PM Johnson unveils 'moonshot' plan, 'rule of six' amid spike in COVID-19 cases

British PM Johnsontoday unveiled 'moonshot' mass testing plan amid growing coronavirus cases in the country.

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"I wish that we did not have to take this step," Johnson said, adding," But, as your prime minister, I must do what is necessary to stop the spread of the virus and to save lives."

Under the "moonshot" plan the government allowed millions of people to be tested every day to allow them to circulate freely.

"We are hopeful this approach will be widespread by the spring and, if everything comes together, it may be possible even for challenging sectors like theatres to have life much closer to normal before Christmas," Johnson said.

However, the British prime minister said there were "numerous logistical challenges", while adding that "we're not there yet."

"Let me be clear -- these measures are not a second national lockdown. The whole point of them is to avoid a second national lockdown," the prime minister said.

Johnson also introduced the "rule of six" which means banning social gatherings of more than six people and making contact tracing mandatory in pubs and other venues.

Britain has been hit hard due to the virus with 41,500 deaths with 3,000 daily coronavirus cases recently.