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Former CMO on Cygnus: 'We could not cope with the excess bodies'
Footage has emerged of the former chief medical officer, Sally Davies, discussing worrying findings from Exercise Cygnus on simulating an influenza pandemic.
Speaking after the exercise in 2016 she said: “It became absolutely clear that we could not cope with the excess bodies.”
It raises more questions about why the government wanted to suppress a 2017 report into the exercise.
Blimey. Quite a coup to dig out this footage of the UK’s then chief medical officer discussing Exercise Cygnus. Hard for the government to deny the significance of this report - or explain why it needed to be secret until we published it this week. https://t.co/6wnmVxR2RF
— Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) May 8, 2020
The government tried to keep the Exercise Cygnus report secret until it was published by the Guardian this week.
Updated
NHS England medical director Professor Stephen Powis committed to publishing data on the deaths of those with learning disabilities and autism who had tested positive for coronavirus.
Speaking at the the Downing Street press conference he said:
People with learning disabilities and autism and wider mental health problems are really key to NHS England’s work and from the long-term plan we published at the start of last year, it’s clear just quite the focus we are placing on those groups of individuals and it’s really important that they get the appropriate care, the right care and have parity of care with everybody else.
So we’re not losing that focus, in terms of patients with mental health who are dying with Covid-19, many of those have been transferred from mental health facilities into acute hospitals, it is a small number but they are being transferred.
I can commit that we will publish that data, we’ve been looking at how we can do that as part of our deaths we publish daily.
We’re looking at how we can report on those groups and I’ll commit that from next week we will be publishing data on learning disabilities, autism and mental health patients who died in acute hospitals, and we’ll do that on an ongoing basis.
Updated
“Any premature loosening of the lockdown will only prolong the crisis,” the Guardian warns in an editorial.
A successful exit will require a much sharper drop in infections, and better preparation, than we have so far seen. Immense issues remain with testing. Tracing is not feasible while the incidence of infections is so high, and the government could yet ditch its own contact-tracing app in favour of the “decentralised” model favoured by Apple and Google. Health and social care workers must be adequately protected. Though the right would like to see Mr Johnson offer a timeline for key measures, this should be resisted. A broad outline of plans is sensible. But any dates attached, however carefully caveated, will inevitably be seen as promises; the political pressure not to deviate from them will be intense.
What is needed is sober decision-making, with an open discussion about the scientific evidence, and proper scrutiny.
Summary
Here’s a roundup of the latest developments on coronavirus in the UK:
Baby among 626 new victims in the UK
A six-week-old baby has become the youngest victim of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK. NHS England figures show 12 deaths so far for hospital patients aged 0 to 19 who had tested positive. Some nine, including the baby, had a pre-existing health condition, while three did not. The total death toll in the UK, among patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 now stands at 31,241 - 1,072 more than Italy’s total of 30,201.
Government misses 100,000 testing target for sixth day
For the sixth day in a row the government missed its target of testing 100,000 people for coronavirus. Despite a rise of more than 10,000 on the previous day, the level reach was 97,029. Defending the figure, the environment secretary, George Eustice said: “The important thing is to have those ambitious targets you’re working to, to just continually build the capacity.” He claimed the prime minister’s new target of 200,000 tests per day by the end of the May, was for capacity rather than tests carried out. He said: “The prime minister’s announced in the last week that we’re going to ramp that up further to 200,000 tests capacity per day.”
Plea to open fast food outlets but ‘no dramatic change in lockdown’
Eustice has urged more takeaway food outlets to reopen. He said: “We never mandated that they should close.” He also said: “McDonalds drive through was made for social distancing.” But he confirmed there would be no “dramatic overnight change” in the lockdown rules on Sunday.
UK scientists’ fury over attempt to censor Covid-19 advice
Government scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal. The report was one of a series of documents published by Sage this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus. However large blocks of text in the report, produced by SPI-B, the Sage subcommittee providing advice from behavioural scientists on how the public might respond to lockdown measures, were entirely blanked out.
Wales unveils modest easing of the lockdown
The first minister, Mark Drakeford, says it is too soon to ease the lockdown in Wales but announced three modest adjustments.
- Local exercise will be allowed more than once a day.
- Garden centres will be opened with physical distancing measures.
- Local authorities will open libraries and recycling centres.
Schools will not be opened at the start of June, Drakeford confirmed. He also revealed the R number in Wales is estimated to be 0.8 and if it stays at that level 800 people will die in Wales by August. If it increases to 1.1 an estimated 7,200 will die in Wales.
Sturgeon warns against easing the lockdown
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she was only considering relaxing the restrictions on exercising, saying the R number in Scotland was too close to 1 to contemplate any other easing measures. She also announced a further 49 deaths in Scotland taking its death toll to 1,811. She said: “By easing restrictions prematurely we would risk undoing all the progress that we’ve made, we would risk allowing the virus to spread out of control and that would cost lives.”
