Here are the coronavirus morning headlines for Tuesday, September 28, as army tanker drivers have been put on standby in preparation to deliver fuel in order to ease the chaos at petrol stations.
The UK Government made the announcement in the face of mounting pressure, with 75 drivers made available. Military drivers will get specialised training in preparation for their deployment while certain HGV licences will be extended to help tackle the issue. You can follow live updates on the situation at petrol stations here.
An extension to ADR driver licences permitting drivers to maximise their available capacity instead of being taken out of circulation for refresher training purposes was also announced.
The move comes after many filling stations ran dry after drivers made a dash for the pumps amid fears a shortage of tanker drivers, caused by a mix of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, would hit supplies.
The UK Government's Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: "While the fuel industry expects demand will return to its normal levels in the coming days, it's right that we take this sensible, precautionary step. The UK continues to have strong supplies of fuel, however we are aware of supply chain issues at fuel station forecourts and are taking steps to ease these as a matter of priority.
"If required, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help ease pressures caused by spikes in localised demand for fuel."
Two year groups sent home as coronavirus cases rise at Welsh school
A headteacher has told parents she has had no choice but to switch some students to remote learning due to an unprecedented rise in Covid cases at her school.
Blackwood Comprehensive School has closed to Year 8 and 9 students following a rise in Covid cases which headteacher Jane Wilkie said is “in sharp contrast to the few we had over the preceding 18 months”.
She informed parents of the news in a letter on Monday morning. Last week a WalesOnline report revealed that in some parts of Wales - including Caerphilly borough - almost half of localised Covid cases were among staff and pupils.
The letter reads: “You may have seen an article in WalesOnline on the weekend which highlighted Blackwood and north Blackwood (Argoed and Markham) as areas in Wales with over 1,200 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people.
“This has directly impacted our school community where we have seen an increasing number of positive cases since our return in September. This is in sharp contrast to the few we had over the preceding 18 months.”
Travel rules in Wales are changed
The Welsh Government has confirmed it will match the UK Government's latest travel rule changes - but is still to make a decision on testing rules.
Boris Johnson announced that the green and amber travel lists will be merged into one and removed the requirement for pre-departure testing for those fully vaccinated.
Until now even arrivals from green list countries have had to take a pre-departure test as well as a PCR test on or before day two of their arrival back in the UK but did not need to quarantine in the event of a negative test result.
In England, day two PCR tests will be replaced with a lateral flow test, according to a UK Government announcement made on September 17.
From October 4, the traffic light system changes, as does testing requirements so that fully vaccinated travels do not need to take a pre-departure test. Then, from the end of October adults who are fully vaccinated and those with an approved vaccine from a selected group of non-red countries can instead take a lateral flow test.
The Welsh Government has now said it will bring in the same changes to the traffic light system and pre-departure tests. But it is still to announce whether it will also scrap the PCR requirement and is calling on the UK Government to reverse its decision.
On Monday, it said green and amber travel lists will be merged into one and the requirement for pre-departure testing for those fully vaccinated will be removed. Read more here.
Britons 'expect' fourth lockdown
A new survey has found that half of Britons believe a fourth national lockdown will be imposed over the winter. The majority believe there will be a 'significant rise' in Covid-19 infections in the coming months. A poll for the i newspaper by Redfield and Wilton Strategies suggests that three in five voters would back any decision to lock down the country for a fourth time - even though politicians have said they will go to any lengths to avoid doing so.
Parents warned of hoax vaccine letters sent to schools
NHS England medical director for Covid immunisation Dr Jonathan Leach has warned parents of hoax Covid vaccine letters following reports of misinformation being sent to schools.
Three million UK children aged 12-15 are now eligible to receive a first jab as part of a programme, which began on September 20 and will be delivered primarily within schools in England. Read more about the vaccine programme in Wales here.
Some headteachers have reportedly been targeted by letters that include a "consent checklist" under a false NHS logo, which they are asked to share with pupils.
After one parent shared a "checklist" on Twitter, Dr Leach replied: "Just to confirm that this is not a legitimate NHS form."
Earlier in September, the UK Health Security Agency said it was aware that some schools had received campaign letters and emails with "misinformation" about the vaccine programme, after ministers agreed to allow the age group a first jab.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi on Monday noted vaccination was not mandatory and remained a personal choice, but was critical of those who have abused and threatened school staff.
"As Education Secretary, I want teachers and students to know that I will always stand up for them and tackle harassment head on, so teachers can do their vital jobs safely and children can get the education they deserve - regardless of choices made over vaccination," Mr Zahawi wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
New rules in Northern Ireland announced
New coronavirus rules for Northern Ireland have been decided. At a meeting late on Monday evening, ministers there agreed to end social distancing restrictions for shops, theatres and a number of other indoor settings. But guidance to business and venue owners could be increased to lessen the impact of a return to full capacity.
