Coronavirus would not halt the Brexit negotiations. Rather than being postponed, they would be conducted virtually. As Boris Johnson recovered in Chequers from intensive
care treatment, and a month after Michel Barnier had himself contracted coronavirus, the EU’s chief negotiator gave an update in April on the latest round of trade talks. “Ladies and gentlemen, the UK has affirmed its wish to make substantial progress between now
and June,” he said. “We’re on the same wavelength on this, and we respect the same timetable.”