Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Ellen Kirwin

Boris Johnson's warning to UK as lockdown restrictions begin to lift

Boris Johnson hosted a coronavirus press conference this afternoon from the new Downing Street media briefing room.

Mr Johnson was joined by chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance on the day that the England begin to lift restrictions.

People in England can now exercise outdoors and meet up to six people, from two households, in outdoor spaces including private gardens.

The Prime Minister said he knows how much it must have meant to have joined someone else for a cup of tea in the garden today, as restrictions lift.

However Mr Johnson was sure to stress that this was a 'small' step closer to freedom and that the public will still need to be 'cautious' to prevent further spread of the virus.

Find your nearest vaccination centre by entering your postcode below

He mentioned that as infections begin to rise in Europe, it's 'inevitable' there will be more infections, hospitalisations and deaths in the UK.

Addressing the nation, Mr Johnson said: "We must proceed with caution, it's great to see that yesterday we recorded the lowest number of new infections for six months.

"Deaths and hospital admission across the UK are continuing to fall, but that wave is still rising across the channel and it's inevitable as we advance on this roadmap, that there will be more infections and unavoidably more hospitalisations and sadly more deaths.

"So, what we need to do is to continue flat out to built the immunity of our population, build our defences against that wave when it comes."

Boris Johnson went on to say that we have vaccinated more than 30 million adults across the nation.

He said the evidence was 'pretty clear' that the vaccination is helping to protect the most vulnerable.

He added: "Please take up your appointment when it's your turn."

The Prime Minister also stressed the benefits of exercise to build the UK's "resilience" to the virus, saying "I am personally thrilled that I will be able to play tennis, for instance."

"Without being remotely preachy, I do hope that we can take advantage of this moment and the beautiful weather to play sport, to take exercise, to have fun and build our national resilience in that way too."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.