Another 53,285 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 2,542,065, according to official figures released Friday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Another 613 have died within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 74,125, the data showed.
The latest figures were revealed as British government advisers urged making the wearing of face masks mandatory in workplaces, schools and crowded outdoor spaces to help control the new COVID-19 variant, which is said to be 70 percent more transmissible.
According to figures from the British Office of National Statistics, the new virus strain could make up 63 percent of cases in England and 77 percent in London.