Hi. That’s all from me, Caroline Davies, for today. Thank you for your time. For further updates, please follow the global coronavirus live blog.
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Summary
Here is a summary of today’s key developments.
- The UK will be first in line for any Oxford University- developed vaccine, Downing Street has insisted.
- Boris Johnson says the risk of children catching Covid as they return to school is “very , very, very small” as he urges parents to send their children back to school.
- Mass testing is “incredibly important” and pilot schemes were taking place, Downing Street said.
- Boris Johnson is “sorry for any distress” that was caused by the government’s handling of the exam results this year, a No 10 spokesman said.
- Government has not ruled out closing schools down again if local lockdowns are required.
- There are no plans to review whether face coverings should be worn in England’s schools, with Downing Street saying it would obstruct communication between teachers and pupils.
- Scottish secondary school pupils are expected to be told to wear face coverings in corridors and public spaces at school.
- Schools should only fine parents as a “last resort” if they refuse to send their children back when they reopen next month, education secretary Gavin Williamson said.
- England and Scotland ran out of coronavirus home testing kits within hours on Monday amid a backlog in laboratories.
- The NHS Test and Trace has faced fresh criticism for a flaw in its online booking system which tries to direct people to test centres more than 100 miles away.
- Cases of Covid-19 have nearly doubled in a week in Stoke-on-Trent days after the council pleaded with residents to comply with distancing measures.
- Switzerland could become the next European country subject to quarantine measures by all four nations in the UK.
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Tesco has announced plans to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support growth of its online business.
The Department of Health and Social Care has responded to criticism over a flaw in the NHS Test and Trace system which has seen some people directed to test centres more than 100 miles away [see 14.52 post]
A DHSC spokesperson said:
NHS Test and Trace is working, it’s completely free and is stopping the spread of coronavirus.Regional testing slots are allocated based on the nearest testing site with availability and we are working to ensure this takes into account journey times. Anyone with symptoms across the UK should get a test as soon as possible.”
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Unions have reacted angrily to claims that coronavirus is more likely to be spread by teachers than pupils, warning that everyone has a responsibility to try to avoid bringing Covid-19 into school and transmitting it to others, Sally Weale reports.
It follows a report by Public Health England (PHE) which found that though Covid-19 outbreaks were “uncommon” in English schools after they reopened in June, the virus was more likely to be spread by staff than pupils.
While children rarely suffer seriously from the effects of Covid, there has been considerable focus on how much they spread the virus. The majority of cases identified in the report, however, were linked to outbreaks among staff, who were warned to be “more vigilant” regarding exposure outside school.
Responding to the report, Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said: “Everyone in school, whether staff member or pupil, has a responsibility and important role to play in ensuring they follow the mitigation measures and do all they can to avoid bringing Covid into the school or to transmitting it to others.”
Read the full report here:
Birmingham is not a “Covid-19 hotspot”, according to John Clancy, former leader of Birmingham City Council.
In a blogpost for Birmingham City University’s Centre for Brexit Studies, Clancy, also a visiting professor for the centre, argues local authorities are “ridiculous” for putting the city on standby for a potential local lockdown.
He said:
“When you are dealing with such low (and unreliable) numbers small changes might seem to become spikes. So the rate of infection per 100,000 in Birmingham went up from 16 per 100,000 people two weeks ago to 22 per 100,000 last week.
That seems a jump of almost 40%. But it’s actually just 6 more people in 100,000. These are micro-numbers, and talking about them in terms of spikes just won’t do.”
Clancy, who led the city council from November 2015 until September 2017, argues the second city was 79th in the table of pandemic-related deaths per 100,000 people by council areas in England and Wales, according to the most recent ONS statistics.
For him, the most reliable figure was “sadly, deaths, not tests.”
“In the last week of reporting the Office for National Statistics reports one actual Covid-19 related death in Birmingham,” he said.
He claims imposing local lockdowns based on “dodgy data” was unacceptable, pointing out “91% of England - that’s 51 million people - live in neighbourhoods where there hasn’t been a recorded Covid-19 case in the last four weeks.”
He said:
Even the U.K’s patchy testing system shows the rates of infection are relatively low in Birmingham — currently about 30 cases per 100,000 per week. Birmingham is 67th across Britain’s local authorities in the so-called infection rate since mid-March. Hospital admissions for Covid19 are negligible in the city according to local doctors.”
The Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley, takes a look at different drugs and therapies being trialled and used on patients with Covid-19.
There are some positive results, which may be beginning to bring the hospital death toll down, but there is still a long way to go towards something that will cure all comers, she writes.
Read her run down on some of the most promising here:
The government said 41,433 people had died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, an increase of four on the day before.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 57,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The government also said that as of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 853 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus. Overall, 326,614 cases have been confirmed.
Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins has said police “can’t win” when dealing with coronavirus restrictions, as he defended the decision to break up a child’s birthday party.
He said the force was spending an extra 100,000 a week policing the restrictions.
The area is one of the places in the north of England where extra restrictions are in place to prevent socialising between households.
The force had been accused of being heavy-handed after issuing a fixed penalty notice when officers attended a home in Swinton where three families were celebrating a child’s birthday in a private garden.
Speaking to Radio 5 Live , Hopkins said: “It feels a bit at the moment like we can’t win.”
He said 19 fixed penalty notices had been issued at the weekend, when police attended 126 incidents. The child’s birthday party was going on past 8pm and was mainly attended by adults, he said, adding: “It wasn’t sort of jelly and ice cream with a bunch of three and four-year-olds sat around in the middle of the afternoon.
“Officers decided, based on what they had seen, to issue a fixed penalty notice.”
He said officers were also called to a party being held for a terminally-ill child and decided not to issue a fine after attending.
“We are trying to absolutely balance what we’re doing, but it’s a really difficult position for us at the moment,” he said.
