H2]LOCAL TEMPERATURES TO HIT 20C BUT BORIS JOHNSON AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN PLEA TO 'RESIST THE URGE' TO BREAK SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES[.H2]

ATHERSTONE and district has been told slapping on a large dollop of 'SHSL' cream is the best form of defence to prevent the spread of coronavirus as temperatures are set to soar in a wall-to-wall sunshine weekend.

The thermometer will be hovering between 14C and 20C today and tomorrow but people have been "urged not asked" to resist the temptation of soaking up unseasonably warm weather by going out in the town and countryside.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the public should stick with the social distancing rules of #StayHomeSaveLives.

Their blunt rhetoric comes as key Government adviser Professor Graham Medley, warned that the lockdown measures are merely a "placeholder".

Prof Medley, a pandemic modeller advising the Johnson administration, said Britain had "painted itself into a corner" with no clear exit strategy from the Covid-19 crisis. He told The Times: "This disease is so nasty that we had to suppress it completely. Then we've kind of painted ourselves into a corner, because then the question will be, what do we do now? "We will have done three weeks of this lockdown, so there's a big decision coming up on April 13. In broad terms are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?" Prof Medley added: "If we carry on with lockdown it buys us more time, we can get more thought put into it, but it doesn't resolve anything, it's a placeholder." His comments came after England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, urged people to think of two nurses who died after contracting coronavirus and "stay home for them". Areema Nasreen and Aimee O'Rourke, both mothers of three children, died alongside two healthcare assistants, it was announced on Friday. Ms May, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference yesterday evening, said: "This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays. "But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them." She added: "I worry that there's going to be more and I want to honour them today and recognise their service." Meanwhile Public Health England confirmed 684 more people died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total deaths in the UK to 3,605 as of 5pm on Thursday. At least 21 of that tally died in Atherstone's main hospital – the George Eliot in Nuneaton. It confirmed, as of Thursday, that 21 patients who tested positive for coronavirus had since died in the hospital. Warwickshire's recorded cases of Covid-19 have more than doubled in the last seven days – going from 113 to 279. It has also leapt 11 places to 34th in the league table of upper tier local authorities and NHS regions. Neighbouring Staffordshire is 17th in that list with 439 confirmed cases while Leicestershire is 39th with 267. Both have seen those tallies more than double in the last week. Cases in the Midlands have reached 4,694. George Eliot hospital tweeted today: "Don't let the nice weather tempt you to leave your home. "By us all staying at home we can together stop people dying. Please stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives by enjoying the weather in your garden." Mr Johnson, who remains in self-isolation inside Downing Street as his coronavirus symptoms persist, urged people not to break social distancing rules as the weather warms up, even if they were going "a bit stir crazy". In a video on social media, he said: "I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations. "I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now." The Queen will make an address to the nation about the coronavirus crisis on Sunday at 8pm.