Go Back To Work To 'Fire Up' Economy, Michael Gove Urges Public
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People should return to work rather than stay at home in order to “fire up” the coronavirus-hit economy, Michael Gove has said.
The Cabinet Office minister confirmed the default ‘work from home where possible’ advice has changed and Boris Johnson’s government wants more people to go back to their factory, shop floor or office.
Speaking on Sunday, Gove admitted, however, that “in some cases it is appropriate” for people to continue working from home.
It comes as the country is facing a deep and prolonged recession, but also amid fears of a second wave of Covid-19 after Leicester was forced into a local lockdown.
Gove also refused to back calls to make face coverings in shops mandatory, saying instead they were “basic good manners”.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he said: “We want to see more people back at work, on the shop floor, in the office, wherever they can be.
“Of course in some cases it is appropriate and convenient for people to work from home, but we want to make sure that where people can add value, where the economy can benefit from people being at work, that they are at work.
“We want to make sure that the economic engines of this country are fired up again and that’s why the chancellor made the series of announcements that he made earlier this week in order to make sure that we are in a position to be able to provide people with safety and security at work, to protect their jobs and to guarantee jobs in the future.”
He also said that wearing a face covering “definitely helps you to help others in enclosed space”.
“Face masks are appropriate in some settings and not in others… wearing a face mask when you are out and about outdoors is significantly less necessary than when you are indoors,” he said.
Speaking later on Sunday on the Andrew Marr Show, he said he would encourage...
