James Forsyth James Forsyth

Boris Johnson has a tough decision to make on enforcing social distancing

Schools will close from Friday afternoon as the government steps up its effort to reduce the spike in coronavirus infections, and keep the numbers within the limits that the NHS can deal with. In a sign of how long these measures will go on for, Boris Johnson also announced that this summer’s exams will not go ahead. In an effort to limit the disruption that school closures will cause, some educational establishment will remain open to look after the children of key workers: NHS staff, delivery drivers and the like.

The question for the government now is if you want to do everything to reduce the spike, should the government’s ‘very strong advice’ on social distancing become compulsory? Boris Johnson is, obviously, reluctant to do this. The government telling people when they can leave their house goes against all his political instincts.

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