Thousands of people defied social-distancing rules to attend two illegal “quarantine raves” on Saturday night, prompting fears they will be spreading the coronavirus in the community.
About 4,000 people turned up for one event in Greater Manchester, where a 20-year-old man died from a suspected drug overdose, and a woman was raped at the other rave, which had 2,000 party-goers.
Police condemned the mass gatherings, and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said those who went were irresponsible and should be ashamed.
Another 36 deaths of people with the virus in the UK have been recorded, in the lowest daily rise since lockdown began on 24 March.
The fall in cases has given the government "more margin for manoeuvre" in easing the two-metre social-distancing rule, Boris Johnson has said.
However, in China, where a fresh outbreak has emerged, Beijing officials confirmed the country’s highest daily total of coronavirus cases in two months.
Government could overrule scientific advisers and relax two-metre distancing rule, Chancellor says
Tory MPs fear the safety rule is hurting businessesChina has reported its biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases in two months after closing the biggest wholesale food market in Beijing and locking down nearby residential communities.
Officials confirmed eight new cases in the first seven hours of Sunday.
The Xinfadi market on Beijing's southeastern side was closed on Saturday after more than 50 people in the capital tested positive. They were the first confirmed cases in 50 days in the city of 20 million people.
China, where the pandemic began in December, had relaxed most of its anti-virus controls after the Communist Party declared victory over the disease in March.
Iran recorded 2,410 new cases and 71 deaths on Saturday, the health ministry said.
It takes the country's total number of infections to 184,955, and deaths to 8,730.
President Hassan Rouhani warned he would reimpose restrictions to stem a surge in cases if health regulations are not observed.
He blamed the surge on travellers spreading the coronavirus to previously low-risk provinces.
The country fears a second wave of the pandemic as lockdown measures have been eased.
Passengers are told to wear masks throughout the flight, and must ask permission before using the aircraft toilet, writes Simon Calder:
Animal baby boom at zoo after people disappear
Peacocks, ostriches and baboons have had more babies than usual at a Palestinian zoo during the closure as nature took its course free from human distractions.
Fifteen animals were born at the tiny Qalqilya Zoo in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during the two months that it shut its doors to visitors - three times more than usual, zoo officials said.
It might seem a bit unusual for a millennial to admit being a Christian, says Helen Coffey, but having a faith family is unlike anything else:
Thousands of people are thought to have attended illegal 'quarantine raves' in Manchester.
One event, at a beauty spot, ended with rubbish strewn over a country park.
Empty bottles, nitrous oxide canisters and plastic bags were left strewn across Daisy Nook Country Park in Oldham.
At the rave in Carrington in Trafford, empty beer crates, glass bottles and silver canisters covered the grass.
A sign reading 'quarantine rave' was left there, and residents launched a huge clean-up operation.
Footage from one of two "quarantine raves" in Manchester shows crowds of hundreds of people close together in defiance of social-distancing rules.
On social media, those attending were branded "selfish and stupid" and accused of prolonging the virus and the lockdowns for everyone.
A 20-year-old man has died from a suspected drug overdose following a rave in Greater Manchester attended by around 4,000 people, police say. The man had attended a gathering in Droylsden, according to Greater Manchester Police.
Boris Johnson has said that "probably" fewer than one in a thousand people was now infected with coronavirus, allowing "more margin for manoeuvre" in easing the two-metre rule.
"As we get the numbers down, so it becomes one in a thousand, one in sixteen hundred, maybe fewer, your chances of being two metres, one metre or even a foot away from somebody who has the virus are obviously going down statistically, so you start to build some more margin for manoeuvre, and we'll be looking at that and keeping it under constant review," he said.
The prime minister also said people should be able to "shop with confidence" when non-essential stores reopen in England tomorrow.
On a visit to the Westfield shopping centre in east London, he said he hoped to see a "gradual" build-up in numbers of people returning to the high street.
"I am very optimistic about the opening up that is going to happen tomorrow," he said. "I think people should shop and shop with confidence, but they should of course observe the rules on social distancing and do it as safely as possible."
Rave-goers have been warned they are risking spreading the virus, as police chiefs urged people to take personal responsibility for their actions.
"These raves were illegal, and I condemn them taking place - they were clearly a breach of coronavirus legislation and guidelines, and have had tragic consequences," said Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes.
"Coronavirus is still a threat, and we will continue to engage with people to encourage them to take some personal responsibility and do the right thing.
"Ultimately we need the people of Greater Manchester to join together and demonstrate the spirit that they have previously shown in the face of hard times."
Mr Sykes added that violence towards police at the Carrington rave was "absolutely not acceptable and will not be tolerated".
Around 4,000 people attended one event in Droylsden, according to Greater Manchester Police.
Nearby, in Carrington, there were reports of three separate stabbings at a 2,000-strong party.
European countries lift border restrictions
Europe is taking a big step toward a new normality as many countries open borders to fellow Europeans after three months of lockdowns.
Spain will reopen its borders to visitors from Europe's passport-free Schengen travel area a week today, bringing forward the original date by 10 days, the prime minister has announced.
The country will also drop its requirement for people arriving from abroad to stay in quarantine for 14 days on arrival, Pedro Sanchez said.
However, the border between Spain and Portugal will remain closed to non-essential crossings until 1 July.
Spain's government had already announced that on Sunday it would end the nation's state of emergency.
Tourists to Europe from the US, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East will just have to wait for now.
Italy opened its borders on 3 June. Germany, like France and others, is also lifting remaining border checks tomorrow and scrapping a requirement that arrivals must prove they have a good reason to enter.
Another 36 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, government figures suggest.
It is the UK's lowest daily death toll since lockdown began.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that in all, 41,698 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community, as of 5pm on Saturday.
The real figure - taken by adding together separate official statistics from national authorities - is thought to be much higher.
Boris Johnson said ministers were constantly looking at the evidence to see when it would be safe to ease the two-metre distancing rule.
Speaking during a visit to the Westfield shopping centre in east London to highlight the reopening of non-essential shops, he said people should be able to "shop with confidence" as they returned to the high street.
Daily deaths attributed to the pandemic spiked above 100 in Iran for the first time in two months amid signs of a resurgence of the contagion following an easing of lockdown measures. Borzou Daragahi reports.
Italy suffers 44 more deaths
Deaths from Covid-19 in Italy have risen by 44, the Civil Protection Agency said. It is the country's lowest daily rise since February.
Italy's total death toll now stands at 34,345, the agency said, the fourth highest in the world after those of the US, Brazil and the UK.
The number of confirmed cases in the country amounts to 236,989, the seventh highest global tally behind the US, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Britain and India.
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