Another 6,178 coronavirus cases in highest daily toll since May

A further 6,178 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK today, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 409,729.

The Department of Health and Social Care have also confirmed another 37 have died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the official death toll to 41,862.

Daily infections continue to climb as the UK takes a range of steps to try and avoid a second spike and another full-scale lockdown.

Today’s update is the third largest jump in cases ever, the highest since May and more than 1,000 higher than yesterday’s count of 4,926.

Yesterday Boris Johnson unveiled a raft of new preventative measures including a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants, increased fines for those breaking the ‘rule of six’ on social gatherings and additional face mask requirements.

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Despite the PM’s recent attempt to get people into the office, the Government has also performed a U-turn and is now once again encouraging people to work from home if they are able to do so.

In an appeal for people to stick to the rules during a televised address to the nation, Johnson said risks taken during the pandemic are ‘not our own’ and that ‘your mild cough could be someone else’s death knell’.

He said ‘locking up’ the elderly and vulnerable is ‘not realistic’ as the virus would rip through the rest of the population and make it to them eventually anyway.

In a call for unity, the PM added: ‘The single greatest weapon we bring to this fight is the common sense of the people themselves – the joint resolve of this country to work together to suppress Covid now.’

‘If we let this virus get out of control now, it would mean that our NHS had no space – once again – to deal with cancer patients and millions of other non-Covid medical needs.

‘And if we were forced into a new national lockdown, that would threaten not just jobs and livelihoods but the loving human contact on which we all depend.

‘We must take action now because a stitch in time saves nine; and this way we can keep people in work, we can keep our shops and our schools open, and we can keep our country moving forward while we work together to suppress the virus.’

Commuters in the capital said Johnson’s announcement on travelling to work made little difference.

While some trains were relatively, others were packed as usual, with Transport for London figures showing tube journeys were down just 1% compared to last week, while buses trips were up 1%.

Pub owners have criticised the Government over its new rule requiring people to wear face masks at all times except when sitting down, arguing enforcing such a measure will be practically ‘impossible’.

Hospitality businesses have said the new 10pm curfew could be a final ‘nail in the coffin’ for them as they lose income from their busiest trading hours, while fears have been raised for the survival of chicken shops and kebab houses.

Following an emergency Cobra committee meeting with the Prime Minister on Tuesday, the UK’s four nations have agreed on a ‘coordinated response’ to the sharp rise in cases, but newly announced restrictions still differ in different parts of the country.

The NHS Covid-19 test and trace app is set to be released across England and Wales tomorrow after months of delays, technical hitches and privacy issues.

But the Health Foundation charity has warned that people are yet to see the results of pilot schemes for the app and are calling for more transparency to boost public confidence.

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