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Test and Trace is failing to identify 25 per cent of contacts

Samples are taken at a coronavirus testing facility in Temple Green Park and Ride, Leeds - PA
Samples are taken at a coronavirus testing facility in Temple Green Park and Ride, Leeds - PA
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

The NHS Test and Trace system failed to reach a quarter of contacts, new figures have revealed.

A total of 27,125 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system during the first four weeks of its operation, according to figures from the Department of Health & Social Care.

However, only 20,039 people (74 per cent) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 6,245 people (23 per cent) were not reached. A further 841 people (3 per cent) could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided.

Despite this, a total of 132,525 people who had been identified as recent close contacts of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were reached through the tracing system and asked to self-isolate. This was 86 per cent out of a total of 153,442 identified contacts.

The figures cover the period May 28 to June 24.


12:13 AM

What happened today

Follow all the latest new in Friday's live blog


10:01 PM

Jeremy Hunt: Questions about the effectiveness of our test and trace system still remain

There is no point testing people unless you isolate them and their contacts quickly, writes former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in an exclusive for The Telegraph. Read a snippet below: 

Exactly one month ago on Friday, the Prime Minister promised me in the House of Commons that, by the end of June, we would be turning around coronavirus tests in 24 hours (apart from those sent out by post). 

Rapid turnaround of tests is vital to isolating contacts quickly and stopping the chain of transmission in its tracks: many countries that have successfully contained the virus aim to deliver test results within 24 hours. 

We still don't know whether that target has been hit, but on Thursday we heard encouraging news: in the week ending June 24, the proportion of non-postal tests turned around within 24 hours had risen from 10 per cent to 52 per cent, and those returned the next day (probably a better measure) were up to 89 per cent. 

Dido Harding and her team deserve credit for addressing a serious flaw in the system – there is no point testing people unless you isolate them and their contacts quickly.

Read more here.


09:54 PM

Sierra Leone doctors urged to boycott virus patients

A doctors' organisation in Sierra Leone on Thursday called on medics to launch an indefinite strike in coronavirus patient care in protest at the non-payment of promised compensation and lack of resources.

The Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association, which has around 350 members, said the industrial action would be launched within 24 hours.

In a letter addressed to the government, association president Delwin Findlay also protested that authorities had bought around 30 4x4 vehicles for managers from money intended for the fight against the virus rather than drugs and equipment.

The body has proposed that doctors continue to provide care to non-Covid-19 patients during the strike.

The number of doctors likely to take part in the action however was not clear.

Sierra Leone, which is among the world's poorest countries, has recorded nearly 1,500 coronavirus cases with 60 deaths.

The former British colony was hard hit by the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa during which nearly 4,000 people died in the country.


09:44 PM

Ireland's chief medical officer steps aside to look after ill wife

Ireland's chief medical officer spearheading the battle against coronavirus is stepping aside to care for his terminally ill wife.

Dr Tony Holohan has been the Government's key adviser and at the forefront of public health messaging on combating the infection.

He said his wife was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2012 and had been admitted for palliative care last Saturday.

Dr Holohan added: "A plan has been put in train for others to take over responsibility for different aspects of my role."

His deputy, Dr Ronan Glynn, will take over responsibility on an acting basis.

Dr Holohan said: "As a husband and father and as a public health doctor, I am conscious that we have been through tough times together."

He added: "Many families across the country have been affected by the course of Covid-19, suffering pain and loss of loved ones."


09:36 PM

Peru surpasses 10,000 coronavirus deaths

Peru surpassed 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, the health ministry said, a day after the government began easing a national lockdown in a bid to revive the economy.

The number of deaths rose to 10,045, an increase of 185 in the last 24 hours, while the number of people infected rose to 292,004, the ministry said.


09:27 PM

Sardinia turns away American private jet

A group of American tourists, who arrived on the Italian island of Sardinia via private jet, were prevented from going to their rented summer house, due to European Union anti-coronavirus measures.

The EU chosen not to include the US on the list of countries whose nationals were allowed to resume visiting Europe as of Wednesday.

While coronavirus cases are mostly under control in Italy, the onetime epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, the same can not be said for the US. Sardinia, in particular, has kept its case numbers low.

Responding to the incident, Sardinia's regional tourism official, Gianni Cessa, said "Rules must be respected, but there needs to be some common sense," in televised comments posted online Thursday by L'Unione Sarda newspaper.

The newspaper said the group of about 10 people, most of them Americans and their children, as well as British and New Zealand nationals, landed at Cagliari Elmas Airport aboard a private jet from Colorado on Wednesday. The tourists were prevented from leaving the airport and kept in a waiting area, according to photographs of them posted by Sardinian media.

Eventually they got back on the plane and took off for Birmingham, England, the report said.


09:17 PM

High-flying facemasks arrive at Mexican hospitals by drone

To eliminate the risk of contagion, a Mexican company has launched a drone delivery service to get clean medical supplies to hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mexico-City based firm Sincronia Logistica has begun deploying unmanned drones to deliver personal protective gear and other essential equipment to public hospitals in the central state of Queretaro, north of the capital.

Mexican healthcare workers have staged protests nationwide over the lack of personal protective equipment. The drones help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus by allowing for quick, contact-free drop-offs.

"In addition to reducing time, we've also reduced human contact," said Diego Garcia, director of business excellence at Sincronia Logistica.

The company says it has used drones to deliver donations of antibacterial gel, facemasks, gloves, 3D-printed face shields and other basic supplies for healthcare workers.

The innovation comes as the pandemic has surged in Mexico to give the country the sixth-highest death toll worldwide, with some 28,510 confirmed Covid-19 fatalities.


09:03 PM

Texas Governor issues statewide mask order

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state, a dramatic ramp up of the Republican's efforts to control spiking numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalisations.

Abbott, who had pushed Texas' aggressive reopening of the state economy in May, had previously said the government could not order individuals to wear masks. His prior virus-related orders had undercut efforts by local governments to enforce mask requirements.

But faced with dramatically rising numbers of both newly confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus and the number of patients so sick they needed to be hospitalized, Abbott changed course with the statewide mask order.

The order requires "all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive Covid-19 cases, with few exceptions."


08:53 PM

Further 89 fatalities as UK death toll reaches 43,995

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have finally published Thursdays UK's daily coronavirus figures. They are as following: 

  • 43,995 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Wednesday, up by 89 from 43,906 the day before.
  • The Government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 54,000.
  • The DHSC also said in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Thursday, 252,084 tests were carried out or dispatched, with 576 positive results. Overall, a total of 9,914,663 tests have been carried out and 283,757 cases have been confirmed positive.

08:50 PM

Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 US states

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases per day in the US climbed to an all-time high of more than 50,000 on Thursday, with the infection curve rising in 40 out of 50 states in a reversal that has largely spared only the Northeast.

In another alarming indicator, 36 states are seeing an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus.

"I think we are going to be in a very difficult situation for at least a month," said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, an epidemiologist at Florida International University, in one of the hardest-hit states.

The surge has been blamed in part on Americans not wearing masks or following other social distancing rules as states lifted their lockdowns over the past few weeks.

The U.S. recorded 50,700 new cases, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. All but 10 states are showing an increase in newly reported cases over the past 14 days, according to data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer organization. The outbreaks are most severe in Arizona, Texas and Florida, which together with California have re-closed or otherwise clamped back down on bars, restaurants and movie theaters over the past week or so.


08:45 PM

More scarce than opening-night tickets: insurance to back Broadway shows

The lack of insurance will impede shows and theaters seeking to reopen in 2021, even if other pandemic problems such as audience safety are solved, the brokers and producers said - Noam Galai / Getty

As they reel from canceled productions and shuttered theaters, the shows that give Broadway its bright lights and draw millions of tourists to New York are facing a new obstacle to reopening: lack of pandemic insurance.

Broadway producers, directors, general managers and insurance brokers told Reuters news agency that shows face an extra hurdle because policies now exclude coverage for communicable diseases.

"Right now most insurers, if not all, have come out with a virus or communicable disease exclusion that they're putting on their policies," said Peter Shoemaker, managing director of the New York entertainment division at insurance broker DeWitt Stern.

Insurers' caution also is halting films and television shows, which need insurance to get the financial bond necessary to start production.

But Broadway is particularly vulnerable because of the large numbers of people needed to mount a big production and to fill the theater night after night.

"We are truly at the mercy of science," Tony Award-winning director John Rando said in an interview, referring to a vaccine. "We need science to come through. We need people to feel safe."


08:35 PM

Coronavirus more likely to enter care homes with more non-care staff, study finds

Coronavirus is more likely to enter care homes which employ larger numbers of staff in non-caring roles, a study suggests.

Covid-19 was more likely to enter residential homes in Norfolk which had more maintenance workers, cooks and those in administrative positions, according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The possible need of care home staff to work across multiple settings to address low-paid and insecure work is a "problem for infection control across the entire care sector", the authors warned.

Once the infection was present, its spread was most strongly linked to a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), in particular face masks and eye protection.

Researchers looked at staffing levels and PPE availability in 248 care homes across Norfolk in April and early May.

They compared the prevalence of Covid-19 with the availability of aprons, eye protection, gloves, masks and hand sanitiser, and the number and types of staff working in the homes.

Of the care homes analysed, 10 per cent had definite or suspected Covid-19 cases.

The risk of the virus entering a care home was just over six times higher in homes that employed between 11 and 20 non-care workers compared with those with 10 or fewer such employees.

It was nearly 10 times higher in homes employing 21-30 non-care workers, and almost 19 times higher in homes employing more than 30 non-care workers.


08:26 PM

Parents attack Nicola Sturgeon's 'confusing' and 'hyper-controlling' changes to two-metre rule

Complicated changes to the two-metre social distancing rule unveiled by Nicola Sturgeon will see it retained on pavements, halved in bars and abolished for some children but not others.

The First Minister announced that from Friday youngsters under 12 can play normally with each other outside and interact with adults, allowing them to hug non-shielding grandparents for the first time since lockdown started.

However, despite widespread reports for weeks of teenagers socialising in parks and other public spaces, she said the two-metre rule would still apply to children aged between 12 and 17.

Simon Johnson reports. Read more here.


08:13 PM

The countries where Covid-19 is showing no sign of slowing down

More than 10m cases of Covid-19 have now been reported across the world, and case are back on the rise in regions which face the prospect of renewed local lockdowns.

Over the past week, the number of new cases reported each day has been above 150,000, and 60 per cent of all cases have been reported in the last month.

Cases are rising in multiple American states, and 300,000 people in Melbourne have been issued stay at home orders after a resurgence of the virus.

While cases are in decline across much of Europe, the virus' grip on countries across the world is tightening and showing no signs of slowing down.

Click here to view the charts revealing the areas infections are on the rise.


08:04 PM

Coronavirus concerns freeze Vanilla Ice show

Vanilla Ice cooled off plans for a concert in Texas after taking considerable heat for an event that sought to gather hundreds of fans in one of the nation's coronavirus hot spots.

The 1990s rapper with the hit single "Ice Ice Baby" had been scheduled to play a lakeside show just outside Austin on Friday, but on Thursday he announced it was being postponed.

"Due to the increase in COVID-19 numbers in Austin we're gonna move the concert to a better date," Vanilla Ice tweeted. "We were hoping for better Coronavirus numbers by July but Unfortunately the numbers have increased quite a bit so for the safety and health of everyone we're going to stay home."

Vanilla Ice has indefinitely postponed a Texas concert that had drawn fierce criticism due to the coronavirus pandemic - Gerald Herbert / AP

The Vanilla Ice show drew widespread criticism when the rapper posted about it on social media Wednesday. Only 84 tickets had been sold before the online ticket broker suspended sales, Brannam said.

"I take the coronavirus serious. But we can't live in a bubble," the rapper tweeted before canceling Thursday. "I think at this point we all understand the severity of it. (P)ractice social distancing and wear a mask. This is an outside venue, Fourth of July on the lake with fireworks. Plenty of room for distancing."


07:55 PM

Super Saturday rules explained: what you can, can't, and shouldn't do from July 4

Life is about to look very different

This Saturday is Independence day (in England at least), described by the Prime Minister as the end of our “long national hibernation”. But many are still confused about the rules.

