Another 252 people die of coronavirus in UK hospitals

With the UK's death toll still the second highest in the world, concerns are being raised over reports some lockdown restrictions could be eased as early as next week

Another 252 people have died of coronavirus in UK hospitals, bringing the overall toll to at least 31, 493.

It comes after England recorded another 207 deaths in hospitals, Wales another 9 and Scotland another 36. Northern Ireland has not published its figures yet.

The government is due to announce its official death toll later today, which will include deaths in care homes and the wider community. Yesterday, that number stood at 31, 241.

Today’s jump is one of the lowest since the outbreak began. However, figures are usually under-reported over the weekend.

With the UK’s death toll still the second highest in the world behind the US, concerns are being raised over reports some lockdown restrictions could be eased as early as next week.

Downing Street has indicated it will allow garden centres to reopen from Wednesday, although they will be bound by strict social distancing rules. The prime minister reportedly hopes starting off with small steps like relaxing exercise limits and allowing picnics will allow the government to assess what impact it has on the ‘R’ rate – a key measure in how coronavirus is spreading.

Boris Johnson is due to meet with his cabinet on Sunday before unveiling his ‘road map’ to end emergency measures in a televised address to the nation that evening. It is thought he wants to assess restrictions every fortnight before deciding whether to ease any more.

The R number when talking about a virus refers to a disease’s transmission rate or ability to spread between people. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden warned if there was ‘any indication that things are starting to get out of control’ the government ‘won’t hesitate to step back’ and reimpose certain bans on interactions.

Senior Cabinet members have already suggested that cafes with outdoor spaces could re-open soon. Picnics, countryside walks and several sessions of exercise per day could also be allowed in the first stage out of lockdown.

One measure that is reportedly being considered is a mandatory two-week quarantine for all travellers arriving into Britain, set to come into force at the end of May.

However, questions are being raised as to why this is only just being introduced.

Recent data found the UK is virtually the only country in the world not carrying out health checks at airports or restricting who can enter the country. Several countries already require arrivals to self-isolate for 14 days. Others have banned foreigners from virus hotspots or shut their borders altogether.

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