The prime minister said it "may conceivably be possible" to ease social distancing measures "by November at the earliest" at a press conference at Downing Street on Friday. But England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty poured cold water on the prime minister's optimism by saying that measures such as hand washing, distancing and wearing face coverings would need to continue for the foreseeable future. Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, said there was a "very significant chance" of a second wave of the deadly virus - meaning social distancing measures would be necessary. So, all of those need to continue for a long period of time." "Therefore the measures of reducing contact to reduce spread, the sorts of social distancing measures that we’ve talked about, and the hygiene measures that go along with that, will be necessary," he added.

Source: Daily Mirror July 17, 2020 17:15 UTC