The UK today recorded 10 per cent fewer coronavirus infections than last week, while deaths are down by more than a third.
Department of Health figures show there were 5,766 cases in the past 24 hours, down on the 6,391 last week, and 231 fatalities, down from 343.
The rate at which infections are declining has naturally started to slow now that the virus is circulating in low numbers.
But deaths are still in free-fall because they lag about three weeks behind cases, due to the time it takes for patients to fall ill with the disease.
Official figures also show the NHS dished out more than 255,000 more doses of coronavirus vaccines yesterday, which means 22.6million people have now had at least one injection. Nearly 1.2m have received both shots.
With the Covid metrics dramatically decreasing and the jab rollout steaming ahead, there is mounting pressure from anti-lockdown Tory MPs for an earlier easing of restrictions.
But Professor Chris Whitty said today he would ‘strongly advise’ No10 sticks to its cautious plan, which gives five-week intervals between each stage of restrictions being lifted.
Giving evidence to MPs today, the chief medical officer said: ‘If you open up too fast, a lot more people die… I think it’s very easy to forget quite how quickly things can turn bad.’
He claimed it was ‘perfectly realistic’ that tens of thousands more Brits could be killed by Covid because the virus ‘will find’ people who have not been vaccinated, or for whom the jab has not worked.
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon announced today that Scotland is to relax its lockdown rules early to allow up to four people from two households to meet outside from Friday. Two households should be allowed to mix outdoors in England from March 29, and schools returned in full from yesterday.
No10 has promised to follow the ‘data, not dates’, when easing restrictions in England but has set strict five-week intervals between each phase of the plan.
Ministers have refused to shorten the time between lifting curbs no matter how promising the data is, but have not ruled out extending the window if the figures begin to trend in the wrong direction.
Today the Prime Minister’s spokesman backed up their science chiefs’ warning, saying: ‘We are gradually, in a very cautious way, moving through the road map so that we have the time between steps to look at the impact lifting restrictions has had. The Prime Minister has been clear it is a cautious road map but he wants it to be irreversible.’
It comes as Scotland revealed it was relaxing its restrictions early and allowing up to four people from two households to mingle outdoors.
They will be allowed to gather for ‘social and recreational reasons’, including in home gardens, on March 12 – three days earlier than previously planned, the First Minister said.
For children aged between 12 and 17, outdoor meetings will also be limited to four people, but these can be from up to four households.
Outdoor, non-contact sports for adults in groups of up to 15 will also be able to start again from Friday, Ms Sturgeon said.
Ahead of a wider announcement on easing the Scottish lockdown that she will make next week the First Minister also said that religious buildings will be allowed to open for communal worship from March 25.
Congregations of up to 50 people will be allowed to meet as long as there is space for social distancing, in a move designed to allow the celebration of Easter, Passover and Ramadan. Currently only two people from different households are allowed to socialise outdoors in Scotland.
That was due to increase to four people from March 15, but has been moved to the nearside of the coming weekend to allow the public to get out a little more.
The statement to Holyrood this afternoon will heap pressure on the PM to step up his own relaxation – although it is already more ambitious than Scotland’s.
Two households should be allowed to mix outdoors in England from March 29, and schools returned in full from yesterday.
Ms Sturgeon said her government ‘will not hesitate’ to ease restrictions earlier if data supports it, Nicola Sturgeon has said.