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11.03.2020	Merkel	Angela Merkel calls for solidarity Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on the everybody in Germany to demonstrate solidarity and thus delay the spread of the coronavirus. We must try to buy time and minimise the strain on the health system, she said. This will protect elderly people and those with pre-existing conditions. "The yardsticks for our actions are set by what we are told by scientists and experts," explained Chancellor Angela Merkel at a joint press conference with Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and the President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar H. Wieler. The virus has now reached all of Europe, so it is now a question of dealing with it. We still have no vaccine and no treatment. If this remains the case, it is probable, as we know from other epidemics, that a high percentage of the population will become infected. Experts forecast between 60 and 70 per cent. Nevertheless, what we do now is not immaterial, said the Chancellor. Buying time – taking precautions "It is all about buying time," explained Angela Merkel. The procedures adopted in Germany are guided by the aim of minimising the strain on our health system. We can do this by delaying the spread of the virus – for instance by cancelling events that involve large gatherings of people. The Chancellor stressed that measures are geared in particular at protecting elderly people and people with pre-existing conditions. "This is a test for our solidarity, our common sense, and our empathy and consideration for one another." The Chancellor thanked all the medical staff who are already under "enormous pressure" and all those who are working to care for the sick and to contain the virus. Coordinated actions Coordinated action is important at every level of government. The Chancellor advocated comparable action in all federal states wherever possible. "I believe it would be good from national to local level to follow the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute and to let these guide our actions." It is really not the worst thing in the world if football matches cannot be held as usual. "If that means we can help ensure that people who are sick, or elderly people do not find themselves in a situation where we might no longer have appropriate medical treatment, then that is exactly the sort of action we need at this time," said the Chancellor. Renouncing elements of everyday life "The virus is here, and we’re going to have to deal with it," stressed Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn. The speed at which it spreads will be a major factor in determining how well the health system can cope with it. That is why it is important for everybody to give up some elements of their everyday life, in order to protect themselves and others. "We must balance restrictions and limitations on the one hand with the need for everyday life to continue on the other," said Jens Spahn. Angela Merkel pointed out that one focus must be on research. 140 million euros are now available for vaccination programmes. We still know too little about the novel virus, but we are gradually discovering more and "assessments of the situation are becoming clearer". Private sector must not be left alone The virus is leaving its mark on the economy too, which is why the government has acted swiftly. The Chancellor pointed to the introduction of less stringent rules for short-time work allowance, to Germany’s good social welfare system and to the fact that workers continue to receive payment during sickness. Before the end of the week, the German government is to provide liquidity assistance for companies, in particular through the state-owned Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The heads of state and government of EU member states have agreed to adopt a flexible approach to the Stability and Growth Pact and to rules on state aid. On Friday evening Angela Merkel is to meet with employers and trade unions to consider additional measures to address the economic consequences of the corona crisis.
18.03.2020	Merkel	Fellow citizens, The coronavirus is changing daily life in our country dramatically at the present. Our idea of normality, of public life, social togetherness - all of this is being put to the test as never before. Millions of you cannot go to work, your children cannot go to school or kindergarten, theatres and cinemas and shops are closed, and, perhaps what is most difficult, we all miss social encounters that we otherwise take for granted. Of course, each of us has many questions and concerns in a situation like this, about the days ahead. I’m addressing you in this unconventional way today because I want to tell you what guides me as Federal Chancellor and all my colleagues in the Federal Government in this situation. This is part of what open democracy is about: that we make political decisions transparent and explain them. That we justify and communicate our actions as best we can, so that people are able to understand them. I firmly believe that we will pass this test if all citizens genuinely see this as THEIR task. Allow me therefore to say that this is serious. Please also take this seriously. Since German reunification, no, since the Second World War, there has not been a challenge for our country in which action in a spirit of solidarity on our part was so important. I would like explain where we currently stand in this epidemic and what the Federal Government and the state levels are doing to protect everyone in our community and to limit the economic, social and cultural fallout. However, I also want to tell you why all of you are needed here, and what each and every individual can do to help. As far as the epidemic is concerned – and everything I tell you about this comes from the Federal Government’s ongoing consultations with the experts from the Robert Koch Institute and other scientists and virologists: the most intensive research is being conducted around the world, but there is still neither a way to treat the coronavirus, nor is there a vaccine. As long as this is the case – and this is what is guiding all of our actions – then only one thing matters, namely that we slow the spread of the virus, flatten the curve over the course of several months and buy time. Time in which the research community can develop a medicine and vaccine. But, above all, time to allow those who fall ill to receive the best possible treatment. Germany has an excellent healthcare system, perhaps one of the best in the world. We can take solace in this. But our hospitals would also be completely overwhelmed if, in the shortest space of time, too many patients were admitted, suffering severe symptoms as a result of the virus. These are not just abstract numbers in statistics, but this is about a father or grandfather, a mother or grandmother, a partner – this is about people. And we are a community in which each life and each person counts. I would like first of all to address all those who as doctors, nurses or in a different capacity work in our hospitals and in our healthcare system in general. You are on the front lines of this fight for us. You are the first to see the sick and to see how severe the symptoms of the virus can sometimes be. And, day in, day out, you keep going back to work and are there to help people. You are doing tremendous work, and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. So, our aim is to slow the virus down as it makes its way through Germany. And we must, and this is absolutely vital, focus our attention on one thing above all else, namely powering down public life as far as possible. With reason and a sense of proportion, of course, since the state will continue to function. It goes without saying that supply chains will continue to be guaranteed, and we want to keep as much economic activity going as possible. But we must now reduce everything that could put people at risk, everything that could harm not only individuals, but also the community. We must limit the risk of one person infecting another as much as we possibly can. I know how dramatic the restrictions already are: no events, no trade fairs, no concerts any more, and, for the time being, also no school, no university, no kindergarten, no more playing at the playground. I know how invasive the closures that the Federation and the Länder have agreed to are in our lives, and also in terms of how we see ourselves as a democracy. These are restrictions, the likes of which the Federal Republic has never seen before. Allow me to assure you that, for someone like me, for whom the freedom of travel and the freedom of movement were a hard-fought right, such restrictions can only be justified if they are absolutely imperative. These should never be put in place lightly in a democracy and should only be temporary. - But they are vital at the moment in order to save lives. This is why, since the beginning of the week, more intensive border controls and restrictions on entry for a number of our most important neighbouring countries have been in force. Things are already very difficult for the economy, for major companies, and also for small businesses, for shops, restaurants and freelancers. Things will get even more difficult in the weeks to come. I assure you that the Federal Government is doing everything that it can to cushion the economic impact - and, above all, to safeguard jobs. We can and we will do whatever it takes in order to help our companies and their employees get through this most difficult time. And everyone can rest assured that the food supply is guaranteed at all times, and that if supermarket shelves happen to be empty on one day, they will be filled again on the next. I want to tell everyone going to the supermarket that bulk-buying makes sense; it always has. But only within reason. Panic buying, as if there’s no tomorrow, is pointless and, at the end of the day, shows a complete lack of solidarity. And allow me to express my thanks to those who are too seldom thanked. Those working as supermarket cashiers or restocking shelves, who are currently doing one of the most difficult jobs that there are at the moment. Thank you for being there for your fellow citizens and for keeping us all going. Let me talk now about what I believe is most urgent today. All measures taken by the state would come to nothing if we were to fail to use the most effective means for preventing the virus from spreading too rapidly – and that is we ourselves. As indiscriminately as each one of us can be affected by the virus, each and every one of us must help. First and foremost, by taking seriously what matters today. Not panicking, but also not thinking for a single moment that he or she doesn’t matter after all. No one is expendable. Everyone counts, and we need a collective effort. That is the message an epidemic brings home – how vulnerable we all are, how much we depend on the considerate behaviour of others and, ultimately, how, through joint action, we can protect ourselves and offer one another encouragement and support. Every individual counts. We are not condemned to accept the spread of this virus as an inevitable fact of life. We have the means to fight it. We must be considerate and keep a safe distance from one another. Virologists are giving us clear advice: no more handshakes, we must wash our hands thoroughly and often, and we must keep at least one and a half metre’s distance between ourselves and others. Ideally, we should avoid all contact with the elderly, because they are particularly at risk. I know that this is asking a great deal of us. Especially when times are hard, we want to be close to one another. We show affection by staying close, and by reaching out to each other. But at this time, we must do the exact opposite. Every single one of us must understand that, right now, the only way to show we care is by keeping our distance. A well-meant visit or a trip that is not essential can spread infection and really should not take place right now. There is a reason why experts say that grandparents and grandchildren should not come into contact with each other right now. Everyone who avoids unnecessary encounters helps all those who are in hospitals providing care to more and more people each day. So that is how we will save lives. This will be difficult for many, and it will also be important not to abandon anyone and to take care of all those who need a dose of cheer and encouragement. As families, and as a society, we will find other ways to help each other. Even now, we have come up with many creative ideas for standing up to this virus and its impact on society. Even now, grandchildren are recording podcasts for their grandparents, letting them know they are not alone. We all must discover how we can show affection and express friendship. We are staying in touch via Skype, phone, email, and maybe also by writing old-fashioned letters. The post, after all, is being delivered. We’re hearing about beautiful examples of neighbours helping one another. People are assisting the elderly who cannot themselves go shopping. I am certain there’s plenty more we can do. We will prove, as a community, that we will not abandon one another. I therefore urge you to abide by the rules that will remain in place for the time being. The government will constantly reassess what measures can be adjusted and also what further measures may still be necessary. This is a developing situation, and we will ensure that we continue to learn from it so that we can adjust our thinking and deploy new instruments at any time. If we do so, then we will explain our reasons once again. Therefore, I call on you to not believe any rumours, but rather only the official messages that we will always translate into many languages. We are a democracy. We thrive not because we are forced to do something, but because we share knowledge and encourage active participation. This is a historic task, and it can only be mastered if we face it together. I have absolutely no doubt that we will overcome this crisis. But how many victims will it claim? How many loved ones will we lose? The answer, to a great extent, lies in our hands. Right now, we can take decisive action all together. We can accept these current limitations and support one another. The situation is serious, and the outcome uncertain. Our success will also largely depend on how disciplined each and every one of us is in following the rules. Even though this is something we have never experienced before, we must show that we can act warm-heartedly and rationally – and thereby save lives. It is up to each and every one of us to do so, without any exception. Take good care of yourself and your loved ones. Thank you.
03.04.2020	Merkel	Good afternoon to you all, I’m happy to be able to address you from the Federal Chancellery again today. My home quarantine is over, and I am well. I now have an inkling of what it’s like to spend two weeks alone at home, two weeks when the phone and internet are your only connection to the outside world. It’s not easy. And it’s especially hard now for the many older or ill people who have to stay at home on their own because the virus is very dangerous for them and who, unlike me, are unable to go outside again after just under two weeks. I would like to extend my warm regards and very best wishes to you, the people in this situation. It is important to me to reiterate what is driving me and the Federal Government in the fight against the coronavirus and what is guiding our decisions. I want to say this again because Easter, a very special time, is ahead of us next week. For millions of Christians, Easter means going to church. It means spending Easter Sunday with the whole family, perhaps going for a walk. It means an Easter fire. For a lot of people, it means a short trip to the coast or southern Europe, where it’s already warmer. That’s usually what it means, but not this year. This is what I must tell you today. All of us will experience an Easter unlike any other before. Naturally, Christians in Germany will mark Good Friday and celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. But they won’t do so in church, side by side with their fellow parishioners. I’m glad and grateful that the churches have done such a wonderful job in the past weeks of reaching so many people through church services on television, the radio and online. I’m sure that far more people will follow these services at Easter. In this context, I am also thinking of Jews and Muslims in Germany, as well as people of all other faiths, who are currently unable to congregate in their places of worship. That is one of these restrictions that really goes to the heart of a society, one that we can only accept in an emergency and for as long as absolutely necessary. Going for a walk at Easter will also only be possible in line with the regulations that have been in place for a good two weeks now, that is, with the people you live with, or at most with one other person from outside your home, and at all times keeping the necessary distance of at least 1.5 or better still two metres from other people. And we must not forget to wash our hands often and thoroughly. Should you decide to wear a basic mask, please do not forget that it can never be a substitute for the necessary distance from other people. As long as there is no vaccine or medicine against the virus, keeping our distance is the most effective way to protect ourselves. And another thing, which I would also ask you to take seriously – there can be no short trips in Germany this Easter, no trips to the coast or mountains, no visits to relatives. I know that these are difficult truths. We are used to being able to move about, do things and travel when and where we want. This personal liberty is a fundamental part of our free lives. And now there are suddenly regulations, restrictions and bans everywhere. But they are literally necessary to life. And because that is the case, I am reminding you and us all in detail about this again today, especially before the Easter break. Some of you may say: “We’ve been sticking to all these regulations for over two weeks now. How much longer will this last?” I understand this question. However, it would be absolutely irresponsible of me to simply give you a concrete date today when the measures can be stopped or at least relaxed, but then to be unable to keep this promise because the number of infections makes it impossible. If I were to dash the hopes arising from a promise of this kind, things would go from bad to worse in the medical sector, the economy and society. But what I certainly can promise you, and what I want to promise you, is that you can trust that the Federal Government and I personally are thinking hard day and night about how we can achieve both things, that is, how we can protect public health and come up with a process that will enable public life to resume step by step. We would not be living up to our responsibilities if we were not thinking about this. But equally, we would not be living up to our responsibilities if we were now to spark false hopes by agreeing exit dates that subsequently fail to reflect reality in any way. Keeping all of this as a whole in mind is what guides me. This is a herculean task and all of you can rightfully expect your Federal Government and me personally to face up to this herculean task. That is exactly what we are doing. I promise you that. In order to continue achieving this, let me say very frankly that I still need your help. I need the help you have been providing in such wonderful ways for weeks now. It is simply fantastic what the vast majority of people in our country are doing to help. Our country is showing itself from its best side. I’m eternally grateful for this and I can’t say that often enough. How important this is becomes clear when we look at the situation and at why it is necessary – absolutely necessary – that we all continue to adhere to the regulations, restrictions and bans. The coronavirus is still spreading rapidly in Germany. I mourn the deaths of the people who lost their lives as a result of this disease. Their families and friends are in my thoughts. Every day, thousands of new cases of infection are confirmed, and that automatically means that there are many new patients every day, some of whom need intensive medical care and hospital treatment. We are still able to provide everyone, including critically ill people, with the necessary care. Maintaining this ability is our guiding goal because we are a humane society. This is not about numbers, but rather about each and every individual, whose inalienable dignity must be respected. It’s true that the latest figures from the Robert Koch Institute, although very high, give grounds for a certain amount of extremely cautious optimism, as the number of new confirmed cases is now increasing at a slightly slower rate than was the case a few days ago. But it is definitely far too early to discern a stable trend in these figures and absolutely far too soon to relax any of the strict regulations we have imposed on ourselves. The experts tell us that it will still take a while before we know how the measures we have adopted, and in particular the great restrictions you all face, are flattening the curve of infections. However, we need to know that in order to be certain that our healthcare system can cope with the huge burden caused by the corona epidemic. In my talks with the heads of the federal state governments on Wednesday, we thus all agreed that all guidelines on reduced public life and all guidelines on restricting individual contacts will remain unchanged initially until the end of 19 April, when the Easter holidays finish in most federal states. What happens after that will have to depend entirely on what point of the spread of the virus we have reached in Germany and the impact this is having on our hospitals. I know this is a worrying time. You are worried about your families, your jobs, and how our whole country will change as a result of the watershed caused by the corona epidemic. And no matter how hard they work, politicians cannot simply erase these concerns. However, I assure you that we will do everything in the state’s power to ensure that as few of your worries as possible come to pass. The largest economic and social aid programmes Germany has ever seen were launched a few days ago. Countless applications for subsidies, loans, reduced hours compensation benefit and many other types of support have already been received and will be processed as quickly and with as little bureaucracy as possible. You should all know that the Federal Government is standing by you. We are doing everything we can to ensure that our social market economy, which is based on the principle of solidarity, stands this test. All of us are learning in this pandemic. We are learning almost every day. Scientists have said so, and the same goes for us politicians. I would like to thank you for your patience and perseverance. All those who are staying at home, reducing personal contacts as far as possible and sticking to the rules are actively doing the right thing and actively doing good. And you are also doing good if you come up with ideas under these difficult conditions about how to help other people. Yes, we have to keep our distance from others. But that doesn’t stop us from showing other people our closeness, affection and solidarity by sending them a letter, giving them a call, talking to them on Skype, helping them with their shopping or livestreaming concerts from our home. All this is helping each and every one of us to get through this period together in a good way. There will be a time after this. Or to go back to the topic of Easter, there will be Easter celebrations in the future when we will be able to wish each other a happy Easter without any restrictions. When this new time will come and how good life will be again lies in the hands of us all. All of us together can help our country to find its way out of this crisis. And this “us” is what counts now.
06.04.2020	Merkel	"We must show that we are ready to defend and strengthen Europe" The German government intends to take steps at national level as well as taking action agreed within the European Union, announced Chancellor Angela Merkel following a meeting of what has become known as the Corona Cabinet. The new steps relate in particular to the production of personal protective equipment and masks. The market for protective items is largely concentrated in Asia, and now we have been forced to learn that "we need a degree of sovereignty in this area, or at least a pillar of domestic manufacture". That could be in Germany, or elsewhere in Europe, explained Chancellor Angela Merkel. To this end, long-term contracts should be concluded with companies, which will undertake to expand or re-launch the production of protective masks in Germany at short notice in return for price guarantees and guaranteed sales of certain volumes. Free travel for commuters and maximum health protection Another issue discussed by the Corona Cabinet is travel into Germany, reported Angela Merkel. What is now needed is to guarantee commuters the freedom to travel between their homes and their workplaces, while ensuring maximum health protection. To this end the federal and state governments will agree on common procedures. Swift liquidity assistance for businesses A modification was also agreed to the existing Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) loan programme. The aim of the new "KfW rapid loan 2020" is to support small and medium businesses in particular with swift liquidity assistance. Up to a ceiling of 800,000 euros. KfW loans totalling up to three months turnover will be awarded, with 100 per cent exemption from liability. On Thursday, the Cabinet will meet again, in order to discuss the domestic manufacture of personal protective equipment. A task force is to be set up, which will be dedicated solely to national or Europe-wide production. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is to be responsible. Strong Europe in everybody’s best interests With a view to tomorrow’s Euro Group meeting, the Chancellor declared that the European Union is facing "the greatest test since it was first founded", with all member states affected by the Corona pandemic. The ministers of finance have been asked for proposals on how to best address the challenges. Discussions are to look at the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the European Treaties that make it possible to take special steps in the case of natural disaster, and the proposal of the European Commission for European short-time work allowance. "It will be a case of demonstrating that we are ready to defend and strengthen our Europe." It is in Germany’s own interest for Europe to emerge strong from this test. Germany will only do well, if Europe does well, said the Chancellor. "That is why the only answer can be: more Europe, a strong Europe and a smoothly functioning Europe – in all member states."
09.04.2020	Merkel	"Grounds for cautious optimism" Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on everyone in Germany not to let up in their efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus over the Easter weekend. The latest figures, she said, give grounds for cautious optimism. Now it is important not to become careless, not to think we are safe - "because we could easily destroy everything we have achieved". After the meeting of what has become known as the Corona Cabinet, Chancellor Angela Merkel gave an update of the situation on Thursday afternoon. "The latest trends in the figures give grounds for cautious optimism," she said at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery. "The curve is flattening slightly and the number of active cases is dropping slightly." The Chancellor addressed her plea to everyone in Germany to keep rigorously to the rules, regulations and restrictions in place. "In the last few weeks we have demonstrated great strength together. Now as we approach the Easter weekend in particular it is crucial that we do not let up in our efforts," said Angela Merkel. Then, she said, we can manage to defend the country against the virus and we can pass this extremely difficult test. Watch a video of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement here.
