This week saw the latest phase of changes to lockdown (ie: non-vital shops reopened and foodservice also reopened with outside seating).
The Prime Minister has warned citizens not to become complacent and to continue complying with government guidance on preventing spread of Coronavirus.
ONS has carried out research on compliance with the key measures (ie: face coverings, hand washing and social distancing).
Overall, claimed compliance was high across all age groups, income groups and ethnicities examined. Young adults were the most blasé, but only by a small margin.
Most are still avoiding contact with those they consider to be vulnerable (mainly older people), but this is trending slightly downward, possibly because the rollout of vaccines is increasing confidence.
However, the research also uncovered great concern over the impact of lockdown conditions on the mental health of children and parents – this concern has gained salience over the last year.
Students also reported high psychological pressure – “life satisfaction” for students was noticeably lower than for the overall adult population, whilst anxiety was higher.