The United Kingdom is set to extend the lockdown of the nation due to the continued growth of the COVID-19 pandemic which has seen several deaths recorded so far.
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According to reports, Ministers are expected to announce a three-week extension of the lockdown, with Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, expected to lead an emergency Cobra and cabinet meetings to determine the continuation of social distancing measures.
Social care directors have, however, described the distribution of protective kit for carers as shambolic, given the nature of the disease.
According to Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, there have been 27 verified deaths with coronavirus among NHS staff.
Hancock, speaking on the extension of the lockdown stated that it is too early for the government to make a change in the face of the pandemic.
He said:
We can see that we’re reaching a peak, that is good news, but we can see that the numbers are not yet coming down, therefore we can’t make a change.”
The Health Secretary also stated that he did not want to jeopardise the good effort of the public by ending the lockdown too early.
He also said:
If we just released all the measures now then this virus would run rampant.
Hancock, it was gathered, is due to meet the first ministers of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales later, ahead of a formal decision on the lockdown.
Hancock, during Wednesday’s daily press briefing, said restrictions on movement were beginning to help curtail the spread of the virus.
The UK’s chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has warned, however, of a possible escalation in the numbers soon, as a result of delays in reporting deaths recorded over the Easter weekend.
Whitty, in the meantime, said the high figure of deaths in the nation were expected to continue to rise as the UK was reaching the peak of its epidemic.
As the government sought to limit the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced strict curbs on life in the UK on 23 March.
