UK coronavirus lockdown set to be extended until early May
The UK coronavirus lockdown is set to be extended today until early May, according to multiple media reports.
The UK government is expected to announce a three-week extension to the coronavirus lockdown later today.
Health minister Matt Hancock told the BBC this morning that the virus would “run rampant” if lockdown measures were lifted now.
“We think it is too early to make a change,” Hancock said. “While we’ve seen a flattening of the number of cases, and thankfully a flattening of the number of deaths, that hasn’t started to come down yet.”
“If we just released all the measures now, then this virus would run rampant once again and we can’t let that happen.”
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Foreign secretary Dominic Raab will chair a cabinet meeting this morning at which the government’s chief scientist will update ministers.
Later today Raab will chair an emergency response meeting to discuss the UK lockdown.
Raab is standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is recovering after being hospitalised by covid-19.
The UK has the fifth highest official death toll from covid-19 in the world, after the US, Italy, Spain and France.
The UK’s hospital death toll from covid-19 rose by 761 to 12,868 as of 4pm on 14 April, the health ministry said.