Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from COVID-19, said the government was working privately on how to move out of the lockdown but it would be irresponsible to speculate in public.
“We are at a delicate and dangerous stage and we need to make sure that the next steps are sure-footed,” Raab said during an interview on Sky News, urging the public to keep focusing on the current guidance to stay at home.
“We are proceeding very cautiously and we are sticking to the medical advice, the scientific advice, with the social distancing measures at this time, while doing all the homework to make sure that we’re prepared in due course for the next phase.”
The number of deaths related to COVID-19 in hospitals across the United Kingdom has risen above 20,000, the latest data showed on Saturday, with the overall figure likely to be significantly higher once deaths in care homes and hospices are tallied.
The economic news has been equally dire. Data released last week showed demand had slumped to an all-time low, retail sales had plunged by the most on record and government debt was surging.
