Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab leads today’s daily coronavirus briefing
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab starts today’s press conference by saying that a further 693 coronavirus deaths have been recorded across the UK, taking the total to 29,427 fatalities.
Until today, Italy had been the European country with the highest number of deaths, and the second in the world, with the USA with the most worldwide. But now the UK has risen into the most European deaths and the second most deaths in the world.
The UK COVID-19 figures are as follows:
- 1,383,842 total tests for COVID-19, with 84,806 carried out yesterday.
- 194,990 positive tests, an increase of 4,406
- 29,427 people have now died with the virus.
Dominic Raab says the second phase of the UK’s fight against the virus will be different, with Britons asked to “adjust to a new normal”.
Dominic Raab: “We need to be under no illusions, the next stage won’t be easy.”
Cybercrime warning amid COVID-19 pandemic
The foreign secretary has warned of hostile states and criminal gangs are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic for fraud and espionage.
“We have clear evidence now that these criminal gangs are actively targeting national and international organisations which are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic which I have to say makes them particularly dangerous and venal at this time,” he said.
“Our teams have identified campaigns targeting healthcare bodies, pharmaceutical companies, research organisations and various different arms of local government.
“There are various objectives and motivations that lie behind these attacks from fraud on one hand to espionage but they tend to be designed to steal bulk personal data, intellectual property and wider information that supports those aims and they’re with other state actors.”
Raab went on to say that The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and the US Cyber-security and Infrastructure Security Agency have issued a joint warning over the concerns.
Pandemic has taught us to appreciate key workers
A member of the public posed a question in relation to key workers, to which the foreign secretary responded:
“I think it has taught us to appreciate those key workers I mentioned, not just those in the NHS and care homes who obviously do an amazing job, but also those keeping our supermarkets running, keeping deliveries flowing up and down the country.”
Mr Raab added: “We have to make sure we come together as one country, as I think we’ve seen in this national mission to tackle the coronavirus, and try and keep that spirit alive as we go forward.”
The government still considering evidence around masks
Dominic Raab has said ministers are still considering whether to recommend the use of face coverings.
He said: “The reality is we’re considering the SAGE advice. That advice has been nuanced.
“The evidence is rather finely balanced but we’ll make sure we consider it very carefully.
“One of the things we don’t want to do is give people inaccurate advice or create false confidence or comfort in masks.”
The foreign secretary said the government does not want to cause a shortage of masks for frontline health workers by issuing the wrong advice and said a further announcement will follow “shortly”.
