UK PM tours shopping mall ahead of shops reopening

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited shops and talked to workers inside a London shopping mall ahead of their reopening on Monday.

Johnson strolled down the corridors of the Stratford Westfield shopping mall on Sunday, ordering coffee and speaking to workers as they prepared to welcome back crowds of shoppers this week.

Shopping malls and non-essential businesses have been closed to the public since the British government implemented a lockdown to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in March/

The Prime Minister urged people to "shop with confidence" but to follow the COVID-19 safety measures while doing so.

Explaining why safe distancing will decrease from two metres to one metre, Johnson said that the benefits gained from a larger spacing "become less valuable as we get the disease done."

There are currently nearly 295,000 cases of COVID-19 infections in the UK, where the death toll has surpassed 41,600.