'NO REASON TO CHANGE'
Brits should continue to work from home despite Boris Johnson’s plea to return to offices, says Sir Patrick Vallance
THE government's top scientist has potentially crushed Boris Johnson's plans to get people back to the office by insisting there is “absolutely no reason” for people to stop working from home.
As revealed by The Sun, the Prime Minister will tomorrow tell the nation it is once again safe to use public transport and head back into workplaces.
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The government is increasingly concerned that working from home, which has turned Britain's cities into ghost towns, will have a devastating long term impact on the economy.
But in another day of mixed messages, Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, appeared to directly contradict Downing Street.
Speaking to MPs, Sir Patrick said he could see “absolutely no reason” why millions of Brits should not continue to work from home to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Addressing the Common’s Science and Technology Committee, he said other Government advisers shared his concerns.
Sir Patrick said: “My view on this and I think this is a view shared by SAGE, is that we're still at a time when distancing measures are important.
“And of the various distancing measures, working from home for many companies remains a perfectly good option because it's easy to do.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- Sir Patrick Vallance said there is “absolutely no reason” for people to return to the office
- The government's Chief Scientific Adviser said the country is “still at a time when distancing measures are important” to stop the spread of Covid-19
- He said many firms had found home working had not been "detrimental to productivity" and there is no reason to change the policy
- This directly contradicts the Prime Minister's hopes of persuading Brits back to work in a bid to kickstart the economy
- Boris Johnson is expected to tell people the public tomorrow night that it's time to head back to the office and begin using public transport again
“A number of companies think it's actually not detrimental to productivity, and in that situation, there’s absolutely no reason I can see to change it.”
But Sir Patrick was not finished there. He also delivered a scathing assessment on the timing of the UK's lockdown and Number 10's overall handling of the deadly pandemic.
He said lockdown measures should have been in place a week earlier while the outcome of the coronavirus “has not been good for the UK.”
SCATHING ASSESSMENT
Mr Johnson enforced the country's lockdown restrictions on March 23. The respiratory disease has so far killed more than 45,000 Britons this year.
This comes as the PM is poised to rip-up the work-from-home guidance tomorrow - giving bosses the green light to welcome staff back to the office.
He is planning to hold a Downing Street press conference to tell millions of Brits that it will be safe to return to the office next month.
The PM is expected to appear alongside the Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding to unveil a new 'Contain Framework' designed to prove to anxious workers that the virus is “under control” in their local areas.
The pair will also flesh out the Government’s ‘whack-a-mole’ strategy spelling out extra measures to stop outbreaks over the coming months - which they hope will give people the reassurance they need to venture back to the office and onto buses and trains.
The move will finally end the blanket work-from-home policy that has seen the vast majority of Brits shut out of the office for more than four months.
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Today, the UK announced a further 66 deaths related to Covid-19 which takes the daily average number of fatalities to its lowest level since March.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
In Scotland, one person died, ending a seven-day record of no fatalities.
Since the start of the pandemic, 45,119 people have tragically died in Britain due to the disease.
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