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FILE PHOTO. LE PHOTO: Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock in London, Britain. \u00a9️ Reuters \/ Hannah McKay<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
RT.com
\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock cannot confirm whether the UK\u2019s current coronavirus rules will be eased as planned on June 21 or delayed due to the fast-spreading Indian strain.<\/p>\n
Hancock told\u00a0Sky News<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday that, though hospitalisations for Covid-19 are currently low,\u00a0\u201cit\u2019s too early to make a final decision\u201d<\/em>\u00a0on whether the restrictions will be lifted later this month.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not saying no to the 21st of June at this point,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he noted, adding, however, that the government would\u00a0\u201ckeep watching the data for another week,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0including the\u00a0\u201clink from the number of cases to the number of people who end up in hospital.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt is absolutely true that the number of people ending up in hospital is broadly flat at the moment, whereas the number of cases is rising, showing that the link is not absolute as it once was,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n The final stage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson\u2019s lockdown-lifting plan, June 21 was originally set as the date when all restrictions would be removed \u2013 including the current ban on nightclubs \u2013 provided case numbers were low and vaccination rates high.<\/p>\n