UK PM Johnson says it’s too soon to ease coronavirus lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday it was still too dangerous to relax a stringent lockdown hammering the economy as that may cause a deadly second outbreak.

Looking healthy again after a life-threatening bout of the coronavirus, Johnson compared the disease to an invisible street criminal whom Britons were wrestling to the floor.

“If we can show the same spirit of unity and determination as we’ve all shown in the past six weeks then I have absolutely no doubt that we will beat it,” the 55-year-old said outside his Downing Street home a month and a day after testing positive.

With unemployment soaring, many companies crippled and a recession looming, Johnson said he understood the concerns of business and would consult with opposition parties pressing for clarity on a pathway out of lockdown.

But with Britain suffering one of the world’s highest death tolls – 20,732 hospital deaths reported as of Saturday – he stressed it was still a time of maximum risk and there would be no swift lifting of restrictions.