20.04.2020	Merkel	CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Ladies and gentlemen, before I speak about another corona cabinet decision that is very important to me, I would like to comment briefly on the current situation. Over the last four weeks, that is, since the introduction of severe containment measures and social distancing, much has been achieved overall. In particular, efforts to bring infection rates under control have been successful to the extent that we have been able to stop exponential growth. The fact that the reproduction number now lies below 1 and that, for many days, we have more recovered individuals than new infections, has first and foremost been accomplished thanks to all our citizens who followed the rules with tremendous discipline and bore the restrictions with a great deal of patience. Today, once again, I want to whole-heartedly thank them for this. So we have a growing number of recovered individuals and lower numbers of infections, and that can be credited to the social distancing measures. However, we must not let our attention stray for even one second and must bear in mind that we are still at the very beginning of the pandemic; this is the beginning, and we are a long way from being in the clear. I believe we must remind ourselves of this again and again, especially early this week, as we start to ease some of the containment measures. Of course, that’s hard to do. But as we lift some measures and ease restrictions, we simply don’t know exactly what the effect will be. That is why we must proceed step by step, slowly and cautiously. It would be a crying shame if we were to walk straight into a relapse and thereby jeopardise the first successes we’ve achieved. That is why we must not even for a moment become careless or reckless. We must not be lulled into the slightest false sense of security. It is incredibly important that we don’t become careless or have a false sense of security. Rather, we must remain alert and disciplined. When I say “we”, I mean all of us – every man, woman and child in this country. I want to be perfectly clear: I know that many people are in very difficult circumstances. I know about the troubles that parents and children, and especially single parents, face. I see the troubles that restaurants and hotels are having, and I see how so many fear for the survival of their store, business or company. I also see the troubles faced by many artists who do not know what lies ahead. I see the expectations of churches and religious communities that want to offer their members more than online services, and the longing of the faithful to finally join in worship again with other believers. Of course, I see the urgent need to again be able to exercise the rights of free assembly and to demonstrate, and I know about the troubles faced by those who are already lonely and in these circumstances are more deeply lonely than before. This also means that, due to this pandemic, all individuals in our country – and all of us as a community – are making tremendous sacrifices. At the same time, however, I am convinced that the best way for us to address these challenges, and all of the troubles, hopes, desires and expectations we have, is for us to summon the strength we need to maintain severe and strict measures – especially at the outset of this pandemic. I want to mention again that, last Wednesday, we reached a decision together with the Minister-Presidents to keep the rules in effect until at least 3 May, that is: maintaining one and a half metres distance when outside; being at home with the members of your own household only; visiting public spaces only with members of your household or with one other person who does not live in your household; no tourist travel, and basically no travel abroad. I’ve made clear my concern, and my words of warning – namely, that we must proceed with great care at the beginning of this epidemic and that we must remain focused – and I continue to do so in all of my talks with the Minister-Presidents of the Länder. We have created some leeway for ourselves – the measures giving us this leeway are essentially being implemented by the Länder through general administrative acts and their authority under the Infection Protection Act – and we must remember that we should make most limited, not generous, use of this leeway. Otherwise, we might run the risk of losing control of the easing process. The current numbers that we see now on a daily basis are deceptive. We have started today what we have jointly agreed, namely to open some stores – but we will not know the impact of this on infection rates until 14 days from now – no earlier. That’s what makes this so difficult. I believe that all of us – the Federation and the Länder, Minister-Presidents, citizens, myself and the Federal Government – we all have the common aim of preventing a new total shutdown and making sure that we don’t need to reinstate one. But that of course is what would be required if we were to have renewed exponential growth in infections. That would be inevitable, and it would also create an emergency situation for our hospitals – a situation we so far successfully avoided. That is precisely what we want to do, namely make sure that we prevent dramatic situations such as other countries are facing – because of course we don’t want to put people with pre existing conditions and the elderly at risk. However, we also don’t want to isolate them – some would say “lock them away” – for months. That wouldn’t be in line with our human values. I firmly believe that preventing a setback – that is, our needing to reinstate harsher measures – is not only in the interest of fighting the pandemic, but also in the interest of aiding our economy and public life. Therefore I will not grow tired of pointing out and urging time and again that we must remain consistent and disciplined. The more clearly we can keep the reproduction number under one, the more – and more sustainably – we can return to public, societal and economic life. This, of course, is in our shared interest. To effectively tackle this challenge, we must – and this is what all country’s experiences are telling us – be able to precisely trace every chain of infection. This means that every newly infected individual must be asked whom he or she was in contact with. All of these individuals must then be quarantined. We can only do this with precision if we strengthen the public health sector. The Federation and the Länder have already reached an agreement on 25 March regarding this effort – namely, that at least one five-member contact tracing team will be fielded for every 20,000 inhabitants. We have just discussed this and decided that the Federal Ministry of Health will fund the training and deployment of 105 mobile teams to support public health services’ contact tracing and management efforts. This was today also discussed with the Länder. As of 22 April, the Länder will require health authorities to report to their supervisory entities any shortfalls in their tracing capacities, so that we can remedy this. In Brandenburg, for example, the Bundeswehr will be helping with contact tracing. This after all does not require special health care knowledge, but rather putting phone banks into operation. At the Robert Koch Institute, we will establish a 40 person service unit that will function as a point of contact for municipal public health services, so that each unit staff member can liaise with ten local health authorities. That may sound very technical. But we know from South Korea and from other Asian countries that have addressed similar outbreaks that it is essential to precisely reconstruct the chains of infection – every single one, in fact. This way, we can truly slow the spread of the virus. Easing containment measures without improving contact tracing will not achieve the desired effect. As I said earlier, I want us to be able to keep lowering the reproduction number – as soon and, of course, as effectively as possible. Thank you very much. That’s all for today. QUESTION, SCHULER: Chancellor, it was reported that in a CDU leadership meeting today you spoke of “discussion orgies” about loosening lockdowns. Do you think that’s a fitting choice of words, considering that many people long to return to a normal life? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: First of all, I can understand that this is what people want. I have just described this in great detail. I have stood here many times and said that I would like nothing better than to announce to everyone that we are making progress. And, indeed, we today saw that first steps have been taken. But I also warned that this initial loosening of containment measures must not lead to overly rash action and a false sense of security, which 14 days from now would create an outcome that we all do not want. I firmly believe that. Because we know – and Mr Tschentscher recently used this image – that we are on thin ice. We know that if the reproduction number were just slightly above 1, then this would again lead to a situation in which our health care system could be overwhelmed. We need a balanced approach. On the one hand, we must not overburden our health care system, so that people can get the medical treatment they need. On the other hand, we of course want to loosen measures, wherever that’s possible. That’s the task we must accomplish. I should also say that it is the best way to guide ourselves through this very severe pandemic. That’s why I understand everyone’s concerns. But I also say that the best thing for us to do now is to proceed with caution, and not be careless. QUESTION, DR DELFS: Chancellor, let me come back to that. You’ve just issued another strongly worded warning. What is it exactly that you find so worrying? Is it simply the fact that as of today shops are open again in many regions and the risk is thus increasing? Or do you have the feeling that the whole discussion at the moment is, to some extent, heading in the wrong direction? You’ve probably seen that for yourself. When you travel through Berlin and look at the parks, you’ll notice that there are quite a lot of people outside in this lovely weather. Isn’t it perhaps necessary to appeal to the public once more in a different way, with greater urgency? How can you convey this risk in concrete, practical terms? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: I myself was involved in the decision to re open shops of up to 800 square metres. That’s something we all agreed on. We presented this decision to you. However, I have the impression that a debate has started up since last Wednesday which implies a level of security which most certainly doesn’t yet exist today and about which none of us can say anything because we won’t know for another 14 days what the impact of these decisions will be. I have the impression that what we decided on Wednesday has perhaps pushed other things – the fact that only one person not living in any given household is allowed to spend time outside with those who do live in that household, but otherwise has to stay in their own household – into the background and that we have to remind ourselves that they are equally important. It goes without saying, for example, that the more liberal we make the regulation on the re opening of shops, the more people will say: well, if others are going to get almost everything they want, why am I getting nothing? I also understand the churches. The desire to hold religious services once more is, of course, quite legitimate. The task we all face is to allow our society to function again – but in an altered form due to the pandemic. After all, it will be a very long time before we have a vaccine. So I’m not singling out one sector which, as it were, gets all the rights. Rather, I’m trying to take the different sections of society forward and, to a degree, to fulfil the legitimate wishes of the Christians, Muslims and Jews in our country. We also have to consider the legitimate wishes of parents. We have to reconcile all of this in a satisfactory manner without letting the number of contacts increase to the extent that it triggers another phase of exponential growth. I was indeed cautionary today in order to make it clear that although we’ve come a long way, we haven’t reached our goal yet. We’re not in the clear yet and we shouldn’t jeopardise everything that has been achieved. In my view, it would be a terrible shame if we were forced to announce a reversal of the decisions we’ve made. QUESTION, DUNZ: Chancellor, why do you think the debate started by the Minister-Presidents on the easing of containment measures is being pushed forward? Are they trying to outdo each other in order to enhance their positions in their own Länder? Is it due to the pressure exerted by business? Are you concerned that this will now actually cause distorted competition and uncertainty as to whether or not masks will become compulsory throughout the country? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: With regard to masks, we went much further the last time than we did on previous occasions. And more masks are available now. The situation has changed. One Land after another is saying: on public transport at least ... Where it’s not possible to keep a distance from others, more Länder or individual cities opted for this today. I believe that, all in all, the pressure is very considerable, and understandably so. That goes without saying. You hear artists, you hear parents. That’s also understandable. We’re witnessing a situation totally unlike any other we’ve experienced since the Second World War. Of course, everyone is thinking about what constitutes acting responsibly and what doesn’t. It may be a mistake to move forward too quickly. That’s what concerns me. I’d like to continue the balanced approach we’ve adopted so far. For example, at no point in time have parks been closed here in Germany. They were closed in Austria and they’re still closed in France. People are not allowed to enter parks in Italy. Here in Germany, we’ve always been permitted to go outside, and not just for an hour or two. I don’t want to jeopardise the successful approach we've been following together. That’s the point I want to make. Nevertheless, I also see the hardship suffered by others, also of those groups who, of course, say: why am I still not allowed to work when others are allowed to sell? We always have to state reasons and we certainly also have to engage in discussion. I’m not opposed to a debate in society about this. As Chancellor, however, I feel I also have a duty to put forward my position in this debate. One point I’d like to make is that the Leopoldina, which discussed the easing of the containment measures and its impact, has always said that we have to be able to trace every chain of infection. To be honest, we can’t do that yet. I would prefer it if it were already possible. Therefore, we not only have to ease the containment measures but, secondly, we also have to meticulously trace the chains of infection. And we have to do this in every single individual case. QUESTION: Chancellor, Federal Development Minister Müller called on the Chinese Government to make available information on possible incidents in laboratories in Wuhan. Was that agreed upon within the Federal Government? What’s your view on this? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: No, it wasn’t agreed upon. We didn’t talk about it within the Government. This discussion has been around for quite some time now. I believe the more transparent China is about the origin of this virus, the more everyone around the world will be able to learn from it. However, we haven’t had a specific discussion about this. QUESTION, BLANK: Chancellor, you’ve just mentioned the difficult position facing people, citizens as well as businesses or restaurants. Various points are currently being discussed: lowering the VAT rate or raising reduced hours compensation for restaurants. What’s your position on these points? Does there perhaps have to be a coalition committee on Wednesday evening to find a way forward? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: I’m sure we’ll talk about these issues in the coalition committee. But we have to make sure now that we don’t adopt a measure one week and then another the following week. Rather, we have to reconsider where we stand now. We have to think about where the problems lie. That could be the case when cafés or restaurants are allowed to re open one day. That’s not the key issue at present. That may and will perhaps be the case with regard to reduced hours compensation, although circumstances vary greatly there, too. For example, there are people with a very low income in the catering sector or in the services sector as a whole. However, there are also companies in sectors covered by collective agreements which are topping up salaries to 100%. We have artists and many others. That’s why I think that we will certainly talk about this on Wednesday: In what areas do we perhaps still have to consider taking action? Of course, the measures haven’t been in force long. We have to take care now to gain a general overview of the situation and to avoid focusing on one particular group at too frequent intervals. QUESTION, WILP: Chancellor, you always say that South Korea has dealt with the pandemic in an exemplary fashion and hold it up as a role model. Why isn’t the wearing of masks compulsory all over Germany? You mentioned that individual Länder and cities have led the way. But I don’t feel that your position has become quite clear. Allow me to ask a second question. You are also affected by the measures. May I ask you how you spent your weekend? Did you venture outside? Were you in Berlin, or perhaps in the Uckermark? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: I’m not going to say where I spend every minute of the day. But I certainly abide by all the rules which have been, or will be, imposed. As for masks: first of all, they are not the responsibility of the Federal Government. But I’m not trying to avoid answering the question. We said that community masks may be helpful if they’re worn correctly. Let me repeat what correct use entails: they shouldn’t be worn for many days in a row, they have to be washed often in hot water or the viruses have to be killed in another way. We then also have to make sure – and this is very different to the situation four weeks ago – that we can provide every citizen obliged to wear a mask with at least one if not several such masks. To a certain extent, that will determine when such a step is taken. What’s more, we then have to consider where wearing a mask is now necessary. I don’t know whether I really need to wear one when I go for a walk on my own in the park if I keep far enough away from others. But when I’m on public transport there are good reasons to expect people to wear masks provided sufficient quantities are available. QUESTION, DR RINKE: Chancellor, on Thursday you’re taking part in another EU video conference. There are now proposals for compromises in the dispute over how to help those countries hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, namely that this could be achieved via the EU budget and EU bonds. Do you see that as a feasible way to help Italy or Spain, for example? CHANCELLOR MERKEL: We have now found an instrument in Article 122 (2) which allows us to pass on bonds for countries by means of guarantees from member states. They can then be used, for example, to finance reduced hours compensation. I can also envisage further instruments of this kind. In general, I’d like to make it clear that Germany is keen to demonstrate solidarity and will indeed do so. However, this must take place within the framework of the current treaties and must, of course, take into account the fact that all countries and all member states of the European Union got into this situation through no fault of their own. We have been hit by a pandemic. This is not the result of failings in economic policy or anything else. Furthermore, I always say that Germany will only fare well in the long term if Europe fares well. Our desire to see Europe as a whole do well is therefore not just about solidarity but also in our own interest – both in equal measure. Our actions will be guided by that. That’s why it pains me that I have to keep stressing this. For me, it’s a given. The Finance Ministers have adopted a package to the tune of 500 billion euros which now has to be implemented. I can very well imagine that the budget will not look like it did the last time we met in Brussels to discuss the medium-term financial outlook. I believe that goes for everyone. This budget will be different. I would assume that it will have to have very different financial dimensions in the first years following the pandemic. However, this, too, must remain within the scope of the current treaties. We can also discuss new treaties, but we would need two or three years to find solutions. Yet we will need quick answers to this pandemic. Germany will participate in solutions based on the principle of solidarity – beyond the 500 billion euros already earmarked. Thank you very much!
23.04.2020	Merkel	Dr Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor: Mr President, Fellow Members of this House, ladies and gentlemen, We are going through altogether exceptional, serious times. And all of us, the Government and the Parliament, our entire country, are facing a test the likes of which we have not seen since the Second World War, since the early years of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is about nothing less than people’s lives and health. And this is about cohesion and solidarity in our society and in Europe. I stand before you as Federal Chancellor of a Federal Government that has adopted measures together with the Länder in recent weeks for which there is no historical precedent to guide us. We have forwarded bills to you, the Parliament, and have asked you to approve funds at a level that, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, was simply beyond the power of our imagination. I am profoundly grateful that the German Bundestag and, incidentally, also the Bundesrat, discussed and adopted these legislative measures extremely quickly under difficult circumstances. We have now been living through the pandemic for a number of weeks. Each and every one of us has had to adjust their lives to the new conditions, both privately and professionally. Each of us has stories to tell about what we particularly miss or find particularly difficult. And I understand that this life under the spectre of the coronavirus feels long, very long, for everyone. No one likes to hear this, yet the truth is that we’re not going through the final phase of the pandemic, but are still only at the beginning. We will have to live with this virus for a very long time to come. The question as to how we can prevent the virus from overwhelming our healthcare system at a particular point in time, leading to the loss of countless lives, will remain the key question for politicians in Germany and Europe for a long while to come. I’m aware of the great burden that these restrictions are placing on all of us individually, and also as a society. This pandemic is an affront to democracy as it is restricting precisely the things that are our existential rights and needs – those of adults and children alike. Such a situation is only acceptable and bearable as long as the reasons for the restrictions are transparent and understandable, if criticism and disagreement are not only allowed, but also called for and listened to – on both sides. The free press can help here. Our federal order can help here. The mutual trust that we have witnessed in recent weeks here in Parliament and across the country can also help here. The fact that members of the public have made no bones about supporting each other or restricting their activities for the sake of others is admirable. Let me assure you that I have found almost no other decision to be so difficult during my time in office as Federal Chancellor as the restrictions to personal freedoms. I myself am saddened by the fact that children aren’t able to meet their friends just like that right now and that they miss this so much. I myself am saddened by the fact that people are, as a rule, only able to go for a walk with only one other person outside their own household and that they must always pay heed to the most vital minimum distance requirement. I myself am particularly saddened to hear about what people living in care homes, retirement homes and centres for people with disabilities are having to go through. Places where loneliness is a problem under normal circumstances have become much more lonely still during the pandemic without any visitors at all. It is cruel that, with the exception of carers who are doing their very best, no one can be there when their strength wanes and a life draws to a close. Let us never forget these people or the temporary isolation in which they are forced to live. These 80- and 90 year-olds built our country. They established the prosperity that we enjoy. They are part of Germany just like us, their children and grandchildren. And we’re fighting our battle against the virus also for them. I therefore firmly believe that these very tough restrictions are necessary nonetheless in order to withstand this dramatic crisis as a community and to protect what our Basic Law places at the centre of our actions: life and the dignity of each and every human being. We have slowed down the spread of the virus in recent weeks by being hard on ourselves, and with discipline and patience. While this sounds like a small achievement, it’s something incredibly valuable. We have bought precious extra time and made effective use of it to further strengthen our healthcare system. The intensive care units are at the heart of all our efforts in the medical field. This is where the fate of those most severely affected by the coronavirus is decided. All of us are familiar with the terrible reports from hospitals in a number of countries, which were simply overrun by the virus a few weeks ago. Ensuring that this does not happen here is the simple and yet most aspirational goal of the Federal Government. I would like to thank our Minister of Health Jens Spahn, and also the Ministers of Health of the Länder, who are working so tirelessly to achieve this objective – and with tangible success. We have managed to achieve a considerable expansion in the number of hospital beds for patients requiring ventilators. With the COVID 19 Hospital Relief Act, we have ensured that hospitals are able to build up additional intensive care capacities. Today, we can state that our healthcare system has withstood this test so far. Each patient suffering from the coronavirus is receiving the best possible humane treatment, even in the most severe cases. More than all state measures, we have the selfless work of doctors, nurses and paramedics to thank for this, the work of so many people who, with their dedication and drive, make up what we often simply refer to as “our healthcare system”. We thank them with this applause, and I would also like to extend my thanks to the servicemen and women of the Bundeswehr who are providing assistance in many areas. The public health service is playing what is perhaps a less high profile, but just as decisive role in the fight against the pandemic. We’re talking about almost 400 local health authorities here. If we are to manage to control and curb the rate of infection in the coming months, then we need these authorities to be strong, and I mean stronger than they were before the pandemic. This is why the Federation and the Länder have just agreed to increase staffing levels for these authorities so that they can, for example, effectively assume this extremely important – indeed, I would say decisive – task of tracing the contacts of those infected by the virus. The Robert Koch Institute will, furthermore, set up 105 mobile teams of students, known as Containment Scouts, who can be deployed wherever there is a particular need. The Federal Government has also been devoted to the issue of personal protective equipment from the outset. The supply of these goods, especially medical protective masks, has quickly become one of the key tasks, and not only for us, but for the entire world. After all, intensive care beds and ventilators are useless without healthy doctors and nurses. The situation in world markets for such equipment is tense and trading practices during the early weeks of the pandemic were, shall we say, rough. This is why the Federal Government, despite not being the competent authority according to the Protection against Infection Act, decided to coordinate the procurement of personal protective equipment in a centralised manner before passing these goods on to the Länder. I would like to thank the companies who helped us with their experience in this context. The pandemic has taught us that procuring protective equipment exclusively from faraway countries isn’t a good idea. Masks that cost just a few cents can become a strategic factor in the pandemic. The Federal Republic of Germany and the EU are therefore working to reduce our dependence on third countries in this area. We’re working intensively to expand our productive capacities for protective equipment in Germany and Europe with this in mind. If we ask ourselves what has stood us in good stead in this first phase of the virus’ spread, then this is – alongside the relatively high number of intensive care beds – our high testing capacities and dense network of laboratories. Experts tell us to test, test, test. This helps us to get a better picture of the epidemic in Germany, and to achieve greater clarity regarding the number of unreported infections. Moreover, carers can be more frequently tested in order to reduce the risk of infection in hospitals and care homes. This is why we have continually expanded and will continue to expand our capacities for comprehensive testing. However, we can, at the end of the day, only end the coronavirus pandemic with a vaccine, at least based on everything we know about the virus today. Researchers in multiple countries around the world are working to find a vaccine. The Federal Government is providing financial support so that Germany as a research location can play its role in these efforts. But we are just as committed, not least financially, to international initiatives such as the vaccine initiative CEPI. The Federal Government has also made available at short notice considerable financial resources for the development of medicines and for a new national research network on Covid 19. This is helping researchers and doctors at all German university hospitals to join hands in working on this task. We will require still many more studies, and also antibody surveys in the future. We are well equipped for this. Science is never national, however, but is in the service of humanity. It thus goes without saying that, when medicines or a vaccine are discovered, tested, released and ready to be deployed, they must be available throughout the world and also be affordable throughout the world. A virus that is spreading in almost all countries can only be pushed back and curbed when all countries work together. The Federal Government attaches overarching importance to international cooperation to tackle the virus. We are coordinating our efforts in the EU, and also within the framework of the G7 and the G20. With the decision to suspend all interest and debt payments for the world’s poorest 77 countries this year, we have been able to relieve some of the pressure on these poverty-stricken groups of countries. We cannot content ourselves with providing this support, of course. Cooperating with the countries of Africa has always been a priority of the Federal Government, and we must strengthen this still further in the coronavirus crisis. The work of the World Health Organization (WHO) is vital not only in Africa, but particularly there. On behalf of the Federal Government, allow me to emphasise that The WHO is an indispensable partner, and we are supporting it in its mandate. Ladies and gentlemen, when we look at the most recent figures published by the Robert Koch Institute here in Germany, then the indicators show that they’re developing in the right direction, for example a slower rate of infection and more recoveries than new infections each day at the present time. This is an interim success. But precisely because these numbers give us cause for hope, I feel I have a duty to say that this interim success is fragile. We are on thin ice, we could also say on the very thinnest of ice. The situation is deceptive, and we are a long way from being in the clear. After all, in the fight against the virus, we must always bear in mind that today’s numbers reflect the rate of infection about ten to 12 days ago. Today’s number of new infections therefore doesn’t tell us what things will look like in one or two weeks when we have permitted considerably more new contacts in the meantime. Fellow Members of this House, I would like to take this opportunity to go into greater detail about what is currently worrying me. Political decisions are naturally always part of a constant process of weighing things up to the best of one’s knowledge and judgment. That also applies to the decisions in the fight against the corona pandemic which are naturally of the utmost importance for the well being of people in our country. In this exceptionally important process, which I know no one in the Federation or the Länder takes lightly, I firmly believe that when it comes to the fight against the coronavirus, we need to demonstrate the greatest possible perseverance and discipline particularly at the start of this pandemic, as we will then be in a position to restart economic, social and public life faster, and without having to backtrack, than if we – particularly at the start – allow encouraging infection rates to lull us into a false sense of security too soon. So if we are disciplined at the start, we will succeed much faster in being able to give equal weight to health and the economy and to health and social life. The virus will still be with us, but with focus and stamina – particularly at the start – we will be able to prevent a situation where we go from one shutdown to the next or have to isolate groups of people from everyone else for months and are faced with terrible conditions in our hospitals, as was unfortunately the case in some other countries. The greater perseverance and consistency we demonstrate at the start of the pandemic as regards living with the restrictions, thus driving down the infection rate, the more we are helping not only people’s health, but also economic activities and social life, as we would then be in a position to trace every chain of infection in full and thus keep the virus under control. This firm belief guides my actions. So allow me to be very frank and say that I wholeheartedly support the decisions made last Wednesday by the Federation and the Länder. However, I am worried about how these decisions have been implemented since then. In parts, this implementation seems very fast, not to say rash. When I say that, then naturally this doesn’t change in the slightest my absolute belief in and respect for the sovereignty the Länder have on many issues in our federal system, as laid down under constitutional law. And naturally, that also goes for the Protection against Infection Act. Our federal system is strong. I wanted to reiterate that clearly so that no misunderstandings arise here. At the same time, I see it as my duty to sound a warning not simply to trust in the principle of hope if I myself am not convinced. In my talks with the Minister-Presidents and now here in this House, I want to warn against squandering what we have achieved and risking a setback! It would be a terrible shame if premature hope ended in suffering. Let’s all remain prudent and cautious on the path to the next phase of the pandemic. We are in this for the long haul, and we cannot allow ourselves to run out of stream too soon. Right now, we cannot return to the daily life we knew before corona. That much is certain. Daily life will be different for the time being even if the digital tracing models currently being discussed can be put in place. The strict distancing regulations, the hygiene instructions and the contact restrictions will continue to be a part of daily life. That applies to the opening of schools and kindergartens, for example. The Länder are currently working on very practical steps as regards gradually opening the schools. A great deal of creativity and energy will be needed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who are working on this at the moment. I know that many, many people are involved. At the start of my speech, I spoke about the biggest test since the early days of the Federal Republic of Germany. Unfortunately, that also applies to the economy. We cannot yet say with any degree of certainty how high the losses will be at the end of the year, how long they will last or when recovery will start; naturally, all this depends on our success in dealing with the virus. The pandemic hit us at a time when our budgets were in good shape and our reserves high. Years of sound policies are now helping us. We now need to support our economy and to provide a safety net for workers. Millions of applications for various aid programmes have been submitted; millions of people and companies have already received money. We were able to adopt all these legal measures quickly and by an overwhelming majority. Our parliamentary democracy is strong. It is efficient and at a time of crisis it is extremely fast. Last night, we agreed further measures in the coalition committee, about which you have been informed. However, all of our measures at the national level can only succeed in the end if we succeed together in Europe. In this House, you have often heard me say that Germany can only fare well in the long term if Europe fares well. I mean it very, very seriously when I repeat this sentence today. How is this expressed in concrete terms? For example, we have treated over 200 patients from Italy, France and the Netherlands in German ICUs. We have supplied medical equipment to countries such as Italy and Spain and flown thousands of other stranded Europeans back home from all over the world along with our own citizens. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the staff of the Federal Foreign Office for this. It is hard to believe how many Germans are outside the country, but we were also able to help many other Europeans. Thank you. We took joint action to counter the massive blow to Europe’s economy. We are doing this with a huge 500 billion-euro package of aid measures for firms and employees that our Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and the other finance ministers in the Eurogroup agreed two weeks ago. Now we need to ensure that these 500 billion euros are really made available, and the German Bundestag will also have to decide on this matter. I would be pleased if we could say that the money will really be available by 1 June, as we are talking here about aid for small and medium-sized enterprises. We are talking here about precautionary credit lines. And we are also talking here about reduced hours compensation benefits, for which some Member States may not have the financial resources, but which can be of great help to workers there. Now some of our European partners – but this is also being discussed by politicians here in Germany – are calling for joint loans with joint liability to be taken out in view of this severe crisis. This matter is certain to be discussed again in the European Council’s video conference this afternoon. Let us assume that the time and the political will to take on joint debt truly exist. Then all the national parliaments in the European Union, including the German Bundestag, would have to decide to amend the EU treaties in such a way that a part of budget law would be transferred to the European level and democratically monitored there. This would be a time-consuming and difficult process. It is not one that could help immediately in the current situation. What is now important is to provide rapid support and to quickly have instruments that can alleviate the impact of the crisis. Today’s European Council will also discuss how we want to proceed together in Europe once the tightest restrictions have been relaxed. We want to act quickly in Europe because naturally we need instruments in order to be able to overcome the impact of the crisis in all Member States. In this context, I think it is important that the European Commission is reviewing now and in the coming weeks how the various sectors of the European economy have been affected by the crisis and what action needs to be taken in response. So this also affects the immediate aid for Europe’s economy. A European economic stimulus programme could support the necessary recovery in the next two years. That is why we will also work towards this. In our talks today, we will not yet decide on the details or the amounts involved. But one thing is already clear – in a spirit of solidarity, we should be willing to make very different, that is, significantly higher, contributions to the EU budget for a limited period of time because we want all European Union Member States to be able to recover economically. However, this type of economic stimulus programme should be joined up with the European budget from the outset, as the joint European budget has been the proven instrument for financing joint tasks in the European Union in a spirit of solidarity for decades. Furthermore, I will urge the European Council to address very fundamental questions in the near future. Where do we need to work even more closely together at the European level? Where does the European Union need additional competencies? Which strategic skills do we need to have or maintain in Europe in the future? Fiscal policy, digital policy and the single market are not the only areas where we could deepen this Union; European solidarity is also needed in migration policy, the rule of law, European Security and Defence Policy and climate protection. Mr President, fellow Members of this House, commitment to the united Europe is part of our national ethos in Germany. This is not just something that sounds nice. It has very practical implications. We are bound together by a common fate. In view of the unforeseen challenge of the pandemic, Europe must prove this now. The pandemic affects everyone, but it does not affect everyone equally. If we are not careful, it will serve as a pretext for all those who seek to divide society. Europe is not Europe if it does not see itself as such. Europe is not Europe if it does not show solidarity when times are hard through no fault of anyone’s. In this crisis, we are also tasked with showing who we want to be as Europe. And so, at the end of my speech, I have come full circle back to the idea of cohesion. What goes for Europe is also the most important thing for us in Germany. As paradoxical as it sounds, in weeks where the conduct regulations have forced us far apart and distance rather than closeness is needed, we stuck together. And by doing so, we managed to at least slow the virus down together on its path through Germany and Europe. No government can simply decree this. In the final analysis, the government can merely hope it will come to pass. This is only possible if the public, motivated by compassion and reason, do something for other people, for their country. Let’s call it for the greater good. This makes me profoundly grateful, and I hope that the same spirit will prevail among us in the coming time. Things will remain very hard for quite a while. But together – and after the first weeks of the pandemic, I firmly believe this – we will succeed in mastering this enormous challenge – together as a society and together in Europe. Thank you very much.
