Advertisement

UK moves to fast-track coronavirus vaccine

A volunteer is injected with a trial coronavirus vaccine as part of an Imperial College vaccine trial -  Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
A volunteer is injected with a trial coronavirus vaccine as part of an Imperial College vaccine trial - Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

09:57 PM

What happened today

That's all from me this evening. Here's everything you need to know from today: 

  • Britain is preparing to revise its laws to allow the emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine before it is fully licensed — but only if the shots meet required safety and quality standards.
  • Secondary schools in local lockdown areas could have to use a "rota system" to limit the number of teenagers attending at any one time, new Government guidelines have suggested.
  • Business leaders have accused the Government of “scaremongering” by suggesting people working from home will be first for the chop, as a new survey shows nine in 10 people intend to stay away from the office for the time being.
  • Covid tests that provide results in as little as 20 seconds are being trialled by Heathrow under plans to replace quarantine with mass-screening of its 78 million travellers a year.
  • French President Emmanuel Macron said his government was doing everything possible to avoid another nationwide coronavirus lockdown after the country reported an "exponential" rise in coronavirus cases with more than 7,000 new infections in 24 hours.
  • Catalonia’s Covid-19 track-and-trace unit has revealed that almost half of the contacts of people identified as testing positive for the virus do not comply with the recommendation to self-isolate for two weeks.
  • Portugal has sent border control reinforcements to an airport in the Algarve after a surge in the number of Britons arriving there for their summer holidays after Portugal was removed from the quarantine 'red list' last week.
  • There have been at least 5,889,652 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 181,186 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
  • Canada extended a measure barring most foreign travelers from entering the country amid continued efforts to limit the introduction and spread of the coronavirus.
  • Hungary will close its borders to foreigners from September 1 to curb a rise in coronavirus infections and Hungarians returning from abroad will have to go into quarantine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet chief said today.
  • Brazil's High Court of Justice removed Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel from office on Friday, as police raided his official residence in a probe into accusations he stole emergency funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Follow the latest news in Saturday's live blog


09:47 PM

Sao Paulo to provide vaccine even without federal govt help, governor says

The Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, which is in advanced trials of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, will inoculate its population even if the federal government declines to help, governor Joao Doria told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

The comment comes amid the deteriorating relationship between Brazil's wealthiest and most populous state and the capital Brasilia.

Doria said the vaccine developed by China’s SinoVac still needs to complete clinical trials and be approved by health regulator Anvisa, but that Sao Paulo is ready to begin vaccinations in December.

"We will be prepared, if there were some situation in which the federal government, for some grave circumstance of attitude, turns its back on Sao Paulo, Brazilians from Sao Paulo will have the vaccine," Doria said in an interview.

Doria and President Jair Bolsonaro have clashed frequently in recent months over the nation's handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil, with the president blaming Doria for killing the economy and the governor accusing Bolsonaro of negligence.


09:44 PM

More than 181,000 people have died from coronavirus in the US

There have been at least 5,889,652 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 181,186 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

So far on Friday, Johns Hopkins has recorded 21,867 new cases and 362 reported deaths. 

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 


09:40 PM

Secondary schools could use 'rota system' during local lockdowns

Secondary schools in local lockdown areas could have to use a "rota system" to limit the number of teenagers attending at any one time, with teachers and pupils required to wear face coverings in communal areas, according to new Government guidance.

The staggered approach will limit the amount of people students come into contact with, and will help break transmission chains by giving enough time at home for symptoms to become apparent, said the Department for Education (DfE).

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said any changes to school attendance "will only ever be an absolute last resort".

He added: "However, it is important that both Government and schools prepare for a worst case scenario, so this framework represents the sensible contingency planning any responsible government would put in place."

The lengthy guidance, issued on Friday ahead of schools in England reopening for autumn term next week, said schools should base their plans on a four-tier system, and the extra measures for secondary schools should be introduced at the second tier. It said:

"Schools should ideally operate a rota system that means pupils spend two weeks on-site followed by two weeks at home.

"This allows more than sufficient time for symptoms to present themselves and for pupils to self-isolate and avoid transmitting the virus to others.

"However, schools can choose to operate a one-week rota (so, five days on-site, followed by nine days at home) if this is necessary for the effective delivery of the curriculum."


09:30 PM

Evidence for masks 'not very strong in either direction', says Deputy Chief Medical Officer

The evidence for face coverings is “not very strong in either direction”, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer has admitted, despite a last minute U-turn on masks in schools.

Dr Jenny Harries said the Government was “watching the science” and could “change advice” on the wearing of masks in the future.

Her comments come after it was announced that face coverings would become mandatory in local lockdown areas and headteachers across England were given the autonomy to order the wearing of masks in communal areas.

Amy Jones has the story here.


09:20 PM

Fewer than a third of UK arrivals are having tracing forms checked

Fewer than a third of arrivals to the UK are being checked to ensure they have forms to aid test and trace efforts, under targets set for Border Force officials.

It raises the prospect that hundreds of thousands of people have entered the country without the documents being inspected.

Charles Hymas and Laura Donnelly have more on this story here.


09:10 PM

Argentina eyes tax on the rich to raise $4 billion for pandemic response

Argentina's government is looking to raise around 300 billion pesos ($4 billion) through a one-off tax on the super-rich, in order to help pay for the coronavirus response, support small businesses and bolster energy production.

The ruling Frente de Todos party said in a statement it was proposing an extraordinary contribution from people with fortunes greater than around $2.7 million, about 12,000 people. The tax would start at 2 per cent and rise depending on wealth. Overseas assets would face a slightly higher rate.

"There is worldwide consensus that the traditional mechanisms of tax collection have been severely affected by the fall in activity and it is necessary, while the structural problems are corrected, to adopt emergency measures," it said.

The proceeds would be used to acquire health equipment needed for the pandemic, subsidies and loans for small and medium-sized companies, to invest in poor neighborhoods, generate new jobs and to support state oil company YPF. 


08:47 PM

Businesses accuse the Government of 'scaremongering' over return to work

Business leaders have accused the Government of “scaremongering” by suggesting people working from home will be first for the chop, as a new survey shows nine in 10 people intend to stay away from the office for the time being.

Adam Marshall, director of the British Chambers of Commerce, said “mature conversations” were needed between employers and employees, rather than dire warnings from Ministers.

It came after The Telegraph quoted ministers and Government sources saying that people who work from home will be more “vulnerable” to redundancy than colleagues who have been at their desks during the pandemic.

Gordon Rayner and Simon Foy have more on this story here.


08:21 PM

White House dismisses concern over large crowds

The White House has dismissed concerns about the possible spread of coronavirus among the large crowd that gathered on the South Lawn last night to hear President Donald Trump accept the Republican presidential nomination.

“I think the vast majority of Americans are more concerned about what’s happening in their backyard than the backyard of the White House,” chief of staff Mark Meadows told an NBC News reporter.

Trump addressed a crowd of around 1,500 people at the White House last night, despite DC government recommendations against such large gatherings.

Most of the attendees were not wearing masks, and their chairs were not physically distanced, sparking concerns about a possible “super-spreader” event.

Meadows’ comments come hours after North Carolina officials announced four people who were present for the in-person portion of the Republican convention in Charlotte have tested positive for coronavirus.

More than 300 Republican delegates gathered in Charlotte earlier this week to formally renominate Trump for president.


08:00 PM

Nicaraguan refugees in Costa Rica facing hunger

Tens of thousands of Nicaraguan refugees in neighboring Costa Rica are going hungry and eat only once or twice a day, the UN refugee agency warned Friday.

According to the UNHCR, more than three-quarters of the 81,000 Nicaraguan refugees and asylum seekers in Costa Rica are going hungry as a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Before the pandemic hit, and thanks to effective local integration initiatives in Costa Rica, only three percent of refugees were eating once a day or less. Now, this has more than quadrupled to 14 percent," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said in Geneva.


07:46 PM

Bolivia announces easing of coronavirus restrictions

Bolivia will ease national measures combatting the spread of the coronavirus from next week while maintaining border closures, interim President Jeanine Anez said Friday.

Anez and her cabinet signed a decree stating that the South American country, which will hold a general election in October, will begin a "post-confinement phase" on September 1.

It said "the closure of land, river and lake borders" and "the suspension of public events, cultural, sports, festive and political activities, and all types of meetings that generate a crowd" will be maintained.

People and vehicles will be allowed to circulate for longer periods, between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm - an extension of two hours from current rules - and a weekend prohibition on movement will be lifted on Saturdays.

Anez told reporters Friday that the possibility of a resurgence of the virus remained as restrictions eased.

"People need to go out to work," she said, adding that if people don't suffer "because of the coronavirus, it will be because of corona-hunger".

A healthcare worker dressed in full protective gear draws blood from a woman to test for the new coronavirus during a house-to-house COVID-19 testing campaign, in the Villa Rosasani neighborhood of La Paz, Bolivia - Juan Karita / AP

07:33 PM

Canada extends international travel ban

Canada extended a measure barring most foreign travelers from entering the country amid continued efforts to limit the introduction and spread of the coronavirus, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said on Friday on Twitter.

The extension to Sept. 30 applies to foreign travelers entering Canada from outside the United States. Canada has a separate agreement for border crossings with the United States, which is in place until September 21.


