Too soon to say if lockdown in England will end as planned, says Health Minister Hancock
British Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock
United Kingdom’s Health Minister Matt Hancock on Sunday said that it is still too early to say whether the government would lift all Covid restrictions in England on June 21 as planned.
Hancock referred to a “very significant” impact from the delta variant of coronavirus which was first detected in India last month. Officials claim that it is now the dominant strain in England. Hancock said that the number of coronavirus cases in the country have jumped, but stated how hospitalisations and deaths continue to remain “flat”.
"It's too early to make a final decision on that," Hancock told Sky News. "The prime minister and I and the team will be looking at all the data over this week. We've said that we'll give people enough time ahead of the June 21 date… We are not saying 'No' to June 21 at this point," he added.
Hancock stressed on the importance of getting both the jabs of COVID-19 vaccine, which have been proven to work against the delta variant. He added that the quick vaccine rollout in the country had weakened but not broken the link between the virus, hospitalisation and death.
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United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that nothing in the data points to potential derailment of the restriction lifting plans in the country, but urged people to exercise caution.
Britain is among the world’s hardest hit countries with a death toll of 127,836 - the sixth-highest in the world, according to the Johns Hopkins University.