In Northern Ireland, three-quarters of teachers do not feel it is safe for pupils to return to their school or college as it reopens, a union said.
Some pupils started to return to classes across Northern Ireland today.
But teachers’ unions say educators had not been given enough time to respond to rules issued earlier this month.
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official in Northern Ireland, said:
The fact that 77% of teachers told us they don’t feel their school is safe for pupils to return is very concerning.
Teachers and school leaders have worked hard to prepare their schools for young people to return, yet 61% of teachers have not been consulted on risk assessments undertaken in their school or college.
Ministers and school employers must do more to reassure the school workforce, parents and pupils that everything possible is being done to minimise viral spread, and that robust procedures are in place should any outbreaks occur.
Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, has insisted it is safe to return.
However, three schools did not reopen following the detection of Covid-19 cases. Ballyclare secondary school is set to reopen on Tuesday following a deep clean and 72-hour incubation period. St Kevin’s primary school and St Louise’s College, both on the Falls Road in west Belfast, have also delayed their reopening following positive cases among the school community.
Education minister Peter Weir said:
Very, very few, if any, children will come to harm as a result of attending school, but there is evidence of the long-term harm to children’s education, life opportunities, mental health and wellbeing from not attending school.
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While the government is keen to stress now is the right time for children to return to school, an education union has warned the process may not be easy in all areas of the country.
Head teachers and parents need to see government contingency plans for areas where coronavirus cases are on the rise, said Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union.
He also pointed out that class sizes in other countries are smaller, making it easier to handle a return to school.
Speaking to the PA Media news agency, Courtney said:
With the hard work our society has done in getting the virus levels lower, the balance of risks has shifted and we think it is right for children to be back at school.
That’s the best place for them, we want kids at school. We can’t necessarily say that it’s going to be easy all over the country.
Some areas, the case numbers are higher. In some areas, they’re growing. There are areas of intervention.
And we think the government needs to be working on contingency plans for those areas, and we really needed those contingency plans some time ago.
Headteachers need them, parents need to see them because that will give them confidence in the rest of the country as well.
In other countries, class sizes are lower and that makes it easier to control the virus.
So there is a lot of guidance, but we’re going to have to judge that guidance by its actual effects, what happens to the R rate when schools reopen.
We’re hoping that the government can take enough other action on test, track, trace, isolate to keep that R rate below one.”
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More from the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, who has been speaking to the media on a trip to a school.
He said the government had asked teachers to plan to be able to educate children from home if a school has to be closed due to an outbreak. Asked whether teachers have been provided with enough information, he said:
Absolutely, there is enough in that guidance. What’s key is making sure there is always continuity of education.
The key people in this are Public Health England giving the schools advice of what action they need to take if someone has symptoms in order for them to be able to leave the school to be tested and to be isolating until they actually have the results of that test back, speaking with Public Health England, taking their guidance as to what action that school needs to take.
We’ve seen in Leicester, where there was a local lockdown, when action does need to be taken more widely than just that school, we will be willing to do that.
In our guidance, what we’ve asked schools to do is make sure that they are planning to ensure that actually children do not miss out on their education if they’re not in school and they are continuing to educate when they’re at home.
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Hi. This is Caroline Davies back again. Just a reminder you can get in touch via email on caroline.davies@theguardian.com
Schools should only fine parents as 'last resort' if pupils do not return next month, Gavin Williamson says
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has been speaking to the media during a trip to a school.
He said schools should only fine parents as a “last resort” if they refuse to send their children back to school when they reopen next month:
In terms of fining, we would ask all schools to work with those parents, encourage them to bring their children back, deal with concerns that they have and fining would be very much the last resort, as it has always been.
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Free Covid-19 insurance is to be provided to customers of Virgin Atlantic, offering financial cover should they or a companion fall ill with coronavirus while travelling.
PA Media reports that the airline’s new policy includes emergency medical costs as well as associated transport, accommodation and repatriation expenses up to a value of £500,000 per customer.
It will also cover up to £3,000 of expenses if a customer is denied boarding a plane or held in quarantine due to a suspected or positive case of coronavirus during a trip.
All existing and new bookings for travel from August 24 until March 31 next year will have the “Virgin Atlantic Covid-19 Cover” automatically applied.
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England and Scotland ran out of coronavirus home testing kits within hours on Monday, amid a backlog in laboratories.
People were advised to travel long distances to test centres after being told that the daily allowance of home tests had run out.
Callers to the NHS 119 number for Covid-19 were told: “We’re very sorry – the available allocation has already been issued at this time.”
The reason behind the apparent shortage is unclear, but laboratories have been struggling to clear a backlog of tests since the end of July. The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for a comment.
Full story:
This isn’t explicitly coronavirus-related but campers staying on the coast of Wales and west England – many who will be on Covid-enforced staycations – have been told to batten down the hatches as Storm Francis heads their way.
Forecasters are predicting gales of up to 70mph and about a month’s worth of rain when the 36-hour weather front hits overnight. It doesn’t rain but it pours, etc. You can read the full story here:
The president of the European commission has requested further details about her trade commissioner’s attendance at a controversial golf dinner in Ireland.
The trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, has been under pressure to step down from his EU role after attending last week’s function with more than 80 people present.
He has apologised but refused to resign over the matter. Our latest story on this is here, from yesterday.
A spokeswoman for Hogan’s boss, the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said today that his actions were under investigation and that, having received initial information from Hogan about his trip, Von der Leyen had now requested further details.
She said: “The president has requested further clarifications because details are important and she wishes to have them.”
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Afternoon all. It’s Josh Halliday here, taking over from Caroline for a short while.
The NHS test and trace system has faced fresh criticism for a flaw in its online booking system which tries to direct people to test centres more than 100 miles away.
Some people with coronavirus symptoms who try to book a test online are directed to centres which would take them more than three hours to reach by car, PA Media reports.
