United Kingdom extends coronavirus lockdown by three weeks

New Delhi : The United Kingdom on Thursday extended lockdown by at least three weeks, as it remains among the countries worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recuperates from COVID-19, said that it will be too soon to lift the restrictions and strict social distancing norms ruled out last month.

"The government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks," he said at the daily Downing Street press conference.pandemic

"The worst thing we could do right now is ease up too soon," added Raab, who chaired an earlier cabinet meeting to sign off the decision.

UK PM Boris Johnsaon had earlier announced an initial lockdown for three weeks on March 23, banning all non-essential shops and restricting gathering of more than 2 people in the public places.

Since then, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths has climbed dramatically in Britain, with more than 100,000 people now infected and nearly 14,000 fatalities among those hospitalised.

The daily death toll from the virus hit nearly 1,000 at the weekend and, after falling for several days this week, spiked back up to 861 on Thursday, according to health ministry figures.