TRAGIC TOLL
CORONAVIRUS deaths today rose to 31,587 after 346 more people lost their lives to the deadly disease.
Positive cases also jumped to 215,260 from 211,364 as Britain prepares to be eased out of lockdown.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the latest figures in the No10 daily briefing today.
The number includes deaths both in hospitals and the community - including care homes.
It is lower than yesterday when 626 people were killed by the disease but the figure is smaller at the weekend due to a lag in reporting.
The government also revealed the number of tests fell below the 100,000 target for the seventh day in a row - with 96,878 carried out.
Among the latest deaths is a six-week-old baby who is believed to be Britain's youngest coronavirus victim.
The tot, whose gender was not revealed, is understood to have passed away on May 3.
A source said: “It is absolutely tragic. They were sadly unwell when they were born and never left hospital.”
The baby was exactly six weeks old, meaning it was born on March 23, the day before lockdown.
It comes as:
- Boris Johnson urged Brits to stay home on the hottest day of the year
- Garden centres will reopen as part of the PM's 'unlockdown' master plan
- Brits could be given the legal right to work from home after lockdown
- Tradesmen and cleaners are set to return to work from next week
- All arrivals to Britain will be quarantined for two weeks to stop second peak
NHS England confirmed 207 more people had died in hospital - pushing the grim total to 22,972.
The latest victims were aged between 37 and 100 - with 19 having no underlying health conditions.
In Scotland today, deaths rose by 36 - bringing the total to 1,847.
Wales has suffered a further nine deaths - with their total now at 1,099.
Northern Ireland confirmed a further four deaths, bringing the total in the country to 430.
Yesterday's figure of 626 was smaller than any rise recorded on a Friday for the last six weeks as the curve begins to flatten.
It comes as Boris Johnson today pleaded with Brits to stay home as temperatures soared to 26C on the hottest day of the year.
Sun-seekers flocked to parks and beaches yesterday as the mercury nudged 24.3C on VE Day.
They have been warned not to sunbathe in parks over the weekend or "modest and small" new freedoms could be stopped.
The PM will unveil his plan to take the UK out of lockdown tomorrow - with the reopening of garden centres expected to be among the measures.
Cooped-up Brits will also be allowed to take unlimited exercise under the relaxed rules.
And Environment Secretary George Eustice urged takeaway outlets to reopen, insisting they were never under any obligation to close.
He revealed talks with McDonald’s, KFC and Costa, adding: “A drive-through is made for social distancing.”
Cleaners, tradesmen and nannies are also set to return to work next week under new government guidelines.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the PM would roll out relaxations one by one, very cautiously, starting from Monday.
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But he said the move could be halted and even reversed if the R rate of transmission rose again.
Mr Dowden also said Brits were not getting a green light to abandon lockdown.
But he added: “People should be able to look forward to the weeks and months ahead to know where we are going and the order in which we are doing it.”
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Garden centres to re-open on Wednesday as part of Boris Johnson’s ‘unlockdown’ master plan