Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given an update on Covid. Key points from the announcement are:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given an update on Covid. Key points from the announcement are:
- The Government is concerned by the Delta variant as cases are growing by about 64% per week and is driving up case numbers.
- There are currently around 8,000 cases a day.
- The Government will therefore delay removing all legal restrictions in England until 19 July.
- There will be a review after two weeks where the Government could possibility lift all restrictions then.
- By 19 July, all adults will have been offered a first dose and around two thirds of all adults will have been offered two doses of the vaccine.
- All adults aged 18 will be offered a first dose by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. All adults aged 23 and 24 will be able to book their first dose from 15th June.
- Two vaccine doses have now been shown to be highly effective in reducing hospitalisation from the Delta variant, latest PHE data suggests this could be up to 96% for Pfizer-BioNTech and 92% for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
- From the 21st June weddings will be able go ahead with more than 30 people providing social distancing is observed.
- The limits of having six people or two households indoors and up to 30 people meeting outside will remain until 19th July.
- Capacity limits for sports, pubs and cinemas will continue and nightclubs will remain closed.
- The four-week delay should reduce the peak by around 30 to 50%.
- The plan for booster jabs will be set out very soon.
The transcript of the Prime Ministers full speech can be found here.