A person from Ilfracombe in Devon who has symptoms of Covid-19 is directed to a test centre in Swansea when they try to book a test online.
This would see them drive past centres in Taunton, Bristol and Cardiff on their six-and-a-half hour round trip, driving 175 miles in each direction.
People in Felixstowe, Suffolk have been directed to Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, with the government coronavirus test booking website saying it is just 13.8 miles away.
However, the journey is 40 miles by car, taking almost an hour to get from one place to another.
And people in the region with symptoms of Covid-19 would be forced to drive past their closest test centre in Ipswich on their way to Clacton.
Labour said problems with the booking system should be resolved as a “matter of urgency” and it was “hugely disappointing” that the issues were still occurring.
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More on the potential vaccine being developed by scientists at Oxford University in conjunction with pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca, which Downing Street has insisted the UK would be first in line for [see 13.18 post].
The company manufacturing the vaccine has denied it is in talks with the Trump administration about fast-tracking its vaccine for emergency use ahead of November’s presidential elections, Peter Beaumont and Sarah Boseley report
In a statement released following a report in the Financial Times, the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca insisted it had “not discussed emergency use authorisation with the US government and it would be premature to speculate on that possibility”.
It added that “late stage phase 2/3 trials for [the vaccine] are ongoing in the UK and other markets globally, and we do not anticipate efficacy results until later this year”. The team at Oxford University developing the vaccine directed queries to AstraZeneca.
You can read the full report here:
KFC is to pause the use of its classic Finger Lickin’ Good slogan after 64 years as it admitted that the message “doesn’t quite fit” following the coronavirus outbreak.
The company has released new images of advertising posters and packaging with the well-known slogan blurred and pixelated. It said the slogan will return “when the time is right” but it will shift its messaging in the meantime.
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Good news for Strictly Come Dancing fans. Kate Phillips, entertainment controller at the BBC, told the Edinburgh TV festival Strictly was the “hardest” show to film under current circumstances, but the professionals were already rehearsing the group numbers for when it returns later this year, with altered sets and changes to hair, make-up and costuming.
Phillips said:
Strictly is probably the question we get asked more than any other show. I can say it absolutely is coming back – it is a slightly shorter run, but apart from that I don’t think it will be a lesser show at all. If anything I think it will be special this series, there will be heightened emotions and a lot of the dances will have real poignancy.
The pros have been isolating together for the last couple of weeks, they are now rehearsing together, the big dance numbers. It looks so good seeing them dance.
We will announce the celebrity line-up at the end of this month. We are planning it now but they are all onboard and very excited.
We are having to adapt, the set is having to be altered, we are not quite sure at this stage how much audience we will be able to have in and we have to look at Dave Arch and his band, how hair and make-up and costume will work backstage.
It’s probably the hardest show to do in the current circumstances, a live weekly show that relies on body contact quite a lot. Having said that, I think Studios [BBC Studios, which makes the show] have really risen to the challenge and there is that old line, necessity is the mother of invention, and I would say across all the entertainment shows we are seeing constant good ideas.
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Volunteers in Cambridge have used lockdown to create an organic market garden near the city centre, which is now helping to stock local community food hubs. Mattha Busby has been speaking to them. You can read his full report here:
Cases of Covid-19 nearly double in a week in Stoke-on-Trent
Cases of Covid-19 have nearly doubled in a week in Stoke-on-Trent, days after the council pleaded with residents to comply with distancing measures. Figures published by Public Health England today show 79 cases were detected in the city in the week to 20 August. The infection rate has now risen from 15.6 to 30.8 cases per 100,000 people.
On Friday, 12 cases were confirmed in Stoke-on-Trent on one day, with the majority concentrated in the Normacot area of the city.
Gillani Noor mosque and Al Hafiz academy have voluntarily closed for two weeks in response to the surge, while hundreds of people were tested for the virus over the weekend at a temporary testing facility set up at Alexandra infants school on Melville Road.
On Friday, Stoke-on-Trent city council’s leader, Abi Brown, pleaded with communities to abide by public health guidance in order to avoid a local lockdown. “While cases have up until now predominantly been concentrated on a small area of the community in Normacot, coronavirus does not care who it targets,” she said.
“It affects each and every community regardless of race, class or religion. We need to contain the virus. That is why with 12 new cases recorded in one day across the city, we’re urging everyone to play their part.”
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Switzerland could become the next European country to be subject to quarantine measures by all four nations of the UK, according to latest figures.
A seven-day rate of 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people is the threshold above which the UK government considers triggering quarantine conditions. Switzerland is currently recording a seven-day rate of 20.7 cases per 100,000.
Scotland has already taken Switzerland off its list of countries from which people do not need to self-isolate on arrival. The rest of the UK could follow later this week.
The Czech Republic and Greece are also likely to have their Covid-19 figures scrutinised closely by the UK government this week. In the Czech Republic the seven-day rate is currently 17.9, up from 15.6 a week ago. In Greece the rate is 14.8, up from 13.5.
Neither country has breached the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000, but both appear to be heading in that direction. The latest seven-day rates have been calculated by the PA news agency based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Iceland is currently reporting the same seven-day rate as Greece - 14.8 - but while in Greece there have been 1,589 new cases recorded in the past week, in Iceland there have been only 53.
The rate in Iceland is also unchanged on last week. These factors should keep Iceland on the list of countries from which people do not need to self-isolate on arrival in the UK. Meanwhile in Ireland, the seven-day rate has ticked upwards from 11.4 to 14.9 - the highest it has been since late May.
By contrast the seven-day rate in the UK is currently 10.7.
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More on whether schools would stay open in the event of a local lockdown.
