Why is everyone rushing back to work this morning?

[Nb89]

It's being reported London buses are rammed when they've been relatively quiet until now.
Why have people rushed back yo work today regardless of the guidelines?

Many will go back today, tomorrow, wed, all companies other than those closed Ie hospitality etc, will be open in the next couple of weeks.

Boris said from today people should go back to work if they can’t work from home. So I imagine employers have called their employees back to work. Boris also said drive or cycle if you can, but he didn’t say don’t use public transport. For some people this is the only way to get to work. The vast majority of us need to work so that’s what people have done because the government have told to go back. It’s not their fault if they can’t drive there. I’m not at all surprised about the packed buses.

All this, and no childcare?!

The guidance was always, provided you didn’t work in a business mandated to close (restaurants, hairdressers etc) you could continue to go to work if you couldn’t work from home, as long as you could follow social distancing and other health and safety guidelines.

I’m not sure what’s changed unless they are now saying you should go even if you can’t socially distance .

The expression 'actively encouraged' is key. Employers still need to comply with existing health and safety in the workplace legislation. How many workplaces are already 'COVID-safe', when the standard hasn't even yet been published and which surely can only be arrived at by thorough risk assessment processes on a workplace-by-workplace basis.

Just watch the R number go above 1 again in a fortnight ...what a fucking disaster

Because the message wasn't clear enough. Either through unbelievable incompetence from the government or an ongoing herd immunity strategy where they can blame the public for not following what they meant.

Expect a 2nd peak in the next 2-3 weeks.

I can't work from home, and my shop is not allowed to open yet. I'm selling a bit from my website, but not enough to live on.

Seems to be June for non essential shop reopening - which would be great, but I think we'll be well into the second peak by then, so my shop will have to remain closed.

Wonder if the R rate will keep falling

@biscuit101 - believe it or not, there are huge numbers of workers who don't need childcare

I just think that the UK are just not disciplined enough to handle lockdown for longer periods of time.

Only those who cannot work from home should be looking to go back in, those who can WFH should continue to do so.

And the ones who need to travel by public transport to get to work?

It's being reported London buses are rammed

where was this reported?
I don't live near London, true. An empty bus just went by house, though, like all of last 7 weeks.

I suspect there's be a spike in two weeks anyway as a result of the VE day parties.

What a fucking disaster. Watch the level raise to 5 in the next few weeks and we’ll be on lockdown again. Why can’t people use taxis the ones with the Perex Glass to protect the driver? It’s not like there’s a shortage of taxis..

But it is ok, it will be cleared up on the daily Coronavirus update today with prerecorded questions from the public and friendly journalists only......... oh wait a minute there isn't one scheduled....

Where is the government? Obviously in hiding.

People just don't want to go to work, that's the problem. They want to stay at home on 80% pay forever. Our economy will not survive if we don't start to open businesses. People know the rules on social distancing and should be following them, whilst going to work.

@Gawdsake2020 are you being serious? Who can afford to pay for a taxi twice a day, 5 days a week?

Well my DH line manager rang him last night pleased it was "all over" and they can all get back to it...There won't be any tolerance of naysayers, he'd just lose his job.There's absolutely NO likelihood of social distancing where he works. Their proper boss definitely falls into the shielded group, but is insisting on going in anyway. It'll be a shitshow.

I think this will be the situation for many. I know some on MN get overdramatic about the virus, but I don't think it's overstating the case to say that people are going to die because of Johnson's decision.

One woman text into a TV breakfast show this morning to say her niece is on bus, in London, on her way to work and it's rammed (as some other posters have pointed out). The niece said the bus has been empty for weeks so this is obviously because of Boris's train wreck of a briefing - 10 minutes couldn't be much 'briefer'.

The reason she's been using the buses these past few weeks is that she's a key NHS worker...at a Covid hospital. She'll have to take the return journey tonight. On a packed bus.

You couldn't make it up.

To answer the question in the OP :
To pay rent / mortgage/ eat / keep their jobs.
It's quite simple . I can only imagine the OP has enough money to pay for these things indefinitely if she needs to ask this question.

I don't think it's overstating the case to say that people are going to die because of Johnson's decision.

sorry, need to correct that:

I don't think it's overstating the case to say that thousands more people are going to die because of Johnson's latest decision.

Where is this being reported?

I live in london and have heard nothing of the sort, it would be all over the news and twitter if the busses are rammed?

I work in an office
I can't work from home
I get no govt assistance
The second my employer tells me to come in I will be there

The economy needs to rebuild, people need to earn money to feed their families, employers need their business to function again to avoid job cuts or worse complete closure. The government cant afford and the country as a whole cant afford for people to stay off longer. Many in the construction trade are self employed THEY NEED TO WORK! Many haven't had a penny since lockdown started. Of course they are going back to work if they can