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Monday morning news briefing: 'Six months' from normal life

A car park at Chessington World of Adventures has been turned into a referral-only coronavirus test centre for NHS workers  - HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY FOR THE TELEGRAPH 
A car park at Chessington World of Adventures has been turned into a referral-only coronavirus test centre for NHS workers - HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY FOR THE TELEGRAPH

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Britain's social restrictions could be tightened further

Britain is one week into full coronavirus lockdown. Could there be 25 more to go? A senior government adviser has warned that civil liberties could be restricted until the autumn, as she said a "normal way of living" may not return for more than six months. Dr Jenny Harries, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said that even if the current lockdown shows positive results within weeks, it would be "quite dangerous" to lift the curbs too quickly. Boris Johnson will review the lockdown in two weeks' time, but has never guaranteed it would end then. And Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said yesterday that the lockdown would last longer if people did not obey the rules on social distancing - warning the public to limit daily walks to a maximum of an hour ahead of a tightening up of rules. Read our ultimate lockdown Q&A on the new rules for living.

Official figures show that a total of 1,228 people have now died in the UK after catching coronavirus. Among them is an ear, nose and throat consultant from Derby - the first front-line hospital worker to die from Covid-19. But it has emerged that there is a lag in reporting the death toll, which means many more patients might have already died. Use our postcode tool to search for confirmed coronavirus cases by area.

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ICU units face dilemma over who is likely to survive

Intensive care for coronavirus patients is now being limited to those "reasonably certain" to survive, Imperial College Healthcare has conceded. A department head said that fewer marginal patients were being selected for ventilator treatment because so many serious cases require a fortnight on the machines. As the NHS faces the toughest week in its history, Health Correspondent Henry Bodkin explains how it amounts to the first admission that doctors have significantly tightened their intensive care admission criteria since the start of the outbreak.

Working at home? Your boss could still be watching

You might be working from home, but your employer most likely still knows what you are up to. It has emerged that firms could be tracking productivity and taking pictures of their workers' screens as the practice of home-working soars. Many people may be using work devices unaware that their bosses have installed tracking software to see if they are using their computers for internet shopping, banking or social media. Margi Murphy explains how the technology works.

At a glance: More coronavirus headlines

Comment and analysis

You Are Not Alone: Surviving coronavirus lockdown

  1. Turning to alcohol Tell-tale signs you have become a stress drinker

  2. 'Viral load' | What it means for you and your family - and how to avoid it

  3. Dr Michael Mosley My six healthy hacks to help you get through lockdown

Business and money briefing

'Financial precipice' | Global leaders and bankers need "urgently" to step up efforts to rescue businesses from a sudden halt as financial institutions fail to fill the void left in funding, the world's top financial watchdog has warned. Agustín Carstens, head of the Bank for International Settlements, called for a "global freeze" on bank dividends to boost lending to firms "at the edge of the precipice".

Gallery: Virus fightback in pictures

What a difference a week makes | Nearly seven days into the nationwide lockdown, there were very contrasting pictures of how the country has been affected. View our gallery of how the UK is coping.

In London's Richmond Park, police patrolled to ensure no one was breaking the guidelines - TOBY MELVILLE /Reuters
In London's Richmond Park, police patrolled to ensure no one was breaking the guidelines - TOBY MELVILLE /Reuters

Also in the news today

Royal bill | Donald Trump has reignited the row over who should pay to provide security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Amid reports that the couple had moved from Canada to the US, the American president made clear that his taxpayers would not foot the bill.

And finally...

Close protection | A four-year-old girl who went missing in woods in Alabama for 48 hours has been found safe and well, having been protected by her dog. Evelyn "Vadie" Sides was discovered when Lucy barked, alerting the increasingly frantic search party