Britain has extended its coronavirus lockdown for three more weeks as the country races to contain the spread of the new coronavirus that has killed nearly 14,000 across the United Kingdom.
Britain has one of the highest death rates from the coronavirus, behind the U.S. and four other European nations. The U.K. has reported 99,516 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, 13,729 deaths and 371 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Britain has a population of 66 million.
“We have just come too far, we’ve lost too many loved ones, we’ve already sacrificed far too much to ease up now, especially when we are beginning to see the evidence that our efforts are starting to pay off,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said during a televised press briefing.
Mr. Raab has been deputizing for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is recovering from severe COVID-19 symptoms that sent him to the intensive care unit. He has since been discharged and has tested negative for the virus.
The development comes as British health officials said that while they have seen the curve flattening, it is too early to lift restrictions.
“We think it is too early to make a change,” British Health Minister Matt Hancock said earlier Thursday. “While we’ve seen a flattening of the number of cases, and thankfully a flattening of the number of deaths, that hasn’t started to come down yet.”
Mr. Raab said during the announcement that advice to continue prevention measures led to the decision to remain in place for at least the next three weeks.
“Relaxing any of the measures currently in place would risk damage to both public health and the economy.”
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