UK PM Johnson: we can get on top of coronavirus in 12 weeks

Britain hopes to turn the tide on the coronavirus within the next 12 weeks if people follow government advice so that the number of those acquiring the virus will be decreasing by end of June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday.

In his daily update, the Prime Minister said Britain is in talks to buy a coronavirus antibody test that could be a game changer if it works and already scientists are making progress in finding medicines that can fight the disease.

Johnson also said scientists were making headway in removing the "cloak of invisibility" that surrounds the virus to fully understand its workings.

He urged businesses to stand by their employees and said that "this time is going to be different" when helping small businesses to get back on their feet, which he said was not the case after the last financial crisis.

However, the government may have to impose stricter measures in London to tackle the coronavirus because compliance with the advice in parts of the capital has been patchy, Boris Johnson added