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| UK coronavirus live: Raab says any change to lockdown will be modest and incremental; death toll reaches 30,615 | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Government misses 100k testing target for fifth day in a row; PM urges ‘maximum caution’ on lockdown easing; Welsh schools will not reopen on 1 June | Government misses 100k testing target for fifth day in a row; PM urges ‘maximum caution’ on lockdown easing; Welsh schools will not reopen on 1 June |
| Q: Are you considering testing relatives who want to visit someone in a care home? | |
| Raab says there is no silver bullet here. | |
| The government is confident it now has enough information, he says. | |
| And that’s it. The press conference is over, more quickly than usual. | |
| Diamond says all the data he has seen shows the importance of social distancing. He says he thinks it will be essential to maintain that in coming weeks. | |
| Q: What is the latest thinking on the impact of summer weather on coronavirus? | |
| Harries says we are seeing epidemics in warm and cold climates. So there probably is not much effect, she says. | |
| Q: People who download the contract-tracing app could be told they have to go into quarantine over and over again. Will they get sick pay? | |
| (ITV’s Robert Peston wrote about this in a blog here.) | |
| Raab says the app should be liberating for people. | |
| Raab says the biggest challenge with care homes is the ebb and flow of people out of them. But at least that is something that can be controlled, he says. | |
| Q: Are you going to introduce temperature testing? | |
| Harries says temperature testing in places like a restaurant may serve a reassurance value. But she says if the incubation period could be up to 14 days, and if the thermometer is not reliable, this may be of limited value. | |
| She says about a third of people with coronavirus do not have a temperature when the illness first takes effect. | |
| Q: Prof Edmunds told the science committee earlier there could be 20,000 new cases a day. What is your estimate? | |
| Diamond says the UK has some very good experts like Edmunds. He says better data is going to become available. But he says he is “very happy” with the numbers given by Edmunds. | |
| Q: Are you worried about R going up? (See 3.15pm.) | |
| Diamond says Edmunds was probably right to say R has gone up. That is because of the epidemic in care homes. | |
| But R is only relevant if you consider prevalence too. | |
| He repeats the point he made to the science committee earlier. (See 3.23pm.) | |
| Q: Yesterday the PM indicated that the rules would change on Monday. But you are saying there has been no change. So can people sunbathe on Monday, but not on Sunday? | |
| Raab says any changes will be based on what the evidence says. He says any changes will be “modest, small, incremental and very carefully monitored”. | |
| And the government must have the option of reversing any changes if necessary, he says. | |
| Q: Will you take steps to protect BAME workers in frontline jobs? | Q: Will you take steps to protect BAME workers in frontline jobs? |
| Raab says the government is looking very carefully at why BAME people are more at risk. When it gets those findings, it will consider what action to take. | Raab says the government is looking very carefully at why BAME people are more at risk. When it gets those findings, it will consider what action to take. |
| The government dashboard with the daily death figures has now just been updated with today’s figures. | The government dashboard with the daily death figures has now just been updated with today’s figures. |
| Raab says the CQC figures show the number of deaths in care homes going down. | Raab says the CQC figures show the number of deaths in care homes going down. |
| But there is still a lot of work to do on this, he says. | But there is still a lot of work to do on this, he says. |
| Q: Can you confirm you are renewing the lockdown restrictions. They have to be reviewed today. And Nicola Sturgeon says it could be catastrophic moving from the ‘stay home’ message. Is that safe? | Q: Can you confirm you are renewing the lockdown restrictions. They have to be reviewed today. And Nicola Sturgeon says it could be catastrophic moving from the ‘stay home’ message. Is that safe? |
| Raab says there is no change today in the rules. | Raab says there is no change today in the rules. |
| But the PM will set out a roadmap on Sunday. | But the PM will set out a roadmap on Sunday. |
| He says the PM spoke to Sturgeon today, and the PM set out his determination to maintain a four-nations approach, even if some countries move forward at slightly different speeds. | He says the PM spoke to Sturgeon today, and the PM set out his determination to maintain a four-nations approach, even if some countries move forward at slightly different speeds. |
| Q: How does R vary regionally? | Q: How does R vary regionally? |
| Diamond says it varies a bit, and would be lowest in London. | Diamond says it varies a bit, and would be lowest in London. |
| Harries is now presenting the daily slides. | Harries is now presenting the daily slides. |
| She says all regions are now showing a decline in the number of hospital coronavirus cases. | She says all regions are now showing a decline in the number of hospital coronavirus cases. |
