LONDON - The UK's chief
medical officers have agreed that the Covid-19 threat level
should be lowered one notch to "epidemic is in general
circulation" from "transmission is high or rising
exponentially".
The Joint Biosecurity Centre recommended the Covid-19 alert
level should move to level 3 - a Covid-19 epidemic is in general
circulation - from level 4 - a Covid-19 epidemic is in general
circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially.
"There has been a steady decrease in cases we have seen in
all four nations, and this continues," the chief medical
officers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland said.
"It does not mean that the pandemic is over. The virus is
still in general circulation, and localised outbreaks are likely
to occur."
The United Kingdom has a Covid-19 death toll of more than
50,000 based on official data including fatalities where it is
mentioned on death certificates, making it one of the worst hit
countries in the world.
More than 8.5 million people have been reported to be
infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 452,992 have
died, according to a Reuters tally.
When the UK threat level was introduced in mid May, the
level was set at 4 - "a Covid-19 epidemic is in general
circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially".
"The UK moving to a lower alert level is a big moment for
the country, and a real testament to the British people's
determination to beat this virus," Health Secretary Matt Hancock
said.