Johnson holds UK's first face-to-face cabinet meeting since March 17

British PM Boris Johnson on Tuesday held his first face-to-face cabinet meeting of top ministers since March 17. Meetings up to this had been via video conference.

The weekly cabinet meeting inside Johnson’s Downing Street office was ditched when the coronavirus crisis threatened to spin out of control. Johnson, his health minister and other top officials all caught the virus early in the pandemic.

Supplied with hand sanitizer, ministers were asked to attend a socially-distanced meeting in a larger room inside the Foreign Office rather than the traditional cabinet room in Downing Street, Reuters said.

Johnson has pushed ahead with easing Britain's lockdown, and will next month lift advice to avoid public transport, while encouraging commuters to use alternative means where possible.