Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday made his first public appearance since being hospitalised with coronavirus three weeks ago , saying Britain was beginning to “ turn the tide” on the outbreak but rejecting calls to ease a nationwide lockdown .

In a statement in Downing Street marking his return to work, looking thinner and with his trademark blond hair a little more unruly than usual , Johnson apologised for being away “ for much longer than I would have liked ” .

He thanked the British people for heeding more than a month of stay – at -home orders , saying their action had helped ensure the state – run National Health Service (NHS ) had not become overwhelmed .

“ That is how and why we are now beginning to turn the tide, ” Johnson said , echoing his promise on March 19 that Britain could turn the tide on the outbreak in three months if people followed social distancing rules.

But more than 20 , 000 people have already died in Britain , not including deaths in care homes and in the wider community, making it one of the worst hit countries in the global pandemic .

And while Johnson acknowledged growing demands for the lockdown to be lifted to reduce the economic impact , he insisted that now was not the time .

“ I refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the British people and to risk a second major outbreak , a huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the NHS , ” he said .

AFP