What exactly can we do in the pub, and what is still off limits? Can we venture out for weekend trips, or must we stick to our local park? What's acceptable to suggest to friends, and what sounds like you're flaunting your newfound freedom with dangerous abandon?

Here we lay out the rules and guidelines for Super Saturday in England.

(Sorry Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Leicester: you've all got your own thing going on) 


07:45 PM

What do teachers make of the new 'back-to-school' guidelines?

Today, the government revealed how it plans to enable all children to return to school by September. 

Following new guidelines, schools will group students into classroom “bubbles”, rearrange classrooms to enable social distancing from the teacher, ban choirs and assembles and, most importantly, overhaul the curriculum. 

The latter is the most contentious and headline-grabbing new measure, proposing that schools focus on English and maths and cut down on lesson time for other subjects, such as Art, Drama and History. 

But what do teachers think of this bold new proposal? We spoke to a handful of education professionals to find out. 

Read more here.


07:35 PM

Virus warning over record US jobs recovery

American employers hired a record 4.8m workers in June as the country's economy bounces back - but experts have warned this stellar recovery could be stopped in its tracks by surging coronavirus cases.

The world’s biggest economy shed more than 20m jobs in April at the height of the lockdown but the US has now regained a third of those workers in just two months after 2.7m jobs were added in May - suggesting the country has begun a rapid "V-shaped" recovery.

President Donald Trump said the figures were “spectacular news for American workers and American families”, but they came as the US passed 50,000 daily infections for the first time.

The surge in cases includes 10,000 in a single day in Florida and has prompted more than 20 states to pause reopening and reimpose some restrictions, fuelling fears over the sustainability of the jobs fightback.

Russell Lynch has more here.


07:25 PM

Lockdown ends in Nigeria's Kano

The Nigerian state of Kano ended its novel coronavirus lockdown on Thursday, the local ministry of health said, months after an outbreak of what was originally called a "mysterious disease" killed hundreds of citizens.

The easing comes weeks after other parts of Nigeria relaxed restrictions, and marks an effort to resume everyday life in Kano, the commercial and cultural heart of predominantly Muslim northern Nigerian.

In April and early May, roughly 500 people died in the state, a government probe found, saying the deaths were likely due to coronavirus. Local authorities did not acknowledge the outbreak at the time.

Kano's health ministry on its official Twitter account did not provide details of the state lockdown ending except to say civil servants would return to work from July 6.

The end of Kano's lockdown and other policies to relax restrictions come as coronavirus cases mount in Africa's most populous country.

Nigeria had confirmed more than 25,000 coronavirus cases and almost 600 deaths as of Wednesday, with little sign of the outbreak slowing. Officials have expressed their concern that the outbreak in the West African country might become much worse.


07:12 PM

Nine more NBA players test positive

Nine more NBA players have tested positive for Covid-19, less than a week before teams are set to travel to Florida to resume the 2020 season.

A total of 25 players and 10 team staff members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since testing began on June 23, the National Basketball Association said in a statement on Thursday.

"Any player, coach or team staff member who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until they satisfy public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and have been cleared by a physician," the league said.

NBA teams are expected to travel on July 7 to Orlando, Florida, where the league plans to resume play on July 30, after the coronavirus outbreak put an abrupt hold on the season in March.

Players, coaches and other members of staff will practice, compete and live at Walt Disney World, with daily Covid-19 testing and no fans allowed inside the so-called "bubble."


07:03 PM

Child activity levels plunging, warn schools

Activity levels amongst children have "significantly dropped" in the latter stages of lockdown, headteachers have warned, as the Government comes under renewed pressure to guarantee primary school sport funding.

Christine Ohuruogu, the former Olympic, World and Commonwealth 400m champion, and Nicky Butt, the ex-Manchester United and England midfielder, have also added their support to an open letter calling for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to help.

Concern centres on the £320 million PE and Sport Premium, which is largely funded by the Sugar Tax, and which the Government has so far refused to guarantee from the next academic year in September.

The Government is expected to respond to the campaign by the end of the week, prompting primary schools across the UK to lay bare a potential crisis in child activity levels as schools return to the 'new normal'.

Read more on this from Tom Morgan here


06:50 PM

Face coverings to be compulsory in Scottish shops

Face coverings are to become compulsory in shops in Scotland from the end of next week, Nicola Sturgeon has announced amid questions over how the rule will be enforced.

The First Minister announced they would become mandatory from July 10, with exemptions for children under five and people with certain health conditions, after widespread flouting of her voluntary guidance to wear them.

Ms Sturgeon said the police were mandated to issue £60 fixed penalty notices to people not wearing face coverings.

However, she accepted that this may not be easy to enforce, saying officers would act "very proportionately and sensitively".

Simon Johnson has the story here.


06:40 PM

Melbourne imposes lockdown as second spike sparks concerns over winter transmission

Australian authorities have locked down parts of  Melbourne after a spike in coronavirus cases, prompting concerns of a second wave which may be a warning of what may hit the northern hemisphere in the winter months. 

Police have set up checkpoints in coronavirus hotspots in 36 suburbs in Melbourne - up from 10 earlier this week - and are considering using drones to enforce stay-at-home orders as authorities struggled to contain new outbreaks in the country's second-largest city.

The outbreaks have been linked to two hotels where people arriving from abroad have been quarantined. On Tuesday Premier Daniel Andrews announced an inquiry into the hotel quarantine scheme after claims contract workers had not followed protocols. There was even an allegation that one of the employees had sex with one of the those in quarantine. 

Anne Gulland and Giovanni Torre have more on this story here.


06:28 PM

Brexit could hamper UK's ability to fight terrorism and bounce back from pandemic, report warns

Losing access to European crime records would be "detrimental" to the UK's efforts to fight terrorism, a watchdog has warned.

Biometrics commissioner Paul Wiles said he was "deeply concerned" about the "potential risks for UK law enforcement" if authorities were no longer able to share intelligence as a result of the ongoing Brexit negotiations.

He fears police could lose access to crime fighting databases like The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), Prum - which shares fingerprints and DNA across Europe - and no longer be able to use the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) which allows suspects to be extradited between EU member states.

Mr Wiles also suggested new rules in the pipeline on the use of fingerprints and DNA were now urgently needed in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Changes in technology can be "used to enshrine liberty and protect our private life but alternatively can be used for mass surveillance and the subjugation of the individual to state power," he said, adding: "The need for that new governance is urgent both to control the use of biometrics in the public interest but equally to provide a clear framework to encourage the investment that is needed in the new technologies to help rebuild our economy and social fabric."


06:24 PM

Sweden to audit crisis preparedness in light of virus

Sweden, under fire internationally for its handling of the coronavirus, has said it would audit its ability to secure crucial resources during a crisis after a report found fault with its preparedness.

The Scandinavian country's approach to COVID-19, softer than the rest of Europe, has sparked rows with the World Health Organization and put it at odds with its Nordic neighbours.

The mission to analyse the country's ability to secure resources was given to the government funded Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), which on Wednesday had published a report detailing shortcomings in Sweden's ability to respond to the crisis.

The report's researchers found that Sweden had not been prepared for the crisis despite several "warning shots", including the spread of SARS in 2002, the avian flu in 2006 and the swine flu in 2009.

On Thursday, the country of 10.3 million inhabitants reported a total of 70,639 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, and 5,411 deaths.


06:15 PM

Cafe Rouge owner appoints administrators as it cuts 1,909 jobs

Britain's Casual Dining Group (CDG), the operator of restaurant chains Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas, said it will appoint administrators and will permanently close 91 sites immediately with the loss of 1,909 jobs.

The company, which had employed nearly 6,000 people across 250 sites, said the move would enable it to negotiate with landlords ahead of an expected sale of the business.

The closures add to the thousands of jobs that have been lost on Britain's High Streets in recent days from companies hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown, including the owner of food outlet Upper Crust.


06:01 PM

Florida breaks new cases record

Florida has broken its record for new cases, less than a week after it broke its previous record.

The Florida Department of Health reported 10,109 infections on Thursday, bringing the state's total cases to 169,106.

The previous high of 9,500 new cases was set last Saturday.


05:53 PM

Thailand opens drive-in cinema

Thai film fans flocked to a new drive-in cinema on Thursday, which offered a novel cooling system to help combat the discomfort of being confined to cars on a hot and stuffy night.

About 80 vehicles pulled up in a car park to attend Bangkok's inaugural outdoor screening of the "Trolls World Tour", part of a special four-day offering for moviegoers who want to avoid indoor theatres.

To beat the tropical heat, organisers created a network of plastic pipes in the parking lot connected to dozens of smaller, flexible tubes, to channel cool air into cars through gaps in the windows.

Thailand has emerged as one of Asia's Covid-19 success stories, with no domestic transmission in the past 38 days and only 58 deaths among its 3,179 confirmed cases.

It has eased most restrictions to try to revive an economy badly hit by the pandemic, with bars, karaoke and massage parlours the latest businesses allowed to reopen.


05:44 PM

South African man dragged naked from shack sparks legal action

Responding to outrage over South African police dragging a naked man from his shack to demolish it, a government watchdog said on Thursday that it will go to court to challenge such evictions.

In a video that went viral, four policemen grappled with Bulelani Qholani and pushed him to the ground as they destroyed his tiny home while he was bathing on Wednesday in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township. The officers have been suspended.

South Africa - a hotspot for the new coronavirus on the continent - issued a directive that municipalities must suspend all evictions and water cuts during a lockdown that began on 27 March.

However, the pandemic has exposed stark divisions between largely black, overcrowded and unsanitary townships, which have seen high rates of infection, and richer white-dominated areas, in one of the most unequal countries in the world.

At least 800 evictions have taken place during the three-month lockdown, said Edward Molopi, a researcher with the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, which uses litigation and advocacy to support human rights.


05:28 PM

Intensive work underway to ensure theatres can reopen, says minister

The Culture Secretary has said he is working "intensively" to ensure theatres can reopen, adding that the pantomime season is "key" to their success.

Oliver Dowden made the comments after visiting the London Palladium, where he met with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Mr Dowden tweeted:

"I saw v comprehensive safety measures in place at London Palladium this morning with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Public Health England.

"Despite the huge challenges, we're working intensively with them and others to get theatres open as soon as safe and I know that panto season is key."

While pubs, bars and cinemas are set to reopen on Saturday, live performances are set to remain banned as part of the Government's ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dire warnings have been issued about the future of the theatre industry if additional support is not given to venues.

Mr Dowden has previously unveiled a five-stage plan that could see the return of the performing arts.

The next stage is outdoor performances with socially-distanced spectators, as well as pilots for indoor performances with a limited crowd.

It then allows for performances to take place inside with a limited, socially-distanced audience, before performances are permitted both indoors and outdoors, with more people allowed in the audience.


05:11 PM

Listen to new episode of Coronavirus: The Latest podcast

Schools will open to all pupils from September, but what will the classroom look like? Can exams take place after so much disruption? And why have teaching unions been quick to criticise the government's plans?

The Telegraph's Education Editor, Camilla Turner joins Theodora Louloudis to discuss the much-anticipated return to the classroom.


05:00 PM

Wales to see phased return to service in restaurants and pubs, says minister

Indoor service for pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes will be considered in Wales if the country's outdoor-only reopening is a success, a Welsh Government minister has said.

Baroness Eluned Morgan said ministers were "intensely aware" of the pressures faced by businesses unable to reopen, but that the health of staff and customers came first.

A phased return for businesses in the hospitality sector from July 13 will be given the go-ahead, subject to a review next week, as long as coronavirus cases continue to fall in the country.

The first phase would see the reopening of outdoor spaces owned by businesses and subject to existing licenses, and will require measures to reduce the risk of transmissions such as pre-booking and table service.

But some, including those belonging to the pub chain Wetherspooons and Welsh firm Brains, will not open until their venues can serve people indoors.


04:52 PM

Pandemic wipes billions from Africa's tourism industry

Africa's travel and tourism industry has lost $55-billion (£49 bn) due to the closure of borders to limit the spread of coronavirus, the African Union said today.

On a continent where safaris are a powerful tourist magnet, the sector has been badly hit by lockdowns that shuttered air, land and sea borders.

"The impact is really severe," African Union commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid said at a virtual briefing organised by the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"We are talking here about $55 billion lost within three months in a year when we were supposed to see an increase in travel and air transport," she warned. "There are airlines that may not survive Covid-19."

