Coronavirus update UK: R estimate declines to 0.7-0.9 range

The estimated COVID-19 reproduction "R" number for the whole United Kingdom currently stands in the 0.7-0.9 range, compared to 0.7-1 range announced last week, the British Health Ministry announced on Friday, per Reuters.

"These estimates mean we are confident the epidemic is shrinking across all NHS England regions. However, prevalence of the virus remains high," the statement further read.

Market reaction

This headline doesn't seem to be having a significant impact on the British pound's performance against its major rivals. As of writing, the GBP/USD pair was down 0.15% on the day at 1.3795. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 Index was up 0.2% at 6,541.