Boris Johnson is set to make face coverings compulsory in shops and other indoor venues as the government indicated further relaxation of lockdown restrictions.
The prime minister said he was looking at ways of being “stricter” about masks as the culture secretary announced gyms, sports facilities and beauty salons will be allowed to reopen in England later this month.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation warned the coronavirus pandemic had still not reached its peak, with the organisation’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying the virus is not under control “in most of the world” and is in fact “getting worse”.
It comes as quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of 76 countries are relaxed from Friday.
Follow the latest updates
Beauty salons and nail bars to reopen next week
Beauticians, tattooists, spas, tanning salons, and other close contact services can reopen from Monday 13 July in England, Harriet Hall and Sophie Gallagher report.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden made the announcement at the Downing Street briefing, saying it was “subject to some restrictions on particularly high-risk services”. Mr Dowden said the announcement symbolised “normal life is slowly returning.”
“Having allowed hairdressers to reopen, beauticians, tattooists, spas, tanning salons and other close contact services can now do the same, I’m pleased to say, from Monday,” Oliver Dowden told the Downing Street press conference.
“Of course that will be subject to some restrictions on particularly high-risk services.”
Pandemic has still not reached its peak, WHO warns, and is 'getting worse'
The World Health Organisation has warned the coronavirus pandemic has still not reached its peak.
The director general of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the virus is not under control "in most of the world" and is in fact "getting worse".
Dr Ghebreyesus said the total number of cases of coronavirus worldwide has doubled in the last six weeks.
Speaking at the member state briefing on the Covid-19 pandemic evaluation, he said: "The virus has upended health systems in some of the world's wealthiest nations, while some countries that have mounted a successful response have been of modest means.
"We know that when countries take a comprehensive approach based on fundamental public health measures - such as find, isolate, test and treat cases, and trace and quarantine contacts - the outbreak can be brought under control.
"But in most of the world the virus is not under control. It is getting worse.
"More than 11.8 million cases of Covid-19 have now been reported to WHO. More than 544,000 lives have been lost.
"And the pandemic is still accelerating. The total number of cases has doubled in the last six weeks."
Quarantine rules for UK visits to be relaxed
Quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from certain countries will be relaxed from Friday.
But while Labour welcomed the relaxation of the quarantine, it criticised the government for failing to set up so-called air bridges to other countries.
Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said workers and holidaymakers were paying the price of the government's failure to act.
He added: "The fact they have been unable to negotiate air bridges is an indictment of their failure to tackle the crisis at home.
"They were too slow to take lockdown, too slow to order PPE (personal protective equipment) and too slow to protect our country.
"Labour has consistently called for a sectoral deal that supports the whole aviation industry including the supply chain based on our six conditions.
"Tory ministers have failed to act and workers are paying the price and trips are being cancelled."
Coronavirus accelerates shopping decline
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said the businesses which announced job cuts this week had reported that coronavirus had accelerated shopping trends that were already in place.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "I think if you look carefully at the statements of the businesses which have been announcing those big consultations, which I know from talking to the leaders of those companies how difficult the decisions are in any sort of job losses, is that actually what they are saying is that a lot of that is acceleration of transformation trends which were already under way.
"So what the crisis has done is really forced people to look so carefully at the structure of their businesses, particularly those who have a strong digital presence, and seeing what the balance is between the number of stores and the investment in digital and reducing potentially the number of stores.
"Where the focus for the Chancellor needs to be is standing ready, staying open to what any future support might look like."
She said business rates needed to be addressed in the long term, and that the sector hoped the loosening of lockdown restrictions on hospitality would help boost retail further.
'Balance' needed between allowing family visits and protecting care home residents
Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said a "balance" needed to be struck between allowing family visits and protecting care home residents from further coronavirus outbreaks following the decision to loosen visit restrictions.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Families are a really important part of care delivery but at the same time you have to be really, really cautious because, as people know, care homes have been really badly affected during this pandemic.
"People living in care homes are probably at the highest risk, so if there is an outbreak of Covid-19, it has serious and very tragic consequences so I think we have to balance the need for people to engage with their relatives and families but also we have a responsibility for the protection and safety of the people in care homes.
"I think treating people as key workers, making sure there is regular testing available - also with some new tests that might be available shortly which are going to be much quicker to get results, that may also help.
"We also need some clear guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care and in fact we've been waiting for that for over a month."
Prof Green said the sector was told that guidance from the department for visiting older people in care homes was "on its way" a month ago.
Boris Johnson to reject place on EU's vaccine scheme
Boris Johnson has sparked accusations of putting Brexit before health by rejecting an invitation to join an EU scheme to procure a coronavirus vaccine, deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports.
The UK is expected to tell Brussels that it fears signing up would risk a delay before people in this country could receive a vaccine in the quantities needed.
