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Covid-19 lockdown: Long queues as shops re-open in England after more than 2 months
Experts and others sounded a note of caution, that the coronavirus has not gone away, but reports from Manchester, Birmingham and elsewhere said many people joined queues with social distancing long before opening times, reflecting lockdown ennui among many.
Thousands of people emerged from lockdown to stand in long queues outside shops and malls as the Boris Johnson government, keen to kick-start an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic, allowed non-essential shops to re-open in England on Monday.
Experts and others sounded a note of caution, that the virus has not gone away, but reports from Manchester, Birmingham and elsewhere said many people joined queues with social distancing long before opening times, reflecting lockdown ennui among many.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak visited a London bookstore and said: “From Monday, shops selling books, clothes, and electronics are able to open for business for the first time in more than two months, as part of our plan to gradually and safely reopen the economy”.
“There are nearly 7,000 high streets across the country, each providing a valuable service to their community. They will be vital in helping kick-start the economy as we recover from the virus”, he added. The shops have re-opened in England, not elsewhere in the UK.
The shops need to ensure they are ‘Covid-19 secure’ before opening, which includes barriers for queues outside, one-way routes inside shops and several posters inside to remind people to maintain at least 2 metre-distance from others.
Officials said the non-essential retail sector employs 1.3 million people, accounting for £46.6 billion to British economy, which has seen its GDP plummet 20 per cent in April. The shops can re-open after meeting the ‘five tests’ set out by the Prime Minister Johnson.
The five tests are: That the National Health Service can continue to cope; that the daily death rate falls sustainably and consistently; that the rate of infection is falling; that the operational challenges have been met; and most importantly, that there is no risk of a second peak.
On Sunday, the UK recorded its lowest daily death toll of 36 since the lockdown began on March 23, besides dwindling number of news cases, encouraging the government to gradually re-open parts of the economy.
However, London mayor Sadiq Khan joining experts to caution the people that the lockdown has not been lifted: “The virus is still out there…Stay at home as much as possible and avoid public transport”.
