Boris Johnson set to return to work on Monday after beating coronavirus

Boris Johnson is set to return to work on Monday, but in the three weeks the Prime Minister has been away the battle against coronavirus has greatly changed.

The PM first said he tested positive on March 27 before entering his mandatory period of self-isolation at home.

Due to his symptoms persisting, Mr Johnson was taken to a London NHS hospital on April 5. Just hours later, he was admitted to intensive care.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He spent two nights in the intensive care unit at St Thomas' Hospital before finally being released from hospital on April 12 to continue his recovery at home.

Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday, April 26Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday, April 26
Boris Johnson will return to work on Monday, April 26

While he has been away from work, Dominic Raab has been deputising in his absence.

Join our new coronavirus Facebook group for the latest confirmed news and advice as soon as we get it www.facebook.com/groups/yorkshirecoronavirus

The PM said he was 'raring to go' ahead of his return but faces a number of challenges.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The UK death toll in hospitals rose past 20,000 on Saturday, a bleak milestone as health officials had previously hoped that in the best case scenario they could limit this figure to 20,000 or below. When Mr Johnson went into hospital on April 5, the number of deaths stood at 4,934.

There is no end in sight for lifting lockdown measures. Despite originally setting a review date of April 13, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on April 16 that the shutdown would be extended for at least three more weeks.

The situation will be reviewed again on May 7.

At the Downing Street briefing on Saturday, Home Secretary Priti Patel refused to comment on what the Government's exit strategy was, saying it would be "irresponsible" to get people's hopes up.

While there is still the issue of adeqaute PPE for frontline NHS staff and key workers, a headache the Government has made little progress on in Mr Johnson's absence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

According to a study published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on Wednesday, over a third of frontline workers surveyed said they were still unable to access continuous supplies of PPE.

A promised shipment of 400,000 medical gowns due to arrive earlier this week turned out to be closer to 32,000, according to media reports.

And many UK business claiming to be able to adapt manufacturing to supply PPE complain they have been ignored by the Government when they approached offered their services.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously set a target of 100,000 Covid-19 tests being conducted every day by the end of the month, but with just five days to go that ambition looks doomed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Home Secretary said on Saturday that 28,760 tests had been carried out on Friday.

If the Prime Minister hoped a new online booking service set up in his absence would be the answer, it is also facing some serious teething problems.

Home testing kits were listed as "unavailable" on the site just 15 minutes after it reopened on Saturday morning, the BBC said, and it was also not possible to book tests at drive-through regional sites in England and Northern Ireland by 10am.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said more tests kits and tesing slots will be made available from Sunday morning at 8am.

---------------------

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor