Politics
Brits told to work from home if they can until at least June as lockdown roadmap unveiled
BRITS have been told to work from home if they can until at least June as Boris Johnson unveils his roadmap out of lockdown.
The Government will review its work from home rules ahead of Step 4 in the four-stage plan to freedom.
Brits are expected to work from home until June at the earliest[/caption]
Unveiling its blueprint this afternoon, ministers admitted social distancing is “difficult and damaging for businesses” and, as a result, it is important to “return to as near to normal as quickly as possible”.
Outlining the “Ahead of Step 4, as more is understood about the impact of vaccines on transmission and a far greater proportion of the population has been vaccinated, the Government will complete a review of social distancing measures and other long-term measures that have been put in place to limit transmission.
“The results of the review will help inform decisions on the timing and circumstances under which rules on 1metre+, face masks and other measures may be lifted.
“The review will also inform guidance on working from home – people should continue to work from home where they can until this review is complete.”
The “work from home” message was brought in at the start of the first lockdown last March.
That changed though during the summer as Covid cases eased and employees were urged to return to their offices in a bid to get Britain working again, despite objections from Labour MPs and trade unions.
When Boris announced the third national lockdown at the start of this year, he said people should go to work only if they “absolutely” could not work from home.
Rules now state you may only leave home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.
This includes, but is not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, childcare or education, essential public services and essential retail such as supermarkets and pharmacies.
It comes after Tory backbenchers last week urged the government to provide clarity on when staff may be able to return to their desks.
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Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “We need to get people back to work as soon as possible.
“There are lots of reasons why work is important to our lives. It affects people’s physical and mental wellbeing and there are issues around productivity.
“I would like to see as much detail as possible in the roadmap to help people to make plans. They need to know in advance.”
