COVID-19: UK reports fall in daily COVID deaths and cases

There have been another 19,875 coronavirus cases and 341 deaths reported in the UK.

It represents a big fall from Friday, when 20,252 COVID-19 cases and 511 deaths were recorded – and an even bigger drop from last Saturday, when there were 26,860 cases, with 462 deaths.

The figures come 16 days into the UK’s second coronavirus lockdown, with the government aiming to lift the social restrictions on Wednesday 2 December.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said the number of coronavirus infections in England appears to have “levelled off” in recent weeks.

The government has promised that when the new restrictions expire they will be replaced by another tiered system, although Downing Street is continuing to monitor cases ahead of revealing the new rules.

The UK government and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also in talks over what COVID-19 measures should be in place over Christmas.

Recent reports have suggested there could be a special easing of restrictions over the festive period in order to allow families to get together to celebrate the holiday.

However it has also been suggested that England could face nearly a month-long extra lockdown in exchange for five days’ release from restrictions over Christmas.

Today, Wales opened its first rapid mass testing centre for people without symptoms, following on from the pilot scheme in Liverpool.

Merthyr Tydfil has become the first area in Wales to begin mass testing and everyone living or working there can now get a free test.

The aim is to identify more positive cases and stop the disease spreading unchecked, using lateral flow tests which give a result in around 20-30 minutes and do not need sending to a lab.

People who test positive will then also get a traditional swab test – which has a higher degree of accuracy – and will be asked to return home to self-isolate.

(c) Sky News 2020: COVID-19: UK reports fall in daily COVID deaths and cases