Boris Johnson's Change of Heart

The Daily

The New York Times

Daily News, News

4.4 • 102.8K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As Italy, France and Spain entered national lockdowns, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was still shaking hands with coronavirus patients in hospitals, and then joking about it on national television. Then he was hospitalized with the virus — and by the time he returned, both his attitude and his approach to the crisis were transformed. Today, we explore why the country that was most skeptical of the virus may be the slowest to reopen. Guest: Mark Landler, the London bureau chief of The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: Mr. Johnson announced a cautious plan for reopening over the weekend, including a new 14-day quarantine for foreign arrivals.While the British government frequently says it’s “guided by the science” in managing the crisis, the membership of its scientific advisory group, SAGE, has been a secret.

Transcript

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0:26.0	From the New York Times, I'm Michael Babaro.
0:33.0	This is the Daily.
0:36.0	Today, as Europe begins to reopen and countries like Germany send children back to school.
0:48.7	Why the country that was the most skeptical of the virus may be the slowest to reopen?
0:55.6	Mark Lamper, on the situation in Britain.
1:02.6	It's Tuesday, May 12.
1:08.6	Mark, how would you describe Boris Johnson's original approach to the coronavirus?
1:14.6	Well, I'd say initially he was really kind of out to lunch on it.
1:18.9	Remember, the earliest days of the virus in late January, early February coincided with
1:27.1	Britain formally leaving the European Union.
1:30.9	This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act in our great
1:36.1	national drama.
1:37.8	In those early days, Johnson was really very preoccupied and distracted by the milestone
1:44.6	of Brexit.
1:45.6	I know that we can turn this opportunity into a stunning success.
	...

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