LONDON (Reuters) – There will be no immediate end to the coronavirus lockdown in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, setting out plans to begin gradually easing some of the measures which have shut down much of the economy for nearly seven weeks.
“This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week,” Johnson said in a televised address. “Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.”
From Monday, those who cannot work from home will be actively encouraged to go to work, he said, and from Wednesday people will be allowed to take unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your own household,” he said.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Estelle Shirbon, Editing by Elizabeth Piper)
