UK PM Johnson postpones next stage of lockdown lifting due to rising COVID infections

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said he would postpone the next stage of lockdown easing for at least two weeks due to a pick-up in COVID-19 infection rates. "On Saturday 1 August we had hoped to reopen in England a number of the higher-risk settings that had remained closed ...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said he would postpone the next stage of lockdown easing for at least two weeks due to a pick-up in COVID-19 infection rates.

"On Saturday 1 August we had hoped to reopen in England a number of the higher-risk settings that had remained closed ... Today I am afraid we are postponing those changes for at least a fortnight," Johnson said at a news conference.

"I know that the steps we are taking will be a real blow to many people ... I am really, really sorry about that but we simply cannot take the risk."