Grant Shapps is leading today’s daily coronavirus press conference
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps is joined by joined by one of England’s deputy chief medical officers, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam.
Shapps begins by announcing that in the last day 126,064 tests have been “carried out” – well above the 100,000 target the government set itself by the end of April but that it has only a few times hit. That’s a new record.
He says there are 3,446 more people who’ve tests positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.
And sadly 33,614 people have died with coronavirus – an increase of 428 since yesterday.
Professor Van-Tam says there was a “new record” of tests delivered today – taking the total during the crisis to more than 2.2 million.
He also confirms there is a “gradual downward trend in the number of confirmed cases” of COVID-19.
He points to new findings from the survey that show just less than 0.3% of people in England had this virus.
Professor Van-Tam says pointing to the 7-day rolling deaths average that “this decline is now continuing and it is sustained – which again is a very positive sign indeed”.
Shapps announces that 72,300 people – over half the residents on the Isle of Wight, where the test, track and trace trial is going ahead – have now downloaded the app.
Transport
The transport secretary says he’s working with lots of transport companies to help them through the crisis.
“We are now in a situation where I am optimistic of having a solution with Transport for London and the mayor of London.”
He admits “we don’t know” what would happen if the crisis goes on for “more than a few months” but everyone’s working to get rid of the virus.
Prof Van-Tam says “discussions are still ongoing” so he won’t comment while they’re still going on.
Asking people to cross the border for 14 days means they can’t develop symptoms and be “out there at large in our community” – regardless of which country they come from, he says.
More to come soon…
