Worthing’s Labour leader brands lockdown message ‘unclear and potentially misleading’

Councillor Beccy Cooper condemned Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday that lockdown restrictions would be eased and the public should now ‘stay alert’ rather than ‘stay at home’.

“At this critical time, as we move towards easing restrictions, people need very clear messaging,” said Dr Cooper, who is a public health consultant.

“They want to know exactly what they can and can’t do and Mr Johnson failed to provide that clarity in his statement. Just what does ‘stay alert’ mean?”

In a stance that has not been followed by other home nations, Mr Johnson encouraged people to return to work if they could, but to avoid public transport if possible.

An upper limit on daily outdoor exercise activities was also scrapped, and people were told they could now travel to exercise and take advantage of open spaces.

Dr Cooper said she had ‘serious concerns’ about how eased restrictions could impact coastal towns.

“If we have some good weather and they all decide to drive to the beach to enjoy it, it’s going to be very difficult indeed for us in Worthing, and other seaside towns, to ensure social distancing is properly maintained,” she said.

“This could have a serious impact on the spread of the virus.”

Dr Cooper added concerns over the return to work, stressing many people could not avoid using public transport and were being placed in an unsafe situation if social distancing could not be maintained on buses and trains.

She said: “People want concise information that will help them make the right decisions for them and their families in their situation. These messages from the Government have fallen well short of what is required.”

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