UK lockdown lifting set to be delayed by fortnight – Times

The Times cites a ‘downbeat’ briefing of UK’s Cabinet Ministers Chris Witty and Sir Patrick Vallance to cite a 15-day delay in Britain’s roadmap to easing lockdown.

The news cites the timeline to be used to fully vaccinate over the 50s and leave sufficient time for jab effects before the much-awaited final unlock.

The rate of transmission of the new strain of the covid, as the Indian variant, joined the lack of 100% vaccine protection against the virus were cited as the key worries during the UK diplomats’ “fairly grim” update on Monday.

The Times also mentions an anonymous cabinet source signaling a delay of anywhere between two weeks and one month even as UK PM Boris Johnson’s Spokesperson said there is “Nothing in the data” suggesting the restrictions could not be eased on June 21.

FX implications

Following the news, GBP/USD remains tepid around 1.4180 after a two-day uptrend.

Read: GBP/USD closes in on 1.4200 as USD struggles to find demand