A DELAY in the final lifting of Covid-19 restrictions looked increasingly likely today as cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant reached nearly 30,000 in a week.

Public Health England revealed that 42,323 cases of the Delta variant first identified in India have been confirmed in the UK, up by 29,892 on the previous week – more than double, and accounting for 90 per cent of all cases.

Reports that the government was considering putting back June 21’s scheduled reopening date by four weeks were welcomed by Jim McManus, vice-president of the Association of Directors of Public Health.