BORIS JOHNSON and his government ministers have been providing regular updates to the public regarding the latest in the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock led the briefing on Monday, January 11 with Home Sec Priti Patel taking charge the following day.
Is there a coronavirus press briefing today?
No, there is not going to be a normal coronavirus press briefing today.
It had appeared a return to daily conferences was on the cards to give Brits updates around the pandemic.
Advisers from science and police backgrounds had been joining government ministers to help keep the public informed.
However, the last coronavirus press briefing was held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
The daily press briefings had been a staple during the first lockdown with Prime Minister Boris Johnson regularly hosting.
Since then, they are been more infrequent, generally when there is a major announcement.
What did Priti Patel say in the last press conference?
Priti Patel held her first coronavirus press briefing since May 2020 on January 12, 2021.
The Home Secretary reminded the public to stay at home in order to limit the spread of Covid.
She said: “A minority of people are putting the health of the nation at risk by not following the rules.
“If you do not play your part, our selfless police officers who are out there risking their own lives to keep us safe, are enforcing the regulations.”
Why is the government stopping the daily briefings?
It is unclear as to whether the government intended to provide daily press briefings in January 2021.
Back when they were on a daily basis during the first lockdown, these announcements were stopped as the restrictions had been eased and there were less changes being made.
Where can I find the data on deaths and cases in future?
We will still be providing the latest figures as we continue to battle coronavirus.
Our blog runs from 8am to 1am too, and that will give you everything we know as it happens.
You can find UK figures – including the latest death toll and cases – on our blog link at the top of this article.
Also, the government will be publishing the daily stats on the gov.uk site every weekday.
You can also find them on official global counters like Johns Hopkins University, which is a reliable one that most news outlets use to keep an eye on global trends.
