UK Past Coronavirus Peak, ‘On Downward Slope’ - Johnson

By Staff, Agencies

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the United Kingdom to wait another week for an exit strategy from lockdown, despite declaring for the first time that the country has passed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and is “on the downward slope”.

Johnson, meanwhile, came under fire for claiming his approach to the crisis had succeeded in “avoiding the tragedy” seen elsewhere in the world.

The latest death toll of 26,771 – up 674 in a day – puts the UK potentially on track to be Europe’s worst-hit nation.

Johnson was accused by one Labour MP of living in a “fantasy land” after he stated that it was a mark of the success of Britain’s “massive collective effort” that it had avoided “an uncontrollable and catastrophic epidemic where the reasonable worst case scenario was 500,000 deaths”.

The UK’s experience had been like passing through “some huge Alpine tunnel” to avoid having to go over a vast peak towering above it, he said.

Johnson’s first appearance at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing since recovering from the disease came four days after he promised to set out his plans to refine economic and social restrictions “in the coming days”.

But in a sign of caution at the top of government at the perils of moving too soon, he said that a comprehensive “roadmap” to restart the economy and send children back to school would now not be unveiled until next week.

He also made clear that any changes will be introduced gradually.