Boris Johnson has touted what he called the UK’s “massive success” in driving down coronavirus deaths, on the day it was revealed England had the worst excess mortality rate in Europe between January and June. Fatalities were “well down” since that period, the PM said.
It came after doctors urged the government to take stronger action to prevent a second wave of coronavirus ravaging the UK. The British Medical Association chief told The Independentministers’ mixed messaging and lack of a “systemic approach” to Covid-19 was behind a recent rise in cases.
Officials have now said people with Covid-19 symptoms in the UK must self-isolate for 10 days, up from seven, while restrictions limiting socialising across different households indoors have been introduced in areas of the north of England.
Meanwhile Luxembourg has joined the list of countries where the UK will require those who return to quarantine for a period of two weeks. The measure is espected to be imposed from midnight tonight.
UK 'not doing enough' to prevent second wave
The government is not doing everything it should to stop a second wave of coronavirus from hitting the UK, the British Medical Association’s top doctor has warned, write Jon Stone and Andrew Woodcock.
The intervention comes as Boris Johnson pointed the finger at Europe and said “swift” action was being taken to prevent localised outbreaks identified on the continent spreading back to the UK.
However, epidemiologists told The Independent that the government’s own policy failures would likely play a part in an “inevitable” increased infection rate in the UK – which still has a higher death ratio than most of its neighbours.
Hancock on second wave fears
The health secretary tells Sky News: "I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and we've got to do everything we can to prevent it reaching these shores.
"The measures that the chief medical officer will set out later [on self-isolation] are part of that, but so too are measures that we're taking, for instance, to ensure that we don't directly bring cases back to this country where there's a big spike."
Mr Hancock cites Spain as an example. "We keep those quarantine rules under review all of the time," he adds.
"Around the rest of the world, outside Europe, there are clearly very sharp increases in the number of cases in places like Brazil, Mexico, India and other places."
Hancock on extending self-isolation to 10 days
Is it true the government will extend the self-isolation period for people in England with symptoms?
Mr Hancock tells Sky News: "This is a decision that's clinically led, the chief medical officer will be setting out details later today.
"I can't steal his thunder, but what I will say is that we will always do what is necessary to protect people."
That's a yes, then.
R rate rise
Questioned on Sky News about whether the R rate has risen above one in southwest and southeast England - meaning the virus would be growing exponentially again in those areas - Mr Hancock declines to "prejudge" a statistical release due tomorrow.
He says: "We have seen that the number of cases, which was coming down pretty sharply, that has flattened off, the number of people who have positive cases.
"And we follow these things very, very closely.
"I think you can see from what I'm saying that we have significant concerns about the second wave that is coming across Europe."
Another yes, then.
'Behavioural fatigue' justification for late lockdown not backed by science
Claims that the coronavirus lockdown should be introduced as late as possible to ensure people would not grow fatigued with the restrictions on their daily lives were not backed up by the government’s behavioural scientists, a member of the expert group has said, writes Vincent Wood.
In press conferences running up to the day Boris Johnson announced the nation would have to stay in their homes, government officials repeatedly said "behavioural fatigue" was one of the reasons it made sense to put off bringing in restrictions.
Record rise in Ukraine
Ukraine has reported a record daily high of 1,197 new coronavirus infections.
The figure for 29 July follows a sharp increase over the past two months, following the gradual lifting of restrictions that began in late May.
Maxym Stepanov, the health minister, said 248 people had been admitted to hospital over the past day - also a record high figure.
Ukraine's total cases reached 68,794, including 1,673 deaths and 38,154 recovered, as of today.
A nationwide lockdown until 31 August. People are required to wear masks and employ social distancing in restaurants and public places.
However, regional administrations can make changes if suitable.
Dr Anthony Fauci warns of virus 'resurgence'
No changes to quarantine yet, says Hancock
The government is not going to change its quarantine arrangements in the next few days, Matt Hancock has said.
He told BBC Breakfast that ministers were investigating whether testing people during their 14-day isolation could allow them to be released earlier.
The "big scientific challenge" with testing people at the border was that you "can incubate this disease for many days without displaying any symptoms, and that wouldn't show up in a test", the health secretary said.
He added: "So if people get off a plane coming from somewhere that has a high degree of disease and therefore they have to quarantine, if you get the test, and the test result comes back negative, you could still have the disease, you're just incubating it."
Mr Hancock said he was not against testing people at the border but more work was needed on the timing of Covid-19 tests to make them effective.
Anti-mask Republican catches Covid-19
A Texas Republican who has refused to wear a mask while walking through the halls of Congress and attending high-profile hearings with members of the White House administration tested positive for Covid-19, writes Chris Riotta.
Louie Gohmert, who just attended a congressional hearing with William Barr, the attorney general, on Tuesday, tested positive for coronavirus while being screened during a White House procedure on Wednesday morning.