| And here are is the latest global death comparison. | And here are is the latest global death comparison. |
| Boris Johnson did not share any details of his plans for easing the lockdown with Nicola Sturgeon or other devolved government leaders in a phone call which ended a short while ago, Sturgeon’s office has said. | Boris Johnson did not share any details of his plans for easing the lockdown with Nicola Sturgeon or other devolved government leaders in a phone call which ended a short while ago, Sturgeon’s office has said. |
| In a brief statement issued after the call, the first minister’s spokesman said she told the prime minister the only easing she planned was to relax the rules on daily exercise, which are limited in Scotland to one one-hour outing a day. | In a brief statement issued after the call, the first minister’s spokesman said she told the prime minister the only easing she planned was to relax the rules on daily exercise, which are limited in Scotland to one one-hour outing a day. |
| However, a further call between the governments was expected before Sunday, when Johnson is due to give a speech on his proposals to begin relaxing the lockdown. Sturgeon’s spokesman said: | However, a further call between the governments was expected before Sunday, when Johnson is due to give a speech on his proposals to begin relaxing the lockdown. Sturgeon’s spokesman said: |
| Raab confirms that the PM will set out a “roadmap” on Sunday for moving forward, with conditions for reaching each milestone. | Raab confirms that the PM will set out a “roadmap” on Sunday for moving forward, with conditions for reaching each milestone. |
| Raab says 86,583 tests were carried out yesterday. That is an increase on yesterday, but it means the government has missed the 100,000 tests per day target for a fifth day in a row. | Raab says 86,583 tests were carried out yesterday. That is an increase on yesterday, but it means the government has missed the 100,000 tests per day target for a fifth day in a row. |
| He says 30,615 people have now died. That means there have been an extra 539 deaths, according to the official count (which only covers people who have died and tested positive for coronavirus – others will have died from it without testing positive). | He says 30,615 people have now died. That means there have been an extra 539 deaths, according to the official count (which only covers people who have died and tested positive for coronavirus – others will have died from it without testing positive). |
| He also says the reproduction number, R, is now between 0.5 and 0. | He also says the reproduction number, R, is now between 0.5 and 0. |
| Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, has just arrived for the press conference. He is with Sir Ian Diamond, the national statistician, and Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England. | Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, has just arrived for the press conference. He is with Sir Ian Diamond, the national statistician, and Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England. |
| Jeremy Hunt, who was the health secretary at the time that Exercise Cygnus was carried out and the report completed, has previously said he believed the report should be published. | Jeremy Hunt, who was the health secretary at the time that Exercise Cygnus was carried out and the report completed, has previously said he believed the report should be published. |
| He told the Guardian that he had agreed with its recommendations and had fought within the government for an expansion of both the NHS and social care budgets but was not successful in securing extra money for the care sector. He said: | He told the Guardian that he had agreed with its recommendations and had fought within the government for an expansion of both the NHS and social care budgets but was not successful in securing extra money for the care sector. He said: |
| The royal family have praised “all of the journalists and broadcasters working to keep us informed” during the coronavirus crisis. | The royal family have praised “all of the journalists and broadcasters working to keep us informed” during the coronavirus crisis. |
| The message closely follows an appeal from the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, on Wednesday calling on the public to buy a newspaper to support the media. | The message closely follows an appeal from the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, on Wednesday calling on the public to buy a newspaper to support the media. |
| At the daily press briefing, Jenrick said much of the frontline effort in the fight against coronavirus “is being coordinated in our own communities”, adding: | At the daily press briefing, Jenrick said much of the frontline effort in the fight against coronavirus “is being coordinated in our own communities”, adding: |
| It sounds as if opposition party leaders at Westminster got exactly the same line from the PM as the cabinet (see 1.36pm) when he spoke to them at lunchtime. Commenting on the talks, a No 10 spokesman said: | It sounds as if opposition party leaders at Westminster got exactly the same line from the PM as the cabinet (see 1.36pm) when he spoke to them at lunchtime. Commenting on the talks, a No 10 spokesman said: |