07:22 PM

Exclusive: commuters will be enticed back on to trains with three-day season tickets

Commuters will be offered three-day season tickets under plans being studied by ministers to get Britain back to the office.

Rail firms believe the part-time tickets are the only way to entice home workers back on to trains to give them the flexibility of going to their workplace for a few days a week.

An announcement on new types of ticketing could be made as soon as next month if, as expected, the Government extends the current emergency funding for the railways.

Gordon Rayner has more on the story here.


07:10 PM

Nicola Sturgeon warns Boris Johnson against trying to 'intimidate' workers back into the office

Nicola Sturgeon has warned Boris Johnson against trying to "intimidate" workers into returning to offices by claiming they risk redundancy if they refuse.

The First Minister said her government had been holding talks with business leaders about the possibility of a phased return to office working.

But she argued it was still too soon for everyone to return to normal without the virus spreading and Scottish office workers should continue operating from home for the time being.

Simon Johnson has more on this story here.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon -  REUTERS

06:59 PM

Coronavirus-denier arrested in Spain for inciting hatred and violence on social media

A man who branded the coronavirus pandemic a “hoax” has been arrested in Spain for inciting hatred and violence.

The 38-year-old, who claimed health professionals and the media were behind what he called the "Covid farce", urged his social media followers to attack politicians and journalists, police said.

Passing himself off as a government official, police said the suspect allegedly made calls to nursing homes, hospitals and football clubs to spread false information about the pandemic.

Detectives were able to trace the man, described as a "grave danger" to public health, to a location just outside Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon.


06:50 PM

US and EU warn Zimbabwe not to use coronavirus for crackdown cover

The United States and European Union on Friday warned Zimbabwe against using the coronavirus pandemic to crush dissent.

"COVID-19 must not be used as an excuse to restrict citizens' fundamental freedoms," their ambassadors said in a joint statement marking the second anniversary of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's taking office.

The authorities have arrested several opposition activists and government critics in recent months, including opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume and journalist and documentary filmmaker Hopewell Chin'ono.

Ngarivhume was arrested after he announced protests to denounce state corruption and Chin'ono for tweeting his support for the protests, which were subsequently banned on the grounds of coronavirus restrictions.

The statement said "necessary discussions" about Zimbabwe's future had been "hindered by unhelpful rhetoric and blame assigned to several groups including diplomatic missions and non-state actors".

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa attends a meeting with civil society organisations on August 22, 2020 at the State House in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. - ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP

06:41 PM

Parisian smokers demand exception as city introduces compulsory mask-wearing outside

Parisians grudgingly accepted a new citywide rule that face-masks must be worn outdoors from Friday amid confusion over whether they are allowed to remove them while smoking.

Police patrolled the streets on bicycles, stopping pedestrians who defied the regulation, prompted by a relentless rise in Covid-19 infections this week. Denmark became the latest country to advise against all but essential travel to the French capital, after the UK, Germany Belgium and the Netherlands.

Cigarette-loving Parisians demanded the right to light up outdoors after cyclists and joggers were exempted from wearing masks. 

David Chazan has more on this story here.

Protective face masks are mandatory across Paris - IAN LANGSDON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

06:31 PM

France says there has been an 'exponential' rise in coronavirus cases

France on Friday said there had been an "exponential" rise in coronavirus cases with more than 7,000 new infections in 24 hours.

"The dynamic of the progression of the epidemic is exponential," France's directorate general of health said, adding that there were 7,379 new infections in mainland France against 6,111 on Thursday and 5,429 on Wednesday.

This was the highest figure recorded since testing was expanded in France. The 4,000-mark was breached a few days ago and the number of infections has been rising steadily.

The directorate said there were 4,535 people hospitalised on Friday - the same number as the previous day - of whom 387 were in serious condition.

The new coronavirus has claimed 30,596 lives in France so far. Masks were made mandatory outdoors in Paris to fight the rising infections.

Masks were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites.


06:22 PM

NBA announces plan to use arenas as election polling places

The league and its players’ union reached an agreement to restart the playoffs on Saturday after a work stoppage following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

The league and the players also announced an agreement to convert arenas controlled by teams into polling locations for the November election, to allow people to vote safely in larger places.

Establishing more polling locations was a key goal of More Than A Vote, the initiative led by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and other athletes aimed at protecting voter rights and increasing civic engagement, particularly among Black people.

 NBA announces plan to use arenas as election polling places - Kevin C. Cox / Getty

06:12 PM

Four test positive at the Republican National Convention in North Carolina

Four people at the Republican National Convention in North Carolina this week tested positive, officials have said, even as Republicans played down the US health crisis in renominating Donald Trump.

The party’s convention, which began with one day of events in Charlotte, North Carolina, despite the pandemic that has killed more than 180,000 Americans, ended on Thursday after four days of speeches lauding Trump.

Throughout, Republicans largely abandoned talk of the crisis as if it had abated, instead reminding voters of the robust economy that existed beforehand.

The official Twitter feed of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where Charlotte is located, said two convention attendees and two event support staff had tested positive and all were “immediately isolated”.

Convention spokesman Michael Ahrens confirmed the four positive tests out of about 1,000 administered.

The room is set for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte - Travis Dove /  Pool The New York Times

06:00 PM

Eat out to Help Out loophole meant diners could save up to £180 on meals

An Eat out to Help Out loophole meant diners could save up to £180 off meals, the Telegraph has discovered, as the Treasury admitted it is powerless to stop gaming of scheme.

People eating out under the scheme were able to cheat their way to bigger discounts by asking to pay for each course separately, and claim a discount of up to £10 per person for each.

This means that a table of six could have saved up to £180 if they each claimed the full discount for a three course meal.

Sam Meadows and Helena Horton explain more here.

The scheme has so far cost the Treasury £336m -  Dominic Lipinski / PA

05:50 PM

Kosovo is currently the deadliest country for coronavirus

Kosovo has become the world’s most deadly country for Covid-19 despite the fact it has Europe's youngest population, as the republic’s divided political class struggles to contain the virus.

Over the last week, the death rate in Kosovo jumped to 54.2 fatalities per million people, making the republic of 1.8 million the world’s leader when it comes to per capita deaths from the virus, according to figures from John Hopkins University.

Matthew Day explains what has made this country so vulnerable to infection here.

Kosovo closed places of worship in July  -  Visar Kryeziu / AP

05:40 PM

Back to work or face the sack?

Over five months since the public was told to work from home where possible, the Prime Minister wants Britons back at their desks.

As well as concern for the economy, mental health and productivity, ministers are warning that working from home will make people more ‘vulnerable’ to being let go.

Theodora Louloudis is joined by employment law solicitor, Melanie Morton to discuss the rights of employers to fire those who wish to stay home, and the rights of employees to refuse on the grounds of health, childcare, or because they simply don’t fancy it. 

Listen here:


05:27 PM

Leicester lockdown remains largely in place

The UK government said some improvements have occurred in Leicester, though current restrictions are remaining in place for a further two weeks as cases “remain high”.

From Wednesday 2 September, restrictions on two households mixing introduced last month will be lifted in Bolton, Stockport, Trafford, Burnley and Hyndburn.

The move will also impact on parts of Bradford excluding Bradford city and Keighley town, parts of Calderdale excluding Halifax, and parts of Kirklees excluding Dewsbury and Batley.

The changes mean that next week more than a million people will be able to mix with family and friends outside their household, in line with national social distancing rules, for the first time since localised restrictions were announced on 30 July.

Bowling alleys and indoor play areas, which opened elsewhere in England on 15 August, will also be permitted to open their doors in those areas where rules are being eased.


05:15 PM

Turkey suffers most deaths in a day since mid-May

The daily number of deaths in Turkey due to coronavirus rose to 36 on Friday, its highest level since mid-May, while the number of daily new cases again rose above 1,500, according to Health Ministry data.

This week the level of new daily cases has risen to levels last seen in mid-June, prompting the government to impose measures to combat the spread of the pandemic.

The Health Ministry figures showed a total of 1,517 new cases on Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 265,515. The daily death toll was the highest since May 17, when it stood at 44. The total death toll in Turkey stands at 6,245.

Responding to this week's surge in numbers, President Tayyip Erdogan has announced that all state institutions may now implement "flexible working methods" while the Interior Ministry said it was banning certain events and celebrations.


05:05 PM

France doing everything possible to avoid repeat lockdown, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday his government was doing everything possible to avoid another nationwide coronavirus lockdown but added it would be dangerous to rule out any scenario.

"We're doing everything to avoid another lockdown and in particular a nationwide lockdown," Macron told journalists. "We've learned enough to know that nothing can be ruled out. But we're doing everything to prevent it."

The number of coronavirus infections has spiralled higher in France in recent weeks, particularly among young people, although the number of patients receiving life-saving treatment in hospitals is stable.

Asked how the government should spur households to spend the 100 billion euros in savings they are sitting on, Macron said consumers were holding back because of the continued spread of the virus, fear of unemployment and concerns about tax rises.

"What we must do is get people back to work," the president said.


04:53 PM

Twenty second Covid tests being trialled by Heathrow in bid to 'unlock travel'

Covid tests that provide results in as little as 20 seconds are being trialled by Heathrow under plans to replace quarantine with mass-screening of its 78 million travellers a year, The Telegraph can reveal.

