The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Rabb, will be chairing the government’s emergency Cobra committee will consider if restriction on public movement should be extended. They will look at evidence from scientists on the impact of measures brought in on 23 March. No formal decision is expected today.

Meanwhile, the public is being urged to stay home this Bank Holiday. Warm weather had been forecast for some parts of the UK. The government will be delivering a ‘stay at home this Easter’  campaign. Adverts will be appearing in newspapers from today.

The Chief of Northamptonshire Police, Nick Adderley, has said that the ‘3-week grace period is over’. The police force is expected to crack down on anyone who is found to be flouting the rules. This could result in people having to pay fines or even having a criminal record.

This comes as the UK recorded its highest daily raise in the number of patient deaths due to COVID-19. 938 of these deaths were recorded in UK hospitals in 24 hours.

The total number of deaths in the UK now totals 7,097.