1 - Crisis briefings are being dialled down
There will no longer be weekend Downing Street press conferences updating the public on the coronavirus crisis, the UK government has announced.
Boris Johnson pledged to give a weekly press conference and the weekday Downing Street briefings with Ministers and scientific advisers will continue at 5pm from Monday to Friday.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "It is just a fact that the numbers who are viewing at weekends do tend to be significantly lower."
2 - Two is still the magic number
The two-metre social distancing rule will remain in place despite conflicting scientific reports from the World Health Organisation that a distance of one metre cuts the risk of catching coronavirus by 80 per cent.
3 - Three week review becomes four
The lockdown review period will be extended from three weeks to four weeks, Downing Street said. This makes it likely that June 25th and not June 18th will be the next review.
Downing Street emphasised that this does not prevent, if the evidence allows, to implement easing in lockdown measures like the opening of nonessential retail shops in England by mid-June.
4 - Some numbers are harder than others
There is still no detail on the number of people tested and traced under the new plan to track down and isolate new cases of the virus as lockdown is lifted.
Matt Hancock was unable to provide the figures at Monday’s press conference, neither was Downing Street on Tuesday
The English Health Secretary has been criticised by the UK Statistics authority for issuing figures aimed at showing “the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding”.
The Downing Street spokesman said: “It is the intention to make the data public but not just yet. We will be publishing figures shortly we are looking to see what information it would be useful to publish.”
5 - Some hope on travel quarantine and holidays abroad
From next Monday tens of thousands of new arrivals to the UK will be able to go food shopping, change accommodation and use public transport from airports during a 14-day quarantine imposed to prevent a second wave of coronavirus. Full details will be published on Wednesday amid signs No 10 is increasingly favouring the option of “air bridges” with low-risk countries.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “There is no change, it is something the government is looking at. Our priority will be to protect public health the quarantine regime is designed to keep transmission down and prevent the virus being brought in from abroad.”
6 - Fishing and Brexit
Any idea that the UK will compromise on fishing in this week’s tough Brexit talks is “wishful thinking” by the EU.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: "We aren’t compromising on this because our position on these is fundamental to an independent country, any agreement has to deal with this reality.”
