Government quietly tweaks 'stay alert' messaging after complaints it was 'too vague'

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Screen grab of Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus (COVID-19).
Boris Johnson delivers a media briefing , fronted by the government's new slogan. (COVID-19).

A new coronavirus lockdown slogan has been deployed to “explain” the new “stay alert” message for England after it was criticised for being too vague.

Adverts bearing the advice “keep our distance, wash our hands, think of others and play our part” have been spotted in recent days without much publicity.

A government minister has said the new instructions have been deployed to clarify the new communication, which in full reads “stay alert, control the virus, save lives”.

Justice secretary Robert Buckland said to Sky News: “‘Stay alert’ is very much still part of what it is all about.

“I think what we’re trying to do is explain underneath that general direction what that means.

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A man wearing a face mask waits on a bus stop next to a government advert with the new theme: 'Stay Alert', in London, Tuesday, May 12, 2020, as the country continues in lockdown. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday that people could return to work if they could not work from home. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
The government's new slogan has been criticised. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

“Of course the different elements to staying alert, which include washing hands, keeping our distance, builds up to that general approach, which is that we all must be very much aware not only of each other but what we can do in order to minimise the inadvertent transmission of this terrible disease.”

The government has defended the “stay alert” slogan, with communities secretary Robert Jenrick previously saying it was time to “update and broaden” the communication after Boris Johnson eased lockdown restrictions in England.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland leaves the Cabinet Office, London, following a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra to discuss coronavirus.
Justice secretary Robert Buckland said the new 'keep our distance' message was designed to explain the 'stay alert' slogan. (PA Images)

Devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said they were not consulted before the government changed to the new slogan from “stay at home” earlier this month.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said she thought the message was “vague and imprecise” and could prove “catastrophic”. Her government has continued to encourage people to stay at home.

Buckland admitted it was “more difficult” to explain than the “stay home” slogan it replaced because it involved “more nuanced messages”.

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He added: “It is going to be a tough ask, it is a very difficult time for everybody and the government doesn’t pretend anything otherwise.

“We have to keep developing those messages and that’s why you’re hearing that kind of detail.”

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