UK Foreign Minister defends lockdown easing, says it's 'right step' at this time

As of June 1, British foreign minister Dominic Raab defended the UK government's decision to ease the coronavirus lockdown as he said that it was the "right step" at this time while speaking on the national television. Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was criticized for easing the strict lockdown in place for 10 weeks to stem the novel coronavirus. Scientists claimed, due to the lack of a functioning system to track new outbreaks, the move was “risky and premature”, as per media reports. 

The UK’s administration is confident that this is the right step to be taken at this moment in time, Raab was quoted saying. The government is taking these steps very carefully, based on the science but also based on the UK’s ability to monitor the virus, he added. With the highest death rate of the coronavirus in the world, the UK stated that it was about time for the country to cautiously balance the need to restart the economy and the pandemic outbreak.  

UK’s Housing Minister, Robert Jenrick, reportedly said that the government was "reasonably confident" at easing the restrictions. He added that the movement would not boost the rate of infection if safety protocols were adhered to, however, people apparently flouting rules like wearing protective masks and social distancing cause concern. England's deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, told a press conference that there was a need for UK citizens to remain on “guard”. Citing that it was a really, really critical time, she said, when we are seeing the government is easing measures, the public really, really needs to stick to health safety measures. 

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Vulnerable people allowed to go out

As of May 31, the community's secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced at the press conference that Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised people’s resilience as the government now decided to ease movement restrictions. Therefore, more than 2 million vulnerable people who have been “shielding” from coronavirus in the UK will now be allowed to go outdoors from June 1 for the first time. In England, particularly, the government stated that now 2.2 million people can meet with loved ones outside their homes while still adhering to the social distancing measures, as per the reports. Further, those that resided alone were allowed to meet with one other person outside of their household. 

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(Image credit: AP)