Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this year, has announced that he was self-isolating after “being in contact with someone with Covid-19″…reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that he is “confident [the UK] will prosper” outside the European Union if a post-Brexit trade deal is not agreed with the bloc, the media reported.
The negotiations began again in Brussels on Monday, with the UK’s chief negotiator saying there had been “progress in a positive direction” on a deal, the BBC reported.
But Lord David Frost said “significant elements” are yet to be agreed.
“But we may not succeed. Either way, as the Prime Minister @BorisJohnson made clear on 16 October, people and businesses must prepare for the change that is coming on 31 December, most of which happens whether there is a deal or not,” Mr Frost tweeted.
According to BBC report, the EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, said he wanted “future cooperation to be open but fair” with the UK. Tweeting as talks started, he added: “We remain determined, patient, respectful.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this year, has announced that he was self-isolating after “being in contact with someone with Covid-19”.
Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said: “I’ve been instructed by our NHS Test and Trace scheme to self-isolate for two weeks, after being in contact with someone with Covid-19.
“I’m in good health and have no symptoms, and will continue to lead on our response to the virus and our plans to #BuildBackBetter.”
In a video, also posted on the micro-blogging platform, Johnson said that he was “pinged” by the NHS Test and Trace on Sunday and was asked to self-isolate as a precautionary measure.
“We have got to interrupt the spread of the disease and one of the ways we could do that now is by self-isolating for 14 days when you get contacted by NHS Test and Trace,” Johnson said in the video.
“I am absolutely confident that together we can beat this disease. Don’t forget hands, face, space, get a test if you have symptoms,” he added.
According to a BBC report, the Prime Minister on November 12 spent about 35 minutes with Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who lost his sense of taste the next day.
On Sunday, Anderson announced that he was self-isolating with his wife after they both tested positive for the virus.
In April, Johnson spent three nights in intensive care after contracting the disease.
He later said it “could have gone either way” and thanked healthcare workers for saving his life.
The development comes as England is currently under a national lockdown, the second of its kind since the onset of the pandemic in the UK, aimed at curbing the resurgence of new Covid-19 cases.
As of Monday, the UK’s Covid-19 caseload and death toll stood at 1,372,884 and 52,026, respectively.
Coming back to Brexit, last week, the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) warned of “significant disruption” when the Brexit transition period ends on December 31.
Regardless of the outcome of the post-Brexit negotiations for a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU, there will be a significant change at the border in 2021, it added.
The government spending watchdog said in its latest report that while the UK has now left the EU, preparations to manage the border at the end of the transition period remain very challenging.
The UK and the EU started their lengthy and bumpy post-Brexit talks in March after the country formally exited the bloc on January 31, trying to secure a future trade deal before the Brexit transition period expires.
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