London: Boris Johnson warned the U.K. will still be dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in mid-2021 and said his government is preparing for a second wave of infections over the winter months.
“We will have tough times ahead in keeping this virus under control, and we have tough times ahead in coming through economically,” the prime minister said Friday in a Sky News interview. “I think that by the middle of next year that we will be well on our way past it.”
Ministers outlined plans to widen the normal winter flu vaccination program, doubling those eligible for free injections, as it seeks to minimize pressure on hospitals if coronavirus and flu outbreaks occur at the same time. In televised comments to nurses on Friday, Johnson said he regards those who oppose vaccinations as “nuts.”
The prime minister said last week he hopes life in the U.K. will return to normal by Christmas, but on Friday he wouldn’t say when social-distancing measures, including wearing face masks, might be relaxed.
Still, the prime minister said the U.K. must shift its mindset on the coronavirus as a barrier to getting things done, as he outlined plans to speed up the machinery of government and clear a backlog in public services. He also restated the agenda that took his Conservative Party to victory in December’s election, pledging an acceleration in infrastructure spending.- Bloomberg
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