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'Not the time to end lockdown, but modify measures': British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

WION Web Team
London, London, Great BritainUpdated: May 11, 2020, 07:54 AM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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In a televised address, Johnson said: "This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week. Instead, we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday said that there will be no immediate end to coronavirus lockdown in the country. He said that the government is working on plans to ease lockdown by setting some measures that have led to the economy shut down for nearly seven weeks now. 

In a televised address, Johnson said: "This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week. Instead, we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures."

Boris Johnson said that people who cannot work from home will be allowed to go to the office from Monday onwards. He also said that people will be allowed to undertake an unlimited amount of outdoor exercise, sports etc from Wednesday as long as social distancing is maintained. 

"You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your household," he said.

The British PM has laid out a five-level alert system that the government will use scientific data to monitor and track the rate of spread of the virus, this will be referred has 'R' rate. 

Boris Johnson went on to explain the levels of "levels" of his alert system. He said: "Level One means the disease is no longer present in the UK and Level Five is the most critical - the kind of situation we could have had if the NHS (National Health Service) had been overwhelmed.

"Over the period of the lockdown we have been in Level Four, and it is thanks to your sacrifice we are now in a position to begin to move in steps to Level Three."

Johnson said that phase two of the lockdown easing will begin "at the earliest" by June 1.