Support for government’s coronavirus response falls for second straight week
Public support for how the government is handling the coronavirus crisis has fallen for the second week in a row, according to a new poll.
An Opinium poll out tonight showed that public approval for the government and its handling of the crisis was down to +21, after it was +31 two weeks ago.
However, with 51 per cent approval and 31 per cent disapproval, Opinium said “overall, approval of the government’s handling of the crisis remains high”.
The government has faced criticism over the past two weeks for its coronavirus testing regime and for shortages of personal protective equipment in some hospitals and care homes.
The UK has yet to have one day where coronavirus tests have hit 30,000, despite the government having just five days to hit health secretary Matt Hancock’s testing target of 100,000 per day by the end of April.
Meanwhile, Dominic Raab told the BBC today that the country was “not in the place we’d want it to be” when it came to the distribution of personal protective equipment.
Boris Johnson is set to return to Downing Street tomorrow and resume full prime ministerial duties, after recovering from his coronavirus infection at Chequers for the past two weeks.
There has also been some unrest among sections of the business community and the Conservative party about the length of the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown.
Opinium’s poll showed that 53 per cent of people wanted “restaurants, offices, shopping centres and schools to reopen as soon as new infections decrease”.
The poll also showed that Britons were in favour of a staggered approach to lifting the lockdown and “are open to periodic closures in response to new outbreaks”.
Adam Drummond, head of political polling at Opinium said: “While some are no doubt chafing at being stuck at home and mindful of the ongoing economic impact, there is no sign that voters are eager to rush into releasing the lockdown.
“People are most keen for schools to reopen, no doubt to ease the pressure on millions of parents who have had to suddenly double-up as teachers, but for most types of business voters want clear conditions to be met before restrictions are eased and are happy for this easing to be conditional and restrictions re-imposed in response to changes in the situation.”