Easter will be 'another test for the nation' in the battle against coronavirus, UK health secretary Matt Hancock says
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People must resist the urge to do anything other than stay at home this weekend the health secretary has said.
At this evening's Downing Street briefing Matt Hancock said: "This Easter will be another test of the nation's resolve.
"It is a time of year when people normally come together, but however warm the weather, however tempting your local beach or park, we need everyone to stay at home because in hospitals across the country NHS staff are battling day and night to keep desperately sick people breathing and they need you to stay at home."
His remarks echoed those by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at her briefing earlier this afternoon.
This evening Mr Hancock also outlined a three-point strategy he says will improve availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for those across the country who need it.
"There is enough to go around, but only if people use it properly," he said.
Guidance that has now been issued, he said, made it clear that PPE should only be used when there is a clinical need for it – and it was being advised that many items of PPE can be used for whole sessions and do not need to be changed between individual patients.
The guidance, he said, also made clear where PPE was not needed "because, outside health and social care settings, in most circumstances, the best way to protect yourself and others is to regularly wash your hands and, where possible, keep two metres between you and other people when leaving the house."
He added: "The most important way to protect yourself is to stay at home, because a front door is better protection than any face mask."
He also described the "Herculean" task of delivering PPE and talked about efforts to secure future supply, with officials at all levels working to secure supplies from overseas and working with businesses at home to increase domestic production.
As of yesterday 19,116 people across the UK had been tested for coronavirus, with 5706 testing positive.
There were 19,304 people in hospital with coronavirus symptoms and 8958 people had died of the condition.
