Coffee shop confusion over UK’s new Covid rules as even Dominic Raab is stumped

UK introduces tougher restrictions to bear down on the virus

UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab appeared confused over new coronavirus restrictions.

The UK’s new restrictions to combat a second wave of coronavirus have sparked confusion at the highest levels after the foreign secretary couldn’t say whether Britons could order a cup of coffee over the counter.

Speaking on BBC’s Radio 4, Dominic Raab was asked whether people could order food at McDonald’s or a coffee shop without sitting down.

He said: “My understanding is you need to order from the tables.”

The new coronavirus restrictions announced on Tuesday suggest people should be wearing a mask when not seated at a table.

The rules state restaurants and cafes which are licensed to sell alcohol must have table service but those that are unlicensed can continue to operate counter service.

People who do not wear a face mask while not sitting down face a £200 fine.

The foreign secretary continued: “I think the key element in the guidance is that we avoid the milling around and the social interaction.

“We think the risk is less if you are sat down and eating.”

A number of Tory MPs are increasingly frustrated with the government's handling of the pandemic, fearing the latest rule changes would confuse the public.

One Conservative figure told the Financial Times: "We told people to eat out, now we're telling them to eat in. We told people to go back to the office, now we're telling them to work from home.

'It's a total shambles and I can't see how people are going to understand it."

Mr Raab was also asked if Britain was taking a Swedish approach to COVID-19 as part of a plan to live with the virus, rather than try to get rid of it.

"I don't accept that characterisation," he said in response to the suggestion by epidemiologist Professor Carl Hannigan of Oxford University.

Earlier this year, Sweden avoided a lockdown and instead emphasised personal responsibility, social distancing and good hygiene in a bid to slow rather than eradicate a disease deemed here to stay.

Britain announced new measures on Tuesday to try to control the rapid spread of the virus, but those restrictions have been criticised by some scientists for not going far enough.

Professor Hannigan said the restrictions would do little to curb new infections, giving Britain the "worst of both worlds" - a high death rate and economic catastrophe.

"We haven't learnt from our mistake back then (in March) and we're about to repeat it," he said.

However, Mr Raab told Sky News the UK had a "repository of measures in the arsenal to take" in the Covid-19 fight.

He said the government "can't rule out" a second national lockdown if the infection rate continued to climb.

"I don't think we would speculate about what further could be done," he said.

"But the reality is they will be more intrusive or we could end up in a national lockdown.

"That is what we want to avoid."

The pound dropped to a two-month low over the possibility of a second national lockdown – falling as much as 0.4% to US$1.2680.

Asked about the role of the military in enforcing the new rules, Mr Raab said the government would not rule out deploying soldiers to help police.

"If they can relieve any capacity for the police ... they'll be there to do that," Mr Raab said, pointing out that the Army had already helped throughout the pandemic by delivering PPE supplies.

He added: “The reality is there will be stronger enforcement, more powers for the police, higher levels of fines - mainly for the small minority who haven’t always complied with the rules.”

Labour is demanding answers from Home Secretary Priti Patel over what duties the military will carry out and whether they would interact with the public.

"The fact that the military may be needed to support policing functions shows the extraordinary pressure that policing has been put under, as a result of the thousands of officers lost under this government," shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds wrote.

"These latest sets of Covid measures should not have come as a surprise, so it is vital that assurances are provided that proper planning has been undertaken.

"In my discussions with senior figures in policing, I have been concerned to hear that there has been insufficient consultation on this significant announcement."

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government had "the option to draw on military support where required to free up the police".

A Number 10 spokesman later clarified: "This would involve the military backfilling certain duties, such as office roles and guarding protected sites, so police officers can be out enforcing the virus response.

"This is not about providing any additional powers to the military, or them replacing the police in enforcement roles, and they will not be handing out fines. It is about freeing up more police officers."