UK PM Johnson: Must support individuals, government machine will respond urgently

"We must stop the disease spreading to not overwhelm the health service," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said while speaking to reporters in a press conference with Finance Minister Sunak.

"Although measures are extreme we may have to go further and faster in coming days," Johnson added. "We must act like any war-time government to support the economy. We must support individuals in the coming months, the government machine will respond urgently."

Key takeaways

"We must do more and faster. We will need to strengthen other public services."

"While we need national unity, we need international cooperation. This enemy can be deadly but is beatable."

"If we follow the scientific advice, we will beat coronavirus."

GBP/USD reaction

The GBP/USD pair largely ignored these comments and was last seen trading at 1.2065, erasing 1.7% on a daily basis.