It is working with Oxford and Manchester universities on three cutting-edge rapid tests to screen people on arrival and departure to minimise the risk of flying in or out of the airport.

It believes the scheme would help unlock travel to and from the Government’s “red list” countries from which travellers have to quarantine for 14 days in the UK.

Heathrow is to submit the results to Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, and Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, in a bid to persuade them to replace quarantine with a comprehensive testing regime that could kickstart international travel and trade.

Charles Hymas has more on this story here.

The new coronavirus testing facility inside Heathrow Airport's Terminal 2 building - LHR Airports Limited / PA

04:41 PM

Namibia opens airports and schools but extends overnight curfew

Namibia will lift lockdown restrictions, allowing international travel, schools to reopen and onsite alcohol consumption from September, President Hage Geingob announced Friday, but he extended an overnight curfew as Covid-19 cases continue to rise.

The southern African country of two million now has 6,906 confirmed Covid-19 cases and the disease is not yet contained – of its 65 deaths, 55 were in August alone.

"The virus is likely to remain in our midst for a prolonged time and we must learn to live with it ... learning to live with the virus means adapting our attitudes and behaviours so that we can reduce the damage it can do to our country," Geingob said in a televised address.

He announced an 8 pm to 5 am curfew in place in the capital Windhoek and the Erongo region – Covid-19 hotspots - will be introduced across the country.

But Hosea Kutako International Airport will open its doors to international travellers from Tuesday, while schools, vocational education training providers and universities will be allowed to hold onsite classes from Sept. 7.

Restaurants and hotels outside worst-affected Windhoek and the Erongo region can start selling meals and alcohol to be consumed on the premises, the president announced.


04:29 PM

UK to allow emergency use of any effective Covid-19 vaccine

Britain is preparing to revise its laws to allow the emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine before it is fully licensed — but only if the shots meet required safety and quality standards.

In a statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government said it was adopting “reinforced safeguards” to allow the country’s medicines regulatory agency to grant temporary authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine, provided it meets safety and quality standards.

The proposed regulations would allow coronavirus vaccines to receive an emergency approval allowing people to be immunized while the full licensing process is being finished. Typically, vaccines are only used after the licensing review has been completed, a process which can take several months.

Britain said the move was “a precautionary measure” and would only be used as a last resort if there was a pressing public health justification.


04:20 PM

Only two areas recorded more than 20 coronavirus deaths in July, according to ONS figures

Only two local authorities recorded more than 20 coronavirus-related deaths throughout July, with 71 seeing no fatalities, government data shows. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published data on Friday revealing there were 51,831 deaths in England and Wales between 1 March and 31 July 2020 and registered by 15 August 2020 that involved Covid-19. 

This represented 20 per cent of all deaths occurring in this period, which was 259,199 deaths.

However, the ONS also found only two areas recorded more than 20 deaths involving Covid-19 occurring in July: Leicester with 24 deaths (10 deaths per 100,000 population) and Ashford with 21 deaths (16.2 deaths per 100,000 population).

Gabriella Swerling has more on this story here.


04:11 PM

Peru to start vaccine trials in September

Peru will start testing coronavirus vaccines from China's Sinopharm and US drugmaker Johnson & Johnson in September, researchers said, which should help the country gain faster access to inoculations once the vaccines are approved.

Sinopharm began this week to recruit up to 6,000 volunteers in Peru, which Reuters data indicates has the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in relation to its population size. A team of Chinese scientists is expected to arrive in the Andean nation next week to work with local researchers, said Germán Málaga, a doctor and lead vaccine investigator at Lima's Cayetano Heredia University.

"This is going to happen around September 3, to begin vaccinations on September 8," he said. Sinopharm's clinical trials in Peru are being done with Cayetano Heredia and the state-run Universidad Mayor de San Marcos.

Peru has recorded around 622,000 cases of the coronavirus, the fifth highest case load in the world, and 28,277 deaths. It now has the world's deadliest fatality rate per capita, with 86.67 deaths per 100,000 people, a Reuters tally shows, just ahead of Belgium.


04:03 PM

Lockdown measures lifted

Restrictions on two households mixing introduced last month will be lifted in Bolton, Stockport, Trafford, Burnley and Hyndburn, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.

Parts of Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees will also fall into line with the rest of England on Wednesday September 2


04:02 PM

Hungary to close borders to foreigners next week to curb coronavirus infections

Hungary will close its borders to foreigners from September 1 to curb a rise in coronavirus infections and Hungarians returning from abroad will have to go into quarantine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet chief said on Friday.

Gergely Gulyas said Hungarian citizens could leave the 14-day quarantine only if they provided two negative Covid tests.

Exceptions for the ban on entry for foreigners would apply to military convoys and for humanitarian transit, as well as business or diplomatic travel.

The government was considering various rules on how fans could be allowed to attend the UEFA Super Cup match between Bayern Munich and Sevilla in Budapest on September 24, Gulyas added.

"The number of infections has increased ... and most of these originate from abroad," Gulyas told a news conference.

He said the restrictions were needed to allow the school-year to start next week, and protect people as well as the economy.

On Friday, Hungary recorded 132 new infections, the highest daily number since the peak of the pandemic. Hungary has had a total of 5,511 coronavirus cases and 614 deaths.


03:51 PM

UK records 1,276 new cases

The United Kingdom recorded 1,276 new daily confirmed cases of Covid-19, it said on Friday, down from the 1,522 recorded on Thursday.

A further nine people have died after they tested positive for the disease within 28 days.


03:40 PM

Pandemic hampers search for missing persons in Latin America

Restrictions on movement because of the coronavirus have put the brakes on the search for thousands of disappeared people across Latin America, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday.

Resolving the fate and whereabouts of missing persons is a daily challenge that needs effective and coordinated search efforts even while the coronavirus spreads, said the ICRC, which will mark the annual International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.

"Even during the pandemic, family members will not stop looking for their loved ones," Susana Lopez, coordinator for ICRC's missing persons program in Latin America and the Caribbean, said in a statement.

"It's important to keep supporting these families, which requires political will and coordination between all parties to meet the search, economical, and psychological needs, among others, of families," she added.

In some countries, organizations that deal with missing persons cases closed their offices because of Covid-19, while support groups had meetings disrupted, as well as searches and exhumations.


03:30 PM

Greece extends lockdown in migrant camps

The Greek government has said it would extend a lockdown imposed on migrants living in camps on its Aegean islands and eastern frontier until September 15 as coronavirus cases mount. Lockdown was first ordered in the camps on March 21.

Authorities are particularly concerned about the virus' spread in camps on five Aegean islands.

The facilities were designed to hold fewer than 6,100 people, but at present 24,000 are crammed into them in unsanitary conditions.

Athens decided to extend the lockdown "to prevent coronavirus cases from appearing and spreading," the migration ministry said.

But charities have repeatedly condemned the government for continuing to keep asylum seekers in accommodation that makes keeping up hygiene measures extremely difficult.

With just 254 deaths from Covid-19, Greece has suffered less from the virus than other European countries, and so far no-one has died of the disease in a migrant camp.

A migrant cries as she tries to warm herself as she and others arrive at the village of Skala Sikaminias, on the Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey -  Michael Varaklas / AP

03:20 PM

Rising coronavirus infections accelerate plans to close Dutch mink farms

The Dutch government is bringing forward the mandatory end of mink farming in the country by three years amid a growing number of coronavirus infections at fur farms, the country’s agriculture and health ministers announced Friday.

The government earmarked an extra 150 million euros ($178 million) to buy out farmers by early next year.

Minks infected with the virus have been found at 42 farms in the Netherlands since the global pandemic began, and the government said earlier this year it was plausible that two workers later caught the virus from the minks. That led scientists to explore whether that was the case and how much of a threat such a spread might pose.

All the minks at infected farms well over 1 million animals have been killed and strict hygiene measures implemented in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

Rising coronavirus infections have accelerated plans to close Dutch mink farms -  Sergei Grits / AP

03:12 PM

Brazil court removes Rio governor over corruption

Brazil's High Court of Justice removed Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel from office Friday, as police raided his official residence in a probe into accusations he stole emergency funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The court ruling suspends Witzel, 52, from office for at least 180 days as authorities investigate claims he took a reported 274.2 million reals ($50 million) in kickbacks.

"This criminal organization acted and continues acting to embezzle and launder funds in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, sacrificing the health and even lives of millions of people," Justice Benedito Goncalves wrote in his ruling.

Prosecutors say Witzel, an erstwhile ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, set up a slush fund for bribes as soon as he took office in January 2019.

The investigation is mainly focused on allegations his administration stole emergency funds for field hospitals, ventilators and medicine to fight the new coronavirus.


03:00 PM

Bank of England governor: Central bank 'not out of firepower'

The governor of the Bank of England has said that the central bank is "not out of firepower" to support the economy, following the sharp economic shock caused the coronavirus pandemic.

Andrew Bailey said in a speech to the Jackson Hole economic policy symposium that the bank has more ammunition left and that major bond-buying drives are more effective following major crises.

Mr Bailey stressed that the central bank understood the need to maintain enough "headroom" to deal with future shocks.


02:55 PM

No further coronavirus deaths in Wales

There have been no further coronavirus-related deaths in Wales, health officials have said, meaning that the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic remains at 1,595.

Public Health Wales said the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country had increased by 34, bringing the revised confirmed cases to 17,877.


