UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, outlines new coronavirus restrictions as he speaks in parliament
- Schools, colleges, and universities will stay open
- This is by no means a return to the full lockdown in March
- Businesses can stay open in a compliant way
- Office workers who can work from home should do so
- From Thursday, all pubs, bars, and restaurants must operate a table service only
- They must close at 10pm, this applies to all hospitality venues
- Businesses will be fined if they breach the rules
- Maximum of 15 people can attend weddings now
- We should assume unless there is progress, the restrictions go on for 6 months
As far as restrictions go, these aren't really that harsh all things considered. In some countries, these are even standard protocol over the last few months. But again, this is more to do with managing public expectations and trying to find a 'new normal'.
Johnson says that they could introduce greater restrictions if this does not work but so far they have been rather reluctant to jeopardise the economy for the most part.
Let's see if this will be enough to strike a balance between addressing the health crisis and keeping the economy running at its current pace.
The mention of restrictions lasting up to 6 months is chipping away at the pound a little as cable falls to 1.2820 from around 1.2840 levels when he started speaking.