Brits will be encouraged to get back to the office as part of a new government campaign set to launch next week.
The campaign will promote the advantages of returning to work and seek to reassure employees about the safety measures being taken to halt the spread of the virus.
The productivity push, which will coincide with the reopening of most schools in England and Wales, is expected to be aired primarily through regional media.
“There will be three main messages: showing people the workplace is a safe place to return to, highlighting the social benefits and the emotional case for going back to the office, and encouraging people to plan how they are going to go back so they feel confident about doing so,” a government source told the Telegraph.
The move comes after business leaders warned of the devastating impact of a protracted decline in footfall and urged the government to encourage people to return to the office.
A recent analysis showed just 17 per cent of people had returned to work in the UK’s 63 largest cities — unchanged from June when the lockdown started to lift.
CBI boss Dame Carolyn Fairbairn yesterday warned that cities risked becoming “ghost towns” and said a return to work was vital for reviving the economy.
Top Tory MP Sir Graham Brady also backed the calls, urging ministers to give people a “clear and consistent message” that it is safe to return.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shifted the government’s messaging away from home working, but until now has stopped short of backing a full return to work.
However, chancellor Rishi Sunak is said to have raised concerns about further job losses and the financial impact of running near-empty trains and buses.
“Once the schools go back we will be switching our attention to getting people back to their workplaces. It will be a call to arms to the nation,” a minister told the Telegraph.