UK announces to extend the lockdown restrictions

U.K. announced on Sunday that he is extending the country’s lockdown restrictions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a televised message unveiled a three-stage plan to reopen schools, some businesses and the hospitality industry in June and July.

According to the reports, U.K. has the second-highest confirmed COVID-19 death toll in the world – the highest in Europe. The country has reported more than 220,000 confirmed cases and 31,000 deaths from the pandemic as of Sunday, the date of John Hopkins University revealed.

“This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week,” Johnson said. “Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.”

UK PM said that people who can work from home should do so, adding that those who cannot should be “actively encouraged” to return to work on Monday.

Johnson said that construction or manufacturing workers should avoid using public transportation to get to work and should maintain social distancing while on the job.

“Quarantine will also now be required for people arriving in the country by air to prevent reinfection from abroad”, he added

Johnson announced the basic outlines of the plan for how he hopes to further lift lockdown restrictions over the coming weeks.

Stage 1: The starting Wednesday, people can leave their homes to exercise, to sit in local parks, and to play sports with members of their own household, Johnson said.

Stage 2: By June 1, the government believes the country may be able to slowly begin to reopen shops and schools, he added.

Stage 3: By July, hopefully the government can start to reopen some of the hospitality industry and other public places, “provided they are safe and enforce social distancing.”

Johnson stressed people to maintain social distancing saying that transitioning to each stage is “conditional” and depends on “all of us, the entire country, to follow the advice, and to keep that [rate of infection] down.