U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson became Europe¡¯s latest leader to retreat from a no-lockdown pledge, faced with a virus pandemic that¡¯s wreaking havoc on government plans and derailing an economic recovery.
A one-month stay-at-home policy for all of England will take effect Thursday, with waivers for schools, universities and essential stores, Johnson said on Saturday as U.K. cases surpassed 1 million. Germany and France imposed similar partial shutdowns last week.
Austria, Greece and Portugal followed the example of the European Union¡¯s two big economic powers on Saturday with expanded shutdowns for November. Leaders across the region are seeking to beat back the virus surge before the end-of-year holiday season in Europe, where more than 215,000 have died and nearly 7 million have been infected.
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