UK Extends Lockdown For Three More Weeks as Coronavirus Cases Continue to Rise Exponentially

London, April 16: The lockdown to contain the transmission of novel coronavirus was extended in the United Kingdom for three more weeks amid the exponentially rising coronavirus cases. The announcement was made by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday, when the COVID-19 cases surged to over 103,000 and death toll spiked to 13,729. Coronavirus Death Toll in US Crosses 30,000: Tracker.

"Step by step, our action plan aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time," Raab said at the press conference, adding that the lockdown measures are needed to extended for the next 21 days to slow down the pace of new infections.

Raab, who is standing in for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recuperates after testing positive for the virus, chaired a crucial meeting of the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (Cobra) on Thursday during which the Cabinet finalised the plans for an extension.

Ministers had already indicated in their daily Downing Street briefings this week that an extension to the lockdown measures, likely to be for another three weeks, is inevitable.

"We can see that we're reaching a peak, that is good news, but we can see that the numbers are not yet coming down, therefore we can't make a change," said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock in reference to the Cabinet's extension plans.

"If we just released all the measures now then this virus would run rampant," he said. Hancock will join other Cabinet members and the first ministers of the devolved governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on Thursday as they discuss the further lockdown measures.

Scotland and Wales have already indicated that their social distancing norms will not be lifted yet and Northern Ireland has extended its lockdown until May 9. The Opposition Labour Party has offered its support to an extension but is pressing the government on tabling an exit strategy from the severe policies and lay out a plan for how the country would eventually come out of it.

In a letter to Raab, Labour Leader Keir Starmer stressed that while millions of Britons are following the rules, they need some clear idea on what to expect in the future. He has urged the government to publish its lockdown strategy because "transparency is the best way" to maintain public trust.

"If we can get a consensus that this is the right strategy going forward, I think that will give trust to the public as well," he said. The UK's lockdown, which involves strict stay at home measures with movement allowed for limited urgent purposes only if "absolutely necessary" and for one form of daily exercise, came into force on March 23 in a televised address by Johnson.

Under the emergency measures passed for it, ministers are required by law to assess whether the rules are working, based on expert scientific advice, every three weeks.

(With PTI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2020 09:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).