Coronavirus: What is happening with UK lockdown review?
and live on Freeview channel 276
But while the first milestone is approaching, just in time for the Easter bank holiday, it may not quite be the time to get our collective hopes up just yet.
So, will the lockdown be reviewed next week, or even lifted?
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSadly not. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is standing in for the Prime Minister, said that the plan to review measures on Monday would not take place as scheduled, as the PM remains in hospital.
The consultation was supposed to happen before April 16, but the Government has not specified when it will now take place.
Health minister Edward Argar added that the Government would need to start seeing coronavirus numbers decline and ‘sustained over a period of time’ before restrictions could be lifted.
Are numbers coming down at all?
The latest data from a specially designed Covid-19 symptom tracker app suggests the rate of new symptoms being reported nationally has slowed down in the past few days.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdResearchers say the drop indicates that, although the number of hospital admissions and deaths in the UK are still rising, they should start to fall in about two weeks if social distancing continues.
The Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance also said on Tuesday that the figures ‘could be moving in the right direction’ - taking us closer to the end of lockdown.
When will we know for sure numbers are declining?
It could be a few more weeks yet. Health experts have noted a lag of around two weeks in the hospitalisation and death rate data behind actions taken to slow the disease.
Sir Patrick added that health advisers would need another ‘week or so’ before they could be sure that numbers were indeed going down.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWhat will trigger relaxation?
Ministers and scientists have been reluctant to say what exact requirements must be met before they relax the rules, and are still emphasising the importance of maintaining social distancing.
Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries has said that the UK must continue to be ‘responsible’ before the lockdown can be lifted ‘gradually’, adding that the process was likely to be ‘spaced’.
Which other countries are in lockdown?
Many countries worldwide, including large parts of continental Europe and more than half of US states, are also currently in lockdown.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRestrictions in some badly affected European countries, including Italy, Spain and France, which have already been in lockdown for more than a month, will remain in place until mid-April at the earliest.
Have any of them relaxed restrictions?
Citizens in Wuhan, China - the city where the coronavirus crisis began - were officially taken out of their lockdown that began on January 23 on Wednesday, prompting much celebration.
Restrictions will not be entirely abandoned; schools remain closed, temperatures are still checked before entering buildings and masks are encouraged, as the Chinese government looks to avoid a resurgence of the virus.
Other countries are also showing signs of lifting certain restrictions, such as Norway, which says it plans to begin reducing lockdown from the end of April.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.