The Spectator

Portrait of the week: Boris does press-ups, pubs reopen and Leicester locks down

issue 04 July 2020

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Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said he was ‘as fit as a butcher’s dog’ and did press-ups to prove it, as he announced infrastructure initiatives to counter the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. With a slogan ‘Build, build, build’, he made a speech in Dudley promising £1.5 billion for hospital improvements and planning changes to make loft extensions easier. Pubs were allowed to open from 4 July, after a fashion, with table service, as were restaurants. Churches could hold services without singing and newlyweds were told to wash their hands after exchanging rings. The government was poised to announce that from 6 July British travellers to France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Greece would not have to be quarantined on their return; but Greece refused to allow direct flights from Britain until at least 15 July.

After Leicester saw a rise in cases of Covid-19, schools and non-essential shops there were closed by order of the Secretary of State for Health, and pubs and restaurants prohibited from reopening.

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