Month-long England lockdown to make a real impact: Johnson

TIL Desk/World/London/ UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the month-long lockdown in England is enough to “make a real impact” and will end on December 2 as planned. There is a “light at the end of the tunnel”, Johnson said at a virtual press conference at Downing Street on Thursday, hours after the lockdown came into force.

“The advice I’ve received suggests that four weeks is enough for these measures to make a real impact. “These measures, though they are tough, are time-limited,” he said, adding that they will allow as normal a Christmas as possible.

Johnson reaffirmed that the lockdown will end on December 2 before moving back to a tiered system, despite speculation by some senior officials that the measure could be extended beyond that date.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister also said the “challenges we face are significant across the UK”. The average number of new cases each day is now 22,398, was up from 9,716 a month ago, he added. The Prime Minister urged people to “stay at home” and save the National Health Service (NHS) from being overwhelmed.