Johnson indicates England’s June 21 reopening could face delays

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested on Saturday that a planned lifting of COVID restrictions could be delayed. 

London had previously planned on easing England’s remaining pandemic limits on June 21. But the spread of the so-called Delta variant — first identified in India — has cast doubts on the government’s original timeline. One health department official said a delay of between two and four weeks was now widely expected.

“It’s clear that the Indian variant is more transmissible, and it’s also true that the cases are going up, and that the levels of hospitalization are going up,” Johnson, who is attending the G7 summit in Cornwall, told Sky News. 

“We don’t know exactly to what extent that is going to feed through into extra mortality, but clearly it’s a matter of serious, serious concern,” the British leader said. 

Johnson called for caution when it comes to guaranteeing that an opening will not lead to yet another lockdown. 

“What we want to do is make sure that the roadmap is irreversible, but you can’t have an irreversible roadmap unless you’re prepared to be cautious,” he said, adding that an announcement will be made on Monday.  

Nevertheless, the prime minister insisted that the situation has improved.

“I think that all our viewers should be reassured by this: that the situation is dramatically different from what it was in either of the first two waves of the pandemic,” he said. 

He added: “We’re seeing an increase in hospitalizations, but the context has radically changed because of the sheer number of people who have been vaccinated.” 

Esther Webber contributed reporting.