Rail services set to increase
Plans to ramp up rail services have been brought forward by a week and will start from next Monday, a union is claiming. Services were expected to be increased gradually from 18 May as part of an easing of the economic lockdown. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said it had discovered that the plans had been brought forward to start on Monday 11 May.
Calls to ease lockdown for angling, shooting and bowls
Anglers, game shooting enthusiasts and bowls clubs are increasing the pressure for the lockdown to be eased for their sports, arguing that they can resume them while remaining physically distanced. Lobbyists for fishing and game shooting claim that continuing strict lockdown restrictions for their pursuits could cost the UK economy millions of pounds and lead to thousands of job losses.
Nine Chelsea pensioners have died from Covid-19
The Royal Hospital Chelsea, the retirement home for British military veterans, which has 290 residents, made the announcement before VE Day on Friday. Five of the deaths occurred in the home, and four died while receiving hospital treatment elsewhere. A total of 58 of its residents, known as Chelsea pensioners, have recovered from the disease.
Updated
The official death toll in the UK is now more than 1,000 higher than in Italy, which until this week was the worst hit country in Europe.
As Eustice confirmed an increase of 626 deaths to 31,241 in the UK, Italy announced a further 243 coronavirus deaths, taking its tally passed 30,000 for the first time.
On Tuesday the Office of National Statistics suggested the UK’s death toll already passed 32,000 by the start of May. It counts all deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned on deaths certificates as possible or probable cause. The number announced at the Downing Street briefing is deaths in all settings where patients have tested positive for Covid-19.
#Coronavirus: #COVID19 deaths in #Italy pass 30,000
— Ansa English News (@ansa_english) May 8, 2020
Deaths up 243 to 30,201
No of infected down 1,663 to 87,961.
No of recovered up 2,https://t.co/9RXW3IYx4y 99,023
Total (dead+recovered+infected) = 217,185, up 1,327https://t.co/t9CC5LAoU8
The charts from today’s briefing show the rolling weekly average for deaths is coming down but only slowly. And today it was more than yesterday.
This is Matthew Weaver taking over the blog again for the next hour or so.
Updated
Takeaway fast food outlets can reopen, minister George Eustice has said, insisting that the government never ordered them to shut.
Asked if fast food outlets could have stayed open during the crisis, the environment secretary explained: “While clearly restaurants and pubs had to close, we were quite keen to keep that capacity to be able to do takeaway food for people.”
Reduced footfall in town centres, staff anxiety and a sense of what was “socially acceptable” given the stay-at-home message had led to places such as McDonald’s and KFC closing, he suggested. He added:
I think it is quite possible for these venues to reopen and reopen safely, we never mandated that they should close. We have learned a lot from supermarkets and other food outlets about how you can do social distancing and do it well.
I think some of those food-to-go businesses will probably be seeking to learn lessons from what supermarkets have done as they consider tentatively reopening.”
Updated
Pressed on why the UK has failed to meet its 100,000 daily testing target for six days in a row, the environment secretary, George Eustice, sought to defend the government’s efforts. He said:
If you have, as we do, 50 different sites offering drive-through tests you will get regional variances. You will get some days of surplus tests where people haven’t come forward to take them in some areas, and you will have other areas where you don’t have quite enough capacity for that local demand.
The important thing is to have those ambitious targets you’re working to, to just continually build the capacity. But you will of course get daily fluctuations in availability in any given local area.”
And, asked about the government’s new target to conduct 200,000 tests by the end of the month, Eustice insisted it would not distract from delivering the current testing capacity.
“I think it is important and helpful to have targets you’re moving towards,” he said.
That’s why we had that ambitious target to get to 100,000 and again to get to 200,000 by the end of this month. I don’t really understand at all why that would distract from those that are delivering the current test capacity and they can continue to do so, the planning for an expansion is done by an entirely different set of people.
As we start to roll out things such as our track and trace approach, testing will become quite an important feature of that.”
Updated
The government has been challenged on revelations that almost 80% of respirators in the national pandemic stockpile were out of date when the coronavirus hit the UK.
Channel 4 News obtained detailed stock lists that reveal exactly what was held on the day coronavirus was declared an international emergency. Around 200m vital pieces of kit – including respirators, masks, syringes and needles – had all expired in the eight months before 30 January.
Asked by Channel 4 News political correspondent, Liz Bates, about the findings, NHS England medical director, Prof Stephen Powis, said any items of PPE which have gone past their original date of expiry are retested to ensure they still meet the right standards and would not be distributed to frontline workers unless they met the standards.
