The U.K. could lift restrictions soon, Prime Minister Boris Johnson

The U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that England could possibly begin lifting the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic in a gradual manner and it could begin as early as the coming Monday.

“We will want, if we possibly can, to get going with some of these measures on Monday,” Boris Johnson Said told Parliament.

He later said that the government will analyze the situation on Sunday by looking at the latest numbers and start lifting restrictions by Monday if the condition looks feasible. The outcome of which could be a “good thing”, Johnson said.

The statement from the Prime Minister came months after he was tested positive for covid-19. The U.K has the highest deaths due to covid-19 among all the European Nations. The numbers of the U.K. have crossed those of Spain and Italy where the situation got worse initially.

The opposition leader Keir Starmer questioned the Prime Minister about the death statistics, asking him: “How on Earth did it come to this?”

To which Johnson replied: “At this stage, I don’t think that international comparisons and the data is yet there to draw all the conclusions that we want.”

“I have absolutely no doubt that what the people of this country want us to do now is … to suppress this disease, to keep suppressing this disease, and to begin the work of getting our country’s economy back on its feet.”

The actual number of deaths in the U.K. has touched the 30,076 mark and over 201,000 have been found infected till now, the government data showed on Wednesday. The U.K. is now among the countries that are most hardly hit by the virus and very close to the United States.

“Coronavirus will not stop our mission to level up; to unite and unleash the potential of this country,”

“The prime minister will set out on Sunday our approach to the second phase of this pandemic,” Jenrick added. “As we look ahead to supporting businesses as they reopen, my department will lead our work on how local economics can adapt, evolve, recover, and grow.”