A statement from the Executive said: "With furlough due to end in a few days we are very aware of the financial burden on businesses that aren’t yet able to operate at full capacity due to the current social distancing restrictions and the very real concerns of those people whose jobs are at risk.
"The Executive has today considered the existing regulations and has agreed to remove the legal requirement to socially distance in retail and indoor visitor attractions. We ask that those responsible for these venues, and those attending them, continue to utilise all other available mitigations such as hand sanitising, good ventilation, and using one way systems where possible. The wearing of a face covering remains a legal requirement in these settings."
Meanwhile, more than 440,000 applied for the High Street Voucher scheme when it official opened on Monday. It gives people over the age of 18 £100 to spend in any "bricks and mortar" business in Northern Ireland before November 30.
US President gets Covid-19 booster shot
President Joe Biden has received his Covid-19 booster shot, days after federal regulators recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans age 65 or older.
"The most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated," Mr Biden said before getting the booster, adding that he did not have side effects after his first or second shots.
Mr Biden, 78, got his first shot on December 21 and his second dose three weeks later, on January 11, along with his wife, Jill Biden.
It was not immediately clear whether the first lady, who is 70, would also receive the booster dose on Monday.
Speaking on Friday after the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration authorised the Pfizer booster, Mr Biden told reporters, "It's hard to acknowledge I'm over 65, but I'll be getting my booster shot."
Mr Biden emerged as a champion of booster doses in the summer, as the US experienced a sharp rise in coronavirus cases from the more transmissible Delta variant.
About 100 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 through the Pfizer shot. US regulators recommend getting the boosters at least six months after the second shot of the initial two-dose series.
New York may use National Guard to replace unvaccinated healthcare workers
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering employing the National Guard and out-of-state medical workers to fill hospital staffing shortages with tens of thousands of workers possibly losing their jobs for not meeting a Monday deadline for mandated Covid-19 vaccination.
The plan outlined in a statement would allow her to declare a state of emergency to increase the supply of healthcare workers to include listed professionals from other states and country as well as retired nurses.
Japan set to lift all virus emergency steps
Japan is set to lift all coronavirus emergency measures when they expire later this week as the infections slow and the nation tries to reactivate its economy. Officials in charge of coronavirus measures sought advice from experts at a meeting on Tuesday, with some experts favouring a partial easing of restrictions first.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce a lifting of the emergency and subsequent plans later on Tuesday. If all measures are lifted, Japan will be entirely free of any emergency requirement for the first time since April. Government officials are preparing for the relaxed restrictions by instituting other plans such as vaccine passports and virus tests. The emergency and other measures in all 27 prefectures expire at the end of September.
Restrictions in New Zealand starting to ease
New Zealand is relaxing travel restrictions in Auckland six weeks after the nation's most populous city was locked down due to the coronavirus.
People will now be able to cross the city boundary if they are permanently relocating, have shared caring-giving arrangements or are returning home. Those leaving Auckland on care-giving trips will have to be tested for the virus within a week of their departure.
The country is also set to allow small numbers of vaccinated travellers to isolate at home instead of in state-run quarantine facilities as part of a phased approach to re-opening its borders, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
The pilot project starting next month will be open to 150 people, who must by New Zealand citizens or residents and are full vaccinated.
"While this is a pilot, it gives you a sense of where we intend to go on our borders," Ardern said, adding that the government was working on a wide range of options for allowing people back in safely.
Plans to gradually re-open Sydney revealed
Australian authorities announced plans on Monday to gradually reopen locked-down Sydney, unveiling a two-tiered system that will give citizens inoculated for Covid-19 more freedoms than their unvaccinated neighbours for several weeks.
Movement restrictions across New South Wales, the country's most populous state and home to Sydney, will be lifted gradually between October 11 and December 1 as vaccination rates push through 70%, 80% and 90%.
However, people who are not fully inoculated will be barred from joining the vaccinated to resume community sports, dining out, shopping and other activities until the final date.
Meanwhile, the state of Victoria recorded more coronavirus infections than New South Wales for the first time since an outbreak of the delta variant began in Sydney in June.
Victoria, where Melbourne has been in lockdown since August 5, reported 867 new virus cases and four deaths from Covid-19 in the latest 24-hour period to Tuesday. It was the highest daily numbers of infections and deaths in Victoria for the latest outbreak.
New South Wales, where Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26, reported 863 new infections on Tuesday and seven deaths.
Rowdy scenes in Norway as restrictions lifted
Police in Norway reported dozens of disturbances and violent clashes including mass brawls in the Nordic country's big cities after streets, bars, restaurants and nightclubs were filled with people celebrating the end of Covid-19 restrictions that lasted for more than a year.
The Norwegian government abruptly announced Friday that most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions would be scrapped on Saturday and that life in the nation of 5.3 million would return to normal.
The unexpected announcement by outgoing Prime Minister Erna Solberg to drop coronavirus restrictions the next day took many Norwegians by surprise and led to chaotic scenes in the capital, Oslo, and elsewhere in the country.
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