Coronavirus UK: Boris slammed for dropping 'stay at home' in new slogan - Metro.co.uk

The Government’s ‘stay alert’ slogan has been criticised as unclear (Picture: PA)

The Government’s new slogan for tackling the spread of coronavirus has drawn a negative reaction, with many criticising the message as unclear.

Boris Johnson will lay out his ‘road map’ for gradually easing lockdown measures in an address to the nation on Sunday evening. Ahead of the speech, the PM has dropped the well-rehearsed ‘stay at home’ slogan and replaced it for ‘stay alert, control the virus and save lives’.

It comes after a weekend of warm weather saw hundreds ignoring lockdown rules to hold VE day street parties, with the police admitting they are ‘fighting a losing battle’ in London parks with many flocking to them to have picnics and drink in the sun.

The change in slogan has drawn criticism from many who have said it is not clear enough to have an impact on the nation. The hashtag ‘stay alert’ was trending on Twitter this morning, with social media users pointing out that the virus is an ‘invisible threat’ and many sufferers are asymptomatic, adding that paying extra attention won’t be enough to stop people from catching it.

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Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham wrote on Twitter: ‘Feels to me like a mistake to me to drop the clear #StayAtHome message at this particular moment.’

General secretary of the Communication Workers Union, Dave Ward, said: ‘The messaging from this Government throughout this crisis has been a total joke, but their new slogan takes it to a new level.’

He added: ‘Stay alert? It’s a deadly virus not a zebra crossing.’

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Harry Potter author JK Rowling hit out saying: ‘Is Coronavirus sneaking around in a fake moustache and glasses? If we drop our guard, will it slip us a Micky Finn? What the hell is “stay alert” supposed to mean?’

SNP MP for East Renfrewshire Kirsten Oswald MP wrote: ‘Stay Alert? What is that even supposed to mean? It’s a virus. It’s invisible. You can’t avoid Coronavirus by paying extra attention.  #stayalert’.

Boris Johnson has dropped the well-rehearsed slogan using ‘stay at home’ (Picture: PA)

Writer and comedian Adam Kay added that it would be ‘difficult to stay alert to something that’s 0.0001 millimetres in diameter. This pandemic is going to have as many spikes as a coronavirus’.

At 7pm this evening, Mr Johnson is expected to unveil a coronavirus warning system which will detect increases in infection rates in localised areas, with the view to locally alter restrictions in England.

It is understood the system will be administered by a new ‘joint biosecurity centre’, with the alerts ranging from green – level one – to red – level five – and the PM is expected to say the nation is close to moving down from four to three.

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Mr Johnson is also planning to urge workers who cannot do their jobs from home to begin returning to their workplaces while following social-distancing rules.

Meanwhile, a scientific adviser to the Government told the Sunday Times that the UK could still suffer more than 100,000 deaths by the end of the year if measures are hastily relaxed, adding: ‘There is very limited room for manoeuvre.’

Police said they are ‘losing a battle’ with people flouting social distancing rules (Picture: @MPSHackney)

The warm weather saw Brits come out in droves over the weekend (Picture: PA)

‘This is the dangerous bit,’ he told The Sun on Sunday, adding that ‘we’ll have to work even harder to get every step right’ now the peak of the virus has passed.

‘You have very few options on the climb up – but it’s on the descent you have to make sure you don’t run too fast, lose control and stumble,’ he added.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF), a body representing officers in London, criticised the Government’s pandemic response as ‘wishy-washy’ amid concerns that the public has begun ignoring lockdown restrictions.

MPF’s Ken Marsh told BBC Radio 4 that authorities ‘needed to be firmer right from the beginning,’ adding: ‘It’s been quite wishy-washy how we’ve gone about it.

‘Had we been very stringent from the off – it is painful, but it’s not overly painful in terms of what you’re actually being asked to do – then I think we would have a better result now.’

More fines are expected to be issued in the new plans (Picture: EPA)

Health officials said they fear Britons are starting to get complacent about the Covid-19 lockdown, after traffic and mobile phone data revealed more people are on the roads and looking for directions.

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Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said on Saturday that ‘there was a little bit of concern’ after the unseasonably warm weather drew big crowds to public spaces.

The PM will chair an emergency Cobra meeting committee with Cabinet ministers, leaders of the devolved nations and London Mayor Sadiq Khan before his 7pm pre-recorded address.

On Monday, the Government will publish a 50-page document outlining the full plan to cautiously re-start the economy to MPs after figures suggested the overall death toll for the UK has surpassed 36,500.

The incoming changes for England were only expected to be very modest, with a lifting the limit of only one form of exercise per day and to permit garden centres to reopen.

But fines for those who fail to abide by the rules will be increased.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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2020-05-10 08:52:08Z
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