UK's Johnson refuses to rule out further Covid-19 lockdowns

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to rule out further Covid-19 lockdowns, saying only that it would be "irresponsible" to do so.

The virus is currently "losing its potency overall," Johnson told GB News, but "there could be a new variant more deadly" that emerges in future.

"I can't rule out something, I can't say we wouldn't be forced to do non-pharmaceutical interventions again of the kind we did," he said.


Johnson was interviewed by two Members of Parliament from his own ruling Conservative Party - Esther McVey and Philip Davies - for the news channel, which published extracts on Friday. The comments are likely to alarm those Tories who want him to reject the possibility of any further lockdowns, amid concerns over mental health and civil liberties.

There are early signs that Covid-19 infections in the U.K. are slowing, after they reached their highest level since the pandemic began in March.

"I've got to be absolutely frank with you -- there could be a new variant more deadly, there could be a variant that affects children that we really need to contain," Johnson said. "I'm not going to take any options off the table. But I don't think it will happen."

UK Covid Cases at Highest Level as Immunity Wanes, Study Finds
Some 4.9 million people in the U.K. are estimated to have had the virus last week, according to the Office for National Statistics, down slightly from the previous week.

Cases appear to be falling in Scotland, but it is "too early to say" if infections have peaked both there and England, the ONS said on Friday.

Infections have soared in recent weeks, driven by the emergence of BA.2 - a more-transmissible version of the omicron variant that has become the dominant strain in England.