A Number 10 spokesman said:
Obviously we would need to look at the local area and it would be done on a case by case basis. We’ve been clear about any suspected cases and how we would deal with them and if there was a case where... children weren’t able to go to school, we’ve been clear. We expect the school to provide remote education and Nick Gibb (minister for school standards), I believe this morning, set out during his interviews the process we would go through if we were to find an outbreak in a school, so isolating students, testing those in the local - who they’ve been sitting close to, testing their teachers and so on.
Asked about union suggestions that teachers or pupils be allowed to wear face coverings, he said:
Our guidance, which we published a while ago, does not recommend face coverings as pupils and staff are working with consistent groups ... I believe our guidance does not recommend face coverings. Pupils and staff will mix in consistent groups and we acknowledge that face coverings could obstruct communication between teachers and pupils.
Downing Street played down the prospect of a review into whether face coverings should be worn in England’s schools. The No 10 spokesman said:
There are no plans to review the guidance on face coverings in schools. We are conscious of the fact that it would obstruct communication between teachers and pupils.
Updated
No 10 has not ruled out schools closing again if local lockdowns are required.
No10 not ruling out that schools could close again if local lockdowns are required - but teachers must prepare remote lessons for students.
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) August 24, 2020
"if that was the case and that needed to happen we would expect the school to provide a remote education."
UK will be first in line for any Oxford University-developed vaccine, insists Downing Street
Downing Street insisted the UK would be first in line for a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University if it was proven to be effective, following reports Donald Trump is considering granting emergency authorisation for it to be deployed in the US.
The vaccine is being developed by Oxford scientists and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. A Number 10 spokesman said: “We have been clear that we will only roll out a vaccine once it is deemed safe and effective by our regulators.”
The UK government has struck a deal with AstraZeneca to get “first access” to it once approved, the spokesman said.
“AstraZeneca have entered into a number of agreements with other countries, they have the global licensing agreement with Oxford, but we have been clear: once it has been found to be effective, we have signed a deal for 100 million doses, which means that once it is effective the UK will get first access.”
Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA
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No 10 has been asked if Boris Johnson regretted the government’s handling of exam results this year, and if the prime minister was personally sorry about the way things had panned out.
A Number 10 spokesman said:
The PM is of course sorry for any distress that has been caused ... our focus has been and will be ensuring that students can move on to the next phase and ensuring kids can get back to school next week.”
Asked should headteachers fine parents who do not send their children back to the classroom, the spokesman said:
The PM’s words are clear... we believe there’s a moral duty. We’ve also been clear that the risk posed to students from Covid is less than the risk of them not attending school. The prime minister’s clear; he believes that every child should be back in school next week. As has been made clear in the past, fining is obviously (the) last resort, but we encourage headteachers and parents to speak if they are concerned, bu t... we’ve been working with ... schools and local authorities throughout the pandemic to ensure schools are safe to return next week.
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Downing Street said mass testing was “incredibly important” and pilot schemes were taking place.
Responding to reports that the health secretary, Matt Hancock, wants up to 4m coronavirus tests a day by early next year, a Number 10 spokesman said pilot schemes were currently being assessed.
The spokesman said:
We have, throughout the pandemic, increased our capacity to test for coronavirus and we have always been clear that we’ll continue to increase capacity. DHSC (the Department of Health and Social Care) has three pilots currently under way and we are continuing to assess their feasibility.”
Mass testing on that scale “would allow for us to test wider sections of society that may be asymptomatic”.
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Secondary school pupils in Scotland expected to be told to wear face coverings
Scottish secondary pupils are expected to be told to wear face coverings in corridors and public spaces at school after the World Health Organization updated its advice, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
The first minister said John Swinney, the education secretary, was consulting with local councils and union leaders on the change after the WHO recommended three days ago pupils over 12 use face coverings in schools where physical distancing is not possible.
Several high schools in Scotland have already implemented those measures, including James Gillespie’s in Edinburgh, Grantown grammar school in Grantown-on-Spey and Millburn academy in Inverness, after experiencing over-crowding in corridors and circulation areas.
The EIS, Scotland’s largest teachers union, said it would press ministers to adopt the WHO’s new guidance after schools across the country found it extremely hard to maintain physical distancing while pupils moved between classes or at break times and lunch time.
Grantown told parents over the weekend face coverings would be required from the start of school on Monday. Its Facebook page said: “Don’t forget to bring your face masks to school tomorrow! Pupils and staff need to wear them in the corridors when moving between classes and in the canteen.”
The new measures follow an upsurge of cases involving Scottish schools and nurseries after they reopened earlier in August, including one cluster affecting 17 staff at a special school in Dundee. A nursery attached to Newburgh primary school in Fife was closed down after a child there fell ill with Covid-19.
Sturgeon denied she had ever said there was no risk of Covid-19 transmission within schools and conceded the Kingspark school cluster could show it was an issue. She said the greatest risk for schools was transmission in the wider community. Even so “we must have the right mitigations in schools to keep the risk of transmission as low as possible”, she said.
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BBC drama boss Piers Wenger has told the Edinburgh TV Festival that productions ranging from EastEnders to The Pursuit Of Love are using “ingenious” ways to navigate Covid-19 filming restrictions, including have actors kissing through a sheet of perspex, which is then taken out in post-production, or putting cast and crew in “bubbles”.
Also speaking at the festival, the BBC director of content, Charlotte Moore, has spoken about how the corporation has handled the coronavirus crisis, saying:
We had to be nimble-footed and agile and work with the production sector and work out what we were able to make and what we could edit. It’s been the most extraordinary time. Shows like The Repair Shop and Sewing Bee had extraordinary figures as well. And dramas like The Salisbury Poisonings, Talking Heads, The Nest, I May Destroy You, Normal People, suddenly there was so much focus and attention on shows that deserved to hit that mainstream, that suddenly had big audiences. We were reading the audience every day and trying to feel the mood.”
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The Guardian’s John Harris has been examining how the Covid crisis in the aviation industry is hitting towns across the UK, with workers from Belfast to Caerphilly fearing mass unemployment.
