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Coronavirus: The 9 major developments that happened on Friday

Watch: Warrington to enter Tier 3 after deal agreed

Here’s what you need to know on 23 October. This article was updated at 3pm.

Deaths: Scotland recorded 18 more COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. Public Health Wales has reported 13 deaths, and Northern Ireland reported five more.

Coronavirus was not in the top 10 causes of excess deaths in September according to new figures. The statistics cover deaths in England and Wales and show dementia and Alzheimer’s were bigger killers. Read more here.

R rate: The UK’s rate of coronavirus infection is 1.2 to 1.4, indicating a small decrease over the past week. The R rate for the United Kingdom, published by the government every Friday, represents the rate of spread of COVID-19 across the country. Read more here.

Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled the five tiers that will come into force in Scotland from 2 November. It includes a tighter level, closer to full lockdown, but also has a level closer to life pre-pandemic, for areas with little instance of the virus. Read more here.

Wales: Wales’ firebreaker lockdown comes into force at 6pm on Friday night, as the nation seeks to stop a rise in coronavirus cases. Shopkeepers have expressed frustration at being banned from selling non-essential items, saying customers will be there to buy other items so it won’t do anything to reduce footfall. Read more here.

Regional lockdowns: Warrington and Nottinghamshire are set to move into Tier 3 lockdowns after deals were struck between local leaders and the government. Warrington is reported to be moving into the tier on Thursday, while reports indicate Nottinghamshire will go into the highest level on Wednesday. Read more here.

England: It’s estimated that one person in every 130 had COVID-19 this week, according to ONS. There were around 35,200 new cases per day between 10 and 16 October. Read more here.

Sport: England’s match against the Barbarians on Saturday has been cancelled after a group including Chris Robshaw and some of the Barbarians breached coronavirus protocol by going to a restaurant. The Rugby Football Union confirmed the move on Friday afternoon. Read more here.

Christmas: The government is aiming to allow people to get together over Christmas despite the current restrictions to help control the coronavirus pandemic. Minister Steve Barclay said the situation might not be “exactly as it is normally”. Read more here.

Watch: Taxman needs investment to catch coronavirus furlough fraudsters

Coronavirus: what happened today

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