Updated
There will be no "dramatic overnight change" in UK's lockdown, says minister
There is not going to be “dramatic overnight change” in the UK’s lockdown measures, George Eustice insisted, as he sought to downplay speculation of a greater lifting of restrictions.
Speaking at the daily Downing Street conference ahead of Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on Sunday, where he is expected to announce some form of ease in lockdown measures, the environment secretary insisted the government would be acting cautiously.
He said: “There isn’t going to be any dramatic overnight change. We will be very, very cautious as we loosen the restrictions we have. As the data that we’re outlining on a daily basis shows, we are not out of the woods, there are still major challenges with this virus for sometime to come. And it’s therefore important to avoid that second peak that could overwhelm our NHS, that we exit and evolve these restrictions very, very carefully.”
Updated
The government has been challenged on how it’s Covid-19 contact-tracing app will work for those elderly people who do not have smartphones, as it warned they may be left in danger.
Heidi, a member of the public from Romford, Essex, submitted a question at the Downing Street press conference saying:
How will the contact app work properly when a lot of the older generation do not have smartphones? They are the ones that need to know who has Covid-19 the most, but they won’t know and will still be in danger.”
Answering, George Eustice said: “The work that we’ve done suggests that if you got around 60% of the population on this app then it would become highly effective, but even at lower rates it would be effective. We recognise that some elderly people may not have a mobile phone and may not have an app but also many will have family to help support them to get such an app. And, of course, some of those - particularly the shielded group - may indeed continue to stay at home for longer periods of time to protect themselves.”
It follows the Guardian reporting on signs of a generational divide among the take-up of the app on the Isle of Wight where it is being piloted this week. The app is due to be rolled out to the rest of the country later this month.
Updated
Government fails to meet six-figure Covid-19 testing target for sixth day in a row
The government has failed for the sixth day in a row to meet its 100,000 Covid-19 testing target.
Despite a rise by more than 10,000 in the number of tests carried out, only 97,029 were conducted in the 24-hours to 9am today. It is up from 86,583 the day before but still short of the six-figure target that the health secretary, Matt Hancock, pledged the government would meet by the end of April.
It comes after Hancock was accused of artificially inflating the number of coronavirus tests as he last week hailed the rapid expansion that allowed him to reach a self-imposed 100,000-a-day target as a “national achievement”. It emerged that a third of the 122,347 tests included in the final 24-hour period before the deadline were counted before they had been carried out.
Updated
UK's Covid-19 death toll rises by 626
The UK’s coronavirus death toll has reached 31,241 it has been announced, marking an increase of 626 since yesterday.
The environment secretary, George Eustice, gave the new figure, which includes deaths in both hospitals and the community including care homes, as he spoke at the daily Downing Street press conference.
Eustice also announced details of the £16m fund to help support charities feed some of the nation’s most vulnerable people hit by the pandemic.
Updated
Charities to benefit from £16m fund to help feed poorest hit by Covid-19 lockdown
Charities are set to receive £16m to help provide food to some of the country’s most vulnerable people struggling during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Refuges, homeless shelters and rehabilitation services are among at least 5,000 frontline charities and community groups in England who will benefit from the funds.
It comes after it emerged that the coronavirus lockdown has triggered an unprecedented rise in food bank use as the economy was hit and household incomes dropped.
The fund will cover rural areas in addition to cities and will target those who are struggling to afford food, the government has said. The environment secretary, George Eustice, said:
During this difficult time, our frontline food charities are doing brilliant work amid a significant increase in demand - working in refuges, drop-in services, homeless centres and other places.
It is absolutely vital they have the resources they need and this funding will help the most vulnerable in our society get the food they need at this enormously challenging time.”
The funding is part of the £750m pot announced by the chancellor for charities across the UK during the coronavirus outbreak. It comes after charities reported unprecedented levels of demand for assistance, while facing a drop-off in donations. Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of FareShare, said:
We welcome this support from Defra to obtain vital food supplies, on top of the generosity already shown by the UK food industry. This will enable us to continue to supply much-needed food and drink to the many thousands of frontline charities and community groups across England that are doing the humbling work of getting meals to very vulnerable people during this crisis.”
The programme will provide millions of meals over the next three months delivered via charities, including FareShare, the largest not-for-profit organisation that redistributes food in England and nationwide.
Funds will also be available for smaller food distribution charities, a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed, with a Covid-19 food charity grant scheme to be created next week to allow charities that provide food to apply online for funding.
Updated
Outdoor swimming pools and leisure centres are capable of reopening “quite easily” within weeks under social distancing measures, the boss of a leading gym chain claims.
The David Lloyd Leisure chief executive, Glenn Earlam, believes there is “prejudice against certain sectors”, arguing that gyms should be allowed to open before shopping centres.
