Covid cases in England hit their lowest levels since SEPTEMBER

Covid cases in England hit their lowest levels since SEPTEMBER: Test and Trace figures reveal 84,000 infections were recorded last week – down by 44% in a fortnight

  • Just 84,310 people tested positive for the coronavirus across the country over the week ending February 17
  • This is down 44 per cent in a fortnight and is the lowest number since the week that finished September 30
  • It comes amid mounting calls from Tory MPs to bring forward Number 10’s lockdown-easing date of June 21 

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Covid cases in England have hit their lowest levels since September, according to official figures that will pile even more pressure on Boris Johnson to ease lockdown sooner.

Just 84,310 people tested positive for the coronavirus across the country during the week ending February 17, NHS Test and Trace data revealed today. 

This is down 44 per cent in a fortnight and is the lowest number since the week to September 30.

It comes amid mounting calls from anti-lockdown Tory MPs to bring forward No10’s lockdown-easing date of June 21 and give millions of people their freedom before the summer solstice.

Boris Johnson defended his roadmap back to normality yesterday, shrugging off demands from his own benches to ‘show urgency’ after Downing Street flatly ruled out accelerating the ultra-cautious timetable.

Ministers are facing mounting calls for the parts of England with the smallest Covid outbreaks to be released from lockdown earlier, with official data showing cases in the worst-hit areas are seven times higher than in others.

Department of Health data shows parts of Devon, Cornwall and the Isle of Wight recorded fewer than 50 infections per 100,000 people in the week ending February 19. For comparison, the figure was 346.2 in Corby — the nation’s current hotspot.

But under Mr Johnson’s four-stage ‘roadmap’ back to freedom, everyone in England will be forced to move out of lockdown at the same pace and to wait at least five weeks between each change. Ministers have refused to follow Scotland’s path, which will see some areas released sooner than others.

Just 84,310 people tested positive for the coronavirus across the country during the week ending February 17, NHS Test and Trace data revealed today. This is down 44 per cent in a fortnight and is the lowest number since the week to September 30