UK records another 4,040 coronavirus cases, 56 deaths

LONDON, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Another 4,040 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,341,736, according to official figures released Tuesday.

The country also reported another 56 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 126,670. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

More than 30.6 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

Earlier Tuesday, figures from the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that weekly coronavirus deaths in England and Wales have fallen to below 1,000 for the first time since October.

There were 963 deaths registered in the week ending March 19 where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, down 36 percent from the previous week, according to the ONS.

The latest figures came after two households or groups of up to six were allowed to meet outside, including in private gardens and outdoor team sports are reopening from Monday.

From April 12, non-essential retail, as well as restaurants and pubs, if serving people outdoors, will be allowed to reopen in England.

On Feb. 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his "roadmap" exiting the lockdown, the third of its kind since the start of the pandemic in the country. The four-step plan is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June.

Experts have warned Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants and the third wave of pandemic in the European continent.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.