UK 'Has Capacity' For All Social Care And NHS Workers To Get Coronavirus Test If Needed

And with the Easter weekend now having started, Mr Hancock urged people to resist the desire to go outside in groups, and to stay home.

Calling on the public to play their part in a 'national effort', he said: "However warm the weather, however tempting the beach or park, we need everyone to stay at home.

"NHS staff are battling day and night to keep desperately sick people breathing and they need you to stay at home."

He added: "Even if you are not directly involved... there is something that every one of us can do to play your part in the national effort.

"Stay at home, because spreading the virus today risks lives tomorrow and increases pressure of those working in the NHS.

"Do it for them. For it for the people you love."

Mr Hancock was joined at today's briefing by Ruth May, Chief Nursing Office for England, who echoed the Secretary's concerns and asked people to listen to the advice and stay home.

Addressing the public, she asked them to remember the 'sacrifice' being made by NHS workers who were dealing with the 'emotional and physical toll' of fighting the disease.

Mr Hancock also addressed concerns regarding the numbers of Personal Protective Equipment available to NHS and social care workers.

He assured the country that there was enough PPE to go around but that it was a 'precious resource' and needed to be treated as such, adding that 742 million pieces of PPE had been delivered to front line workers.

The Health Secretary also called on companies who had the capacity to help produce more PPE to do so.

It comes as the UK registered a further 980 deaths related to Covid-19, bringing the total to 8,958.

Mr Hancock added: "We never forget behind this number, behind each one is a name, a loss and a family which will never be the same again."

He explained that 19,116 tests had been carried out across Great Britain, with 5,706 having tested positive.

In a bid to fight the spread of the disease, Mr Hancock also announced that two further Nightingale hospitals were to be established in Sunderland and Exeter.