begin to allow human beings to return to their way of existence - but crucially, while avoiding what would be a disastrous second pinnacle that overwhelms the NHS.
After each stride we will closely monitor the impact of that stride on the R and the amount of contagions, and all the available statistics, and we will only take the next stride when we are satisfied that it is safe to do so.
Stride 1. From this date:
Those who cannot work from abode should now speak to their employer about going back to employment.
You can now spend duration outdoors and exercise as often as you like.
You can meet one human being outside of your family-unit outside provided you stay 2 measures apart.
Stride 2. From June 1, at the earliest, as long as the statistics allows, we aim to allow:
Primary academies to reopen for some learners, in smaller division sizes.
Non-essential markets to start to reopen, when and where it is safe to do so,
Cultural and sporting episodes to take place behind closed entryways, without congregations.
And then Stride 3. No earlier than July 4, and again, only if the statistics says it is safe, we aim to allow:
More trades and establishments to open, including potentially those offering personal nurture such as leisure amenities, public locations, and locations of worship.
Many of these trades will need to operate in new ways to ensure they are safe, and we will work with these categories on how to do this.
As you will see from transparency 3, having taken the first stride in carefully adjusting some of the parts, and our instructions to human beings on what to do, we have also updated our presaging.
We are now asking human beings to Stay Alert, Control the ailment and Save Existences.
Yes - staying alert, for the vast majority of human beings, still means staying at abode as much as possible.
But there are a range of other conducts we’re advising human beings to take.
Human beings should stay alert, by:
Working from abode if you can.
Limiting connection with other human beings.
Keeping gaps if you go out - 2 measures apart where possible.
Washing your extremities regularly.
Wearing a visage housing when you are in enclosed area where it’s difficult to be socially distant - for example in some boutiques and on public transit.
And if you or anyone in your family-unit has indicators, you all need to self-isolate.
As transparency 4 shows, if everyone stays alert and follows the decrees, we can control coronavirus by keeping the R down and reducing the amount of contagions.
This is how we can continue to save existences, and subsistences, as we begin as a dominion to recover from coronavirus.
And to underpin this in the building, we have published new ‘COVID-19 secure’ advice on working safely, available to UK companies, across 8 employment settings, which are allowed to be open and where their agents cannot work from abode.
This also includes advice for boutiques which we believe may be in a situation to begin a phased reinstating at the earliest from the 1 June.
Companies, federations, industry groups and the devolved aduthorities have all fed into this advice to give trades and their agents the confidence they need to work safely.
And I believe we have reached an accord in doing that.
We have also worked with Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive, to develop best habitude on the safest ways of working across the financial system.
The protocols outline practical strides for companies to take, including carrying out a COVID-19 threat appraisal, in consultation with agents or trades federations.
A downloadable directive is included in the records, which companies should display in their building to show their agents, consumers and other callers, that they have followed this advice.
We have also provided practical strides for companies to consider such as putting up impediments or dividers in shared areas, creating “fixed crews” or “partnering” to minimise the amount of human beings in contact with one another, and frequent cleaning of employment areas and apparatus between uses to reduce conveyance.
To support companies and agents through this, the authority has made available up to an extra £14 million for the Health and Safety Executive, equivalent to an increase of 10% of their allocation.
This is for extra call centre agents, auditors and apparatus, if needed.
We know how important the Job Retention Programme has been in helping trades through this difficult duration.
And today the Chancellor has announced a four-month lengthening of the programme to help provide conviction to trades.
To date, 7.5 million posts have been furloughed, protecting subsistences across the dominion.
Until the end of July, there will be no alterations to the programme.
Then from August to October the programme will continue, for all categories and districts of the UK, but with greater plasticity to support the passage back to occupation.
Companies currently using the programme will be able to bring agents back part duration.
And, as the financial system reopens, we will ask companies to start sharing, with the authority, the expenditure of paying human beings’ earnings.
To be clear, the same achievement of backing of 80% of human beings’ current wages, up to £2,500 will continue to be met, but through a shared attempt between companies and the authority.
We will be setting out more minutiae on the alterations before the end of the season.
Throughout this contagion, I have been struck by the way human beings have looked out for one another.
These parts are produced in that resolve.
So to companies I say: use this backing and advice to know you are doing the right stuff and work with your federations and agents to keep each other safe.
And to agents I say: we are looking out for you; we want you to feel confident that you are financially supported and returning to a safe building.
Because in this duration like no other, we all need to work together safely, as we rebuild our financial system.
Thank you.