Former UK leader Boris Johnson defends efforts to balance health and economy at COVID-19 inquiry

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is defending his efforts to balance the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Johnson gave a second day of testimony on Thursday to Britain’s public inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic. He was grilled about his government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” program, which supported the hospitality industry by subsidizing restaurant meals. Leading scientists have testified that they weren’t part of the discussions on the program and that it was obvious it would increase transmission risks. But Johnson told the inquiry, “I must emphasize, it was not at the time presented to me as something that would add to the budget of risk.”