"In Africa tourism is not luxury," she said. "This is our livelihood."

Despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases, countries across Africa are forging ahead with plans to resume air traffic.

A handful of states reopened their borders last week, including Zambia and Sierra Leone. Senegal has announced the resumption of international air travel from July 15. 


04:44 PM

Bars and restaurants reopen in Brazil's hard-hit Rio

Rio de Janeiro's bars and restaurants reopened today after more than three months of coronavirus lockdown, despite criticism by health specialists in Brazil, one of the world's worst-hit nations.

As part of a phased return to normality, bars, restaurants and cafes are authorized to reopen to 50 percent capacity, with a distance of two meters between tables and priority given to open-air dining and drinking.

Rio's gyms, beauty and tattoo parlors may also open on a staggered basis, to avoid crowding.

"There is nothing to celebrate, but we have been in this fight since March," Rio's Mayor Marcelo Crivella said on Wednesday.

"Low demand for intensive care and hospital beds and the stabilized death toll show us that we had a dark peak in May and then dropped to current levels," he said.

The city, edged with beaches and mountains that normally draw tourists from around the world, registered 68 new deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. The number has fluctuated in recent weeks after peaking on June 3 with 227 deaths.

Although the disease is migrating inland - a trend throughout Brazil - specialists warn that the infection rate is still high and that relaxing social isolation measures now could put the health system under pressure again.


04:38 PM

Williamson firm on fines saying children 'mustn't suffer further'

Asked if the Government's plan for bubbles "falls apart" when children have to "cram onto buses", Gavin Williamson says he has been working carefully with Department for Transport and local authorities to ensure "proper controls are in place on school transport". 

This morning a minister confirmed that coaches would be deployed, but Mr Williamson did not say this just now. 

Asked about the thinking behind plans to fine parents if children do not attend, the Education Secretary said those from deprived backgrounds are the ones most likely to suffer from a lack of education.

To ensure they don't suffer further "we have to be clear that attendance at school is something to be expected from every child" unless there are particular health concerns. 

This is also slightly different to what Downing Street said earlier, when we were told that schools would be able to use their discretion. 


04:34 PM

No ethnic risk disparities among children, says Dr Harries

For most young children the risk is "very similar across different ethnic groups"," Dr Jenny Harries says, as it is more pronounced among older patients.

"But as we go forward, we are looking at children with specific conditions who may need additional support," she adds.

Children who are shielded are advised they can go back unless they are in areas with higher rates, when they will be contacted, Dr Harries says. 

"For most children, risks are very very low, right the way through," she adds. 


04:29 PM

Local lockdowns avoid need for national lockdown ever again, claims Gavin Williamson

Gavin Williamson says Leicester shows that "where decisive action" can be taken to stop a spike, it will be. 

The Education Secretary says that means we will "avoid the situation where we will ever have to see a national lockdown again". 

That means children can go back to school, he adds. 

But if there is a local lockdown, which means schools have to shut down, there must be continuity plans to ensure the education is not disrupted. 


04:26 PM

Education Secretary warns of 'action' against schools who do not open

Gavin Williamson says that some local authorities have been warned "we do have powers and we would use those powers" to force schools to open. 

He adds he has "absolute confidence" that full time education will be delivered for every child in the country. But if "we will have to take very specific action to ensure they do". 


04:25 PM

'We weren't in a position' to bring all children back in time, says Williamson

The Telegraph's Anna Mikhailova is asked if the Government has "things the wrong way around" as it reopens pubs before schools. 

Gavin Williamson says "the reality is we got 1.6m children back in schools already". 

If we could have been in a position where we could have got all children back in school before the summer, there is "no one who would have liked to see that more than I", he adds. "But we have been dealing with a pandemic", which meant "we weren't in a position" to bring all children back in time. 

Asked about the curriculum being "watered down", he takes issue with her question, saying vital subjects will not be "cut out" of the curriculum, saying "schools will be held accountable" through Ofsted inspections. 


04:24 PM

'Cautious schools return has paid off'

The "cautious, careful, phased return" of pupils so far has succeeded and leaves England's schools in a position to welcome more back in September, Gavin Williamson says. The creation of safe environments will happen for all pupils, he adds.

Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, says "a lot" is now known about transmission of coronavirus among children. There are "principles of control", including social distancing, that apply in schools and all other environments, she adds.


04:19 PM

'Very misleading' to blame Leicester spike on schools

Gavin Williamson adds that it would be "very misleading" to suggest schools played a role in Leicester. 

Jenny Harries agrees, saying it is "not a picture of a focal point, certainly not for schools". 

She repeats her claim that people should be more concerned about what pupils are doing "out of school". 

Mr Williamson notes that "the school has far more control over my daughters than I have ever been able to achieve". 


04:14 PM

Socialising after school a bigger risk than class time, says Dr Harries

Turning to journalists' questions, Gavin Williamson is asked about the transmission rate in Leicester being increased by children and if he is still "confident" that these measures will not affected wider rates. 

The Education Secretary says it is so important to get children back into school and "we have to have the absolute concrete determination" to do that. 

The Government will continue to take action to keep on top of cases, as it has in Leicester, but ensuring there is continuity of education is critical. 

He then hands over to Dr Jenny Harries, who says "sadly" Leicester is "a very good lesson for the rest of the country" about sticking to measures. 

She notes that younger children "are very definitely less of a risk" but the guidance is not just about "what is happening in schools" but also transport, and after school socialising. 

"The transmission risk is more in the social behaviours of the teenagers out of school than potentially it was in school", she adds, noting school is a "controlled environment."


04:13 PM

Extra-curricular clubs to return from September

The conference turns to questions from the public, the first of which is from a teacher, who asks about digital access. 

The Education Secretary says that is why the Government has rolled out laptops to those from the most deprived backgrounds, as well as creating support online. 

"We are looking at how to build on this so it benefits every child," he adds. 

A second question is about wrap-around care. 

Mr Williamson says this is a really important point, and the Government recognises how important wrap-around care and Extra-curricular clubs, such as after-school activities and breakfast clubs, are.

Schools have guidance so they can make it available, he adds, and they should be open alongside full opening from September. 


04:10 PM

Schools to be given 'limited number' of testing kits

From September, schools will be given "a limited number" of home testing kits to give out for those who cannot get to a testing centre, the Education Sec says.

Mr Williamson says from September schools will be asked to resume "a broad and ambitious" curriculum.

And confirms that attendance will be mandatory from the start of the autumn term and that exams should return to normal next summer. 

He says he's confident schools will be in the "best possible position" to recover.


04:09 PM

Government 'following scientific advice in school return'

The government is following the "best scientific advice" on how to get children back in school, Gavin Williamson says. With infection rates falling, safety bubbles can be relaxed in early-years settings, he adds.

The Education Sec says schools will be asked to "minimise contacts" between classes and year groups, suggesting schools stagger the start and end of the day, as well as "minimising the free movement" of pupils. 

Schools will be left to deploy measures in the way that works best for them, he says.

However, he acknowledges that distancing and bubbles may be more challenging in schools where many pupils have special educational needs.


04:04 PM

Gavin Williamson urges parents to put trust in him

Gavin Williamson begins the press conference by says getting children in England back to school is a "vital part" of national recovery and their return to school will enable them to "live their dreams" when it comes to future careers. 

So far there are 1.6m children back in schools, he says, thanking parents who have "put your trust in us". 

He says he treats the safety of children with "utmost" seriousness. 


04:03 PM

Briefing begins

Gavin Williamson is delivering the first press conference since the Government brought the daily briefings to an end last week.

The Education Secretary will set out the plans to get all pupils back into school from September. 

Here's what he said about that earlier today: 


03:58 PM

Sweden hits 70,000 cases

More than 70,000 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in Sweden, while the death toll stands at 5,411.

Forty-one more people died in the last 24 hours, health agency statistics show.

Sweden's response to the pandemic has been starkly different to other countries. It chose not to lockdown, banning large gatherings, but keeping schools and cafes open.


03:49 PM

Merkel warns that coronavirus pandemic is not yet over

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was facing the toughest situation in its history and warned the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the economy has not yet disappeared.

"We see every day that the virus is not gone," she said in a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday, adding that the pandemic was testing Europe's ability to stick together.


03:41 PM

Coming up: Gavin Williamson faces questions over school return


03:30 PM

Airbnb wants to ban party houses, but will it work?

Airbnb is set to ban some younger guests from booking homes in the US as part of a continuing effort to crack down on unauthorized parties during the pandemic.

The San Francisco-based home sharing company said US  guests under the age of 25 with fewer than three positive Airbnb reviews won't be allowed to book entire homes close to where they live. It didn't, however, defines what "close" means.

Airbnb began stepping up efforts to ban "party houses" last November after five people were shot and killed during an unauthorised party at an Airbnb rental in Orinda, California.

At the time, Airbnb set up a rapid response team to deal with complaints from neighbors and started screening "high risk" bookings, such as reservations at a large home for one night.

In a message to hosts, the company said reducing unauthorized parties is even more of a priority right now as states try to avoid coronavirus outbreaks.

"With public health mandates in place throughout the country, we're taking actions to support safe and responsible travel in the United States," the company said.


03:20 PM

What it's like to buy a wedding dress in lockdown

Social distancing and strict hygiene standards resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has made clothes shopping near impossible.

While most have resorted to online shopping, brides-to-be are faced with a dilemna: how do you choose a wedding dress for the most important day of your life, often costing thousands of pounds, without seeing it? 


03:13 PM

Strict quarantine measures ground Middle Eastern travel industry

Strict quarantine measures imposed by African and Middle Eastern nations are preventing the travel industry from getting back off the ground, threatening further losses and bankruptcies, the International Air Transport Association warned Thursday.

Countries in the Middle East imposed sweeping shutdowns to combat the spread of the coronavirus, halting flights and closing airports.

Some regional airlines have resumed partial operations but with requirements including testing and quarantine on arrival.

"Government-imposed quarantine measures in 36 countries across Africa and the Middle East account for 40 percent of all quarantine measures globally," IATA vice president for Africa and the Middle East, Muhammad Albakri, told a virtual press conference.

"With over 80 percent of travellers unwilling to travel when quarantine is required, the impact of these measures is that countries remain in lockdown even if their borders are open," Albakri said.

In its latest forecast released Thursday, IATA said that Middle East airlines are estimated to lose some 56 percent of their revenue and 55 percent of passengers this year compared to 2019.


03:01 PM

List of new Covid-19 cases in England, by area

Public Health England has published an updated list of new Covid-19 cases in England, by local authority area.

The figures are for the week ending June 28 and show the rate of new cases in each area, based on tests that have been carried out both in laboratories ('pillar 1' of the Government's testing programme) and in the wider community ('pillar 2').

As such, the figures gives a more comprehensive overview of the country than the daily figures for local areas that are published on the Department of Health website, which are based only on pillar 1 testing.

The figures show the number of cases per 100,000 population in the week ending June 28.

The areas with the highest number of cases includes Leicester, which has 141.3 per 100,000; Bradford has 45.8; Barnsley has 35.1; Rochdale has 35; Oldham has 30.1; Kirklees has 26.2 and Rotherham has 26.1.

Areas with some of the lowest numbers include Torbay, Rutland, Portsmouth, City of London and Bath and North East Somerset - all with zero cases per 100,000. 

Lambeth has 0.3, Devon has 0.4, Camden has 0.4 and Southampton and Hampshire also have 0.4. Gateshead has 0.5, while Bromley has 0.6.


02:50 PM

Covid-19 rate falling in three quarters of England

The rate of new Covid-19 cases being detected is falling in three of every four local authorities in England, according to newly published data.

The Public Health England data, released for the first time this week, tracks rates of weekly cases in counties and cities across the country.

Local authorities had complained testing data was being withheld that would have allowed them to crack down on hotspots more rapidly. 

It emerged that Leicester, which went into its new lockdown on Tuesday, did not receive detailed information until last weekend, despite the Health Secretary highlighting problems there on June 18. The city's lockdown was implemented 11 days later.

Dominic Gilbert has more here. 