30.04.2020	Merkel	FEDERAL CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Ladies and gentlemen, the Heads of Government of the Länder and I held discussions once again about the major challenges that all members of the public and also all levels of our federal country are facing in the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no template whatsoever for this challenge and no historical experience for us to draw on, and we’re finding out more and more each day thanks to the work of scientists, and we have to keep on learning. I’m very pleased that we’re holding these discussions very regularly now, always about every 14 days. They help us to take steps together. They help us to take decisions with a common strategy in mind. But we are, of course, a federal country, which means that approaches vary from region to region. This will, in view of these regional differences, always be the case in a country like Germany. But I think it is in the interests of the people, the members of the public, that there is a strategy and a goal in this pandemic for the whole of Germany. Allow me therefore to reiterate what this objective is. Since there is neither a medicine nor a vaccine against this virus, our aim will always be to slow down its spread, and to slow it down to such an extent that our healthcare system and our hospitals are able to cope with the number of people with severe symptoms as a result of the virus and that they are able to offer each and every patient the best possible medical care. We have managed to do this until now. We have all achieved a great deal in recent weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody once again for having followed the rules and for continuing to do so in the future, for bearing with restrictions and putting the good of society ahead of their own interests time and again. Many are continuing to do this, and I would like to ask everyone to keep on doing just that. But I would like to include more people in my thanks today, namely all those who, in the efforts to power up our public life, our economy and social spheres, are giving thought to how this can take place. I’m impressed to see how, sector for sector and sphere by sphere, concepts are being devised with a close eye for detail that focus precisely on the things that are important, that are so decisive in the efforts to fight this virus, namely on keeping distance, protecting ourselves and others, wearing masks, whether to ensure safety in the workplace or in the life of society. These prudent occupational safety concepts with social distancing and hygiene rules or the proposals by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Youth Affairs and the proposals made by religious communities that we have now seen are an example of how to shape everyday life against the backdrop of the pandemic. Very good progress is being made in all of this. Once such concepts have been elaborated, then it is, of course, the responsibility of policymakers to decide how things can start up again. Such matters are difficult to decide and weigh up. There are no automatic solutions, but rather we must consider the overall situation carefully in every single case. Time and again, we have a great responsibility to do everything in our power to ensure that we don’t relapse into a more difficult phase, but that we forge ahead step by step. We have managed so far to slow the spread of the virus. This must continue to be our guiding principle as, after all, the scientists from the leading research organisations keep telling us that we should, indeed we must, work to bring down the number of infected people still further, even if this figure is already much lower today. Above all, the aim is also for us to be in a position to trace the chains of infection. The public health service has achieved tremendous things in this regard. I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to all those working for these public health services. A large part of our future depends on them right now, which is why we have supported and strengthened them. Each decision to ease the restrictions in place so far naturally leads to people being out and about in public and meeting one another to a greater extent once again, resulting in busier city centres and more people on public transport. We must therefore constantly keep an eye on the inevitable impact that this will have on possible new infections. I think the Federation and the Länder are in agreement on this, and this is also reflected in our decision. It therefore continues to be absolutely essential that we remain disciplined, that we maintain a safe distance from one another and that we observe hygiene rules. In all future measures, we will always weigh up carefully what this means in terms of healthcare, what impact this has on the social cohesion of our society and, above all, what the economic aspects of this are. All these things must be carefully weighed up against each other. We know that – and this is also something that we gave expression to today – the Federal Government and the Länder must take steps to ensure that we notice at an early stage if the curve of infections becomes steeper again. We must therefore have a warning system and be prepared to respond if necessary. I’m very grateful that we agree on this. Today’s discussions were therefore an intermediate step. After all, the 12 to 14 days before we know what effect all of this will have on our rate of infection will not elapse until 6 May. We call to mind the opening of shops, which is why we will meet again as soon as next week. We have therefore taken individual decisions today, but will be adopting a more far-reaching package again next week. Today, the focus was once again on our acknowledgement that we will not be able to allow major events to take place before 31 August. Specifically, these include major sporting events, public celebrations with spectators, major concerts, festivals, village, town, street, wine and shooting festivals and funfairs. These will therefore have to remain prohibited for a prolonged period of time. I would like to thank the churches and religious communities for putting forward an excellent concept. Responsibility for this lies with the Länder, but it will be possible to hold church services again under the measures that have been elaborated here together with the churches and religious communities. We have decided that, subject to specific conditions, playgrounds will also be allowed to reopen – the Länder will reach decisions on the details here – as well as, subject to specific conditions, cultural institutions such as museums, exhibitions, galleries, memorials and zoological and botanical gardens. On 6 May, we will evaluate the concepts of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, Youth Ministers and Ministers of Sport and make very clear decisions on the order and the way in which school and day care centres can be attended again, including certain sporting activities, of course subject to specific conditions. We also talked about the fact that we should, of course, offer other sectors a roadmap for the future. That is why the competent conferences of ministers are being instructed to prepare plans and framework conditions for the gradual opening of bars and restaurants, as well as tourism facilities and for other cultural institutions by the conference following 6 May – we haven’t yet fixed a precise date for this – provided, of course, that the infection rate permits this. We have heard today about the unemployment figures and about the number of people on reduced hours. We know that there have been profound economic impacts that we are seeking to cushion. Nevertheless, these are, of course, bound up with tremendous hardship for employees, for business owners, for the self-employed and many others. That is why we are keeping these issues in mind. But I firmly believe that we’re also acting in the best interests of the economy, including in the interests of social contacts, if we consider that we can take steps forward in allowing more contacts, but that we mustn’t go backwards. That’s why caution and compliance with hygiene measures continue to be the order of the day.
06.05.2020	Merkel	FEDERAL CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Ladies and gentlemen, as announced quite some time ago, we continued the scheduled discussions between the Minister-Presidents of the Länder and the Federal Government today. I think we can also say today that the very first phase of the pandemic now lies behind us. But we must always remember that despite this we are still at the start of the pandemic and still have a long way to go as regards dealing with the virus. The figures reported to us by the Robert Koch Institute for several days now are very encouraging. I want to underline that. A fortnight ago, we hoped to be able to see these kinds of figures after the first larger steps towards opening, especially in the retail sector. The figures are lower than then, and I personally am very glad that this worked. The number of new infections per day is no longer in the thousands every day, but sometimes in the hundreds. The reproduction number is constantly below one. Only in one district in Germany is there a figure of over 50 acute cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and we have largely managed to be able to trace the chains of infection. That is the result of boosting the work of the public health offices. I would like to take this opportunity to say a very warm thank you to the staff of the health offices for this. In the history of our country, they have rarely been as much the focus of attention as they are now. That’s why we are now at a point where we can say that we have achieved the goal of slowing down the spread of the virus and have been able to protect our healthcare system from collapse. We were able to achieve this because – and this is the most important point – people have lived their lives responsibly during the time of the virus, accepted the restrictions and thus saved other people’s lives. In view of the current situation, we were also able to discuss and agree on further openings with the Minister-Presidents today. We received a large number of concepts from the specialised ministers’ conferences in recent days, with input from many associations, federations and special interest groups. I am also very grateful indeed for this, as we see that people simply accept the hygiene regulations and the things we need to do at the time of the virus and that daily life is being reorganised in many sectors in line with these requirements. We also had a long discussion once again today about what things must remain in place. It is perfectly clear – and it didn’t take us long to agree on this – that the minimum distance requirement of 1.5 metres and the use of masks in public space, particularly on public transport and in shops, still stand. Masks may also become compulsory in some places in other sectors that are now being reopened. We also discussed how contact restrictions are naturally a crucial element, and that’s why we agreed that such contact restrictions will fundamentally remain in place until 5 June. In view of the lower infection rate, people will now be able to spend time in public space not only on their own or with members of their own household or one other person, but also with members of another household. Members of two households are now allowed to meet in public space. But that is still a very clear restriction on contact simply because we want to prevent a rapid spread of infection. This agreement will not affect decisions already made by individual Länder. Given the fact that there is a very wide range of specific regulations on what exactly can reopen and when – this is due to the different infection rates, but also to the diversity of our federal system – we agreed on something today that I regard as crucial and important for the coming time. If we experience regional differences – and they exist – and if we have lower infection rates, then we also need to have an emergency mechanism where we say that if regional infection hotspots reoccur, then we have to be able to reintroduce special measures in these places. In our previous decisions, we always said that in general. We have now firmed this up and said that the Länder will ensure that districts or urban municipalities with over 50 new cases of infection cumulatively per 100,000 inhabitants in the previous seven days will draw up a concept on comprehensive restrictions in cooperation with the relevant Land authorities. If the infections are in a specific location that can be clearly defined, such as in an institution like a hospital or a care home, then this concept on restrictions can apply to this institution only. But if we are talking about a regional outbreak across a more widespread area and with unclear chains of infection, then general restrictions will definitely have to be reintroduced until the figure has fallen again to under 50 acute cases per 100,000 inhabitants on seven consecutive days. I would like to point out that there is currently only one district in Germany where the infection rate is over 50 acute cases per 100,000 inhabitants. We also spoke again about the tracing app that is still being developed. And we talked again about the school concept agreed by the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. We did two things that are very important to me. One is in schools and the other is to increase the amount of emergency childcare in day care centres, as we know that children rightfully want to return to their normal lives as much as possible. This will take time. But the Länder have now prepared concepts on this, too, on the basis of which this will increasingly become possible. One group is of particular importance to me, namely older people in care homes who have largely had to do without visitors for weeks and who are not able to leave these homes and institutions. We know what that means or can only guess what it’s like. These people have a legitimate expectation that we also think about them at a time of reopening, and that is why it was very important to me that efforts are being made so that a fixed contact person will be able to have regular access to people in care homes or people with dementia or, in homes for the disabled, to people with disabilities. We then also discussed a large number of other sectors, including shops, which can now open regardless of size, although naturally in line with the hygiene concepts. We spoke about recreational sport and also about the first and second Bundesliga divisions, which will be allowed to resume playing from the second half of May under the approved and tested regulations. We then said that the Länder will draw up a concept on sport, as well as on many other sectors that I don’t want to go into now, and that they can then carry out the measures on opening, naturally doing so step by step. It is also important to me that a concept be developed for theatres, opera houses, concert venues and cinemas. We have asked the Minister of State for Culture and the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs to do so. There are now exemplary ways – as we have seen in the case of religious events – for cultural events to be able to take place again. All in all, we had a very constructive discussion. In view of the diversity of our federal system, it is no surprise that there are always different opinions on what is most important. That’s completely normal. I want to reiterate very clearly that the hygiene regulations must be observed everywhere. That was said by everyone at our meeting today. In the restaurant sector, for instance, this means that not only do two tables have to be two metres apart from each other, but that if people from two households are sitting at a table, the restaurant will have to ensure that the minimum distance between them is guaranteed. If two people sit opposite each other at a table that is 50 centimetres wide, this does not meet the hygiene-concept requirements. This will be an enormous challenge, including for the sectors that are now opening. Nevertheless, we believe that it is better if we take some steps and naturally give people something to look ahead to, both in schools and kindergartens, as well as in other sectors, rather than making no progress at all. Not only do we have – and I regard this as crucial – a path towards more opening, we also have a backup plan that says if something happens somewhere, if the infection rate increases somewhere, then we have an emergency mechanism, and in that case only specific regions, and not the whole country, may have to retrace their steps. All in all, I see this as a well-balanced decision.
11.05.2020	Merkel	FEDERAL CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just paid a virtual visit, that’s to say I had a video conference with the health office in Harz district, the district commissioner as well as Minister-President Haseloff. With this visit, I wanted to thank all health offices in the Federal Republic of Germany and, at the same time, find out more about the specific work they do. We all know that public health offices and the public health service are playing a pivotal role in the fight against this pandemic. In this connection, it’s crucially important that the health offices do their work well – and the staff is doing a good job – and that they tell us when they need more help. We also spoke about this. They have received additional support. We have the scouts. We also have the Bundeswehr which, if necessary, is ready to provide assistance. This is therefore a vital point at which it will be determined whether we really can trace all contacts of newly infected persons. So today’s conversation was very important to me. I’d like to express my sincere thanks once more. Let me tell you – the staff are committed to their work. Their efforts will be successful. Together with the Länder, we will give them additional support wherever it’s needed. However, I want to stress once more that we’re now entering a new phase in the pandemic and that it will now be necessary to be certain that, despite the easing of the containment measures, we truly have security that people are abiding by the basic rules, that’s to say keeping their distance from one another, wearing a mask and showing consideration for each other. That’s essential. Thank you very much.
18.05.2020	Merkel	CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Ladies and gentlemen, not only am I happy to have had a video conference with French President Emmanuel Macron today, as has become standard in the meantime during the pandemic, I’m also pleased that we’re able to hold the press conference today in a way that will allow you to ask the two of us questions, both in Berlin and Paris. So my warm regards to you in Paris. We spoke today about how France and Germany can play a part in overcoming the pandemic crisis, which we agree is the severest crisis the European Union has ever faced. A crisis of this type requires the right kind of answers. Franco German cooperation and friendship call on us to send this message, in awareness that there are 27 of us. But I believe that if Germany and France get the ball rolling, this will help us to reach consensus in Europe and support the process of reaching consensus. We need to take action. We need to take action at the European level so that we emerge sound and stronger from this crisis. The Finance Ministers have already launched a large package of guarantees as regards the European Investment Bank, the ESM and SURE unemployment insurance for reduced hours compensation benefit. This has been approved by the Heads of State and Government. That was a tremendous contribution, a first step. We now want to implement this quickly. But it is not enough. We already said at the time that we need a recovery fund. Germany and France have spoken in depth about what form this recovery fund could take. What is the goal? The goal is that Europe will emerge united and mutually supportive from this crisis. We know that the virus affects our countries in different ways and that this is why we face a risk that the economic impact of this virus will undermine EU cohesion and that the cohesion we actually need no longer exists. That is why the recovery fund must play a part in enabling all countries in Europe to respond in the right way. This requires an extraordinary, one off exertion, one that Germany and France are willing to make. Europe needs to stand together. We need rapid economic recovery. That is why we want to launch a temporary fund of 500 billion euro for EU budget expenditure. In other words, this would not provide loans, but rather budget funding for the sectors and regions hit hardest by the crisis. We firmly believe that it is both justified and necessary to now provide funding for this from the European side that we will gradually deploy across several European budgets in the future. Naturally, all this needs to comply with the European treaties and European budget law and of course it also affects parts of the member states’ budget planning. It is thus crucial that a recovery fund of this type be based on a sound legal footing and reflect national parliaments’ budget autonomy. However, we will set up the fund in this way. That means that the Commission will raise money so that the recovery fund and the medium term budgetary framework will then make up the overall EU budget and provide significantly more funding in the first years after the crisis – namely these 500 billion euro – in order to support the affected countries and sectors via the budget. This exertion is necessary. We firmly believe that. This will lead to greater cohesion in Europe than is currently the case. Furthermore, we will work very closely together on making the European Union fit for the future. Naturally, this funding will also be used to invest in digital transformation, the Green Deal and tackling the climate catastrophe, thus generating new momentum for the future. In the future – and this is also part of the Franco German initiative – we will work very closely together on health and the lessons we learn from this crisis. All in all, I’m very glad that Germany and France can announce this initiative today. It is what I believe we need so that we can play our part in the future of the European Union. Furthermore, after this pandemic we will run the member states’ Conference on the Future of Europe with the European Parliament and the Commission in a different way than we had originally planned, as we need to talk seriously about where there were shortcomings in Europe and what will define the future of the European Union. This can also include amendments to the treaties; it can include far greater integration. We are presenting the short answer to the crisis today, so to speak. The long answers will need to be discussed because Europe must be developed further.
04.06.2020	Merkel	Secretary-General António Guterres, Boris Johnson, Mr Berkley, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank all those involved in this truly important conference. Together, we can create the prerequisites for vaccinating a further 300 million children in the coming years in order to protect them from potentially lethal diseases. And we want to do so. Our aim here is to give over 300 million young people a greater chance of healthy development. And this is something we can achieve. 300 million is not just a number. It involves the lives of individual people. Despite all the discussion about funding, we must not lose sight of that. COVID-19 has made Gavi’s work even more important. A virus that spreads worldwide can only be tackled effectively by joint global efforts. These include setting up research alliances. We need to simplify processes in order to achieve results faster. It is also vital to strengthen health-sector actors such as Gavi because as soon as a suitable vaccine has been found, we need to be in a position to start a global vaccination campaign without delay. Every day counts. Vaccination saves lives. That cannot depend on the country where you live. Ready-to-use vaccines must be affordable, available and freely accessible worldwide. This is an enormous undertaking, one that Gavi has been addressing for 20 years now – and with great success. To date, over 760 million children have been vaccinated against dangerous diseases. As a result, polio has been almost eradicated. I am pleased that Germany was able to play its part here as one of Gavi’s largest donors. However, we see that COVID-19 is now jeopardising further progress. Not only does the virus itself pose significant health risks, the pandemic is also adversely affecting an enormous range of other health measures, such as immunisation programmes against measles and TB, meaning that these and other infectious diseases may spread more widely again. According to WHO estimates, up to 80 million children could be affected. This means that we cannot neglect the standard vaccination programmes. Gavi must be able to continue the work it already does and to do it successfully. Germany will therefore continue supporting the Vaccine Alliance with funding of 600 million euro in the next five years, in addition to the 100 million euro it pledged at the EU’s Coronavirus Global Response Pledging Conference. Together, we can get the better of infectious diseases. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And Gavi helps us to find this way. That’s why I hope that this conference will be successful for Gavi and ultimately for us all. Allow me to extend my heartfelt thanks to all those involved.
03.03.2020	Johnson	Good morning and thank you for coming along, and I am very glad to be joined this morning by the government’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor. Today we have published the Coronavirus Action Plan setting out how all four parts of the UK will take all necessary and reasonable steps to tackle this outbreak. The plan has four strands. Containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and finally mitigating the impact should the virus become more widespread. That is, contain, delay, research, mitigate. And let me be absolutely clear that for the overwhelming majority of people who contract the virus, this will be a mild disease from which they will speedily and fully recover as we’ve already seen. But I fully understand public concern, your concern, about the global spread of this virus. And it is highly likely that we will see a growing number of UK cases. And that’s why keeping the country safe is the government’s overriding priority. And our plan means we’re committed to doing everything possible based on the advice of our world leading scientific experts to prepare for all eventualities. Let’s not forget – we already have a fantastic NHS, fantastic testing systems and fantastic surveillance of the spread of disease. We will make sure the NHS gets all the support it needs to continue their brilliant response to the virus so far. The plan does not set out what the government will do, it sets out the steps we could take at the right time along the basis of the scientific advice. Our country remains extremely well prepared, as it has been since the outbreak began in Wuhan several months ago. Finally, crucially, we must not forget what we can all do to fight this virus, which is to wash our hands, you knew I was going to say this, but wash our hands with soap and water. And forgive me for repeating this but there will be people who will be tuning into this for the first time: wash your hands with soap and hot water for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. It’s simple advice but it’s the single most important thing we can do, as I think our experts would attest. But at this stage, and with the exception of all of the points I have just mentioned, I want to stress that for the vast majority of the people of this country, we should be going about our business as usual.
09.03.2020	Johnson	This morning I chaired a meeting of the government’s COBR emergency committee on the Coronavirus outbreak. The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales and the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland also attended and we agreed to continue to work closely in the weeks and months ahead. We received a detailed briefing from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Advisor. And again I repeat my gratitude to both Chris and to Patrick. There have now been four deaths from coronavirus in the UK, and our deepest sympathies are obviously with their friends and families. Our action plan as you know sets out the four phases of our approach to tackling the virus: Contain, Delay, Research, and Mitigate. We remain in the Contain phase of the outbreak, but watching what is happening around the world, our scientists think containment is extremely unlikely to work on its own, and that is why we are making extensive preparations for a move to the delay phase. We are preparing various actions to slow the spread of this disease in order to reduce the strain it places on the NHS. The more we can delay the peak of the spread to the summer, the better the NHS will be able to manage. Patrick and Chris will give you some more detailed information on the latest advice we are giving the public today - and how we expect that advice to change as the outbreak develops. As things stand I’m afraid it bears repeating that the best thing we can all do is wash our hands for 20 seconds with soap and water. We will also take questions, because I know there are lots of things the public want to hear from our advisors about. But before that I want to stress the following things: First, we are doing everything we can to combat this outbreak, based on the very latest scientific and medical advice. Second, we have a truly brilliant NHS, where staff have responded with all the determination, compassion and skill that makes their service so revered across the world. And they will continue to have this government’s full support, my support, in tackling this virus on the frontline. Third, we will set out further steps in the days and weeks ahead to help people protect themselves, their family and in particular the elderly and vulnerable. And finally, while it is absolutely critical, it’s absolutely critical in managing the spread of this virus that we take the right decisions at the right time, based on the latest and best evidence. So we must not do things which have no or limited medical benefit, nor things which could turn out to be counterproductive. There is no hiding from the fact that the coronavirus outbreak will present significant challenges for the UK, just as it does in other countries. But if we continue to look out for one another, to pull together in a united and national effort, I have no doubt that we can and will rise to that challenge. And I’m now going to ask Patrick and then Chris to give their own perspective on where we are.
12.03.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon everybody and thank you very much for coming. I’ve just chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee including ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And it’s clear that coronavirus, COVID-19, continues and will continue to spread across the world and our country over the next few months. We’ve done what can be done to contain this disease and this has bought us valuable time. But it is now a global pandemic. And the number of cases will rise sharply and indeed the true number of cases is higher - perhaps much higher - than the number of cases we have so far confirmed with tests. I’ve got to be clear, we’ve all got to be clear, that this is the worst public health crisis for a generation. Some people compare it to seasonal flu. Alas, that is not right. Owing to the lack of immunity, this disease is more dangerous. And it’s going to spread further and I must level with you, level with the British public, many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time. And the Chief Scientific Adviser will set out the best information we have on that in a moment. But as we’ve said over the last few weeks, we have a clear plan that we are now working through. And we are now moving to the next phase in that plan. Because this is now not just to attempt to contain the disease as far as possible, but to delay its spread and thereby minimise the suffering. If we delay the peak even by a few weeks, then our NHS will be in a stronger state as the weather improves and fewer people suffer from normal respiratory diseases, more beds are available and we’ll have more time for medical research. We can also act to stretch the peak of the disease over a longer period so that our society is better able to cope. The Chief Medical Officer will set out our lines of defence. We have to deploy these at the right time to maximise their effect. The most important task will be to protect our elderly and most vulnerable people during the peak weeks when there is the maximum risk of exposure to the disease and when the NHS will be under the most pressure. So the most dangerous period is not now but some weeks away depending on how fast it spreads. Today therefore we are moving forward with our plan. From tomorrow, if you have coronavirus symptoms, however mild – either a new continuous cough or a high temperature – then you should stay at home for at least 7 days to protect others and help slow the spread of the disease. We advise all those over 70 and those with serious medical conditions against going on cruises and we advise against international school trips. At some point in the next few weeks, we are likely to go further and if someone in a household has those symptoms, we will be asking everyone in the household to stay at home. We are not introducing this yet for reasons Sir Patrick will explain, but I want to signal now that this is coming down the track. We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures. The scientific advice as we’ve said over the last couple of weeks is that banning such events will have little effect on the spread. But there is also the issue of the burden that such events can place on public services. So we’re discussing these issues with colleagues in all parts of the United Kingdom and will have more to say shortly about the timing of further action in that respect. At all stages, we have been guided by the science, and we will do the right thing at the right time. We are not - repeat not - closing schools now. The scientific advice is that this could do more harm than good at this time. But we are of course keeping this under review and this again may change as the disease spreads. Schools should only close if they are specifically advised to do so. And that remains our advice. There is no escaping the reality that these measures will cause severe disruption across our country for many months. The best scientific advice is that this will help us slow the disease and save lives. There will be detailed information available on the NHS website and from 111 online. But I want to stress something that is very important in the wake of what we’re saying this afternoon – I urge people, who think in view of what we’re saying about their potential symptoms that they should stay at home, not to call 111 but to use the internet for information if they can. I also want at this stage to speak directly to older people. Because this disease is particularly dangerous for you, for older people, even though the vast majority this will be a mild to moderate illness, I know that many people will be very worried. And I think we should all be thinking about our elderly relatives, the more vulnerable members of their family, our neighbours, and everything we can do to protect them over the next few months. We’re going to need to mobilise millions of people to help and support each other. And I just want to you to know that the government will do all we can to help you and your family during this period. We’re not just going to be as you saw yesterday supporting the economy during this period, we will be providing money and many other forms of support, and helping communities to support each other. And as we have done over the last few weeks, we will continue to provide, as soon as we have it, as much clear scientific and medical information as we can. So I’d like to end by repeating the two important messages, with which you will have become familiar – it is still vital, perhaps more vital than ever – that we remember to wash our hands. And lastly of course even if things seem tough now, just to remember, that we will get through this, this country will get through this epidemic, just as it has got through many tougher experiences before if we look out for each other and commit wholeheartedly to a full national effort.
16.03.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon everybody, thank you very much for coming. I wanted to bring everyone up to date with the national fight back against the new coronavirus and the decisions that we’ve just taken in COBR for the whole of the UK. As we said last week, our objective is to delay and flatten the peak of the epidemic by bringing forward the right measures at the right time, so that we minimise suffering and save lives. And everything we do is based scrupulously on the best scientific advice. Last week we asked everyone to stay at home if you had one of two key symptoms: a high temperature or a new and continuous cough. Today, we need to go further, because according to SAGE [the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] it looks as though we’re now approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve. And without drastic action, cases could double every 5 or 6 days. So, first, we need to ask you to ensure that if you or anyone in your household has one of those two symptoms, then you should stay at home for fourteen days. That means that if possible you should not go out even to buy food or essentials, other than for exercise, and in that case at a safe distance from others. If necessary, you should ask for help from others for your daily necessities. And if that is not possible, then you should do what you can to limit your social contact when you leave the house to get supplies. And even if you don’t have symptoms and if no one in your household has symptoms, there is more that we need you to do now. So, second, now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel. We need people to start working from home where they possibly can. And you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues. It goes without saying, we should all only use the NHS when we really need to. And please go online rather than ringing NHS 111. Now, this advice about avoiding all unnecessary social contact, is particularly important for people over 70, for pregnant women and for those with some health conditions. And if you ask, why are we doing this now, why now, why not earlier, or later? Why bring in this very draconian measure? The answer is that we are asking people to do something that is difficult and disruptive of their lives. And the right moment, as we’ve always said, is to do it when it is most effective, when we think it can make the biggest difference to slowing the spread of the disease, reducing the number of victims, reducing the number of fatalities. And as we take these steps we should be focusing on the most vulnerable. So third, in a few days’ time – by this coming weekend – it will be necessary to go further and to ensure that those with the most serious health conditions are largely shielded from social contact for around 12 weeks. And again the reason for doing this in the next few days, rather than earlier or later, is that this is going to be very disruptive for people who have such conditions, and difficult for them, but, I believe, it’s now necessary. And we want to ensure that this period of shielding, this period of maximum protection coincides with the peak of the disease. And it’s now clear that the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others. And it looks as though London is now a few weeks ahead. So, to relieve the pressure on the London health system and to slow the spread in London, it’s important that Londoners now pay special attention to what we are saying about avoiding non-essential contact, and to take particularly seriously the advice about working from home, and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants. Lastly, it remains true as we have said in the last few weeks that risks of transmission of the disease at mass gatherings such as sporting events are relatively low. But obviously, logically as we advise against unnecessary social contact of all kinds, it is right that we should extend this advice to mass gatherings as well. And so we’ve also got to ensure that we have the critical workers we need, that might otherwise be deployed at those gatherings, to deal with this emergency. So from tomorrow, we will no longer be supporting mass gatherings with emergency workers in the way that we normally do. So mass gatherings, we are now moving emphatically away from. And I know that many people – including millions of fit and active people over 70 – may feel, listening to what I have just said, that there is something excessive about these measures. But I have to say, I believe that they are overwhelmingly worth it to slow the spread of the disease, to reduce the peak, to save life, minimise suffering and to give our NHS the chance to cope. Over the last few days, I have been comparing notes and talking to leaders around the world and I can tell you that the UK is now leading a growing global campaign amongst all our friends and allies, whether in the G7, the G20, the UN, the IMF – all those bodies in which we play a significant role. We’re leading a campaign to fight back against this disease. To keep the economy growing, to make sure that humanity has access to the drugs and the treatments that we all need, and the UK is also at the front of the effort to back business, to back our economy, to make sure that we get through it. I know that today we are asking a lot of everybody. It is far more now than just washing your hands - though clearly washing your hands remains important. But I can tell you that across this country, people and businesses in my experience are responding with amazing energy and creativity to the challenge that we face, and I want to thank everybody for the part that you are playing and are going to play.