Near Caerphilly, nearly 600 posts are being lost at the vast aeroplane engine maintenance plant run by the global giant General Electric, which before the pandemic employed 1,400 people. In Broughton in north Wales, where employees of Airbus assemble wings for the company’s entire range of planes, there are plans to cut 1,400 jobs from a total of 6,000. In Derby and Nottinghamshire, Rolls-Royce is expected to lose about 1,500 workers.
You can read John’s full report below:
Updated
More on Tesco’s plan to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support growth of its online business.
These 16,000 jobs are in addition to around 4,000 permanent jobs that have already been created since the start of the pandemic, Tesco said.
It expects the majority of these roles to be filled by staff who have joined the company on a temporary basis in recent months.
Jason Tarry, chief executive officer of Tesco UK and ROI, said:
Since the start of the pandemic, our colleagues have helped us to more than double our online capacity, safely serving nearly 1.5 million customers every week and prioritising vulnerable customers to ensure they get the food they need. These new roles will help us continue to meet online demand for the long term, and will create permanent employment opportunities for 16,000 people across the UK.
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Preparing for Christmas in a pandemic. The Ministry of Fun’s summer Santa school at Southwark Cathedral in London is aiming to create Covid-safe Christmas grottos by teaching Father Christmases how to appear safely in person while maintaining the Christmas magic.
Santas at the Ministry of Fun’s Summer School at Southwark Cathedral Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
Members of the physically distanced Santa School travel to Southwark Cathedral, London.
Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
Lessons in how to give presents safely.
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A petition with over 104,000 signatures is gathering momentum online as the dispute between parents and government over potential fines if they decide to keep their children off school from September continues.
The petition, started by Jennifer Dunstan, is calling for the government to not force parents to send their children to school until coronavirus numbers have significantly decreased and scientists agree it is safe to do so.
In the petition she states: “I am a lone parent to an amazing nine-year-old son who goes to a special needs school. If I get coronavirus, I’ll have no one to look after him while I’m ill. I’m terrified that the government is going to try to force us to send our children to school while Covid-19 rates are still high. Parents should not be put in that position.
“I desperately want my son to go back to school, but I have a chronic illness called ME and we don’t have other people who can look after him if I get sick. So I will only take him to school when the scientists agree that it’s safe. I should not be fined - and my son should not lose his place - just for trying to keep my family safe.”
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Here is a summary of the latest rates of new Covid-19 cases in key areas of England, according to a tally by the PA news agency.
Oldham
There were 149 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in Oldham in the seven days to 20 August. This is the equivalent of 62.8 cases per 100,000 people - down from 102.5 per 100,000 in the previous week (the seven days to August 13). Oldham continues to record the highest rate of new cases in England, but the rolling rate has fallen steadily since a peak of 112.2 in the seven days to 11 August. Further restrictions were introduced in Oldham from midnight on Saturday 22 August, with people told not to socialise with anyone outside their household and to use public transport only if it is essential.
Pendle
Pendle is currently recording the second highest rate in England, but here too the numbers are falling. Some 55 new cases were recorded in the seven days to 20 August - the equivalent of 59.7 cases per 100,000 people. This is down from 90.1 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to 13 August.
Blackburn with Darwen
A total of 76 new cases were recorded in Blackburn with Darwen in the seven days to 20 August, or 50.8 per 100,000 people. This is down from 94.9 in the previous seven days. Both Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle have had the same additional restrictions imposed as in Oldham.
Leicester
Cases continue to fall in Leicester. The latest figures show 167 new cases were recorded in the seven days to 20 August, or 47.1 per 100,000 people. This is down from 60.7 in the previous seven days. At the peak of the recent outbreak in the city, the rolling rate was as high as 159.5 cases per 100,000 for the seven days to 24 June.
Birmingham
The city of Birmingham was placed on the government’s national watchlist on 21 August as an “area of enhanced support”, meaning it will be provided with extra resources and support to help increase testing and manage outbreaks if necessary.
No new restrictions have been placed on residents, however, and the number of new cases is falling.
Birmingham currently has the 17th highest rate in England, with 23.6 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the seven days to 20 August - down from 30.4 in the previous seven days.
Northampton
For a few days earlier in August Northampton had the highest rate in England, thanks to an outbreak at the town’s Greencore sandwich factory. The spike in cases caused by that outbreak has now passed. Northampton’s latest seven-day rate is 35.6 cases per 100,000, down from 117.5.
Stoke-on-Trent
This is one area where the latest numbers are showing a notable jump. Stoke-on-Trent recorded 79 new cases in the seven days to 20 August, the equivalent of 30.8 cases per 100,000. This is up from 15.6 in the previous seven days. Stoke-on-Trent currently has the 11th highest rate in England.
Note: all numbers have been calculated by the PA news agency based on the latest Public Health England data published on the government’s coronavirus online dashboard. Data for the most recent three days (August 21-23) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised. The dashboard is due to be updated later today.
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Tesco will create 16,000 new permanent roles across the UK to support the growth of its online business, it has announced.
The company said 10,000 of the new roles will be for pickers, who assemble orders, and 3,000 drivers will be hired, in addition to other positions within the distribution network.
Many of the jobs will be filled by temporary workers who have been employed by Tesco during the pandemic.
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People with eating disorders could be at risk of suffering long-term consequences from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have warned.
The fallout from routines being disrupted in lockdown, a focus on food and exercise which came to dominate the public conversation, and healthcare moving online, could all have lasting effects, academics from Northumbria University in Newcastle said.
While positive messaging around diet and fitness can be beneficial to the majority of people, it is important to recognise these can be “triggering or upsetting” for others, their paper published in the Journal of Eating Disorders said. The study looked at data from 129 people recruited online who were experiencing, or in recovery from, an eating disorder during the early stages of lockdown.
