Below One...

[d000hg]

Lockdown needs to continue until April. but it won’t

I don't think it'll be far off. Schools can't return before 8th March - though I'm fairly sure it will BE 8th. Schools will be the first thing and I don't imagine much else for a couple of weeks. I really struggle to see pubs and restaurants open before April, maybe we'll go back to rule of 6 outdoors?

[AtW]

Lockdown needs to continue until April. but it won’t

[d000hg]

I thought they had it below 1 last week, or was it .8-1.0?

Cases are certainly plummeting, as quickly as they rose it seems, so some good news. Although one wonders, if lockdown works TOO well will that lead to overenthusiastic relaxation?

[SueEllen]

The R number across the UK is below 1 for the first time since July 2020.

Coronavirus R number falls below 1 for the first time since July | Wiltshire Times

The reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus has fallen below one for the first time since July and is now estimated to be between 0.7 and 0.9 across the UK.

In a sign that lockdown restrictions are having an impact and the epidemic is shrinking, scientists advising the Government gave their most optimistic outlook for the R number since cases fell last summer.

It comes as new data from the Office for National Statistics shows a drop in infections, with around one in 80 people in private households in England having Covid-19 between January 31 and February 6, the equivalent of 695,400 people.

This is down from around one in 65 people for the period January 24 to 30.

The data is based on swab results from people with and without symptoms.

On February 9, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK stood at 25,621.

This is down 35% from a peak of 39,236 on January 18, and is the lowest number since December 29.

But while scientists advising the Government believe cases of Covid-19 are dropping at a decent pace across England, they have warned that infection levels remain high.