UK economy shrank by colossal 20.4% in April

Official figures show that the British economy shrank by a colossal 20.4% in April, the first full month that the country was in its coronavirus lockdown. The Office for National Statistics said Friday that all areas of the economy were hit, in particular pubs, education, health and car sales.

Jonathan Athow, Deputy National Statistician for Economic Statistics, said April’s fall is “the biggest the U.K. has ever seen” and “almost 10times larger than the steepest pre-COVID-19 fall.”

That decline follows a 5.8% contraction in March. In April, the economy was about a quarter smaller than it was in February.

The U.K. was put into lockdown on March 23 and restrictions are slowly being eased. On Monday, nonessential shops, such as department stores and electronic retailers, are due to reopen.