https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8248637/Coronavirus-UK-Builders-line-construction-sites-Britain-gets-work.htmlBritain votes with its feet: Hundreds queue outside Five Guys and B&Q, builders line up at construction sites and Tubes and roads get busier by the day
Road traffic has increased to the highest levels since coronavirus lockdown was introduced on March 23
Some B&Q stores are starting to reopen while Taylor Wimpey says construction will resume on May 4
Britons could be told to stagger their jobs around the clock to get some of the country back to work
Plan to split morning commute would see workers arrive to begin work in slots from 7 am, 10 am and 1 pm
Here’s how to help people impacted by COVID-19
By Mark Duell for MailOnline
Published: 09:48, 23 April 2020 | Updated: 15:01, 23 April 2020
Huge queues built up outside a Five Guys burger restaurant last night as parts of Britain showed signs that they were getting back to work today despite the ongoing coronavirus lockdown. Builders are returning to construction sites and roads are visibly busier than a week ago, with traffic having increased to the highest levels since the lockdown was introduced more than a month ago. Huge queues have also been forming outside B&Q stores which are also starting to reopen. The crowds gathered outside the Five Guys restaurant at Edinburgh's Fountain Park at about 7 pm yesterday, waiting for takeaway orders. One witness said: 'There is a vast amount of people waiting outside, not only Deliveroo riders but members of the public who are clearly not practising safe social distancing whilst waiting for the food and who are clearly disregarding any and all government guidelines. Surely something should be done about this?'
Social distancing measures are supposed to be in place at the burger chain's branches, such as anyone ordering by click and collect being asked to pay before arriving to protect workers and other members of the public. It comes as the Government is said to be considering staggering workers' start times to avoid the rush-hour bottlenecks when the majority of Britons head back to the office - possibly at some point next month. The possible strategy on getting London back on the move follows Mayor Sadiq Khan warning Transport for London has about a week's worth of cash to keep itself running, and militant RMT union chiefs saying there is 'zero chance' of their members getting back on the buses and trains without personal protective equipment (PPE). Tory MPs have warned the Government it must spell out in detail how it intends to ease the lockdown to give businesses hope of survival, with senior backbenchers on the 1922 Committee meeting to discuss the response. They said it is 'silly' for ministers not to be totally frank with the public given how well most of the population has stuck to social distancing measures and stressed 'there has got to be an economy to go back to' as they sounded a warning which will be heard loud and clear in Downing Street. However, in sign tension are likely to rise, Dominic Raab said last night it will be weeks before ministers even 'think about' putting forward an exit strategy while Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said some restrictions are likely to be in place for the 'next calendar year'. Schools could start returning within less than three weeks under a 'traffic light' plan being pushed by senior ministers to ease lockdown misery amid Cabinet splits over whether the government should risk more deaths from the disease to save the plunging economy. Meanwhile, homebuilder Taylor Wimpey said construction will resume on May 4, rival Vistry Group said it will re-start next week and luxury car-maker Aston Martin Lagonda is set to reopen its South Wales factory on May 5. Builders failed to properly socially distance at one site in London today, where about 50 had temperature checks before being allowed into No. 1 Palace Street where 72 luxury flats are being built near Buckingham Palace. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the unprecedented lockdown on March 23 to deal with the pandemic as people were ordered to 'stay at home'. On April 16 this was extended for at least another three weeks until May 7. It comes as reports emerged Britons will be told to stagger their jobs around the clock to get some of the country back to work, with one option is to split the busy morning commute into three separate periods. This would see workers arrive to begin work in hour-long slots from 7 am, 10 am and 1 pm, while companies may also be told to split up staff working in offices or factories to come in either on alternate days or over weekends. In other developments today:
A GP leader said wearing face masks or face coverings in public is 'perfectly reasonable', as England's deputy chief medical officer admitted it was a 'difficult issue';
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis was grilled by TV presenter Piers Morgan on the issue of COVID-19 testing and why health and care workers are not getting tests;
The chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said the UK should prepare to endure some sort of restrictive measures for at least the rest of the year;
The Scottish Government is due to publish a paper on how COVID-19 restrictions may be eased;
Dr. Medhat Atalla, a consultant geriatrician at Doncaster Royal Infirmary in South Yorkshire, became the latest medic to die after contracting COVID-19;
Professor John Newton said the Government is confident that only 'if there are enough people who need testing' would it hit its 100,000-a-day target, set for next week;
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has thrown her support behind the World Health Organisation after US President Donald Trump stopped its funding;
UKHospitality warned that an extended period of social distancing measures could cost a million jobs in the sector; and
Backbench Tories have increased the pressure on the Government to scale back the lockdown over fears that prolonged restrictions could sink the economy.
