Despite concerns about the Indian variant of the coronavirus, the UK government is pushing ahead with a major easing of restrictions this coming week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is sticking by plans to allow mixing indoors and greater physical contact in England, as scientists warned the strain could be 50 per cent more transmissible than the Kent variety.
Health minister Edward Argar said on Saturday the government was acting "coolly" and "calmly" in carrying on with step three in the road map to ending lockdown restrictions.
However, the British Medical Association said the move is a "real worry" while many are still awaiting vaccination.
Mr Argar was also forced to defend border restrictions, saying it is "impossible to completely hermetically seal" the nation amid criticism of the delay in adding India to the travel red list.
The prime minister warned on Friday the variant could cause "serious disruption" to plans to ease the lockdown and may delay the planned ending of all legal restrictions on June 21.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies concluded there is a "realistic possibility" the strain is 50 per cent more transmissible than the one that emerged in Kent.
If the higher transmissibility is confirmed, the experts said moving to step three could "lead to a substantial resurgence of hospitalisations" that is "similar to, or larger than, previous peaks".
Mr Argar told BBC Breakfast: "All the evidence so far suggests there is no evidence of increased severity of illness or that it evades the vaccine.
"So, at the moment, on the basis of the evidence we are doing the right thing, coolly, calmly continuing with Monday, but keeping everything under review."
Monday's easing will allow people to socialise indoors in homes, pubs and restaurants, and will permit physical contact between households for the first time in more than a year.
Public Health England data shows a rise in cases of the Indian variant of concern from 520 to 1,313 this week in the UK.
Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth accused the Prime Minister of a "reckless failure to protect our borders".
India was not added to the travel red list requiring quarantine in a government-sanctioned hotel until April 23, having announced the move four days earlier.
Australian Associated Press
