The government will not be lifting the coronavirus lockdown imminently – meaning it will stretch beyond the initial three week period, it has been confirmed.
This evening Dominic Raab – who is deputising for Boris Johnson while the PM is in intensive care – said the worst thing the country could do would be to “take its foot off the pedal”.
He said it is too early to consider lifting the restrictions – which state Brits can only leave their homes for essential trips and exercise.
When the lockdown was announced on March 23, Mr Johnson said the unprecedented measure would be reviewed after three weeks – meaning it could have been lifted at the start of next week.
But the UK is not in a position where it is safe to change the rules, Mr Raab said.
Nevertheless the government’s chief scientific officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, said there were encouraging signs that the lockdown was working.
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Mr Raab said: “In terms of the review, we are not at that stage yet.
“We will take any decision when the time is right, based on the facts and the scientific and medical advice.
“Our number one and overriding focus right now is on conveying the key message which is that everyone needs to keep adhering to this guidance.
“There is a long Easter bank holiday weekend coming up, warm weather and we understand people are making big sacrifices to follow this guidance.
(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
(Image: Sky News)
“It is helping, it is contributing to our ability to tackle the coronavirus.
“The worst thing now would be to take our foot off the peddle, to ease up on that and risk losing the gains that have been made.
“It is absolutely critical that people keep up that discipline and the vast majority will. We hope everyone will follow that example.”
(Image: Sky News)
The government’s chief scientific officer Sir Patrick said the number of new cases “could be moving in the right direction” but it would not be clear “for a week or so”.
He told the daily Downing Street press conference: “It’s possible that we’re beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit.
“We won’t know that for sure for a week or so.
“There hasn’t been the accelerated take-off and again it’s possible that we’re beginning to see the start of a change where we might see numbers flattening off.
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“It does begin to suggest that things might be moving in the right direction in terms of numbers and it’s important that we carry on with the measures that we have got in place in order to make sure that this does go in the right direction.”
The four reasons you can now leave your home are:
- shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
- one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
- any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
- travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home
(Image: 10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty)
Mr Raab said he was confident that Mr Johnson would pull through because “he’s a fighter”.
“He remained stable overnight. He’s receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance.
“He has not required any mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support,” the Foreign Secretary said.
Scientists say the coming days will be the deadliest phase of the UK’s coronavirus epidemic, which has already killed at least 6,159 people.
