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Covid-19: Government 'open' to delaying 21 June England lockdown end date Covid-19: Government 'open' to delaying 21 June England lockdown end date
(about 2 hours later)
The government is "absolutely open" to delaying the final lifting of England's lockdown on 21 June if necessary, the health secretary has said. Matt Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr he was "absolutely open" to delaying the lockdown in England
Matt Hancock said 21 June was a "not before" date to end restrictions under the government's roadmap, and that No 10 "would look at the data". The government is "absolutely open" to delaying the final lifting of England's Covid lockdown on 21 June if necessary, the health secretary has said.
He also said he "wouldn't rule out" the continued wearing of face masks and working from home measures. Matt Hancock insisted 21 June was a "not before" date to end restrictions and No 10 "would look at the data".
The end of lockdown would see all legal limits on social contact lifted. He said the Delta variant first seen in India was about 40% more transmissible than the Alpha (Kent) strain.
Nightclubs would also reopen, and restrictions on performances, weddings and other life events would also be removed. But he added that hospitalisations were "broadly flat" which meant Covid vaccines were working.
But concerns about the spread of the variant first seen in India, now known as Delta, have led some scientists to call for a delay. Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr show, the health secretary said the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant - which is now the dominant strain of Covid in the UK - made the decision on whether to lift lockdown on 21 June "more challenging".
Another 5,765 infections were recorded in the UK on Saturday, and another 13 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive test. Under the government's roadmap, the final stage of lifting restrictions would see all legal limits on social contact removed. Nightclubs would also reopen, and restrictions on performances, weddings and other life events would also be lifted.
The recent surge in cases is being partly driven by the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant. But concerns about the spread of the Delta variant have led some scientists to call for a delay to ending lockdown.
Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr show, the health secretary said the government would "look at the data for another week then make a judgement" on if the final lifting of restrictions could go ahead on 21 June. On Friday, the UK recorded 6,238 new infections - its highest number since late March - with the surge being partly driven by the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant.
When asked if the government would delay the unlocking, he said they were "absolutely open to doing that if that's what needs to happen" and that the government's "roadmap was set up to take these changes into account".
Asked whether some measures, such as the wearing of face coverings and working from home, might need to remain in place, he said: "I wouldn't rule that out.
"The way we are looking at this is step four [of the roadmap] involves the removing of the remaining social restrictions like the rule of six and some of the business closures which are still there."
Mr Hancock also referred to a government review into social distancing measures - including face coverings and working from home guidance - which still needs to report.
Asked if there should be vaccination passports in the UK - for example in hospitality - he said there were "downsides" to introducing them, "especially on a mandatory basis" and that it would be subject to a review.
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Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the lifting restrictions on 21 June was "looking very difficult" based on rising infection rates in the north-west of England, particularly among young people. Asked whether the ending of lockdown on 21 June could be delayed if the data on the Delta variant appeared "bad," Mr Hancock said the government was "absolutely open to doing that if that's what needs to happen" and that its "roadmap was set up to take these changes into account".
She told Andrew Marr that if the country is going to unlock on 21 June, the vaccine has to be rolled out "much more quickly". Mr Hancock added that while new infections have "risen a little", the "good news" was that the number of people admitted to hospital with the Delta variant was "broadly flat".
The government needed to listen to frontline public health directors who have been calling for vaccines to be offered to people aged 18 and over and secondary school pupils, she said. On Saturday, Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said the number of people in hospital with the Delta variant was rising but not "very significantly".
Mr Hancock said the majority of patients in hospital appeared to be those who have not had a vaccine and "only a very small minority" of patients were fully vaccinated.
"And critically, those who are double vaccinated also appear to be - even if they're in hospital - appear to be less seriously ill," he added.
This, he said, showed vaccines were "working" and that the link between infection and hospitalisation had been "severed but not broken".
He added: "The best scientific advice I have at this stage, is that after one jab it's not quite as effective against the new Delta variant, but after both jabs it is.
"So that's why it's so important that we drive through these vaccinations and people come forward for their second jab."
Ministers will "look at the data for another week then make a judgement" on if the lifting of restrictions could proceed as planned, he added.
The government's scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) had previously said there was a "realistic possibility" the Delta variant could spread 50% faster.
