UK coronavirus LIVE: Hunt for Brazilian Covid variant carrier continues amid row over face masks in schools

A woman wearing a face mask as she waits in a bus stop at London Bridge during England’s third national lockdown

(AFP via Getty Images)

The hunt for a missing person infected with a Manaus variant of coronavirus has been narrowed down to 379 households in the South East of England, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told MPs.

To date, six cases of the variant of concern have been found in the UK – three in Scotland and three in England. A public appeal has been made for one of those people in England to come forward after they took a test in February but left no contact details.

Meanwhile, the decision to delay second doses of Covid vaccines in an effort to jab more older people has been credited with saving a “large number” of lives, after Public Health England data suggested hospital admissions are being greatly reduced by the rollout.

It comes as Downing Street said children at primary school should not be made to wear face coverings after learning a Redbridge council in east London was encouraging their use when pupils return to the classroom.