Coronavirus: Government could drop two-metre distancing rule in lockdown exit plan

But businesses set to keep staff working from home for several months

A potential exit strategy from the UK’s coronavirus lockdown could see the two-metre social distancing rule relaxed, as ministers have asked the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to further probe the need for such a measure.

Questions over the two-metre rule have been raised by numerous ministers, The Daily Telegraph reported, amid discussions about whether such distancing is an effective tool in fighting the spread of coronavirus, and how and when to safely bring the country out of the lockdown.

Following his absence from Downing Street in order to recover from Covid-19, Boris Johnson, the prime minister, said on his return to work that the government would be setting out a “roadmap” next week with plans on how schools and businesses could safely reopen.

“What you are going to get next week is really a road map, a menu of options. The dates and times of each individual measure will be very much driven by where we are in the epidemic, what the data is really saying and we are getting in a lot more data every day now and in the course of the next few days,” Mr Johnson said on Thursday.

Discussions are understood to be ongoing over whether schools should reopen before the summer holidays or remain closed until September, while business department recommendations are set to be published next week.

But those hoping for a return to office work may find themselves disappointed, the Financial Times reported, with senior government figures telling the FT that many offices will be told to keep their staff working from home for several months, while those businesses that do reopen with staff on site are likely to be told to enforce some kind of social distancing rules.

Other proposals for a potential easing of lockdown restrictions include encouraging commuters to self-monitor their temperatures before using public transport, and recommending the public wear face masks when travelling to and from work.