Key themes identified included disruption to living situations, increased social isolation and reduced access to usual support networks, changes to physical activity rates and changes to relationship with food. One of the major challenges was a reduction in healthcare service provision, as well as discrepancies in access to healthcare services.
According to Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, approximately 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder. Until now, little was known about the impact of the pandemic on this population. Researchers said:
Media coverage and social media posts were a source of anxiety for our participants, due to a public preoccupation with food, weight gain and exercise. Although positive messages about diet and exercise can be beneficial for the majority of the population, it is important for healthcare and government to acknowledge that these can be triggering or upsetting for vulnerable populations, and work to establish guidelines to help address this.
Dr Dawn Branley-Bell, co-author of the paper, said:
Our findings highlight that we must not underestimate the longevity of the impact of the pandemic. Individuals with experience of eating disorders will likely experience a long-term effect on their symptoms and recovery. It is important that this is recognised by healthcare services, and beyond, in order to offer the necessary resources to support this vulnerable population now and on an on-going basis.
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Hi. Caroline Davies here. I will be running the live blog for the rest of the day. You can get in touch via email on caroline.davies@theguardian.com
That’s it from me, Amy Walker. I’ll be handing over to my colleague Caroline Davies now, who will steer you through the rest of the day’s key UK coronavirus developments.
If you missed it yesterday, the Observer’s science editor, Robin McKie, has written a useful analysis explaining why Covid fatalities currently remain low when infection numbers are rising across parts of the globe, including the UK.
In areas including Oldham in Greater Manchester and Birmingham, cases of coronavirus have surged in recent weeks, although the number of deaths and cases of severe complications remain relatively low.
Although doctors are unsure exactly what is going on, some have suggested that Covid-19 is now becoming more prevalent among younger people, who are less likely to die or suffer serious complications.
But researchers have pointed to the situation in the US where there was a recent spike in cases among those in their 20s and 30s, followed by a spike among older people who picked up the virus from younger people. As a result, there has been a jump in deaths, and scientists warn that a similar pattern could occur in the UK.
You can read Robin’s analysis here:
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Eurostar has announced that rail passengers will be able to travel directly from Amsterdam to London from the end of October.
The new service commences on 26 October and will enable people to travel from the Netherlands’ capital in four hours and nine minutes, with tickets costing at least £40 each way.
Passengers will also be able to travel back to St Pancras International in London from Rotterdam in three hours and 29 minutes.
The announcement comes after the UK government removed the Netherlands from its list of countries people can travel to without having to quarantine on their return.
Travellers who arrive back in the UK from the Netherlands after 15 August have to self-isolate for 14 days under coronavirus safety measures.
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Teachers more likely to catch Covid on coffee break than in classroom, says deputy chief medical officer
As the dispute between teachers’ unions and the government over plans for schools to reopen in England next month continues, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said staff are more likely to get Covid-19 during their coffee break than in the classroom.
Dr Jenny Harries said the risk for teachers in schools is probably highest “between staff” and that a scenario in which all schools across the country would be forced to close again was “unlikely”. But in areas subject to potential local lockdowns, individual schools could close.
Harries said no environment was “risk free” from the virus, but added that the risk to children was higher from seasonal flu compared with those currently posed by Covid-19. She told Sky News:
We think that transmission risks within the school are low, as long as the measures that have been recommended are put in place.
“But where you get rising transmission rates... then obviously we may make an individual recommendation for a school but increasingly that will be very localised. It’s very unlikely that we would see all schools closing down at one go.”
She added that a single case of coronavirus within a school “bubble” may not lead to the whole bubble being forced into isolation.
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Seventeen teachers at a special school in Dundee have contracted Covid-19, alongside two pupils and three community contacts, health officials in Tayside have disclosed.
NHS Tayside shut Kingspark school last Wednesday for deep cleaning after the outbreak emerged, and on Friday closed it to allow staff and pupils to self-isolate for 14 days because of the pupils’ complex needs.
The board said on Sunday that 22 people were infected, up from 12 on Friday. It said contact tracing had identified links to two other schools in Dundee, with one positive case at St Peter’s and St Paul’s primary, and another at Happy Times out-of school club at Downfield primary.
You can read more on this from our Scotland editor, Severin Carrell, here:
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Wetherspoon has warned that the coronavirus crisis will drag it to an annual loss after sales plunged following its reopening last month.
The pub chain told investors that bar and food sales are down 16.9% for the 44 days to 16 August, compared with the same period last year.
The group has now reopened 844 of its 873 pubs in the UK, after shutting all sites in March as a result of the national lockdown.
A statement by the company said sales had gradually improved, accelerated by the government’s eat out to help out scheme, but it expected a “period of more subdued sales” when the scheme ends at the end of August.
Founder Tim Martin said: “Wetherspoon had five positive tests for Covid-19 among its 43,000 staff before lockdown and has had 24 positive tests since pubs reopened on 4 July, since reopening, the amount of testing has substantially increased.
“Risk cannot be eliminated completely in pubs, but sensible social distancing and hygiene policies, combined with continued assistance and cooperation from the authorities, should minimise it”.
Last week, the Guardian revealed concerns about poor social distancing and overcrowding raised by customers at Wetherspoon pubs.
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Boris Johnson says risk of children catching Covid is 'very, very, very small'
Boris Johnson is continuing his efforts to assure parents that the risk of children catching Covid-19 as they return to school is “very, very, very small”.
In a video posted on Twitter, the prime minister said:
It’s absolutely vital that pupils get back into school in September.
It’s vital for their education, it’s vital for their welfare, it’s vital for their physical, and indeed, their mental wellbeing. So let’s make sure that all kids, all pupils, get back to school at the beginning of September.
Now is the time to get kids back to school. pic.twitter.com/yMxw595KUr
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 24, 2020
He added that while he thought parents were still worried about their children contracting coronavirus, that both the risk of them catching it and suffering badly from it was extremely minimal.
