England’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance poured cold water on Operation Moon Shot, warning it is “completely wrong” to say that ministers’ proposed mass coronavirus testing regime could allow for a return to semi-normality by Christmas - just minutes after Boris Johnson touted hopes that it could.
Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister tightened England’s coronavirus restrictions, making it illegal from Monday for people to gather in groups larger than six, with some exemptions.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Donald Trump came under fire after it was revealed he had downplayed the potential severity of the virus to ‘avoid panic’.
And case numbers continue to rise around the world - with India reporting 90,802 new confirmed infections in a 24 hour period, the nation’s highest daily spike so far.
