Government misses testing target for fourth consecutive day
The government has missed its target for coronavirus testing for the fourth day in the row, after just 69,463 tests were carried out yesterday.
In the Downing Street daily briefing, communities secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed 69,463 tests had been carried out in the past day.
More than 30,000 people have died from coronavirus in the UK, after a further 649 deaths in the past day.
Earlier today, Boris Johnson pledged to reach 200,000 tests for coronavirus by the end of May.
The government announced it had hit its target of 100,000 tests on Friday, but the number of coronavirus tests has since fallen back.
Cases in hospital have declined, from 13,922 yesterday to 13,615 today. Professor Yvonne Doyle medical director of Public Health England, said there were now more new cases in the North West than in London, but there was overall a decrease which is “good news”.
She added that while there had been another 6,111 new cases it was because the government had ramped up coronavirus testing. “We want to find the positive cases so we can break transmission,” she said.
Earlier, the PM told MPs he “bitterly regrets” the epidemic raging in care homes as the latest numbers show deaths in care homes are continuing to rise, despite a drop in hospital deaths.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Johnson of failing to get a grip on the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Johnson suggested the UK could “get going” with easing some lockdown measures from Monday. He signalled a second phase may come into force after he gives an update on the lockdown measures on Sunday.
“I think it would be a good thing if people had an idea of what’s coming the following day,” he told MPs.