The U.K. was due to end its COVID-19-related restrictions on June 21, but the government now says it is “absolutely open” to delaying the date, arguing it is still too soon to make a decision in light of the recent rise in infections.
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About 5,300 cases were reported in the U.K. on Sunday, taking the weekly tally to 33,500 or 49% more than the week before.
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Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the Delta variant, now dominant in the country, is 40% more transmissible than the domestic Alpha variant, explaining the government’s recent caution.
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The country is preparing to vaccinate the country’s teenagers starting in August, after medical watchdogs cleared the vaccine from drug company Pfizer
PFE,
+0.46%
and Biotech BioNTech
BNTX,
+8.35%
for use on 12 to 15 year-olds.
Read: France is reopening to foreign tourists, and will allow in vaccinated tourists from most of the world
The outlook: After becoming Europe’s model for its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with 41% of the total population now fully vaccinated against the virus that causes the disease, the U.K. could be at risk of lowering the guard — hence the warnings by government officials.
Read: COVID-19 problems haven’t left the building. World’s biggest office-workspace group warns on profits.
