Post Desk :  Boris Johnson has said that Brits may face a “bumpy” time beyond Christmas as he urged Brits to show common sense in the fight against coronavirus.

Speaking on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, the Prime Minister said he appreciates that people are experiencing “fatigue” with restrictions rolled out to curb the spread of Covid-19.

But he said it is “going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond”.

He told the Andrew Marr show: “I appreciate the fatigue that people are experiencing… but we have to work together, follow the guidance and get the virus down whilst keeping the economy moving.”

Marr interrupted and said “people are exhausted, they’re furious,” and Mr Johnson replied: “They’re furious at me and they’re furious with the Government.

“But I’ve got to tell you in all candour it’s going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond. But this is the only way to do it.”

He earlier said Brits should behave “fearlessly” but with “common sense” as he urged people to follow the guidelines.

It comes after the UK recorded nearly 13,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Saturday, the highest daily rise recorded since the pandemic began.

The official dashboard said on Saturday that due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there was a delay in publishing a number of cases.

Mr Johnson said: “On the one hand we have the imperative to save life, it is a moral imperative to save life if we possibly can.

“On the other hand we have to keep our economy moving and our society going.

“That is the balance that we are trying to strike and that’s why we have got the package of measures now that are in force both nationally and locally.

“What we want people to do is behave fearlessly but with common sense, to follow the guidance – whether national or local – get the virus down but allow us as a country to continue with our priorities.”

Speaking to Marr, he said: “What you’ve got to do is realise that this is a pandemic in which people need to understand that there is hope – and there is hope.

“We will get through this and get through this very well. It is up to Government to show we have the tools and the imagination and the creativity to get through this and we certainly will.

“And if you ask me ‘do I think things can be significantly different by Christmas?’ Yes I do, and we’re working flat-out to achieve that.

“But be in no doubt that it is still very possible that there are bumpy, bumpy months ahead. This could be a very tough winter for all of us – we’ve got to face that fact.”

He also said he does not “want to get people’s hopes up on the vaccine unnecessarily”.

He told the show “it’s possible that we will make significant progress on the vaccine this year”, but added: “I don’t want to get people’s hopes up on the vaccine unnecessarily because I think there is a chance but it is not certain.”