Lockdown rules set to ease as infection rate rises
FOREIGN SECRETARY Dominic Raab has maintained lockdown restrictions are set to be eased despite concerns that the rate of coronavirus infections has risen due to a “very significant issue” in the nation’s care homes.
Speaking at the daily briefing at 10, Downing Street, the Office for National Statistics’ chief Sir Ian Diamond said the rate of infection – known as the R rate – had risen due to outbreaks in care homes.
But Mr Raab signalled this would not stop Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing an easing of lockdown measures on Sunday.
Mr Johnson is expected to address the nation over the weekend, setting out a roadmap for the country to return back to normal. He has said, if possible, some restrictions could be lifted as early as Monday.
A public question at yesterday’s briefing queried whether releasing some lockdown measures this was actually safe.
But Mr Raab instead focussed on the coming weekend, and said: “Whether you’re in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast as we enter another long Bank Holiday weekend, I think the message is very clear – follow the guidance.
“There is no change today in the guidance or in the rules.”
Sir Ian confirmed that the infection rate had probably gone up in the past fortnight, agreeing with comments made earlier by John Edmunds, a professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“That is driven by the epidemic in care homes, he would say, and I would not demur from that,” Sir Ian told the Downing Street press conference.
“That gives us a real challenge to reduce the epidemic in care homes and it’s one that I think – over the next few weeks from what I see happening – will happen.”
The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in care homes has now reached 5,890. In the latest data released, the number of care homes deaths increased by more than a third in the space of a week.
Sir Ian said that “at the moment we need, certainly, to get on top of the epidemic in care homes and in hospitals” but “in the community we have things relatively low at the moment”.
Mr Raab said the Government is “confident” it has the plan to decrease the infection rates in hospitals and care homes.
But he admitted there was a “very significant issue” in social care.
He said: “We’ve definitely got a challenge in care homes.”
And Mr Raab said any shortterm changes in the restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on Sunday would be limited.
“Any changes in the short term will be modest, small, incremental and very carefully monitored,” he told the Number 10 press conference.
Mr Johnson earlier told the Cabinet he would act with “maximum caution”.