Boris Johnson has been moved out of intensive care but remains in hospital, Downing Street has said.
Mr Johnson has been receiving treatment for coronavirus at St Thomas’ Hospital in London since Sunday.
No 10 said he “has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery”.
Mr. Johnson was hospitalised on Sunday evening after a 10-day bout with the virus, and transferred to the intensive care unit on Monday after his condition deteriorated. On Thursday, his office said the prime minister, 55, had been moved back to a ward at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London and was in “extremely good spirits.”
Dominic Raab, Britain’s caretaker leader, did not offer a timetable for the prime minister to resume his duties. He also signaled that the government would extend the country’s lockdown beyond next week.
Mr. Raab, the foreign secretary, said the government would not lift restrictions on April 13, the date the prime minister had set when he imposed the measures last month. The lockdown now appears likely to last several more weeks.
“Is it time to ease up on the rules?” Mr. Raab said to reporters at 10 Downing Street. “We’re not done yet. We’ve got to keep going.”
Mr. Johnson may still be convalescing as the government faces one of the most sensitive decisions of the pandemic: when, and how, to reopen the British economy. The cabinet plans to make that assessment at the end of next week.
The debate over how to lift the lockdown is replete with trade offs. Lifting it too soon, experts said, could reignite the contagion; leaving it in place for too long could force many companies into insolvency.
With temperatures expected to reach up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, the public has been urged to stay at home. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, asked the public on Wednesday to refrain from sunbathing, having barbecues in parks and playing team sports.
Britain reported its highest daily death toll from the virus on Wednesday, with 938 deaths recorded in hospitals in 24 hours. Almost 900 more were reported on Thursday.
#StayHomeSaveLives #covid19uk #Coronavirus #SocialDistancing
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