There are signs the UK is in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus infections. This is according to a scientist advising the government. Prof Ravi Gupta, from the University of Cambridge, said although new cases were relatively low  the B.1.617.2 variant had fuelled exponential growth. He said ending COVID restrictions in England on 21st  June should be postponed.<br />''<br />'' Environment Secretary George Eustice said the government could not rule out a delay to the planned lockdown easing.<br />''<br />''On Sunday, the UK reported more than 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 infections for a fifth day in a row. Prior to this, the UK had not surpassed that number since 12th  April.<br />''<br />''Prof Gupta told the BBC Radio, the UK was already in a third wave of infections and at least three quarters of cases were the variant identified in India.<br />''<br />''However, he said the number of people who had been vaccinated in the UK meant this wave would probably take longer to emerge than previous ones.<br />''<br />''Prof Gupta – a member of the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) – said ending restrictions in June should be delayed by a few weeks while they gather more intelligence.<br />''<br />''Another leading scientific adviser to the government, Prof Adam Finn, also urged caution over the 21st June date for easing restrictions.<br />''<span style="color: #222222;"><br />''The final stage of the government's roadmap for lifting lockdown, which would remove all limits on how many people you can meet – either indoors or outdoors, is due no earlier than 21st June.</span><br />