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Fines for parents who refuse to send their children back to school in England will be used as a “last resort” when classes resume in September following the coronavirus lockdown.
The school standards minister, Nick Gibb, said there was a “moral imperative” for children to attend classes when they return next month.
Preparations for the return of England’s schools come as the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, remains under intense pressure following the fiasco over the awarding of A-level grades.
Boris Johnson has led calls for parents to send their children back to class and the UK’s chief medical officers have said youngsters are more at risk of long-term harm if they do not attend school than if they return.
Gibb acknowledged that some parents would still have concerns but stressed that education was compulsory and fines could be used if necessary.
“Fines for non-attendance have always been a last resort for headteachers and schools,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
“What matters is that young people are attending school.
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On a less sober note, bag-in-box wines have enjoyed a sales surge in the UK during lockdown as thrifty Britons opted for better value for money and fewer trips to the supermarket.
The Co-op chain reported an unprecedented 300% sales uplift across its range as consumers have shopped less but drank more at home during the closure of pubs and restaurants, with the trend set to continue into the autumn. Larger pack sizes – typically three litres, or four 75cl bottles – represent better value.
Amid the easing of lockdown the boom in UK camping and picnicking is now helping to drive sales, as consumers have recognised the portability, convenience and eco-credentials of the new-style products. The packaging means little oxygen enters even once it has been opened, so wine stays fresher for longer – up to six weeks – than in a bottle.
You can read more from our consumer affairs correspondent, Rebecca Smithers, here:
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BBC has key role to play in coronavirus pandemic, says outdoing director general
During his keynote speech at the Edinburgh television festival, which he is delivering now, Lord Hall said 94% of British people had used the BBC in March.
“Audiences came to us in their millions for information they could rely on and respite from worries everyone was experiencing,” he said, of the broadcaster’s lockdown ratings. “In some weeks TV viewing was up nearly 50% year on year.”
He emphasised the importance of public service broadcasting, adding that the BBC was more vital than ever. Hall added:
We have been reminded how important are those thing that bring us together, we all know and feel how the last few years have heightened the sense of polarisation and Covid has brutally exposed the fault line.
“PSB have always been part of the glue that bands our nations and communities together.
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The BBC’s outgoing director general, Tony Hall, is expected to say that the public broadcaster plays such a critical role in countering fake news that according to international health chiefs it could positively influence the take-up of any vaccine during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Describing two pandemics – one of coronavirus and the other of disinformation spread on social media – Hall will highlight public service broadcasting as “vital to democracy” in a keynote speech to open the Edinburgh television festival this morning.
His speech has begun, but you can read the preceding report from my colleagues Caroline Davies and Jim Waterson here:
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Pupils in Northern Ireland have returned to school for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown began in March.
Some parents have expressed concerns while teachers’ unions say educators have not been given enough time to respond to rules issued earlier this month.
Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, has insisted it is safe to return. However, three schools did not reopen following the detection of Covid-19 cases.
Pupils in primary 7, Year 12, Year 14 – whose preparation for exams was disrupted by the lockdown – and all vulnerable children are due to return to today.
All other pupils will begin the new school year next Monday after months of variable levels of home schooling.
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On that note, the Tories are plugging away at trying to allay the fears of parents ahead of schools reopening on the airwaves this morning.
The minister for school standards, Nick Gibb, has insisted the measures schools are taking to minimise the risk of the transmission of Covid-19 are “very effective”.
“We live in a country where education is compulsory and I think parents can be reassured that the measures that schools are taking to make sure that we minimise the risk of the transmission of the virus are very effective,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
If they’ve got extra concerns, that is a matter between the headteacher and the family to make sure that their concerns are taken into account, but it is important – it’s a moral imperative – that young people are back in school, because what the chief medical officers are saying now is that the risk of not being in school outweighs the very small risk of children being in school, particularly given all the control measures, the hygiene, the cleaning that’s taking place in our schools.”
Asked about fines for parents who don’t send their children back to school, he said: “Fines for non-attendance have always been a last resort for headteachers and schools. What matters is that young people are attending school.”
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Teenager’s anxiety levels dropped during the coronavirus lockdown, a study by the University of Bristol has suggested.
The report published today by the National Institute for Health Research School (NIHR) is likely to raise questions about the impact of the school environment on young people’s mental health, amid calls from the prime minister for them to return to school next month.
A survey of 1,000 secondary school children in south west England found that 13- to 14-year-olds were less anxious during the lockdown than they had been last October.
Researchers compared findings from the original survey to answers given by the same teenagers in May this year, which showed that both girls and boys recorded lower levels of anxiety.
In October, 54% of 13- to 14-year-old girls and 26% of boys of the same age said they felt anxious, while in May – several weeks after schools had closed to most pupils – the proportion had dropped to 45% of girls and 18% of boys.
On Sunday, the UK’s chief medical adviser, Chris Whitty, told the BBC that children were more likely to be harmed by not returning to school next month than if they catch coronavirus.
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The US president, Donald Trump, is considering fast-tracking an experimental Covid-19 vaccine being created in the UK for use in America ahead of the presidential election, the Financial Times has reported.
Human trials of the coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed at the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and includes an immune response to Covid-19.
Early results indicate the jab would provide double protection, generating an immune response which stimulates the body to produce both an antibody and T-cell response.
The FT report said Trump was considering bypassing normal US regulatory standards to fast-track the vaccine, with an option being explored involving the US Food and Drug Administration awarding “emergency use authorisation” in October.
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The UK’s travel sector has reached a “critical point” with industry body Abta warning that vital government support needs to be provided to prevent further job losses and company closures.
The steep decline in travel due to anti-Covid measures has already led to the loss of around 39,000 jobs, Abta said, adding that the industry needed “tailored support” to prevent more redundancies.