The Sage documents estimated that if the variant were to be 40-50% more transmissible it "would lead to a substantial resurgence of hospitalisations" and put pressure on the NHS.
Asked whether some measures, such as the wearing of face coverings and working from home, might need to remain in place, Mr Hancock said: "I wouldn't rule that out.
"The way we are looking at this is step four [of the roadmap] involves the removing of the remaining social restrictions like the rule of six and some of the business closures which are still there."
Mr Hancock also said reviews into social distancing measures and domestic vaccination passports were ongoing.
In other developments:
Former prime minister Tony Blair called for people who have had both Covid jabs to get extra freedoms, including the right to travel abroad more easily. This would encourage more vaccinations, he told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show
People under the age of 30 in England will be invited to have a coronavirus vaccine this week, the health secretary said
Mr Hancock urged secondary school pupils in England to take a Covid test before they return to school after the half-term break
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge leaders of other wealthy countries to commit to vaccinating the world against Covid by the end of next year at a summit of the G7 group on Friday
Charities have criticised the UK government's cuts to foreign aid spending, saying they have caused "devastation" that could undermine the UK's credibility at the G7 summit
Blair: "If you are vaccinated it should be much easier"
But Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the lifting restrictions on 21 June was "looking very difficult" based on rising infection rates in the north-west of England, particularly among young people, and that vaccines needed to be rolled out "much more quickly".
Ms Nandy also criticised the government's traffic light system for foreign travel, saying that the amber category should be "scrapped".Ms Nandy also criticised the government's traffic light system for foreign travel, saying that the amber category should be "scrapped".
"We think it's pointless. We think it's confusing and that confusion is actually dangerous at the moment - it risks unravelling all of the progress that we've made.""We think it's pointless. We think it's confusing and that confusion is actually dangerous at the moment - it risks unravelling all of the progress that we've made."
Mr Hancock also said the latest data suggested the Delta variant was 40% more transmissible than the strain discovered in Kent, now known as Alpha, which he said made the coronavirus situation in the UK "more challenging". Meanwhile, the health secretary said inviting the under-30s for a vaccine would bring the government "a step closer" to its target of offering all adults a vaccine by the end of July.
The government's scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) had previously said there was a "realistic possibility" the variant could spread 50% faster.
The Sage documents estimated that if the variant were to be 40-50% more transmissible it "would lead to a substantial resurgence of hospitalisations" and put pressure on the NHS.
Mr Hancock said that while infections have "risen a little", the "good news" was that the number of people admitted to hospital with the Delta variant was "broadly flat", with the majority appearing to be those who have not had a coronavirus vaccine and "only a very small minority" who have had both doses of a vaccine.
He added that the vaccine was "working" and that the link between infection and hospitalisation had been "severed but not broken" but the new variant's increased transmissibility had made "that calculation harder".
On Saturday, Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said the number of people in hospital with the Delta variant was rising but not "very significantly".
But he warned that the backlog of care for non-Covid illnesses caused by the lockdown means that even a small rise in the number of Covid patients could see hospitals become overstretched.
The health secretary said people under the age of 30 in England will be invited to have a coronavirus vaccine this week as part of the next stage of the rollout, bringing the government "a step closer" to its target of offering all adults a vaccine by the end of July.
He added that he expected "around three-fifths" of all adults to have been fully-vaccinated by 21 June, with 52% currently double-jabbed.He added that he expected "around three-fifths" of all adults to have been fully-vaccinated by 21 June, with 52% currently double-jabbed.
Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy: "The amber list is pointless and confusing"
Asked if he thought the UK should be vaccinating children, Mr Hancock did not commit to saying he believed it should happen, stressing that the government would follow the "clinical advice".Asked if he thought the UK should be vaccinating children, Mr Hancock did not commit to saying he believed it should happen, stressing that the government would follow the "clinical advice".
Reducing onward transmission of the virus to adults and protecting education were advantages of vaccinating children, he said.Reducing onward transmission of the virus to adults and protecting education were advantages of vaccinating children, he said.
This week, the UK's medicines watchdog approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12 to 15.This week, the UK's medicines watchdog approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12 to 15.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will advise the government on whether this age group should be vaccinated as part of the UK rollout.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will advise the government on whether this age group should be vaccinated as part of the UK rollout.
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