The UK should expect only modest changes to the lockdown restrictions when Boris Johnson addresses the nation on Sunday, Dominic Raab has said.
The foreign secretary said at the daily press conference in Downing Street that while the government was in the position to think about the next phase of its pandemic response, people should continue to follow physical distancing guidelines over the bank holiday weekend.
The prime minister had earlier said changes would be introduced from Monday, but Raab would not be drawn on rumoured changes such as allowing sunbathing or more outdoor exercise.
He said: “As we enter another long bank holiday weekend I think the message is very clear: follow the guidance. There is no change today in the guidance or in the rules, but the prime minister will set out a roadmap on Sunday.
“Any changes in the short-term will be modest, small and incremental, very carefully monitored, and as for now there’s no changes.”
In effect the lockdown has been extended beyond the official review point of 7 May until more information is released on Sunday.
Temperatures are expected to be as high as 26C over the weekend in London and south-east England, which has led to fears people may break the lockdown rules.
Downing Street has said it is still receiving scientific advice on what the next steps should be and is considering setting out plans based on a number of “milestones”.
Sir Ian Diamond, the head statistician for the ONS, said all the data he had seen showed the importance of physical distancing and he expected it would need to be maintained.
He said the “R” number – the rate of transmission – was below one. However, R had gone up since the last estimates because of the rise of cases in care homes. “We need certainly to get on top of the epidemic in care homes and in hospitals,” he said.
Raab said R was down overall, and especially in London, but he admitted that a “challenge remains in care homes”.
Temperature checking – as South Korea, for example, has implemented at airports, workplaces and restaurants – will not be rolled out in the UK as part of its coronavirus strategy, Raab confirmed.
He said he would look at the scientific advice but “temperature tests are not a particularly effective way of proceeding”.
The deputy chief medical officer for England, Dr Jenny Harries, said the likelihood of finding someone at the exact point they have a temperature related to coronavirus was very small, and some people presented with different symptoms.
She said: “We want to catch people in the early phase of the disease where they are most likely to transmit, and not all of them will have a temperature.”
Figures released by the government showed that it missed its 100,000 daily tests target for a sixth 24-hour period in a row since 30 April.
