Hawzah News Agency - (Birmingham - UK) - Churches, mosques, gurdwaras and synagogues could "potentially" open for private prayer, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has revealed.

He said he was speaking to faith leaders to see how there could be a limited re-opening of places of worship.

Mr Jenrick said: "I have been speaking to faith leaders and will convene later this week a taskforce to establish when and how places for worship can open safely for some of the practices where social distancing can take place, such as private prayer."

The Government's plan for ending the coronavirus lockdown, published on Monday, named a number of venues that would open "no earlier than 4 July". They included hairdressers and beauty salons, pubs and restaurants ,cinemals and places of worship. But Mr Jenrick has now said places of worship could open in a limited fashion earlier than this.

He said: "Potentially, private prayer being able to be carried out earlier than July 4."

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, he also said that people were now free to move home.

And the Government published slides designed to explain what people are allowed to do under the new lockdown rules.

figures announced today by the Department of Health show that a total of 33,186 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Tuesday, up by 494 from 32,692 the day before.