17.03.2020	Johnson	I want to go through our overall plan for beating this new coronavirus. First, we must stop the disease spreading to a point where it overwhelms our NHS. Every country in the world has the same problem. This is a disease that is so dangerous and so infectious that without drastic measures to check its progress it would overwhelm any health system in the world. I have used the Italian health system, it is excellent, and the problem is not the health system, it’s the numbers of sufferance. That is why we announced the steps yesterday that we did – advising against all unnecessary contact – steps that are unprecedented since World War 2. They will have an effect on the spread of the disease. The shielding of vulnerable groups will also reduce suffering, and I want to thank everybody at this stage for what we’re all doing to follow this advice. I stress that although the measures announced are already extreme, we may well have to go further and faster in the coming days to protect lives and the NHS. Secondly, we are doing all we can and as quickly as we can to increase the capacity of the NHS. That means more testing, more beds, more ventilators and more trained staff. It means greater support for NHS and other staff. And it means much better data and much better technology. Third, we must do all we can to boost science and research. We must study this disease, test drugs that already exist and have been through medical trials to see what helps treat severe cases, and search for a vaccine. Fourth, we must act like any wartime government and do whatever it takes to support our economy. That’s the main purpose of this press conference this afternoon. We must support millions of businesses and tens of millions of families and individuals through the coming months. And to do that the government machine must and will respond with a profound sense of urgency. Thousands of brilliant officials are already working round the clock but we must do more and faster. The Chancellor will be saying much more about this in a moment, with further announcements in the coming days. Fifth, we will need to strengthen other public services that will be under great pressure from the direct and indirect effects of the disease, such as the effects of staff shortages, and from the economic pressures. All institutions will be under great pressure and we will therefore invest hugely in the people that we all rely on, and again I want to thank all our public servants for what they are already doing. Ultimately, to beat this crisis we will need a combination of better science, technology, medicine, data, government operations, economic support, learning from other countries and social support. As time goes on we will learn more and more about the disease and the effects of our actions. And while we need national unity, we also need international cooperation. And although we now need to impose physical distance between ourselves, we must at the same time have closer social support for each other. Yes this enemy can be deadly, but it is also beatable – and we know how to beat it and we know that if as a country we follow the scientific advice that is now being given we know that we will beat it. And however tough the months ahead we have the resolve and the resources to win the fight. And, to repeat, this government will do whatever it takes. I will now handover for more on that to Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
18.03.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon. And thanks for coming or for indeed tuning in to these daily updates. I want to introduce, I’m sure you know Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, and you know Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Advisor. I want to tell you where we got to in our national fightback against the coronavirus. Today the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies met to discuss the latest evidence on the spread of the virus and the effects of the measures we have already taken to slow its spread. And Patrick is going to update us in a second about that. I want to repeat that everyone – everyone – must follow the advice to protect themselves and their families, but also – more importantly – to protect the wider public. So stay at home for seven days if you think you have the symptoms. Remember the two key symptoms are high temperature, a continuous new cough. Whole household to stay at home for 14 days if one member in that household thinks he/she has the symptoms. Avoid all unnecessary gatherings – pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, theatres and so on and work from home if you can. Wash your hands. And we have already announced in the last few days we will massively scale up our testing capacity in the weeks ahead so we hit 25,000 tests a day. A huge public information campaign is being rolled out so people get all the information they need to protect themselves and others. We are asking retired healthcare professionals to come back and help us cope, help the NHS to cope, with this unprecedented challenge. And we will continue as we have from the beginning to do the right thing at the right time and to follow the best scientific advice. And we come today to the key issue of schools where we have been consistently advised that there is an important trade off. And so far the judgment of our advisers has been that closing schools is actually of limited value in slowing the spread of the epidemic. And that is partly because counterintuitively schools are actually very safe environments. And in this disease and epidemic children and young people are much less vulnerable. And hitherto the advice has been that we should keep schools open if possible in order to reduce the pressure on the NHS and on all other public services. But I think you’ll agree I have always been very clear that this is a balanced judgment and one that we have kept under constant review. So looking at the curve of the disease and looking at where we are now – we think now that we must apply downward pressure, further downward pressure on that upward curve by closing the schools. So I can announce today and Gavin Williamson making statement now in House of Commons that after schools shut their gates from Friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils – for the vast majority of pupils- until further notice. I will explain what I mean by the vast majority of pupils. The objective is to slow the spread of the virus and we judge it is the right moment to do that. But of course, as I’ve always said, we also need to keep the NHS going and to treat the number of rising cases. So we need health workers who are also parents to continue to go to work. And we need other critical workers with children to keep doing their jobs too – from police officers who are keeping us safe to the supermarket delivery drivers, social care workers who look after the elderly and who are so vital. We will be setting out more details shortly about who we mean in these groups. So we therefore need schools to make provision for the children of these key workers who would otherwise be forced to stay home. And they will also need to look after the most vulnerable children. This will mean there will of course be are far fewer children in schools and that will help us to slow the spread of the disease. And these measures are crucial to make sure the critical parts of the economy keep functioning and public services keep functioning. So we are simultaneously asking nurseries and private schools to do the same, and we are providing financial support where it is needed. We are making provisions to supply meals and vouchers for children eligible for free school meals. And where some schools are already doing this, I want to make it clear we will reimburse the cost. And of course this does mean that exams will not take place as planned in May and June. Though we will make sure that pupils get the qualifications they need and deserve for their academic career. Now I know that these steps will not be easy for parents or teachers. And for many parents, this will be frustrating, and it will make it harder for them to go out to work. And of course that is one of the reasons we haven’t wanted to go ahead and that’s why we are working now on further measures to ensure that we support not just businesses but also individuals and their families to keep our economy going as Rishi Sunak the Chancellor outlined yesterday. I also need to remind parents that, as we have already advised, children should not be left with older grandparents, or older relatives, who may be particularly vulnerable or fall into some of the vulnerable groups and I know that will be difficult too. And I want to thank families for their sacrifice at this difficult time. I want to thank whole country for the efforts people are making to comply with these measures. I particularly want to thank the teachers, head teachers and all the support staff who keep schools going who will make these exceptional arrangements work, for the benefit of us all. By looking after the children of key workers they will be a critical part of our fightback against Coronavirus. As I have said, we will take the right steps at the right time, guided by the science. We believe the steps we have already taken, together with those I am announcing today, are already slowing the spread of the disease. But we will not hesitate to go further, and faster, in the days and weeks ahead. And we will do whatever it takes to so that we beat it together.
19.03.2020	Johnson	I want to begin by thanking everyone, by thanking you, in the media, and also thanking everyone for the huge efforts that the country is making to comply with the advice that we’ve been given And we’re asking such a huge amount, asking students to put their education on hold, we’re asking people not to socialise in the normal way And already we can see the impact that this is having on the UK economy and on business, on great, great companies And so it’s vital that we in Government stand behind them when what we are asking everyone to do is so crucial for saving literally thousands of lives by defeating this virus And I am conscious as the days have gone by that people will want to know how long we are expecting them to keep it up And I wanted to try to say something today about how I see the timescale of this campaign and where we’re going and what we need to do I do think, looking at it all, that we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks And I am absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country but only if we take the steps, we all take the steps we have outlined, And that is vital because that is how we are going to reduce the peak and once we’ve achieved that, and I think that we will, if take the steps that I have said, then the scientific progress that we’re making will really start to come into play and I wanted to discuss a little bit of that this afternoon with you because we are rapidly becoming so much better at understanding the genomics at the heart of this virus, a lot of that is going on in this country, we’re getting better at understanding the medicines that may treat and cure it And today we have put the first British corona patient into a randomised trial for drugs that may treat the disease UK experts and scientists expect to start trials for the first vaccine within a month And above all we are getting better at testing This crisis is so difficult because the enemy is invisible And the answer is to remove the cloak of invisibility And to identify the virus, and to be able to know which of us, is carrying it or who has actually had it and now got over it And to give you an idea of what is coming down the track We are in negotiations today to buy a so called antibody test As simple as a pregnancy test That could tell whether you have had the disease And it’s early days, but if it works as its proponents claim then we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kits as soon as practicable because obviously it has the potential to be a total gamechanger Because once you know that you have had it, you know that you are likely to be less vulnerable, you’re less likely to pass it on, and you can go back to work And of course by the same token we are massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now And ramping up daily testing from 5000 a day to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up to 250,000 And that knowledge of where the virus is, will make a huge difference to our management of the disease and our ability to reduce disruption and economic difficulties And I wanted to set that out because this is rapidly coming down the track as I say, but it will take time to come on stream And that is why in the meantime, to get back to a theme that you know I’m going to repeat, it is absolutely vital that we follow the advice that we’ve been hearing over the last few days, The announcements we’ve already made about staying at home if you have the symptoms, if your family has the symptoms, about avoiding unnecessary contact Avoiding gatherings where you may pick up the disease pubs, bars, restaurants Please, please follow all that advice scrupulously Work from home if you possibly can Wash your hands, wash your hands And it’s by this combination of ruthless, determined, collective action and scientific progress that we’re already seeing that we will succeed And I know how difficult it may be, or it may seem right now, but if we do this together we will save, as I say, many many thousands of lives and to everybody in the UK, business world, everybody who is worried about their jobs, and everybody who faces difficulties because of the advice that we are giving, I say to business, stand by your employees, stand by your workers because we will stand by you And you’ll be hearing more about that in the course of the next day or so And that is how, by a mixture of determined, collective action and scientific progress, I have absolutely no doubt that we will turn the tide of this disease and beat it together.
20.03.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon and thank you for coming again, Today I am joined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Jennie Harries deputy chief medical officer. Yesterday I set out the ambition of this government to turn the tide against coronavirus within 3 months. And I want to repeat that determination today. We are going to do it with testing. We are going to do it with new medicines, and with new digital technology that will help us to see the disease as it is transmitted, and thereby, by eliminating it, to stamp it out. And above all, now we are going to defeat this disease with a huge national effort to slow the spread by reducing unnecessary social contact. And I want to thank everyone for following the guidance we issued on Monday: to stay at home for 7 days if you think you have the symptoms, for 14 days if anyone in your household has either of the symptoms – a new continuous cough or a high temperature. To avoid pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants. To work from home if at all possible. Keep washing your hands. I know it has been tough. I know it has been inconvenient. But these actions that we’re all taking together are already helping to take the strain off our NHS. Bit by bit, day by day, by your actions, your restraint and your sacrifice, we are putting this country in a better and stronger position, where we will be able to save literally thousands of lives, of people of all ages, people who don’t deserve to die now. People whose lives can, must, and will be saved. And as we take these actions together and as we make these sacrifices, we can see the impact on the real economy. Already, fantastic British companies, already under huge strain, big and small. Workers who are finding that their jobs are under threat or are going, through no fault of their own. And to all of them, we in government say: We will stand by you. And I say that to companies, remember our joint objective: to beat this virus. And we will do everything in our power to help. And in just a minute, Rishi is going to explain how we are going to help workers of all kinds to get through this crisis, Supporting you directly in a way that Government has never been done before, in addition to the package we have already set out for business. And of course these measures are intended to be temporary and of course I am confident that, in time, the UK economy is going to bounce back. Of course it is. But I must be absolutely clear with you: the speed of that eventual recovery depends entirely on our ability, our collective ability, to get on top of the virus now. And that means we have to take the next steps, on scientific advice and following our plan, we are strengthening the measures announced on Monday which you will remember. And of course people have already made a huge effort to comply with those measures for avoiding unnecessary social contact. But we need now to push down further on that curve of transmission between us. And so following agreement between all the formations of the United Kingdom, all the devolved administrations, We are collectively telling, telling cafes, pubs, bars, restaurants to close tonight as soon as they reasonably can, and not to open tomorrow. Though to be clear, they can continue to provide take-out services. We’re also telling nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres to close on the same timescale. Now, these are places where people come together, and indeed the whole purpose of these businesses is to bring people together. But the sad things is that today for now, at least physically, we need to keep people apart. And I want to stress that we will review the situation each month, to see if we can relax any of these measures. And listening to what I have just said, some people may of course be tempted to go out tonight. But please don’t. You may think you are invincible, but there is no guarantee you will get mild symptoms, and you can still be a carrier of the disease and pass it on to others So that’s why, as far as possible, we want you to stay at home, that’s how we can protect our NHS and save lives. To repeat, I know how difficult this is, how it seems to go against the freedom-loving instincts of the British people. And I also know much, right now, workers and business deserve the financial reassurance we are giving them. But we will get through this. We will get through it together, and we will beat this virus. And to ram that point home: the more effectively we follow the advice that we are given, the faster this country will stage both a medical and an economic recovery in full.
22.03.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon everyone Thank you for coming, and thank you to Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, and Dr Jenny Harries, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. I want again to thank everyone in the country today for the huge effort that we are collectively making. I want to thank the amazing workers in the NHS, everybody working in social care, in every sector, in food distribution, transport, you name it – absolutely everyone who is keeping this country going today. And I want to thank everyone who is being forced to do something differently today. Everyone who didn’t visit their mum for Mother’s Day but Facetimed them, Skyped them, rang them instead. Thank you for your restraint and for what you did. Everyone who was forced to close a pub or a restaurant or a gym or any other business that could have done fantastic businesses on a great day like this. Thank you for your sacrifice, I know how tough it must be. And I can tell you again that this government will be standing behind you – behind British business, behind British workers, employees, self-employed – throughout this crisis. And the reason we are taking these unprecedented steps to prop up businesses, support businesses and support our economy and these preventative measures is because we have to slow the spread of the disease and to save thousands of lives. Today we have come to the stage of our plan that I advertised at the outset, when we first set out the plan of the UK government. When we have to take special steps to protect the particularly vulnerable. I said the moment would come where we needed to shield those with serious conditions. There are probably about 1.5 million in all. And in a minute Robert Jenrick will set out the plan in detail. But this shielding will do more than any other single measure that we are setting out to save life. That is what we want to do. Also to reduce infection and to slow the spread of the disease. We have to do more to make sure that the existing measures that we are taking are having the effect that we want. So it is crucial that people understand tomorrow that the schools are closed. And tomorrow you should not send your child to school unless you have been identified as a key worker. And more generally in the view of the way people have responded over the last few days to the measures we have set out I want to say a bit more about how we interact outdoors. Of course I want people to be able to go to the parks and open spaces and to enjoy themselves – it is crucial for health and mental and physical wellbeing. But please follow the advice and don’t think that fresh air in itself automatically provides some immunity. You have to stay two metres apart; you have to follow the social distancing advice. And even if you think you are personally invulnerable, there are plenty of people you can infect and whose lives will then be put at risk. And I say this now – on Sunday evening – take this advice seriously, follow it, because it is absolutely crucial. And as I have said throughout this process we will keep the implementation of these measures under constant review and, yes of course, we will bring forward further measures if we think that is necessary. Always remember that in following this advice- and I know how difficult that is – that each and every one of us. You are doing your bit in following this advice to slow the spread of this disease. The more we collectively slow the spread, the more time we give the NHS to prepare, the more lives we will save, the faster we will get through this. And always remember – we will get through this, and we will beat it together. Next Robert Jenrick to outline the shielding measures.
23.03.2020	Johnson	Good Evening, The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer. And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help. And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have. Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses. And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger. To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it - meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well. So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease. Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope - and save more lives. And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic. And though huge numbers are complying - and I thank you all - the time has now come for us all to do more. From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home. Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households. That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes: shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household; any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home. That’s all - these are the only reasons you should leave your home. You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No. You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home. You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine - and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can. If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings. To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately: close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship; we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with; and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals. Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed. No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this. I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs. And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business. And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to. But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost. And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through. Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service. With the time you buy - by simply staying at home - we are increasing our stocks of equipment. We are accelerating our search for treatments. We are pioneering work on a vaccine. And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer. I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus. Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline. But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted. Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together. To halt the spread of this disease. To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives. And I know that as they have in the past so many times. The people of this country will rise to that challenge. And we will come through it stronger than ever. We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together. And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives. Thank you.
25.03.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us for today’s daily briefing on coronavirus. I would like to update you all on the government’s plan to defeat the virus and on the latest developments. I am joined once again by our Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and the Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance. From the very beginning of this crisis I have followed the advice of our world-leading scientists. To defeat coronavirus by taking the right measures at the right time. What everyone needs to recognise is that our NHS – like any world-class health service – has only limited numbers of doctors, nurses and specialist equipment. So, the more people who become sick at any one time, the harder it is for the NHS to cope. And so it is vital to delay the spread of the disease and reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time. That is why we have given the clear instruction that people must stay at home – unless they have one of the reasons we have set out. And, with your help we will slow the spread of the disease. I want to thank everyone who has been following the clear rules that we set out on Monday. And I want to thank everyone in the NHS, the front line of the fight against coronavirus. And of course all our public services. Our teachers and our school staff, the transport workers, police officers, And everyone who is keeping this country going. But I also want to offer a special thank you to everyone who has now volunteered to help the NHS. When we launched the appeal last night we hoped to get 250,000 over a few days. But I can tell you that in just 24 hours 405,000 people have responded to the call. They will be driving medicines from pharmacies to patients. They will be bringing patients home from hospital. Very importantly they’ll be making regular phone calls to check on and support people who are staying on their own at home. And they will be absolutely crucial in the fight against this virus. That is already – in one day – as many volunteers as the population of Coventry. And so, to all of you, and to all the former NHS staff who are coming back now into the service. I say thank you on behalf of the entire country. Now I want to take some questions but finally I want to remind everyone of our core policy: Stay at home Protect the NHS And save lives.
30.04.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon, welcome everyone again to this Number Ten press conference where I am joined by Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance our Chief Scientific Advisor And I am sorry not to have been part of this trio for so long I want to thank everybody who has been doing such a good job in my absence and I want to thank the NHS for so much Including getting me back here and I might add for a much happier hospital visit yesterday In a few minutes I am going to hand over to Patrick to update you on the epidemic But first I am going to set out today’s latest data 901,905 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 81,611 tests yesterday 171,253 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 6,032 cases since yesterday 15,043 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, compared to 15,359 people yesterday And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 26,711 have now died. That’s an increase of 674 fatalities since yesterday across all settings. This figure of course includes deaths not just in hospitals. Across this country, therefore, families every day are continuing to lose loved ones before their time We grieve for them and with them But as we grieve we are strengthened in our resolve to defeat this virus To get this whole country back to health, back on its feet And we are determined urgently and in particular to overcome those challenges that in the last few weeks have been so knotty and so infuriating I’m not going to minimise the logistical problems we have faced in getting the right protective gear to the right people at the right time, both in the NHS and in care homes Or the frustrations that we have experienced in expanding the numbers of tests But what I can tell you is that everyone responsible for tackling these problems whether in Government or the NHS, or Public Health England, local authorities We are throwing everything at it, heart and soul, night and day To get it right – and we will get it right and we are making huge progress And I will not underrate the work and the achievement of those who are dealing with global shortages, in a global pandemic They are rising to a challenge we have never seen in our lifetimes And the same can be said of the entire people of this country Staying in enforced confinement Not seeing family, not seeing friends or grandchildren Worrying about their jobs and the future And so my message to everyone again today is your effort and your sacrifice is working and has been proved to work Today the number of Covid hospital admissions is falling The number of patients in ICU is falling We have so far succeeded in the first and most important task we set ourselves as a nation To avoid the tragedy that engulfed other parts of the world Because at no stage has our NHS been overwhelmed No patient went without a ventilator No patient was deprived of intensive care We have five of the seven projected Nightingale wards And it is thanks to that massive collective effort to shield the NHS that we avoided an uncontrollable and catastrophic epidemic where the reasonable worst case scenario was 500,000 deaths And so I can confirm today for the first time that we are past the peak of this disease We are past the peak and we are on the downward slope And we have so many reasons to be hopeful for the long term The UK is leading international efforts to find a vaccine Today Oxford university has announced a partnership with Astrazeneca to develop what they believe could soon be a means of inoculating ourselves against this disease But until this day comes – and I am afraid we cannot say exactly when it may be We will have to beat this disease by our growing resolve and ingenuity So I will be setting out a comprehensive plan next week To explain how we can get our economy moving, one, How we can get our children back to school, back into childcare, second, and third how we can travel to work and how we can make life in the workplace safer And in short how we can continue to suppress the disease and at the same time re-start the economy. A huge amount of work has been going on on that that plan and as we produce it we are being guided by the science, and we will try to build the maximum political consensus as we produce it across all parties and across the UK But there will be five key tests that we must satisfy before we can put that plan into action We must be sure that we can continue to protect the NHS and its ability to cope We must see a sustained fall in deaths We must be sure that the infection rate is falling We must overcome the operational and logistical challenges on testing and PPE Fifth, and this is the most important, we must all make sure that the measures we take do not risk a second spike that would overwhelm the NHS We have come through the peak Or rather we’ve come under what could have been a vast peak as though we’ve been going through some huge alpine tunnel And we can now see the sunlight and pasture ahead of us And so it is vital that we do not now lose control and run slap into a second and even bigger mountain And so to avoid that disaster our fifth and final test is that nothing as I say we do should lift the R or the reproduction rate of that disease back above one And before I hand over to Patrick I am going to ask for a short explanatory clip about the one And before we come to that clip, let me just emphasise that keeping the R down is going to be absolutely vital to our recovery, keeping the reproduction rate of the disease down, and we can only do it by our collective discipline and working together I know we can do it, because we did it, we’ve shown we can do it, in phase one of this disease This country came together in a way few of us have seen in our lifetimes To protect the NHS and to save lives and that’s why I am absolutely convinced we can do it in phase two as well Can we play the video now.
10.05.2020	Johnson	It is now almost two months since the people of this country began to put up with restrictions on their freedom – your freedom – of a kind that we have never seen before in peace or war. And you have shown the good sense to support those rules overwhelmingly. You have put up with all the hardships of that programme of social distancing. Because you understand that as things stand, and as the experience of every other country has shown, it’s the only way to defeat the coronavirus - the most vicious threat this country has faced in my lifetime. And though the death toll has been tragic, and the suffering immense. And though we grieve for all those we have lost. It is a fact that by adopting those measures we prevented this country from being engulfed by what could have been a catastrophe in which the reasonable worst case scenario was half a million fatalities. And it is thanks to your effort and sacrifice in stopping the spread of this disease that the death rate is coming down and hospital admissions are coming down. And thanks to you we have protected our NHS and saved many thousands of lives. And so I know - you know - that it would be madness now to throw away that achievement by allowing a second spike. We must stay alert. We must continue to control the virus and save lives. And yet we must also recognise that this campaign against the virus has come at colossal cost to our way of life. We can see it all around us in the shuttered shops and abandoned businesses and darkened pubs and restaurants. And there are millions of people who are both fearful of this terrible disease, and at the same time also fearful of what this long period of enforced inactivity will do to their livelihoods and their mental and physical wellbeing. To their futures and the futures of their children. So I want to provide tonight - for you - the shape of a plan to address both fears. Both to beat the virus and provide the first sketch of a road map for reopening society. A sense of the way ahead, and when and how and on what basis we will take the decisions to proceed. I will be setting out more details in Parliament tomorrow and taking questions from the public in the evening. I have consulted across the political spectrum, across all four nations of the UK. And though different parts of the country are experiencing the pandemic at different rates. And though it is right to be flexible in our response. I believe that as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, there is a strong resolve to defeat this together. And today a general consensus on what we could do. And I stress could. Because although we have a plan, it is a conditional plan. And since our priority is to protect the public and save lives, we cannot move forward unless we satisfy the five tests. We must protect our NHS. We must see sustained falls in the death rate. We must see sustained and considerable falls in the rate of infection. We must sort out our challenges in getting enough PPE to the people who need it, and yes, it is a global problem but we must fix it. And last, we must make sure that any measures we take do not force the reproduction rate of the disease - the R - back up over one, so that we have the kind of exponential growth we were facing a few weeks ago. And to chart our progress and to avoid going back to square one, we are establishing a new Covid Alert System run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre. And that Covid Alert Level will be determined primarily by R and the number of coronavirus cases. And in turn that Covid Alert Level will tell us how tough we have to be in our social distancing measures – the lower the level the fewer the measures. The higher the level, the tougher and stricter we will have to be. There will be five alert levels. Level One means the disease is no longer present in the UK and Level Five is the most critical – the kind of situation we could have had if the NHS had been overwhelmed. Over the period of the lockdown we have been in Level Four, and it is thanks to your sacrifice we are now in a position to begin to move in steps to Level Three. And as we go everyone will have a role to play in keeping the R down. By staying alert and following the rules. And to keep pushing the number of infections down there are two more things we must do. We must reverse rapidly the awful epidemics in care homes and in the NHS, and though the numbers are coming down sharply now, there is plainly much more to be done. And if we are to control this virus, then we must have a world-beating system for testing potential victims, and for tracing their contacts. So that – all told - we are testing literally hundreds of thousands of people every day. We have made fast progress on testing – but there is so much more to do now, and we can. When this began, we hadn’t seen this disease before, and we didn’t fully understand its effects. With every day we are getting more and more data. We are shining the light of science on this invisible killer, and we will pick it up where it strikes. Because our new system will be able in time to detect local flare-ups – in your area – as well as giving us a national picture. And yet when I look at where we are tonight, we have the R below one, between 0.5 and 0.9 – but potentially only just below one. And though we have made progress in satisfying at least some of the conditions I have given. We have by no means fulfilled all of them. And so no, this is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week. Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures. And the first step is a change of emphasis that we hope that people will act on this week. We said that you should work from home if you can, and only go to work if you must. We now need to stress that anyone who can’t work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work. And we want it to be safe for you to get to work. So you should avoid public transport if at all possible – because we must and will maintain social distancing, and capacity will therefore be limited. So work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can’t work from home. And to ensure you are safe at work we have been working to establish new guidance for employers to make workplaces COVID-secure. And when you do go to work, if possible do so by car or even better by walking or bicycle. But just as with workplaces, public transport operators will also be following COVID-secure standards. And from this Wednesday, we want to encourage people to take more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise. You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your own household. You must obey the rules on social distancing and to enforce those rules we will increase the fines for the small minority who break them. And so every day, with ever increasing data, we will be monitoring the R and the number of new infections, and the progress we are making, and if we as a nation begin to fulfil the conditions I have set out, then in the next few weeks and months we may be able to go further. In step two – at the earliest by June 1 – after half term – we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Our ambition is that secondary pupils facing exams next year will get at least some time with their teachers before the holidays. And we will shortly be setting out detailed guidance on how to make it work in schools and shops and on transport. And step three - at the earliest by July - and subject to all these conditions and further scientific advice; if and only if the numbers support it, we will hope to re-open at least some of the hospitality industry and other public places, provided they are safe and enforce social distancing. Throughout this period of the next two months we will be driven not by mere hope or economic necessity. We are going to be driven by the science, the data and public health. And I must stress again that all of this is conditional, it all depends on a series of big Ifs. It depends on all of us – the entire country – to follow the advice, to observe social distancing, and to keep that R down. And to prevent re-infection from abroad, I am serving notice that it will soon be the time – with transmission significantly lower – to impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air. And it is because of your efforts to get the R down and the number of infections down here, that this measure will now be effective. And of course we will be monitoring our progress locally, regionally, and nationally and if there are outbreaks, if there are problems, we will not hesitate to put on the brakes. We have been through the initial peak – but it is coming down the mountain that is often more dangerous. We have a route, and we have a plan, and everyone in government has the all-consuming pressure and challenge to save lives, restore livelihoods and gradually restore the freedoms that we need. But in the end this is a plan that everyone must make work. And when I look at what you have done already. The patience and common sense you have shown. The fortitude of the elderly whose isolation we all want to end as fast as we can. The incredible bravery and hard work of our NHS staff, our care workers. The devotion and self-sacrifice of all those in every walk of life who are helping us to beat this disease. Police, bus drivers, train drivers, pharmacists, supermarket workers, road hauliers, bin collectors, cleaners, security guards, postal workers, our teachers and a thousand more. The scientists who are working round the clock to find a vaccine. When I think of the millions of everyday acts of kindness and thoughtfulness that are being performed across this country. And that have helped to get us through this first phase. I know that we can use this plan to get us through the next. And if we can’t do it by those dates, and if the alert level won’t allow it, we will simply wait and go on until we have got it right. We will come back from this devilish illness. We will come back to health, and robust health. And though the UK will be changed by this experience, I believe we can be stronger and better than ever before. More resilient, more innovative, more economically dynamic, but also more generous and more sharing. But for now we must stay alert, control the virus and save lives. Thank you very much.
11.05.2020	Johnson	Good evening and thank you for joining us for this Downing Street press conference. First of all, I want to update you on the latest data in our fight against coronavirus. I can report through the Government’s ongoing testing and monitoring programme that, as of today: 1,921,770 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 100,490 tests carried out yesterday; 223,060 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 3,877 cases since yesterday; 11,401 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, down from 11,768 the previous day. And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 32,065 have now died. That’s an increase of 210 fatalities since yesterday. This figure includes deaths in all settings not just in hospitals. Before we begin questions from the public and from the media I just want to remind people of a number of important things I said in my address to the nation last night. First, in order to monitor our progress, we are establishing a new COVID Alert Level System. The COVID Alert Level has five levels, each relating to the level of threat posed by the virus. The level will be primarily determined by the R value and the number of coronavirus cases. In turn, that COVID Alert Level will determine the level of social distancing measures in place. The lower the level the fewer the measures; the higher the level the stricter the measures. Throughout the period of lockdown which started on March 23rd we have been at Level 4 – meaning a Covid19 epidemic is in general circulation, and transmission is high or rising exponentially. Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the British people in this lockdown, we have helped to bring the R level down and we are now in a position to begin moving to Level 3, in steps. And we have set out the first of three steps we will take to carefully modify the measures, gradually ease the lockdown, and begin to allow people to return to their way of life - but crucially while avoiding what would be a disastrous second peak that overwhelms the NHS. After each step we will closely monitor the impact of that step on the R and the number of infections, and all the available data, and we will only take the next step when we are satisfied that it is safe to do so. Step 1 - from this week: Those who cannot work from home should now speak to their employer about going back to work. You can now spend time outdoors and exercise as often as you like. You can meet one person outside of your household outside (outdoors), provided you stay 2 metres apart. The social distancing measures remain absolutely crucial to us keeping the infection rate and the number of cases down as low as we possibly can. Step 2 - from June 1, at the earliest, as long as the data allows, we aim to allow: Primary schools to reopen for some pupils, in smaller class sizes; Non-essential retail to start to reopen, when and where it is safe to do so; Cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed doors, without crowds. And then Step 3 – no earlier than July 4, and again, only if the data says it safe, we aim to allow: More businesses and premises to open, including potentially those offering personal care such as leisure facilities, public places, and places of worship. Many of these businesses will need to operate in new ways to ensure they are safe, and we will work with these sectors on how to do this. So, given we have taken the first step in carefully adjusting some of the measures today, and therefore our advice to people on what to do, we have also updated our messaging. We are now asking people to Stay Alert, Control the Virus and Save Lives. Yes - staying alert, for the vast majority of people, still means staying at home as much as possible. But there are a range of other actions we’re advising people to take as we modify measures. People should Stay Alert, by: working from home if you can; limiting contact with other people; keeping distance if you go out - 2 metres apart where possible; washing your hands regularly; wearing a face covering when you are in enclosed spaces where it’s difficult to be socially distant - for example in some shops and on public transport; and if you or anyone in your household has symptoms, you all need to self-isolate. Because if everyone stays alert and follows the rules, we can control coronavirus by keeping the R down and reducing the number of infections. This is how we can continue to save lives, and livelihoods, as we begin as a nation to recover from coronavirus.
24.05.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon. I want to begin by answering the big question that people have been asking in the last 48 hours. And that is – is this Government asking you - the people, the public, to do one thing while senior people here in government do something else? Have we been asking you to make sacrifices, to obey social distancing, to stay at home while some people have been basically flouting those rules and endangering lives? And it is because I take this matter so seriously and frankly it is so serious that I can tell you today I have had extensive face to face conversations with Dominic Cummings and I have concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus. And when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent. And I do not mark him down for that. And though there have been many other allegations about what happened when he was in self-isolation and thereafter, some of them palpably false. I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly, and legally, and with integrity, and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives. And I stress this fundamental aim, because it is thanks to this country’s collective resolve in achieving that aim that we continue to make progress. So let me give you today’s figures: 3,458,905 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 110,401 tests carried out yesterday 259,559 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 2,409 cases since yesterday – a smaller increase than we were seeing over the last few weeks 8,951 people are in hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, down 11% from 10,085 this time last week And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 36,793 have now died. That’s an increase of 118 fatalities since yesterday. And each of those fatalities represents a family in mourning, the grief of friends and relatives. And as we mourn them we resolve again to beat this virus and get our country back on its feet. We can and we will. Two weeks ago I set out the Government’s roadmap to begin easing the measures we put in place to control the spread of coronavirus. I said that we would do so in a safe and controlled way, based on our assessment of progress against the five tests we set for adjusting the lockdown. We’re going to set out that assessment in detail in the coming days, but today I can confirm that I do believe we will be in a position to move to step 2 of our plan. As part of Step 2, we set out plans for a phased reopening of schools. Because the education of our children is crucial for their welfare, their health, for their long term future and for social justice And so in line with the approach being taken by other countries, we want to start getting our children back in the classroom in a way that is manageable and as safe as possible. So we said this would begin with early years settings and reception, Year 1 and Year 6 in primary schools. Today I can announce that it is our intention to go ahead with that as planned on June 1st, a week on Monday. We then intend, from June 15th, for secondary schools to provide some contact for Year 10 and Year 12 students to help them prepare for exams next year, with up to a quarter of these students in at any point. By opening schools to more pupils in this limited way, we are taking a deliberately cautious approach. And this comes after a constructive period of consultation with schools, teachers and unions, led by the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson. I want to thank all the Education and childcare staff who have stepped up to the challenge and kept schools open throughout this crisis. The Department for Education will engage with teaching unions, local authorities and school leaders in the coming days, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and probe the evidence behind our plans. And the final decision will be taken as part of the formal review into lockdown measures which the law requires us to undertake by Thursday. We will of course continue to consider all the evidence (as we said we would do), and will continue to work hard with those bodies over the course of the coming week. However, I think it is important for us to be clear about the Government’s intentions now, so that teachers and parents can plan in earnest for schools to reopen a week on Monday. Now I acknowledge that a 1 June opening may not be possible for all schools, but the Government will continue to support and work with the sector to ensure that any schools experiencing difficulties are able to open more widely as soon as possible. Detailed guidance has been published by the Department for Education on how schools can open in a way which is safe for children, teachers and parents. While of course we recognise that full social distancing may not be possible, especially when teaching young children, our guidance sets out a range of protective measures to keep children and staff safe. This includes: reducing the size of classes and keeping children in small groups without mixing with others staggered break and lunch times, as well as drop offs and pick ups increasing the frequency of cleaning, reducing the used of shared items and utilising outdoor space All children and staff, and their families, will have access to testing if they display symptoms. This will enable children and staff to get back to school if they test negative, and if they test positive we will take the appropriate reactive measures. We will continue to work with the sector to support them to prepare for wider opening and ensure all children and young people can continue to receive the best care, education and training possible. We will set out what moving to step 2 means for other areas, such as non-essential retail and more social contacts, over the course of the next week. And let me stress once again: we are making good progress. But that progress is conditional, provisional. We must keep reducing the incidence of this disease. We must keep that R down below 1. And that means we must remember the basics. Wash our hands, keep social distance, isolate if you have symptoms – and get a test. We are beating this thing, but we will beat it all the faster if we stay alert, control the virus and save lives.
25.05.2020	Johnson	Good evening and welcome to the Number Ten Coronavirus Press Conference Before I turn to this evening’s announcements, I want to update you on the latest data 3,532,634 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 73,726 tests carried out yesterday; 261,184 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 1,625 cases since yesterday; 8,834 people are in hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, down (12%) from 10,092 this time last week; And sadly, of those who tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 36,914 have now died. That’s an increase of 121 fatalities since yesterday. This new figure includes deaths in all settings not just in hospitals. And once again my deepest condolences go out to all those who have lost their loved ones before their time. We must not, and will not, forget them. Two weeks ago, I set out our road map for the next phase of our fight against Covid 19 It is a cautious plan, informed by the evidence about what is safe, and conditional upon our continued progress against the virus. And we are making progress. Thanks to this country’s collective efforts, the key indicators are heading in the right direction. The daily number of deaths is down, the number of new cases is down, our survey evidence suggests the infection rate is falling, and the R has not risen above one. So just over 2 weeks ago, we moved to step 1 of our plan, encouraging those who are unable to work from home to go back to work, with new guidelines setting out how workplaces can be made COVID-secure. At the same time, we allowed people to spend more time outdoors and to meet one member of another household outside, provided they remain 2 metres apart. I also said we would be able to move to step 2 of our plan no earlier than Monday 1 June - a week today. We will set out our formal assessment of the 5 tests that we set for adjusting the lockdown later this week, as part of the 3 weekly-review we are legally required to undertake by Thursday. But because of the progress we are making, I can, with confidence, put the British people on notice of the changes we intend to introduce as we move into step 2. And I think it is important to give that notice, so that people have sufficient time to adjust and get ready before those changes come into effect. Yesterday I set out our intention to begin reopening nurseries and particular years in primary schools, reception, year 1, year 6, from 1 June, followed by some contact for those secondary school pupils with exams next year from 15 June. Some contact for years 10 and 12 from 15 June with their teachers. This announcement has given schools, teachers and parents clarity about our intentions, enabling them to prepare in earnest. The Department for Education is now engaging with teaching unions, councils and school leaders to help schools get ready. Today, I want to give the retail sector notice of our intentions to reopen shops, so they too can get ready. So I can announce that it is our intention to allow outdoor markets to reopen from June 1, subject to all premises being made COVID-secure, as well as car showrooms, which often have significant outdoor space and where it is generally easier to apply social distancing. We know that the transmission of the virus is lower outdoors and that it is easier to follow Covid Secure guidelines in open spaces. That means we can also allow outdoor markets to reopen in a safe way that does not risk causing a second wave of the virus. Then, from 15 June, we intend to allow all other non-essential retail, ranging from department stores to small, independent shops, to reopen. Again, this change will be contingent upon progress against the 5 tests and will only be permitted for those retail premises which are COVID-secure. Today we are publishing new guidance for the retail sector detailing the measures they should take to meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards. Shops now have the time to implement this guidance before they reopen. This will ensure there can be no doubt about what steps they should take. While the vast majority of businesses will want to do everything possible to protect their staff and customers, I should add that we will, of course, have the powers we need to enforce compliance where that is required. I want people to be confident they can shop safely, provided they follow the social distancing rules for all premises. The food retail sector has already responded fantastically well, enabling supermarkets to be kept open in a safe way – and we will learn lessons from that experience as we allow other retail to open. These are careful but deliberate steps on the road to rebuilding our country. And we can only take these steps thanks to what we have so far achieved together. We will only be successful if we all remember the basics - so wash your hands, keep social distance, and isolate if you have symptoms – and get a test. I will now hand over to Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director of Public Health England, to take us through today’s slides.
28.05.2020	Johnson	Good evening, Before I set out our next steps in the fight against the coronavirus, let me update you on the latest data: 3,918,079 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 119,587 tests carried out yesterday; 269,127 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 1,887 cases since yesterday; 8,560 people are in hospital with coronavirus, down 11% from 9,607 this time last week. And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 37,837 have now died. That’s an increase of 377 fatalities since yesterday and we are with their friends and family in mourning. As you know, we have set five tests which must be met before adjusting the lockdown - as set out on the first slide. It is vital that these tests are met before any changes are made, because we must not risk all the hard work and sacrifice of the British people. At all times we are informed by the data and evidence, about the spread of the virus and the impact of the measures taken so far. I will now take you through our latest assessment of progress against each of the five tests. Next slide please. Our first test is to protect the NHS’s ability to cope, so that we are confident that we are able to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK. At the start of the outbreak, there was significant concern that the NHS would not be able to cope. That turned out not to be the case, thanks to the heroic efforts of everyone who works in the NHS. And the heroic efforts of the British people to contain this virus. The data show that on 26 May, 475 people were admitted to hospital in England with coronavirus - down from a peak of 3,121 on a single day, on 2 April. On 27 May, 11% of mechanical ventilator beds in the UK were occupied by patients with coronavirus, down from a peak of 41% on 10 April. This significant progress means we are meeting the first test. Can I have the next slide please. Our second test is to see a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rates from COVID-19 so we are confident that we have moved beyond the peak. As measured by a seven-day rolling average, the UK daily death rate now stands at 256, down from a peak of 943 on 14 April. While every death is one too many, it is now the case that there has been a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate, and so the second test is being met. Next slide please. Our third test is to receive reliable information, reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection - the number of people catching Covid - is decreasing to manageable levels across the board. And in the last seven days, an average of 2,312 new cases were confirmed with a positive test, that’s down from a peak of 5,066 in the first week of May. Based on the various data available, the Government is satisfied that the third test is being met. And in a moment, Sir Patrick will tell us more about other methods of measuring infections, including the R number. Next slide please. Our fourth test is that we must be confident that the range of operational challenges, including on testing capacity and Personal Protective Equipment, are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand. I fully acknowledge the difficulties on testing and PPE that we have faced since the start of the outbreak. It has been immensely frustrating, but we are now making progress. Yesterday we carried out 119,587 tests, compared to around 12,000 at the start of April. Testing capacity has now increased to 161,214 a day. We have now signed over 100 new deals with PPE suppliers around the world. Here in the UK, thanks to the efforts of Lord Deighton and his team and the brilliance of domestic manufacturers we have signed contracts for over two billion items of PPE, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons. We are therefore satisfied that the fourth test is being met and we can start to rebuild stocks - though we recognise there may be some settings that require urgent restocking on occasion. Can I have the next slide please. Our fifth and final test is that we must be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS. I am very grateful to the Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer for their assessments of the measures I am about to set out on schools, retail and social contact. Although all parts of the UK are moving in the same direction, it is important to note health is devolved and different parts of the UK are quite properly all moving at different speeds. This package has been carefully designed so that we can ease the burdens of lockdown while expecting to keep that R below one. I cannot and will not throw away all the gains we have made together, and so the changes we are making are limited and cautious. It is thanks to the caution we have shown so far that all five tests are being met. That is not my achievement or the government’s achievement - it is your achievement, only possible thanks to your resolve and dedication to our national purpose to overcome this virus. So the result is we can move forward with adjusting the lockdown in England on Monday. Firstly, as I set out on Sunday, we will now reopen schools to more children. Closing schools has deprived children of their education, and as so often it is the most disadvantaged pupils who risk being hardest hit. On Monday we will start to put this right - in a safe way - by reopening nurseries and other early years settings and reception, year one and year six in primary schools. A fortnight later on 15 June, secondary schools will begin to provide some face-to-face contact time for years 10 and 12. Secondly, we will also start to reopen shops as we restart our economy. We will begin, on Monday, with outdoor retail and car showrooms, where social distancing is generally easier. And a fortnight later on 15 June, we intend to reopen other non-essential retail - but only provided the five tests are still being met and shops have been made Covid secure. Lastly, I know the toll that lockdown has taken on families and friends who have been unable to see each other. So from Monday we will allow up to six people to meet outside - provided those from different households continue strictly to observe social distancing rules by staying two metres apart. At the moment, as you know, people can meet in parks but not in private gardens. This was a cautious first step - but we know that there is no difference in the health risk. So we will now allow people to meet in gardens and other private outdoor spaces. These changes mean friends and family can start to meet their loved ones - perhaps seeing both parents at once, or both grandparents at once. I know that for many this will be a long-awaited and joyful moment. But I must stress that to control the virus, everyone needs to stay alert, act responsibly, strictly observe social distancing rules, and stay two metres apart from those who you do not live with. Minimising contact with others is still the best way to prevent transmission. You should also try to avoid seeing people from too many households in quick succession - so that we can avoid the risk of quick transmission from lots of different families and continue to control the virus. And it remains the case that people should not be inside the homes of their friends and families, unless it is to access the garden. I should add that, at this stage, I am afraid that those who have been asked to shield themselves should continue to do so. I want to say to those extremely clinically vulnerable people who are being shielded that I do understand how difficult this has been for you, especially. And I want to thank you for all the efforts you have gone to - because your actions have helped the NHS to cope. We are looking carefully at how we can make your life easier, and how we can better support you, and we want to say more on that soon. I want to reassure everyone that we can make all of the changes I have outlined in a safe way. We know that children, and particularly young children, are much less likely to be seriously affected by the virus. We know that if shops enforce social distancing, as required by our Covid secure guidelines, then the virus is less likely to spread. And crucially, we know that transmission of the virus is far lower outdoors, so we can confidently allow more interaction outside. I understand people will have questions as to how to do all of this safely - and we will publish guidance on these changes to help people, to help you, make the most of them. Now inevitably, there may still be some anomalies, or apparent inconsistencies, in these rules. And clearly what we’re proposing is still just a fraction of the social interaction each of us would normally enjoy. I know many of you will find this frustrating - I am sorry about that. But I’m afraid it is unavoidable, given the nature of the invisible enemy we are fighting. It is a complex problem and we are asking for everyone’s patience as we work through it together. We will inevitably not get everything right first time. But I must ask everyone to remember it is that same patience, the hard work, and sacrifices of the British people in lockdown that have got us so far and allow us to make the progress we have. By protecting the NHS, getting us through the peak, and getting the virus under control - we are able to deliver all of the adjustments and easing of restrictions I have set out today. These adjustments are most of those we set out to achieve in step two of our roadmap, and we have also been able to have them in place by June 1 as we had hoped. There is no doubt that we are making progress and I am hopeful that in the coming weeks we may be able to do more. Because obviously while protecting the health and safety of the British public is, and must always be, our number one priority, we must also work to restart our economy and society - so as many people as possible can begin returning to their way of life. But I want to reaffirm that fundamental commitment to the British people that all the steps we have taken, and will take, are conditional. They are conditional on all the data, and all the scientific advice, and it is that scientific advice which will help us to judge what we are doing is safe. And I have to warn you, there will be further local outbreaks. So we will monitor carefully, we will put on the brakes as required, and where necessary, we will re-impose measures. It’s important to be clear about that up front. And as before, we will see how these new changes are working, and look at the R value and the number of new infections before taking any further steps, so we can ensure anything we do does not risk a second peak that could overwhelm the NHS. And yesterday, as I hope you all know, we took a huge step forward that will enable us to keep making progress in returning our lives to as close to normal as possible, while continuing to control the virus and isolate any new outbreaks. And that is through our new NHS Test and Trace programme in England. The Scottish Government has established Test and Protect, and Welsh and Northern Irish schemes will follow next week. And I’ll now show a short video that explains how NHS Test and Trace works in England and what we all need to do to play our part. Now I’ll hand over to Sir Patrick.
03.06.2020	Johnson	First let me first run you through the latest data on our coronavirus response. 4,786,219 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out or posted out in the UK, including 171,829 tests yesterday. 279,856 people have tested positive, and that’s an increase of 1,871 cases since yesterday. 7,485 people are in hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, down 16% from 8,921 this time last week. And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 39,728 have now died. That’s an increase of 359 fatalities since yesterday and once again we are with their families in mourning. Now that the rate of transmission in the UK has significantly fallen from its peak, we need to take steps to manage the flare-ups and stop the virus re-emerging in the UK. I want to update you on the progress we are making on three fronts to prevent a second wave of infections that could overwhelm the NHS. First, we have set up NHS Test and Trace in order to identify, contain and control the virus in the UK, thereby reducing its spread. As we move to the next stage of our fight against coronavirus, we will be able to replace national lockdowns with individual isolation and, if necessary, local action where there are outbreaks. NHS Test and Trace will be vital to controlling the spread of the virus. It’s how we will be able to protect our friends and family from infection, and protect our NHS. It does this by identifying anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, and asking them to isolate for 14 days in order to avoid unknowingly infecting others. The system clearly relies on everyone playing their part. So I want to stress again today: we need you to get a test if you have coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss of taste or smell. There is plenty of capacity and everyone with symptoms is eligible, everyone with symptoms, so please order a test from nhs.uk/coronavirus as soon as you develop symptoms. And we need you to isolate yourself if a contact tracer tells you that you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. NHS Test and Trace started operating a week ago. And already thousands of people are isolating who wouldn’t have been doing so before this service was introduced. They are thereby protecting others and reducing the spread of the virus. So while we are going to all these efforts here in the UK to control the virus, we must also ensure we don’t reimport the virus from abroad. So the second action I want to update you on is the introduction of public health measures at the border. Today the Home Secretary has brought forward the legislation needed to establish the new regime from Monday. And I want to explain the reasons for introducing these measures now. When coronavirus started to spread around the world, first from Wuhan and then from northern Italy and other areas, we introduced enhanced monitoring at the border in an attempt to stop the virus from gaining a foothold in the UK. These measures applied, at various different times, to arrivals from China, Japan, Iran and Italy, and required people with symptoms travelling from those countries to self-isolate for 14 days. However, once community transmission was widespread within the UK, cases from abroad made up a tiny proportion of the total. At the same time you’ll remember that international travel plummeted as countries around the world went into lockdown. So as a result, measures at the border were halted because they made little difference at the time in our fight against the virus. Now that we’re getting the virus under control in the UK, there’s a risk cases from abroad begin once again to make up a greater proportion of overall cases. We therefore need to take steps now to manage that risk of these imported cases triggering a second peak. So just as we are asking people already in the UK to isolate for 14 days when contacted by NHS Test and Trace, we’re also asking those arriving from abroad to isolate so that they don’t unknowingly spread the virus. There will be some exemptions for a limited number of people who need to cross the border, such as those engaged directly in the fight against coronavirus or who provide essential services. And we will review how the policy is working after three weeks. And of course we will explore the possibility of international travel corridors with countries that have low rates of infection - but only when the evidence shows that it is safe to do so. The third point I want to make today is we need effective international action to reduce the impact of the virus across the globe. This is the moment really for humanity to unite in the fight against the disease. Health experts have warned that if coronavirus is left to spread in developing countries, that could lead to future waves of infection coming back and reaching the UK. While our amazing NHS has been there for everyone in this country who needs it, many developing countries have healthcare systems which are ill-prepared to manage this pandemic. So to ensure that the world’s poorest countries have the support they need to slow the spread of the virus, tomorrow I will open the Global Vaccine Summit. Hosted by the UK, and will bring together more than 50 countries and leading figures like Bill Gates to raise at least $7.4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Over the next five years – with the UK’s support as Gavi’s biggest donor – this Vaccine Alliance aims to immunise a further 300 million children in the poorest countries against deadly diseases like polio, typhoid and measles – again saving millions of lives. This support for routine immunisations will shore up poorer countries’ healthcare systems to deal with coronavirus – and so help to stop the global spread and, as I say, prevent a second wave of the virus reaching the UK. This virus has shown how connected we are. We’re fighting an invisible enemy. And no one is safe frankly until we are all safe. And again, of course this is all contingent upon each of us continuing to do our bit. And as I never tire of telling you Let us not forget the basics. Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds, wash your hands. Do not gather in groups of more than six outside. Always observe social distancing, keeping 2 metres apart from anyone outside your household. And I want to stress one final point which may be relevant today as the weather threatens I think to take a turn for the worse. Some of you may be tempted to move the gatherings you’ve been enjoying outdoors, indoors, out of the rain. I really urge you – don’t do that. We relaxed the rules on meeting outside for a very specific reason – because the evidence shows that the risks of transmission are much lower outdoors, much lower outdoors. And the risks of passing on the virus are significantly higher indoors, which is why gatherings inside other people’s homes are still prohibited. Breaking these rules now could undermine and reverse all the progress that we’ve made together. I have no doubt that that won’t happen, I’ve no doubt that that won’t happen. I think the British public will continue to show the same resolve in fighting the virus as they have throughout the outbreak. We will get through this if we stay alert, control the virus, and in doing so save lives.
