U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has left the hospital and is continuing to recover from coronavirus, as recorded deaths from the illness across Britain and Northern Ireland passed the 10,000 mark.
Mr. Johnson, 55, will spend some time at Chequers, the country residence of British prime ministers, as his government begins to assess when and how to ease the lockdown restrictions introduced to limit the spread of the infection, or whether to extend them.
“On the advice of his medical team, the P.M. will not be immediately returning to work,” a spokesman said.
In a video message released after his discharge, Mr. Johnson thanked the staff of Britain’s National Health Service, or NHS, for saving his life after he was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital in London on April 5, mentioning doctors and nurses by name. He urged people to continue practicing social distancing and stay home whenever possible to ease the burden on the country’s health-care system.
“Because although we mourn every day those who are taken from us in such numbers and though the struggle is by no means over, we are now making progress in this incredible national battle against coronavirus—a fight we never picked against an enemy we still don’t entirely understand,” Mr. Johnson said. “We are making progress in this national battle because the British people formed a human shield around this country’s greatest national asset, our National Health Service.”
He initially had tried to shake off the symptoms of Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, while isolating himself in his apartment at No. 10 Downing Street, but his condition quickly deteriorated. News he had been taken into intensive care and administered oxygen to help ease his breathing fanned worries about the dangers posed by the virus.
Carrie Symonds, Mr. Johnson’s fiancée, with whom he is expecting a child, said she owed a debt of gratitude to the staff of the NHS that she would never be able to repay.
Mr. Johnson moved to Chequers, the country residence of Britain's prime minister.
Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images“There were times last week that were very dark indeed,” she said on her verified account on Twitter. “My heart goes out to all those in similar situations, worried sick about our loved ones.”
The severity of Mr. Johnson’s illness raised the prospect of a power vacuum as Britain approached the worst of the unprecedented public-health crisis.
In addition to testing the resilience of Britain’s state health-care service, the pandemic also prompted the government to instruct millions of citizens to stay at home, badly disrupting the economy and presenting the challenge of how to restart it once the spread of the virus is considered to be under control.
The U.K. Treasury said Thursday it plans to dip into an overdraft facility at the Bank of England to help finance spending, a sign the government’s need for cash is rising as it pumps money to stricken businesses and households.
British officials Sunday said the death toll from Covid-19 had passed 10,000 to reach 10,612 after 737 additional people were reported to have died. The figures don’t include deaths outside of hospitals, out in the community or in facilities such as care homes. Matt Hancock, Britain’s health secretary, told a news briefing there are signs that the numbers of fresh infections and hospitalizations were beginning to flatten, but people should continue practicing social distancing to prevent further infections.
Police officers outside of St Thomas' Hospital after Mr. Johnson was moved to intensive care on April 6.
Photo: henry nicholls/Reuters“The future of this virus is unknown,” Mr. Hancock said.
The lockdown, in which people are encouraged to stay home except for essential tasks or brief exercise, will remain in place at least until the end of this week, when officials are scheduled to discuss the matter, and likely for longer to slow the spread of the virus, officials have said.
Britain’s informal code of government doesn’t designate a vice prime minister who automatically takes charge when the leader is incapacitated. On falling ill, Mr. Johnson handed those duties to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is expected to continue the role until the prime minister has recovered further.
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The British government has been criticized by opposition parties and some medical experts for an unorthodox strategy to address the coronavirus. They say it waited too long to impose stringent social-distancing measures.
Mr. Johnson’s government has also been criticized for not mass testing people to identify potential carriers and those who have contracted the virus but have recovered and are now immune.
Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@wsj.com
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndzai5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZXMvdS1rLXByaW1lLW1pbmlzdGVyLWJvcmlzLWpvaG5zb24tcmVsZWFzZWQtZnJvbS1ob3NwaXRhbC0xMTU4NjY5NTgxONIBZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndzai5jb20vYW1wL2FydGljbGVzL3Utay1wcmltZS1taW5pc3Rlci1ib3Jpcy1qb2huc29uLXJlbGVhc2VkLWZyb20taG9zcGl0YWwtMTE1ODY2OTU4MTg?oc=5
2020-04-12 17:32:01Z
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