With Boris Johnson due to reveal plans on Sunday to ease the country’s lockdown measures, reports have suggested that gyms and leisure centres may be shut until the autumn as they are feared to be a “hotbed of infection”. However, Earlam told PA:
The evidence suggests that keeping the body fit and healthy could be one of the best things to do to prevent Covid-19, but I think gyms and leisure centres are quite far down on the pecking order of opening things up again, which seems pretty counter-intuitive.
I believe leisure centres and gyms could be safely reopened quite easily, not everything would be the same at the start, there would have to be screens on reception desks, floor markings ensuring members stay two metres away and every piece of equipment would be cleaned after every use, with hand towels readily available. The numbers of people entering could also be limited, with ill people advised to stay at home.”
Claiming his company’s gyms were “incredibly clean” and insisting staff would be given PPE, he said his facilities would be ready to open in the coming weeks. He added:
We’d also be in the position to reopen outdoor swimming pools - all the advice suggests chlorine kills Covid stone dead. Of course we’d have to limit the number of people around the pool and changing rooms would remain closed, but there’s nothing to suggest people can’t safely swim while maintaining social distancing measures.
Updated
Boris Johnson has invited Russia to participate in a global vaccine summit next month during a call with Vladmir Putin to mark VE Day.
The prime minister extended an invitation to Putin for the Global Vaccine Summit that the UK will be hosting virtually in June to help strengthen healthcare systems and tackle Covid-19 in some of the poorest nations, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
“The prime minister spoke to President Putin today to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day,” the spokeswoman said, adding:
They paid tribute to the collaboration between British and Russian forces during the second world war, including through the Arctic convoys, and to the heroism and sacrifice of all those who lost their lives.
They also discussed the bilateral relationship between our countries. The prime minister was clear we should maintain dialogue, but that obstacles to further progress remained.
The leaders spoke about the coronavirus pandemic and agreed on the importance of continuing to work together and with other countries to defeat the disease.
Updated
Good afternoon, readers. It’s Simon Murphy here taking over the UK live blog from my colleague, Matthew Weaver.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of people being moved on by Police Scotland because they are not adhering to lockdown guidance, according to the latest figures released by the force.
Some 13,717 people were asked to disperse from a public place in the fortnight from 23 April to 6 May, taking the total since the emergency power came into force on 27 March to 18,357.
An additional 2,851 people were dispersed with a police warning, taking the total to 41,999. A further 101 were returned home using reasonable force, taking that total to 212, and there have now been a total of 143 arrests and 2263 fixed penalty notices issued.
Speaking at the Scottish government briefing this afternoon, chief constable Iain Livingstone acknowledged that there were more people on the streets now than at the start of the lockdown. He said: “I do think there have been remarkably high levels of consent, support and compliance but undeniably in recent weeks there are more people in public.”
The six-week-old baby announced to have died in an English hospital is the youngest victim of the outbreak in the UK so far (see earlier).
PA has this background:
While it is much less likely for children to suffer severely from Covid-19 compared with adults, Friday’s NHS England figures show 12 deaths so far for hospital patients aged 0 to 19 who had tested positive.
Some nine, including the baby, had a pre-existing health condition, while three did not. The youngest victim with no known underlying health issues was Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who died in March aged just 13.
After his case emerged, one expert called for research into deaths which have occurred outside of patient groups believed to be at higher risk.
Dr Nathalie MacDermott, an academic clinical lecturer at King’s College London, said at the time:
It is essential that we undertake research to determine why a proportion of deaths occur outside of the groups expected to succumb to infection as it may indicate an underlying genetic susceptibility.
Determining if this is the case could help us to learn more about the interaction of the virus with the immune system and subsequently what further treatments may be suitable in patients with severe infection.”
People of all ages with underlying health problems are believed to be at higher risk from the effects of the virus. But a major British study of almost 17,000 patients with severe Covid-19 found that only a very small number of children fall seriously ill.
The study, which examined data from 16,749 Covid-19 patients in 166 hospitals between 6 February and 18 April, found that under-18s accounted for less than 2% of the study sample and under-fives accounted for 0.8%.
Updated
Coronavirus deaths in Wales increase by 28 to 1,090
Public Health Wales has announced another 28 coronavirus deaths taking the death toll to 1,090 in Wales.
Earlier the first minister, Mark Drakeford, said the Welsh government estimates there will be another 800 deaths in Wales by 7 August if the R number stays at its current level of 0.8. If it increases to 1.1 the death toll would increase by 7,200 by August, he warned.
The latest number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Wales have been updated.
