The UK coronavirus lockdown has been extended by ‘at least’ three weeks.
The news was broken by Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, who attended a government meeting earlier. It was then confirmed by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at this evening’s Downing Street press conference.
Mr Raab said: ‘Our action plan aims to slow the spread of coronavirus so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time and that’s the way we can protect the NHS from becoming overwhelmed. ‘At every step along this way we’ve followed very carefully the scientific and medical advice we’ve received so we take the right steps at the right moment in time.
‘There are indications that the measures we’ve put in place have been successful in slowing down the spread of this virus.
‘The government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks.’
Mr Raab said there was ‘clear advice’ that any change to social distancing rules would risk a ‘significant increase in the spread of the virus’.
He said lifting lockdown too soon would ‘threaten a second peak of the virus and substantially increase the number of deaths’.
- Credit : METRO