02:44 PM

Travel restrictions remain for cross-border areas hit by virus cluster

Coronavirus travel restrictions will not be lifted in parts of Scotland affected by a cross-border outbreak of the virus, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The First Minister said she is "very hopeful" the cluster of cases - which has seen ten people test positive for Covid-19 so far - will be contained.

As part of those efforts, she said restrictions preventing people travelling more than five miles for leisure purposes will not be lifted in affected areas.

The rule is being relaxed across the rest of Scotland from Friday, but Ms Sturgeon said this would not be the case in Annan, Gretna, Dumfries, Lockerbie, Langholm or Canonbie.

Residents there will not be able to cross the border this weekend to visit pubs in England, which are reopening on Saturday, the First Minister added.

Mobile testing has been deployed to the area to help trace people who may have been infected, and care homes in the area will not permit visitors.


02:39 PM

Latest coronavirus developments around the world

Good afternoon. Here's a round-up of some of the key developments from around the world today:

  • The United States recorded 52,000 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, an all-time daily high.
  • Australia has also passed a grim milestone of 8,000 cases overall, prompting a stay-at-home order for ten postcodes in Melbourne.
  • Brazil's death toll has surpassed 60,000 after recording more than 1,000 fatalities over the last 24 hours.
  • Russia has today reported 6,760 new cases of Covid-19, pushing its nationwide tally to 661,165.
  • Citing a risk to "the healthcare interests of the Hungarian people", Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has dismissed an EU recommendation to lift travel restrictions for more countries outside the bloc.
  • New Zealand health minister David Clark has resigned after a public backlash over his breach of lockdown and his criticism of the civil servant responsible for the country's world-leading coronavirus response.
  • Tokyo has confirmed 107 new Covid-19 infections today, its highest daily tally in two months.
  • Indonesia has reported 1,624 Covid-19 infections today, in its biggest jump in new cases since the pandemic began.

02:31 PM

Education unions demand Plan B for schools reopening

Education unions are calling for the Government to develop a "Plan B" in case a full return to school in September is not deemed to be safe, following the Education Secretary announcing today that schools in England will minimise contact between children in the autumn term by grouping them in class or year-sized "bubbles".

Teachers' unions have said they are "concerned" that the Government does not appear to have a Plan B if the new safety guidelines do not work, or if the number of Covid-19 cases are higher by the autumn term.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: "The situation seen in Leicester this week has demonstrated that this crisis is far from over, and there will be further disruption ahead.

"It is therefore essential that Government continues to monitor the data when it comes to school return and that it also has a credible Plan B in place should it be required."

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: "We are concerned that the Government does not have a Plan B if these guidelines do not work or if cases are higher by the time we get to September."

On the new guidance, Mr Courtney said the practical difficulties involved in separating children into year group bubbles were "immense and will not be possible in many schools".


02:25 PM

Amazon fire season could be catastrophic for Brazil’s Covid-19 response, charity warns

Every year fires roar across the Amazon, but with the added burden of Covid-19, experts now worry that Brazil’s already floundering healthcare system may not be able to cope.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that a surge in incidents of respiratory problems triggered by thick clouds of ash and smoke may soon overwhelm hospitals in northwestern states, many of which are already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

“We know already from the fires that occurred in the previous years that it produces toxic smoke,” Dounia Dekhili, MSF Brazil’s head of mission told a press conference yesterday. “We can only be worried because it is adding one more issue and one more potential disease to the already existing complicated situation.”

The total number of cases in Brazil has now exceeded 1.5 million with more than 60,000 people thought to have died. The country of 209.5 million is now at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in South America and second only to the United States as the worst hit region of the world. 

Jordan Kelly-Linden has more here. 


02:20 PM

Welsh Government announces cautious reopening of tourism

A “partial reopening” of the tourism sector in Wales is to take place over the next few weeks providing that the rate of Covid-19 cases continues to fall, the Welsh Government has announced.

Bars, restaurants and cafes with outdoor spaces are set to be allowed to re-open from July 13.

The final decision about outdoor re-opening will be made at the next Welsh Government review on July 9. Future decisions about indoor re-opening will be made later and depend on the success of outdoor opening.

The “stay-local” instruction in Wales is due to lifted on Monday, which will allow outdoor attractions to re-open from then.

The minister for international relations and the Welsh language, Eluned Morgan, said: "We ask everyone who travels to and around Wales to enjoy their time here, but always to respect local communities. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to Wales – but we want everyone to visit Wales safely.


02:17 PM

Royal Albert Hall will go bust by next year without urgent support

The Royal Albert Hall will go bust by March 2021, the date of its 150th anniversary, if doesn’t receive urgent financial support, the i paper reports.

According to its chief executive, the iconic building - the busiest live music venue in the world last year - could be forced to lay off hundreds of staff as a result of the lockdown.

Craig Hassall told i: “The Government support has been very oblique and vague. We have lobbied hard and consistently across the sector. But [Culture Secretary] Oliver Dowden’s roadmap for recovery has no dates and nothing firm.

“There is no guidance from Government on when we can open or how we can open. Without that it’s impossible for us to trade – and that means the whole sector.”

The venue has already taken out a £5m loan to stay afloat, and is in need of a further £5m to £10m to avoid going under early next year. It could be declared insolvent sooner if the furlough scheme is not fully maintained for venues which are unable to reopen.


02:12 PM

Women more willing to comply with lockdown, Panama's sex-segregation experiment suggests

Women in Panama, one of the few countries that implemented a sex-segregated lockdown, appear to be more willing to comply with lockdown than men, according to a new study.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a small number of countries in Latin America introduced gender or sex-segregated mobility policies. However Panama was the only one to introduce a nationwide policy that held throughout the entirety of the lockdown period and has been seen as a success - the country had just over 30,000 cases and around 1,000 deaths. 

In what has been considered one of the most aggressive responses to Covid-19 in Latin America, Panama's lockdown was based on an individual’s sex, as listed on their national identification card or “cedula”.

Using anonymised GPS data from the country between February 15 and May 29, researchers at the London School of Economics found that there was less public movement on women’s days. 

Georgina Hayes has more ​here. 


02:04 PM

ONS figures suggest 25,000 new virus cases a week

An average of 25,000 people in private households in England had Covid-19 at any given time between June 14 and June 27, according to new estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This was the equivalent of 0.04 per cent of the population, or around one in 2,200 individuals.

The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.

The ONS said its estimates suggest the percentage testing positive has decreased over time since the first measurement on April 26 and "this downward trend appears to have now levelled off".


02:00 PM

Further 35 hospital deaths recorded in England

A further 35 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 28,794, NHS England said.

Patients were aged between 54 and 92 years old. Two patients, aged 54 and 84, had no known underlying health conditions.


01:58 PM

600pc case rise in Iraq requires urgent action, says IRC

With a 600 per cent rise in Covid-19 cases in Iraq through June, efforts must be re-doubled to slow the spread of the disease, warns the International Rescue Committee.

With the number of confirmed cases standing at 53,708 - up from 6,868 on June 1 - the Ministry of Health has announced that hospitals are almost at full capacity, and that schools and universities will be converted into isolation units to cope with the ever-increasing number of cases.

In addition to the direct impact the pandemic is having on people’s health, thousands of people have been affected indirectly by the economic impacts of the lockdown.

A recent survey carried about by the IRC found that 87 per cent had lost their jobs as a result of the lockdowns, 73 per cent were reducing the amount of food they were eating to reduce costs, and 61 per cent were going into debt.


01:54 PM

Super Saturday rules explained: what you can, can't, and shouldn't do from July 4

This Saturday is Independence day (in England at least), described by the Prime Minister as the end of our “long national hibernation”.

But many are still confused about the rules. What exactly can we do in the pub, and what is still off limits? Can we venture out for weekend trips, or must we stick to our local park? What's acceptable to suggest to friends, and what sounds like you're flaunting your newfound freedom with dangerous abandon?

Here, Luke Mintz lays out the rules and guidelines for Super Saturday in England. (Sorry Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Leicester: you've all got your own thing going on.) 

Find out all you need to know here. 


01:49 PM

Coronavirus around the world, in pictures

A worker cleans the streets around Haymarket in London ahead of the lifting of further lockdown restrictions in England on Saturday. - PA
A bartender wears PPE as he pulls a pint behind the bar of the Hard Rock Cafe's European flagship restaurant in Piccadilly Circus, London, as it prepares to reopen - PA
Tributes to key workers hang over a street in London - Shutterstock
A visitor wears a protective face mask as they visit the Palace of the Princess Czartoryski Museum during the easing of lockdown measures in Krakow, Poland - Getty Images Europe
Health officials prepare the burial of a patient who died with Coronavirus in Hyderabad, Pakistan - Shutterstock

01:43 PM

Local Government Association calls for more financial support

The Local Government Association has said that the extra support for English councils announced today by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick does not go far enough.

James Jamieson, LGA chairman, said:

"Councils continue to work all day and night to protect the most vulnerable from Covid-19, support local businesses and try and keep normal services running. This package offers some positive measures and recognises the pressures councils are facing, but more is desperately needed to fully address the severe financial challenges facing councils and our local services as a result."


01:39 PM

Philippines to release 15,000 prisoners to halt virus spread

The Philippines is set to release some 15,000 prisoners to halt the spread of the virus, authorities said today.

The Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government said most of the 15,322 prisoners set to be released were serving time for light offences.

It added it was doing so "after Leftist organisations claimed the Government is not doing enough to decongest the jails”.

Prisons in the Philippines have become notoriously overcrowded in recent years, since president Rodrigo Duterte instigated his harsh crackdown on drugs. 


01:35 PM

Five-day lockdown announced across West Bank

The Palestinian Authority has announced a five-day lockdown across the West Bank after a rise in Covid-19 infections, as Israel saw its steepest-yet 24-hour uptick in cases.

"Starting from Friday morning, all governorates of the West Bank... will be closed for a period of five days," Palestinian Government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said, adding that pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets were exempt.

The latest data from the Palestinian ministry of health said that as of Wednesday night, a total of 2,686 people had tested positive for Covid-19 since the virus was first recorded in the West Bank, compared with just 1,256 a week ago.

Last week, after the easing of a previous coronavirus lockdown in late May, Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila said the territory had entered a second wave of infections "more dangerous than the first".


01:31 PM

No 10: Headteachers should use discretion over fines for school attendance

Number 10 has suggested that headteachers should use their discretion in deciding whether parents who don’t sent their children to school in England in September should be fined.

Asked if fines should always be imposed, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: "Returning to school in September will be mandatory. It’s always the case that headteachers do have some discretion. They know their pupils and their family situations.

"But, in general, children need to get back in to school and get back learning again."


01:27 PM

Further eight deaths in Wales

Public Health Wales said a further eight people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths to 1,524, while the total number of cases in Wales increased by 41 to 15,815.


01:22 PM

Number 10 urges public to play its part in Test and Trace

Number 10 defended the results of NHS Test and Trace after the release of the latest figures on its operation, which revealed that a quarter of those who test positive for the virus weren't reached.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It is a new, large-scale service designed to help us to contain the virus. We have now reached more than 130,000 people who may otherwise unknowingly have spread the virus.

"But we have always said that we will continue making improvements as we go along so that we do reach more people, more quickly.

"We are working hard to reach people, by sending reminders, making the service more accessible by opening new walk-in local testing centres, increasing translation services and concentrating calls at the times that work best for the public."

But the spokesman added: "We do also need the public to continue to play their part, providing vital information to Test and Trace to help to protect families, communities and ultimately to save lives."


01:19 PM

Coronavirus positive: Your daily good news round-up

As always, Thom Gibbs and Harriet Barber have your daily compendium of positive coronavirus-related news stories from across the world. Here are some highlights:

  • You'll be able to look at all the fish your heart desires from this coming weekend, as the UK's 30-odd aquaria re-open for business. 
  • Thanks to the empty streets during lockdown in Tunisia, hundreds of women are learning to ride bikes for the first time – something that previously has been viewed in the country as a boys-only activity. 
  • After months of supporting Barcelona’s healthcare system by offering rooms to Covid-19 patients, the staff at the Melia Sarria hotel lined the corridors to wave goodbye to the last patients.
  • Tokyo’s Disney Resort welcomed visitors back for the first time in four months on Wednesday. Theme park goers practised social distancing, wore face masks and were encouraged to avoid screaming on rides...
  • Venezuelan music and art teachers are starting to teach children online for the first time – a challenge due to the country’s regular blackouts. 

