UK's coronavirus lockdown likely to be extended as cases continue to rise

The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said during a press briefing that his government will not be lifting the lockdown this week. According to reports, the lockdown in the United Kingdom is likely to be extended for another three weeks as the death toll in the country continues to rise. Media reports suggest that Raab will hold a press briefing on April 16 when he may announce the extension of the lockdown period. Dominic Raab, who is currently leading the UK's coronavirus response team in the absence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said that the country has not passed its peak yet. 

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Earlier, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a televised address to the nation announced the United Kingdom would go under lockdown starting from March 24 for a minimum of three weeks. The lockdown introduced in the United Kingdom was similar to China, France, Italy, the US and dozens of other countries across the world. The lockdown required schools and colleges to be closed and all non-essential businesses in the country to shut down. 

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The United Kingdom is one of the most affected countries in the world with over 88,600 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 11,300 deaths so far. According to data by worldometer, there are currently 76,948 active infections in the country with over 1,500 critical cases. Data on successful treatment of patients is currently unavailable in the West European nation.

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Coronavirus outbreak

The deadly coronavirus infection has claimed more than 1,19,700 lives across the world and has infected over 19,25,300 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last month before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

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(Image Credit: AP)