United Kingdom’s (UK’s) roadmap to lifting all Coronavirus restrictions appeared to be balanced on a knife-edge, with authorities and scientists urging caution amid the rapid spread of the B.1.617 Covid-19 variant first identified in India, which the health secretary says is estimated to be behind up to three-quarters of new infections in the country. Public Health England data shows cases of the variant have risen by 3,535 to 6,959 since last week.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a Downing Street briefing on Thursday that the government had always expected cases to rise as restrictions were eased. But he said it was “critical” to monitor the link between cases and hospitalisations.