England's COVID R number estimate rises to 0.9 to 1.2

LONDON (Reuters) -The estimated range for England's COVID-19 reproduction "R" number rose to 0.9 to 1.2, according to official data released on Friday, compared to 0.8 to 1.0 in last week's figures.

That means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 9 and 12 other people.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government last month lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions such as the mandatory wearing of masks in indoor public spaces.

Quarantine rules for many of those returning from a number of popular holiday destinations have also eased since the beginning of the summer.

The latest daily growth rate estimate is -1% to +3%, compared to -4% to 0% in the previous set of figures.

"These estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 2 to 3 weeks ago, due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare," the UK Health Security Agency said.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Michael Holden)