What have government ministers said?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was anxious about the variant and was not ruling out regional restrictions.
He said: At the moment there is a very wide range of scientific opinion about what could happen. There is a range of things we could do, we are ruling nothing out.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said that Monday s easing of restrictions will still go-ahead despite concerns around the variant.
He said: We think that the roadmap for Monday remains in place, because the vaccines are delivering, and vaccines are keeping people out of hospital and, of course, away from severe infection.
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Virus Outbreak Britain Reopening (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Plans to further lift coronavirus in restrictions in June could be delayed by the spread of a new more virulent variant from India, the government has indicated.
It comes as a leading viral disease expert raised doubts over whether restrictions could be eased in line with the government s roadmap.
Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia s Norwich Medical School said step four was in doubt and there could be a huge number of cases by June at the current rate of increase.
Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia. Picture: UEA
- Credit: UEA
A leading viral disease expert at the University of East Anglia has raised doubts over coronavirus restrictions fully easing this June.
Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia s Norwich Medical School said the Indian variant of the virus has caused big concerns over whether June 21 is still achievable as the final step of the government s roadmap.
B16172 was last week designated as a variant of concern by experts from Public Health England after small clusters of cases were detected across the country.
He said: The Indian variant has caused big concern over whether step four of the roadmap will be achievable.
No deaths have been reported in April in Norwich, Great Yarmouth and North Norfolk and South Norfolk.
While age-standardised mortality rates for all causes and deaths involving the coronavirus in March and April show every area in Norfolk and Waveney below 25 per 100,000 putting us amongst the lowest in the country.
In Norwich the rate, as recorded by the ONS, was just three per 100,000 people. South Norfolk was also in single figures with a rate of just eight per 100,000.
2. Hospital admission figures continue to fall
This month has continued a steady fall in the number of patients with coronavirus at Norfolk s hospitals.