02:46 PM

Generation Covid: 'It’s time to recognise the sacrifices young people have made'

Rachel Cunliffe argues that far from being demonised, young people should be applauded for the major sacrifices they have made.

Young people are fuelling the rise in coronavirus cases. So claimed the World Health Organisation this month, sparking a spate of headlines about the selfishness of the young.

Preston’s council even warned young people “don’t kill granny”, as though Britain’s feckless youth were directly to blame for Covid-19 deaths through their insistence on working and socialising even in the midst of a global pandemic.

Such generational warfare may be commonplace, but it is far from accurate. The young are not the unpunished perpetrators of the Covid crisis. They are its forgotten victims.

Let us start by remembering that the economic impact of Covid-19 and lockdown measures has pushed UK national debt above GDP for the first time in 60 years.

It now stands at a staggering £2 trillion – a sum future generations will be repaying for decades, in the form of increased taxes and reduced public services.

That burden may seem abstract now, but it will fall hardest on those who have already been left destitute by this crisis: the young.

Read more from Rachel here.


02:38 PM

Coronavirus loan schemes to be audited by accounting firms

The British Business Bank is launching an audit of its guaranteed business loan schemes to identify lenders that have broken the rules during the pandemic, Michael O'Dwyer reports.

Banks have lent £52bn to more than 1.2m businesses since the schemes were introduced. 

The state is providing an 80pc guarantee on amounts borrowed under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and a full guarantee for loans under the Bounce Bank Loan Scheme (BBLS) for small firms. 

The business bank, which administers the schemes, has asked auditors from firms including some of the Big Four accountants, to review loans handed out by the likes of Barclays and Natwest under state-backed schemes, Bloomberg reported. 

A pedestrian wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past a branch of a Barclays bank in central London on July 29, 2020 - Tolga Akmen/AFP

Banks could be fined or face clawbacks if they are found to have given state-backed loans to companies ineligible for the schemes. 

White collar crime experts have warned that the economic crunch coupled with the vast sums of public money injected into the economy through hastily assembled schemes create the perfect conditions for fraudsters. 

Read Michael's full story here.


02:26 PM

Contact tracing: Almost half of Covid-19 contacts in Catalonia failing to self-isolate

Catalonia’s Covid-19 track-and-trace unit has revealed that almost half of the contacts of people identified as testing positive for the virus do not comply with the recommendation to self-isolate for two weeks, James Badcock reports from Madrid.

With Covid-19 transmission in Spain reaching a higher rate than in the US as well as all European neighbours, questions are mounting as to how effective the country’s testing and tracing operations are proving after a three-month lockdown had virtually stopped the virus in its tracks at the end of June.

“The best weapon we have is isolation and avoiding all contacts. Without that, everything else we do counts for nothing,” said Jacobo Mendioroz, the head of Catalonia’s epidemiological control unit.

 

Shoppers wearing protective face masks shop at a fresh fruit and vegetable stall in the San Antonio market in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. - Angel Garcia/Bloomberg

According to Dr Mendioroz’s findings, 45 per cent of the people his team in Catalonia had identified as close contacts of positive cases failed to self-isolate correctly.

Among those who themselves tested positive for Covid-19, the number not observing quarantine rules was lower, at 13 per cent.

The results come after Catalonia’s health service said it had detected 711 asymptomatic positives after carrying out mass screening in areas of Barcelona where community transmission is taking place, leading to 3,000 close contacts being traced and urged to self-isolate.


02:17 PM

Sweden Covid response could see gatherings capacity increased to 500 people

Sweden’s national health body has proposed raising the limit on certain public gatherings from 50 to 500, as the country's rate of infection continues to stabilise.

Anders Tegnell, a state epidemiologist, said: "We have made a consultation response following a request from the government."

The agency said the proposal applies to events with numbered seats, and Tegnell also indicated that a further increase of the gathering limit was under consideration.

"The outcome will be evaluated after a month or so, to see if you can raise the bar further," he said.


02:14 PM

UK coronavirus deaths: 10 more fatalities recorded in English hospitals

A further 10 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, which takes the total number of confirmed deaths recorded in hospitals in England to 29,541.

The patients, who were aged between 63 and 95, all had known underlying health conditions.

Another five deaths have been reported without a positive test result.


02:08 PM

Could quarantine hit Dignitas clinic?

Travel restrictions imposed on people returning from Switzerland could prevent terminally ill patients from having an assisted death, campaigners have said.

Travellers arriving in England after 4am on Saturday will need to self-isolate for 14 days, a rule that was also enforced in Scotland last week.

Dignity in Dying said the rule change, announced late on Thursday for England, had made it "impossible to plan" for terminally ill patients hoping to travel to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.

It added that jobs and caring responsibilities, coupled with an average cost of £10,000 at Dignitas, could put the option of assisted dying out of reach for some people.

Dignity in Dying campaigns manager Ellie Ball said: "It's just another source of anxiety about an option that is already so fraught with difficulty."

Before the pandemic, Ms Ball said one Briton a week was travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death.

She added that each year around 300 terminally ill people end their own lives in the UK, often involving "multiple, incredibly traumatic attempts".


02:03 PM

R value in UK unchanged

The R value of coronavirus across the UK remains unchanged since last week, and is still above 1.0.

Data released on Friday by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) shows the estimate for R across the UK is between 0.9 and 1.1.

The growth rate of coronavirus transmission, which reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, has changed slightly.

For the whole of the UK the latest growth rate is between minus 2% per cent and plus 1 per cent per day, a slight change from between minus 3 per cent and plus 1 per cent last week.

The growth rate means the number of new infections is somewhere between shrinking by 2 per cent and growing by 1 per cent every day.

The most likely value is towards the middle of the range, experts say.


01:33 PM

Comment: 'Home workers should be careful what they wish for'

Boris Johnson is right to warn people that they are putting their jobs at risk by not returning to their places of work, writes John Longworth, chairman of the Independent Business Network:

It may at first appear that the fact that city businesses like sandwich shops will go bust as a consequence of white-collar “stay at homers” not returning to their offices is of no consequence since these will just be replaced by home delivery jobs providing food and toilet rolls, but the short- to medium-term disruption will be significant and could easily put back the economy permanently to some extent.

People out of work has a knock on effect across the economy. When the grass dies, it eventually goes all the way up the food chain and eventually the T-Rex starves. 

Many businesses and organisations have been working as near to normal as possible throughout the coronavirus crisis. Think, for example, of supermarkets and their distribution channels, those who supply them with food and consumer goods, the collection of refuse, the delivery of parcels, the building and repair of houses and commercial premises, cleaning services, and the list goes on.

These people and many others, have required the uncomplaining, physical presence of workers in order to operate, not in “hazmat“ suits like those in the NHS, but with simple, sensible social distancing and hand washing like Sweden.

Had every outfit behaved like this, we would not be facing the possibility economic catastrophe and mass unemployment, neither of which have yet, but are about to, manifest themselves. However, it is still not too late to avert the worst.


01:29 PM

Germany coronavirus news: Economic projections to be revised upwards post-lockdown

The German government is set to revise upward its economic growth forecast for this year to a decline of less than 6% from a previous estimate of -6.3 per cent, it is understood.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier is scheduled to present the revised outlook early next week, a government source told the Reuters news agency.

The German economy contracted by a record 9.7 per cent in its second quarter as consumer spending, as investments and consumer habits were starkly affected by Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown.

However, recent economic data has fanned hopes that Europe's largest economy is set for a steady recovery.


01:21 PM

Algarve holidays in demand among Britons after red list removal

Portugal has sent border control reinforcements to an airport in the Algarve after a surge in the number of Britons arriving there for their summer holidays after Portugal was removed from the quarantine 'red list' last week.

The number of passengers arriving from Britain has grown by 190 per cent since August 20, according to border and immigration service SEF.

Couple sitting by surfboards by the beach in the Algarve - Westend61/Brand X

The decision to send more officers to the airport in Faro on Portugal's southern coast, a popular destination for Britons, came after a picture shared online by a lawmaker on Thursday showed a long queue of hundreds of tourists not adhering to social distancing guidelines.

"Airport staff were all sent home, the airport is not at all prepared for the flood of people coming in," one Twitter user commented on the picture.

"The English traded holidays in Spain and France at the last minute to come to the Algarve. Special measures are urgently needed."

In a statement on Friday, SEF said that the photograph depicted a one-off situation when eight flights landed around the same time.

However, to deal with the surge in arrivals, a total of 12 extra border control officers were sent to Faro airport and 10 more will arrive on September 1, with more passport gates in operation from Monday onwards.


01:04 PM

Scotland Covid briefing: Nicola Sturgeon "will not countenance" workers being intimidated into office return

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that she will not "countenance" people being intimidated into going back to work in offices.

Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said that any move to reopen offices prematurely would risk the virus spreading and lead to a trade-off around the opening of schools.

"I will not countenance in Scotland any kind of narrative around this that is seeking to almost intimidate people back to work before, as a country, we have taken a decision that that is safe," she said.

She added that "we want to get back to normal as quickly as possible" and her Government will work in a "phased way" to support the return of offices that have not yet reopened.

"That has to be done in the context of suppressing the virus," Ms Sturgeon said, proceeding to tell the briefing that 51 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Scotland in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload in Scotland to 20,107.


