Five tests the UK must pass before lockdown is lifted as coronavirus peaks

The UK government has set out five tests in order for lockdown to be lifted.

This comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK was "at the peak" of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said: "I just want to thank everyone from across the country for their steadfast commitment in following the rules, including in this House.

(PA)

"It is making a difference. We are at the peak. But before we relax any social distancing rules or make changes to them we have set out the five tests that have to be met."

Last week, Business Secretary Alok Sharma laid out what tests the UK need to pass in order for restrictions to be relaxed.

Here are the government's five tests Mr Sharma outlined:

1. "We must protect the NHS' ability to cope. We must be confident we are able to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK."
2. "We need to see a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate from coronavirus so we can be confident we have moved beyond the peak."
3. "We need to have reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board."
4. "We need to be confident that the range of operational challenges including testing capacity and PPE are in hand with supply able to meet future demand."
5. "We need to be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelm the NHS."