English roadmap out of lockdown on track despite Brazil variant, health minister says

England’s planned route out of lockdown, starting with the reopening of schools next week, can proceed despite six reported cases of a Brazilian coronavirus variant of concern, health minister Matt Hancock said on Monday.

Hancock said that there was no evidence a sixth person who has had the Brazilian coronavirus variant and is not accounted for had broken quarantine rules.

“In the case of the sixth case... we’re trying to track down this individual, but we also have not seen any further community spread,” Hancock said.

“It doesn’t change our assessment of the roadmap right now, not least because our goal is to contain this transmission to just these six people”