Simon Jones: Long road ahead

Hopes that the sector might soon be ‘back at it’ to a greater extent have been dashed somewhat by the government’s confusing roadmap to lifting lockdown and news today (12.05.20) that the national job retention scheme will be extended to October.

Don’t get me wrong, the job retention scheme is clearly a good thing, but the new timeframe is a psychological body blow. What initially felt like it could be a painful few months with a quick bounce back now feels like it will be more of a prolonged chapter in everyone’s lives. The College of Optometrists and Association of British Dispensing Opticians joint statement that the current clinical holding pattern remains in place until further notice just compounds this. October feels like a long way away.