British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Sunday that if British citizens did not more strictly adhere to social distancing, then further government measures could be introduced.
His remarks followed a sunny weekend in the UK, with social media filled with pictures of packed parks and public spaces.
“WE ARE GOING TO BRING FORWARD FURTHER MEASURES”
The UK Department of Health announced on Sunday that the death toll from coronavirus is 281, an increase of 48 in 24 hours. The total number of positive cases now stands at 5,683 in the country.
“I want, of course I do, people to go to the parks and open spaces and enjoy themselves,” Johnson said. “Please follow the advice and don’t think fresh air … automatically provides immunity,” he told a press conference.
Johnson warned those who thought they were “invulnerable” that they could nevertheless spread the disease to others. He said that as things stand the “health benefits of keeping parks open outweigh epidemiological value of closing them.”
“If people don’t exercise responsibly in the parks and green spaces, there is going to be no doubt we are going to bring forward further measures and we are keeping that under constant review,” he warned.
Johnson referred to the situation in Italy in order to underscore the point: “The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread, then it is all too likely that our own National Health Service will be similarly overwhelmed.”