Digital Next Lockdown Exit Strategy

With lockdown measures now beginning to be relaxed, now is a good time to look at a potential timeline on the exit strategy back to a more progressive world.  So, our team at Digital Next have put together a timeline on UK lockdown, what has happened to the markets, trends in the cryptocurrency world and potential dates for resuming back to full throttle UK.

Lockdown timeline

December 2019
The Covid-19 outbreak starts in Wuhan (China).

January 2020
Heathrow Airport begin screening and first 2 UK patients confirmed.

February 2020
First transmission of Covid-19 in the UK confirmed with restrictions and social distancing advised, along with advice to self-isolate.

15th March 2020
Advice for over-70s to self-isolate, along with voluntary social distancing measures communicated by the Government.

16th March 2020
Advice by the UK government given against all non-essential travel and people told to avoid pubs, cafes and restaurants.

20th March 2020
All pubs, cafes and restaurants close. Furlough scheme announcement.

23rd March 2020
Nationwide lockdown announced with new police powers enforced.

25th March 2020
Coronavirus Act 2020 put in place, giving police unprecedented powers and prohibiting events and gatherings.

26th March 2020
Enforcement comes into place. People no longer allowed to leave their homes unless for the following reasons – shopping for necessities, one hour of exercise per day per person, and essential work vs non essential work made clear.  Fines of £30 in the first instance for people flouting laws are put in place.

27th March 2020
Boris Johnson is diagnosed with Covid-19.

31st March 2020
New police guidelines put in place.

12th April 2020
Boris discharged from hospital.

15th April 2020
Pressure against government to announce lockdown exit strategy.

22nd April 2020
Lockdown amendments made and alert level system communicated.

27th April 2020
Boris back to work at No.10.

7th May 2020
Trial of tracing app implemented on Isle of Wight.

10th May 2020
3-step plan announced for easing lockdown.

So, what’s next and when can offices reopen?

If the coronavirus cases continue to fall, office workers in the UK could be asked to return to work towards the beginning of June.  However, it is important to note that workers can remain working from home if it is possible to do so.

At Digital Next, we are gradually gearing up to return to work. We have recently purchased PPE for staff and are beginning a huge cleaning operation for the office to ensure hygiene standards remain high.

Premiership football and sporting events

With clubs back in training, they are now hoping to return to action on June 12th, embarking on a 92 game plan across a 7-week period, potentially ending on July 27th.

Other guidelines on close contact training and combat sports have now been given the go-ahead.

Eddie Hearn has announced possible lockdown boxing and fight camp

What has this done to financial markets and the price of Bitcoin?

The FTSE 100 has obviously taken a hit, but has slowly been recovering since the start of lockdown.

Meanwhile, the price of Bitcoin has climbed during lockdown.

In summary

It is possible that there will be a lot of activity and progression throughout June and beyond, as people get back to work and the cogs of many different industries begin to turn again. The easing of lockdown is still very dependent on human behaviour and how we adhere to updated guidelines, and a reasonable return date is difficult to estimate for the time being.

The latest updates from the Government suggests that more non-essential shops and retailers could reopen from 15th June, providing they have made the necessary changes to remain safe for staff and customers. Stores could be reopened in phases to enable a safe return.

Dean Finegold, Senior Account Manager at Digital Next, has also suggested some e-commerce clients have actually benefitted from sustained periods at home either working or due to the Government furlough scheme.

“It definitely seems, in some quarters, that the general public are buying more products online, now they have additional time on their hands. A couple of my online clients are actually now budgeting to change their sites from brochure/lead generation to e-commerce in an attempt to get a slice of the pie, with people having more disposable income due to the fact there are less opportunities to spend money going out for food and drinks and other entertainment activities.”