Speaking about a possible staggering start to working hours, a Cabinet source told the Sun: 'We have to get the wheels of the economy turning again soon or there won't be much left of it. But life and work are going to look very different when it happens, whether it's staggered rush hours or going in every other day.'
Photographs of builders arriving for work at the site at No. 1 Palace Street come after the Unite union warned that construction workers' health is being threatened by watered-down advice on social distancing on building sites. A witness told MailOnline: 'There's a really big block being built and they're doing temperature checks on people before they enter the building site. You can see they are clearly not social distancing. It's almost like people have gone 'oh look, we're back to work, the disease has disappeared''. I can only guess some of them have got on the Tube to get there which isn't ideal. There were a few coffee shops open nearby.'
A spokesman for Balfour Beatty, which is responsible for the No. 1 Palace Street site, told MailOnline: 'The health, safety and wellbeing of all those who work with and for us, as well as the general public, is always our priority. In line with UK Government guidance for the construction sector to carry on because of its critical contribution, if it can do so safely, works continue at our One Palace Street site in London. All of our teams are aware that our sites will only remain operational if they can operate safely and we will continue to reiterate and support them in this. We are adhering to the industry's COVID-19 Site Operating Procedures issued by the Construction Leadership Council and endorsed by Public Health England. At our One Palace Street site, we have implemented a range of measures including temperature readings taken by an occupational nurse on entry to the site, operating a one-way walkway system throughout the site, additional marshals on the toilet and changing facilities, along with various other practical measures to allow our workforce to maintain the social distancing required to safely carry out works.'
It comes as Taylor Wimpey said it plans to resume work on its construction sites from May 4. The housebuilder had ordered its sites, show homes and sales centres to be closed in March, as the coronavirus crisis gathered pace. The company said it will re-start activity on most sites in England and Wales using 'detailed new site operating protocols' which comply with social distancing rules. Taylor Wimpey said trading has 'inevitably been impacted' by the virus, but demand has continued, with sales teams continuing remotely. Elsewhere, rival Vistry Group said it will re-start work on 90 percent of partnership sites and a 'significant number' of housing sites from the start of next week. The company, which was recently renamed from Bovis Homes, also said it had received 80 cancellations and completed 193 private sales following the pandemic. And luxury car-maker Aston Martin Lagonda said it will reopen its South Wales factory on May 5. It said it will resume operations at its St Athan facility, following guidelines from Public Health Wales and Public Health England to protect workers. The company said it will take 'learnings in terms of health and safety' into account when it reopens its main car plant in Gaydon, Warwickshire, at a later date. Both sites have been closed since March 25 due to the pandemic. The firm also announced that its senior leadership team has agreed to a reduction in pay. It comes as road traffic increased to the highest levels since the lockdown was introduced. In recent weeks, the number of cars on the road had plummeted to levels last seen in the mid-Fifties. But official figures have revealed a spike in vehicle usage on Monday, the most recent day with available data, suggesting motorists are beginning to ignore guidance to avoid all but essential travel. Car usage was more than 40 percent of normal levels at the start of this week the highest it's been since the Prime Minister announced the lockdown at the end of March. That means the number of cars on the roads has doubled in a week. Officials did not comment on the rise when it was unveiled during yesterday's Downing Street press conference. But the figures are likely to worry ministers, who fear a premature relaxing of the lockdown rules could trigger a sudden rise in infections and deaths. They confirm anecdotal reports that roads have appeared busier than normal in recent days. There was also evidence that travel on public transport was increasing. Pictures yesterday showed crowded scenes at Tube stations in the capital. Transport for London has dramatically reduced the number of services that run, but photographs of crammed platforms and carriages suggest increasing numbers of passengers are piling on to the few trains that are running. Yesterday, pictures showed parts of the M25, M4, and M5 busy with traffic during the morning rush hour, in stark contrast to recent weeks when they have been eerily empty. Separate figures from the AA confirm a rise, as well as an increase in the length of journeys. The motoring group blamed the rise on 'frustrating households looking for ways to break the boredom', but also said an increase in online delivery vans could be a factor. Spokesman Jack Cousens added: 'Now, arguably more than ever, we need to stay at home to protect ourselves, our loved ones, the NHS and our communities.'
