Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister

The United Kingdom’s (UK) coronavirus lockdown will continue until May 7, Dominic Raab confirmed today.

The foreign secretary, standing-in for the Prime Minister who continues his recovery from coronavirus, told the daily Downing Street press conference what the UK had been expecting to hear all week.

Boris Johnson introduced the strict curbs on life in the UK on 23 March, as the government sought to limit the spread of the virus.

Ministers are required by law to assess whether the rules are working, based on expert advice, every three weeks.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab led today’s Downing Street press conference
READ MORE

And today after meeting the government’s scientific advisors SAGE and the COBRA emergency committee, the First Secretary of State confirmed that Britain’s lockdown would continue for  three  weeks.

Any change would have to go through the government’s scientific advisors SAGE and the COBRA emergency committee.

The extension means that the lockdown will be assessed again on May 7, raising hopes that the lockdown may be lifted by VE Day on May 8.

But a top scientist warned that the UK must keep a “significant level” of social distancing until a vaccine for coronavirus is found.

Professor Neil Ferguson