Lockdown freedom on June 21st “to be delayed” in order to help with spread of new coronavirus variant

The day that many of us are looking forward to June 21st “must be delayed by a few weeks to stop new Covid mutations”, a leading scientific advisor has warned.

Professor Ravi Gupta of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group has become part of the growing list of advisors who have been urging Boris Johnson to push back the planned easing, with concerns that the NHS will be put under a lot of pressure due to the new Indian variant.

There have been 60 deaths reported within 30 days of a positive coronavirus test between 24th and 30th May, showing a 42.9% increase compared to the previous week.

The previous easing of lockdown rules on 17th May could potentially lead to an increase in hospital admissions so ministers are planning on keeping some measure in place going forward such as face masks and a work from home order.

British Medical Association (BMA) council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul has said: “The Government must hold off making a final decision on whether lockdown is fully lifted on June 21 until latest data can be scientifically considered. The Prime Minister had pledged he would be guided by ‘data not dates’, and it’s vital that he now honours this commitment”.