Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first phase in his strategy to reopen the United Kingdom during the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnson, who overcame his own bout of COVID-19, said on Sunday that the nation would be taking its first steps to allow people to return to normal life without risking another spike in COVID-19 cases starting this week. He said it would be “madness” to allow a rushed return to normalcy to lead to more coronavirus hospitalizations just as the nation started to see a decline in cases.
“Millions of people are both fearful of this terrible disease, but at the same time also fearful of what this long period of enforced inactivity will do to their livelihoods and their mental and physical wellbeing,” Johnson said.
Johnson described the country’s path forward by comparing the progress to declining threat levels. He said the nation had been at a threat level of four but would be entering threat level three in the coming week. Under this guidance, people in the U.K. can return to work if they cannot work from home, including construction workers and manufacturers.
He also opened the nation up for unlimited outdoor activity, so long as social distancing is obeyed. Fines, however, were elevated for those who are caught by law enforcement in a large gathering while outside.
In June, primary schools and shops will begin to reopen. In July, Johnson said the U.K. hopes to allow restaurants, public places, and other hospitality businesses to reopen.
The prime minister threatened to “put on the breaks” if any of the steps are not abided by or if the number of cases spike. He added, “This is not the time to simply end the lockdown this week; instead, we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.”
As of Sunday, the U.K. had the world’s third-largest reported outbreak of the coronavirus. The country had more than 220,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 31,930 related deaths.
