As the UK waits with bated breath to learn of the PM’s roadmap and timetable for reopening, there has been much speculation around the substance of it.
Adding to that conjecture the pandemic environment has seen government on numerous occasions ‘leak’ information pre the official announcement of it.
The tone of the PM recently certainly emphasises a cautious approach, stating his intention to make the current lockdown the last. An ambitious goal when in combat with nature.
Hospitality business owners and the millions of people who work with them will be as anxious as any to learn of the PM’s plan.
There will doubtless be many caveats alongside hospital and transmission rate targets. And ministers will not make any final decisions until cabinet meets over the weekend to agree policies.
Sifting through various claims of ‘inside’ information, a number of common themes present themselves.
School reopening is the government’s highest priority, with a phased return starting in early March.
Outside sports including golf to start reopening from mid-March, with restrictions on numbers of participants, but no clubhouse or other social mixing.
Non-essential retail is next on the list with plans to reopen starting at the end of March.
April is being seen as a month for assessments to be made shaping policy further in line with meeting targets of decline in transmissions.
Hospitality will see reopening start in May with extended restrictions and a phased approach applied. Restaurants and pubs will reopen with limits on how many people can mix in close proximity. Outdoor drinking and dining only being one option, prior to indoor in June, with numbers building gradually.
Domestic holidaying will reopen in July, but with continued restrictions on dining and drinking.
International holidaying will not resume in 2021. The PM is reported to be heeding scientists advising that quarantine measures and restrictions on international travel will need to stay in place to justify the other relaxation measures. The new ‘data driven’ quotes from the PM of late are part of what some are saying is a trade-off to gain the widest possible green light for Monday’s announcement.
With quite a few days remaining before the announcement the PM is being lobbied by advocates of both a more and less stringent reopening strategy. There is no shortage of hawks and doves busying themselves currently to try and leverage advantage in the time remaining.
With his own political career on the line here, the PM will deliver a roadmap straight down the middle of the road.
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Hospitality & Catering News: Details of Boris Johnson’s roadmap and timetable emerge amidst intense lobbying. – 18 February 2021 – Details of Boris Johnson’s roadmap and timetable emerge amidst intense lobbying.
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