Boris Johnson is set to return to work today to lead the
Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis three weeks after he
was taken to hospital suffering from the disease.
The PM is said to be “raring to go” as he gets back to the helm
and take charge of the UK’s response to coronavirus.
On Monday he will chair the regular morning meeting of the
Government’s COVID-19 “war cabinet” before heading into a series of
meetings with senior ministers and officials.
The PM first said he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 27
and was admitted to hospital on April 5 after his condition
deteriorated.
He spent two nights in the intensive care unit at St Thomas’
Hospital before finally being released from the hospital on April
12 and spent most of his recovery at his country seat of Chequers
in Buckinghamshire.
Stand in Prime Minister Dominic Raab – who has been deputising
for him in his absence – said he was “raring to go” after a
fortnight recovering at Chequers, his official country
residence.
Mr Johnson is facing calls senior Tories to start lifting the
lockdown amid mounting concern at the damage it is causing to the
economy.
The PM is also returning to mounting pressure from opposition
parties over clarifying the country’s route out of the lockdown,
with Labour adding pressure with a renewed call for the Government
to set out an “exit strategy” explaining how it will eventually be
lifted.
Mr Johnson will have just two weeks before the next major
decision point comes up with the next three-week review of the
lockdown restrictions due on May 7.
Mr Raab said the Government was doing its “homework” in
preparation for when the rules could be eased.
It is thought that amongst the first could be a re-opening of
schools, although Mr Raab said that would be “inconceivable”
without some further measures in place.
Ministers are also thought to be considering allowing some
non-essential businesses to open such as garden centres and car
showrooms, provided social-distancing could be maintained.
Mr Raab also indicated that officials were looking at possible
checks at air and seaports with passengers arriving in the UK
required to quarantine for 14 days.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee,
has said that more needed to be done to get the economy moving, and
there was a limit to how long people would tolerate restrictions,
especially if they seemed illogical.
He urged an “overriding principle … that we will only maintain
those restrictions which are necessary and if there is a question
over whether something is necessary or not, I think we should ere
on the side of openness and trying to make sure that more people
can get on with their lives and more people can get on with getting
back to their jobs”.
Over the weekend, ministers highlighted a warning by Bank of
England governor Andrew Bailey of the economic devastation a second
wave of the disease would cause.
Boris Johnson is set to return to work today to lead the
Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis three weeks after he
was taken to hospital suffering from the disease.
The PM is said to be “raring to go” as he gets back to the helm
and take charge of the UK’s response to coronavirus.
On Monday he will chair the regular morning meeting of the
Government’s COVID-19 “war cabinet” before heading into a series of
meetings with senior ministers and officials.
The PM first said he tested positive for COVID-19 on March 27
and was admitted to hospital on April 5 after his condition
deteriorated.
He spent two nights in the intensive care unit at St Thomas’
Hospital before finally being released from the hospital on April
12 and spent most of his recovery at his country seat of Chequers
in Buckinghamshire.
Stand in Prime Minister Dominic Raab – who has been deputising
for him in his absence – said he was “raring to go” after a
fortnight recovering at Chequers, his official country
residence.
Mr Johnson is facing calls senior Tories to start lifting the
lockdown amid mounting concern at the damage it is causing to the
economy.
The PM is also returning to mounting pressure from opposition
parties over clarifying the country’s route out of the lockdown,
with Labour adding pressure with a renewed call for the Government
to set out an “exit strategy” explaining how it will eventually be
lifted.
Mr Johnson will have just two weeks before the next major
decision point comes up with the next three-week review of the
lockdown restrictions due on May 7.
Mr Raab said the Government was doing its “homework” in
preparation for when the rules could be eased.
It is thought that amongst the first could be a re-opening of
schools, although Mr Raab said that would be “inconceivable”
without some further measures in place.
Ministers are also thought to be considering allowing some
non-essential businesses to open such as garden centres and car
showrooms, provided social-distancing could be maintained.
Mr Raab also indicated that officials were looking at possible
checks at air and seaports with passengers arriving in the UK
required to quarantine for 14 days.
Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee,
has said that more needed to be done to get the economy moving, and
there was a limit to how long people would tolerate restrictions,
especially if they seemed illogical.
He urged an “overriding principle … that we will only maintain
those restrictions which are necessary and if there is a question
over whether something is necessary or not, I think we should ere
on the side of openness and trying to make sure that more people
can get on with their lives and more people can get on with getting
back to their jobs”.
Over the weekend, ministers highlighted a warning by Bank of
England governor Andrew Bailey of the economic devastation a second
wave of the disease would cause.