UK Government extends lockdown by at least three weeks

The UK Government has extended the nationwide lockdown by at least three weeks following advice from Sage.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the extension at the Downing Street daily press briefing on Thursday, saying the coronavirus infection rate has not slowed down as far as needed to lift restrictions.

The advice from Sage was relaxing any of the current measures would be a risk to both public health and the economy.

Mr Raab said while there are indications that current lockdown measures have been successful in slowing down the spread, Sage said evidence is “mixed and inconsistent” and in some settings infections are increasing.

He said any change to social distancing measures would risk a “significant increase in the spread of the virus” and would threaten a second peak.

This would then require an even longer period of lockdown measures, he said.

There are five specific things the UK Government must be satisfied of before lifting any of the restrictions. These are:

• Confidence that the NHS can provide sufficient critical care across the UK
• A sustained and consistent fall in daily death rates
• Reliable data from Sage that the rate of infection is decreasing across the board
• PPE and testing supplies can meet future demand
• Any adjustments to lockdown measures will not risk a second peak which would overwhelm the NHS.

The Foreign Secretary added that the “worst thing that could be done” would be to ease up on the restrictions too soon, which would be the “worst outcome for public health, the economy and the country as a whole”.

He said the government will continue to monitor the data and it will soon have the capacity to test 100,000 people per day, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock had previously promised.

There is light at the end of the tunnel – Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

He added measures could be relaxed in some areas, but strengthened in others and any decisions would be guided by the scientific advice and evidence.

Mr Raab addressed criticisms that the UK is not following what other countries have been doing, saying the UK “carefully follows other countries and looks to learn any lessons”.

However, he said decisions on lockdown measures will be made “at the right time for this country”.

Mr Raab said too much had been sacrificed to ease up now, and the country is  currently in a “delicate and dangerous” stage of the pandemic.

Yet, he said there is “light at the end of the tunnel”.

When asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg about when the public can see the end of lockdown, Mr Raab said this stage would last for three months.

He said: “That is broadly still the outline [and] it will be reviewed at the end of the month.”

But he added it would be “irresponsible” to give a definitive timeframe.