— Public Health Wales (@PublicHealthW) May 8, 2020
Data dashboard:
💻https://t.co/RwgHDufHE7
📱https://t.co/P6UF1MTOwc
Find out how we are responding to the spread of the virus in our daily statement here: https://t.co/1Lza9meaTL pic.twitter.com/DUJshDGB0E
Updated
Five more coronavirus deaths in Northern Ireland
Another five Covid-19 related deaths have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said. It brings the total number of deaths to 427.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) in NI.https://t.co/GdwoGvEtE8 pic.twitter.com/pBPNPEvEfb
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) May 8, 2020
Dr Andrew Freedman, reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University School of Medicine, says it too risky to significantly lift the lockdown in Wales or the rest of the UK.
He said:
Although we had all hoped that it might be possible for a more substantial relaxation of the lockdown restrictions at this stage, it is clear that the daily level of new infections is still too high and the R value too close to 1 to allow that to happen safely.
We are clearly past the peak of this first wave, but a more major easing of the social distancing rules now would risk a large second wave a few weeks down the line, with increasing hospital admissions and deaths.
It seems unlikely that these minor measures announced today by the First Minister for Wales will have any significant detrimental effect on the rate of new infections. We know that the risk of the infection being transmitted is much lower outdoors so exercising more than once a day should not pose a risk.
I would expect similar measures to be announced by the other UK nations.
Research by Citizens Advice suggests many vulnerable workers are having their health put at risk by their employer not furloughing them on the government’s scheme.
A press release on the study said:
The charity’s frontline advisers are helping workers in the shielded group, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, who have been denied furlough despite instructions to stay at home and avoid face-to-face contact. Many have been left relying on £95.85 per week from statutory sick pay and any additional benefits they might be entitled to.
In the week after applications for the Job Retention Scheme launched on 20 April, Citizens Advice gave one-to-one employment advice to almost 4,200 workers. An analysis of a randomised sample of a tenth of these cases showed that over 70% of those who are shielding or are potentially at higher risk from coronavirus had not been furloughed. Those at higher risk include people who are pregnant or have conditions such as diabetes.
Employers are currently allowed to furlough people for any reason arising from the coronavirus pandemic, including to protect employees’ health.
Citizens Advice is calling for the most vulnerable workers to have a right to be furloughed if their work would require them to breach public health advice. This should include people in the shielded group or who share a household with someone in the shielded group. These workers should also be able to retain access to the Job Retention Scheme for as long as public health advice requires them not to work.
Food shop key worker Colleen, 55, is in the shielded group as she has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. She has been denied furlough and instead put on Statutory Sick Pay. Her husband works as a carer and so can’t return home.
She said: “I really wish I never gave my work the [shielding] letter because at least I wouldn’t be struggling to get by. But my husband rightly said working would put me at risk. It’s just a catch-22. I’m damned if I work and I’m damned if I don’t go to work.
“Being on SSP means I take home over £200 a month less than if I was working. I’m struggling to pay my normal bills and buy things like food. I’ve had to sign up to get food parcels as I just don’t have enough money. My friend has dropped me bread and beans to get by.”
Updated
Plans to ramp up rail services have been brought forward by a week and will start from next Monday, a union is claiming, PA reports.
Services were expected to be increased gradually from 18 May as part of an easing of the economic lockdown.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said it had discovered that the plans had been brought forward to start on Monday 11 May.
Officials said the industry had been told to be ready to begin a last-minute mobilisation to accommodate an increase in passenger numbers from Monday in reaction to the prime minister’s address on Sunday.
The RMT said the move overrules a planning document sent to the unions on Thursday by the Rail Industry Coronavirus Forum, a rail industry and trade union body established to put in place arrangements to protect passengers and workers.
The document said services would be increased in phases, with a “stepped” increase from 18 May, said the RMT. General secretary Mick Cash said: “We have it on good authority that the rail network has been put on notice to begin a last-minute mobilisation to accommodate an increase in passenger numbers from Monday.”
Updated
A pilot on the Isle of Wight for the new contact tracing app appears to have got off to a bumpy start – with emerging signs of a generational divide.
Although most locals told the Guardian they were broadly supportive of the idea, questions have been raised about glitches on some phones and the potential lack of takeup among the island’s older, less tech-savvy residents.
And just as the NHS Covid-19 app was unveiled to the island on Thursday morning, it was dealt a further blow when a parliamentary committee warned it must not be released in its current form without increased privacy and data protections. Meanwhile, it emerged that Downing Street is leaving open the prospect of ditching the app entirely and instead opting for a “decentralised” model favoured by Apple and Google.
By late morning on Thursday, 33,000 of the Isle of Wight’s 140,000 residents were undeterred and had downloaded it, with 28 logging symptoms, the local Tory MP Bob Seely said. (Key workers had access to the app earlier in the week.) Later in the day, downloads topped 40,000.
Updated
Here’s the top part of PA’s take on Nicola Sturgeon’s press conference:
The four UK nations may need to move at different speeds on easing lockdown, Nicola Sturgeon said as she urged Scots to stick with the current coronavirus restrictions.
