LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that a recent uptick in infections was a “warning light” which means he has to hit the brakes on the easing of lockdown as he postponed the re-opening of close-contact services for at least two weeks.
“I’ve said throughout the pandemic that there would be fresh outbreaks,” Johnson said at a news conference, asked if there could be a surge in infections.
“I said we would not hesitate to put on the brakes at the slightest sign that the numbers were going in the wrong direction. We’re now seeing a warning light on the dashboard.”
England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said it wasn’t sensible to think of the uptick in infections as a second wave.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Sarah Young, writing by Alistair Smout)
