Coronavirus: Three-week lockdown extension set to be approved

Ministers are later expected to announce a three-week extension to the coronavirus lockdown.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will lead emergency Cobra committee and cabinet meetings about the continuation of social distancing measures.

Labour has said it will support an extension, but called for details on how and when the lockdown will end.

Meanwhile, social care directors have said distribution of protective kit for carers has been “shambolic”.

In a letter to the Department of Health and Social Care, seen by the BBC, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services said early deliveries of personal protective equipment (PPE) had been “paltry”. It described more recent deliveries as “haphazard”.

The group said mixed messages from the government had created “confusion and additional workload”, as the care sector struggled to cope with the virus.

The leak came to light after Health Secretary Matt Hancock launched a new supply network, including an emergency 24/7 helpline, to help get PPE to care home staff.

Care providers have been calling for more testing and PPE for weeks, amid outbreaks at more than 2,000 homes.

Speaking at Wednesday’s daily press briefing, Mr Hancock said restrictions on movement were beginning to help reduce the spread of the virus. But he warned “we will not lift these measures until it is safe to do so”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced strict curbs on life in the UK on 23 March, as the government sought to limit the spread of the virus.

Since then, people have been allowed to leave home only to exercise once a day, travel to and from work when “absolutely necessary”, shop for essential items and fulfil medical or care needs.

Ministers are required by law to assess whether the rules are working, based on expert advice, every three weeks.

The government – led by Mr Raab as Mr Johnson continues to recover from the virus – will detail the outcome of the first assessment at the daily Downing Street news conference later.

Ministers in Scotland and Wales have already said their lockdowns are set to remain in place, while Northern Ireland’s Arlene Foster confirmed the NI lockdown will be extended until 9 May.

According to the latest figures, 12,868 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for the virus in the UK, a day-on-day increase of 761.

The UK’s chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has warned of a possible “bounce” in the numbers soon, due to delays in reporting deaths over the Easter weekend.

He said while the UK was “probably” reaching the peak of its epidemic, the high numbers of deaths were expected to continue for a “short while” longer.

In other developments:

• The baby of a “highly valued and loved” nurse has been delivered successfully after the 28-year-old died with Covid-19
• Retail sales in the UK declined at the worst rate on record last month, when the lockdown was imposed, figures from the British Retail Consortium suggest
• While the government accepted the lockdown will have “very significant impact” on economy, the toll of isolation on people’s mental health is also expected to be “profound”, experts said on Thursday
• Dominic Raab is to take part in a “virtual summit” of G7 leaders hosted by US President Donald Trump. It comes after the president announced he was cutting US funding for the World Health Organization, accusing it of “mismanaging and covering up” the outbreak
• Second World War veteran Tom Moore, 99, has been widely praised for raising more than £11m for the NHS by doing a sponsored walk in his garden
• He is not the only one donating vast sums to NHS-supporting charities. The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor – one of the world’s youngest billionaires – has given £12.5m to various Covid-19 relief efforts

The Department of Health’s statistics have come in for scrutiny in recent days. They do not include deaths in care homes – leading charities to claim the government was “airbrushing” the death toll.

In Scotland, new figures suggest a quarter of deaths linked to coronavirus have occurred in care homes.

In England and Wales there were 217 deaths in care homes by 3 April. That number is known to now be much higher. And 24 residents died after an outbreak at one care home in Staffordshire.

As part of new government guidelines, Mr Hancock announced on Wednesday that family members of dying relatives would be allowed to visit them to say their goodbyes “wherever possible”.

He also promised anyone moving from hospital into social care would be tested for the virus to prevent care home outbreaks. However, critics have questioned the logistics of isolating people as they await test results.

Labour’s shadow minister for social care, Liz Kendall, said few care home staff had been tested so far.

In response to Mr Hancock unveiling what he called a “badge of honour” to recognise care workers, she told the BBC: “I think probably what they want more than a brand or a badge is protective equipment, proper testing and a decent salary.”