Government's daily press conference
The conference was hosted by Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, and Professor Yvonne Doyle from Public Health England.
The Secretary of State provided an update on the steps the Government are taking to slow the spread of coronavirus and to expand the NHS care available for patients. Mr Sharma confirmed that 2,352 people who tested positive for the virus have died in UK hospitals, a rise of 563 on yesterday’s figure. A total of 152,979 people have been tested for the virus, of whom 29,474 returned a positive result.
Mr Sharma said that the Government recognises the extreme disruption caused by the virus and he thanked everyone for the collective effort they have made to tackle the pandemic. He paid particular tribute to the businesses which have supported life-saving work, as well as to businesses who are supporting their staff by providing the necessary adjustments to work policies.
Mr Sharma reiterated that the Government would do all it can to support UK businesses. He warned banks that it would be "completely unacceptable" for them to refuse financial assistance to firms in need and referenced the bailout the banks received from the taxpayer following the 2008 financial crisis.
The COBR slides were today presented by Prof Yvonne Doyle, she highlighted that there has been an increase in car use and an increase in new UK hospital admissions.
Press conference slides and datasets used in the daily coronavirus press conference on 1 April 2020.