Coronavirus: UK COVID-19 deaths increase by 155 as Leicester lockdown tightens

The number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has increased by 155, according to government figures.

A total of 43,730 people are recorded as dying with COVID-19 in hospitals, care homes and the wider community as of 5pm on Monday, up by 155 from 43,575 the day before.

The figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) only include people who have tested positive and died. The Office for National Statistics reports there are just under 55,000 deaths in total.

Monday’s DHSC figures were substantially higher than Sunday’s, when 25 people died with the virus.

However, figures over the weekend are always much lower than the week and the government’s scientific advisers will be looking at how many deaths are recorded in the coming days to assess how the UK is tackling the pandemic.

The DHSC said as of 9am on Tuesday, 9,426,631 people had been tested for COVID-19, with 133,467 tests on 29 June and 689 people testing positive on that day.

Leicester was forced back into a stricter lockdown on Tuesday after a spike in local cases, with 10% of all COVID-19 cases in the country over the past week coming from the city.

It is the first area in England to have a local lockdown as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “whack-a-mole” strategy for tackling local outbreaks.

Leicester’s non-essential shops were closed from Tuesday and schools will be closing from Thursday, apart from for vulnerable children and the children of key workers.

People living in the East Midlands city are being urged to “stay at home as much as they can”, while the rest of the nation prepares for the lockdown to be eased from 4 July.

Unlike the rest of England, from Saturday pubs, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers and barbers in Leicester will remain shut, with people advised against all but essential travel.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News ministers will change the law to enforce the local lockdown.

“We will be bringing forward a legal change very shortly in the next couple of days,” Mr Hancock said.

“Some of the measures that we’ve unfortunately had to take in Leicester will require a legal underpinning.”

He said “in some cases” the coronavirus lockdown will be enforced by the police, with legal changes brought in to ensure non-essential retail is no longer open.

However, Mr Hancock said Leicester’s home Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday will go ahead.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: UK COVID-19 deaths increase by 155 as Leicester lockdown tightens