10.06.2020	Johnson	Good evening, two weeks ago, I set out the progress we as a country have made against our five tests for adjusting the lockdown, and the measures we could introduce as a result. And today, I want to update you again on those five tests and set out some further changes we can now make. So can I have the first slide please? The five tests are designed, as you know, to ensure that any changes to the lockdown are careful, proportionate, and safe. They combine analysis of the latest data on the spread of the disease with assessments of how well we are placed to meet the operational challenges posed by the virus. We must do everything in our power to avoid a second peak of infection that overwhelms the NHS - because that would lead to more lives lost, more families in mourning, and more disruption to our economy and way of life. Next slide please. Our first test is to protect the NHS’s ability to cope, so that we are confident that we are able to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK. It’s thanks to the efforts of those working in the NHS that we can still be confident the NHS can cope. On 7 June, 443 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, down from 628 two weeks earlier, and down from a peak of 3,431 on 1 April. And on 9 June, 492 patients with coronavirus were in mechanical ventilation beds in the UK, down from 848 two weeks earlier, and down from a peak of 3,301 on 12 April. So that means we are still meeting the first test. Next slide please. Our second test is to see a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rates from COVID-19 so we are confident that we have moved beyond the peak. And of those who have tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, I am sad to say that 41,128 have now died. That’s an increase of 245 fatalities since yesterday. As measured by a 7-day rolling average, the UK daily death rate now stands at 200, down from 300 two weeks ago, and down from a peak of 943 on 14 April. So the death rate has continued to fall, and so the second test is still being met. Next slide please. Our third test is to receive reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection - the number of people catching Covid - is decreasing to manageable levels across the board. In total, 290,143 people have now tested positive for coronavirus, which is an increase of 1,003 cases since yesterday. The seven day rolling average of new positive cases found through testing is now 1,419, down from 2,416 two weeks ago, and down from a peak of 5,195 in the first week of May. In a moment, Sir Patrick will talk us through SAGE’s latest assessment of the R and other evidence on infection rates. Based on the various data available, the government is satisfied the third test is being met. Next slide please. Our fourth test is that we must be confident that the range of operational challenges, including on testing capacity and Personal Protective Equipment, are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand. Yesterday 170,379 tests were carried out or posted out across the UK, compared to around 12,000 at the start of April. The total now stands at 6,042,622. Tomorrow the Health Secretary will provide an update on how NHS Test and Trace is performing. On PPE, we have secured over 150 deals with new suppliers around the world and procured 2.2 billion items of PPE to be manufactured domestically. Despite the immensely frustrating difficulties we have faced with PPE and testing in the past, this progress means we are now satisfied that the fourth test is being met - though of course we remain vigilant. Next slide please. Our fifth and final test is that we must be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS. I am grateful to the Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer for their advice on the measures I am about to set out – and on this basis I can confirm the Government judges we have met the fifth test. Therefore, the Government is satisfied that all five tests are still being met and we can proceed with the following further adjustments to the lockdown in England. A month ago I set out our roadmap to recovery and that explained the gradual steps we would take to ease the lockdown, as the data and the evidence allows. The measures it contained were all conditional on continued progress in tackling the virus. We are continuing to follow our roadmap, while adjusting our approach as we need to, as we always said we would. Although we are tackling this virus as one United Kingdom, it remains the case that the devolved administrations are responsible for lockdown in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And it is right that they move at the right pace for them, according to their circumstances. For that reason, the specific measures I am about to set out apply in England only. First, on retail, shops. This has been the most challenging period for shops and high streets in our history. Never before have all shops been ordered to shut in this way. It has now been 82 days since we asked these shops to close their doors and I know the toll this has taken. Which is why I am so pleased that, as the Business Secretary confirmed yesterday, we can now allow all shops to reopen from Monday. It is vital that establishments should ensure they are meeting Covid Secure guidelines before they reopen. That way we can keep staff and customers safe while we get retail going. Second, on social contact. I know how difficult the past months have been for people cut off from their friends and family. Last Monday, we relaxed the rules on meeting outdoors so that groups of up to 6 could gather, provided they are socially distant. We did so in the knowledge that transmission of the virus is much lower outdoors, so we could make this change in a safe way. But there are still too many people, particularly those who live by themselves, who are lonely and struggling with being unable to see friends and family. From this weekend, we will allow single adult households - so adults living alone or single parents with children under 18 - to form a “support bubble” with one other household. All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household - meaning they can spend time together inside each others’ homes and do not need to stay 2 metres apart. I want to stress that support bubbles must be exclusive - meaning you cannot switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households. And if any member of the support bubble develops symptoms, all members of the bubble will need to follow the normal advice on household isolation. We are making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown measures. It is a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions. It is emphatically not designed for people who don’t qualify to start meeting inside other people’s homes - that remains against the law. Unfortunately, we cannot advise anyone who is shielding to form a support bubble at this stage, given their particular vulnerability to the virus. However, I want to say I know how hard it is for those of you who are shielding, and we will say more next week about the arrangements that will be in place for you beyond the end of June. Third, on outdoor attractions. Because the risk of transmission is lower outdoors, we can open up some more outdoor attractions for people to enjoy this summer. So from Monday, we will allow outdoor attractions where people can stay in their cars, such as safari parks and drive-in cinemas to open. I am very grateful to the zoo industry for their cooperation and forbearance, and am happy to confirm that they too can reopen from Monday, provided visitor numbers are managed and safeguards put in place. That includes keeping indoor areas such as reptile houses closed and facilitating social distancing. Finally, we will allow places of worship to open for individual prayer this weekend. And I hope that will be of some comfort to those of faith who have been unable to go to their place of worship. As set out in our roadmap, the next set of changes - Step 3 - will not begin until 4 July at the earliest, as the evidence allows. I know that these changes are only incremental and that some of you, many of you, may be hoping and waiting for more. I also know that people will once again find anomalies or apparent anomalies in what people can and cannot do. And as I have said before, I’m afraid that is just inevitable when we are only able to give people a small amount of the freedoms that they usually enjoy. We will continue to remain cautious and measure the effect of the changes that we make. And as I’ve always said, we won’t hesitate to apply the brakes if that is what the situation requires. That has meant moving slower than we would have liked in some areas. It is because the rate of infection is not yet quite low enough, and because we are not able to change our social distancing advice including smaller class sizes in schools, that we are not proceeding with our ambition to bring back all primary pupils at least for some weeks before the summer holidays. Instead we are working with teachers to bring back as many pupils as we can within those smaller class sizes. We do fully intend to bring all children back to school in September, provided the progress we are making continues, which I hope it will. That is our focus and it is consistent with the approach that has been taken by many other countries in Europe. In the meantime we must stick to our roadmap. I urge everyone to continue to show restraint and respect the rules which are designed to keep us all safe. It’s only because of the restraint that everyone, you all have shown so far that we are able to move gradually out of this lockdown. So please, to repeat what you’ve heard so many times before, stay alert, maintain social distancing and keep washing your hands. Help control the virus by getting tested if you have symptoms and isolating if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace. Then, if we all do that together, we will all save lives and begin to rebuild our country. And I’ll now hand over to Sir Patrick.
16.06.2020	Johnson	Good evening, I am delighted to be joined today by the Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and by Professor Peter Horby, from the University of Oxford’s Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health. Today I’m actually going to let them do most of the talking as they have some news to share on a new treatment for coronavirus. But I’ll start by updating you briefly on the latest data. Can I have the first slide please? 6,981,493 tests for coronavirus carried out or posted out in the UK. This includes 113,107 carried out or posted out yesterday. 298,136 have tested positive, an increase of 1,279 cases since yesterday. The second slide shows the latest data from hospitals: 410 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 13 June, that’s down from 438 a week earlier, and down from a peak of 3,432 on 1 April. 385 coronavirus patients are currently in mechanical ventilation beds in the UK, down from 513 a week ago, and down from a peak of 3,301 on 12 April. The third slide shows what is happening in hospitals across the country: There are now 5,254 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK, down 16% from 6,282 a week ago and down from a peak of 20,698 on 12 April. The fourth slide shows the daily figures for those who have sadly lost their lives after testing positive for coronavirus: And across all settings, the total number of deaths now stands at 41,969. That’s an increase of 233 fatalities since yesterday. Although those figures are very sad, they do show that we are making good progress in controlling the spread of the virus. Tests are up and cases are down. Hospital admissions are down. The numbers of patients in hospital overall - and specifically those on mechanical ventilation beds - are both down. And of course while each death is one too many, deaths are coming down too. That progress of course has only been possible thanks to the dedication of the British people as we work together to beat this virus. By observing the lockdown, and sacrificing contact with friends and families, everybody has played their part in bringing the virus under control. It is critical now that we hold our nerve – and we don’t throw away the progress we have made. On the 11 May I set out our plan to help our country recover and we are working through it, carefully and deliberately. At each stage we have only proceeded when the evidence suggests it is safe to do so, ensuring our five tests for adjusting the lockdown continue to be met. And yesterday it was great to see our shops open their doors again. Our retail sector has done a fantastic job to make sure they are Covid Secure, meaning they can open in a safe way for staff and for customers. It is great to see so many people out shopping whilst observing social distancing – and that is so important to limiting the spread of the virus. It has also been very good to see more, and more children back at school this week, with some secondary pupils returning for face-to-face contact with their teachers ahead of the exams next year. And I want to say to all parents whose children are eligible to return to school, I want to assure you it is safe – and there is no need for your kids to miss out on their education, I hope they will go to school. I know that people want us to go further – with our changes to social distancing measures and I am all too aware the 2 metre rule has big implications for schools and many other sectors, and I absolutely hear those concerns and will do everything in my power to get us back to normal as soon possible. But we must proceed carefully, and according to our plan. I am still committed to the central goal to get back to life as close to normal as possible, for as many people as possible, as fast and fairly as possible… and in a way that minimises the risk of a new epidemic, minimises the risk to life and maximises our chances of a string economic and social recovery. Our plan sets out that the next step of adjusting lockdown - for personal care, for the hospitality and leisure sector, for gatherings in places of worship and other public places – a lot more to come and that as you know will happen no sooner than 4 July. I remain committed to that plan, and will say more soon about how we intend to take it forward. Today, the global efforts to find a long-term solution to the pandemic continue, through a vaccine or effective treatment. And I am delighted that the biggest breakthrough yet has been made by a fantastic team of scientists right here in the UK. I am not really qualified to announce on this drug and its effects but I will ask Sir Patrick and Professor Horby to say more in a moment. But I am so proud of these British scientists, backed by UK Government funding, who have led the first robust clinical trial anywhere in the world to find a coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death. And I am very grateful to the thousands of patients in this country who volunteered for the trials – thank you. This drug - dexamethasone – can now be made available across the NHS. And we have taken steps to ensure we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak. Of course, while the chances of dying from Covid-19 have been significantly reduced by this treatment, they are still far too high. So we must redouble our research efforts and we certainly will. But today, there is genuine cause to celebrate a great, British achievement and the benefits it will bring not just in this country but around the world. I’ll now hand over to Sir Patrick.
29.06.2020	Johnson	Good evening, Could I have the first slide please? On 16 April, we set out our five tests for adjusting the lockdown, and since then they have guided our path out of lockdown. At every stage, we have diligently assessed our progress against these five tests before making changes. It has meant that we have, so far, avoided the catastrophe of a second peak of infection that could have overwhelmed the NHS and meant so many more lives lost. Next slide please. Our first test is to protect the NHS’s ability to cope, so that we are confident that we are able to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK. Well, the NHS has coped fantastically under the extraordinary pressure of this extraordinary pandemic. On 20 June, 283 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - down from 438 two weeks earlier, and down from a peak of 3,432 on 1 April. And on 22 June, 340 patients with coronavirus were in mechanical ventilation beds in the UK, down from 513 two weeks earlier, and down from a peak of 3,301 on 12 April. These numbers provide confidence that we are still meeting the first test. Next slide please. Our second test is to see a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rates from COVID-19 so that we are confident that we have moved beyond the peak. Of those who have tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, it saddens me to report that 42,927 have now died. 171 fatalities were reported in the 24 hours to 5pm yesterday. A further 109 deaths which occurred in April, May and June have been identified and added to the total. As measured by a 7-day rolling average, the UK daily death rate now stands at 121, down from 216 two weeks ago, and down from a peak of 943 on 14 April. The second test is, therefore, still being met. Next slide please. Our third test is to receive reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board. In total, 306,210 people have now tested positive for coronavirus, which is an increase of 874 cases since yesterday. The seven day rolling average of new positive cases is now 1,147, down from 1,543 two weeks ago, and down from a peak of 5,195 on 14 April. Approximately one in 1,700 people in the community in England are now estimated to have the virus, down from 1 in 400 four weeks ago. SAGE believes infections across the UK are shrinking at a steady rate of between 4 and 2 per cent every day. Based on all the various data available, the government is confident the third test is being met. Next slide please. Our fourth test is that we must be confident that the range of operational challenges, including on testing capacity and Personal Protective Equipment, are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand. Yesterday 237,142 tests were carried out or posted out across the UK, compared to around 12,000 at the start of April. The new NHS Test and Trace service has already advised over 87,000 people to self-isolate who might otherwise have unwittingly transmitted the virus. We have contracted with over 175 new suppliers able to deliver PPE at the scale and pace the UK requires. And this progress means we are satisfied that the fourth test is being met. Our fifth and final test is that we must be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS. I am once again grateful for the Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer for their advice on the measures I am about to set out. I can confirm the government judges we have met the fifth test and we are therefore satisfied that all five tests are still being met. On 11 May, we set out our plan to recover. That plan as you may remember set out three steps for adjusting the lockdown. Step 1 was implemented, as planned, on 13 May, enabling people to spend more time outdoors. Step 2 was implemented, as planned, in phases on 1 and 15 June. Shops have opened, children have started to return to school and people have been able to see more of their loved ones. Now Step 3 can be implemented, as planned, on 4 July. All the measures I am about to set out apply to England - the devolved administrations are responsible for adjusting lockdown in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, moving at the pace they believe is right for them. After a long period of asking you, the British public, to follow very strict and complex rules to bring coronavirus under control, we can now make life easier for people to see more of their friends and family, and to help businesses get back on their feet and people back into jobs. Critically, we can make a change to the guidance on two metres, which kept us safe while transmission of the virus was high but which can now be modified. Having considered all the evidence, while staying at two metres is preferable, we can now move to “1 metre plus” where it is not possible for us to stay two metres apart. This means staying one metre apart, plus mitigations which reduce the risk of transmission. These precautions could include installing screens, making sure people face away from each other, providing handwashing facilities, minimising the amount of time you spend with people outside your household, and of course being outdoors. On public transport, it means one metre plus wearing a face covering for mitigation, as everybody I think now understands. We are setting out COVID-Secure guidance to help businesses take the measures that are right for them. We can also allow more sectors to reopen on 4 July, as planned for Step 3. So, from 4 July, the following premises will be allowed to reopen provided they are COVID-Secure: hotels, bed and breakfasts and self-contained holiday accommodation caravan parks and campsites places of worship and libraries restaurants and cafes bars, pubs and social clubs cinemas and bingo halls museums and galleries hair salons and barbers outdoor playgrounds and outdoor gyms This has been an incredibly tough time for these establishments. But I hope that everyone working in them can take confidence in knowing they will be able to open their doors once again in just a couple of weeks’ time. And of course they should do so in a way that is COVID-Secure, keeping customers and staff safe. But I am afraid to say that some premises, such as nightclubs, swimming pools and indoor gyms, must remain closed for now given the particular risks of transmission in those settings. However, we are establishing taskforces for those sectors to establish how they too can open, in a COVID-Secure way, as fast as possible. At the same time, we can give people more freedom to see their friends and family. From 4 July, your household will be able to meet with one other household at a time, including staying over. This can be indoors or outside, at your home, in a restaurant or pub, or in paid accommodation. I want to stress you should remain socially distant from anyone outside your household. For meeting outdoors, you can continue to meet in a park or a garden in a group of up to six people, drawn from six different households. Again, at all times you should maintain social distancing from anyone outside your household. As we give people back more control over their lives, we will be asking them to follow guidance on limiting their social contact, rather than forcing them to do so through legislation. And this obviously requires everyone to act responsibly, which I have no doubt they will do. It will still be possible for the police to break up large and irresponsible gatherings. But neither the police themselves, or the public that they serve, want virtually every aspect of our behaviour to be subject to the criminal law. Yesterday the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and the Health Secretary set out updated advice for those who are shielding in England, so that they can soon start to return to leading more normal lives. Opening up more of Britain in this COVID-Secure way is only possible if everyone continues to stay alert to the risks of coronavirus. That means you should: stay 2 metres apart and if you can’t do that then keep 1 metre apart with mitigations wash your hands regularly wear face coverings on public transport, or where you are indoors in a crowded environment where distancing is not possible follow the rules when visiting businesses crucially, get a test done immediately if you develop symptoms and self-isolate if you are asked to by NHS Test and Trace We are only able to make these changes because we have persevered together and stuck to our path. We had five tests - and we met them. We had a plan - and we stuck to it. The government has asked a huge amount of all of you, and the people of this country have met that challenge with good humour and common sense. Of course, the fight is far from over. This is a nasty virus still that wants to take advantage of our carelessness. I’m afraid there will be local outbreaks. And I must tell you that if the virus were to begin to run out of control, I will not hesitate to put on the handbrake on and reverse some of these changes, at a local or indeed national level as required. But we can avoid that if we all continue to stay alert and do our bit to control the virus. The British public have proved again and again, not that it was ever in doubt it, that they can be trusted to do the right thing and to do it with common sense. There is no doubt we are beating back this virus and, with your continued cooperation and good judgment we will beat it once and for all. I’ll now hand over to Patrick.
3.07.2020	Johnson	Good evening, Since I last spoke to you from this podium, we have continued to make progress nationally against the virus. We are now reporting regularly fewer than 1,000 new cases each day. The Office for National Statistics estimates that between 14 June and 27 June, the most recent period they have analysed, 25,000 people in the community in England had the virus – 1 person in every 2,200. SAGE assess that the R rate – the average number of people each infected person passes the virus onto – remains between 0.7 and 0.9 across the UK. SAGE also assess that, in England, the number of new infections is shrinking by between 2 and 5% every day. And while the number of people dying with coronavirus remains too high, the numbers do continue to fall. Now of course this picture is not universal. There are areas – such as Leicester – where the virus is still more prevalent than we would like. We always said there would be local outbreaks requiring local action. This is to be expected and will, I’m afraid, be a feature of our lives for some time to come. But that should not take away from the great progress we have made, together, as a country against this vicious disease. This progress is the reason why we have been able – slowly, carefully, cautiously – to ease the national lockdown. Without doubt, lockdown has saved many hundreds of thousands of lives – but it has also had a devastating impact on our way of life and our economy. And of course, lockdown has not yet been lifted entirely. Indoor gyms, nail bars and swimming pools are still closed, mass gatherings are still prohibited, social distancing is still essential. I want these restrictions to be lifted as soon as possible – of course I do. We have established taskforces to work rapidly and closely with the sectors that remain closed to explore how they can be Covid Secure. I am pleased to report good progress is being made. Next week we will set out a timetable for their re-opening – though of course I can only lift those remaining, national restrictions as and when it is safe to do so. Our goal remains to enable as many people as possible to live their lives as close to normally as possible – in a way which is as fair and as safe as possible. To achieve this we need to move away from blanket, national measures, to targeted, local measures. So instead of locking down the whole country, we will lock down specific premises or local areas where the virus is spreading. Instead of closing down non-essential retail and hospitality nationwide, we will only shut establishments locally as required. Instead of shutting all schools for most pupils, from September we will only shut those schools where it is absolutely necessary to control an outbreak. And instead of quarantining arrivals from the whole world, we will only quarantine arrivals from those countries where the virus is, sadly, not yet under control. We are already implementing this targeted approach in England. In Weston-Super-Mare, we identified an outbreak in a hospital, closed it to visitors and new admissions, tested all staff and patients and gave the hospital a deep clean. The outbreak was contained and the hospital is open again. In Kirklees, we identified an outbreak at a meat packing plant, shut down the plant, moved in a mobile testing unit, tested all employees and traced the contacts of those who were positive. The outbreak was contained and the plant has reopened with additional safety measures in place. And of course more recently in Leicester, we identified a community-wide outbreak which was not restricted to a single location, unlike Weston-Super-Mare and Kirklees. Public Health England engaged with the local authority, mobile testing units were deployed, full data was shared – council-wide data was shared on 11 June, and postcode-level data was shared last week. This enhanced monitoring through additional testing showed that the infection rate in Leicester was three times the next highest infection rate in any other city in the country. So on Monday, the Health Secretary announced local lockdown measures in Leicester for an initial period of 2 weeks. In each of these cases, the problems identified were specific to Weston-Super-Mare, Kirklees and Leicester. So of course it made sense to take action locally, rather than re-impose restrictions on the whole country. And we are learning the whole time. With each local outbreak, we see what works well and what not so well, so that we do better next time. Informed by our experience of these cases, we have developed an approach for controlling future local outbreaks which has five principle components: monitoring, engagement, testing, targeted restrictions and finally, as a last resort, lockdown. First, monitoring. Public Health England, working with the Joint Biosecurity Centre, will examine carefully data on the spread of the disease and people’s behaviour across the country. They will look out for emerging trends, rising case numbers and other indicators, while taking into account local factors. Critically, we have made local data available to all Directors of Public Health in local authorities, so they too can monitor what is happening in their area. And local data will also be available to the public on the gov.uk dashboard. Second, engagement. If monitoring identifies local problems, NHS Test and Trace and PHE will work with the relevant local authority to develop a deeper understanding of the problem and identify solutions. Working with local agencies, we will seek to keep the local community informed at every stage, so they know what is happening and what actions, if any, they need to take. Third, testing. We now have substantial testing capacity nationwide and we have the ability to target that capacity at local areas in order to get a grip on emerging outbreaks. Scaled-up testing at a local level, combined with contract tracing through NHS Test and Trace, can control the virus and thus avoid more stringent measures. Fourth, targeted restrictions. If the virus continues to spread, we will restrict activities at particular locations and close individual premises. As in Weston-Super-Mare and Kirklees, we will restrict access to places which become hotspots for the virus, while testing people who have spent time in those places, and tracing the contacts of anyone who tests positive. Fifth, local lockdown. If the previous measures have not proven to be enough, we will introduce local lockdowns extending across whole communities. As in Leicester, that could mean shutting businesses venues that would otherwise be open, closing schools or urging people once more to stay at home. Local lockdowns will be carefully calibrated depending on the scientific and specific circumstances of each outbreak and we are continually exploring smarter means of containing the virus. So that is the approach we will take as local outbreaks occur and we will set out more detail soon. Let me end by looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow, there will be a moment of remembrance for those whose lives have tragically been lost before their time. And at 5pm on Sunday, the NHS’s 72nd birthday, we can all come together to clap those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic. I know everyone will be looking forward to the relaxation of national restrictions. As lockdown eases, we should focus on supporting the livelihoods of business owners and their employees up and down the country – all of whom are opening their doors for the first time in more than three months. They are our local restaurants, hairdressers, libraries, museums, cinemas, and yes, pubs. They are also hotels, B&Bs, indeed much of our tourism industry. All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening, to work out a way to trade in a way that keeps their customers safe. But the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly. We must not let them down. Lockdown only succeeded in controlling the virus because everyone worked together, and we will only succeed in reopening if everyone works together again. Because we are not out of the woods yet. The virus is still with us and the spike in Leicester has shown that. If it starts running out of control again this Government will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and re-imposing restrictions. Anyone who flouts social distancing and COVID-Secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal. So as we take this next step, our biggest step yet, on the road to recovery, I urge the British people to do so safely. Remember – don’t gather in groups of more than 6 outside or 2 households in any setting. Keep your distance from those outside your household – 2 metres if you can, 1 metre with precautions if you can’t. Wash your hands. Let’s all stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and enjoy summer safely.
