So what's next ...
Garden centres will open on Wednesday, according to the latest information from government. Boris Johnson will make the critical announcement on Sunday evening. Over the borders in Wales, gardeners will have a two day start. The tills will be ringing from Monday on.
Manufacturers will be urged to get back to business. Toyota will open the engines factory following a two month shutdown. Bentley will be back in business on Monday. Jaguar will be back in action mid month.
The government has formally extended the lock down for another three weeks. Cracks are appearing. The Prime Minister will announce the road map, to ease restrictions in the weeks ahead. The kids could be back in school by June. Fish and Chip shops could be back in business. At the Downing Street press conference on Friday, environment secretary George Eustace revealed it was now safe for take away shops to reopen. "Drive thru restaurants like McDonalds are made for social distancing" he explained.
McDonalds and KFC are trialing store openings, Greggs pulled back on plans over fears of crowds in pursuit of vegan sausage rolls. The "Stay at Home" message may be abandoned. The "One Exercise Per Day" message may be ditched. Picnics, trips to the park and outings in the countryside may be permitted. Scientific advisers may be allowed visits, from special friends, that sort of thing.
The family bubble plan has been popped. The idea that extended kinship groupings could be allowed to meet for Sunday lunch and special occasions has been dropped. Ministers feared family feuds over who would be in whose bubble, could augment social tensions at an already difficult time.
Matt Hancock added to the confusion speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News. "There is strong evidence that outdoors, the spread is much lower. So there may be some workaround that some businesses, for instance cafes, especially over the summer, may be able to put in place." Tim Martin, take note.
Sajid Javid, the former chancellor, urged the Prime Minister to "run the economy hot". Older people should be asked to stay inside, allowing younger people to get on with their lives" he explained. "They could help the rest of us by rebuilding the economy."
Mixed messages add to the confusion about just what happens next. Too many ministers taking turns at the daily briefing add to greater confusion. Reliance on the R(0), fiddling the testing targets and now an over reliance on a socially intrusive tracking app will not help.
The Prime Minister has a difficult task to explain the way out of lock down, tip toeing over the stepping stones to recovery. The economic argument is becoming imperative ... the time line is running short ...
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