Work From Home In UK ahead of Second Wave of COVID-19

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is telling the nation to work from home as much as possible. The situations are likely to call for another lockdown. There is a huge possibility of a second wave of COVID-19. As a result of this lockdown, this will possibly affect the timings of bars, restaurants, etc. too.

The Decision to work from home

Millions of people are already under some form of COVID-19 restriction. The Prime Minister is enforcing another full lockdown similar to one in March 2020. The only reason is to tackle the second COVID-19 wave, which already showed its deadly effect previously. According to the reports, the Prime Minister will hold emergency meetings with the ministers.

He will address the parliament on Tuesday 22 September 2020 at 1130 GMT and then speak to the nation at 1900 GMT. This is all after the government scientists warned that the death rate would soar without urgent action.

A Sudden Retreat to work from home

Just weeks after urging people to start returning to workplaces, Johnson will now advise them to stay at home if they can. He will also order all pubs, bars, restaurants, and other hospitality sites across England to start closing at 10 p.m. from Thursday 24 September 2020. Michael Gove, the minister for the cabinet office said that “There is going to be a shift in emphasis.

If it is possible for people to work from home, we are going to encourage them to do so,” The new curbs will restrict the hospitality sector to table service only. Though Gove said he wanted those who could not work from home to continue to work from COVID-secure workplaces. For example those in manufacturing, construction, and retail. He further added that all the Schools will also stay open.

Other’s Thoughts

It was unclear if the measures would be enough to tackle Britain’s second wave. The government scientists warned could it reach 50,000 new cases per day by mid-October. Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer lambasted Johnson’s leadership, especially over failings in testing. “Instead of getting a grip, the government has lost control … Our testing system collapsed just when we needed it most,” he said.

The United Kingdom already has the biggest official COVID-19 death toll in Europe. This is the fifth-largest in the world. It is borrowing record amounts to pump emergency money through the damaged economy. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned that the “very unfortunate” escalation of COVID-19 cases threatened the economic outlook. It also said the central bank was looking hard at how it could support the economy further. Pub operator JD Wetherspoon said it could cut 400-450 jobs at sites at six airports, including London’s Heathrow and Gatwick, because of the large drop in passengers.

Conclusion

The deadly effect of COVID-19 wasn’t known during the start of the year 2020. As a result, almost the entire world failed to cope up with the pandemic. But now, since the world knows how effective this virus is, it is safe to say that the Prime Minister has taken a good call as far as work from home is concerned. Had he not called for the lockdown despite the serious warnings, it would be his fault completely. Now, it become the duty of the citizen to follow the instructions, and not blame the government if the cases of COVID-19 increases in the future.