12:55 PM

Trafford lockdown: Sir Graham Brady says council 'failed to seek consensus'

Sir Graham Brady has hit back at accusations that central Government has lifted local lockdown in parts of Greater Manchester to "placate Tory MPs", and said that the local council instead "failed to seek consensus". 

The 1922 Committee chair told the Telegraph he had been "unpersuaded" by the reasoning behind extending the lockdown by a week, but before he had received the data being used to support this move the council then sought to extend the lockdown by two weeks. 

I understand that DHSC offered a choice of ending restrictions on the wards with the lowest infection rates, or ending restrictions for the whole borough, and the council chose the latter.

It is worth noting that 19 of 21 wards had between zero and five cases in the last week, with 11 wards have no cases or a single case... Making it illegal for people to see their families seems like an extreme measure in these circumstances."


12:41 PM

Trafford lockdown update: Restrictions eased amid backlash from councillors

Restrictions on social gatherings between different households in the Trafford area of Greater Manchester are set to be removed, despite the local council recommending they should stay for the immediate future in light of advice from its own director of public health.

Councillor Andrew Western, Labour leader of Trafford Council, said: "It is apparent that for all of their claims of working in collaboration with local authorities, the Government has decided to overrule the council and lift restrictions in Trafford.

"This action by Government makes a mockery of the claims of locally led decision making and once again shows that local government is being ignored in spite of being on the front line of this crisis."

Restrictions on mixing between different households in homes or gardens in Burnley and Hyndburn also will be lifted from next Wednesday in line with the rest of England, according to public health officials in Lancashire.

Lancashire's director of public health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, said that while those affected will be pleased by the lifting, "this should not lead to complacency" following a decrease in the area's caseload.

Existing coronavirus restrictions in Preston and parts of Pendle will remain, with residents still banned from visiting others in their homes or gardens, but they can continue to meet in groups of up to six in public if outdoors.

People living elsewhere in Pendle and in the northern part of Blackburn with Darwen will still not be able to socialise with anyone outside their household and should only use public transport if essential.


12:31 PM

Comment: 'Home working choices shouldn’t be the government’s business'

For Julian Jessop, it makes sense that the Government is launching a campaign to encourage people to go back to work. Its own dire warnings about the importance of staying at home had contributed to a climate of fear that perhaps only the government itself can now undo.

But there is also a danger that attempts to replicate the patterns of employment that existed before the pandemic could actually hamper the recovery.

It would be helpful to have a clearer idea of exactly what the problem is here – and how government intervention could help. There are doubtless some people who are still irrationally afraid of returning to their offices, and some businesses who are reluctant to welcome them back.

According to the regular Opinions and Lifestyle Survey run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the most common reasons why people are still working from home are that they have been asked to do so by their employer, or that they are ‘following government advice’. This might be where better information and more consistent messaging could have a crucial role to play.

In the meantime, it is not obvious that home working itself is holding back the recovery. In particular, despite images of empty streets in the City of London, the output of the financial and insurance sector in June was only a few percentage points below its pre-Covid level.

This also illustrates a broader point: those people who are working from home are typically employed in activities where it is relatively easy to do their normal job without significantly reducing their output. In many cases, productivity may even have gone up.

Read Julian's piece in full here.


12:22 PM

Bank holiday weekend: Warning issued over antisocial behaviour

Thousands of holidaymakers are expected to visit the counties of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall over the three-day weekend, with police expecting busy roads and increased demand on emergency services, writes Emma Featherstone.

Incidents of littering, fly-tipping and wild camping in the region have risen by almost 30 per cent on last year, with anti-social behaviour also up by 20 per cent.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the latest figures for August show 999 call demand remaining at record levels with a 13 per cent increase in calls compared with the same period in 2019.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police told the Dorset Echo: "Many thousands of visitors, some already in the region, are expected to be residing in the county over the three-day holiday with congested roads and demand on all emergency services resources expected to be high.

"Tourism bosses are already predicting the region is at full capacity.”


12:13 PM

Work from home advice to continue to apply in Wales despite back to work push

The Welsh Government will continue to advise employees to work from home if they possibly can, according to a spokesman:

In Wales, we continue to advise people to work from home where possible.

We recognise, however, that there will be situations where there is a pressing organisational need for employers to ask staff to return to an office, or where employees feel working from home is impairing their wellbeing.

Employers are under a duty to take all reasonable measures to minimise the spread of coronavirus, which will include ensuring they do not require staff to return to workplaces in the absence of a clearly demonstrated business need.


11:59 AM

Coronavirus UK cases: ONS estimates that 28,200 Britons in private households had Covid-19 last week

An estimated 28,200 people within private households in England had Covid-19 between August 14 and 20, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This was the equivalent of around one in 1,900 individuals - or 0.05 per cent of the population .

This estimate is broadly unchanged from the previous week of August 7 to 13 which had an equivalent of around 0.05% of the population, or one in 2,200 individuals.

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


11:51 AM

Back to work push making ministers sound 'like dinosaurs', according to union boss

Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union, has said that ministers need to accept the "world of work has changed".

The leader of the civil service union spoke after the Government announced plans its plans for a major new media strategy from next week to encourage employees to return to their workplaces after working from home during the pandemic.

"Ministers are increasingly sounding like dinosaurs here," said Mr Penman, who shared an image of the Telegraph's front page on Twitter.


11:45 AM

Cancer treatment coronavirus backlog has created timebomb, fear medics

Cancer testing was reduced to less than half of normal NHS capacity during lockdown, according to new figures which show the scale of the crisis now facing the service.

The official statistics show that in April alone, there were two million fewer tests for the disease - leaving Britain facing a growing timebomb.

Medics are also concerned that as hospitals enter autumn they are ill-prepared to catch up on a deadly backlog, while record numbers of patients are waiting more than a year for routine surgery and treatment.   

Some say that changes introduced in response to Covid have left some hospitals “almost at a standstill”.

Just 1.4 million diagnostic tests such as MRI, CT and ultrasound scans were carried out in the month after lockdown began - compared with 3.7 million in the same month the previous year.

The figures, which have just been published, are among a plethora of statistics which reflect the high-stakes decision to suspend the majority of routine NHS services for months, as Britain entered lockdown.

Laura Donnelly, Dominic Gilbert and Patrick Sawer have all the details.


11:36 AM

South Korea coronavirus survivors donate plasma as church seeks to redeem itself

Nearly 200 coronavirus survivors from a secretive South Korean sect blamed for the country's early outbreak donated blood plasma Friday to help treatment research, as the group seeks to redeem itself, Verity Bowman reports.

By far the South's largest contingent of coronavirus survivors is from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is often condemned as a cult.

It was at the heart of the country's early outbreak and according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) is linked to more than 5,000 virus cases in the country.

Members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, who have recovered from the COVID-19 coronavirus, donate their blood plasma at a gymnasium in Daegu on August 28, 2020. - A total of 1,700 followers of the Shincheonji will donate their blood plasma to support the development of virus treatments until September 4 - Jung Yeon-Je/AFP

Its elderly leader, Lee Man-hee, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly hindering the government's efforts to contain the epidemic.

Over the course of a week more than 1,000 Shincheonji members are donating plasma.

On Friday around 160 of them donated to the Korean Red Cross in Daegu, the centre of the Shincheonji outbreak.

Shincheonji had apologised "for causing much concern and worry to the people of Korea", the sect said in a statement, adding its leader Lee had encouraged its members, "who have been atoned for their sins by the blood of Jesus", to donate.


11:21 AM

'The new normal': Companies look to reshore after Covid decimates supply chains

The phone in the Coventry office of the Japanese robotics company Fanuc has rung twice as often as usual since the start of the pandemic, writes our economics editor Lizzy Burden.

Tom Bouchier, the firm’s UK managing director, says he’s been inundated with enquiries about replacing cheap Chinese labour with automation at home after the standstill in world trade in March. The soaring price of air freight as governments restricted passenger travel has exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains.

More companies, especially in the food and aerospace sectors, want to invest in “cobots” – collaborative robots – to ramp up productivity while maintaining space between workers in domestic factories, he claims.

Indeed, a PwC survey of 3,500 chief executives worldwide last month found that 77pc believe Covid-19 has accelerated an enduring shift from human labour to automation. Even before the crisis, in February, Bank of America projected a doubling of the global number of robots to five million by 2025.

Whether the interest is translating into orders, with cash-strapped firms uneasy about investing in such uncertain conditions and the Chinese economic recovery under way, is another story. Will Bouchier’s vision of a more self-reliant post-globalisation Britain become the “new normal”?

Read the latest in our Business team's 'The new normal' series here.


11:14 AM

Eat out to help out: 'Please, Chancellor, can restaurants have a little more help?'

There were too many mediocre restaurants in Britain, even before Covid-19 came along, offering neither value to customers nor a particularly rewarding workplace for staff, writes Martin Williams.

It may surprise you to hear this from a restaurateur, but it won’t be a bad thing to see such businesses fall by the wayside. Indeed, many already have.

However, there will be a bright future for the genuinely innovative and inspirational members of our industry – so long as Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, can provide a little more short-term assistance until the worst of the pandemic has passed.

August’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been a great success, making restaurants more accessible to millions of people. Many eateries, such as my own – Gaucho and M Restaurants – are now extending the scheme into September at our own cost, offering diners 50pc off up to £10 each on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

In my restaurants alone, about 40,000 hungry guests have used the scheme, proving the demand exists to keep things going.

