Working from home advice could STAY after June 21 as the price of lifting the rest of lockdown amid surge in Indian variant cases
- Ministers hope keeping WFH will allow rest of June 21 lockdown to be lifted
- Stopping unnecessary trips to workplaces may offset spread of Indian variant
- Minister Robert Jenrick said: ‘There are options that are clearly available’
Millions of Britons could be told to continue working from home past June 21 as the price for lifting the rest of the lockdown.
Ministers are thought to be examining keeping the guidance for people to avoid unnecessary trips to offices and other workplaces to offset the spread of the Indian variant.
They hope that this mitigation will allow the rest of the lockdown rules due to be lifted in little over a fortnight as planned, despite fears that hospitalisations and deaths could increase.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick did not deny the claims reported in the Telegraph.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There are options that are clearly available to the government.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There are options that are clearly available to the government’
Current advice is to work from home unless being in the office is required.
‘We set out with the roadmap what would be expected to happen at the next stage and we want to try to stick to that if we possibly can, all of us are moving everything we can to achieve that.
‘But of course we keep these things under review and we are also asking people to continue to exercise caution in their daily lives.
‘What can we do as citizens? Follow the rules as far as we can. If we don’t need to go into the office then obviously don’t do unnecessary trips in. And above all go out and get vaccinated.’
Last month senior government advisers warned against promoting a return to the office in summer amid fears it could encourage a third coronavirus wave.
Members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) argued that working from is a simple and cheap way to reduce contact.
They said there is no need to rush back to offices because that drastically increases their contact with others.
And since then the explosion in cases of the Indian variant has led ministers to examine ways to keep June 21 on track.
Current advice is to work from home unless being in the office is required.