Rising Covid cases could delay England’s 21 June lockdown exit

The R rate, showing how rapidly Covid infections are transmitted, has risen again in England.

It’s now between 1.2 and 1.4, with Covid cases rising at their fastest rate since the second wave this winter.

Public Health England says around 90% of them are down to the highly transmissible Delta variant, while people who have not been vaccinated are the most at risk.

While across the UK, there were more than 8,000 new daily cases. One report suggests government advisers believe the chance of England’s lockdown lifting on 21 June is now “close to nil”.