As PM makes progress, UK set to extend curbs
LONDON: UK on Thursday was set to extend its three-week lockdown period, even as Prime Minister Boris Johnson continued to make steady progress on his fourth day in the intensive care unit of the St Thomas’ Hospital.
Johnson is the most high-profile world leader to become infected with Covid-19 and his transfer to intensive care on Monday is unprecedented for a prime minister during a national emergency in modern times.
“The prime minister had a good night and continues to improve in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital. He is in good spirits,” a No 10 spokesperson said.
“He’s stable, improving, sat up and engaged with medical staff,” culture secretary Oliver Dowden told BBC News earlier in the day. “I think things are getting better for him.”
The disease has struck at the heart of the British government, infected more than 60,000 people nationwide and killed over 7,000, with another record daily death toll of 938 reported on Wednesday.
Senior ministers were set to discuss at Thursday’s daily coronavirus response meeting the process for extending the stringent social distancing measures rolled out on March 23.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Johnson, will lead the so-called “war cabinet”, as he has done since Monday.
However, ministers have made it clear no announcement on the status of the lockdown -rolled out for an initial three weeks -- would be made until that period has ended on Monday, at the earliest.
“You shouldn’t expect a decision today on restrictions,” Dowden said, stressing the actual review would happen next week.
“Right now it’s just beginning to work,” he said of the lockdown. Dowden said the measures were beginning to have effect, which made it unlikely that the lockdown would be eased.
Dowden said: “I don’t think it’s very likely these measures are going to be changed given they’re just starting to have an effect but, as we said, we would review them. It’s only prudent that on an ongoing basis we review them after three weeks.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak did not comment the extension during a briefing on Wednesday, but confirmed that a review of the measures would take place “in and around three weeks” after they were announced on March 23.
Under coronavirus-related legislation, lockdown measures need to be reviewed once in every 21 days.