AS the coronavirus death toll continues to rise, Downing Street will be providing more information this evening during the coronavirus briefing.
The UK waits to see whether Boris Johnson will be returning to our screens to host the press conference for the first time in over a month.
What time is coronavirus briefing?
As the coronavirus death toll in the UK passes 26,000, Downing Street will be holding a conference to announce the latest updates and tweaks in lockdown measures.
The press briefing will air live at 5pm today.
These conferences have been taking place every day since March 16.
However, the Prime Minister has not held the coronavirus briefings in over a month, since contracting Covid-19.
Who is speaking and what will be discussed?
Boris Johnson will face the cameras today for the press conference, after overcoming the virus.
No10 said the PM, whose fiancée gave birth to their son on Wednesday, will update the UK on the “fight against this disease and the steps we are taking to defeat it”.
The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty will appear alongside the Prime Minister at Thursday’s briefing.
Mr Johnson will meet his Cabinet virtually, before speaking to the nation as he seeks to explain to the public how and why they will make the decisions that are vital to our health and the country’s suffering economy.
He is expected to reiterate the measures that must be met before any restrictions can be lifted, including making sure the NHS can cope.
This would mean sufficient tests, enough equipment, a consistent fall in the death rate, and a decrease in people with the virus passing it on.
Since the lockdown, the rate at which infected people are passing the virus on to others has significantly decreased, slowing the spread of the disease.
However, Mr Johnson will outline how the rate of passing on the infection will be a crucial indicator of whether to lift, or reinstate restrictions as the weeks go on.
It comes as the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which is working on a range of options for easing lockdown restrictions, prepares to meet.
The lockdown is due to be reviewed on 7 May.
However, earlier this week, Mr Johnson indicated that the lockdown would not be relaxed any time soon.
He said details on any changes will be set out over the coming days.
How can I watch it?
You can watch the government’s daily press briefings using a live stream on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow live updates on the conference and the coronavirus in the UK through our live blog.
On TV, the press conference is broadcast live on BBC News.
What was said yesterday?
At Wednesday’s press conference, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK was still “coming through the peak” of the virus and called for people to maintain social distancing measures “until we are out of the woods”.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock pledged to reach the goal by the end of April. The latest figures show it reached just over 52,000 coronavirus tests on Tuesday.
A scientist advising the government on testing, Prof John Newton, said he is confident the target will be met, but warned there will be a lag in the data.
