British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a solution to avoid contracting the coronavirus: watching your waistline.
In a new video posted Monday, Johnson, who battled the coronavirus earlier this year, said he’s been focused on losing weight and building up his fitness.
“Losing weight is hard but with some small changes we can all feel fitter and healthier,” Johnson tweeted. “If we all do our bit, we can reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus — as well as taking pressure off the NHS (National Health Service).”
Losing weight is hard but with some small changes we can all feel fitter and healthier.
If we all do our bit, we can reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus – as well as taking pressure off the NHS.
Our Better Health Strategy https://t.co/WdazXhuhRN pic.twitter.com/KZhW8p17FJ
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) July 27, 2020
Johnson said in the video that he had lost more than 14 pounds since he was admitted into an intensive care unit back in April while fighting COVID-19.
“When I went into ICU, when I was really ill, I was very — I was way overweight,” he said. “I’m only about 5-foot-10, you know, on the outside and, you know, I was too fat.”
The United Kingdom government recently released a number of initiatives to help citizens control their weight and stay fit to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Among them was a ban on TV and online advertisements for foods high in sugar, fat, and salt before 9 p.m., ending deals such as “buy one get one free” for unhealthy foods, and having calories to be displayed on menus to help people make healthier choices when eating out.
The drastic measures to fight the pandemic stand in contrast to Johnson’s prior position on enforcing health initiatives for citizens. Last year, he referred to taxes on unhealthy and sugary foods as being part of the “continuing creep of the nanny state.”
The United Kingdom is nearing 300,000 coronavirus cases and has had over 45,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
