Johnson's comments came hours after Britain's top public health officials issued a joint statement saying that children were more likely be harmed by staying away from school than from being exposed to COVID-19.

Police in the U.K. are turning to the skies to put a stop to illegal house parties during the coronavirus pandemic.

The data also showed the world's sixth-biggest economy entered a recession as it shrank for a second quarter in a row.

Although it is still unclear which if any of the vaccines will ultimately prove effective against the virus, Britain and other rich countries are already investing in the vaccines.

All areas of the economy were hit during the month, in particular pubs, education, health and car sales.

British researchers testing an experimental vaccine against the new coronavirus aim to immunize more than 10,000 people to find out if it works.

Heathrow Airport has proposed Britain should set up “travel bubbles” with low-risk countries exempt from the requirement.

Researchers in the United States and France are attempting to train dogs to detect the disease too.

An estimated 10,000 people attended summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge last year.

Johnson, due to make a televised address at 1800 GMT, is expected to announce a limited easing of restrictions, such as encouraging those who cannot work from home to return to their offices and factories.