Prime Minster Boris Johnson spoke with the leaders of the devolved nations on Thursday, ahead of an expected announcement on easing parts of the lockdown in England on Sunday.
Wales’ first minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced three “modest adjustments” from Monday to restrictions there.
But Sturgeon has said the only change in Scotland would be allowing people to leave their house for exercise more than once a day.
Speaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, she said there was a “helpful recognition” in her call with the prime minister that the “four UK nations may well move at different speeds if our data about the spread of the virus says that that is necessary to suppress it”.
Sturgeon said after talks with the PM on Thursday about his plans that she expected any differences between the nations to be initially “quite minor”.
She stressed: “I wouldn’t anticipate a radical departure in the immediate term, if the sense I am getting from the UK government now turns out to be the reality.”
But she added that planning and messaging would continue to be co-ordinated.
The Scottish government said its data suggested the R-number was higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK - with this estimated to be between 0.7 and one in Scotland, compared to between 0.5 and 0.9 in the UK.
Updated
Almost 3,000 male prisoners in Wales are being held in shared cells despite the threat from coronavirus, Plaid Cymru has discovered.
The party’s Westminster parliamentary leader, Liz Saville Roberts, said:
These are shocking revelations that show a deeply dangerous lack of action to protect those that work in prisons as well as inmates.
Mega prisons like Berwyn [in Wrexham] offer near perfect conditions for an outbreak. Social distancing will inevitably be difficult in a prison, but it looks as if prison officers are being asked to fight this disease with one hand tied behind their back.
Keith Neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, says the modest easing of the lockdown in Wales poses “very little, if any, risk of new infections” and the Welsh government should have gone further.
He said:
It is disappointing that other forms of leisure and exercise have not been included to improve people’s physical and mental health. The evidence against other leisure activities not being allowed where social distancing can be maintained easily should be published to justify this decision. This particularly applies to fishing and sunbathing in a park.
Recycling centres have already reopened in England and the nature of these sites intrinsically allows social distancing if site specific measures are put in place.
Garden centres have always been near the top of the list for re-opening. Zoos are also large open spaces which would readily allow even more social distancing and it is a pity there has not been more consistency.
If libraries can open, presumably with social distancing, it is difficult to see why shops of similar sizes can’t also reopen.
The decision to maintain most of the lockdown is warranted but given more evidence on the analyses of lockdowns across Europe and lifting in many countries we need to see the evidence on why these decisions have been made and this will maintain confidence in following the science.
The different UK administrations say they want to work and stay in line and keep the messaging consistent but announcing different measures or the same measures two days early needs to be justified and explained.
Given the epidemic is really a series of multiple epidemics across the UK it is likely one size does not fit all and therefore different approaches are warranted. This particularly applies to various smaller islands around the UK, rural vs cities and also Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to work as one body.
Updated
The battle over reopening schools in England continues, with the National Association of Head Teachers releasing a poll showing that few school leaders feel confident enough for lockdown measures to be relaxed.
Just 10% said they felt confident it would be safe to open their school to more pupils “in coming weeks”, while only 7% said parents would think it was safe enough to allow their children back to school, according to responses from 1,300 senior leaders yesterday.
Paul Whiteman, the NAHT’s general secretary, said the government needed to put in a greater effort to win over parents and staff in the event of a change of policy:
“Schools will need very clear and unambiguous guidance in order to move forward. There should be no grey areas in terms of what schools are expected to do. Leaving difficult choices up to school leaders who do not have access to the scientific advice would be an unreasonable burden to put on their shoulders.”
Meanwhile the Trades Union Congress has backed a statement from the unions working in schools, including GMB, Unison and Unite members, saying that they should not reopen until the government is able to test and trace those infected with Covid-19.
There’s more on the issue here:
Updated
Summary
Here’s a roundup of the latest developments on coronavirus in the UK
UK scientists’ fury over attempt to censor Covid-19 advice
Government scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal. The report was one of a series of documents published by Sage this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus. However large blocks of text in the report, produced by SPI-B, the Sage subcommittee providing advice from behavioural scientists on how the public might respond to lockdown measures, were entirely blanked out.
Baby among 332 more victims in English hospitals
NHS England said a further 332 people have died in English hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. It brings England’s coronavirus death toll in hospitals to 22,764. The youngest victim was a six-week-old baby with underlying health problems, NHS England said. The oldest victim was 103.
Wales unveils modest easing of the lockdown
The first minister, Mark Drakeford, says it is too soon to ease the lockdown in Wales but announced three modest adjustments.
- Local exercise will be allowed more than once a day.
- Garden centres will be opened with physical distancing measures.
- Local authorities will open libraries and recycling centres.
