Coronavirus news - live: Recession 'the likes of which we have not seen' looming, Sunak warns, as UK sees highest death toll increase in a week
The Home Office extended its offer of indefinite leave to remain to the bereaved families of NHS support staff after coming under increasing pressure over their exclusion from the scheme.
Priti Patel announced the U-turn moments after a senior medical adviser paid tribute to the contribution of all health workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile the government remains under increasing pressure to abandon plans to reopen schools after admitting that the NHS app would not be ready for the launch of the contact tracing scheme. Several councils have warned their schools are against reopening more widely to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from 1 June amid safety concerns.
In the capital, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to supermarkets and shops urging them to stock face coverings for commuters using the capital's public transport.
And US president Donald Trump has said it is a “badge of honour” that the US has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world as he put it down to the volume of tests being carried out.
Police use drones to detect people infected with coronavirus
Police in Colombia's capital Bogota are using drones to detect people with high temperatures in a bid to trace the spread of coronavirus.
If a drone detects someone with a potential fever it sends the location to a medical team that seeks out the person to determine if they have symptoms of Covid-19, officials said.
"It gives us an approximate body temperature and directs the case to a national system so it can be attended to," said Captain Jorge Humberto Caceres, head of the police drone unit.
The drones can only detect temperatures of people who are out on the street rather than inside their homes.
They are also used to spot those violating the country's coronavirus quarantine.
Bogota - home to some 8 million people - has more than a third of Colombia's 17,000 coronavirus cases. A police officers monitor the drone temperature screenings (Reuters)
Boris Johnson's "ventilator challenge" to British manufacturers failed to produce significant numbers of the devices in time for the peak of the pandemic, leaving the NHS with far fewer than ministers said was necessary.
Amazon tribes turn to traditional remedies amid Brazil outbreak
The Satere-Mawe tribe in a rural area west of Manaus is using its ancestral knowledge of preparations made from native plants to treat symptoms of Covid-19.
They include carapanauba, saracuramira, caferana and saratudo, which are said to have either anti-malarial or anti-inflammatory properties.
More councils advise against schools reopening on 1 June
Some councils, including Sunderland and Rochdale, have suggested they may not follow the Government's time frame while other local authorities have already ruled out reopening on 1 June.
Richard Watts, leader of Islington Council in north London, said on Wednesday that the council did not support rushing to hit an "arbitrary deadline" set by ministers, adding that he recognised the "grave concerns" from parents.
Meanwhile, other local authorities have said a phased approach will be needed next month to minimise safety risks. Sandwell Council in the West Midlands has said not all children in nursery, reception, year one and year six will be able to start "on a full-time basis" from 1 June due to the size of classrooms.
Sefton Council in Merseyside hope to open schools on 15 June.
Authorities in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, have officially banned the eating of all wild animals, it was announced today.
The local administration in the Chinese city said on Wednesday that along with the consumption ban, Wuhan would become a “wildlife sanctuary” where virtually all hunting of wild animals was banned with the exception of measures for ”scientific research, population regulation, monitoring of epidemic diseases and other special circumstances”.
Record number of tests - but only 60,000 people actually tested
The Department of Health has confirmed 60,744 people were tested in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday - although 177,216 tests were carried out in that period.
It is the highest daily number of tests so far, as the government attempts to meet its target of 200,000 by the end of May.
Home Office U-turn after outrage at exclusion of NHS support staff
Here's political editor Andrew Woodcock with the full story on the government's U-turn on the bereavement scheme:
Priti Patel has buckled to pressure for more support for families of migrant NHS cleaners and porters who die in the coronavirus pandemic, after a senior medical adviser hailed their contribution, saying: “There are many, many heroes within the NHS, not just doctors and nurses”.
Bereavement scheme extended to NHS support staff and social care workers
The Home Office has announced it is extending its offer of indefinite leave to remain to the families of social care workers and NHS staff who die of coronavirus.
It comes after criticism from Labour and trade unions that some NHS workers were excluded from the bereavement scheme, as The Independent reported yesterday.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "Every death in this crisis is a tragedy, and sadly some NHS support staff and social care workers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of saving the lives of others.
"When I announced the introduction of the bereavement scheme in April, I said we would continue to work across government to look at ways to offer further support. Today we are extending the scheme to NHS support staff and social care workers.
"We want to ensure families have the support they need and so this will be effective immediately and retrospectively."
First ever commercial flight from UAE to Israel sparks hope and anger
The United Arab Emirates flew a plane loaded with humanitarian supplies to Israel, the first flight by a commercial airline to the country, in a move which may have prompted an angry response by Iran.
Premier League football 'should be on free-to-air TV after restart'
The government are in “ongoing discussions” about making some of the Premier League matches from the remainder of the season available on free-to-air television.
ICYMI: NHS app will not be ready before reopening of schools
A smartphone app for tracking people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients will not be ready for 1 June, when the next stage of the government’s relaxation of lockdown is due to begin, Downing Street has confirmed.
The admission came shortly after Boris Johnson vowed that a "test and trace" scheme using human contact tracers will be operational by the start of next month, when minister how to begin the process of a phased reopening on schools.
Policy denying indefinite leave to remain to NHS cleaners and carers to be kept 'under review'
The policy on indefinite leave to remain for NHS workers would be kept under review after reports that care workers and cleaners had been left out of the scheme which enables families of migrant workers killed by coronavirus to stay in the UK, Mr Dowden said.
He told the press conference: "We do keep that policy under review and we will look further into that case."
Coronavirus could mean the final curtain for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Since his death in 1616, William Shakespeare has continued his awesome run.
But one of the world’s best known venues for staging his work, the in-the-round replica called Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, warned parliament this week that the coronavirus pandemic might bring down the curtain on the iconic forum – not just for now, but forever.
Honours list delayed to reward coronavirus heroes, government announces
The Queen’s birthday honours have been delayed until the autumn, to allow a raft of ‘coronavirus heroes’ to be recognised.
The announcement was made less than a day after Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised almost £33 million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden, was given a knighthood.
Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, also announced ministers would match the funding raised by the BBC’s Big Night In to the tune of £70 million.
Taskforce set up to support arts, sports and digital sectors
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden set out details of the taskforce being set up to help the arts, sports and digital sectors respond to the crisis.
He told the Downing Street press conference: "Finding creative, crowd-free ways to navigate coronavirus is the biggest challenge for our recreation and leisure sectors right now."
The taskforce will involve former footballer Alex Scott, former BBC and ITV chairman Lord Grade, English National Ballet artistic director Tamara Rojo and tech entrepreneur Baroness Lane-Fox.
Mr Dowden said: "Normal life, as we have known it, is still clearly a long way off and the path to get there is a narrow one.
"But these things will return, when it's safe for them to do so, and thanks to the same drive and creativity that makes a great performance or a great piece of art.
"I really think that when they do, and when we have overcome this crisis together, we will appreciate them that much more."