The Government must understand that an adjustment in both rental expectations and rates charges will be necessary to keep the good guys going.

Read more from Martin here.


11:00 AM

Back to work Boris Johnson drive attacked as 'scaremongering' by British Chamber of Commerce

The boss of the British Chamber of Commerce has slammed the Government's "scaremongering" over its plans to rush workers back to the office, Simon Foy reports. 

BCC director Adam Marshall tweeted: "We all want to see a safe return to more workplaces – but the pace and scale will result from mature conversations between employers and employees, not scaremongering."

His criticism came after The Telegraph revealed that Boris Johnson will launch a publicity campaign next week to get Britain back to the office as ministers warned that working from home will make people more "vulnerable" to being sacked.

Mr Marshall contested the idea that working from home will not become a permanent option for some employees, suggesting that footfall in city centres may never recover to pre-crisis levels. 

He said on Twitter: "Businesses have worked hard to build up trust with their people over the last six months. They've learned what works – and what doesn't. 

"Some of the changes they've made will be permanent, and [government] needs to be ready to support city and town centres as they change as a result."


10:49 AM

North Korea news: Reclusive regime struggling with typhoon, sanctions... and now Covid-19

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a rice-growing area devastated by a typhoon on Thursday, as the reclusive country reels from back-to-back natural and manmade catastrophes, writes Nicola Smith.

Photos released by state media of the authoritarian leader inspecting fields alongside mask-wearing officials appeared to be framed to convey his benevolence as citizens struggle to cope with the impact of severe monsoon flooding, and the economic toll of the pandemic and ongoing global sanctions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the typhoon-damaged area in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency - KCNA via Reuters

Officially the hermit kingdom has only had one suspected case of Covid-19 but it was never confirmed. 

However, earlier this week, in a rare display of urgency, Kim publicly lamented unspecified "defects" and "shortcomings" in the country's' anti-virus campaign and urged that they be corrected swiftly. He also  raised the alarm about the incoming typhoon and urged adequate preparation.

Read the full story here.


10:39 AM

This week's top stories: Telegraph readers recap key Covid talking points

Children in secondary schools in England will have to wear face masks after the Government change its mind on the policy this week.

Our readers have resonated with the sentiment that face masks in schools could be a step too far - with many convinced that masks in schools could be ineffective.

"Masks in schools are a problem in themselves, young people being what they are," one wrote.

"Wait until they start hiding each other’s masks or put nasty stuff in them or bully each other for their mask being "cooler", the list could go on. Another Boris knee-jerk  reaction.”


10:28 AM

Coronavirus vaccine UK measures announced to roll out jabs more easily

New measures have today been announced to strengthen the ability of the UK to deliver a Covid-19 vaccine if and when one becomes available.

They include:

  • Expanding the trained workforce who can administer Covid-19 and flu vaccines
  • Reinforced standards to support the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to grant temporary authorisation for its use
  • Clarification of protection from civil liability for the additional workforce administering vaccinations
  • Bolstering existing powers that allow the MHRA to consider approving the use of a vaccine before 2021

These measures are all subject to a vaccine proving safe to use during clinical trials at scale.


10:18 AM

Germany coronavirus situation will get more difficult in coming months, warns Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday the coronavirus pandemic will make things more difficult in the coming months and over the winter.

"It will probably get more difficult," Merkel told reporters at a news conference, as she pleaded with Germans to adhere to guidance around social distancing.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during her annual summer press conference on August 28, 2020 in Berlin. - Coping with the coronavirus will become more challenging in the coming autumn and winter months - Michele Tantussi/AFP

Rates in parts of Europe have surged again, particularly in parts of France and Spain, prompting fears of a second wave and possible regional or national lockdowns. 

Despite this, Germany's rates are not sufficiently high to have excluded the country from the UK's travel corridors, as they have not passed the 20 cases per 100 people threshold that is used by the Foreign Office. 


10:09 AM

Coronavirus deaths in UK decrease across all regions as north-west sees highest mortality rate

The north-west of England had the highest coronavirus mortality rate for the month of July, but figures for all regions have fallen significantly since June.

There were 2.8 deaths involving Covid-19 per 100,000 of population for the North West, which is down from 9.2 in June - when it also had the mortality rate.

The South West once again had the lowest rate, with 0.3 deaths per 100,000 population, down from 2.1 in June. In London the rate was 1.2 for July, compared to 3.1 in June.

The Office for National Statistics figures - which take into account the age of population - are based on all deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, and which had been registered by August 15.


10:00 AM

Peru coronavirus news: Country sets another grim record as it becomes deadliest hotspot

Despite Peru has set another grim record, logging the world's highest number of deaths per capita from the coronavirus. With 28,277 confirmed deaths from Covid-19, or 86.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, Peru on Thursday overtook Belgium as the nation with the most victims.

It comes the week after the South American nation of 33 million recorded the deepest economic contraction in the world in the second quarter of the year, following a drastic lockdown.

Thousands of health workers this week to the streets of country's capital city Lima to protest against lack of resources to deal with the disease.

Health workers protest facing a line of riot police in front of the Peruvian Ministry of Health, in Lima on August 26, 2020. - Ernesto Benavides/AFP

Peru also has one of the world’s worst outbreaks in other respects, with no country having posted more cases in the last seven days.


09:45 AM

Schools reopening: Mitigating risk 'the new normal', according to head teacher

Schools have a responsibility for creating the "safest possible environment" to get children back into the classroom, according to an academy headteacher.

Fiona Chapman, executive principal of Ark Charter Academy and Ark Dickens Primary Academy schools in Portsmouth, said that students at the school would be kept in year bubbles and spend their days learning in 'home' rooms, except for 14-to-16-year-old key stage four pupils who will move around regularly cleaned classrooms.

All children and staff will be required to wear face masks in school corridors but not classrooms, despite the fact that Government guidance only mandates the use of face covering in schools in local lockdown areas.

"We are very lucky, to date we have had no Covid-19 incidents on site and we are keen to keep it that way," Ms Chapman told the PA news agency.

"We are very keen to make sure that we mitigate as much risk as possible, we also want to embed it, it's part of the everyday, it's the new normal now.

"So if that Government guidance does change or we become a local lockdown area, which I hope Portsmouth doesn't, the pupils will be well used to putting on their face mask."

The most recent YouGov survey on the topic shows support for the full-time reopening of schools in England and Wales has risen from 57% to 65% over the past three weeks.

Millions of pupils will begin returning to school from next week, and the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said that it is "the right time" for them to do so.

 


09:39 AM

Back to work push will be welcomed by younger people, says Grant Shapps

Younger people who have spent lockdown working "from a corner of their bedroom" will be more likely to welcome the push to get back to work than others, Grant Shapps has said. 

Speaking on the Today programme during a round of media interviews this morning, the Transport Secretary said:

Where it is more appropriate for people to work from home... some people will do that.

On the other hand, if you think about somebody who is maybe at the younger end of the workforce, perhaps lives in an apartment or a shared flat maybe, is literally spending their days on Zoom from a corner of their bedroom, you can see why for a lot of people's mental health it is important to be able to return to a safe workplace and that is why we're saying actually workplaces are being made Covid-secure over the summer.

And for a lot of people, it will be the right time to return. Others I accept will carry on in a much more flexible way than they did in the past.


09:28 AM

Face masks compulsory across Paris from today

Face masks are now compulsory in outdoor areas throughout Paris as of today, after the country recorded a post-lockdown record of 6,100 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours.

The Paris authorities made face-masks mandatory in crowded central areas earlier this month and the rule is now being extended to the entire city, Jean Castex, the prime minister, announced.

Masks are now compulsory everywhere in Marseille, and in most indoor public areas across France. An average of 700 people a day are being fined €135 (£120) for failing to wear masks.

 A family wearing protective face masks walk near the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, France, 27 August 2020. French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced that measures are being taken to enforce mask-wearing across the entire city of Paris, which has been declared a zone of 'active circulation' for the coronavirus  - Ian Langsdon/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The prime minister said the government is determined to get people back to work and children back to school without a second national lockdown, which would be economically catastrophic. But he added that France has made contingency plans for either a nationwide or local lockdowns.

Spain has also seen a sharp uptick in Covid-19 infections, with 183.3 new cases per 100,000 in the past two weeks. Spain now has a higher rate of transmission than the US, as well as other EU countries and UK.

David Chazan and James Badcock have all the latest from Paris and Madrid.


09:17 AM

Back to work Boris Johnson drive will focus on three main messages

At the start of lockdown, national and regional newspapers were enlisted to publish front page adverts with the Stay At Home message. A similar tactic is expected to be used next month to reverse that message by telling people to leave their homes.

A Government source said: “There will be three main messages: showing people the workplace is a safe place to return to, highlighting the social benefits and the emotional case for going back to the office, and encouraging people to plan how they are going to go back so they feel confident about doing so.”

Adverts are likely to include examples of people who have benefited from going back to their workplace. Discussions about a slogan are ongoing.

In this file photo taken on May 13, 2020 A Commuters wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), including a face mask as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, travels on the empty escalators at Waterloo Train Station in central London  - Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

A Cabinet rift over the policy appeared to open up on Thursday after Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, told Times Radio: “What I care about is how effectively people work. Obviously people should come back to the office if that is what they need to do their job, obviously employers need to make sure the offices are Covid-secure.”

