Boris Johnson addressed the nation this evening to update the public on his government’s coronavirus strategy. After announcing the broad details of the new measures at the despatch box this lunchtime, tonight’s statement was focussed on justifying the new restrictions. The Prime Minister said that while there were no easy choices ahead, he was confident the country would succeed as they had done so in March — insisting the government had followed the scientific advice to the letter and as a result protected the NHS and saved thousands of lives.
As for why there are now issues, rather than mention difficulties on testing, he suggested that the ‘freedom loving’ nature of Britons had meant that not everyone had followed the guidelines. Johnson said that unless people changed their behaviour more people will lose loved ones before their time. Justifying the new package, he argued that the new restrictions — which include a curfew on pub opening hours and a change in working from home guidance — were necessary as alternative strategies being advocated do not stand up to scrutiny.
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