LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd March, 2021) The British government does not plan to change its lockdown rules after the emergence of the new Brazilian strain of the coronavirus in the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
"If you look at the number of new cases as we described on Friday the number of new cases is falling but the rate of decline has slowed. This shows how we all need to keep sticking to the rules," Hancock said in a Monday statement.
According to the health secretary, the UK will not change its plans to reopen schools starting March 8.
"I want to turn to the 6 cases of the variant of concern first identified in Manaus, in Brazil that we have identified here in the UK, 3 in Scotland and 3 in England. We know that 5 of these people quarantined at home - as they were legally required to do. We are putting in place surge testing in South Gloucestershire, as a precaution and I urge everyone to remain vigilant," Hancock said, adding that the UK lockdown plans are not being reassessed.
At the end of February, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a roadmap out of the COVID-19 lockdown in England and stressed that getting children back in would be the government's top priority.
Johnson said he was "very optimistic" on meeting the government's target of fully lifting the COVID-19 legal limits on social contact by June 21, but admitted that nothing could be guaranteed.