17.07.2020	Johnson	Good morning, In the two weeks since I last addressed you from this podium, I am pleased to report that we have continued to make steady progress in our collective effort to beat the coronavirus. For 3 weeks now, the number of new cases identified through testing each day has been below 1,000. The latest SAGE advice is that, across the UK, the R rate remains between 0.7 and 0.9. SAGE also assess that the number of infections is shrinking by between 5 and 1 per cent every day. The latest ONS data shows prevalence and new infections to be stable and low. The number of patients newly admitted to hospital with coronavirus each day, and the number of coronavirus patients in mechanical ventilation beds, have both fallen by more than 90% from their peak in early April. And while we mourn every death, the average daily death rate continues, steadily, to fall. This progress is testament to the phenomenal efforts of our NHS and social care staff working tirelessly on the frontline. And it has only been possible thanks to the character and fortitude with which you, the British people, have made fundamental changes to the way you all live and work. When we set out our plan to rebuild on 11 May, we said our goal was to return life to as close to normal as possible, for as many people as possible, as fast and as fairly as possible, in a way that is safe and continues to protect our NHS. That goal remains the same – but the tools we use to achieve it are changing. At the start of the pandemic, when we knew far less about the nature and spread of the virus, we had to take blanket, national measures. National lockdown was undoubtedly the right thing to do and has saved many thousands of lives. Now however, we know more about the virus – we understand the epidemiology better and our intelligence on where it is spreading is vastly improved. That means we can control it through targeted, local action instead. In England, this work is led by NHS Test and Trace and within it the Joint Biosecurity Centre. My sincere thanks go to Dido Harding who oversees this work and who joins me today. This approach is already working. In Weston-super-Mare and Kirklees, we took swift and successful action to contain outbreaks at specific premises. In Bradford and Blackburn with Darwen, we identified troubling trends in the data and worked closely with the respective local authorities to increase testing and take targeted action. That work continues. And in Leicester, we instituted a local lockdown in order to bear down on stubborn rates of infection. As the Health Secretary announced last night, we will begin to relax the restrictions there next week. We can do so because the data is improving – with the percentage of people testing positive falling from a weekly rate of 12.2% on 29 June to 4.8% yesterday. The approach varies in different parts of the UK, but all parts of the UK benefit from the support of our armed forces, additional testing facilities, and billions of pounds of support provided by this Government. Today we are publishing our framework for containing and controlling future outbreaks in England, which will enable national and local government to work closely together. From tomorrow, local authorities will have new powers in their areas. They will be able to close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces, and cancel events. These powers will enable local authorities to act more quickly in response to outbreaks, where speed is paramount. Action by local councils will not always be sufficient. So next week we will publish draft regulations which clearly set out how central government can intervene more effectively at a local level. Where justified by the evidence, ministers will be able to close whole sectors or types of premises in an area, introduce local “stay at home” orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas, reduce the maximum size of gatherings beyond national rules, or restrict transport systems serving local areas. I know that it will be hard going for people affected by these local measures. It isn’t easy, and for some it may seem unjust that people just a short distance away can live their lives closer to normal. But it has to be right that we take local action in response to local outbreaks – there is no point shutting down a city in one part of the country to contain an outbreak in another part of the country. Now of course, this local approach relies on having an effective testing regime in place. And here we have made substantial progress. Antigen test capacity – that’s the test which tells you if you currently have the virus – has increased 100-fold since the start of March, from fewer than 2,000 tests a day to more than 200,000 tests a day now. Publicly available data suggests we are now carrying out our tests more than anywhere else in Europe in total, and more tests than Germany, France, Italy and Spain per capita. We have set up testing sites around the UK and now have 200 mobile units which can be rapidly deployed wherever they are needed. It is now the case, and has been for some time, that anyone, anywhere in the UK with symptoms can get a test without delay. We are also testing increasing numbers of people who don’t have symptoms but who are at higher risk. As we approach winter, we will need to go further – not least as many more people will show Covid-like symptoms as a result of seasonal illnesses, and therefore require a test. So we will further increase testing capacity to at least half a million antigen tests a day – 3.5 million antigen tests a week – by the end of October. Demand for testing is not the only challenge that winter will bring. It is possible that the virus will be more virulent in the winter months – and it is certain that the NHS will face the usual, annual winter pressures. We have taken a number of steps therefore to get the NHS ready for winter. We have massively increased the number of ventilators available to patients across the UK – up from 9,000 before the pandemic to nearly 30,000 now. We have substantially increased the pipeline of personal protective equipment for the NHS and social care -constituting over 30 billion items of PPE over the course of the pandemic. We will be rolling out the biggest ever flu vaccination programme in the history of the U.K. And we will also of course give the NHS the resources it needs. And today, I can confirm that we are providing an additional £3 billion of funding to the NHS in England to get ready for winter. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also receive additional funds. This will allow the NHS to continue to use the extra hospital capacity acquired from the independent sector and also to maintain the Nightingale hospitals until the end of March. This new funding comes on top of the additional £30 billion of funding for health and social care that we have already announced this year. So we are making sure we are ready for winter, and planning for the worst. But even as we plan for the worst, I strongly believe we should also hope for the best. That means looking ahead with optimism – now extending our plan to lift the remaining national measures which have restricted our lives since March so we can get back to something closer to normal life. Now I must stress, the timetable I am about to set out is conditional. It is contingent on every one of us staying alert and acting responsibly. It relies on our continued success in controlling the virus. And we will not proceed if doing so risks a second peak that would overwhelm the NHS. Nonetheless, it is important to give people hope and to give business confidence. So in England, from today we are making clear that anybody may use public transport, while of course encouraging people to consider alternative means of transport where they are available. From 25 July, we have already committed to reopening the indoor gyms, pools and other sports facilities. From 1 August, we will update our advice on going to work. Instead of government telling people to work from home, we are going to give employers more discretion, and ask them to make decisions about how their staff can work safely. That could mean of course continuing to work from home, which is one way of working safely and which has worked for many employers and employees. Or it could mean making workplaces safe by following Covid Secure guidelines. Whatever employers decide, they should consult closely with their employees, and only ask people to return to their place of work if it is safe. As we reopen our society and economy, it’s right that we give employers more discretion while continuing to ensure employees are kept safe. Also from 1 August, we will reopen most remaining leisure settings, namely bowling, skating rinks and casinos, and we will enable all close contact services such as beauticians to resume. Nightclubs and soft play areas will sadly need to remain closed for now – although this will be kept under review. We will restart indoor performances to a live audience, subject to the success of pilots, and we will also pilot larger gatherings in venues like sports stadia, with a view to wider reopening in the Autumn. We will also allow wedding receptions for up to 30 people. All of these measures for 1 August should be done in a Covid Secure way. In September, schools, nurseries and colleges will be open for all children and young people on a full-time basis, as planned. And universities are also working to reopen as fully as possible. From October, we intend to bring back audiences in stadia and to allow conferences and other business events to recommence – again, these changes must be done in a Covid Secure way, subject to the successful outcome of pilots. Throughout this period, we will look to allow more close contact between friends and family when we can. It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest – possibly in time for Christmas. At all times, we will continue to work with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support and care for those at risk, wherever they live in the UK. We have said that the shielding programme for those most at risk in England, the clinically extremely vulnerable, will be paused at the end of this month. We will stay constantly vigilant and be sure to restart shielding at any point if required. Now I know some will say this plan is too optimistic, that the risks are too great and that we won’t overcome the virus in time. And of course, if they are right in saying that, and we cannot exclude that they are, let me reassure them, and reassure you: that we will not hesitate at any stage to put on the brakes. From May 11 onwards, this plan has been conditional, and it remains conditional. But if we continue to pull together as we have done so far, I know we can beat this virus. Hoping for the best, but planning for the worst – and it’s in that spirit that we must carry on waging this long, hard fight against Coronavirus. I’ll now hand over to Dido.
31.07.2020	Johnson	Good afternoon, Two weeks ago, I updated you from this podium on the progress we had made as a country against coronavirus. And in many ways that progress continues. The number of patients admitted to hospitals is still falling, and now stands at just over 100 each day. In April there were more than 3,000 coronavirus patients in mechanical ventilation beds, but now the latest figure is 87. The number of deaths continues to fall. That is obviously encouraging But I have also consistently warned that this virus could come back and that we would not hesitate to take swift and decisive action as required. I am afraid that in parts of Asia and Latin America the virus is now gathering pace. And our European friends are also struggling to keep the virus under control. As we see these rises around the world, we cannot fool ourselves that we are exempt. We must be willing to react to the first signs of trouble. Today, the weekly survey by the Office for National Statistics reports that the prevalence of the virus in the community in England is likely to be rising for the first time since May. Around 1 in 1,500 now have the virus, compared to 1 in 1,800 on 15 July and 1 in 2,000 on 2 July. The ONS also estimate there are now 4,900 new infections every day, up from around 3,000 per day on 14 July and 2,000 per day at the end of June We can’t afford to ignore this evidence. It’s vital to stress that we are in a far better position to keep the virus under control now than we were at the start of the pandemic – because we know so much more about the virus and have so many more tools at our disposal to deal with it. Our testing capacity has increased 100-fold. We have a contact tracing system up and running which has led to over 184,000 people isolating who may otherwise have spread the virus and is capable of tracing thousands of contacts every day. We have secured supplies of billions of items of PPE to withstand new demands on hospitals and care homes. And of course we have new treatments, like dexamethasone and remdesivir, to shorten recovery times and reduce mortality rates. But as I say, we cannot be complacent. I cannot – I won’t stand by and allow the virus to cause more pain and heartache in this country. Last night the Health Secretary announced new restrictions on household contact in the North West – specifically Greater Manchester, and parts of East Lancashire and West Yorkshire. These are targeted measures on social contact between households, which the data tells us is driving the current increase in cases. Businesses and workplaces should continue as before in those areas.I know how it is hard to have restrictions like this imposed on seeing your family and your friends. But we have to act rapidly in order to protect those we love. And we know this sort of intervention works – measures taken in Leicester and Luton have suppressed the virus, allowing us to relax measures. Even as we act locally, it is also my responsibility to look again at the measures we have in place nationally in light of the data we are seeing about incidence. At every point I have said our plan to reopen society and the economy is conditional – that it relies on continued progress against the virus, and that we would not hesitate to put on the brakes if required. With those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should now squeeze that brake pedal in order to keep the virus under control. On Saturday 1 August, you’ll remember, we had hoped to reopen in England a number of higher risk settings that had remained closed. Today, I am afraid we are postponing these changes for at least a fortnight. That means that, until 15 August at the earliest: Casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks and remaining close contact services must remain closed. Indoor performances will not resume. Pilots of larger crowds in sports venues and conference centres will not take place. Wedding receptions of up to 30 people will not be permitted, but ceremonies can continue to take place, in line with COVID-Secure guidelines. I know that the steps we are taking will be a heavy blow to many people – to everyone whose wedding plans have been disrupted, or who now cannot celebrate Eid in the way they would wish, I am really, really sorry about that. But we simply cannot take the risk. We will of course study the data carefully and move forward with our intention to open up as soon as we possibly can. Two weeks ago, I also said that from tomorrow the government would give employers more discretion over how employees can work safely – whether by continuing to work from home or attending a Covid Secure workplace. We know that employers have gone to huge lengths to make workplaces safe, so that guidance remains unchanged. We also said we would pause shielding nationally from 1 August – based on clinical advice, that national pause will proceed as planned, and our medical experts will be explaining more about that decision later and about shielding later today. Most people in this country are following the rules and doing their bit to control the virus. But we must keep our discipline, we must be focused and we cannot be complacent. I have asked the Home Secretary to work with the police and others to ensure the rules which are already in place are properly enforced. That means local authorities acting to close down premises and cancel events which are not following Covid Secure guidance. And it means a greater police presence to ensure face coverings are being worn where this is required by law. We will also extend the requirement to wear a face covering to other indoor settings where you are likely to come into contact with people you do not normally meet, such as museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship. We now recommend face coverings are worn in these settings, and this will become enforceable in law from 8 August. At this stage, we are not changing the rules on social contact nationally. I don’t want to tell people to spend less time with their friends. But unless people follow the rules and behave safely, we may need to go further. Two weeks ago, I said we would hope for the best but plan for the worst. And of course we continue to hope for the best. The way to get there and to achieve that optimum outcome is if we all follow the rules, wash our hands, cover our faces, keep our distance – and get a test if we have symptoms, so that NHS Test and Trace can keep the virus under control. This is how we will avoid a return to full national lockdown. We’ve made huge progress together. I know we are going succeed and I know we are going to beat this – if each and every one of us plays our part.
29.02.2020	Morrison	The National Security Committee of Cabinet has agreed today to introduce new travel restrictions and update the travel advice for Iran as part of the Government’s coordinated measures to protect Australians from COVID-19. From 1 March 2020, the Australian Government will implement changes to travel arrangements for people travelling to, or returning from Iran, following expert medical advice today from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and the Australian Government’s Chief Medical Officer on the outbreak of COVID-19. These measures are part of our ongoing strategy of containment and minimising risk to the Australian community as detailed in our pandemic preparedness plan. As of 1 March 2020: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will raise the level of the travel advisory for Iran from level 3 to level 4 – do not travel; Foreign nationals (excluding permanent residents of Australia) who are in Iran on or after 1 March 2020, will not be allowed to enter Australia for 14 days, from the time they have left or transited through Iran; Australian citizens and permanent residents will still be able to enter, as will their immediate family members (spouses, legal guardians or dependants only). They will be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days from the day they left Iran. These actions are based on advice from the AHPPC that noted the following evidence suggesting the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran may be one of the largest outside of Hubei province in China; Iran has the largest reported number of deaths outside of Hubei province; There are already cases of COVID-19 from Iran to a number of countries including Australia and New Zealand, despite the absence of direct flights and relatively low travel volumes from Iran to these countries. It is almost certain that the reported case numbers are underestimated. The travel restrictions for Iran will now be consistent with those in place for China. The Australian Government favours measures that could materially slow the importation of COVID-19 cases into Australia to enable preparatory measures to continue and to enable a public health response to the initial cases. We believe that travellers from Iran represent, at this time, a materially greater risk of COVID-19 importation than any other country outside China. The current travel restrictions regarding mainland China continue to be successful in reducing the volume of travel from mainland China and will continue. This is a specific temporising measure for an unusually high-risk country and further travel restrictions are unlikely to be effective at reducing importation. Since 22 February 2020, 25 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Australia, including: 15 cases with a direct or indirect link to Wuhan, Hubei province, China, who are all reported to have now recovered from their infections. 9 cases associated with the Diamond Princess repatriation flight from Japan to the Northern Territory are in isolation in their home state in a stable condition An additional case in Queensland with a recent travel history to Iran which was confirmed on 28 February 2020. The case is currently in isolation at a hospital in Queensland and contact tracing by Queensland Health is underway. Across the world there are currently 85,153 cases and 2,922 deaths reported across 58 countries from the outbreak of COVID-19. New countries with confirmed cases include Iceland, New Zealand and Mexico. While we are not immune as a country we are as well prepared as anybody could possibly be. The Australian Government continues to monitor and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak as it evolves. We will work in close cooperation with state Government authorities and our international partners to coordinate our response and keep Australians safe.
05.03.2020	Morrison	The National Security Committee of Cabinet has agreed today to introduce new travel restrictions, update the travel advice and implement new screening measures as part of the Government’s coordinated measures to protect Australians from COVID-19. The Australian Government’s highest priority remains the wellbeing and safety of Australians. These actions are based on advice that the volume of reported COVID-19 cases in the Republic of Korea, and the scale of travel to Australia from the Republic of Korea, means that they present a high risk of further transmission of COVID-19 in Australia. Therefore, screening measures alone would not be sufficient for the Republic of Korea. For arrivals from Italy, we will implement enhanced health screening and temperature testing arrangements. These measures are part of our ongoing strategy of containment and minimising risk to the Australian community as detailed in our pandemic preparedness plan. As of 5 March 2020: Foreign nationals (excluding permanent residents of Australia) who are in the Republic of Korea on or after today will not be allowed to enter Australia for 14 days from the time they have left or transited through the Republic of Korea; Australian citizens and permanent residents will still be able to enter Australia, as will their immediate family members (spouses, legal guardians or dependants only). They will be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days from the day they left the Republic of Korea. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will raise the level of the travel advisory for the Republic of Korea to ‘reconsider your need to travel’ (level 3 of 4) up from ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ (level 2). The level of the travel advice will also be raised to ‘do not travel’ to Daegu (level 4 of 4) because of the significant outbreak of COVID-19 there. People in the Republic of Korea should monitor their health closely and follow the advice of local authorities. Travellers from the Republic of Korea constitute at this time a materially greater risk of COVID-19 importation than other countries outside of China and Iran. We are grateful to the Government of the Republic of Korea for the transparent way it has dealt with this outbreak. It should be commended for its strong efforts in combatting COVID-19, including with its extensive testing regime. The travel restrictions for the Republic of Korea will now be consistent with those in place for China and Iran. The aim of these measures is to slow the importation of COVID-19 cases into Australia to enable preparatory measures to continue and to enable a public health response to the initial cases. The current travel restrictions regarding mainland China and Iran continue to be successful in reducing the volume of travellers from those countries and will continue. As part of the Australian Government’s preparedness response beyond the health system, today we have also activated the National Coordination Mechanism. The mechanism will coordinate activities across the Commonwealth, state and territory governments as well as industry to ensure a consistent national approach is taken to provide essential services across a range of critical sectors and supply chains. While we are not immune as a country, we are as well prepared as anybody could possibly be. The Australian Government continues to monitor and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak as it evolves. We will work in close cooperation with state Government authorities and our international partners to coordinate our response and keep Australians safe.
23.03.2020	Morrison	Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (10:12): We gather today at a time of great challenge for our nation and, indeed, the world. We are a strong nation and a strong people, but in the months ahead this will put us all to the test, as at no time like this since the Second World War. But together, Australia, we are up to this challenge. The coronavirus that is sweeping the world will continue to change the way we live, but we must not allow it to change who we are as Australians. I know—we all know—that Australians are very concerned at this difficult time. It is the understandable fear of the unknown, and there is much that is not known about the coronavirus, but we must not let that fear overtake us. We must focus instead on what we do know, what we can control. We know who we are as a people and the legacy and inspiration that has been given to us from those who have come before us and shown us the way through challenges and tests just like this. So we summon the spirit of the Anzacs, of our Great Depression generation, of those who built the Snowy, of those who won the great peace of the Second World War and defended Australia. That is our legacy that we draw on at this time. We also know the actions that we can take—the care, compassion and respect we must show from one to another. Whilst some must self-isolate—and they must—and we all must keep a healthy social distance between us, it is important that we do all we can to ensure in the difficult months ahead that no Australian goes through this alone. The responsibility we know we must take for our own actions and our own behaviours—the tests, hardships and sacrifices that will be placed on all of us, on our national character—will undoubtedly break our hearts on many occasions in the months ahead. But we must resolve today as Australians to come together and to pledge to each other across our nation that this coronavirus will not break our Australian spirit. So, together, and with the rest of the world, we face this unprecedented challenge, a once-in-100-years event, a global health pandemic that has fast become an economic crisis the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression. Life is changing in Australia for every Australian. Life is going to continue to change. For many—young and old—2020 will be the toughest year of our lives. Meeting this challenge is bigger than any Australian. It's obviously bigger than politics. It's bigger than any of us who are in this chamber. Prime ministers, leaders of the opposition, ministers, shadow ministers and members of parliament—it is bigger than all us. It is bigger than premiers, chief ministers, captains of industry, leaders of union movements. It is bigger than all of us. I want to thank all of those who have come to this great challenge with such a unity of spirit. It requires every single Australian to do their duty as public citizens. Again, in that spirit, I want to thank, in particular, the nation's premiers and chief ministers for coming together to form Australia's first ever national cabinet, a cabinet of all Australian governments: five Labor leaders, four coalition leaders. I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the cooperation he and his colleagues have afforded us here in this parliament as we battle this dual health and economic crisis. Today, we have some very important work to do to cushion the blow on Australians from the economic whirlwind that is being reaped by this coronavirus. In the months ahead, we will face more issues that none of us even now can imagine. Our job as the Australian government is to work night and day to ensure our great country, our beloved Australia, gets to the other side and emerges stronger, safer and united. It is our advice that Australians will be living with this virus for at least the next six months. It could be longer. There is no three- or four-week shutdown that makes it all go away. There is no short-term solution to this. We have to steel ourselves for the next six months and work together to slow the spread in order to save lives, to protect the elderly and vulnerable Australians, because they are counting on us. Every extra bit of time we save allows us to better prepare for the challenges that are ahead. Last night, all the states and territories, through the national cabinet, agreed to an even more stringent set of social distancing rules that will change further how we all live our lives. There will be no more going to the pub after work. There will be no more going to the gym in the morning. There will be no more sitting down for brunch at a cafe. These changes are vital to slow the spread of this virus to save lives. As the virus spreads, and it will, governments around Australia will not be complacent and may need, and are likely to need, to impose further restrictions on our daily lives. Wherever possible, we will seek to do that to ensure a consistency of approach between all states and territories. It will be absolutely vital that every Australian respects and follows the healthy social distancing measures that all Australian governments have implemented in order to flatten this curve and to save lives. Limits on outdoor and indoor mass gatherings, keeping non-essential indoor gatherings to less than one person per four square metres—wherever possible, keeping 1½ metres between yourself and others—avoiding all non-essential travel and even simply following good hygiene is essential to slowing this virus. Washing your hands thoroughly, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, not touching your face are all practical measures that we can all observe to save lives. I will say this: while you may not be able to go to church, the synagogue, the temple or the mosque, I most certainly call on all people of faith in our nation to pray. I can assure you, my prayer knees are getting a good work out. As Australia works to flatten the curve and slow this virus, we also face an immense economic challenge. Across Australia today, many thousands of Australians will lose their jobs. They are lining up at Centrelink offices as we speak—something unimaginable at this scale only weeks ago. Many have lost their jobs, and we know many more will. This is the biggest economic shock our nation has faced in generations. Australia, a long and open trading nation, is now closed off, largely, from the world. Internal border restrictions not seen since before Federation are now in place. Yesterday, the Treasurer and I announced an economic support package, a safety net package, unprecedented in our nation's history in its scale and coverage. Measures announced to date total some, together with the Reserve Bank, $189 billion in economic support, around 10 per cent of the size of our economy. The measures we have announced are focusing on those who are on the frontline, those who will be feeling the first blows of the economic impact of the coronavirus as it wreaks its havoc. So we'll supercharge our safety net—doubling, effectively, the jobseeker payment and allowing Australians to draw on those resources they have put aside for such a time as this—to support the most vulnerable with additional payments to pensioners and carers and the disabled, to provide a lifeline to small and medium-sized businesses. We will be working together with the banks—and I thank them also—to keep those businesses afloat wherever possible, to keep as many employees as they can, but with the pledge in our support to them that when we pass this virus, those businesses that have had to stand people down will stand them back up again on the other side. This will give them that assurance, give them that encouragement, as they have to stand staff down, commit to do all they can on the other side to stand them back up again. This is the unwritten contract that is being undertaken between Australian employees and employers as we speak, to provide also a legal shield to protect both businesses from closures and individuals, to preserve our economy and to boost our recovery on the other side. To those who have lost their jobs already and will, to those whose incomes are collapsing, to those who are barely holding their businesses together or who have already seen their dream taken from them by this virus, this is devastating and this is heartbreaking. And we will do all we can in this place as a parliament and all we can as a government to help see you through. We will be doing everything we can to protect those most vulnerable to the impacts of this crisis and to preserve the businesses that employ them. There will be more support to come, and it will keep coming for as long as this challenge is before this nation. Even more importantly, when this passes, we will be there to ensure that Australians get back on their feet, that the businesses rebuild, that our economy resurges and that we go on in the great national story of this amazing nation, Australia. In conclusion, the more Australians work together, the more we share the sacrifice and the burden, the more we do the right thing, the more lives and the more livelihoods we will save. And when the virus passes—and it will—we will be stronger on the other side. This will be a test of all Australians. It is a test of our nation—of our spirit. There are some who believe liberal democracies and free societies cannot cope with these sorts of challenges. We will prove them wrong here in Australia. Today we are saying that we both can do this and will do this, and we will do this together. May God bless us all—all Australians—at this most difficult time.
08.04.2020	Morrison	Mr Morrison: (Cook—Prime Minister and Minister for the Public Service) (10:10): We gather again today in unusual circumstances, during extreme times, to consider extraordinary responses to the twin crises our nation faces—to our nation's health and to our economy. What we do today is what governments have always done in such circumstances, where our nation is under threat, and it is what previous generations have done before us. Today we act to protect Australia's sovereignty. When Australian lives and livelihoods are threatened, when they are under attack, our nation's sovereignty is put at risk and we must respond—as a government, as a parliament and as a nation together: nurses, teachers, drivers, cleaners, doctors, police and paramedics; factory workers, engineers and bankers; grocers, miners, farmers, pastors, priests and imams; politicians, union officials and even lawyers; and mums, dads, grandparents, kids and families—all of us. Our sovereignty is measured in our capacity and freedom to live our lives as we choose in a free, open and democratic society. We are not a coerced society. We act through our agreement and our wilful support of the national interest and through our many institutions, including this parliament and the many other parliaments around this country. We will not surrender this. Our sovereignty is enabled by having a vibrant market economy that underpins our standard of living, that gives all Australians the opportunity to fulfil their potential—to have a go and to get ago. We will not surrender this. Our sovereignty is demonstrated by the quality of life we afford Australians, with world-class health, education and disability and aged care and a social safety net that guarantees the essentials that Australians rely on. We will not surrender this. Above all, our sovereignty is sustained by what we believe as Australians, what we value and hold most dear: our principles, our way of life and our way of doing things. We will never surrender this. So make no mistake: today is not about ideologies. We checked those in at the door. Today is about defending and protecting Australia's national sovereignty. It will be a fight; it will be a fight we will win. But it won't be a fight without cost or without loss. Protecting our sovereignty has always come at great cost, regardless of what form that threat takes, and today will be no different. So today we will agree to pay that price through the important measures we will legislate. But today, as a government, I want to commit to all Australians, as Prime Minister, that once we have overcome these threats—and we will—we will rebuild and we will restore whatever the battle ahead takes from us. As a nation we are working together nationally, especially through the national cabinet. I wish to again place on record my thanks to all our premiers and chief ministers. We have come together to lead together in a new way through these crises. I thank all of my ministers, who I lead together with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasurer. We are, all together as ministers, ably advised by our experts and officials in the Australian Public Service. I particularly want to acknowledge Professor Brendan Murphy and his team. I thank all of my colleagues on the government benches for their input and leadership in their communities, as I do all members of this House and the other place. I thank the opposition leader and his parliamentary team and all of our staffs. I extend my thanks to the many businesses, large and small; to the unions; to the banks; to the media; to the not-for-profit organisations and welfare and charitable groups; to Indigenous leaders; to the churches and other faith groups for their prayers, for their support and the many efforts that they are making. Together we have now established the key baseline supports and protections that have bought us much-needed time in these crises, to get us through—and I will speak of those actions today—but there is a long way to go in this fight. This has been our road in. We will now lead the country on the road through and then the road out and beyond. It has been 16 days since this House last met. As of this morning, 5,956 Australians have contracted the coronavirus. Thankfully, 2,547 have recovered, while 294 are hospitalised, 92 are in intensive care and 36 are on respirators. Sadly, there have been almost 50 deaths in Australia. Tens of thousands more have died across the world. One of those was the member for Cooper's father-in-law. On behalf of the government and the parliament, I extend our deepest sympathies to the member for Cooper and her family. Honourable members: Hear, hear! Mr Morrison: They are with all who have lost loved ones in recent times, here and overseas, and are fearful of that event occurring in the future. And, as a nation, we especially send our best wishes to our good friend the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson. Get well soon, Boris. We need you. Honourable members: Hear, hear! Mr Morrison: When the House last met, new cases were growing at more than 20 per cent a day. In recent days, it has averaged two per cent a day. This is very encouraging. We are flattening the curve. We are buying ourselves precious time in this fight. I want to thank the overwhelming majority of Australians for doing the right thing. You are saving lives; you are saving livelihoods. But we have to keep up our efforts. Progress can be easily undone, as we have seen in other places around the world. We are only a few days away from Easter, a time that should give us great hope. The message is clear, though: stay home, don't travel, don't go away. We can't let up now. I've said many times we are facing twin crises: the health crisis and an economic one. We must deal with them simultaneously and in real time, and so often they work against each other. But that is the balance we must achieve. Since the parliament last met, we have taken many actions on many fronts. People coming back from overseas now have to self-isolate for 14 days in a designated facility. The national cabinet has further tightened restrictions on public gatherings, and these are taking some time to get used to. We've expanded the coronavirus testing criteria to include people with fever or acute respiratory infection and under key categories. Australians should be very proud that we have one of the most comprehensive testing regimes in the world. We have one of the highest rates of testing in the world. Today some 313,000 tests for the virus have been conducted across Australia. This is more than double the number since we last met. I commend the Minister for Health on his efforts in this respect. Since the parliament last met, we have strengthened the preparedness of our hospitals and are working with the states to triple our ICU capacity. We've changed medical indemnity rules to encourage retired health workers to return to practice. We're supporting up to 20,000 registered nurses to get online training to better prepare them to deliver care in high-dependency and intensive care units. We have finalised a historic partnership with private hospitals, ensuring that over 30,000 hospital beds and 105,000 skilled workers are mobilised to work in conjunction with the public hospital sector. The government will guarantee the viability of all 657 private and not-for-profit hospitals across Australia through these challenging times, because we need them. To preserve critical resources, we've acted to suspend all non-urgent elective surgery. Of course, we know many Australians still need to see their doctor during this time—and they should—and need to get the medicines they depend on for their health. So we've expanded Medicare subsidised telehealth services and we've given extra incentives for GPs and other health practitioners so that their practices can stay open for face-to-face services where needed. We know Indigenous Australians are at great risk from COVID-19, and we are making $123 million available for targeted measures to assist Indigenous communities and businesses. We're supporting those Australians with a disability through the efforts of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. We've taken action against those who would seek to profiteer from the health crisis by buying goods like face masks, hand sanitisers and medicines and reselling them at big mark-ups or exporting them in bulk overseas. It's not on. These products should be for Australians first and foremost. We've invested an initial $74 million for mental health support. And, to counter the great risk from domestic violence, we have committed an additional $150 million to support Australians experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence. While we have continued to build our national medical stockpile all this time, over 30 million masks have arrived in just recent days, with great help from groups like the Minderoo Foundation, with more than 500 million masks on order and domestic production also underway. Our government has moved decisively to address the economic storm that also confronts us. This is the greatest economic crisis to afflict the world in many generations. We have responded with the biggest economic lifeline in Australia's history, which we will consider today. I want to thank the Treasurer for his leadership as these measures have been brought together—working together, I should say also, with the treasurers of the states and territories around the country on so many other measures. So far, more than 200,000 additional jobseeker claims have been finalised over the past few weeks, with the COVID-19 supplement doubling our safety net support. Thousands of extra workers have been recruited into the public cause to ensure we can move through the claims still outstanding as quickly as possible. Today, we will put before the parliament our JobKeeper package. JobKeeper will keep Australians in jobs and it will keep the businesses that employ those Australians in business, both now and into the future. The $130 billion economic lifeline will provide payments of $1,500 per fortnight to an estimated six million eligible workers through their employer. As of yesterday afternoon, over 700,000 businesses have registered for this support, and this number continues to grow. This payment is the equivalent of around 70 per cent of the national median wage. For workers in accommodation, hospitality and retail services—some of the most affected by this economic crisis—it equates to a full median replacement wage. We also have extended the partner pay income test for those on jobseeker; the partner test has been changed from around $48,000 to just over $79,000. As well, we want those working with children, and particularly our essential workers, to have confidence in their childcare arrangements. The government is providing business continuity payments to support childcare services to stay open. This means around one million Australian families will be able to receive free child care. The investment complements the more than $1 billion the government expects the sector to receive through the JobKeeper payment. Managing our workforce is a critical part of keeping the economy going. We have announced changes to temporary visa holders, including for international students, temporary skilled visa holders and working holiday-makers. We are also relaxing the visa conditions for our Seasonal Worker Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme so that participants can stay for up to one more year. This is essential for our agriculture sector, which, for the first time in a long time, is seeing rain. These extensions are subject, of course, to labour market testing, allowing local jobseekers, Australians, the opportunity for work. The government knows many Australian businesses are under pressure, and we won't allow a fire sale of Australian businesses to foreign interests. The Treasurer has announced temporary changes to the foreign investment review framework to protect Australia's national interest. This means all proposed foreign investments will now require approval, regardless of the value or nature of the foreign investor. With businesses and families under stress, the national cabinet has agreed to a moratorium on evictions over the next six months for commercial and residential tenancies in financial distress. Yesterday, the national cabinet agreed that states and territories would implement, legislate and regulate a mandatory code of conduct for commercial tenancies, which includes retail, office and industrial properties. The code sets out the good faith leasing principles for these tenancies. It means that businesses will be able to emerge on the other side and start trading again, not weighed down by disabling debts that would otherwise keep their doors closed forever. We are all in this together. I know that some families, coming into this health and economic crisis, were already doing it incredibly tough. That's why we are providing an additional $200 million to help vulnerable Australians pay bills and pay for food, clothing and petrol. Additionally, we are providing almost $60 million to assist older Australians with food and other essential items. To mobilise the full resources and talent of the private sector behind our national mission, we have established the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission under the leadership of Nev Power. I thank all of those commissioners for their service. This is about government and the private sector working together to solve problems for our nation. All the measures I have detailed today are measures that we have announced in recent weeks, since we last met. We have a long way to go. Through the actions we have taken to date, we have bought Australia valuable time to chart a way out over the next six months. But there are no guarantees, and it could well take far longer. Our country will look different on the other side, but Australians will always be Australians. We have navigated the road in, and we can now see some encouraging signs. We do stand in a place today far better than most nations around the world because of the efforts of all Australians. We've been flattening the curve, buying more time—time other countries haven't had; and we have seen the devastating effects on those nations and their people—preparing our health system for the challenges to come, putting in place the big economic lifeline and the buffers for Australians in what, for so many, will be their toughest ever year, 2020. We are charting the road through. We are all in. Our institutions are strong. Our people are strong. Australia is strong and will continue to be strong. We will respond to this challenge. We are up for the fight. We will pay the price needed to protect our sovereignty, and we will chart our way out. We will get through this together, Australia.
