British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said reimposing lockdown measures in the UK would not be necessary in an interview with the Telegraph.

Johnson said the measures on a national scale were akin to a “nuclear deterrent” that should only be used as a last resort, saying “nor do I think we will be in that position again.”

The prime minister also defended the UK’s initial hands-off approach to the pandemic, saying “lots of things… went very, very well” during that period, such as the rapid building of hospitals and the use of dexamethasone in trials as a possible treatment for the virus.

Johnson has expressed optimism the country will be able to return to the status quo “by Christmas,” giving local officials increased authority to impose regional or local lockdowns for emerging hotspots and allowing government ministers to shut down sectors “where justified by evidence.”

Local officials, he said last week, will be authorized “to introduce local stay-at-home orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas … or restrict transport systems serving local areas.”

French officials have made similar pronouncements as the spread of the virus slows, with Prime Minister Jean Castex saying earlier this month the country had no plans to impose another lockdown.

“[W]e’re not going to impose a lockdown like the one we did last March, because we’ve learned… that the economic and human consequences from a total lockdown are disastrous,” he said.