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'Every driver who ventures out unnecessarily risks placing an even greater burden on our emergency services and the NHS.'
After lockdown on March 23, Easter Sunday (April 12) saw the lowest traffic levels, at just over 20 percent of the pre- lockdown figure. But last Sunday the figures hit just over 30 percent the highest on a Sunday since social distancing began and they increased another ten percentage points on Monday. The traffic data emerged as fast-food chains KFC, Burger King, and Five Guys, as well as high street coffee chain Pret a Manger, gradually reopened stores across the country. And in a sign of a shift in the Government's strategy, the DIY chain B&Q has been allowed to open 14 shops to test new social distancing measures. Meanwhile Unite said the latest guidance being given to construction workers was unsafe and placed them at unnecessary risk. The union said the latest operating procedures were issued to coincide with a return to work at a large number of sites this week, particularly in the London area. The guidance now states that where workers are required to work within two metres of each other, they should 'work side by side, or facing away from each other, rather than face to face', the union said.
When this is not possible and workers have to work 'face to face' within two metres of each other, workers should 'keep this to 15 minutes or less where possible'.
Unite has written to Business Secretary Alok Sharma warns that workers' lives were being endangered. The union has also launched a hotline so that workers can report concerns and provide evidence of unsafe working practices. Unite national officer Jerry Swain said: 'Construction workers' health is being threatened by watered-down advice. Alok Sharma must step in immediately and have these defective procedures withdrawn. We sincerely hope that this is not a case of the economy being put before the health of construction workers and their families. Unite's position remains unchanged - no site should be working unless it can do so safely and that means two-metre social distancing must be maintained at all times. Contractors and clients also have a moral duty of care for workers from when they leave their home to when they return. Construction workers should not be forced to use overcrowded public transport, potentially endangering their health and that of our key workers. If our members believe their health is being directly compromised, they should stop work and seek the assistance of Unite.'
A campaign was launched weeks ago to stop building work on everything other than essential projects, such as those for the NHS. A spokesman for the #shutthesites campaign said: 'Even when safely social distancing, I am restricted by law from sitting on a park bench, chatting to a neighbour or visiting my family. Yet I can travel 40 miles into central London on public transport whilst mixing with genuine key workers to work hand in hand with other construction workers. 'The priorities of this Government are economy over workers' health and the new Construction Leadership Council Site Operating Procedures does not alleviate the worries of hundreds of thousands of construction workers on site today.'
A spokesman for the Blacklist Support Group added: 'When construction workers go to work, they share minibusses, travel on packed Tubes, eat-in crowded canteens, go up in full hoists, use palm print entry systems and live in barracks-style accommodation on site. Construction is a dirty, dangerous place at the best of times with notoriously poor welfare facilities, where the very process requires people to work in close proximity. Coronavirus will spread like wildfire in these circumstances.'
Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was confident the country was at the peak of the disease but stressed that continued social distancing was needed to bring the number of new cases down. Those who do leave the house are told to keep a safe distance of two metres apart where they can. All retailers selling non-essential items have been told to close, leaving only a small list of shops open, including supermarkets and newsagents. Britain has so far seen more than 133,000 cases, of which 18,000 people have died.
Tory MP fury at lockdown limbo: Backbenchers urge ministers to set out a detailed plan for easing restrictions as Chief Medical Officer warns some social distancing will be in place for a YEAR
Furious Tory MPs have warned the government it must spell out in detail how it intends to ease the UK's coronavirus lockdown to give businesses hope of survival. Senior backbenchers on the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs met yesterday to discuss the government's response to the current crisis. They said it is 'silly' for ministers not to be totally frank with the public given how well most of the population has stuck to social distancing measures. They stressed 'there has got to be an economy to go back to' as they sounded a warning which will be heard loud and clear in Downing Street. The committee's treasurer, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, then broke cover today as he suggested a comprehensive plan must be set out within the next month or many businesses 'are actually likely to cease trading'.
However, in sign tension are likely to rise, Dominic Raab said last night it will be weeks before ministers even 'think about' putting forward an exit strategy while Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said some restrictions are likely to be in place for the 'next calendar year'. The UKHospitality industry body has warned pubs and restaurants face a 'bloodbath' if lockdown extends long into the future amid calls for firms to be given a reprieve in the form of delayed rent payments. Failure to take such action could see one-third of the sector go bust. There have been signs in recent days that some people are beginning to tire of the curbs on daily life with photographs showing more people on the UK's roads and in the nation's parks. The pressure is only likely to grow on the government to provide more details of its plans with Nicola Sturgeon today due to set out her own strategy for easing restrictions. The Scottish government will publish a new paper containing guidelines designed to chart a way forward when the lockdown is eased. It will say that people will need to adapt to a 'new normal'. It came as it emerged the government is pressing ahead with plans to set up a 15,000 strong contact tracing army which will play a key role in stopping future outbreaks of the killer bug in Britain. It will be based on the system used in South Korea which has successfully managed to minimize its own outbreak through the use of extensive contact tracing of people who have become infected.
Traffic light system to get out of lockdown: How schools, hairdressers and clothes shops could reopen from May 11
Schools could start returning within less than three weeks under a 'traffic light' plan being pushed by senior ministers to ease lockdown misery amid Cabinet splits over whether the government should risk more deaths from the disease to save the plunging economy. The fledgling 'exit strategy' would see the country get back up in running in stages after May 11, with primary, GCSE pupils, and nurseries potentially going back part-time. Meanwhile, clothes shops and garden centres could be among the 'non-essential' stores given a 'green light' to reopen with precautions to protect customers. Rail services would be brought up to normal levels, with commuters probably urged to wear facemasks, and the NHS would resume carrying out non-urgent procedures. A second 'amber' stage later in the summer would see more of the economy revived, with all employees told to go back to work and some social gatherings allowed. However, it might not be until later in the year that pubs and restaurants can reopen and sporting events get up and running. And over-70s face a 'red-light' for many months more, potentially having to wait for a vaccine before going back to normal life.
Guernsey will be the first place in Britain to partially lift the lockdown
Guernsey is set to be the first place in Britain to partially lift lockdown as gardeners, mechanics, estate agents, and builders return to work. Some businesses on the Channel Island have been told they may start fully or partially operating again from Saturday. They include gardening, building, and other trades with no household contact, building wholesale and supply, and vehicle servicing, maintenance, and repairs. Property sales, rentals, and business transactions will also be able to resume. All changes are subject to meeting social distancing and hygiene requirements and authorities said the key message to the community was still to stay at home. The government said it represents a series of limited extensions to permitted activities which will gradually allow people back into the workplace in a controlled way. However, if the public health evidence indicates that this approach should be reversed in order to protect the community, that will be done.
