Dominic Raab says coronavirus lockdown 'not done yet' as he urges Brits to 'keep going' with social distancing this Easter

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Katy Clifton9 April 2020

Dominic Raab has said the UK is "not done yet" and "must keep going" with the coronavirus lockdown, as he urged Brits to stay home this Easter to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Foreign Secretary lead the daily press briefing in Downing Street after chairing an emergency Cobra meeting on Thursday, where the lockdown measures were discussed.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Raab said it was too early to lift the restrictions in place and said the UK "mustn't give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people".

His comments were echoed by chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, who said it is important to continue with the lockdown measures as they are "making a big difference".

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab
PA

Mr Raab, who is deputising for Boris Johnson while he remains in intensive care with Covid-19, said: "It’s been almost three weeks and we’re starting to see the impact of the sacrifices we’ve all made.

“But the deaths are still rising and we haven’t yet reached the peak of the virus. So it’s still too early to lift the measures that we put in place. We must stick to the plan and we must continue to be guided by the science.”

The comments come amid fears high temperatures and sunshine forecast for the Easter weekend will lead to Brits flouting lockdown rules.

Last weekend, sunny weather in London lead to scores of people going against Government advice by sunbathing in parks.

Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures

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Mr Raab added: “After all the efforts everybody has made, after all the sacrifices so many people have made let’s not ruin it now.

“Let’s not undo the gains we’ve made, let’s not waste the sacrifices so many people have made.

“We mustn’t give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people and to hurt our country.”

Sir Patrick stressed that the measures in place "are making a big difference", adding that social distancing has meant that hospital admissions are beginning to flatten off.

Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance
PA

He said: “The measures that everybody has taken, the difficult things that we’ve all had to do, are making a difference, they’re making a big difference.

“We know that the social distancing is working and we know that people are doing what they’re supposed to do and we need to keep doing that.

“And the reason we need to keep doing that is because it stops the transmission of the virus in the community and we know that that is already happening.

“The social distancing we’re doing is breaking transmission, it’s stopping the hospital admissions, beginning to see that flattening off, still unbelievably busy but beginning to see that flatten off, it’s preventing more people going into intensive care and it will prevent deaths.”

Mr Raab opened the press briefing with an update on Mr Johnson's condition, saying he remains in intensive care but "continues to make positive steps forward and he's in good spirits".

Asked if he had spoken to the Prime Minister since taking over his responsibilities, Mr Raab said: “Not yet, I think it’s important particularly while he’s in intensive care to let him focus on the recovery.

“We in the Government have got this covered. I chaired the Cobra meeting that I have just come from, we are pursuing all the different strands of our strategy to defeat the coronavirus and I’m confident we’ll get there."

In other key developments:

  • The UK coronavirus death toll jumped by 881 as global cases of Covid-19 hit 1.5 million, according to latest figures
  • The economy shrank by 0.1 per cent in February, which was worse than City expectations and indicated that growth was stalling even before the coronavirus lockdown
  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the Government to “publish their exit strategy” and be clearer about what steps will end lockdown.
  • Care home bosses pleaded with the Government for more personal protection equipment (PPE) for their staff and more medical help to protect the lives of elderly residents.
  • A police chief warned of a get-tough approach to social-distancing rule- breakers.
  • Vets have been recruited to fill staffing gaps on intensive care wards ahead of the expected peak of Covid-19 patients, the Health Service Journal reported.

Meanwhile, Professor Chris Whitty said he expects to see an increase in the number of tests going out.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

The chief medical officer said: “We’re ramping up every day on the testing but I think it’s important to differentiate between tests available and ready to run and the whole system running in terms of in the lab, and actually having the whole system running so you’re very confident that someone that needs a test can order the right test and will get the right result back.

“And the whole process is going up every single day this month, I expect to see an increase in the number of tests that go out and the number of results that come back.”

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