国际英语新闻:UK PM self-quarantining after coronavirus contact

LONDON, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-quarantining after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, a Downing Street spokesman said in a statement Sunday.

The spokesman said the prime minister "will carry on working from Downing Street, including on leading the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic."

"The PM is well and does not have any symptoms of COVID-19," the statement added.

Johnson had a meeting with some MPs in 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning, including Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, who later developed coronavirus symptoms and tested positive, Sky News reported.

The prime minister recovered from COVID-19, the coronavirus-caused illness, after contracting the virus in late March and spending three days in intensive care in early April.

England is currently under a month-long national lockdown until Dec. 2, the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, in a bid to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.

Another 24,962 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 1,369,318, according to official figures released Sunday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 168 to 51,934, the data showed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.