Among the other measures is an online tool that will give commuters real-time updates on how crowded trains and buses are and send bespoke updates to their phone suggesting less busy routes. Ministers are also discussing the possibility of extending the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in targeted areas.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, said: “Not everyone has the space or peace and quiet needed to work from home. Many staff would prefer to get back to the office. But the Prime Minister must do more to give people confidence it is safe to return.

“We need to have a fast and reliable test and trace system and we need better enforcement of transport safety and workplace risk assessments.”

Gordon RaynerCamilla Tominey and Charles Hymas have more from today's Telegraph splash.


09:03 AM

Bank holiday traffic warning as roads set to be busiest on record

Traffic chaos has been predicted ahead of the busiest August Bank Holiday Friday on record, the RAC said, as 5.6 million Britons are set to hit the road for UK staycations, our consumer affairs editor Sam Meadows writes.

Tourist hotspots in the UK are bracing for a wave of people holidaying closer to home with the pandemic putting many off travelling overseas.

The big August bank holiday staycation getaway has started early today on the M25 motorway in Dartford, Kent. Traffic near the Dartford crossing is at a near standstill anti clock-wise this afternoon as bank holiday travellers look to beat the travel chaos - Grant Falvey/LNP

Thunderstorms have been forecast to hit parts of the UK and two police forces urged travellers to plan their trips ahead as they warned of increased demand on emergency services.

Figures from RAC Breakdown showed that 5.6 million people are due to take a leisure trip on Friday, the highest on the comparable day since 2015 when it began tracking the data.

Overall it expects 18 million journeys to take place across the weekend, 1.8 million more than last year.


08:56 AM

Maldives holiday talks 'being held at high level'

Currently, the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the Maldives, and it remains off the UK's quarantine-exempt list – despite the country having had consistently low infection rates, with only 28 recorded deaths.

But, according to the Managing Director of MaldiMaves Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), talks are taking place at a high level to change that status. Mohamed Thoyyib told Telegraph Travel.

"The UK is one of our most important markets so, with the Maldives High Commission in the United Kingdom and the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, discussions are underway to ease the travel restrictions for travellers from the UK," he said.

"Along with the Maldives’ one-island-one-resort concept and abundant choice of private villa facilities, the geography of the country means the Maldives is the ideal destination for guests who are keen to avoid crowds during their holiday this year.

"In line with the comprehensive Covid-19 safe tourism guidelines and hygiene certification programme issued by the Maldivian Ministry of Tourism in June 2020, all 166 resorts situated in the island nation will be required to take protective measures, ensuring the safety of tourists and also staff working in the industry."


08:43 AM

Work from home: Grant Shapps accepts some workers will not return to office

Grant Shapps has said that he accepts that some workers will not return to the office and will "carry on in a much more flexible way than they did in the past", as details emerged of a major drive to get workers back to the office.

On the Government's drive to get people back into workplaces and what having the transport system ready means, Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:

Trains and buses back up and running to something very close to full capacity, Covid-secure measures in place.

And in a sense that's why your opening comments of why there will be places and times where it is more appropriate for people to work from home, and some people will do that.

On the other hand, if you think about somebody who is maybe at the younger end of the workforce, perhaps lives in an apartment or a shared flat maybe, is literally spending their days on Zoom from a corner of their bedroom, you can see why for a lot of people's mental health it is important to be able to return to a safe workplace and that is why we're saying actually workplaces are being made Covid-secure over the summer.

And for a lot of people, it will be the right time to return. Others I accept will carry on in a much more flexible way than they did in the past.


08:20 AM

'Protect the NHS': A slogan that cost lives more than it saved?

We were ordered indoors and told not to bother the NHS unless we were seriously ill - and the British public protected the NHS alright, writes Ross Clark.

Any fears that the institution might be overwhelmed were put aside when, a couple of weeks into lockdown, the hurriedly-constructed Nightingale hospitals were still empty, along with many other hospital wards, clinics and surgeries.

By mid April, routine clinical activity by GPs was down 25 per cent and A&E visits down 52 per cent.

Some of that was thanks to fewer drunks falling over and fewer children coming to grief in playgrounds, yet there is plenty to suggest that some very unwell people were scared into taking the instruction not to trouble the NHS too much to heart. 

Whether, by avoiding the NHS, the public helped achieve the other objective of the Government’s original Covid slogan – “save lives” – is still difficult to discern.

It was all without any consideration of what that would mean for heart patients, cancer patients and anyone else who fell ill of anything other than Covid-19.

And a month ago, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) quietly published an analysis which came to the stark conclusion that lockdown could end up costing more lives than the virus. 

Read Ross' full column here - and let us know your own thoughts in the comments section.


08:08 AM

UK quarantine rules breach is a criminal offence, says Grant Shapps

Grant Shapps has reminded people that breaking quarantine is a criminal offence during an appearance on LBC.

Asked about the individual who tried to board a flight even after having received a positive coronavirus test result, the Transport Secretary said:

No, if you've got the test, you need to stay home.

You're not just doing this for yourself, you're doing it for those around you. Don't put other people's lives at risk. Not only that when you do that, you are committing offences as well.

As with breaking a quarantine, if you come home from one of these countries that is quarantined, it is a criminal offence, it goes on your criminal record.

You don't want to be in that position and the police have 4,000 cases of people who they are pursuing in various different ways.

Don't break your quarantine and for goodness sake be sensible.


08:01 AM

Republican convention: Party seeks to shift focus away from grim US coronavirus death toll

The Republican Party had a clear aim throughout it nationals convention - to shift focus away from the grim coronavirus figures and reframe the election campaign, Rozina Sabur reports from Washington.

One phrase cropped up again and again: law and order. Republican officials used the four-night convention to sound the alarm over the unrest tearing through the country, warning that only President Donald Trump could bring the violence and lawlessness to an end.

"The entire planet has been struck by a new and powerful invisible enemy," Mr Trump said of the virus.

 U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House on August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC.  - Alex Wong/Getty Images North America

"Like those brave Americans before us, we are meeting this challenge. We're delivering life-saving therapies. And we'll produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner."

First Lady Melania Trump urged Americans to “reflect on our mistakes”, saying “we are not proud of parts of our history”, in a message at odds with those who took to the convention stage before her.  

She also tackled the huge toll of the coronavirus on Americans, extending her “deepest sympathy” to those who lost loved ones in the pandemic.


07:54 AM

Lib Dem leader blames coronavirus for low turnout in leadership election

The new Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey has claimed that the Covid-19 outbreak was the reason for the low turnout in the party's leadership election.

Sir Ed told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:

I think the real issue is we had a leadership election during Covid. I don't think that has ever happened before.

We weren't able to have any meetings with people in public, it was all over Zoom, so I'm not surprised that turnout was lower than in recent leadership elections.

But, I think the party is buzzing. There are lots of people who are very excited about the prospect of us regaining our status but they know that the party has to change and the general election review that I co-commissioned showed how serious the party's problem is.

I've been very up front, we need to wake up and smell the coffee - we've got to reconnect with voters, we've got to listen to voters, we've got to make sure that we're on their side and seem to be on their side. And that is going to take a little while, I'm under no illusions.

Sir Ed Davey gives a thumbs up after being announced as the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, in London, Britain, 27 August 2020. - Andy Rain/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

 Sir Ed - who has been acting leader of the party since Jo Swinson lost her seat at the last general election in December 2019 - secured 42,756 votes to beat his fellow MP Layla Moran (24,564 votes) to the leadership.


07:40 AM

Second wave UK fears start to set in after highest caseload in three months recorded

Britain has recorded its highest daily total of coronavirus cases for nearly three months, heightening fears that a second wave is imminent, Henry Bodkin reports.

The toll of 1,522 new infections is the biggest since June 12 - three weeks before ministers lifted restrictions on pubs and restaurants.

The total threatens to dash hopes that had been growing in recent days that the steady increase in infections since the lifting of lockdown was finally under control.

 Serco staff working on behalf of NHS Test and Trace operate a coronavirus testing centre on July 30, 2020 in Stone, England - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Europe

However, sources at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) put the sudden rise in cases down to specific isolated outbreaks in factories and other workplaces, rather than a more widespread trend.

At least 40 coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in food processing plants, including the Greggs distribution site in Leeds, as well as a chicken factory in Norfolk - where 75 staff have tested positive.

The uptick in cases comes after new figures showed that the number of people testing positive for coronavirus declined for the first time in six weeks between August 13 and August 19, despite an increase in tests.


07:28 AM

County lines gangs have taken advantage of lockdown to exploit children, charity warns

County lines drug trafficking gangs have been grooming schoolchildren during lockdown, a charity has warned. 

As pupils prepare to return to school next week, charity workers said that children and young people are being excluded as a result of being criminally exploited and groomed.

In fact, gangs are engineering exclusion from school as part of the exploitation. 

Evidence from casework at Just for Kids Law shows that a significant proportion of children have been excluded because they have been the victims of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and groomed into criminal activity. 

This often means children becoming involved in county lines drug trafficking, in which they are used to transport drugs into different parts of the country, often into rural areas and smaller towns. 

The report comes after millions of children have been out of school for six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and warns that some may have been targeted and exploited during this time. 

