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UK reports another 6,048 coronavirus cases amid rising Delta variant concerns

Europe Materials 8 June 2021 21:02 (UTC +04:00)

Britain reported another 6,048 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,528,442, according to official figures released Tuesday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The country also recorded another 13 coronavirus-related death, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 127,854. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

The latest data were revealed as British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told lawmakers that Greater Manchester and Lancashire are to receive a "strengthened package of support" to tackle a rise in the Delta coronavirus variant first identified in India, with residents told to minimize travel.

The support package announced Tuesday includes rapid response teams, extra COVID-19 testing, military support and supervised in-school testing.

Earlier Tuesday, British Environment Secretary George Eustice said Britons should "holiday at home" this year and not travel abroad unless absolutely necessary due to risks of the pandemic.

People must be aware of the "risks" in travelling outside of Britain at present, Eustice told Sky News.

His remarks came after holiday hotspot Portugal was removed from the British government's green list last week.

From May 17, pubs, bars and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children's play areas.

People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of "green list" countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.

The British government's roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21. It is understood that a final decision on the planned easing of lockdown will not be made until June 14.

More than 40.5 million people, or more than three-quarters of adults in Britain, have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine while more than 28.2 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.

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