Ministers have concerns about a cap on the number of doses allocated to each member state – and will argue pharmaceutical companies are offering the UK similar prices to EU countries anyway.
However, a committee of MPs revealed this week that participation was threatened by the UK's refusal to pay increased budget contributions to Brussels during 2020.
And the move will be seen by some as a gamble that will backfire if the EU secures access to a successful vaccine then denied to the UK.
More than one in five have noticed vision get worse over lockdown
More than one in five Britons have noticed their vision get worse over lockdown, a study has found.
According to a survey of 2,000 people conducted by the College of Optometrists, 22% of people reported their eyesight had noticeably deteriorated since the nation first went into lockdown in March.
A third of those surveyed - and a higher proportion in those aged between 18 and 34 at 42% - believe the problems with their eyesight stem from spending more time in front of their TV and computer screens while shut in at home.
Dr Susan Blakeney, optometrist and clinical adviser for the college, said anyone who held concerns over their vision should not hesitate in contacting a medical professional.
"It is very important that if your vision has deteriorated or if you are experiencing a red or painful eye you should telephone your local optometrist," she said.
"They will be able to arrange a telephone consultation to help you get to the bottom of your problems and if needed they will arrange a face to face consultation."
One in three employees plan to continue working from home after lockdown
Almost one in three employees plan to continue working from home after the lockdown ends, often for environmental reasons, new research suggests.
The sudden change in lifestyle due to the coronavirus crisis has been an "environmental wake-up call" for many, said finance firm Halifax.
Its survey of 3,000 adults found that two in five said they had become more aware of climate change in recent months.
Three out of five said they did not expect things to ever go back to normal, and most were hopeful the world can make real changes to tackle the climate emergency.
Four out of five of those surveyed believed remote working was a solution to reducing emissions but the report said this may do more harm than good in homes with low energy efficiency rates.
Bolivia's president and Venezuela's number two official test positive for coronavirus
Bolivia's interim president and Venezuela's number two official have tested positive for coronavirus, days after Brazil's president was hit by the pandemic.
The infections in Venezuela, Brazil and Bolivia, which is seeing a spike in cases, come after Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez tested positive in June and was briefly treated in hospital.
Three Cabinet ministers in the administration of Bolivian leader Jeanine Anez have also tested positive for the virus, including health minister Eidy Roca and presidency minister Yerko Nunez.
Jeanine Anez said she will remain in isolation for 14 days when another test will be done, but she will continue to work remotely from the presidential residence.
"I feel good, I feel strong," she wrote on her Twitter account.
Bolivia's Health Ministry said the country has 42,984 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,577 deaths, and is seeing an increase in the number of new cases amid reports that hospitals are being overwhelmed in some regions.
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello revealed that he had tested positive for Covid-19, making him the highest-ranking leader in the South American nation to come down with the virus so far.
Mr Cabello is considered the second-most powerful person in Venezuela after president Nicolas Maduro and made the announcement on Twitter, stating that he is isolated, getting treatment and will overcome the illness.
"We will win!" he wrote.
At least 16 homeless people die of coronavirus in one month
The deaths of 16 homeless people involving coronavirus were registered in England between March 26 and June 26 2020, the Office for National Statistics has identified.
The statistics body said the figure in its data may be an underestimate of the true number of homeless people who have died with the virus.
It defined people as homeless who were sleeping rough, using homeless shelters and direct access hostels, or housed in emergency accommodation due to the pandemic at or around the time of death.
The 16 death certificates, mainly for homeless men, mentioned Covid-19 either as an underlying cause or a contributory factor.
Three in 10 young people cut off from their pre-pandemic mental health support, survey finds
Almost one-third of young people who were receiving mental health support before the coronavirus pandemic are no longer able to get help, a survey suggests.
Around half of 2,036 13- to 25-year-olds surveyed by YoungMinds were accessing mental health support in some form during the three months leading up to the crisis.
This includes from the NHS, school and university counsellors, charities, private providers and helplines.
Of these, 31 per cent said they could no longer access support but still needed it – a 5-per-cent rise from March.
Serbia removed from list of non-quarantine countries
Serbia is being removed from a list of where people returning to or visiting England can avoid quarantine, on the day the new rules come into force.
The UK government announced that the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England have "updated their coronavirus assessments of Serbia based on the latest data".
Serbia was included on a list of 76 countries and territories from which people arriving into England will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days from Friday.
The list included popular destinations such as Spain, Germany, France and Italy, but Portugal was one of the notable omissions.
The Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive decided to follow the same approach, but the Scottish Government produced a list of just 39 countries not including Spain or Serbia.
Falling infection rate cannot be taken for granted, culture minister says
Culture minister Caroline Dinenage said while the infection rate is falling that cannot be taken for granted.
