UK stretches lockdown till March

Johnson told parliament that there was "not enough data" available to announce the end of restrictions in the country, but said the government would issue a review of limitations on February 22, before possibly reopening schools from the second week of March.

Further, he said it is impossible to reopen schools from mid-February due to the continuing high levels of COVID-19 cases in the country.

However, he said the UK's successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme would help government to relax the lockdown from early March. He clarified that schools to get at least two weeks notice before being asked to reopen.

People in England are presently barred from leaving the home unless for important reasons including necessary work and buying food and medicine.

On the other hand, the victims of UK variant of the coronavirus are found to be coughing more with sore throat and fatigue but are losing their sense of taste or smell less, tells survey. The new variant of COVID-19 identified in Britain in December is thought to be more contagious and could also be associated with higher mortality, though data telling increased death rates are unclear and not yet strong.

Britain’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that some differences had been observed between those with the variant from the United Kingdom and others with COVID-19.

“Loss of taste and loss of smell were significantly less common in new variant compatible positives than triple positives,” the ONS said in an analysis of the characteristics of people in England with COVID-19.

 “Other symptoms were more common in new variant compatible positives, with the largest differences for cough, sore throat, fatigue, muscle pain and fever,” the ONS said. “There is no evidence of difference in the gastrointestinal symptoms, shortness of breath or headaches.”