LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK will begin to relax further restrictions on public health from next week and remains underway to fully reopen its economy until the summer, after months of blockade and a rapid campaign of vaccination against a deadly tide of infection.
The change in the UK’s fortunes contrasts with the worsening picture in other parts of Europe, where the increase in the number of cases and the faltering launch of vaccines mean that governments are under pressure to tighten controls to contain a resurgent pandemic.
France imposed a new national blockade last week, while in Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel is lobbying powerful regional governments to implement tougher measures to contain infections.
Johnson said the situation in neighboring countries means that the UK cannot be complacent, as he confirmed that from April 12 onwards England will move to stage two of a four-stage reopening plan. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland define their own health policies and are moving in a similar direction.
“We can see the waves of disease that afflict other countries and see what that story was like,” he said at a news conference. He asked the British to get vaccinated, to continue practicing social detachment and to limit travel.