You can read the full round-up here. 


01:14 PM

Prime Minister's father criticised for trip to Greece

Boris Johnson's father, Stanley Johnson, has been criticised by MPs after flying to Greece despite Government advice urging Britons against all but essential international travel.

The 79-year-old arrived in Athens on Wednesday evening to visit his mountain villa, and shared a video of his plane landing in the capital on social media platform Instagram.

Mr Johnson flew to Athens via Bulgaria, the Daily Mail said, because the Greek Government has banned direct flights from the UK until mid-July.

He told the paper he was visiting the country on "essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season".

"I need to set up distancing measures at the property because they're taking it very seriously here. The Greeks are trying to stop bulk arrivals from the UK but they were quite happy to have me coming in."


01:08 PM

New Zealand health minister resigns after breach of lockdown

New Zealand's health minister has resigned today after a public backlash over his breach of lockdown and his criticism of the civil servant responsible for the country's world-leading coronavirus response.

Outgoing minister David Clark was already under a cloud after breaking lockdown in April, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who faces an election in September, admitted his presence had become a distraction.

Mr Clark described himself as "an idiot" in April after admitting he breached strict lockdown orders by taking a 20-kilometre (12-mile) drive to the beach with his family.

He kept his job but was kept out of the public eye, with health department director-general Ashley Bloomfield appearing alongside Ms Ardern to give daily updates on the coronavirus crisis.

There was public anger when Mr Clark criticised Mr Bloomfield for a series of mistakes linked to border quarantine, and footage went viral of the minister admonishing his subordinate as the civil servant stood by looking crestfallen.

Critics said it was "like kicking a puppy" and accused Mr Clark of throwing Mr Bloomfield "under a bus".

Announcing his resignation, Mr Clark insisted he had a warm relationship with Mr Bloomfield and singled him out for praise.


01:02 PM

Tattoo industry approaching breaking point because of closures, union warns

Tattoo artists have been left in a desperate position by the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, with many going out of business or losing their homes, a union is warning.

The GMB claimed that some workers in the sector had taken their own lives since the pandemic broke out.

The union pointed out that tattoo studios will remain closed when many businesses, such as pubs, restaurants and hair salons, will reopen from Saturday.

The GMB has written to the Government asking why hairdressers and barbers will be allowed to open while tattoo and piercing workers are "left in limbo".

GMB official Richard Stevens said: "It's no exaggeration to say the situation in the tattoo industry is desperate. I've heard several cases of financial hardship leading to people losing their business, their homes and even two suicides, as well as other mental health problems."

He added: "The industry is approaching breaking point. Without quick, decisive Government intervention parlours will be driven underground, leaving very little control of the inking and piercing environment."


12:55 PM

Could there be a ‘double whammy’ of Covid-19 and influenza in Latin America?

As the winter flu season descends on parts of Latin America, experts are concerned that overstretched healthcare systems already struggling to cope with raging coronavirus outbreaks could be pushed to the brink.

Last week the region hit a grim milestone: confirmed Covid-19 cases surpassed two million, with little sign of slowing down soon. In several of the worst hit countries, including southern Brazil, Chile and Argentina, this time of year typically brings seasonal influenza outbreaks.

“Imagine a country that already has more than 80 per cent of intensive care unit beds filled with patients - imagine if that country in addition receives patients with severe acute respiratory infection related to influenza,” said Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, deputy director of health emergencies at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Sarah Newey has more here. 


12:48 PM

Covid-19 cases in Sweden surpass 70,000

Sweden’s number of confirmed Covid-19 has crossed the 70,000 mark today, while deaths rose by 41 to 5,411, health agency statistics showed.

Sweden has recorded 947 new cases, putting the total at 70,639.

Expanded testing has seen daily new cases soar over the past month, eclipsing rates elsewhere in the European Union, but deaths and hospitalisations have tumbled from peaks in April.

The country adopted a softer approach to fighting the virus, avoiding a hard lockdown and putting its pandemic strategy in the international spotlight.

Sweden’s death toll has been many times higher relative to the size of its population than that of its Nordic neighbours, where authorities took a stricter approach, but lower than in some countries that locked down, such as Britain, Italy and Spain.


12:38 PM

Sturgeon: Grant Shapps misrepresenting Scottish Government's position on air bridges

The row between the UK and Scottish Government over air bridges continues to intensify. 


12:33 PM

Russia extends ban on international flights

Russia plans to extend its ban on international flights until August 1, Reuters reports.

The country grounded all international flights in March, aside from those repatriating Russians or taking foreign visitors home.

A partial reopening of Russia's borders was announced last month. The country said it would allow those who needed to work, study, get medical treatment or look after relatives to travel abroad.


12:28 PM

Revealed: Pandemic’s devastating impact on UK mental health

The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has had a “devastating” impact on people’s mental health and the worst is yet to come, a leading charity has said. 

A survey of more than 16,000 people in the UK during lockdown has laid bare the scale of the impact the pandemic is having on the nation’s mental health, and the charity has warned that the easing of lockdown won’t address many of the underlying issues. 

The survey, conducted by Mind, found that 65 per cent of adult participants with a pre-existing mental health problem said it had become worse during lockdown, with this figure jumping to 75 per cent among those aged 13-24.

Of adults with no previous experience of mental health problems before lockdown, more than one in five (22 per cent) now said that their mental health is poor or very poor.

There has also been a lack of access to NHS mental health services, with a quarter of those trying to access support unable to get help.

Georgina Hayes has more here. 


12:23 PM

Boris Johnson to head press conference ahead of lockdown easing

Boris Johnson will appear at a Downing Street press conference on Friday ahead of the lockdown being eased in England at the weekend.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We do want people to be able to enjoy themselves but at the same time, now we have got coronavirus under control we need to keep it under control.

"The guidance is there, we want people to follow it and then we can make more progress together in the fight against coronavirus.

"The PM has said that it is important that people don't overdo it."


12:19 PM

Iran's death toll passes 11,000

Iran's death toll from Covid-19 has passed 11,000 today, the health ministry said, as the country struggles to contain the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the virus.

Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in fatalities and new confirmed cases in recent weeks, after Iran reported a near-two month low in daily recorded infections in early May.

"In the past 24 hours, we lost 148 of our compatriots due to infection with Covid-19," health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state TV. That brings Iran's overall death toll to 11,106, she added.

She also raised the country's virus caseload to 232,863, with 2,652 new confirmed cases in the past day.

"Unfortunately, the number of hospitalisations is increasing in most of the country's provinces," Lari said.


12:13 PM

Music stars urge Government to intervene to prevent music industry from collapsing

Some 1,500 music stars including Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones urged the Government today to save the country's live music industry from collapsing because of the pandemic.

Coldplay, Eric Clapton, Sam Smith, Rod Stewart, Liam Gallagher, Iron Maiden, Dua Lipa, Skepta and Florence + the Machine were also signatories to an open letter warning that the ongoing shutdown threatened thousands of jobs.

They cited new research showing that live music added £4.5 billion to the British economy and supported 210,000 jobs across the country last year.

"UK live music has been one of the UK's biggest social, cultural, and economic successes of the past decade," they wrote in the letter to culture minister Oliver Dowden.

But "with no end to social distancing in sight or financial support from Government yet agreed, the future for concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak".


12:09 PM

Plans for exams to go ahead next summer 'unrealistic', says union

The National Education Union has said that that Ofqual is being “unrealistic” in assuming that exams in England can go ahead next summer largely as normal, despite the months of lost teaching time as a result of the lockdown. 

Nansi Ellis, the NEU assistant general secretary, said:

"This expectation is unrealistic – delaying exams by two or three weeks next summer can’t make up for the months already lost, never mind any further potential time that may be lost due to subsequent waves of the virus or local spikes and lockdowns.

"The changes suggested to help reduce some tasks which take up large amounts of teaching hours sound generally helpful, but the Department for Education and Ofqual need to go further with changes to exam content otherwise they risk driving inequality in the system and undermining the results awarded next summer."


12:06 PM

Education Secretary on schools reopening - a summary

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson appeared in the Commons today to unveil the Government's plans to reopen schools in England in September. Here's a summary of what we found out:

  • Mandatory school attendance will return from September - a move that Labour supports, but not the fines on parents who choose not to send their children.
  • Whole year groups in schools and colleges will be told to keep separate, with older groups encouraged to be kept away from other groups of children and staff.
  • Mr Williamson also committed to keeping exams next summer, although he did not give a date, and said that schools must maintain a "broad and balanced curriculum" including arts and sports. 

11:56 AM

Kazakhstan implements second lockdown after cases surge

Kazakhstan will implement a second, softer lockdown for two weeks from July 5 to help combat a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Government said today.

Authorities will close some non-essential businesses, limit travel between provinces, cut public transit services' hours of operation and ban public gatherings. The measures may be tightened or extended later, the cabinet said in a statement.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered the new curbs after Covid-19 cases in the Central Asian country rose more than sevenfold following the lifting of its first, more restrictive lockdown in mid-May.


11:52 AM

Indonesia reports record daily case jump

Indonesia has reported 1,624 Covid-19 infections today, in its biggest jump in new cases since the pandemic began, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

Reuters reports that the daily increase brings the total number of infections to 59,394.


11:50 AM

Two-metre guidance in Scotland to remain with exceptions

The two-metre guidance on social distancing will be retained in Scotland but exceptions will be allowed for some sectors, including hospitality, from the end of next week, the First Minister has said.

Ms Sturgeon also confirmed that wearing face coverings in shops will become mandatory from July 10. 

She said: "Face coverings in shops will be compulsory from the end of next week but please don't wait until then, get into the habit now."

Speaking during the Scottish Government's daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said as people start to interact more it is "vital we take steps to reduce risks".


11:48 AM

Johnson: There will be no extension to the furlough scheme

Boris Johnson has warned there can be no further extension to the Government's furlough scheme beyond the end of October.

In an interview with London's Evening Standard, the Prime Minister said that in the long term, the programme to protect jobs through the pandemic was not "healthy" for the economy or for the employees it covered.

"I think people need to recognise that the particular restrictions that furlough places on you are not, in the long term, healthy either for the economy or for you as an employee," he said.

"You are keeping people in suspended animation. You are stopping them from actually working. I am being absolutely frank with you, we are pushing it out until October but in the end you have got to get the economy moving."


11:46 AM

Airbus announces plan to axe 1,700 jobs

Aerospace giant Airbus has revealed details of its plans to axe 1,700 jobs because of the impact of the coronavirus crisis, with its plant in North Wales set to bear the brunt of the cuts.

The company said it had opened talks on its "adaptation plan", which it unveiled earlier this week in response to the collapse in air travel as a result of the pandemic.

As part of the discussions, Airbus confirmed the need to reduce its workforce in the UK by around 1,700.

It announced that 1,435 jobs will be cut at its site in Broughton, North Wales, and 295 at Filton, Bristol.


11:43 AM

Less than a quarter of Covid test results from satellite centres returned within 24 hours

Less than a quarter of tests taken at satellite test centres returned results within 24 hours of taking the test, the Department of Health figures show.

In the period between June 18 to June 24, 12,717 (21.5 per cent) of test results were received within 24 hours, with 40,773 (68.8 per cent) received within 48 hours.

Between May 28 and June 3, 6,191 (6.4 per cent) test results were received within 24 hours.

The number of tests taken at satellite test centres has dropped from 97,350 in the week up to June 3 to 59,251 between June 18 and June 24.

In the seven days ending June 24, 1,190 tests (2 per cent) were not completed.


11:40 AM

One further death announced in Scotland

A total of 2,487 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19, up by one from 2,486 on Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon said.

Speaking during the Scottish Government's daily coronavirus briefing, the First Minister said that 18,264 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by five from 18,259 the previous day.

There are 785 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, no change on yesterday.

Of these patients, nine were in intensive care, a fall of eight.

It follows the news that the number of people dying in Scotland has returned to normal levels, according to official figures.


11:27 AM

Coronavirus vaccine 'almost 100pc certain to be found'

A coronavirus vaccine is "almost certain" to be found thanks to the "collective worldwide brainpower" being devoted to the search, according to one of the world's leading investors in biotechnology companies.

