UK coronavirus death toll rises by 22
A further 22 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths to 44,220.
The increase, announced today by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), includes the number of people who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in hospitals, care homes and the wider community as of 5pm on Saturday.
The DHSC also said that in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Sunday, there were 516 positive coronavirus test results, bringing the total number of confirmed UK cases to 285,416.
Statistics published on Sundays and Mondays tend to be lower due to a lag in processing the weekend’s data. Figures published on Tuesdays are often much higher as the data catches up with reality.
It comes after pubs, restaurants, galleries, museums and hairdressers in England were allowed to reopen yesterday after months of lockdown, in the country’s widest relaxation of social distancing measures since March.
Scenes of revellers raised concerns that the infection rate in England could hike, after thousands flocked to central London on so-called Super Saturday yesterday to enjoy their first pub beers in months.
The Police Federation of England and Wales chair John Apter voiced worries that it was impossible to enforce social distancing rules on drunk people.
Apter took to Twitter to describe scenes of “naked men, possession of class A drugs, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights [and] more angry drunks” in Southampton last night.
However, health secretary Matt Hancock this morning praised the behaviour of the “vast majority” of people in England who went out to celebrate the reopening of pubs and restaurants yesterday.
Speaking to Sky News, Hancock said: “Overall I’m pleased with what happened yesterday. It was really good to see people out and about and largely, very largely, social distancing.
“People should enjoy summer safely, and of course the emphasis is both on enjoy and safely.”
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