London — The coronavirus lockdown has been extended by three weeks in the United Kingdom.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson ,  confirmed the extension following advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

He said SAGE had advised that “relaxing any of the measures in place” would “undo the progress we have made” and would “risk damage to both public health and the economy”.

The number of coronavirus patients who have died in UK hospitals has gone past 13,000 after another 861 deaths.

The Department of Health announced the increase, which takes the total to 13,729.