Our social and religious affairs editor Gabriella Swerling has the story.


07:18 AM

Netherlands coronavirus cases growing: 'Dutch will pay the price for "light touch" lockdown'

In the colourful centre of Dam Square, a stream of tourists and well-to-do locals normally buzzes in and out of Amsterdam’s most prestigious department store, Senay Boztas reports from Amsterdam.

But behind the doors of De Bijenkorf – “the beehive” – there is no honey (or money) being made. The store is the highest-profile victim of strict new rules meaning businesses linked with a number of coronavirus infections can be shut for two weeks.  

The store had to close one day earlier this month after 10 of its 1,400 employees tested positive for Covid. That came as a surprise to chief executive Giovanni Colauto, as just one day before he had been talking to the government'spublic health body about face masks, social distancing and plexiglass screens among other measures.

Although the Netherlands shut a handful of hotels and cafés thought to be breaking rules to limit coronavirus, De Bijenkorf’s closure came as a surprise to others.

Since March, the country’s approach has been characterised by a light touch, asking citizens to work from home, keep 1.5 metres from others and self-isolate if ill – with the larger aim of balancing the nation’s health with a once-thriving economy.


07:08 AM

Gatwick warns air travel recovery could take five years

Gatwick Airport has said demand for air travel might not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2025.

The West Sussex airport announced a 61.3 per cent fall in revenue and a £321million loss during the first six months of the year compared with the same period in 2019. Earnings before tax and interest plummeted by 98.3 per cent. 

Passenger numbers fell from 22.2million to 7.5million over the same period.

The airport said in a statement that the recovery to pre-pandemic traffic levels "is forecast to be four to five years".

On Wednesday, the airport announced plans to cut around 600 jobs due to the impact of the crisis, representing nearly a quarter of its workforce.


06:55 AM

Here's how offices can get Covid-conscious workers back

Next week’s reopening of schools will be critical in determining how many Britons are prepared to return to work but, with surveys consistently showing deep reservations, will they return, what are the obstacles and what can be done to overcome them?
Our reporters have identified eight key issues that need to be addressed, including transport, testing, the safety of the workplace and childcare and looked at the solutions. It's a must-read and the full article is here. 


06:49 AM

No healthy child has died from coronavirus in the UK

Here's more on the post from 00.24 that revealed the latest data on coronavirus in children. 

The research, by universities including Edinburgh and Liverpool, discovered that children made up less than one per cent of all people admitted to hospital with Covid-19, and just six youngsters had died overall.

But all the deaths occurred in children with major underlying health conditions such as cerebral palsy or cancer.

The study was based on more than 79,000 admissions to hospitals in Britain, around two thirds of all hospitalisations with Covid-19, of which 651 were children. 

Our Science Editor, Sarah Knapton, has the full story here.


05:50 AM

Japans wants four times as many vaccine doses as population

Japan hoping to acquire large amounts of vaccine for population - AFP

Japan is pushing to grab enough coronavirus vaccine to inoculate its population four times over, hoping to instil confidence that it can host a delayed summer Olympics next year.

Japan is on track to have 521 million doses of five different vaccines in 2021, compared with a population of 126 million. Recent deals include global arrangements with drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca PLC, as well as local deals with the likes of Shionogi & Co.

Health ministry and Cabinet Office officials did not respond to queries about whether Japan's drive to secure coronavirus vaccines was connected to the Olympics.


05:45 AM

Melbourne lockdown likely to stay in place

Australia's hard-hit Victoria state today reported 113 new Covid-19 cases for a second consecutive day, with authorities warning that the infection rate will have to fall substantially if a six-week lockdown is to be relaxed on schedule on September 13.

The latest daily tallies are the lowest in more than eight weeks, with a peak of 725 in early August.

The latest death toll dropped to 12 from 23 on Thursday. Authorities want daily infections to fall at least to low double-digits before they would consider relaxing restrictions.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said: "We're clearly still trending in the right direction. ... It's not gotten below 100 yet, I do expect that to happen, if not over the weekend, then by next week, if trends continue."


04:59 AM

India records high of 77,266 cases in 24 hours

India's total number of cases rises to 3.38 million - AFP

India has recorded another high of 77,266 cases in the past 24 hours, raising the country's total to over 3.38 million. Nearly 47pc were detected this month alone. The Health Ministry on Friday also reported 1,057 deaths for a total of 61,529.

India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, and its fatalities are the fourth-highest. Four of India's 28 states, western Maharashtra and the three southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, are the worst-hit regions, accounting for 63.8pc of fatalities and 54pc of active cases.

New hot spots include rural areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states in the north.


04:55 AM

South Korea mulls shorter hours for diners

South Korean officials are considering reducing the working hours of restaurants and cafes  - AFP

South Korean officials are considering reducing working hours of restaurants and cafes as the country counted its 15th straight day of triple-digit jumps in infections.

The 371 new cases reported by the South Korea's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention today brought the national caseload to 19,077, including 316 deaths. The country has added more than 4,300 to its caseload over the past 15 days, prompting concerns about overwhelming hospitals.

Health workers have found it more difficult to contain the recent transmissions centered around the more populated capital area, where clusters have been tied to churches, restaurants and schools.

But Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a virus meeting that the government wasn't ready to implement Level 3 restrictions yet, citing concerns about hurting the economy.

It looks likely the economy will shrink for the first time in 22 years. Chung said officials will instead explore other ways to improve distancing.


03:38 AM

Donald Trump says the US will 'crush' Covid-19 with vaccine 'this year'

US President Donald Trump says he'll 'crush' the coronavirus pandemic - Getty Images North America

US President Donald Trump has pledged to "crush" the coronavirus pandemic with a vaccine by the end of the year, as he accepted the Republican nomination for a second term.

"We are marshaling America's scientific genius to produce a vaccine in record time," Mr Trump said. "We will have a safe and effective vaccine this year and together we will crush the virus."


02:41 AM

A Brazilian paradise island reopens, with a Covid catch

The island of Fernando de Noronha is located on the northeast of Brazil - Getty Images Europe

Fernando de Noronha, a tropical island off Brazil known as one of the world's most coveted travel destinations, is reopening to visitors, with a catch: they have to have had Covid-19.

The island, part of a pristine volcanic archipelago that limits tourism to several hundred arrivals per day, closed five months ago to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Officials said in a post on the island's Instagram account that it would begin reopening in phases from September 1, with strict health controls to "guarantee everyone's protection."

Visitors will be required to present a positive test result for the virus along with their payment of Fernando de Noronha's environmental conservation tax.

The island closed to visitors on March 21, and residents who were on the mainland were barred from returning from April to mid-June.


01:21 AM

A White House call about more aid ends without a breakthrough

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, resumes talks for more coronavirus aid for the US - Bloomberg

A telephone call on coronavirus economic relief between US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and an adviser to President Donald Trump ended yesterday with no breakthrough.

Ms Pelosi said talks would not resume until the Trump administration agreed to $2.2 trillion in aid.

Ms Pelosi and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spoke by phone for about 25 minutes, the first chance in weeks to resume stalled Covid-19 aid negotiations. But the two sides soon appeared to be as far apart as ever.

"This conversation made clear that the White House continues to disregard the needs of the American people as the coronavirus crisis devastates lives and livelihoods," Ms Pelosi said in a statement following her conversation with Meadows.

"We're willing to come down - meet them in the middle - that would be $2.2 trillion, and when they're ready to do that we'll be ready to discuss and negotiate the particulars," the top Democrat in Congress told reporters.

"But we can't go any less because we have to meet the needs of the American people. We will not shortchange them, we will not nickel and dime them."


12:58 AM

Mexico records more than 6,000 new cases

Mexico's health ministry yesterday reported 6,026 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total in the country to 579,914 cases. It reported the same number of accumulated deaths registered the day before, 62,076.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.


11:54 PM

Children who get severe Covid-19 is "rare", a new study shows

Largest-ever study into coronavirus and children should reassure parents - PA

Parents should be reassured by a new study which shows the proportion of children who get severe Covid-19 is "rare" and death is "vanishingly rare", its authors have said.

In the largest study in the world examining children hospitalised with Covid-19, researchers examined the characteristics of youngsters admitted to hospital and those who have severe disease.

They stressed the absolute risk to children being admitted to hospital is "tiny" and the risk of needing critical care is "even tinier".

While the overall numbers were small, the team were able to identify which children were more likely to need critical care support in hospital - including newborns under the age of one month, children aged 10 to 14, black children and children who are obese.

The new study, published in The BMJ, examined data on children and young people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 across England, Wales and Scotland.


11:17 PM

New studies aim to answer key questions about immunity

Three new UK-wide studies will look at answering key questions on how the immune system interacts with coronavirus, to help fight Covid-19 and develop better diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.

The scientists aim to develop better tests to define immunity and to study the body's immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

They will further investigate why some people suffer from severe life-threatening Covid-19 while others have mild or asymptomatic infections but can still transmit the virus.

The studies will also try to determine when and how immunity persists, or whether people can become reinfected.

Chief Medical Officer for England and the head of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Professor Chris Whitty, said: "Understanding how our immune systems respond to Covid-19 is key to solving some of the important questions about this new disease, including whether those who have had the disease develop immunity and how long this lasts, and why some are more severely affected.


11:04 PM

Today's top stories