The UK's death toll for coronavirus has passed 5,000 cases, with a total of 5,373 patients now having died at the hands of the deadly disease.
According to figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care, another 439 hospital patients have died in the UK in a 24 hour period.
Advert
The news comes after last night's announcement that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been admitted to hospital 10 days after testing positive for coronavirus.
A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said the PM 'continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus'.
The spokesperson told the BBC's Hugh Pym: "On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests.
"This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus."
Advert
They added: "The Prime Minister thanks NHS staff for all of their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the government's advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives."
Over the weekend, the government urged people to resist the temptation to enjoy the clement weather and stay home.
Advert
Despite warnings, however, Lambeth Council said it was forced to close a Brockwell Park, near Brixton, after more than 3,000 people visited it on Saturday (4 April) alone.
Following the announcement, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that the government could ban all outdoor exercise if people continue to flout the rules.
Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, Mr Hancock said that 'further action' might have to be taken.
He said: "I understand how difficult these measures are, of course I do. But the truth is the more people go out from home, the more the virus spreads.
Advert
"We've said because of the positive benefits to your physical and your mental health that it's OK to exercise on your own or with members of your own household.
"But if the result of that is that too many people go out and flout the other rules because they say, 'Well, if I can exercise, then it's fine for me to do other things,' then I'm afraid we will have to take action.
Advert
"My message is really clear - if you don't want us to have to take the step to ban exercise of all forms outside of your own home then you've got to follow the rules."
However, late that day he went on to state that stricter measures to maintain social distancing were 'not imminent'.
Speaking during Sunday's daily coronavirus press briefing, the Health Secretary repeated his plea for people to follow the Government's guidelines and to stay at home as much as possible.
He said: "I understand that people are yearning to know how long this will last. The answer is entirely dependent on how much people follow the rules. Following the rules is now 'mission critical'.
"The more people follow the rules, the faster we will all be through it. By ignoring them, you're risking your own life and the lives of others and you're making it harder for us all."
He added: "Exercise is good for our physical and mental health - but do not bend or break this rule - we can't rule out further steps."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics:Â uk news, Coronavirus, Health
