British adviser says social measures to continue

The British government's chief medical adviser has warned that social distancing measures in the U.K. may well have to stay in place for the rest of the year.

Professor Chris Whitty says at the government's daily briefing that he's confident a vaccine will have proof of concept well within a year.

But he says the probability of having that, or a treatment, any time in the next calendar year is incredibly small. As a result, he says we're going to have to rely on other social measures, which of course are very socially disruptive as everyone is finding at the moment.

He says ministers will have to decide what mix of measures will have to remain in place once the U.K. goes through the peak of the coronavirus and beyond.