UK sees highest increase of new daily COVID-19 cases in months

The number of new cases in the last 24 hours is the highest total since May 22.

By
Matt Zarrell
September 6, 2020, 4:07 PM ET
2 min read

The United Kingdom has seen its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases since late May, officials said.

There have been 2,988 cases confirmed in the past 24 hours, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who noted that this figure was over 1,000 more than the prior day's tally of new cases.

The previous high figure was on May 22.

"The rise in the number of cases that we've seen today is concerning," Hancock said on Sunday. "The cases are predominantly among younger people but of course, younger people could pass on the disease to their grandparents and we do not want to see that."

MORE: Coronavirus map: Tracking the spread in the US and around the world

In-person learning for children returned to the U.K. last week and universities and colleges are expected to resume classes in the coming weeks.

On Friday, the Department of Health and Social care announced that pools, gyms and sports facilities would be allowed to open across the country on Tuesday.

The U.K. currently has over 349,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 41,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

What to know about the coronavirus:

  • How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
  • What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
  • Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map

    • ABC News' Mike Trew contributed to this report.