UK coronavirus death toll rises by 118 to 36,793
The number of coronavirus deaths recorded in the UK has risen by 118 to 36,793, the prime minister announced today.
Speaking at the daily government press conference, Boris Johnson said that “each of those fatalities represents a family in mourning, the grief of friends and relatives”.
110,401 tests were carried out yesterday, he said. There was a further 2,409 new cases with 8,951 people in hospital with coronavirus.
Johnson also backed his chief adviser Dominic Cummings following reports that he broke restrictions to travel to Durham during the UK coronavirus lockdown.
He said said Cummings acted “legally and reasonably” when he drove to Durham during the lockdown and that “his objective was to stop the spread of the virus”.
During the press briefing he also announced that English primary schools will begin to reopen from 1 June as the country moves into the next stage of the pandemic.