Geoffrey Hsu of Orbimed, the globe's largest dedicated healthcare investment company, said one or more of the almost 150 vaccines being tested were almost sure to prove effective. The same applied to some of the 257 potential treatments undergoing trial. 

"The chances are close to 100 per cent that one or more will show some level of efficacy," he told The Telegraph. "So many approaches on vaccines and treatments are being tried – think about the collective brainpower being applied worldwide." 

Richard Evans has more here. 


11:22 AM

Comment: What a colossal waste of time and money air bridges have been

What a colossal and expensive waste of time the whole quarantine arrangement and the Foreign Office’s policy banning overseas holidays has been, writes Nick Trend.

As a travel industry which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs has imploded and millions of holidaymakers have been left facing cancelled travel plans and battling for refunds, we have – for weeks – been subjected to a stream of contradictory messages from the Government. 

These have been both confusing – are we going to have air bridges, if so, when, and with which countries? And arbitrary – why has the FCO’s advice been applied with such a lack of discrimination, and why has its ban on travel been open-ended, rather than periodically reviewed? 

Now we hear that the whole idea of air bridges, allowing reciprocal quarantine-free travel between a limited selection of countries – which was publicly floated by the Transport Secretary at a select committee meeting on May 18 and has now been in discussion for weeks – will be effectively abandoned. 

Read the full piece here. 


11:19 AM

Labour backs mandatory attendance, but not fines for parents

Kate Green, Labour's new shadow Education Secretary, has said that she supports the return of mandatory school attendance, but not the plans to fine parents who do not send their children to school.

Ms Green said that ministers must take a "trauma-informed approach to school and families".


11:15 AM

Mandatory school attendance will return from September

The Education Secretary has confirmed that mandatory school attendance will return from September.

Gavin Williamson told the Commons that six to 12 weeks of tutoring can result in five months of catch up for the most deprived students. 

That means that mandatory attendance will be reintroduced, he confirmed, including for those with special educational needs.


11:13 AM

Exams will take place next summer, Williamson confirms

Schools will be told to offer a "broad and balanced" curriculum with exams due to take place next summer, the Education Secretary has said.

However, Mr Williamson did not say exactly when this will be.

Mr Williamson added that older children will be encouraged to continue social distancing under the new rules, alongside regular infection control measures. Regular testing will also be made available, he said.

All schools will be provided with a small number of home testing kits for those who develop symptoms on site if they struggle to access a testing centre, he added. 

Schools will then be advised on what steps need to be taken. 


11:09 AM

Williamson: Education recovery is critical for this generation

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has told MPs that "education recovery is critical for this generation" of schoolchildren, and that returning to "normal educational routines as quickly as possible" is "critical to our national recovery".

Mr Williamson said the Government is working to ensure all pupils can return to schools and colleges full-time in September, noting: “With Covid-secure measures in place so they have the opportunity to thrive and fulfill their full potential.”

He said schools will continue minimising contact between children, including through grouping them in “bubbles” and encouraging older children to distance. 

He explained: "As a minimum, this will mean keeping whole year groups in schools and colleges separate.

"This is in addition to the other protective measures we know are so important for infection control, such as regular cleaning and hand washing."


11:04 AM

Covid-19 rules 'most far-reaching invasion of rights' since WW2, High Court heard

Covid-19 lockdown rules are the "most sweeping and far-reaching invasion of fundamental rights" since the Second World War, the High Court has heard.

Lawyers representing businessman Simon Dolan told a senior judge that while measures introduced in March to combat the virus are being eased "to some extent", they are still "unlawful and disproportionate".

Mr Dolan, who according to the Sunday Times Rich List is worth £200 million, is pursuing a claim against Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson over the regulations.

He claims the rules are costing the economy billions of pounds each day and are a "disproportionate breach of fundamental rights and freedoms" protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mr Dolan, who has so far raised more than £200,000 from some 6,400 pledges through crowdfunding, is also challenging the decision to close schools across the country for most children.


11:00 AM

Labour calls for cross-party task force on schools reopening

Kate Green, the new shadow Education Secretary, has called for the creation of a cross-party taskforce to help schools in England prepare for all pupils to return in September.

In a statement, Ms Green said: "All children must be safely back in school by September. By then, they’ll have suffered a six month gap in their learning. Officials in the Department for Education have warned this could lead to a widening of the attainment gap of up to 75 per cent as children from disadvantaged backgrounds have lacked access to resources to learn at home.

"Teachers, school leaders, staff, and parents have achieved a huge amount throughout this crisis, and now they desperately need the support of the Government.

"With only three weeks to go before the end of term, there is an enormous amount to prepare: finalising health and safety arrangements, ensuring there is space for children to learn, restructuring the school day and providing reassurance to parents.

"The Government has been asleep at the wheel, but heads and staff cannot be left to do this alone. Labour is calling for a cross-party taskforce to focus urgently on getting the necessary arrangements in place so that all students can return safely in September."

Read more: The new coronavirus guidelines for schools to open in September


10:55 AM

Toyko records highest daily case rise in two months

Tokyo has confirmed 107 new Covid-19 infections today, its highest daily tally in two months, reports Reuters.

But the news, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary said there was no need to reintroduce a state of emergency.

The Japanese capital, home to 14 million people, had initially sought to hold new daily cases at fewer than 20 after the Government lifted the state of emergency on 25 May, only to see its tally consistently exceed 50 over the past week.

Tokyo’s Governor, Yuriko Koike, said about 70 per cent of the new cases were among people in their 20s and 30s. 

However, officials have also said the medical system can handle existing infections and that increased testing partly explains the rise in confirmed cases.


10:42 AM

Watch: What getting a haircut will look like from July 4


10:35 AM

How comfortable are Britons with returning to normal?

As England prepares to ease itself out of lockdown on Saturday, a new poll from Ipsos MORI finds that many are still uncomfortable about some aspects of life returning to normal.

New polling suggests that three in five (60 per cent) still say they would be uncomfortable going to a bar or restaurant. a figure unchanged since May.

The majority of Brits would also be uncomfortable attending large public gatherings (65 per cent), using public toilets (62 per cent), taking holidays abroad (57 per cent), visiting indoor cinemas or theatres (59 per cent), using public transport (59 per cent), or going to indoor gyms/leisure centres of swimming pools (55 per cent).

However, there are areas where people are becoming more comfortable.  Nearly seven in ten (69 per cent) say they would be comfortable meeting friends or family outside of their household, which is up five points since mid-May.

What's more, nearly half (49 per cent) of parents would be comfortable sending their children to school, which is up from 38 per cent in May. Two in five, though. would still be uncomfortable doing so (42 per cent, down by 8).

Just over half of workers now say they would be comfortable returning to their place of work (52 per cent, up 5), whilst one in three are still reticent (34 per cent, down 4).


10:28 AM

Quarter of people tested positive for Covid-19 not reached, Test and Trace figures reveal

A total of 27,125 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system during the first four weeks of its operation, according to figures from the Department of Health & Social Care.

Of this total, 20,039 people (74 per cent) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 6,245 people (23 per cent) were not reached.

A further 841 people (3 per cent) could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided.

The figures cover the period May 28 to June 24.


10:13 AM

'Every person needs to look at their Covid-19 risk'

Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme, has urged people to look at their own personal risk when deciding how to behave and interact with others during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Every person needs to look at your own risk. You need to be aware of what is the local transmission, you need to know what the transmission in my area is," he said.

"We do this every day in our lives as human beings, we manage risk, we decide when we cross the road, we decide when we fly, we decide when we have an operation or not have an operation.

"What we need is the information to make those risk-based decisions. We need to gain the knowledge to be able to make good decisions. 

"We decide on our proximity to other individuals. We decide on the intensity of out social engagement."


10:04 AM

Prince Charles thanks TFL workers for keeping service running

The Prince of Wales has arrived at a Transport for London (TfL) training centre to thank London Underground staff for working during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tube network has been running throughout Covid-19 and mantained 50 per cent of services at the height of the outbreak when a third of staff were ill, shielding or self-isolating.

Many of the drivers, station staff and other workers have since returned to the front line, and now more than 90 per cent of the timetable is operating.

The outbreak took its toll and 44 London transport workers have died after testing positive for the virus.

The Prince met contract cleaners and station staff at Ashfield House, near West Kensington station, during the visit, which was hosted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.


09:55 AM

Reducing two-metre rule effectively means ending social distancing, expert warns

Scotland should retain the two-metre social distancing rule as part of its efforts to combat Covid-19, an expert has said.

Behavioural scientist Professor Susan Michie, from University College London, was speaking as Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon prepares to announce the findings of a review into whether the two-metre rule should remain north of the border.

Prof Michie said the change is a "disaster waiting to happen", insisting opening indoor areas in pubs is "probably the top of the level of the hierarchy of riskiness".

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, she said: "I think it is really misguided. I think it is asking for trouble. I think everybody can see what is going to happen. If we really want to eradicate this virus and get back to normal, this is exactly what we should not be doing."

Prof Michie, a member of the Independent Sage expert group, said Scotland has so far performed "brilliantly" in tackling Covid-19, and warned against relaxing the two-metre rule.

She said Scotland should "keep on going in that careful, cautious way because it is obviously showing massive dividends compared to south of the border".


09:49 AM

TFL granted extra enforcement powers for mask wearing, Transport Secretary confirms

Transport Minister Grant Shapps has said that there have been "very high levels of compliance" for face mask wearing, and quoted figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that there has been 86 per cent compliance.

However, he confirmed in the Commons today that Transport for London has been granted powers to increase enforcement of wearing face coverings on public transport. 


09:38 AM

Shapps points finger at Sturgeon for air bridge delays

The Government's plans to announce countries which will be exempt from quarantine restrictions have been delayed by Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon, Transport Minister Grant Shapps has indicated.

The UK Government is expected to announce a list of countries which will be exempt from the restrictions this week, but so far details have not been published.

Scotland's First Minister has criticised the UK Government for failing to consult her ahead of announcing proposed changes to the quarantine regime. With the proposals expected to be set out on Friday, Mr Shapps clashed with a senior member of Ms Sturgeon's Scottish National Party in the Commons this morning. 

Mr Shapps told SNP transport spokesman Gavin Newlands: "I'd appreciate his help in ensuring that air bridges can get going as quickly as possible.

"I'm very keen to get the devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government, on board so we can get this thing announced."


09:32 AM

GCSE exams could be delayed

GCSE exams could be delayed next year and more optional questions could be used in test papers under proposals unveiled by England's exams regulator.

Ofqual has launched a two-week consultation on their plans for the GCSE and A-level exam series in 2021 after students have faced months of school and college closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The watchdog is considering how next year's exam timetable could be changed to allow more time for teaching - and one of the proposals being looked at is postponing starting GCSE exams until June 7.


09:30 AM

Gigs may be impossible with one-metre social distancing, TRNSMT boss warns

The boss of one of Scotland's major music festivals has warned that concerts will not be able to go ahead even if social distancing is halved to one metre.

Geoff Ellis said the SSE Hydro in Glasgow would only be able to open at 30 per cent of its capacity with social distancing in place, and he suggested many small venues could go under.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, the TRNSMT festival director said the annual event boosts the Glasgow economy by £10 million.

Mr Ellis said: "Approximately 85 per cent of the revenue from a concert goes towards putting that concert on - be it stewards, medical staff, the bands on the stage, the dancers on a Kylie Minogue show etc.

"Certainly on the venue front, many are saying that they will go under, particularly the small venues which are the lifeblood of the industry.

"That's where the Lewis Capaldis, the Paolo Nutinis, the Biffy Clyros all cut their teeth at venues like King Tut's and the equivalent kind of venues throughout the UK."


09:28 AM

Limits on group sizes in early years providers to be lifted this month

Limits on group sizes will be lifted in nurseries, childminders, and other early years providers from later this month, the Department for Education has said.

Early years providers in England have been able to open more widely to children since June 1, but there have been restrictions on group sizes.

From July 20, these restrictions will be lifted so that providers can increase the number of children they admit from the start of the summer holiday.


09:16 AM

Drinkers urged to 'respect new measures' when pubs reopen in England

Hospitality leaders and police chiefs have issued a joint appeal to pub-goers to help achieve a successful reopening of the industry this weekend.

