“Following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the
light of the most recent data, the four UK Chief Medical Officers
and NHS England National Medical Director agree that the UK alert
level should move from level 5 to level 4 in all four nations.
“The health services across the four nations remain under
significant pressure with a high number of patients in hospital,
however thanks to the efforts of public we are now seeing numbers
consistently declining, and the threat of the NHS and other
health services being overwhelmed within 21 days has receded.
“We should be under no illusions – transmission rates, hospital
pressures and deaths are still very high. In time, the vaccines
will have a major impact and we encourage everyone to get
vaccinated when they receive the offer. However for the time
being it is really important that we all – vaccinated or not -
remain vigilant and continue to follow the guidelines.
“We know how difficult the situation has been and remains to be
for healthcare workers, we thank them for their immense effort,
skill and professionalism throughout the pandemic.”
Chief Medical Officer for England,
Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Dr Gregor Smith
Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton
NHS England National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis
