Britain's Boris Johnson tests negative for COVID-19 after hospital stay

Spokesman says PM is not immediately returning to work but has been in communication with foreign secretary who has been deputizing

LONDON — Boris Johnson’s spokesman said Monday the British prime minister is continuing his recovery from COVID-19 and, on the advice of his doctors, is “not immediately returning to work.”

Johnson was discharged from St. Thomas’ Hospital in London on Sunday and then went to Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence, around 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of the capital.

James Slack confirmed that Johnson has now tested negative for the coronavirus and denied that the government had downplayed the seriousness of Johnson’s condition.

Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas’ on April 5 after his condition worsened and he was transferred the following day to its intensive care unit, where he received oxygen but was not put onto a ventilator.

In this photo taken on October 2, 2019, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) is embraced by his partner Carrie Symonds after he delivered his keynote speech to delegates on the final day of the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester (Stefan Rousseau / POOL / AFP)

He spent three nights there before moving back to a regular hospital ward. After leaving the hospital, Johnson expressed his gratitude to the staff of the National Health Service for saving his life when it could have “gone either way.”

The 55-year-old is now staying at Chequers, a 16th-century mansion northwest of London used as a retreat by British premiers for the past century.

He has reportedly been reunited with his pregnant partner Carrie Symonds, who earlier this month reported suffering from coronavirus symptoms herself.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a message to the public on his release from the hospital after treatment for COVID-19, April 12, 2020 (Screenshot)

Slack said Johnson spoke over the weekend to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been deputizing for the prime minister during his illness.

Raab has been chairing the government’s daily meetings on coronavirus, but a decision is due on Thursday when the three-week-old nationwide lockdown comes up for review.

Ministers must decide whether to continue demanding people stay at home where necessary, and keep non-essential shops closed.

Given the death toll, has been rising by around 900 per day since last week, few expect the restrictions to be lifted this week.

Confinement measures have been in place since March 20 across the country, where more than 10,000 people have died from COVID-19, making it one of the worst-affected nations in the global pandemic.