The British Beer & Pub Association, UKHospitality, the London Night Czar and the National Police Chiefs' Council have urged people to support landlords and others as pubs open their doors for the first time in months.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) also issued guidance to people planning to have a pint in England on Saturday.

The hospitality and police statement urged people to behave responsibly, adding: "We ask pub-goers to be supportive of landlords and pub staff, helping them to reopen in the best way possible. It's important everyone respects the new measures in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the return of our pubs safely.

"If we all work together we can ensure that the reopening of pubs and hospitality is a success and an enjoyable experience for everyone."


09:07 AM

Fears over coronavirus surge as South Africa goes back to work

On Monday, thousands of people clambered aboard South Africa’s massive fleet of commuter "taxis" for the first time in nearly 100 days as the country further eased lockdown, prompting fears of a spike in coronavirus cases, reports Peta Thornycroft in Johannesburg.

Most of the Toyota combis were carrying a full load of passengers, many of whom were not wearing masks, despite a government recommendation that the minivans should travel at only 70 per cent capacity. 

Now experts fear that a combination of poor planning on the Government’s part and public distrust of authority will see a huge rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, particularly in Johannesburg.

Read the full report here. 


08:59 AM

Thousands expected to head to Birmingham's Broad Street

It's being predicted up to 8,000 people could head to Birmingham's Broad Street when pubs, restaurants and bars reopen on Saturday, the BBC reports.

The Westside Business Improvement District, which represents many of the hospitality companies, said some venues were staggering opening times and others offering booked tables only.

It said a team of street wardens will be in place to try to encourage people to enjoy themselves safely.


08:47 AM

Extra £500 million to go to local councils to deal with crisis

An extra £500 million will go to local councils to deal with the coronavirus crisis and help cover lost income during the pandemic, the Government has said.

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: "Councils are playing a huge part in supporting their communities during this pandemic.

"From supporting the most vulnerable and keeping vital services running to operating local track and trace, council workers have been at the forefront of this great national effort and are the unsung heroes of this pandemic.

"Today I am providing a further package of support that takes our support for councils during this pandemic to £4.3 billion to help meet the immediate pressures councils are facing.

"I know that the loss of revenue from car parks and leisure centres has created huge difficulties, so I am introducing a new scheme to help cover these losses."


08:39 AM

Comment: How Donald Trump could spark a dangerous bout of ‘vaccine nationalism’

The news that the US has aggressively bought up much of the world’s stock of remdesivir, one of just two drugs known to help treat Covid-19, does not bode well for an equitable distribution of vaccines, writes Paul Nuki.

The precedent the remdesivir buy-up sets is not a good one. It confirms President Trump’s aggressive “America first” approach and threatens a chain reaction in which treatment and vaccine nationalism becomes the norm.

“The World Health Organization is trying to bring [people] together and some government’s are leading on this, including France and the UK,” notes Prof Devi Sridhar, chair of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University.

“But all you need is one government not to cooperate… to misbehave and not play by the rules of the game, and it becomes very hard for everyone else too.”

That game is getting ever more tense as Covid vaccines move from the laboratory into human trials.

Read the full piece here. 


08:28 AM

Nigeria to resume domestic flights

Nigeria will resume domestic flights from next Wednesday, the aviation minister said, in a move to ease Covid-19 restrictions.

Nigeria shut its airspace in March to contain the spread of the virus that has so far infected 26,484 people and claimed 603 lives.

"I am glad to announce that Abuja and Lagos airports will resume domestic operations on the 8th of July, 2020," Hadi Sirika said on Twitter, referring to the airports serving the national capital and the country's economic hub.

He said airports in the northern city of Kano, Port Harcourt in the south and others would reopen on July 11 and 15.

Sirika however said that international flights would remain banned for now, adding: "Bear with us, please."


08:24 AM

Minister calls on people to show 'common sense' on July 4

Local government minister Simon Clarke called on people to show "common sense" when lockdown restrictions are eased on July 4.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is important that people exercise good judgment and common sense here.

"I think the overwhelming majority will. Inevitably, there will be a small majority that will not.

"But, it is important that we get back to normal. We can't keep our entire country in full lockdown forever."

​Read more: Pubs will reopen July 4 - here are the rules and guidelines


08:19 AM

Russia's Covid-19 case tally passes 660,000

Russia has today reported 6,760 new cases of Covid-19, pushing its nationwide tally to 661,165, Reuters reports.

The authorities said 147 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 9,683.


08:15 AM

Coronavirus around the world, in pictures

A medical tab technician collects swab samples for Covid-19 in New Delhi, India, where cases have been surging - Shutterstock
A woman wearing a protective face mask walks in a shopping district in Toko, Japan - Reuters
Workers arrange machines and beds at a hospital recently set up for Covid-19 patients in Mumbai - AFP
Workers wear face masks as they work at a mask factory in Kabul, Afghanistan  - Reuters
An artist draws a person wearing a face mask in Times Square, New York City  - Getty Images North America

08:05 AM

UK aerospace industry could disappear unless Government acts, union warns

The UK's world-class aerospace industry will be lost forever unless there is urgent action to support the sector through the current crisis, a leading union is warning.

Unite said its research revealed that almost 12,000 aerospace job losses have been announced in recent months at some of the UK's biggest companies, including 1,700 by Airbus earlier this week.

The union said it has repeatedly warned that without swift action to support the aerospace industry, more jobs will go on a "vast scale" and the UK's crown as an industry leader will be "stolen" by competitor countries.

A study for the union showed that 102,000 workers are directly employed in the aerospace sector, with many thousands more in indirect employment.

The sector has a turnover of more than £38 billion, generating over £9 billion for the UK economy every year.

Unite said it wanted the UK Government to follow the lead of countries such as France and Germany and put in place a programme the sector needs to survive, rebuild and recover.


07:53 AM

US risks greater outbreak 'because it failed to lock down effectively'

Leading American infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has warned that the US risks a greater outbreak of coronavirus after it failed to lock down as effectively as countries like the UK.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we have seen over the last several days is a spike in cases that are well beyond the worst spikes that we have seen.

"We have got to get that under control, or we risk an even greater outbreak in the United States."

Asked why the increase was happening, he said: "When you look at the fact that we never got things down to base line where so many countries in Europe and the UK and other countries did, they closed down to the tune of about 97% lockdown.

"In the United States, even in the most strict lockdown, only about 50% of the country was locked down.

"That allowed the perpetuation of the outbreak that we never did get under very good control."


07:48 AM

Whose round is it?

Taking inspiration from San Francisco, London has introduced social distancing circles in some of its outdoor spaces. 

Here is one at Canary Wharf. 

Drinkers stand within rings marked on the grass to maintain their social distance outside a bar in Canary Wharf

07:21 AM

Former Tory deputy PM criticises response to 'twin crisis'

Boris Johnson's economic investment response to the coronavirus crisis has been criticised by Tory former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine.

Lord Heseltine told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we have is a twin crisis, which is the crisis of the corona epidemic... and it is over with the crisis of Brexit.

"It is a crisis of unprecedented scale and it is going to get worse.

"So, the question really is how is the Government responding, how should it respond?

"And I have to say I was deeply disappointed in the speech the Prime Minister made in Dudley.

"It was simply the sort of speech with a lot of proposals which were remarkably similar to what all governments have done faced with rising unemployment.

"They announce packets of money in housing and transport and repairs for the health service... but they lack the one thing that is essential, and that is the local enthusiasm, energy and enterprise."


07:08 AM

Trump u-turn as he is now 'all for masks'

Donald Trump appears to have changed his tune about the use of face masks to stop the spread of coronavirus, with the US president now saying he is “all for masks”.

Mr Trump said on Wednesday that he would wear one if in close quarters with other people to prevent the spread of the virus in an apparent softening of his position. 

He has been reluctant to wear a face mask when seen in public, but in a Fox Business interview he said that he now thought masks were “good”. 

However Mr Trump continued to decline to issue an order making the wearing of masks in public compulsory, saying: “I don’t know if you need mandatory.”

The comments come amid coronavirus case numbers surging across America, with the daily record for new cases being broken four times in the past week. 

Governors of US states hit hardest by the resurgent coronavirus halted or reversed steps to reopen their economies on Wednesday, led by California - the nation's most populous state and a new epicentre of the pandemic.

New cases of Covid-19 shot up by nearly 50,000 on Wednesday, marking the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic.


06:56 AM

Quarantine policy 'a disaster', says travel company boss

George Morgan-Grenville, chief executive of luxury travel company Red Savannah, called the Government's policy "a disaster".  

He said the quarantine limbo has been a "huge opportunity lost" and conceded that holidaymakers will have a very limited selection when they come to book their long-awaited getaway.

He told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: "Where nobody has been able to book...inventory in villas - which are much more popular than a hotel with the ability to isolate - a month ago is no longer available. Huge demand and very little space." 

While Mr Morgan-Grenville does not believe the prices will rocket. he said: "It just means a lot of frustration of people who want to book and who can get away legitimately with trave' insurance won't be able to find the place they want to stay in."

He added: "The whole of quarantine has been a disaster. It was a lousy piece of secondary legislation. 

"There was no business or regulatory impact assessment carried out, there was no consultation carried out. And effectively what it did was to prevent the industry after four months of no sales from getting back on its feet again. 

"The Government are very fond of saying that they've been following the science, but the scientists aren't quite as fond as saying they've been following the Government.

"There were numerous scientists...  saying the exact opposite, saying it would have a negligible impact on public health and that it was a very odd time to bring it in."


06:35 AM

Revealed: The new coronavirus guidelines for schools to open in September

The Government will on Thursday reveal its plans to get all pupils back to school in September, writes Education Editor Camilla Turner.

Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, will announce that children must be back in the classroom at the start of the new academic year after spending up to six months at home.

A final draft of the official guidance, seen by The Telegraph, reveals that schools will be expected to organise pupils into "bubbles", overhaul the curriculum, impose strict behaviour regimes, rearrange classroom desks, ban choirs and assemblies and be ready to shut down again in the event of a virus outbreak.

Read the full story here


06:28 AM

Air bridges shelved as holidaymakers cleared for take-off to 75 countries

Individual air bridges will be effectively abandoned by the Government, as it emerged that as many as 75 countries will be on the first quarantine exemption list for British holidaymakers, our reporters write.

The list, to be published on Thursday or Friday, will lift the Foreign Office ban on non-essential travel to nearly all EU destinations, the British territories including Bermuda and Gibraltar, and Turkey, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.

All 75 have been judged sufficiently low risk destinations for holidaymakers based on the prevalence of Covid-19, that their infection rate is in decline and that their data on the state of the disease can be trusted.

It means that from Monday travellers to the 75 countries will no longer have to quarantine for 14 days on their return to the UK although some like Australia and New Zealand are expected to retain border controls and quarantine for as long as the rest of 2020.

Read the full story here.


06:09 AM

Morning news quiz

Here is your morning news quiz. Answers out later this morning.

  1. Virtually all of the next three months' stock of which drug shown to work against Covid-19 has been bought up by the Trump administration ?
  2. A fundraising campaign has been launched to build a statue of footballer Jack Leslie, who was dropped by England in 1925 when selectors found out he was black. Which club did he play for?
  3. Which retailer said it was planning to reopen another 10 stores including its first in Wales and Scotland as well as the chain's flagship shop in London's Oxford Street?
  4. Which member of the Royal Family has claimed that racism is "endemic" in the UK?

06:07 AM

Cinemas prepare to reopen their doors

The first cinemas to reopen their doors will start showing films on July 4 after months of darkened screens.

All Showcase cinemas and 10 Odeon cinemas around England will open after closing in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a mixture of recent releases and older offerings available to draw film fans back to theatres.

The Odeon cinema at Manchester's Trafford Centre will screen Sonic The Hedgehog, Birds Of Prey and Bad Boys For Life, which were all released earlier this year, as well as The Hangover from 2009 and Batman Begins from 2005. Other films directed by Christopher Nolan, including The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Dunkirk and Interstellar, will also be available later in the month, ahead of the release of his latest offering Tenet, which has already had its release date moved twice.

Another 88 Odeons are also planned to reopen by the end of July, including the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, which will reopen on July 13.

Showcase cinemas will also show older films on its opening day, including 1985's Back To The Future and the 2019 Oscar winner Bohemian Rhapsody. Vue cinemas will reopen on July 10, while Cineworld and Picturehouse has pushed back the date it plans to reopen cinemas following the easing of lockdown restrictions.


