UK PM Johnson: This pandemic is not over

After confirming that coronavirus-related restrictions will be eased further as planned on July 19, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that the pandemic is not over and urged people to proceed with caution, as reported by Reuters.

"We cannot simply go instantly to life as it was before COVID," Johnson told a news conference and asked people to keep thinking of others and consider risks. "We don't expect the whole country to return to their desks on Monday," the PM added. 

Market reaction

The GBP/USD pair showed no immediate reaction to these remarks and was last seen posting modest daily losses at 1.3880.