Bereaved NHS staff families to receive compensation as 360 more COVID-19 patients die in UK

Another 360 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in hospitals in Britain as of Sunday afternoon, taking the total coronavirus hospital death toll to 21,092, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday.

The increase marks the lowest daily rise in four weeks. However, Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, told reporters that he expects a small rise of the daily death toll from tomorrow due to the usual delay in reporting deaths over a weekend.

Among those sadly died, there are 82 National Health Service (NHS) staff and 16 care workers have also died from coronavirus, said Hancock during Monday's Downing Street coronavirus briefing.

Family of each NHS (National Health Service) and social care staff who die on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis will get payments worth 60,000 pounds (about 74,468 U.S. dollars), said the secretary.

Also on Monday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced a new loan scheme for small businesses.

Firms will be able to get loans worth up to 25 percent of turnover, with a maximum payment of 50,000 pounds (62,057 dollars) and the government will pay the interest for the first 12 months, said Sunak.

Describing the scheme as "bounce back" loans, he said people will be able to apply from Monday next week, adding that there will be no forward-looking eligibility test.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who returned to Downing Street after recovering from COVID-19, told reporters that Britain is passing through the peak "with fewer hospital admissions, fewer COVID-19 patients in ICU."

Johnson said "we are now beginning to turn the tide" against COVID-19, but he would not throw away the sacrifice of the British people by loosening lockdown restrictions too soon.

"I know it is tough and I want to get this economy moving as fast as I can. But I refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the British people and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the NHS," said Johnson, urging the British people to contain their impatience.