05:54 AM

Plymouth and Isle of Wight two biggest staycation winners

Plymouth and the Isle of Wight are set to be two of the UK's big winners from the boom in staycations amid the coronavirus pandemic, while visits from foreign travellers continue to dry up.

New research from Colliers International has revealed that the hotel sector in Plymouth is expected to recover at a faster rate than any other in the UK as holidaymakers flock to the South West.

However, it said that some traditional tourist hotspots, such as London, will be hard hit by the dearth of visitors from abroad due to travel restrictions.

Colliers' inaugural Covid-19 Recovery Hotels Index also said that a strong rebound in domestic tourism was particularly likely to help the economy of the Isle of Wight.

Exeter, Norwich, Blackpool and Cornwall are also expected to recover more quickly, according to experts at the commercial real estate specialists.


05:45 AM

Today's front page

Here is your Daily Telegraph on Thursday, July 2.

dt

04:10 AM

Cuban capital prepares to ease lockdown

People adjust to a new way of life in Havana - Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Cuba will begin easing its lockdown on Havana on Friday, while most of the rest of the country will move to phase two of a three-phase process towards normalisation.

The capital's 2.2 million residents will once more be able to move around on public and private transport, go to the beach and other recreation centres, and enjoy a seaside drive just in time for the summer break.

They can also dine and have a drink, although social distancing and wearing masks remain mandatory. Optional medical and other services will also resume.

Only a handful of Covid-19 cases were reported in Cuba last month, all but a few in Havana. Most of the Caribbean island, home to 11.2 million inhabitants, has been free of the disease for more than a month.

On Wednesday the country opened a group of isolated resort keys to international tourism. Phase three broadens international travel depending on risk.


03:08 AM

US records nearly 50,000 cases in a day

Governors of US states hit hardest by the resurgent coronavirus halted or reversed steps to reopen their economies on Wednesday, led by California - the nation's most populous state and a new epicentre of the pandemic.

New cases of Covid-19 shot up by nearly 50,000 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, marking the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic.

"The spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in ordering the closure of bars, bans on indoor dining and other restrictions in 19 counties, affecting more than 70 per cent of the state's population.

The change in California, which was the first US state to impose sweeping stay-home restrictions in March, will likely inflict more financial pain on the owners of bars and restaurants who have struggled to survive the pandemic.

The epicentre of the country's Covid-19 epidemic has moved from the north-east to California, Arizona and New Mexico in the west along with Texas, Florida and Georgia.

Texas again topped its previous record on Wednesday with 8,076 new cases, while South Carolina reported 24 more deaths, a single-day high for the state. Tennessee and Alaska also had record numbers of new cases on Wednesday.

The United States recorded its biggest one-day increase of nearly 48,000 new infections on Tuesday, including more than 8,000 each in California and Texas, a Reuters tally showed.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham on Wednesday extended the state's emergency public health order through July 15, saying that authorities would "aggressively" enforce mandatory mask rules.


02:51 AM

'Important weaknesses' in Covid-19 tests

Antibody tests miss up to one-third of positive coronavirus cases and should not be used to judge immunity levels or guide medical decisions because they are so inaccurate, a major review has concluded.

Researchers at McGill University in Canada looked at 40 studies and found that lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) tests, which are being considered for "immunity passports", were particularly bad.

They found that if 100 people in 1,000 had been infected, LFIA tests would miss 34 cases.

The tests would also tell 31 people they had been infected when they had not, making them think they were now immune to coronavirus.

Read the full story here.


02:28 AM

Amazon rainforest tribes call for protection

Personnel from a military health brigade check children from the Yanomami people in the Surucucu region, Alto Alegre municipality, Roraima state, Brazil - Joedson Alves/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Brazilian soldiers handed out masks to barefooted Yanomami indigenous people including body-painted warriors carrying spears and bows and arrows on Wednesday on the second day of a military operation to protect isolated tribes from Covid-19.

The Yanomami are the last major isolated people in the Amazon rainforest where dozens of indigenous communities have been infected with the latest disease to come from the outside to threaten their existence.

A gold rush that has brought an estimated 20,000 gold prospectors to invade Brazil's largest reservation has poisoned rivers and destroyed forest, and the Yanomami said the miners had brought the virus.

Indigenous leaders appealed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to order the federal government to protect isolated tribes by barring outsiders from reservation lands and expelling illegal poachers, loggers and wildcat miners said to bring fatal diseases.

The indigenous umbrella organisation APIB said 405 indigenous people had died of Covid-19 by June 27, with 9,983 infected among 112 tribes.

Members of the Yanomami ethnic group at a special border platoon, where tests for Covid are being carried out - NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP

01:54 AM

Lockdown sees huge drop in air pollution

London's skyline on Wednesday - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The first few weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown cut levels of dangerous pollutants by as much as 40 per cent in towns and cities, according to new research.

Data gathered on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found dramatic drops in nitrogen oxides and nitrogen dioxide between the start of lockdown and April 30.

There is significant evidence these gasses exacerbate and may even cause asthma over time. They have been linked to heart disease and diabetes and may have an impact on birth outcomes.

Read the full story here.


01:31 AM

Police enforce new Melbourne lockdown

Police pull vehicles aside at a checkpoint in the locked-down suburb of Broadmeadows in Melbourne - WILLIAM WEST/AFP

Australian police set up suburban checkpoints in new coronavirus hotspots in Melbourne on Thursday as authorities struggled to contain new outbreaks in the country's second-largest city.

Thirty-six suburbs in Melbourne were forced into lockdown after  a spike in new infections.

"Over 300,000 Australians ... are going into a difficult situation, which we've all been through," said Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, referring to the residents of the affected suburbs.

"We know we can get through it, but nevertheless it's a huge imposition on their lives."

Australia has fared better than many countries in the pandemic, with about 8,000 cases, 104 deaths and fewer than 400 active cases. However, the recent jump in the state of Victoria has stoked fears of a second wave of Covid-19, echoing concerns expressed in other countries.

Australia's remote Northern Territory has reported its first infection in two months after a traveller who had entered the country via Melbourne and completed the mandatory two-week quarantine showed symptoms after returning to his home territory.

READ MORE: Australian PM threatens fines as 1,000 in Melbourne refuse coronavirus testing


01:09 AM

'Mixing indoors is much more risky than mixing outside'

A leading infectious diseases expert has expressed concern about the reopening of pubs and restaurants in England, as mixing indoors is "much more risky" than doing so outside.

Professor John Edmunds, who attends meetings of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said that it was a "major change" to the coronavirus lockdown.

Pubs, bars and restaurants are to open their doors in England on Saturday, having been closed since March to slow the spread of Covid-19.

READ MORE: Government coronavirus expert 'anxious' about pubs reopening


01:01 AM

New Zealand's health minister resigns

New Zealand's health minister, David Clark, resigned on Thursday following recent slip-ups in the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and personal mistakes.

"It has become increasingly clear to me that my continuation in the role is distracting for the government's overall response to Covid-19 and the global pandemic," he said in a news conference in parliament.

Mr Clark said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had accepted his resignation.

Ms Ardern danced in celebration in early June when she learned that Covid had been eliminated in the country after its populace "united in unprecedented ways to crush the virus".

But by mid-June, things changed quickly,

New Zealand authorities were forced to trace 320 people believed to have been put at risk by two women with Covid-19 who travelled 640km across the country after being given compassionate leave from isolation.

The two women, who entered the country from the UK on June 7, were granted leave six days later after one of their parents died suddenly. 

The leave was granted in contravention of rules that had been introduced on June 9, and it is also understood daily health checks were not carried out properly. 

Ms Ardern described the lapse as an “unacceptable failure”.


12:25 AM

California takes a step back with reopening

California dramatically rolled back efforts to reopen its economy on Wednesday, banning indoor restaurant dining in much of the state, closing bars and stepping up enforcement of social distancing and other measures as Covid-19 infections surge.

Indoor activities at restaurants, movie theatres, museums and other facilities will be banned in 19 counties where 70 per cent of the population lives for at least three weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom said.

"Do your best not to mix with strangers, not to mingle with people outside your household," Mr Newsom said at a press briefing.

With more Californians hospitalised and requiring intensive care than at any prior point in the pandemic, the state also moved late on Wednesday to re-activate four non-hospital sites where about 300 additional patients can be treated.


12:23 AM

President 'all for' face masks

Donald Trump appears to have changed his tune about the use of face masks to stop the spread of coronavirus, with the US president now saying he is “all for masks”.

Mr Trump said on Wednesday that he would wear one if in close quarters with other people to prevent the spread of the virus in an apparent softening of his position on the issue

He has been reluctant to wear a face mask when seen in public, but now in a Fox Business interview he said that he thought masks were “good”. 

However Mr Trump continued to decline to issue an order making the wearing of masks in public compulsory, saying: “I don’t know if you need mandatory.”

The comments come amid coronavirus case numbers surging across America, with the daily record for new cases being broken four times in the past week. 

Read the full story here.


12:16 AM

Fears that jab will not be ready before Christmas

The first vaccine for coronavirus has been delayed after the number of infections fell because of the lockdown, the Oxford professor developing it has said.

Professor Sarah Gilbert told MPs on the science and technology select committee that it was difficult to recruit enough people to test whether the vaccine was working because virus cases had fallen substantially since the end of March.

That has resulted in the Oxford team having to recruit thousands of new test subjects in Brazil and South Africa, where the disease still has a firm grip.

Read the full story here.


11:54 PM

Many people likely to have 'background level' of protection

Large numbers of the population may have natural immunity against coronavirus even if they have never been infected, scientists believe.

Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, who is leading an Oxford team to develop a vaccine, said there was likely to be a "background level" of protection for a "significant number of people".

Recent studies have suggested the immune system can be primed by other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, giving the body a head start in fighting off Covid-19.

Read the full story here.


11:29 PM

Concern that overcrowded homes may contribute to Covid spread

A review by Public Health England has found that overcrowding can contribute to the spread of Covid-19 and is more prevalent in black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) households.

A committee has been told that the government must urgently provide temporary accommodation and guidance to help people in multi-generational and overcrowded households self-isolate safely.

People living in overcrowded homes have received no advice on how to isolate if they develop symptoms, said Dr Zubaida Haque, from the independent race equality think tank Runnymede.

Dr Haque said this was a particular issue in Leicester, which has returned to full lockdown, and parts of which are ethnically diverse and overcrowded.

The lockdown in Leicester covers the whole of one of Britain’s biggest cities  - REUTERS/PHIL NOBLE

Leicester has become the first city in Britain to be plunged back into lockdown after public health officials expressed alarm at a significant rise in cases.

"When you've got multi-generational, overcrowded households, it means that you can't protect the elderly in your house, you can't socially distance and you can't isolate them," Dr Haque said.

The committee also was told how the so-called bedroom tax may now be making it more difficult for families to self-isolate at home because they no longer have a spare room.

The controversial policy sees social housing tenants receive reduced benefits payments for unused bedrooms in their properties.


11:13 PM

Food-delivery drivers fed up with more work for less pay

Delivery workers protest to demand better working conditions for those who work for app-based food-delivery platforms amid the pandemic in Sao Paulo, Brazil - AP Photo/Andre Penner

More than 1000 food-delivery drivers on motorcycles gathered in Sao Paulo on Wednesday to protest their work conditions set by Uber Technologies and makers of other apps.

The protest comes as drivers' services remain in high demand due to coronavirus lockdowns.

They seek better pay and improved health measures, with Brazil now a coronavirus epicentre and delivery workers facing exposure to the virus.

Drivers gather to protest at Paulista Avenue - Sebastiao Moreira/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Drivers blocked traffic as they paraded through Sao Paulo's Paulista Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, and also protested in other Brazilian cities.

The government said this week that about 50 per cent of working-age Brazilians are out of work due to coronavirus, as the crisis pushes more people into precarious employment options.

Lockdown measures have drawn more demand for delivered food in Latin America's largest economy. Brazil's iFood is the market leader, followed by Colombia's Rappi and Uber, which are larger companies but more prominent in other countries.

Drivers say the apps pay them less while making them work more, and they face possible suspension if they do not comply. 


10:39 PM

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