Newspaper column 14 May 2020 - COVID Update 9

In the eighth week of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen changes announced at the beginning of the week which came into force yesterday.

Because of the falls in hospital admissions, and the use of critical care beds, our NHS has not been overwhelmed by the pandemic. Meanwhile the Government increased daily tests by over 1,000% during April - from 11,041 on 31 March to 122,347 on 30 April. The Stay At Home message has worked and because of this, we can now look at taking small and sensible steps towards the future.

The Prime Minister’s initial statement on the changes was made on Sunday, followed by detailed guidance on the new guidance, and a debate in Parliament on Monday.

Although the changes that have been announced are very minor, a lot of concerns were raised locally about people again travelling to Cornwall for holidays and staying at second homes.

I was pleased to see the guidance and the Prime Minister both specifically address that travel to second homes is still prohibited. Holiday accommodation also remains closed so people should not be coming to Cornwall for any sort of holiday while lockdown continues.

The Furlough scheme will also continue at 80% for until the end of July and in some form until October.

In brief the new guidance shows three steps for us to recover from the pandemic

The first step began yesterday on 13 May. This outlines that where possible, workers who can work from home should continue remote working. Those who cannot, such as workers in construction and manufacturing, should travel to work. Those working in hospitality and retail are still exempt from going to work.

At the same time nannies and childminders will be allowed to return to work, allowing in turn more parents to go to work.

People are now allowed unlimited outdoor exercise as the risk of infection outside the home is significantly lower than inside. Playgrounds and outdoor gyms, however, will remain closed. People cannot meet up with more than one person outside their household and must observe social distancing.

Travellers from abroad coming into the UK will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.

The second step will begin no sooner than June 1. Cultural and sports events will be allowed to take place behind closed doors for broadcast while avoiding large-scale gatherings. Restrictions on allowing people from different households will be examined and loosened following government consultations with scientific experts. This step will also see a phased return to education, with children able to return to early years settings, and for reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to be back in school in smaller sizes.

The third step will begin no sooner than July 4. At this point the government will aim to reopen hairdressers, beauty salons, pubs, restaurants and places of worship.

This is a road map to recovery and will constantly be under review. Should the cases of COVID-19 increase the Government will be able to return to an earlier step in order to minimise its impact.

I will continue to do all I can to ensure the voices of Truro and Falmouth are heard as we continue on our journey to beat COVID-19.

My team and I are here to help during this crisis. You can email me at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, call me on 0207 2193713 (messages will be picked up), and my website www.cherilynmackrory.org.uk and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thisischerilyn are all regularly updated with matters relating both to the current crisis and other useful news and information. Please do get in touch if you need any help or have questions for me.