UK PM Johnson says Britain is getting control of COVID-19 pandemic

Britain is getting control of the COVID-19 pandemic as case numbers fall and vaccines are rolled out, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday, adding that he would stick to a cautious plan for easing lockdown restrictions.

"We're getting through this. There's no question that things are better than they were," Johnson told broadcasters, adding that he thought the next stage of reopening would proceed on May 17, with all restrictions hopefully lifted on June 21.

"There's no question that we're starting to get the pandemic really well under control at the moment, but we've got to stick to our cautious approach and go through the steps of the roadmap."