Britain to stick with lockdown for now despite economic pressure — minister

Britain will keep lockdown measures in place until it is safe to ease restrictions despite the economic costs of the rules. (Reuters)

• ‘I will not allow for changes to be made that are unsafe’

LONDON: Britain will keep lockdown measures in place until it is safe to ease restrictions despite the economic costs of the rules, health minister Matt Hancock told BBC Radio on Friday.
“I will not allow for changes to be made that are unsafe. We’ve got to keep the public safe. And I understand the economic pressures, that is my background and I care deeply about that,” Hancock said, adding that getting the number of cases down was the best thing for the economy and that a second spike would be economically damaging.
“I understand those voices who are saying that we should move sooner, but that is not something we’re going to do. We’re going to move when it is safe to do so.”