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Coronavirus: The 15 major developments that happened on Monday

People wearing protective face masks walk past a closed branch of Pret a Manger in central London, after the sandwich chain announced it is to permanently shut 30 of its stores after footfall was hammered by the coronavirus lockdown. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images)
Pret a Manger confirmed 30 of its stores would have to close. (Getty Images)

Here’s what you need to know on 6 July. This article was updated at 5pm.

Deaths: A further 16 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the UK in the last 24 hours. There were no new coronavirus deaths in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Read more here.

Hospitals: Daily hospital admissions of people with Covid-19 have dipped to single figures in most regions of England, new figures show. Just six patients were admitted to hospitals in south-east England on July 3, while only five were admitted in each of the regions of eastern England, London, north-west England and south-west England. Read more here.

Policy: Most children who have been shielding during the coronavirus will not have to if there is a second wave of the pandemic, government advisers have said. There were about 90,000 children shielding in the lockdown. Read more here.

MPs have called for a three-month extension for all new parents caught up in the coronavirus pandemic while on parental leave. The call for an extension has been backed up by warnings over job losses and the difficulty of arranging childcare during this time. Read more here.

An estimated 227,000 private renters in England have fallen behind on their rent since March meaning they could be evicted when the government’s policy to protect them ends on 23 August. Shelter has warned unless the government acts to protect renters, judges will be powerless to stop evictions. Read more here.

Test and trace: Downing Street has said the government will no longer publish daily figures on the number of people tested for coronavirus, replacing it with the numbers of tests processed. The government said it’s because many people are now being tested twice. Read more here.

Science: There could be 35,000 “extra” cancer deaths in the UK as a result of the pandemic, research suggests. Lockdown meant up to 2 million routine breast, bowel and cervical cancer screenings were postponed, with urgent referrals and treatments also potentially being delayed or even cancelled. Read more here.

People who watch disaster films may find coping with the real-life pandemic easier than those that avoid watching them, research has found. A new paper published by researchers from University of Chicago, Pennsylvania State University, and Aarhus University found that people who watched ‘end of the world’ films had better coping skills for dealing with the current circumstances. Read more here.

Wales: Visitors to Wales are being urged to act responsibly as the country lifted its travel restrictions on Monday. The “stay local” rule, which required people to remain within five miles of their home, ended on Monday, allowing for unrestricted travel into and around Wales. Read more here.

Travel: Only a third of the destinations on the government’s air bridges list are accessible to visitors from England, it has been revealed. Analysts said British holidaymakers have been left confused by the much-vaunted announcement that they could visit dozens of nations without the need to quarantine. Read more here.

Business: Pret a Manger has become the latest casualty of dropping sales during the lockdown. The food outlet announced it would have to close 30 stores permanently, affecting 1,000 jobs. Read more here.

Read more about COVID-19

How to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms

What you can and can’t do under lockdown rules

In pictures: How UK school classrooms could look in new normal

How public transport could look after lockdown

How our public spaces will change in the future

Rest of the world

India overtook Russia as it recorded the third largest number of coronavirus cases. The health ministry reported more than 23,000 new cases on Monday, down slightly from a record increase of almost 25,000 the day before but continuing a trend of adding at least 20,000 cases a day since Thursday. Read more here.

More than one in 20 people in Spain have had coronavirus, a national survey has found. The nationwide antibody study discovered that 5.2% of Spanish people have been exposed to COVID-19. Read more here.

Positive news

A hand sanitiser company, ClearWater Hygiene, founded by husband and wife Andrew and Rachel Montague 12 weeks ago, is set to make £30m after securing a number of contracts with firms that require sanitiser to comply with social distancing measures. Made at Deeside Gin Distillery in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, and bottled in Preston, Lancashire, the company has the capacity to produce 900,000 litres of hand sanitiser each week. Read more here.

Three quarters of parents believe lockdown has helped them develop a closer bond with their children. While there have been difficulties, the increased time spent together at home has also given families time to bond. This has led to 74% feeling they have a stronger relationship with their children now than they did before. Read more here.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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