FOREIGN Secretary and stand-in Prime Minister Dominic Raab confirmed the UK-wide lockdown will continue over the Easter weekend. 

Mr Raab was speaking as a further 29 patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 were announced in south Essex. 

Speaking behind a message which read 'stay home this Easter' at the daily briefing at Number 10 today, Mr Raab said: "We are not done yet,” before adding data is being gathered on the impact of social-distancing.

He said: “While the early signs suggest that they are having the impact we need to see, it’s too early to say that conclusively.

Mr Raab said it was still “too early” to lift the lockdown restrictions in place across the UK.

He added: “It’s been almost three weeks and we’re starting to see the impact of the sacrifices we’ve all made.

“But the deaths are still rising and we haven’t yet reached the peak of the virus. So it’s still too early to lift the measures that we put in place.

“We must stick to the plan and we must continue to be guided by the science.”

The Foreign Secretary added: "After all the efforts everybody has made, after all the sacrifices so many people have made let's not ruin it now.

"Let's not undo the gains we've made, let's not waste the sacrifices so many people have made.

"We mustn't give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people and to hurt our country."

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies will meet next week to discuss the latest evidence.