Thread by @alexwickham

NEW: Britons should get ready for “changes to our way of life and what our country looks like”

— ministers say measures will be extended for months rather than weeks
— lasting from the end of March until at least the summer and “perhaps a lot longer”

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Home-working will become the norm for millions of people for months

— likely that many companies will extend home-working until June at least
— Govt thinks it is difficult to see how football fans will be able to return to stadiums in April and May

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Foreign travel will become extremely difficult from next month, senior ministers believe

— stricter FCO advice
— other nations imposing blanket, unpredictable restrictions
— contingency plans for insurance industry as 100,000s face cancelled holidays

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

No10 internally scathing at Trump response / travel ban

— they think it is irresponsible and based on anti-immigrant politics rather than science, since virus is already widespread through US
— say UK strategy is far more similar to Germany than America

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Ministers urging Boris Johnson to pass laws to radically extend the government’s emergency powers beyond the 30 day time-limit

Civil Contingencies Act limits suspension of rule of law to 30 days

Ministers worried Commons could shut for longer than that

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

One senior minister admitted that the prime minister could be forced to delay the Brexit transition period and said the UK was “almost certain” to enter recession

(yes this was relegated to bullet point *four* of the story)

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Supermarkets absolutely key to UK response

— Ministers considering suspending competition law and waiving carrier bag charges
— and even use army to deliver food to shops
— sixth formers, students & other volunteers enlisted for national campaign to help

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Govt experts fear in worst-case scenario the UK death toll could be much higher than 100,000

— entire strategy is based on avoiding a much worse second wave
— concerns that if there is a sudden spike the NHS simply doesn't have enough beds or ventilators

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Tories are publicly united behind the government approach but ministers admit there is no scientific consensus on what is the right thing to do

— some have doubts about herd immunity
— and fear a “political shitstorm" if they've got it wrong

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

Johnson allies think the Whitty / Vallance press conferences are good at communicating info to the media

— but have concerns the wider public does not understand herd immunity strategy
— fears that people are either not taking it seriously or panicking

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…

One particular area of frustration is NHS 111

— it is severely underperforming, Whitehall officials believe
— No10 exploring how the public can better receive healthcare advice
— including potentially via private tech companies

buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/co…