Abta’s chief executive, Mark Tanzer, told the BBC:
With the government’s stop start measures, the restart of travel has not gone as hoped for the industry, and sadly businesses continue to be adversely affected and jobs are being lost at an alarming rate.”
Among the firms to already take a huge hit as a result of the crisis are student travel firm STA travel, which ceased trading on Friday, placing 500 jobs at risk, and Hays Travel, which announced 900 job cuts in August.
In July, the UK’s largest tour operator, Tui, said it would be shutting 166 high street shops in the UK and Ireland, affecting up to 900 jobs.
Updated
Bingo halls, funfairs, arcades and casinos are allowed to reopen in Scotland from today as the country eases its lockdown further.
People of all ages will also be able to take part in organised outdoor contact sports under the new measures, while concerts and comedy events will be allowed to take place outdoors with enhanced hygiene and restricted audience numbers.
Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts will not reopen in Scotland until next Monday, although this date is two weeks earlier than the government had originally planned.
In case you missed it yesterday, those organising illegal raves in England could face fines of up to £10,000 under police powers coming into force ahead of the bank holiday on Monday 31 August.
The West Midlands deputy police and crime commissioner, Waheed Saleem, has welcomed the news following a steady increase in the unlawful gatherings.
He told BBC Breakfast:
I think people think the virus isn’t out there or it’s not going to affect them and they can carry on enjoying themselves in these gatherings, which isn’t the case actually because these gatherings are not just breeding grounds for the virus, but also breeding grounds for criminality.”
“Although we could have done with these fines far earlier, I think these fines will act as a deterrent of people who are gathering, who are organising these illegal gatherings.
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The shadow education secretary, Kate Green, has accused the government of being “missing in action” over schools policy during the crisis.
“It’s essential children go back to school for ... their wellbeing, their learning and their long-term life opportunities,” she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning.
“But really in terms of making preparations for their return, while headteachers, principals and school staff have been working really hard over the last few weeks of the summer holidays to make the schools safe, I think the government has been missing in action to be quite honest.”
She added that the government’s “one-size-fits-all” guidance did not take into account that school’s with smaller sites would have to make different arrangements to larger schools with more space due to social distancing.
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Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has said it will save “a number of jobs” after buying parts of DW Sports for £37m.
The company, which owns Sports Direct and House of Fraser, said the buyout includes some of the company’s stock, but not the brand name DW or the firm’s intellectual property.
Around 1,700 jobs were put at risk when fitness and gymwear firm DW Sports fell into administration at the start of August.
Although Ashley’s firm said it would save some of these, it did not specify how many jobs would be rescued.
More on Boris Johnson’s plea to parents to send their children back to school next month.
The general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, Paul Whiteman, has said fining parents for not sending children back to school would risk the relationships teachers have with families.
He told BBC Breakfast:
I think if the government puts schools in a position where they have to enforce (fines) I think that damages the relationship between school and home at a point when you need it to be at its absolute strongest, so I don’t see that as the strongest way of encouraging children back into school.
I think with a proper engagement from government, real encouragement, and the messages about how safe it is and what to do around those areas of risk - if we acknowledge the risk, quantify it and mitigate it, I think there’d be enough confidence for parents to return their children.
He added that accommodations needed to be made to ensure teachers felt safe returning to classrooms. “If we force people back into the situation where they’re unsure or they feel they’re in danger then their performance isn’t going to be what it needs to be in any event and so it’s about talking to those individuals,” he said.
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England’s north-south divide could be worsened by the pandemic’s impact on the economy, with the most vulnerable sectors such as retail and manufacturing dominating the jobs market in certain regions.
More than 10% of the entire workforce in north-west England – about 351,000 people – are employed in retail, an analysis by Labour shows. In recent weeks the sector has been badly hit by cuts at major retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Boots and John Lewis.
In the east Midlands, 265,000 people (13%) are employed in manufacturing and the sector also accounts for between 10% and 12% of all jobs in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, Wales, the north-east and north-west.
By contrast just 2.2% in London work in manufacturing, about 112,000 people, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics’ business register and employment survey.
You can read more on this here:
Clubbers could could be made to wear face masks while dancefloor numbers could be restricted under suggested safety measures to allow clubs to reopen, according to the Night Time Industries Association.
The association said the night-time economy was one of the few remaining sectors without any clear path to reopening and has urged the government to “save the sector from collapse” and thousands of jobs.
Last week, it said three out of five businesses could go bust by September, while a new report supported by the Institute of Occupational Medicine, looks at how clubs and other venues could reopen safely.
The report said there is a “strong argument” to permit clubs to reopen under strict controls “bearing in mind the behaviour we are witnessing in unregulated environments such as beaches, parks and raves”.
There are also “sector specific measures” which venues can put in place which would put them “at least on a par” with other businesses that are allowed to open.
These include adding temperature checks for guests when they enter, and restricting capacity to ensure distancing is possible throughout the venue.
“Use of face-coverings on the dancefloor can be implemented and enforced through existing security staff and protocols,” it added.
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Johnson urges parents to send children back to school
The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has attempted to reassert his grip over education after days of chaos by making a personal plea to parents to send their children back to the classroom in September.
Johnson insisted the risk of contracting the virus in schools was “very small” and that pupils faced greater harm by continuing to stay at home.
Many pupils in England have not been to class since March, when schools were closed except to look after vulnerable children and those of key workers.
His decision to personally front the return-to-school drive rather than Gavin Williamson, the beleaguered education secretary who has faced calls to quit over the fiasco, is part of a deliberate attempt to switch the “messenger” and win back the public, a senior Tory suggested.
You can read the full report from our political correspondent Kate Proctor here:
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Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s coronavirus live feed, bringing you the key developments on the outbreak in the UK. Please feel free to share your thoughts and news tips with me via Twitter (@amyrwalker). Thank you in advance.
