UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said that the government will return to its ‘stay home’ message as Covid-19 infections continue to rise. Bars and pubs will have to close early, but there are no plans to “cancel Christmas.”
“If it is possible for people to work from home then we would encourage them to do so,” Gove told Sky News.
He acknowledged that there are “many” jobs, including those in retail and construction, that cannot be performed remotely. In such cases, the government needs to ensure workplace safety, he said.
If we can encourage people to work from home, we will, but if people need to be in the office, we will work to make it as safe as possible.
At the same time, Gove noted that hospitality venues “will stay open.”
We are not going to cancel Christmas.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to put forward the ‘stay home’ message in parliament later on Tuesday, along with other additional measures to fight Covid-19, such as forcing bars, pubs and restaurants to close by 10pm.
In July, Johnson urged people to go back to work in offices if they could, as the government appeared to have reversed the tide in coronavirus infections. It was hoped that the ‘back to work’ drive would boost the economy after the lockdown.
However, the infection rate began to grow again in recent months, forcing officials to delay the planned lifting of quarantine restrictions and to impose tougher rules against mass gatherings.
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