Prime minister expected to announce new measures as Covid-19 cases continue to rise

Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce new measures in a bid to halt the increase in Covid-19 cases, after positive test results reached 7,000 for the first time yesterday (Tuesday).

England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance will join Johnson in the conference, expected to take place at about 5pm today.

The Times reports that a number of further restrictions are under consideration, including further local measures and the extension of the 10pm curfew to retail.

Hospitality businesses will be hoping the government does not seek to further curtail their trading hours or operations, after reporting that last week's curfew had significantly diminished trade and consumer confidence.

A decision on whether to increase measures in London, which was placed on the watch list on Friday, is reported to have been deferred until next week.

Yesterday the prime minister was forced to apologise after confusing local restrictions, which have faced criticism for being unclear.

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