UK / Coronavirus death toll in UK rises to 44,819, total cases surge to 2,89,603

London: A further 21 people have died from coronavirus in 24 hours bringing the UK's total death toll to 44,819.

Today's figure - which covers deaths in care homes, hospitals and the wider community - is the lowest Sunday figure since lockdown began in March.

But figures released on Sunday are usually smaller due to a delay in processing over the weekend. 

While it is a slight drop from last Sunday's death toll of 22, this weekend has sparked concerns about a potential second spike after 148 deaths were reported yesterday.  

Saturday's number was more than double that of the week before and came three weeks after shops were allowed to reopen in the first major easing of lockdown.   

A total of 650 people tested positive for the virus today, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 289,603.

Yesterday, 820 people tested positive.

No deaths were reported in Scotland, Wales nor Northern Ireland on the second Sunday that pubs, bars and restaurants were able to open their doors to lockdown-weary revellers.

Along with no deaths in Wales - the total number of coronavirus cases increased by just 16 to 15,962.

No new coronavirus deaths were reported in Scotland either, marking the fourth day in a row without any fatalities.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed figures, and wrote on Twitter: 'Another day y'day with no registered deaths of people who had tested positive for COVID-19.

'New cases though - 12 more than yesterday. We can expect to see daily variation - but as on Friday, these are being closely examined. And it's a reminder that the virus hasn't gone away.'

The latest figures show that 18,359 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 19 from 18,340 the day before.

Today's figures come as Michael Gove pleaded with Britons to go back to their offices amid fears of a looming jobs bloodbath on the high street.

The Cabinet minister insisted it is crucial to 'fire up the economic engines' again as the country emerges from lockdown.

The call came as the government prepares to relax restrictions on public transport in a bid to encourage the public out of their homes.

It is feared the collapse of the 'lunchtime economy' could deal another massive blow to the fortunes of the high street, with warnings that 250,000 jobs could be on the line  

Echoing a rallying cry from Boris Johnson on Friday, Mr Gove told Sky News today: 'We want to see more people back at work on the shop floor in the office where they can be.' 

A national survey has found just 12 per cent of people want life to return to the 'old normal,' while around 60 per cent still feel uncomfortable using public transport.

'Of course in some cases it is appropriate and convenient for people to work from home, but we want to make sure that where people can add value, where the economy can benefit from people being at work, that they are at work.

'We want to make sure that the economic engines of this country are fired up again and that's why the Chancellor made the series of announcements that he made earlier this week in order to make sure that we are in a position to be able to provide people with safety and security at work, to protect their jobs and to guarantee jobs in the future.'

Mr Gove said the pandemic had shown that some roles can be effectively performed from home - and confirmed that civil service jobs may be moved outside London. 

At the height of the crisis the government was telling the public to work from home if they can.

But Mr Johnson dramatically reversed that advice on Friday, saying it was time for people to go out to work if they can. 

Ian Girling, chief executive of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce, said: 'Undoubtedly, remote working has worked extremely well for some businesses and there are opportunities for some firms to save money going forward.' 

He added: 'Businesses can revert back to the way they were working pre-Covid but the bigger question is "do they want to?"' 

Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics, said this was a 'critical' factor for businesses considering whether to return to the office. 

He said bosses would weigh up whether the supposed productivity boost outweighed the savings which many have enjoyed during the pandemic. 

The expert told MailOnline: 'That's an absolutely critical point - whether the levels of demand are sufficient enough to make it commercially viable enough to reopen. And that's a really difficult question to answer and lots just don't know.' 

One employee at a central London firm which has over 200 staff told MailOnline they were told last week their workforce would not be returning to the office for the foreseeable future. 

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source said: 'The primary concern is that we don't need to be back so why rush?'

They said that the company would be waiting to see how other firms coped with the return to work before given the green light for their own staff. 

Adding to the government's push to encourage slow steps towards normality, Mr Gove today dismissed the idea of making face coverings compulsory in shops - despite Boris Johnson strongly hinting at the change.

The Cabinet minister said it was best to 'trust' the public and wearing a mask was a matter of 'good manners'.

The intervention comes after the PM said on Friday that he believed the government 'needs to be stricter in insisting people wear face coverings in confined spaces'. 

Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon - who has made the rule compulsory in shops in Scotland - said today that masks were the 'right thing'.

Asked about the issue on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mr Gove said: 'I don't think mandatory, no, but I would encourage people to wear face masks when they are inside, in an environment where they are likely to be mixing with others and where the ventilation may not be as good as it might. 

'I think that it is basic good manners, courtesy and consideration, to wear a face mask if you are, for example, in a shop.

'I trust people's good sense. Now of course the Government at all times does look at the emerging evidence about what the best way to control the disease is.