05.05.2020	Morrison	Prime Minister Australia and New Zealand are committed to introducing a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone as soon as it is safe to do so, Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister the Hon Scott Morrison MP have announced. The Prime Ministers agreed to commence work on a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone – easing travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand. Such an arrangement would be put in place once it is safe to do so and necessary health, transport and other protocols had been developed and met, to ensure the protection of public health. This arrangement recognises that Australia and New Zealand are both successfully addressing the spread of COVID-19. Any arrangement would need to take into account state and territory movement restrictions. “Building on our success so far in responding to COVID-19, continuing to protect Australians and New Zealanders remains an absolute priority,” the Prime Ministers said. “We will remain responsive to the health situation as it develops.” The Prime Ministers welcomed the early interest of business leaders and other stakeholders in a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone. Officials would work closely with these groups, including the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, as planning developed further. “A trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone would be mutually beneficial, assisting our trade and economic recovery, helping kick-start the tourism and transport sectors, enhancing sporting contacts, and reuniting families and friends. “We need to be cautious as we progress this initiative. Neither country wants to see the virus rebound so it’s essential any such travel zone is safe. Relaxing travel restrictions at an appropriate time will clearly benefit both countries and demonstrates why getting on top of the virus early is the best strategy for economic recovery,” the Prime Ministers said. The Prime Ministers noted they had worked closely together on Australia’s and New Zealand’s respective border settings since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Each country had allowed the other’s citizens to transit on their way home, and to enter the other country if they ordinarily lived there. These measures reflected Australia and New Zealand’s special relationship, our Single Economic Market agenda, and the long history of freedom of movement between the two countries. “Our relationship is one of family – and our unique travel arrangement means we have a head-start for when it is time to get trans-Tasman travel flowing again,” the Prime Ministers said. “Once we have established effective travel arrangements across the Tasman, we will also explore opportunities to expand the concept to members of our broader Pacific family, enabling travel between Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island countries. We will work with interested Pacific countries on parameters and arrangements to manage the risks.”
26.05.2020	Morrison	PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you very much Sabra. I begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, their elders past, present, and those who are emerging. Can I also acknowledge any servicemen and women and veterans who may be joining us today either here or through the broadcast and can I simply say to you, thank you for your service. A year ago I said: “How good is Australia” and “how good are Australians.” And over the past year, Australians have proved this time and again. We are an amazing country. A view shared by all of my Government, I’m sure all of the parliament, my colleagues here with me today, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Leader of the Government in the Senate, my many colleagues, we believe this passionately. Australians have stood up, Australians are proving once again that we are capable of doing extraordinary things, but in a very Australian way. I am thankful for the many sacrifices Australians have made to get us to this point. But I am also grateful at a personal level for the time taken by those to share their experiences directly with me during this crisis. Almost 100,000 Australians have written to me in the past couple of months. So many have suffered and they continue to hurt, right here and right now - lost jobs, reduced hours, seeing their family businesses shut, having to close those doors, or retirement incomes shrink. Loved ones kept apart. It has been a time of great uncertainty as Australians have had to come to terms with the sudden and profound changes happening to their lives. Greg is a chef with six kids in Sydney, he wrote to me about his business suffering from the restrictions, saying that everything he has worked for is at risk. Sue from Jimbooma, told me that other than a first home owners grant, she had never received a cent from the government. JobKeeper has saved her business, she said, and she just wanted to say thank you. Anthony, not the one you’re thinking of, but quite genuinely Anthony from Western Australia, he sent me his wedding photo. His wife of 50 years had just passed away. He said his wife “was the most caring person you could ever meet” and he was absolutely heartbroken that he couldn’t give her the send-off she deserved. Of all the things, of all the decisions we have taken, that was undoubtedly the hardest. And I received an email from three children in Western Australia that completely floored me, heir father is terminally ill. They told me they understood their Dad’s funeral would have to be small. They wanted me to know they were ok with that - because it will help keep the hospitals available for other patients with cancers and diseases. That’s incredible, our people are amazing. And there was Rebhecca, a young woman, who is also terminally ill and sent me a handwritten letter, just wanting to let me know she was praying for me every day. And then there’s Thai, from Traralgon and he wrote this “we just need someone to fire the starter’s gun on the economy. Someone to say, ‘on your marks, get set, go’. I’ve got good news. Today I want to talk about that recovery. Because that is what millions of Australians are now relying on. And there is reason to hope. Australia is weathering this storm better than many and better than most. Indeed, together with a handful of nations we have led the world in this response. Our response has followed a clear plan to save lives and save livelihoods, with strong and coordinated leadership across all governments, brought together through the innovation of the National Cabinet. Firstly in that plan, fight the virus and save lives. On the health front this has meant closing our borders early, imposing strict isolation and quarantine for returning Australians, introducing tough social distancing rules and reluctantly having to close business. We built up our medical stockpiles of masks and medicines, we tripled the critical care capacity in our hospitals getting the respirators our hospitals need, and our testing regime led the world. We built a health detective workforce to track and trace every case, now supported by the more than 6 million Australians who have downloaded the COVIDSafe App. This decisive response has helped Australia to suppress the virus and avoid the scale of devastation, infection, and death seen in many other countries around the world. We should not downplay this, this achievement and pretend like the risk never existed, or that our preparations or our precautions were unwarranted. Let me assure you, Australia, the risk was great and uncertain and it still is. Countries like ours, developed sophisticated economies with strong health systems, have experienced death rates more than 100 times what we have experienced here in Australia. The fact our worst case scenarios have not not been realised is cause for great relief, not apathy. Second, we have bought ourselves precious time in our plan – not just to build up health system response capacity, but to put in place the economic lifelines needed to cushion the cruel economic blow of the virus. JobKeeper, JobSeeker and our business cash flow measures, the stimulus payments to other beneficiaries and pensioners, have provided the vital economic bridge for so many businesses and workers. There are more than 5 million Australians directly benefiting from these payments. At a now anticipated direct cost of more than $150 billion in just six months, all borrowed, all of it, against future tax revenue. These supports can only be temporary. It was William Green, the leader of the American Federation of Labour who said during the Great Depression in 1934: “we cannot indefinitely support one sixth of our population on money borrowed against future taxes”. That was a Labour leader in the Great Depression. With tangible success on the health front and economic lifelines now in place, we have now embarked on the next stage of our plan and that is to reopen our economy. The National Cabinet’s three-step plan for a COVID safe Australia is now being implemented and great progress is being made. It is anticipated that all three steps will be completed across the country in time in July. According to Treasury, this three-step plan will see some 850,000 jobs ultimately restored once the full impacts are realised in the months that follow. Success in this current phase will certainly not be easy. It cannot be assumed as we go through this process. It will not be business as usual. Opening up will be harder than closing down. We will all have to have to retrain, to live and work in a way that creates a sustainable COVIDSafe economy and society as you are indeed doing here today. SafeWork Australia is providing the tools to help businesses and employees alike to make these changes. All of us are in uncharted territory. There will be inconsistencies, there will be frustrations. There will be trial, there will be error. During this time we can also sadly expect unemployment and underemployment to rise before it falls. Debt and deficits to rise sharply, as costs rise and revenues fall. This will test our confidence and our resolve. That is why the reopening of our economy must be followed by a concerted effort to create momentum and to rebuild confidence. This will provide the platform to reset our economy for growth over the next three to five years, as Australia and the world emerges from this crisis. The overwhelming priority of this reset will be to win the battle for jobs. The Budget later this year, which the Treasurer will bring down, will play an important part in this reset. The backdrop for that Budget will be one of the starkest our country has seen. The most challenging domestic and global economic environment we have faced outside of wartime. But we should remember that this event, these difficult times were not caused by economic failure, but a global health pandemic. The problem was not the economy. And we should be encouraged that we have restored jobs and rebalanced our Budget before. Prior to the COVID crisis, more than 1.5 million jobs had been created right across the country, as we had promised, and the Budget had been restored to balance from chronic deficits. Our biggest gains were made by females in our workforce, who have been particularly impacted I should stress by this crisis. Female workforce participation rose to record levels and the gender pay gap fell to record lows. So Australia, we have done this before and we can do it again, together. Our confidence is building, with consumer confidence climbing back 80 per cent in the past eight weeks off the dramatic fall. We must start though by working together, and this is where we start, by restoring the jobs that have been lost. We need a JobMaker plan for a new generation of economic success, that can guarantee the essentials that Australians rely on. As we reset for growth, our JobMaker plan will be guided by principles that we as Liberals and Nationals have always believed in, to secure Australia’s future and put people first in our economy. Firstly, we will remain in Australia an outward-looking, open and sovereign trading economy. We will not retreat into the downward spiral of protectionism. To the contrary, we will continue to be part of global supply chains that can deliver the prosperity we rely on to create jobs, support incomes and build businesses. Our economic sovereignty will be achieved by ensuring our industries are highly competitive, resilient and able to succeed in a global market. Not by protectionism. While a trading nation, we will never trade away our values or our future for short-term gain. With trade, alliance and other partners we will work to establish and maintain the balance needed for peace and stability in our region that upon which everyone’s prosperity depends. Secondly, is the principle of caring for country, a principle that indigenous Australians have practiced for tens of thousands of years. It means responsible management and stewardship of what has been left to us, to sustainably manage that inheritance for current and future generations. We must not borrow from generations in the future, from what we cannot return. This is as true for our environmental, cultural and natural resources as it is for our economic and financial ones. Governments therefore must live within their means, so we don’t impose impossible debt burdens on future generations that violates that important caring for country principle. Thirdly, we must seek to leverage and build on our strengths. An educated and highly-skilled workforce that supports not just a thriving and innovative services sector, but a modern, competitive and advanced manufacturing sector. Resources and agricultural sectors that can both fuel and feed large global populations, including our own, and support vibrant rural and regional communities. I know the Deputy Prime Minister would agree thoroughly. A financial system that has proved to be one of the most stable and resilient in the world. World leading scientists, medical specialists, researchers and technologists. An emerging space sector. And so much more. Fourthly, we must always ensure that there is the opportunity in Australia for those who have a go, to get a go. This is our Australian way. Access to essential services, incentive for effort, respect for the principles of mutual obligation. Ensuring equal opportunities for those in rural and regional communities to be the same as those in our cities and our suburbs. All translated into policies that seek not to punish those who have success, but devise ways for others to achieve it. And then there’s the fifth principle, what I like to call the Sir Peter Blake principle, I spoke to Jacinda Ardern this morning, doing what makes the boat go faster. Now, my colleagues are very familiar with this principle. Many years ago I worked in New Zealand, where I looked after the Government’s then engagement with Team New Zealand 2000 America’s Cup Defence. Team New Zealand, led by the late Sir Peter Blake, was competing in one of the richest sporting events in the world. The biggest sponsors, enormous global media investments, broadcast rights, high tech sport like you’ve never seen. You would think no expense spared by any team in that great quest. But early on I learned the key to Team New Zealand’s success. At one of our early meetings we met at their headquarters in Auckland, there was a fella called Alan Sefton who was their head of their corporate operations, and we sat on, around on rickety old chairs nd there was this scuffed up table, the office looked like it had been saved from demolition. I noted the surroundings, and Alan responded by saying that in Team New Zealand you only ask one question - “What makes the boat go faster?”. Those chairs wasn’t going to make any difference, nor their accommodations. And their united and focussed effort brought a whole country together, not just the team. And they won and so can we. This health and economic crisis has reminded us of just how much we depend on a strong and growing economy for our jobs, for our incomes, for our health and education services, our safety, our security, our social safety net of which we’re so proud. To strengthen and grow our economy, the boats we need to go faster are the hundreds of thousands of small, and medium and large businesses that make up our economy and create the value upon which everything else depends. Value created by establishing successful products and services, the ability to be able to sell them at a competitive and profitable price and into growing and sustainable markets. It’s economics 101. That’s what happens in a sustainable and successful job making market economy. Now, it is true that in the short term, demand stimulus by government can boost your economy. And that the Treasurer and I together with the Cabinet have supported this as an emergency response. But it must only be temporary. At some point you’ve got to get your economy out of ICU. You’ve got to get it off the medication before it becomes too accustomed to it. We must enable our businesses to earn Australia’s way out of this crisis. And that means focussing on the things that can make their businesses go faster. The skilled labour businesses need to draw on, the affordable and reliable energy they need, the research and technology they can draw on and utilise, the investment capital and finance that they can access, the markets they can connect to, the economic infrastructure that supports and connects them, the amount of government regulation they must comply with, and the amount and the efficiency of the taxes they must pay, in particular whether such taxes encourage them to invest and to employ. Now that is the change agenda of our JobMaking plan, to enable Australia to emerge from this crisis and set up Australia for economic success over the next three to five years. Skills, industrial relations, energy and resources, higher education, research and science, open banking, the digital economy, trade, manufacturing, infrastructure and regional development, deregulation and federation reform, a tax system to support jobs and investment. Now the challenges are enormous and you’ll be pleased to know I’m not going to go through all of those this afternoon. But wherever possible, I can assure you of this, I will seek to bring people together to define and achieve the change we need to in all of these areas. And today I just want to focus on just two areas - skills and industrial relations. I will address the many other components of our JobMaker plan in the weeks and months ahead, as we proceed to the Budget in October. A process that is one of patiently putting each brick in the wall. This will occur simultaneously with managing the ongoing pandemic, let’s not lose sight of that, and addressing the right here, right now, needs of Australians who continue to be severely impacted. So on skills, we need Australians better trained for the jobs businesses are looking to create because that’s important. Off the back of the Joyce Review and my conversations with Premiers and Chief Ministers, and of course the Minister for Skills Michaelia Cash is here today, we can bring these matters to the fore in coming months in the name of creating jobs. At a federal level, we are focusing on three key issues. Firstly, the complexity of a system that is clunky and unresponsive to skills demands. Ask any business, they will tell you that. The lack of clear information about what those skills needs are, now and into the future to guide training and funding, ask any student and their parents about what they think about the system and whether they are getting value out of it and they’ll tell you. A funding system marred by inconsistencies and incoherence, with little accountability back to any results. Currently, the average timeframe to develop or update training products is 18 months, with a third taking over two years to update. For prospective students, the large number of choices that they face for qualifications can be bewildering and overwhelming. Compounded by a lack of visibility over the quality of training providers and the employment outcomes for those courses. There are over 1,400 qualifications on offer and almost 17,000 units of competency. There is also substantial variation in fees for students depending on which state they are in. For example, in 2019, a student undertaking Certificate III in Blinds, Awning and Security Screens received a subsidy of $3,726 in Queensland, $9,630 in New South Wales and no subsidy in Victoria unless the qualification is taken as an apprenticeship. Now, I’m not making any comment on each of the individual measures but there is a wide variety. Subsidies for a Diploma of Nursing in 2017 varied between $19,963 in Western Australia and $8,218 in Queensland. And all of this is before the question surrounding the quality of that training is addressed. No surprise then that state-subsidised students in Queensland incur VSL debts that are on average more than double that of NSW subsidised students. It is no wonder that when faced with this complexity, many potential students default to the university system, even if their career could be best enhanced through vocational education. I want those trade and skills jobs to be aspired to, not looked down upon or seen as a second best option, it is a first best option. To address this challenge, we have embarked on a series of Skills Organisation Pilots they are designed to give industry the opportunity to shape the training system to be more responsive to their skills needs and take responsibility for qualification development. Industries defining the quals. Three pilots have been established - in human services, digital technologies and mining - and they have already begun to show the benefits of this system. We need to move forward on many, many more. The human services pilot was actually used to lead development of a national skill set to help boost the aged care and disability support workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery phase and this work was delivered much faster than under the old arrangements that were progressed under the previous VET schemes. The National Skills Commission has been established under Adam Boyton’s leadership, and will now provide detailed labour market analysis, including an annual report each year setting out the skill needs of Australia, replacing those existing lists for apprenticeships and skilled migration. This will be supplemented by the publication of closer to real time data on the labour market drawing on emerging data sets, such as single-touch payroll, to flag emerging skills shortages and other labour market trends and pressures. The Commissioner’s analysis is what will also help, this is important, students with their career and training choices via the National Careers Institute (NCI), by giving them the most accurate and comprehensive data on where skills gaps and jobs are. Equipping employers, equipping employees, equipping students and their families. Information from the National Skills Commission will be publicly available and should inform government and private investment in the system, including VET subsidies and a new national skills funding agreement. All comes back to money. The current National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development between the states and the Commonwealth is fundamentally flawed and it has to change. By law, the Commonwealth must hand over to the states and territories $1.5 billion every year in untied funding every year – with no end date and no questions asked. The Commonwealth has no line of sight on how states use this funding. The agreement has also been ineffective in maintaining state investment in these schemes. VET funding across all jurisdictions with the exception of Tasmania – has fallen by 25 per cent on average over the past decade in real terms, on a working age per capita basis. So it’s time to make some changes. Better linking funding to actual forward looking skills needs, based on what businesses need. Simplifying the system, reducing distortions and achieving greater consistency between jurisdictions, and between VET and universities. Increasing funding and transparency and performance monitoring. Taxpayers, students and employers should know where the money is going. And better coordinate the subsidies, loans and other sources of funding, we’ve got to make the valuable support that is provided is going where it needs to go. Now, our national hospital agreement actually provides a good model for the changes that I would like to advance. Incorporating national efficient pricing and activity based funding models would be a real step forward. And this is a system I’ve made very clear to Premiers and Chief Ministers that my Government would be prepared to invest more in, but throwing more money into a bad system doesn not get you results. Now, on industrial relations. I’ve been genuinely heartened by the constructive approach of employers, employees, business groups and unions working together with the ACTU through this crisis to find practical solutions to keeping Australians in jobs. We now need to turn that into cooperation to create even more jobs, especially during this all important recovery phase. Our current system is not fit-for-purpose, especially given the scale of the jobs challenge that we now face as a nation. Our industrial relations system has settled into a complacency of unions seeking marginal benefits and employers closing down risks, often by simply not employing anyone. The system has lost sight of its purpose - to get the workplace settings right, so the enterprise, the business can succeed, so everybody can fairly benefit from their efforts and their contributions. It is a system that has to date retreated to tribalism, conflict and ideological posturing. No side of that debate has been immune from those maladies. This will need to change or more Australians will unnecessarily lose their jobs and more Australians will be kept out of jobs. The first step is to get everyone back in the room. To bring people together. That’s our job. And in particular, that’s my job. No one side has all the answers, employees or employers. Unions or employer organisations. It is not beyond Australians to put aside differences to find cooperative solutions to specific problems, especially at a time like this. The extent of the damage wrought by Covid-19 on the Australian economy, and the enormity of the challenge we now face to get Australians back into jobs, means the policy priorities for recovery will be different to those in place before this crisis. We now have a shared opportunity to fix systemic problems and to realise gains as a matter of urgency to get more people back into work. Now, beginning immediately, the Minister for Industrial Relations, the Attorney-General, Christian Porter will lead a new, time-bound, dedicated process bringing employers, industry groups, employee representatives and government to the table to chart a practical reform agenda, a job making agenda, for Australia’s industrial relations system. The Minister will chair five working groups for discussion, negotiation and, hopefully, agreement to produce that JobMaker package in the following areas. Award simplification, what most small and medium sized businesses deal with with their employees every single day. Enterprise agreement making. We’ve got to get back to the basics. Casuals and fixed term employees, made even more prescient by recent changes through the Fair Work Commission. Compliance and enforcement. People should be paid properly and unions need to obviously do the right thing, as must employers. Greenfields agreements for new enterprises, where the new investment will go and the certainty is needed more so than ever. Membership of each group will include employer and union representatives, as well as individuals chosen based on their demonstrated experience and expertise and that will include especially small businesses, rural and regional backgrounds, multicultural communities, women and families. This process, as I said, will be time-bound and is expected to run through to September. We must make the most of this time we have and we must move quickly. It will become apparent very quickly if progress is to be made. The working groups will either reach something approaching a consensus on issues or they won’t. But we’ve got to give it a go. Participation in the groups is being invited without prejudice to their positions. Ultimately it will be though the Government that will take forward a job making agenda from this process. The purpose is simple and honest, to explore, and hopefully find, a pathway to sensible, long-lasting reform with just one goal - make jobs. To maximise the opportunity for a genuine course of negotiation, and compromise and cooperation that is vital to create jobs and chart an economic path back to what is mutually beneficial prosperity; in good faith we’ve decided that the government will not pursue a further vote in the Senate on its Ensuring Integrity Bill. Not pursuing a further vote though, I hasten to caution, on this Bill, does not reflect any change or lack of commitment to the principle that lawful behaviour of registered organisations should be strictly required on all work sites in Australia. The government maintains its complete lack of tolerance for the kinds of behaviour we have particularly seen from the CFMMEU on Australian construction sites in recent years. It’s not only illegal, it’s costing jobs. Given how critical the construction sector will be to the task of rebuilding the Australian economy, the government remains committed to ensuring the law breaking stops. We are committed to ensuring that this happens in the simplest, fairest and most effective statutory form possible, which we will consider going forward. But our first, the here and now priority, what we have to do right now, is to take this opportunity to work together through a genuine good faith process to get some real outcomes, to make the jobs that Australia needs. Now in conclusion, businesses and workers are innovating their way through this crisis. Doctors are now prescribing online like never before, many workers I suspect will continue to work from home where it works for them and their employer, cafes and pubs are plotting out safe distances for their customers to dine, distilleries are making hand sanitiser. Now, many of these innovations will stay, some will change, and others will come along. But our JobMaker agenda will harness and support that innovation and the partnerships that are now being created. We will get Australians back to work. We will restore our nation’s finances. We will continue to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on. Because we have done it before and we will do it again, and we will do it together. Together we are facing down this crisis as Australians and we are doing so as a successful, vibrant and liberal democracy. Open and transparent, just and fair, noble and compassionate, never willing to sacrifice the most vulnerable. This is our greatest strength. How good is Australia! Thank you very much.

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