UK to remain under lockdown for at least three more weeks
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Return to some sort of normality will have to wait at least for three more weeks for the UK public. Government has announced today that its coronavirus lockdown will remain in place for a minimum for three more weeks as it seeks to ensure that the peak of the epidemic is behind it.
Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, who continues to act on PM Johnson’s behalf while the latter recovers from the same virus, confirmed that the extension has been decided following advice from the the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
Raab, addressing the daily briefing said: “The government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks.” He explained that the scientific experts warned that the relaxation of restrictions at this point in time would undo the progress made so far and would “risk damage to both public health and the economy”.
Five conditions to relax restrictions
The new target date is therefore moved to the 7th of May and would only change if five factors are achieved. These include confidence that the NHS can provide the necessary critical care, a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate, a decrease of the infection rate to manageable level, enough testing capacity and PPE to meet future demand which may increase on relaxation of the measures and evidence that there is no risk of a second peak of infection.
“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. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we are at a delicate and dangerous stage of this pandemic concluded Mr Raab.
