The government is reporting manageable COVID-19 hospitalisations
If you want to avoid being the topic of gossip then get back to work, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned, in his latest attempt to lure employees back to their offices. The prime minister stressed that getting back into the workplace is essential, especially for the youth who need to learn about their jobs firsthand.
"I think that, for young people in particular, it is really essential,” he explained. “If you're going to learn on the job, you can't just do it on Zoom. You've got to be able to come in and know what everyone else is talking about, otherwise you're going to be gossiped about and you're going to lose out. You need to be there, you need to have the stimulus of exchange and competition."
The PM added that the plan to regain a sense of normalcy among the public was "right" based on recent COVID-19 data.
"But the data I see at the moment is very clear that we are right to stick to Plan A,” The Independent quoted him as saying. “That means opening up, but always continuing to do sensible things like washing your hands, having ventilation and making sure you’re sensible.”
Data from the official government portal revealed that there are over 35,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the UK as of October 4. Despite this, the number of patients admitted is only around 700 people as of September 28. With the statistics and Johnson's call to get back to the workplace, an impression that the pandemic is on the way out is emerging - one that the prime minister cautioned about.
"We've got to be humble in the face of nature and we've got to recognise that the disease or a new variant or another pandemic could always hit us," he said.
Read more: Boris Johnson upbeat on first day back to work
But are all of Johnson's staff already back at their desks? The prime minister answered no. He admitted that not 100% of his staff have gone back to the workplace, but he said that the Cabinet Secretary has rolled out a letter urging workers to "get back to their desks."
Various reports have said that the prime minister intends to use his Conservative Party conference speech to lure workers back to offices. This is despite various warnings from advisers against the plan, Daily Mail reported, citing the situation last year where calls to get back to the workplace were ruined due to the second COVID-19 wave. Advisors said that working from home is the best way to manage the spread of the virus. The government is currently pushing through its plan of leaving the decision to employers, who should encourage the gradual return to workplaces.
