The British public is staying home despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently easing lockdown restrictions, according to a new study by King’s College London.
“The UK government’s advice may have shifted to ‘stay alert’, but it’s the ‘stay at home’ message that the public are continuing to follow,” Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, said.
The study showed that one in seven adults surveyed did not leave their home once in the previous week and 41% of people did not leave their home for five or more of the past seven days.
These numbers show “the seriousness with which the public are still treating the Covid-19 crisis,” Duffy said.
More people are also wearing face masks, according to the study which showed that the number of people wearing them has doubled from six weeks ago.
“Compared with six weeks ago, compliance remains very high and virtually unchanged” for measures such as social distancing and hand washing, the study said.
Some context: Prime Minister Johnson said on Thursday that Britain will begin lifting restrictions starting Monday in a phased approach.
The relaxation comes after the death rate in the UK has fallen consistently. From a peak of 943 deaths on April 14, the UK announced 256 coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday — a significant but diminishing toll.
CNN