UK Covid-19 alert level lowered from four to three as risk of transmission falls

The UK’s Covid-19 alert level has been reduced from Level 4 to Level 3 – meaning the virus is in general circulation rather than the risk of transmission being high or rising exponentially.

A statement from the chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as NHS England national medical director Stephen Powys, said: “Following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the light of the most recent data, the UK chief medical officers and NHS England national medical director agree that the UK alert level should move from level 4 to level 3.

“Thanks to the efforts of the UK public in social distancing and the impact we are starting to see from the vaccination programme, case numbers, deaths and Covid hospital pressures have fallen consistently.”

The statement continued: “However Covid-19 is still circulating with people catching and spreading the virus every day so we all need to continue to be vigilant. This remains a major pandemic globally.

“It is very important that we all continue to follow the guidance closely and everyone gets both doses of the vaccine when they are offered it.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.