UK coronavirus death toll rises by 171 to 42,927

The figure for the number of people tested has been ‘temporarily paused to ensure consistent reporting’

The UK death toll from coronavirus has risen by 171 in the past 24 hours, the government said on Tuesday.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said 42,927 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for the disease in the UK as of 5pm on Monday.

Included in the new toll are 109 additional deaths that occurred in April, May and June. These have been added to the total “due to improvements in how the Covid-19 death data is processed in England”.

The government’s tally only accounts for those who have tested positive for Covid-19. The latest Office for National Statistics figures, which includes all fatalities in which Covid-19 is on the death certificate, suggests the true toll is above 53,000.

In the 24-hour period up to 9am on Tuesday, 237,142 tests were carried out or dispatched, with 874 positive results. Overall, a total of 8,309,929 tests have been carried out in the UK and 306,210 cases have been confirmed positive.

The figure for the actual number of people tested remains “temporarily paused to ensure consistent reporting” across all methods of testing after nearly a month.

It comes as prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed that pubs, restaurants, cinemas and hotels can reopen in England from 4 July, when the two-metre social distancing rule will be slashed to one metre.

The announcement — which also covers museums, galleries and places of worship — amounted to the most significant loosening of restrictions since lockdown was introduced on 23 March.

And new guidance will allow indoor gatherings of members of two households in homes, pubs and restaurants, as well as on holiday in shared accommodation or neighbouring tents.

The changes were approved by cabinet this morning after Mr Johnson and senior ministers took advice from members of the PM’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies on Monday evening. Independent scientists have meanwhile warned that the coronavirus infection rate remains too high to relax controls.

The reopening of venues will be accompanied by strict guidelines on making them Covid-secure, to be published on Tuesday afternoon and expected to include physical barriers between tables and New Zealand-style “guest registers” of customers in pubs and restaurants.