She was asked, following comments by WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the pandemic is still accelerating globally, whether she was worried about people returning to gyms.
She told Times Radio: "Well, we have been worried. That's why we haven't taken this step until now, and when gyms do reopen it will be with quite strict 'Covid-secure' guidelines, you know things like limiting the number of people that can use the facility at any one time, spacing out the equipment, proper ventilation and enhanced cleaning.
"So we're really sort of doing everything we can to get the economy back up and running, but doing it in a way that is safe for people.
"Our infection rate is coming down but we can't take that for granted, we need to move at a pace that's going to keep people safe."
Asked why people are not being asked to wear masks in gyms, she said: "Because the scientific guidance we've got is that all these measures we've asked them (gyms) to put in place, particularly around the ventilation, and the enhanced distancing, we think is sufficient.
"Although of course people can wear masks if they want to."
Decision on whether to make face masks mandatory in shops under review
Culture minister Caroline Dinenage said the decision on whether to make face masks mandatory in shops would be kept under review following the Scottish government's new guidance for the retail sector.
When asked whether ministers had considered making face coverings mandatory for shoppers, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Yes of course, and they are mandatory on public transport.
"But we have said face coverings in closed spaces is advised but people can use their own discretion - but of course we will keep this under review.
"This is a topic upon which scientists tend to have rather different views so we are looking at it as new scientific studies emerge."
Does obesity make coronavirus more deadly?
Following his admittance to intensive care with coronavirus in April, prime minister Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing a more “interventionist” drive to tackle UK obesity in the ongoing and long-term fight against Covid-19, Sophie Gallagher writes.
On 10 July, a report in The Times suggested Mr Johnson would ban supermarket promotions of unhealthy food and introduce a 9pm watershed for unhealthy food advertisements.
Mr Johnson is convinced his Covid-condition became more serious because of his weight – said to be 17.5 stone at the time he was taken to hospital, according to a separate report on 15 May.
This is not the most time the severity of coronavirus has been linked to a patient’s weight – when asked about the British death toll compared to other European nations, health secretary Matt Hancock said “the age profile and factors like obesity” should be accounted for – but does being overweight or obese actually change your prognosis?
Not one person fined in England or Wales for breaching quarantine rules
Not a single person has been fined by police in England and Wales for breaching quarantine rules after arriving from abroad, new figures show.
Just 10 tickets were handed out to passengers for not wearing face coverings on public transport, according to the data released by the National Police Chiefs' Council on Friday.
The figures come as quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of countries, including popular holiday destinations, were relaxed from Friday.
The 14-day self-isolation policy for UK arrivals, bar a handful of exemptions, was introduced on June 8, with breaches punishable of fines of between £100 and £1,000.
It was met with fierce criticism over the impact on the UK's travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
The NPCC said: "Up to June 22, no fines were issued by territorial forces in England and Wales for breaches of the requirement to quarantine following international travel."
The figures do not include fines given by Border Force, who have issued three penalties.
WHO sends advance team to China to investigate origins of coronavirus
An advance team from the World Health Organization (WHO) has left for China to organise an investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus which sparked the pandemic, a spokesperson has said.
The two WHO experts, specialists in animal science and epidemiology, will work with Chinese scientists to determine the scope and itinerary of the investigation, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a UN briefing.
"They are gone, they are in the air now, they are the advance party to work out the scope," she said.
The WHO will have no role in an independent panel, announced on Thursday, to review the global handling of pandemic, Ms Harris said, adding: "From now on it is completely hands off".
Italy likely to extend state of emergency
Italy will likely extend a state of emergency beyond its current deadline of July 31 due to the new coronavirus crisis, prime minister Giuseppe Conte has announced.
"The possible extension simply means that we are in a position to continue taking the necessary measures" to face the epidemic, Mr Conte said, speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony in Venice.
Italy declared a six-month state of emergency at the end of January, allowing the government to cut through red tape quickly if needed, after two Chinese tourists tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first cases detected in the country.
Employers should now always offer working from home as option, Matt Hancock says
Working from home where possible should continue beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and become the new “norm”, health secretary Matt Hancock has said, Matt Mathers reports.
Millions of people across the UK have continued working from home following further easing of lockdown restriction, something all “good employers” should accommodate moving forward.
Managers and workers alike have cited increased leisure time due to not having to commute, money saved on train and buses fares and improved wellbeing as some of the benefits of not having to travel to the office five days per week.
Official government guidance remains that “reasonable steps should be taken” by employers to help employees work from home.
“I definitely think it should be the norm where possible,” Hancock said in a webchat with members of women’s club AllBright. “We need to persuade people that allowing flexible working should continue. This is a change that is never going to go away.”
