The official UK coronavirus death toll now stands at 30,615 after a further 539 people died.
Speaking at the press briefing today, First Secretary of State Dominic Raab said there are 205,715 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the UK. He added that 86,583 coronavirus tests were carried out on Wednesday – the fifth day in a row that the government has fallen short of its 100,000 target.
It comes after another 464 people died after testing positive for the virus in hospitals across the country. England recorded a further 383 deaths in hospitals, Wales another 18, Scotland another 59, and Northern Ireland four.
The government death toll differs from the hospital total as it also includes deaths from care homes and in the wider community.
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The UK continues to have the highest death toll in Europe, surpassing the 30,000 mark on Wednesday and overtaking Italy earlier this week. Boris Johnson has now said the government will be lifting lockdown restrictions with ‘maximum caution’, to avoid worsening the crisis.
The Prime Minister is due to announce possible changes to social restrictions on Sunday following a review by ministers of the current measures.
His spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister said that in considering whether there could be any easement in the existing guidelines that we are not going to do anything that risks a second peak. We will advance with maximum caution in order to protect the NHS and save lives.
‘We will be guided at every step by the science and the data and we will closely track the impact of any easing of the social distancing measures and will not hesitate to tighten the rules if required.’
Downing Street has acknowledged that the coronavirus lockdown is likely to have a ‘huge impact’ on the economy, but warned the effect would be even more severe if there was a second spike.
Reports have indicated that Johnson could be about to grant the public ‘unlimited exercise’ going forward from Monday, although gyms and playgrounds are expected to remain closed.
Public Health England has signalled that the ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ message may be abandoned this weekend, while other reports suggest people will be able to have picnics or sunbathe so long as they adhere to social distancing rules.
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