Britain reviews social distancing rule for next stage of easing lockdown

Britain is urgently looking at its social distancing rules and could ease quarantine for travellers to help its economy recover amid a coronavirus crisis collapse.

Britain’s Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak, disclosed the move on Sunday June 14, 2020.

Sunak said progress in the fight against coronavirus was achievable because Britain took a “fresh look” at the two-metre rule – an idea many employers have criticised for it would make it more difficult to get back to speed after lockdown.

The British government led by Prime Minister Boris battles with the need for a balanced act of reviving the economy without allowing a second wave of the economy in its science-based handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Britain has recorded the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus after the United States and Brazil, making many critics to question the government’s response to the crisis.

Sunak added that the preliminary work had begun on the social distancing rule and would be urgently reviewed comprehensively. He also noted that the government could make changes to a 14-day quarantine for the incoming travellers to Britain, like the introduction of travel corridors with specific countries.

Airlines have cautioned that the quarantine introduced last week could result in huge job losses.

Sunak has however assured that the economy would be reopened “slowly and safely”, as retail sector resumes this week with the hope that hospitality sector will would follow suit in early July.

The focus now would on Britain’s economy recovery strategy in recovery phase, which could considerably require a cut in the value-added tax.

“Retail and hospitality sectors would need to be re-opened first as there would be no need to cut VAT on a closed sector,” he said.