The UK government is expected to announce a three-week extension to the coronavirus lockdown later today.
The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, will lead emergency Cobra committee and cabinet meetings beginning at 11.00 am about the continuation of physical distancing measures.
Speaking on Radio Four this morning the Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the government does not want to discuss the lockdown exit strategy because it does not want to deviate from the core “stay at home, save lives” message.
Earlier on the same programme Professor Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London said thatSocial distancing must remain in place until a coronavirus vaccine has been found, a key government adviser has warned.
He said it is “encouraging” that new hospital admissions have been decreasing for more than a week, but it is “too early to relax”.
“If we relax measures too much we’ll see a resurgence of transmission. We will have to maintain some level of social distancing indefinitely until we have a vaccine available,”
Asked abot exit strategy from the lckdown he said “Decisions certainly need to be accelerated and real progress made. There needs to be more coordination. That may be going on, but I think it could be enhanced.
“It really requires a single-minded emphasis in government and the health system on scaling up testing and putting in place the ability to track down cases.”
