UK PM Johnson delays COVID restriction easing until July 19

CARBIS BAY, England - Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed his plans to lift COVID-19 lockdown restrictions by a month on Monday, citing the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant and announcing plans to use the extra time to speed up vaccination.

"I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer," he told a news conference, he said. The removal of restrictions would now take place on July 19, instead of June 21 as previously hoped.