Will it be necessary to wait for the return to business of Boris Johnson, still convalescent of the Covid-19, before the British government finally makes public its strategy of breaking out of containment or, at the very least, some leads? Media, scientists and politicians are pressing as the impact of the pandemic on the United Kingdom looks brutal, with a dreaded 35% drop in gross domestic product in the second quarter.
Containment was not put in place until March 23. A delay widely blamed on Mr. Johnson, who still boasted of "Shake hands continuously" the 3 of March. But after being one of the most lax in Europe, the British government is now camped in one of the most cautious positions on the continent. On April 16, Dominic Raab, First Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister while waiting for "BoJo" to return from Checkers – his official second home in north-west London, where he is resting after spending three days in intensive care – , announced an extension of containment to"At least May 7", without any dated prospect for the future.
"Cautious approach"
Only clarification: it will be time to talk about it more precisely, explained Mr. Raab, when the country has fulfilled five conditions: that the NHS (the British hospital system) is not overwhelmed by the seriously ill, that the number of deaths decline for a prolonged period, that reliable data are available proving that the spread of the virus slows down, that the supply of tests and protective equipment is assured and, finally, that there is no risk of a "second epidemic wave. Making a deconfinement agenda public before that would be "Irresponsible" added Mr. Raab.
Caution has not changed in recent days, although the number of daily deaths has declined slightly over the weekend. It started to rise again on Tuesday, April 21, with 828 dead, bringing the total number of victims of the pandemic to 17,337, in hospitals alone.
After grazing the worst and spending three nights in intensive care in early April, Boris Johnson "Has a cautious approach to the removal of containment. His great concern is the risk of a second epidemic wave, which could again be very damaging to the economy and cause many lives to be lost, " said the spokesman for Downing Street, Monday, April 20. Cited by the Times Conservative MP suggests Prime Minister's illness on Tuesday "Really impressed him. So finding himself on the ground marked him. He became very hesitant ”.
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