Lockdown will continue for ‘at least three weeks’

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gives a media briefing in Downing Street on coronavirus

Mr Raab, who is leading the government as Boris Johnson recovers from coronavirus, said any relaxation of social distancing measures would lead to a “significant increase” in the spread of the illness, and put both public health and the economy at risk.

The decision followed a briefing from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee that included Nicola Sturgeon and the other leaders of the devolved administrations.

Announcing the extension of the lockdown, Mr Raab said: "There are indications that the measures we have put in place have been successful in slowing down the spread of this virus. But Sage also say that is a mixed and inconsistent picture and, in some settings, infections are still likely to be increasing."

Mr Raab said the rate of infection - the R value - was "almost certainly below one in the community", meaning infected people were passing the disease on to fewer than one other person on average.

"But overall we still don't have the infection rate down as far as we need to," the Foreign Secretary said, adding that there were "issues with the virus spreading in some hospitals and in care homes".

He added: "The very clear advice we received is that any change to our social distancing measures now would risk a significant increase in the spread of the virus.

"That would threaten a second peak of the virus and substantially increase the number of deaths.

"It would undo the progress we have made to date and as a result would require an even longer period of the more restrictive social distancing measures."

Mr Raab said it would be “irresponsible” to set out details of when or how the UK would eventually exit the lockdown, but set five criteria that would have to be met before the government would consider easing the measures.

Mr Raab said ministers would have to be confident that the NHS had capacity to provide critical care across the UK, see a sustained fall in daily death rates, have reliable data showing rate of infection is decreasing to “manageable levels across the board”, be confident that there is sufficient testing capacity and PPE supplies to meet future demand, and be sure that there would not be a second peak in infections that would overwhelm the NHS.

"The worst thing that we can do right now is to ease up too soon, and allow a second peak of the virus to hit the NHS and hit the British people,” he said.

"It would be the worst outcome not just for public health but for the economy and for our country as a whole."

Mr Raab added: “There is light at the end of the tunnel but we are now at both a delicate and a dangerous stage in this pandemic.

"If we rush to relax the measures that we have in place we would risk wasting all the sacrifices and all the progress that has been made.

"That would risk a quick return to another lockdown with all the threat to life that a second peak to the virus would bring and all the economic damage that a second lockdown would carry."