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Coronavirus lockdown measures are to remain in place in the UK for at least another three weeks, the government has announced.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he recovers from COVID-19, confirmed the anticipated extension of lockdown measures during Thursday’s press conference from Downing Street.
The decision followed advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Mr Raab said on Thursday,
“The government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks.”
“We’ve come too far, lost too many loved ones and sacrificed too much to let up now – especially when we are now beginning to see that our efforts are paying off,”
Mr Raab set out five factors that the government “must be satisfied of” before considering changes to the lockdown, including;
- Confidence that the NHS can continue to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment across the UK.
- There needing to be a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate to be confident we are beyond the peak.
- There to be reliable data from SAGE that the infection rate has decreased to manageable levels.
- That the testing capacity and PPE is in hand to meet supply for future demand.
- There not being a risk of a second peak of infection that overwhelms the NHS.
The leaders of each of the devolved administrations of the UK, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all agreed to keep the lockdown measures in place.
Photo Credit: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street under licence (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
