Boris Johnson will tell the British public to ‘stay alert, control the virus and save lives’ as the government drops the ‘stay at home’ message in the next phase of the war against coronavirus.
The PM is expected to drop the slogan ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ in a televised address to the UK tomorrow at 7pm in an effort to reopen parts of the economy.
A five-tier warning system, administered by a Joint Biosecurity Centre, will be used to monitor the virus risk around the country and encourage public adherence to the new measures.
The alerts will range from Level One (green) to Level Five (red), with Britain currently on Level Four.
It will be administered by a Joint Biosecurity Centre, which will be responsible for detecting local spikes of Covid-19 so ministers can increase restrictions where necessary to help reduce the infection rates.
It is believed that the new slogan was drawn up by advisers to the Conservative Party’s 2019 election campaign amid fears the earlier instruction to ‘stay at home’ had been too effective.
Boris Johnson will tell the British public to ‘stay alert, control the virus and save lives’ as the government drops the ‘stay at home’ message in the next phase of the war against coronavirus (pictured, outside No 10 Downing Street)
The PM is expected to drop the slogan ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ in a televised address to the UK tomorrow at 7pm in an effort to reopen parts of the economy (pictured, new government pandemic slogan)
A No 10 source said that Mr Johnson, who is facing calls from Tory MPs to steer Britain clear of an economic recession, is ‘proceeding with maximum caution and maximum conditionality’ (pictured, people by Tower Bridge, London)
Mr Johnson is expected to announce tomorrow that England is on the verge of moving down to Level Three, in a sign that there is no significant increase in the Covid-19 infection rate.
A No 10 source said that Mr Johnson, who is facing growing calls from Tory MPs to steer Britain clear of a severe economic recession, is ‘proceeding with maximum caution and maximum conditionality’.
The government’s road map for bringing the country out of lockdown will be published in a 50-page document tomorrow. It is understood that MPs will be briefed on the strategy.
The PM is also expected to say that social distancing rules will save livelihoods as well as lives. The change in messaging reflects concerns that Britain faces an economic contraction not felt in 300 years.
His broadcast will be his second national address of the crisis, and the first since he was hospitalised. Beforehand, he will chair a Cobra meeting with leaders of the devolved administrations and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Matt Hancock (right ) has asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) to ‘give him a break’ after a recent bust-up between the pair over the Health Secretary’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak
The change in messaging comes as the Johnson government’s united front is cracking under the pressure of the Covid crisis, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock and the PM at blows.
Mr Hancock, who has come under fire for missing testing targets, urged Mr Johnson to ‘give me a break’ in a furious bust-up which will raise questions over the beleaguered Ministers Cabinet future.
Mr Hancock’s spokesman said Ministers were ‘furious’ about the mistake with the goggles, which they said had been ordered by Labour in 2009.
A Health Department source dubbed them ‘Gordon’s goggles’ and added they were bought against 2001 standards of protection which were superseded by the time they were purchased. ‘Even a decade on, we are still having to clear up Labour’s mess’, they added.
The latest PPE fiasco will be damaging to the Health Secretary, coming days after it emerged that surgical gowns ordered from Turkey and flown into the UK amid great fanfare did not all meet British safety standards.
‘The feeling is that Hancock is on borrowed time,’ said a senior government source.
‘He has fallen out with the most powerful figures in the Government, from the Prime Minister down. Nothing will change immediately. But once we have beaten this thing, expect him to be moved.’
A source said tensions had run high in the run-up to the deadline for hitting the 100,00 tests a day target, but said ‘the PM was full of praise for his performance’. A No 10 source said: ‘This is a critical moment so, having assessed the evidence carefully, the Prime Minister will ask for the public resolve as we continue to do whatever is needed to defeat this devastating virus.’
Yesterday Mr Johnson begged the British public to stay indoors during the last days of full lockdown.
A member of the public stopped to give British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a talking to as he took a morning walk through St James’s Park in London yesterday. He was carrying a reusable Costa coffee cup
Mr Johnson warned Britons that venturing out over the bank holiday weekend could ‘undo everything that’s been done so far’
Hackney Police in north London took this picture and complained they were ‘fighting a losing battle’ to keep people indoors
Visitors walk through a busy Broadway Market in London despite Mr Johnson urging Britons to stay at home this weekend
Parliament Square in Westminster witnessed huge crowds of cyclists as people enjoyed the hottest day of the year so far
A further 346 coronavirus deaths were announced on Saturday, bringing the country’s official death toll to 31,587
He tweeted: ‘Thank you for all you are doing to protect our NHS and save lives. This bank holiday weekend, please stay at home, so we don’t undo everything we’ve done so far.’
Yet people still poured into the nation’s beauty spots to soak up some bank holiday sunshine – including the PM who this morning strolled through St James’s Park, where he was accosted by a finger-jabbing passer-by.
It compounded existing accusations that the government is sending mixed messages following a flurry of reports it is preparing to ditch its ‘stay at home’ slogan.
And further casting a cloud of a confusion, a second tweet from the official Downing Street account said: ‘If you are leaving the house this weekend you need to keep two metres apart from others.’
Mr Johnson was pictured swigging from a reusable Costa coffee cup on his daily walk through the park.
As he marched to work, Mr Johnson was confronted by a man who appeared give him a piece of his mind, pointing a finger at the startled PM as a smiling woman looked on.
It is unclear what the man said and MailOnline has contacted No 10 for comment.
Thousands of Britons joined Mr Johnson in hitting the country’s green spaces, but unlike the premier some were pictured sprawled out in groups sunbathing on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far.
Residents jog and walk along the the Regents canal in London, where hundreds of people were out getting their exercise
Cyclists were out in their droves on the Mall in London amid signs some lockdown restrictions could be softened
Cyclists queuing at traffic lights entering Parliament Square as thousands of Britons enjoyed the sweltering temperatures
Visitors enjoying views of the skyscrapers in the City of London from a closed off viewing area in Greenwich Park, London
Police in Brighton stopped cars on the A23 to prevent sun-worshipping covidiots away from the seaside, with locals cheering as tourists were turned away.
And the Coastguard said that on Friday it had the highest number of call-outs since lockdown began, with 97 incidents, 54 per cent more than the average of 63 recorded for the previous month.
Although the rule-breaking signals compliance with lockdown is fraying, Mr Johnson has told Cabinet he will be proceeding with ‘maximum caution’ in order to avoid a second wave of deadly infections.
Transport unions have threatened to derail any move to get too many people back onto trains and buses as chiefs have said they ‘will not compromise on the health, safety and livelihoods of our members’.
Teaching unions have sounded a similar warning relating to the phased return of schools.
Ministers have been urging the UK to stick with social distancing rules this weekend despite the sunny weather and to wait for the PM to set out his plan tomorrow. Mr Johnson tweeted: ‘Thank you for all you are doing to protect our NHS and save lives. This bank holiday weekend, please stay at home, so we don’t undo everything that’s been done so far.’
The PM also acknowledged the strain the lockdown has put on people’s mental health as he said it ‘has been a difficult time for many’. He told anyone who is struggling that ‘there is help available’. Ministers are thought to want to start sending children back to classrooms in June but unions have said they will not sign off on the plans until a test and tracing system is fully operational.
The return of schools and childcare services will be key to restoring much of the economy because many workers with children will be unable to go back to work until education settings are up and running.