In answer to the OP
When Boris made his announcement I was in London clearing out my youngest daughter's flat (Monday night) I had not planned to work the Tuesday and it gave me time to reflect.
Driving back from London late that evening there was a three way whatsapp conference call between my wife and (me driving) youngest daughter and my two eldest daughters (both married to Window Cleaners, one who had just lost her job).
The subject was whether to work, "moral" and personal decisions, could we work etc. etc.etc.
For the rest of that week I posted on here that I was thinking it through and that my personal view was that I should not work. My sons-in-law made their decisions to start again on the Thursday or Friday of last week.
I had read the regulations and I believed that the "stay at home" outweighed the "should go to work" in the government guidelines. (FOR ME)
Then I had a couple of calls from customers asking what I was doing as they were happy for me to clean with "social distancing" and I told them that for "the time being" I wouldn't be working but was "watching this space.
Some one on here referenced Lee Pryor's site (and that he had started his business working again) and his website referencing the relevant page of the government regulations. (Highlighted below in red)
With the exception of the organisations covered above in the section on closing certain businesses and venues, the government has not required any other businesses to close - indeed it is important for business to carry on.
So this made me think that I should re-evaluate. I have and I started working again with practical safeguards in place.
I have the "luxury" by good fortune and possibly rainy day saving to have been able to sit this out for far longer than 3 months; but I believe that FOR ME the balanced view is to work FOR THE TIME BEING.
I fully respect the view of others that they wish to follow the overarching view of stay at home but FOR ME AND MY WORK I believe that I can cover a significant proportion of it within Government guidelines on Social Distances and that as I can "I should work".
The thing is Malc, business is carrying on. It's to encourage us not to close our businesses in these difficult times.
It's the same with the employees. They are furloughed so that they might have a job at the end of the lockdown.
The government don't want to happen what's happening in America- a million unemployed in a week and more than that since.
They're saying to us, sit out the storm but don't shut up shop (see what I did there?).
They're giving us a loan to get a boat and a net instead of giving us a few fish, a week, indefinitely.