UK could impose quarantine on more countries within days
Britain may impose quarantine measures on people arriving from certain countries within days, Matt Hancock has warned - without specifying which countries.
Asked in a BBC radio interview whether it was possible that in the next few days the quarantine list might be updated, Mr Hancock replied: "Yes. We just have to be realistic about the fact that these things change, because the pandemic changes in other countries."
Poland mulls quarantines after spikes in France and Spain
Poland may reinstate quarantine measures for people returning home from some countries, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, after recent data revealed a spike in coronavirus infections.
Piotr Muller told private broadcaster Polsat News that Spain and France were of particular concern.
Poland is also experiencing a new rise in infections. On Saturday the number hit 584, the second-highest daily tally since the beginning of the pandemic.
The health ministry blamed the rise mainly on outbreaks in coal mines.
On Wednesday the ministry reported 512 new cases, bringing the total to 44,416. So far there have been 1,694 documented deaths from Covid-19 in Poland..
New daily record in India
India has logged 52,123 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, marking the first time the tally has topped 50,000 in a day.
The country's overall total infections was 1,583,792 on Thursday.
A further 775 deaths were reported by the health ministry, taking total fatalities to 34,968.
More than 1 million people have recovered.
Wear a mask or you'll be kicked out, Pelosi warns
Nancy Pelosi has said lawmakers will be thrown out of the House of Representatives if they refuse to wear a mask, after the US recorded more than 150,000 coronavirus cases, writes Matt Mathers.
Under new regulations announced on Wednesday, representatives must wear a mask at all times while in the chamber, removing it only to address the house. Face coverings may be removed temporarily in office buildings to eat, drink, hold meetings and do interviews.
Australia's Victoria to make masks mandatory
The state of Victoria will make wearing face masks compulsory after a record 723 new coronavirus infections were reported on Thursday.
Masks have been mandatory in the state capital Melbourne and a neighboring semi-rural district for the past week. Victoria Ppremier Daniel Andrews said the measure would be extended statewide from Sunday.
The 723 new cases and a daily record 13 deaths exceeded the previous record of 532 cases posted on Monday.
"We've got to be careful not to slip into some idea that there's some golden immunity that Australia has in relation to this virus," prime minister Scott Morrison told reporters.
Victoria's new infections have seeded outbreaks in other areas, including Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, which reported 18 new cases.
Japan bracing for Covid-19 spike as Abe launches tourism initiative
Japan is preparing for a surge in the number of coronavirus infections after new daily cases exceeded 1,000 for the first time, a week after the start of a national travel campaign to revive the tourism industry.
National broadcaster NHK tallied 1,264 new cases on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record of 981.
Infections are spreading rapidly not only in Tokyo but also elsewhere including remote islands.
Northern Japan's Iwate prefecture, which had previously been the only Covid-free region, registered its first cases on Wednesday.
The southern island of Okinawa, where the US military maintains a large presence, had 44 infections - another new record and the third in three days.
Shinzo Abe's government launched a national travel campaign on 22 July that aimed to revive a battered tourism industry, despite rising infections.
England had Europe's highest excess deaths
England suffered the highest number of excess deaths during the coronavirus pandemic out of any country in Europe, the Office for National Statistics has said, writes Jon Stone.
German economy stutters
A fall in Germany's economic output in the second quarter because of coronavirus wiped out nearly 10 years of economic growth in adjusted terms, the statistics office said on Thursday.
The GDP index adjusted for inflation, seasonal and calendar effects decreased to 94.26 in the second quarter, the office said.
"Most recently, the chain index was lower at 93.19 in the fourth quarter of 2010, so that's roughly 10 years ago."
Coronavirus self-isolation period extended
People in England who have Covid-19 symptoms must now isolate for 10 days, up from seven, health officials have announced.
Hundreds freed from jail without address to go to
Hundreds of people have been released from prisons in England and Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic without a known address to go to, figures reveal.
The Ministry of Justice said a total of 6,961 offenders had been freed from custody between 1 May and 8 June this year.
Of those, 947 were identified as homeless on their first night out of custody; 98 of them were aged between 18 and 24.
A total of 209 of those offenders were identified as sleeping rough - of whom 20 were young offenders.
Of the total number of offenders released during the period, the accommodation circumstances of 880 offenders was not known.
Brexit and Covid-19 take toll on UK car industry
The British car industry has endured a “grim” six months, its worst since 1954, the year that postwar rationing ended, writes Sean O'Grady.
According to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the main industry body, some 381,357 vehicles were churned out of British factories between January and the end of June, about 40 per cent lower than the equivalent period last year. The industry is now in its fourth successive year of decline.
Even if there is no second wave of coronavirus to shut down factories once again, British car production in 2020 will only recover to about a half of last year’s figure, at 880,000 or so. Many companies have announced job losses, including Bentley Motors, Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan, and the SMMT expects many more to follow.
