Speaking at the Government’s daily health briefing, the Foreign Secretary said there was “light at the end of the tunnel” in the crisis but cautioned that relaxing social distancing measures too quickly raised the risk of an even more damaging second clampdown on the public’s freedoms.

He said ministers were carefully following the example of Germany, where COVID-19 infections were rising again in areas where restrictions had been lifted.

His warning followed more “worrying” evidence of increased traffic on UK roads, suggesting some Britons are tiring of the orders to stay at home.

Mr Raab said: “There is light at the end of the tunnel – whether you are an NHS worker on the front line working tirelessly shift after shift, or a parent at home with young children.

“But we need to be patient and careful as we come through this moment of maximum risk.”

He added: “A second spike would be harmful to public health, resulting in many more deaths from COVID-19.

“That itself would lead to a second lockdown, inflicting further prolonged economic pain on the country.”

Mr Raab pointed out that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, below with Boris Johnson, was threatening to reimpose lockdown measures despite the international admiration for her country’s relatively low coronavirus death rate so far.

“This issue of a second spike and the need to avoid it – it’s not a theoretical risk, and it is not confined to the UK.

“Having relaxed restrictions in Germany over the past week, they have seen a rise in the transmission rate of coronavirus. 

“And Chancellor Merkel has said publicly, and she has made it clear, that they might need a second lockdown in Germany if the infection rate continues to rise.

“So, this risk is very real, and it is vital that we proceed carefully, guided by the scientific advice, so that our next step through this crisis is a sure-footed one,” the Foreign Secretary said.

“We mustn’t gamble away the sacrifices and progress we’ve made.

“We must continue to follow the scientific evidence and we must continue to take the right decisions at the right moment in time.”

Ministers will wait for a review of the latest evidence on the spread of the infection from the Government’s medical and scientific experts next week before making any decisions about easing lockdown measures, the Foreign Secretary said.

“We’re ramping up the testing, with capacity now at over 73,000 per day, and 52,429 tests carried out per day, and eligibility for those tests has now been expanded further, to include anybody who needs to go to work and can’t work remotely, and who has symptoms.

“It also includes anyone over 65 with symptoms and all care home residents, as well as care home staff.

“And at the same time as we ramp up the testing capacity, we’ll keep working on our tracking and tracing capability which will be a key component in the next phase of the crisis.”

His update on testing comes as the Government is seeking to hit a target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by tomorrow.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Raab confirmed that the Government was still committed to Boris Johnson’s long-term target of 250,000 tests for coronavirus every day but refused to forecast when the figure will be achieved.

He spoke out after being pressed about the pace of testing by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during a clash in the Commons.

Mr Raab told the Opposition leader: “Of course he’s right to say that the 250,000 target is still an aspiration, I’m not going to put a date on it.

“The key point is the 100,000 milestone – very important to me – we’re making good progress, is only the first stepping stone towards testing which is essential to the wider testing, tracking and tracing regime we’ll need as we transition to the second phase.”

Sir Keir claimed that the UK was facing a “truly dreadful” death toll from coronavirus.

Data on traffic levels published at the news conference showed that the number of vehicles on UK roads was 56 percent lower than in early February, but up three percentage points compared with the previous Monday.

Public Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle described the rise as “slightly worrying”.

She said: “There has been an uptick in motor vehicles, and the message here really is that we are still passing through this peak.

“This use of motor vehicles is the highest working day use since March 23.

“We really have to be vigilant. Most people are making huge efforts to stay at home and save lives.

“This is slightly worrying, so please do stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives. Go out for the necessities.”

Source: Read Full Article