Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

What steps he is taking to help prevent a second wave of covid-19 infections after the easing of lockdown measures.

We have set out five tests that will need to be satisfied before any lockdown measures are eased which are as follows:

• ensuring the National Health Service has capacity to provide critical care right across the United Kingdom;
• evidence to show a sustained and consistent fall in daily death rates from coronavirus;
• the rate of infection decreased to manageable levels across the board;
• the UK is ready for operational challenges including testing and personal protective equipment are in hand with supply able to meet future demand, and;
• confidence that measures do not risk a second peak.

To offset the risk for a second peak, a certain degree of social distancing measures will need to remain. We have rapidly and very significantly expanded our testing capability and are developing a test and trace programme to support the next phase of our Covid-19 response.