Britain has joined a worldwide debate over when and how to ease the lockdown as unemployment rises due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Virus-control measures to slow the spread of the new disease, for which there is no vaccine, have brought widespread hardship and taken a toll on the world’s economy.

In a joint statement on Saturday, a group of 13 countries – including Canada, Brazil, Italy, Germany and the UK – called for global cooperation to lessen the economic impact and protect global trade.

“It is vital that we work together to save lives and livelihoods,” they said.

The group – which also includes France, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, South Korea, Singapore and Turkey – said it was committed to “work with all countries to coordinate on public health, travel, trade, economic and financial measures in order to minimise disruptions and recover stronger”.

They also want to maintain “air land and marine transportation links” to ensure the continued flow of goods including medical equipment and aid, and the return home of travellers.

So far, more than 2.3 million people have been infected by the virus and at least 160,000 have died.

Governments around the world remain cautious about easing lockdown rules, despite the devastating effect on the economy.

The US did not join in the call among other world leaders as the debate has taken on partisan tones ahead of the presidential election in the autumn.

US governors have moved to ease lockdown restrictions in a bid to rescue their economies after feeling heat from protesters and President Donald Trump.

Protests against stay-at-home orders organised by small government groups and Trump supporters took place in several cities on Saturday, despite experts warning that moving too fast could prove disastrous.

It comes after the president urged them to “liberate” three states lead by Democratic governors.

Public health experts have warned that easing shutdowns must be accompanied by wider testing and tracing of infected people to prevent the virus from coming back.

Singapore, which was initially held up as a model for other nations after enforcing strict lockdown measures, reported a new daily record of 942 infections on Saturday, pushing its total to 5,992.

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