By Tony Winterburn • Published: 18 Apr 2020 • 9:56
GOVERNMENT ministers are considering two possible strategies regards lifting restrictions, which are being discussed by their scientific advisers. The first involves extending the full lockdown well into early summer to ‘push the numbers right down’ although this would risk further damaging the economy.
The second could see restrictions lifted much earlier, potentially after the current three-week extension expires on May 8, even though it could risk a second virus ‘peak’.
The UK could begin to wind back its coronavirus lockdown measures as early as May amid growing government fears about the severe economic impact of current restrictions.
Dominic Raab, who is deputising while Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues his recovery from Covid-19, indicated on Tuesday that the government would extend the lockdown until May, saying it was “far too early” to relax current measures.
Government ministers are pushing for parts of the UK economy to be restored as soon as possible, however, amid concern that an extended lockdown could inflict catastrophic long-term damage on the economy.
“There’s a point where there just isn’t anything to come back to,” one government source said. The source added: “You’ve got to give businesses some idea that they will be trading by midsummer.”
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