The UK on Thursday recorded 27,989 new coronavirus cases and for the second day in a row, the daily total is the highest for five months,  the government announced. 

Boris Johnson warned that some "extra precautions" may still be needed in England after 19 July - the day when the government hopes to be able to lift all legal limits on social contact. The planned 21 June lifting of restrictions was postponed until 19 July because of rising cases driven by the Delta variant, but infections are still rising.

Johnson has not ruled out double-vaccinated travelers from England being able to skip quarantine when they return home from amber list countries later this month.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has warned that Europe will inevitably face a new wave of Covid-19 infections unless the public and national governments remain disciplined in their attempts to control the pandemic.