Boris Johnson announces further lifting of lockdown rules

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Speaking from Downing Street today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed lockdown restrictions will ease yet further on May 17 as planned, meaning indoor socialisation can take place, with social contact permitted. The Government is closely monitoring Covid data across the UK, with specific tests in place to allow for the unlocking of the country going forward.

These four tests include the number of people with COVID-19 in the UK, hospitalisations and deaths from the virus and variants of concern in the UK.

In a series of slides, Professor Chris Whitty outlined each of the tests and the data the Government currently has.

Among this was the number of coronavirus strains in the UK.

The slides showed there were five variants of coronavirus currently in the UK, with the Kent variant the most prolific.

Read More: Covid travel plans leave UK wide open to new variants – scientists

Variants in the UK

B.1.1.7 (Kent, UK) – 233,430 cases

B.1.351 (South Africa) – 782

P1 (Japan ex Manaus, Brazil) – 94

B.1.1.7 with E484K (Bristol, UK) – 43

B.1.617.2 (India) – 520

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