UK's Covid-19 alert level moves from five to four
Video report from ITV News Health Editor Emily Morgan
The UK's Covid-19 alert level has moved from five – its highest – down to four as the risk of the NHS being overwhelmed “has receded”, the country's chief medical officers have agreed.
In a joint statement, the four chief medical officers and NHS England’s national medical director Stephen Powis said the numbers of patients in hospital was “consistently declining” but warned “we should be under no illusions” because deaths and infections are still high.
England’s Professor Chris Whitty, Northern Ireland’s Dr Michael McBride, Scotland’s Dr Gregor Smith, Wales’ Dr Frank Atherton and NHS England’s Professor Stephen Powis announced the decision on Thursday following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre.
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They said health services across the four nations “remain under significant pressure with a high number of patients in hospital”, but thanks to the efforts of the public numbers are now “consistently declining, and the threat of the NHS and other health services being overwhelmed within 21 days has receded”.
They added: “We should be under no illusions – transmission rates, hospital pressures and deaths are still very high.
“In time, the vaccines will have a major impact and we encourage everyone to get vaccinated when they receive the offer.
“However for the time being it is really important that we all – vaccinated or not – remain vigilant and continue to follow the guidelines.”
The Covid-19 alert level was be moved to five at the beginning of January due to rising cases that risked overwhelming the NHS.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has he will remain "cautious" in easing lockdown and will stick to his timetable for lifting restrictions.
The Prime Minister announced England's roadmap out of lockdown this week. The plan is to gradually lift restrictions, with the aim of scrapping all restrictions by June.
Asked if there was “wiggle room” to lift lockdown quicker if data suggested infections and hospital admissions were falling faster than predicted, he said: “I think it’s very important to have a timetable that is sensible, that is cautious, but one that is also irreversible. And that’s the virtue of the timetable we have set out.
“Everybody knows the dates: March 8, kids back in school; April 12, shops reopen; May 17, hospitality reopens; June 21, we hope, if all things go according to plan, a general reopening.
“And I think those are a series of dates towards which people can work, and I think that the people of this country would rather trade some haste for some certainty, and that’s why we’ve done it in the way that we have and we will still continue to stick to that plan.”
Mr Johnson said current case numbers were still too high to consider accelerating the easing of lockdown.
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