It’s been a busy afternoon, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson appearing before senior MPs and Health Secretary Matt Hancock giving the daily UK briefing.
Here’s what we’ve learned:
- A system to track down people with coronavirus symptoms will start tomorrow in England
- The health secretary said anyone displaying symptoms, including under-fives, will now be eligible for testing
- Boris Johnson ruled out an inquiry into the conduct of Dominic Cummings, insisting it was time to “move on” from the row over his top adviser’s lockdown trip to County Durham
- He also conceded the UK had failed to “learn the lessons” of the Sars and Mers outbreaks, and did not have a virus testing operation “ready to go on the scale that we needed”
- He added that he hoped the two-metre social distancing rule could be reduced, and has asked scientists to review it
- The PM also said the government was aiming to turn around tests in 24 hours – but would not set a timeline for when that will happen.