Coronavirus: Boris Johnson to launch Covid-19 alert system

England’s government will launch a Covid-19 alert system to track the virus, the prime minister is expected to announce on Sunday.

The system will rank the coronavirus threat level on a scale of one to five and adjust according to the data.

Boris Johnson must give a televised address to update the nation on the progress of the blockade measures.

It is not expected to provide dates for when the restrictions, first announced on March 23, could change.

The new system will apply only to England, but the government is working with delegated administrations as they develop theirs.

It is understood that the system will be similar to that used to keep the public informed of the level of terrorist threat and Johnson is expected to say that England is currently at stage four but is moving towards stage three.

The warning tool will also reflect the threat of the virus in different parts of the country, which could mean that the level of threat in one city could be quite different from another.

A meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee involving the cabinet, delegate nations and the mayor of London will take place ahead of his televised speech on Sunday night, with plans to be presented to Parliament on Monday.

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On Saturday, Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps warned that the government would proceed with “extreme caution” in lifting the blockade measures.

Speaking at the daily coronavirus press conference, he said the move beyond Covid-19 would not be “a single jump to freedom,” as it pledged £ 250 million to improve cycling and walking infrastructure in England in the coming years. weeks.

Shapps also declined to confirm whether 14-day quarantines would be introduced for people arriving in the UK, saying he would wait for Johnson to address the nation on Sunday.

A further 346 coronavirus deaths were recorded in the UK on Saturday, totaling 31,587.