UK records 1,033 new COVID-19 cases: government data

A person wearing a protective face mask walks through Trafalgar Square, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

The United Kingdom recorded 1,033 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, down from 1,182 on Thursday, government figures showed.

A further two people died after testing positive for the coronavirus within 28 days, down from six a day earlier.

The new cases were recorded as the government ramps up testing so it can suppress the spread of the virus and ease restrictions that have crippled its economy.

A person wearing a protective face mask walks through Trafalgar Square, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, editing by William James)

A person wearing a protective face mask walks through Trafalgar Square, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls