Boris Johnson risks giving people the green light to socialise and jeopardising the gains made by the coronavirus lockdown in dropping the “stay home” slogan, a scientist advising the British Government has said.
Behavioural expert Professor Susan Michie, who is a member of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), said Mr Johnson’s new messaging is “a long way” from being clear and consistent.
The British Prime Minister is dropping his “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” slogan in favour of “stay alert, control the virus and save lives” as he seeks to get people back to work.
Everyone has a role to play in helping to control the virus by staying alert and following the rules.
This is how we can continue to save lives as we start to recover from coronavirus.#StayAlert pic.twitter.com/2z9yl1Fxs4
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 10, 2020
But leaders in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have said they will not use the new message, which they were not consulted over.
Mr Johnson gave more detail on the new advice, saying people should “stay at home as much as possible” and “limit contact with other people”.
But Prof. Michie was clear about just how important the main slogan is for guiding the public’s behaviour.
