Top story: Crunch time for government’s testing claims
Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and here’s what you need to know today as we reach the end of another week in lockdown.
NHS chiefs are considering taking over the running of the government’s much-trumpeted coronavirus-testing centre from private operators after hospital staff said results had gone missing or people had been sent the wrong ones. In one case, the test centre at Chessington in south-west London, which is being run by the consultancy Deloitte, was unable to ring through with a diagnosis because it hadn’t recorded correct phone numbers. The government says millions of key workers and their families in England could start to book tests online from today as it continues to try to reach its target of 100,000 daily tests by the end of April. A leaked email from Public Health England says there are still not enough tests being done on care home residents. Less than a tenth of the controversial shipment from Turkey has arrived despite the UK’s downpayment, and the son of a hospital doctor who died from Covid-19 says his father had “to beg” for PPE and that his death was avoidable. Meanwhile, the New Zealand nurse who helped treat Boris Johnson has broken her silence to say she didn’t treat him any differently from any other patient.
Doctors have criticised Donald Trump after he suggested people could be cured by having injections of disinfectant (“knocks it out in a minute… One minute!”). He also mooted the idea of treating patients with ultraviolet light. In a more conventional policy response, Trump warned that social distancing guidelines could remain in force until the summer, while we look at what extended isolation might mean in the UK.
Cases worldwide have risen to more than 2.7 million while the death toll is above 190,000, with nearly 50,000 of those in the US. You can catch up on all the key developments overnight at a glance and read more details on our live blog.
There’s more in our Coronavirus Extra section further down … and here’s where you can find all our coverage of the outbreak – from breaking news to factchecks and advice.
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Leak inquiry – Labour is aiming to conclude by July an investigation into the leaking of the report into alleged antisemitism as Keir Starmer tries to unite a party left battered by the contentious issue and election defeat. The report, leaked over the Easter weekend, said efforts to tackle the matter were hindered by opposition to former leader Jeremy Corbyn. But critics, some of whom are on the right of the party, say it was an attempt to smear whistleblowers. Starmer said disciplinary action could be brought against people named in the report who had broken the party’s rules.
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Back to Brexit – Just when you thought it might have gone away, Michel Barnier, the EU’s lead Brexit negotiator, will give an update today on how talks that resumed this week have progressed. The talks were postponed for six weeks due to the coronavirus and have restarted via video-conferencing. But there is frustration in Brussels that the UK is refusing to countenance an extension to the transition period despite the Covid-19 disruption.
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Zoom boom – The growth in online meetings has prompted the newly popular platform Zoom to update its security protocols. The service has been plagued by complaints that meetings can be hacked easily, so-called “Zoom-bombing”. Its boss, Eric Yuan, has hailed a new version with encryption and new privacy controls as part of a 90-day plan to improve security.
Coronavirus Extra
The Muslim festival of Ramadan is usually marked by social gatherings and feasts, but this year’s celebrations – which begin today – promise to be a much more muted affair thanks to the coronavirus restrictions in many countries. The challenges of home schooling in Italy are analysed by the writer Tobias Jones in today’s long read and we also report on a helpline for parents here who might be struggling with the same issue.
The Austrian ski resort called the “Ibiza of the Alps” which was at the centre of a Covid-19 outbreak has emerged from quarantine with news that it is cleaning up its act and aiming for a more upmarket type of apres-ski. And just to prove there is still some cheer in the world, Tom Hanks has sent a letter and a Corona brand typewriter to an Australian boy who wrote to him about being bullied over his name, Corona.
Today in Focus podcast
The biggest health crisis in a generation and the enforced isolation of lockdowns is taking not just a physical toll on people but also affecting mental health. The Guardian’s John Crace discusses his mental health challenges and public health specialist Dr Antonis Kousoulis tells Anushka Asthana what may help.
Lunchtime read: Lucinda Williams on Trump, Adams and Freud
Lucinda Williams, the country music singer, has mined the deepest, darkest wells of the human soul for four decades to amass a peerless body of work. On her latest album, Good Souls, she adds politics into the mix and tells Laura Snapes why she has written about Trump (“I’m frustrated and angry”), her horror at discussing it with Trump-voting fans (“so incongruous”), the harassment case of her friend Ryan Adams and her love of Freud (“We all have the ability to go over the edge”).
Sport
European rugby’s governing body has told World Rugby it intends to stage the Champions Cup final in October and says it is “unacceptable” to shoehorn extra autumn Tests into the calendar. The McLaren team principal, Zak Brown, has accused Ferrari of “living in denial” about the existential threat Formula One faces from the coronavirus crisis.
Uefa has confirmed national leagues will not be banned from European competition if they cancel their seasons and must decide for themselves how to determine final placings “based on sporting merit”. The prospect of the inaugural World Test Championship final taking place in 2021 will hinge on whether England can salvage a cricket season this year and get their home series against West Indies and Pakistan played. The European Athletics Championships scheduled for Paris in August has become the latest high-profile event to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. And 16-year-old chess prodigy Alireza Firouzja crumbled against Magnus Carlsen in a $250,000 online tournament after losing a favourable position in a match when his internet connection failed.
Business
The boss of Unilever says the company has spotted that the curbs on shopping and normal life mean people appear to be using less deodorant and other personal hygiene products during the lockdown. US Congress has approved a $484bn relief package for hospitals and small businesses. The FTSE100 is expected to drop more than 1% this morning after Asian markets fell on news that a virus treatment has failed trials. The pound is worth $1.235 and €1.146.
The papers
The Mail – “Corona test for millions” – and the Express – “Mass testing to get Britain ‘back on her feet’” – both lead on the hopes for more testing. But the Guardian highlights potential problems with “Hospitals sound alarm at failings in privately run virus test centre”. The i goes for a similar angle – “Key workers promised tests starting today” – while the Telegraph says “Johnson back at the controls on Monday”.
The Times leads with “Sturgeon heaps pressure on No 10 over virus plan”, while the Scottish papers also focus on Sturgeon’s comments with the Herald saying “Sturgeon: Normal life not on the cards in near future” and the Scotsman ““First Minister: Get ready for the ‘new normal’”.
The Sun says “182 bad hair days”, alluding to possible long-term closure of salons, while the FT, unusually, has a similar line on its front page: “Homeworkers ditch deodorant, wash less and put off shaving, says Unilever”. The Mirror leads with the clap for NHS workers: “Grateful Britain.”
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