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Boris Johnson has warned that there may be “bumps until Christmas” and beyond as the UK grapples with the coronavirus.
Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr, the prime minister said there was “hope” in beating Covid, but called on the public to “act fearlessly but with common sense.”
He said the government was taking a “balanced” approach between saving lives and protecting the economy.
Johnson’s comments come as the UK has reached 10,000 new cases for the first time since mass testing began.
The prime minister said: “The best we can do now for all those who have suffered in the course of this pandemic is to end it as quickly as possible.”
Labor shadow health minister Alex Norris criticized the interview as a “wasted opportunity” to establish a “serious strategy to improve public confidence in the government’s handling of this crisis.”
He said, “Instead [the PM] waffle and dodged every question. His serial incompetence is holding Britain back. ”
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Johnson said he believes that over the “next few weeks and months” the “scientific equation will change, be it vaccines or tests” and there will be “progress” in fighting the virus.
As a result, he said there was “hope” and that “things may be significantly different for Christmas” as well as being “radically different” for spring.
However, the prime minister warned that there could be “a very harsh winter for all of us,” adding: “I tell you in all sincerity that it will continue to be bumpy until Christmas and may even be bumpy afterward.”
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Labor has been a longtime critic of the performance of the Test and Trace system, with its leader, Sir Keir Starmer, accusing the government of having “lost control” of the virus.
Johnson said the system was “not perfect” and he was “frustrated with it.”
But it defended its “massive capacity increase”, saying it had “made a huge difference” in addressing Covid-19.
Johnson also supported the Eat Out to Help Out restaurant discount introduced in August, which some critics have said added to the surge in coronavirus cases in September.
“To the extent that that scheme could have helped spread the virus, obviously we must counter that and we must counter that with the discipline and measures that we are proposing,” he said.
But he insisted it was “right to reopen the economy” as the government tries to “find the right balance.”
Johnson said he took “full responsibility for everything that has happened since the pandemic began.”
‘Suspicion’
When asked about the effectiveness of the latest local closures in addressing the growing number of cases, the prime minister said it was “too early to say.”
Johnson said he understood the “frustrations” of people living in the affected areas, as well as several of his own MPs, but defended the action saying, “I am a freedom-loving conservative. I don’t want to have to impose measures like this, are you crazy?
“This is the last thing we want to do. But I also have to save lives. And that’s our priority.”
“And I also believe, by the way, that that is the priority of the British people and I think they will want their government to continue working, to continue fighting the virus and that is what we are doing.”
Labor’s shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth previously called on the government to publish guidance on the criteria they used to impose local lockdowns and to involve local council leaders and health officials.
He said there were questions about why the current areas have additional restrictions, while the electoral districts of the cabinet ministers with the highest number of cases remained unchanged.
“Because there are no clear guidelines on why an area goes into restrictions and how an area goes out of restrictions, then there is a suspicion that there is political interference,” he told Andrew Marr.
“I hope there isn’t. But until the government publishes clear guidelines, that suspicion will always persist.”
‘Very fat’
Johnson was also asked about his health following his own experience battling the coronavirus in March and April, and in light of US President Donald Trump testing positive.
The prime minister said that when he had the virus he was “too fat” and it was a “teaching moment for our great country” to address the issue of obesity.
But he claimed it was “silly” that he was still suffering from the effects of the coronavirus, known as “Long Covid”.
He said the claim was “nonsense”, adding: “It is nonsense and nonsense. I can tell you that I am fitter than several butcher dogs.”
Conservatives are currently holding their first virtual party conference due to coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings.
