British PM Johnson says England's lockdown will be slowly unwrapped

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned parliament on Wednesday that ending England's latest lockdown would require a "gradual unwrapping" over time, pledging that schools would be the "very first things to reopen".

Addressing parliament before lawmakers vote on the measures introduced earlier this week, Johnson defended his decision to implement the new lockdown at the time he did, saying the new, more contagious, coronavirus variant offered little choice.

Trying to head off criticism that his decision to close primary schools a day after he told them they should open, Johnson said he did "everything in our power to keep them open" until "every other option had been closed off".

"And when we begin to move out of lockdown I promise they will be the very first things to reopen. That moment may come after the February half-term, although we should remain extremely cautious about the timetable ahead," he said.

"And as was the case last spring, our emergence from the lockdown cocoon will be not a big bang but a gradual unwrapping."

Britain has been among the countries worst-hit by COVID-19, with the highest death toll in Europe. With the appearance of the new variant, it has seen case numbers repeatedly reach record highs, stretching the country's health service.