Boris Johnson defends 'stay alert' slogan saying it is 'right message for country' amid coronavirus lockdown confusion

Boris Johnson has defended the Government's new "stay alert" message as he detailed "baby steps" towards easing the coronavirus lockdown in England.

Speaking at Monday's Downing Street press briefing, the Prime Minister admitted the Government's new slogan was "more complicated" than its "stay at home" predecessor, after a member of the public told him it was "vague".

But Mr Johnson added: “For those who think that the stay alert is not the right message, I think it is absolutely the right message for our country now.”

This is despite the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pointedly refusing to follow suit.

Slipping briefly into French, Mr Johnson told reporters that "stay alert, save lives" is similar to the French slogan of "sauvez des vies, restez prudents".

He acknowledged ministers were putting forward a more nuanced message, but said he believed the public would use their “common sense” as they entered the next phase.

“Everybody understood roughly what to do in the first phase and it’s by applying common sense that I think we will be successful in this second phase as well," he stressed.

The Prime Minister's comments followed severe criticism from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said that the "very, very vague" Government strategy could "put lives at risk".

Ms Sturgeon has banned the "stay alert" slogan from official Scottish coronavirus communications, while Wales also refused to budge from the "stay at home" line.

But Mr Johnson said it was "entirely right" that the devolved governments of the UK should take their own decisions about the lockdown.

He told the televised press conference: "We have a situation in the UK where the disease, the epidemic is in different stages in different places.

"It’s entirely right that different devolved administrations are taking slightly different approaches to deal with the epidemic in their nation, and we respect that and support that.

“When you look at the totality of the approach I really think that the unity between us is far more significant than the differences.

"And I can tell you that every member of Cobra (...) from all the devolved nations, was absolutely determined to have a UK-wide solution to this.”

Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the Government's approach for leaving questions unanswered
PA

The Prime Minister told Brits on Sunday that people should start to go back to work from Wednesday if it was not possible to work from home.

But he said on Monday evening that the Government does not expect "a sudden big flood" of people returning to workplaces, and that the measures to ease the lockdown were "baby steps".

He added that workers should contact their employers to find out if it was safe to go back to work, and they should not have to return to work if they did not have childcare.

His comments came after Business Secretary Alok Sharma revealed that companies that wanted to reopen would face strict health and safety inspections, as part of a new plan meant to help businesses start trading again safely.

Mr Johnson said that businesses would face random safety checks and that anyone who was unsure about their workplace safety should report their employers.

He told Monday's briefing: “I don’t think any of us expect that tomorrow or for the rest of this week there is going to be a sudden big flood of people back to work.

“I think a lot of people will now start to think whether they fall into that category, whether they could think about going back to work.

“We are taking baby steps. We think that is the right way to do it. We have some leeway now.”

UK stays alerts during Coronavirus - In pictures

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The changes, foreshadowed by the Prime Minister in his broadcast on Sunday, will also see garden centres reopen and people will be allowed outdoors for unlimited exercise in pursuits such as tennis, golf, lawn bowls and basketball.

However, they must keep two metres away from other people and only exercise with their own household.

Mr Johnson said people in England would also be encouraged to wear face coverings in enclosed places, such as in some shops and on public transport.

The chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said the changes reflected the fact that social distancing measures in some form would be required for an extended period.

“We recognise that we are going to have to do changes for a long period of time. Making things sustainable is extremely important,” he said.

Earlier, in the Commons, Mr Johnson said ministers would reimpose controls if the rate of transmission of the virus – the so-called R number – started to pick up again threatening an exponential rise in the number of cases.

“If the data goes the wrong way, if the alert level begins to rise, we will have no hesitation in putting on the brakes and delaying or reintroducing measures locally, regionally, or nationally,” he said.

He added: “Our challenge is to find a way forward that preserves our hard-won gains, while easing the burden of lockdown, and I’ll be candid with the House this is a supremely difficult balance to strike.”

According to the 50-page document published today, people can meet with a person from another household outdoors as long as social distancing is maintained. It can be one person one day and a different person the next.

Driving to destinations for outdoor walks and exercise is also permitted but fines for those who break the rules will rise to £100 in England.

The report says the Government is hoping a vaccine or drug treatments will be developed against Covid-19, but says this cannot be relied upon and a vaccine may never be found.

It comes as the as the UK death toll neared 37,000, with more than 223,000 Brits having tested positive for the disease to date.

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