UK enters fourth week of coronavirus lockdown as Government set to review measures within days

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The UK reached 10,000 coronavirus-linked deaths in hospital as lockdown entered its fourth week on Monday
AFP via Getty Images
Kit Heren13 April 2020

The UK has entered its fourth week of coronavirus lockdown, with the Government set to review the measures this week.

Ministers have said they want to be sure the UK is past the peak of the outbreak before easing the restrictions, but 10 members of the Cabinet are reportedly urging lockdown conditions to be eased amid concerns about the impact on the economy.

The Times quoted an unnamed minister as saying it was important not to do “more damage”, and measures could be eased after another three weeks.

Scientific advisers will meet on Tuesday ahead of the formal review of the strict social distancing measures on Thursday, the deadline set out in law.

It comes as the UK's virus death toll passed 10,000 on Sunday.

The UK has the fourth-most Covid-19 related fatalities in Europe after Italy, Spain and France.

But a Government coronavirus adviser warned on Sunday that the UK could end up with the worst death toll among European countries.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the SAGE committee which advises the Government on Covid-19, told the BBC's Andrew Marr: "The UK is likely to be certainly one of the worst, if not the worst affected, country in Europe."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson came out of hospital on Sunday afternoon, after several days in intensive care with Covid-19.

Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds thanked the "magnificent" NHS - and several nurses by name - for saving his life as he battled the virus.

He is now recovering as his country retreat, Chequers.

Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds hailed the 'magnificent' NHS
PA

At least 19 NHS staff members have now died of suspected coronavirus, and probably several more.

And the debate about the safety of NHS staff treating coronavirus patients rages on after Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers in England which represents hospital trusts, said there were concerns about a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in some hospitals.

Mr Hopson said on Monday that although "the vast majority" of preparations for coronavirus have gone well, a shortfall of gowns was becoming a problem.

He added: "No trust, as far as I’m aware, has actually run out but some of the stocks are very very low.

"This is all really hand-to-mouth in terms of gown delivery, and we need to get to a more sustainable supply."

There are major concerns over NHS staff safety 
REUTERS

Mr Hopson's comments come after several Government ministers have been criticised for comments regarding PPE after Health Secretary Matt Hancock called it a "precious resource" and urged NHS staff to use it within Government guidelines.

But Royal College of Nursing general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair dismissed his comments.

Ms Kinnair told the BBC's Today programme on Saturday that no PPE was “more precious a resource than a healthcare worker’s life, a nurse’s life, a doctor’s life.”

Business Secretary Alok Sharma and Home Secretary Priti Patel both refused to apologise for PPE shortages.

When Mr Sharma apologised for "the loss of any life in this pandemic" on Sky News, he was pushed again on whether he wanted to say sorry specifically to healthcare workers "who feel that they don’t have the right protective equipment to do their jobs".

He replied: “It is our job to make sure we get that health care equipment, that PPE, out to them."

Meanwhile, Ms Patel told reporters on Saturday: "I'm sorry if people feel that there have been failings. I will be very, very clear about that."​

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