Variant spread could delay lifting of lockdown By JULIAN SHEA in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-05-14 09:32
People exercise in a gym, as lockdown restrictions are eased amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at Maindy Leisure Centre, Cardiff, Wales, Britain, May 3, 2021. [Photo/Agencies] The British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, also known as Sage, held an emergency committee meeting on Thursday amid increasing fears about the spread in the United Kingdom of a variety of novel coronavirus first identified in India. On Monday, the latest lifting of lockdown measures will take place in the build-up to the date of June 21, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson says all restrictions should finally be removed, but the i newspaper reports that one Sage member says a delay to that final date was still "possible".