Downing Street said there were “encouraging signs” in the data as Boris Johnson considers whether England’s Plan B restrictions can be lifted on January 26, when they are due to expire.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the “maximum amount of time possible” would be given to prepare for any changes in the rules.
“In terms of the data, there are some encouraging signs that infections are falling across the country,” the spokesman said.
“Obviously we want to see that mirrored in the latest ONS data as well.
“There are also some signs of falls – or at least plateauing – in admissions and occupancy in hospital, which is good to see.
“But it still remains the case that our NHS is under significant pressure, there are over 16,000 Covid patients in hospital in England alone.
“So we are keeping a very close eye on the data but we do believe the mitigations we have in place – particularly our booster programme – is offering massive protection to the public.”
