Boris Johnson admits the coronavirus crisis in the UK has been 'a disaster'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says now is not the time for an inquiry into the country's mishandling of the coronavirus crisis.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says now is not the time for an inquiry into coronavirus failings.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under fire for his handling of the coronavirus crisis. Source: Getty Images Europe

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the coronavirus crisis has been a disaster for the United Kingdom but it is not the right time for an inquiry into missteps.

"This has been a disaster," Mr Johnson told Times Radio on Monday.

"Let's not mince our words, I mean this has been an absolute nightmare for the country and the country has gone through a profound shock."

He said, though, that this was not the right time for an inquiry in the handling of the crisis.
Mr Johnson, who spent time in intensive care battling COVID-19, said the government owed it to all those who have died and suffered to look at exactly "what went wrong and when".

"I totally understand that and we will. I happen to think that the moment is not right now... when everybody is flat out, I don't think the moment is right now for consecrating a huge amount of official time to all of that.

"But we are learning lessons the whole time."
Mr Johnson said reports of him looking wraithlike were complete nonsense.

"When I came out of hospital I did notice there were occasional pieces in the papers saying I was looking a bit wraithlike, or something someone said," Mr Johnson said.

"Complete nonsense I want you to know.

"I am feeling very well, yes thank you, again thanks to our National Health Service," he said.
Asked whether he thought every day about the high level of total deaths and infection rates in Britain from the novel coronavirus, Mr Johnson said: "Every day ... What we've got is the curve going in the direction roughly that they thought it would. It is very slowly coming down.

"The crucial thing is to make sure that we're ready to crack down on local flare ups and that's why we have the wack-a-mole strategy."

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.

Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.

SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at .


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3 min read
Published 29 June 2020 6:32pm
Updated 29 June 2020 7:23pm


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