Schools will not be opened at the start of June, Drakeford confirmed. He also revealed the R number in Wales is estimated to be 0.8 and if it stays at that level 800 people will die in Wales by August. If it increases to 1.1 an estimated 7,200 will die in Wales.
Sturgeon warns against easing the lockdown
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she was only considering relaxing the restrictions on exercising, saying the R number in Scotland was too close to 1 to contemplate any other easing measures. She also announced a further 49 deaths in Scotland taking its death toll to 1,811. She said: “By easing restrictions prematurely we would risk undoing all the progress that we’ve made, we would risk allowing the virus to spread out of control and that would cost lives.”
Rail services set to increase
Transport sources have revealed plans for a gradual easing of the lockdown from 18 May. The Department for Transport confirmed a “range of options” were being considered. Union leaders stressed they wanted to make sure their members’ safety was protected, with one saying lifting the lockdown was “fraught with danger”.
Calls to ease lockdown for angling, shooting and bowls
Anglers, game shooting enthusiasts and bowls clubs are increasing the pressure for the lockdown to be eased for their sports, arguing that they can resume them while remaining physically distanced. Lobbyists for fishing and game shooting claim that continuing strict lockdown restrictions for their pursuits could cost the UK economy millions of pounds and lead to thousands of job losses.
Nine Chelsea pensioners have died from Covid-19
The Royal Hospital Chelsea, the retirement home for British military veterans, which has 290 residents, made the announcement before VE Day on Friday. Five of the deaths occurred in the home, and four died while receiving hospital treatment elsewhere. A total of 58 of its residents, known as Chelsea pensioners, have recovered from the disease.
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Anglers, game shooting enthusiasts and bowls clubs are increasing the pressure for the lockdown to be eased for their sports, arguing that they can resume them while remaining physically distanced.
Lobbyists for fishing and game shooting claim that continuing strict lockdown restrictions for their pursuits could cost the UK economy millions of pounds and lead to thousands of job losses.
They also warn that the disappearance from the countryside of sportspeople during lockdown is leading to a rise in rural crime and having a negative impact on conservation.
Meanwhile, greens are being lovingly prepared and committee members thinking about ways of operating in a post-lockdown world as the sport of bowls makes tentative preparations for a comeback.
Martin Salter, the head of policy at the Angling Trust, said fishing had been “incredibly responsible” in persuading the UK’s many hundreds of thousands of anglers to stay away from the water during lockdown.
But he said: “I think we have a compelling case now for us to be at the very front of the queue when the government and its advisers decide the time is right to begin ratcheting back the restrictions.”
The Downing Street coronavirus briefing is expected to take place at 5pm, as usual for a weekday, and will led by the environment secretary, George Eustice.
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Baby among 332 more victims in English hospitals
NHS England said a further 332 people have died in English hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. It brings England’s coronavirus death toll in hospitals to 22,764.
The youngest victim was a six-week-old baby with underlying health problems, NHS England said. The oldest victim was 103. Some 22 of the 332 patients, aged between 40 and 96 years old, had no known underlying health condition.
Here’s the regional breakdown of the deaths:
London 93
East of England 53
North-east & Yorkshire 50
North-west 41
Midlands 40
South-east 35
South-west 20
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Q: Is the R number in Scotland the highest in the UK?
Sturgeon said the R number in Scotland was between 0.7 and 1 and it was closer to 1 than 0.7.
In the UK it is estimated to be between 0.5 and 0.9.
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Q: How will policing work if there are different lockdown regimes in Scotland and England?
Sturgeon said Scotland had to do what the data said it should. She repeated that the four nations could move at a different pace. But she added: “I would not anticipate a radical departure from Scottish lockdown measures in England.”
I would anticipate that in the immediate term, as in Sunday into Monday, any differences will be probably quite minor.
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Q: Should there be more checks at airports?
Sturgeon says this is something the UK government is looking at. “I would expect the UK government to say something about borders in the coming days,” she said.
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Q: Are you worried that the furlough scheme will be wound down to save money?
Sturgeon said no government could ignore the fiscal challenge of the policies. Government support should continue, but it may need to “flex”. She said support should not be withdrawn too soon, and a cliff edge withdrawal should be avoided.
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Q: Are care home workers being prevented from getting tests because of staffing issues?
All care home staff should be allowed to get a test, Sturgeon said. She said “We are working with homecare providers” to make sure that if they have staffing difficulties they have cover through volunteers and those returning to work.
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Q: Are care workers having trouble getting to testing sites?
Sturgeon agreed to look at the issue. Home tests should be available, she added.
Sturgeon criticised the media speculation about a possible lifting of the lockdown on Monday.
She said:
My main message is about the importance of staying at home. I know it will be tempting to think that this weekend, after so many weeks of lockdown, we can allow ourselves perhaps one little slip. You may even think given recent unhelpful news headlines that things have already eased up, and that there’s somehow less at stake.
I want to emphasise to you as strongly as I possibly can that that is absolutely not the case, the risk remains too high for us to ease up now.
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Sturgeon said:
None of us, including me, want these restrictions to be place for a minute longer than they have to be, but we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent against this virus. By easing restrictions prematurely we would risk undoing all the progress that we’ve made, we would risk allowing the virus to spread out of control and that would cost lives.
Sturgeon says the four nations of the UK may move at different speeds. “The only change we are considering in the immediate term is to the guidance on outdoor exercise,” she said. More details will be provided on Sunday.
Sturgeon said the R number in Scotland is higher than the rest of the UK, but she did not give a figure.
Death toll in Scotland increases by 49
Sturgeon announced that a further 49 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus died in Scotland in the last 24 hours, taking its death toll to 1,811.
She said:
There have been 13,149 positive cases confirmed, that is an increase of 225 since yesterday. I’m also able to confirm today that since 5 March a total of 3,016 patients who had tested positive and been hospitalised have been able to leave hospital and I wish all of them, and the families, well.
Unfortunately I also have to report that in the past 24 hours, 49 deaths have been registered of patients who had been confirmed through a test as having Covid-19, that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement to 1,811.
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You can follow the Scottish government’s news conference here:
📺 Watch live: First Minister @NicolaSturgeon holds a press conference on #coronavirus (#COVIDー19).
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) May 8, 2020
Joining the First Minister today is @policescotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone and National Clinical Director Jason Leitch. https://t.co/LSHMWJhEza
The epidemiological term ‘harvesting’ is tragically applicable to the way we have failed to shield vulnerable people from coronavirus, writes Richard Coker, the emeritus professor of public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Next up will be the Scottish government’s press conference. The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will be joined by the chief constable of Police Scotland, Iain Livingstone and Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director.
Today’s @scotgov #coronavirus update will take place at the later time of 1.30pm due to the #VEDay75 commemorations. I’ll be joined today by @CC_Livingstone and @jasonleitch
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 8, 2020
The Welsh government provided these slides on the estimated 0.8 R value in Wales and the various projected impacts on hospital admissions and deaths if that changes.
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Here’s a transcript of what Drakeford said about the decision not to open schools on 1 June.
He said:
We don’t know what the UK government will be saying about schools in England, so I’m not going to speculate on that. I said, a week ago, that it needed three weeks from the point you made the decision to a school reopening. We’re at that point where if we’ve made the decision schools will be reopening in Wales in June. We’re not making that decision today for all the reasons I’ve already set out. And that’s why Kirsty Williams our education minister confirmed that schools in Wales wouldn’t be reopening in that major way in June.
Despite Drakeford’s wording there is still a chance that schools could reopen in Wales at the end of June.
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Q: What level would R need to be before lockdown is lifted or adjustments reimposed?
We will be watching R like a hawk, Drakeford said. If it increases the adjustments will be reversed. Drakeford said the R rate in care homes is higher than in the community but he did not say by how much.
Q: Will policing be difficult if there are different lockdown policies in the UK nations?
Drakeford said: “We are managing. I want to make it clear to people thinking of travelling to Welsh beaches or mountains that Wales is still under lockdown. Don’t do it.”
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Q: How open has the Westminster government been?
It has been one of “fits and starts”, Drakeford said. “When we have discussions it is good, it would be better to have regular discussions.”
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Schools in Wales will remain closed in June
Q: Is Wales still in lockstep with England and what about schools opening?
Drakeford said: “We will maintain a four nations approach but timings could vary. We don’t know what the UK government will say about schools. We are not making a decision to reopen schools in June.”
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Q: Is there a danger of mixing messages?
Drakeford says there is no chance of that. He said the message was to stay safe and stay local.
Q: When will there be a route map out of lockdown?
Drakeford said there will be a need to spell out a road map to lifting the lockdown. That needs to be coordinated with the other UK nations on Sunday.
He said lifting the exercise restrictions was about improving people’s well being and mental health.
Q: What’s the point of tiny changes that could affect the messaging?
Drakeford said reviewing the lockdown is about making modest adjustments. It has not produced any major changes, but the adjustments will make a difference to people.
Q: Will similar changes be made in England?
Drakeford said he spoke to Boris Johnson yesterday. It will be for him to decide what to do in England. But only modest changes are likely in England, Drakeford said.
Three modest changes to lockdown in Wales
The first minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, says it is too soon to ease the lockdown in Wales.
He says the R reproductive rate of the virus in Wales is currently estimated to be 0.8. He warned that 800 people would die of the virus in Wales, but if the lockdown is lifted that figure would increase to more than 7,000.
Drakeford said three “small and modest adjustments” could be made in Wales.
- People will be allowed to exercise more than once a day. But it should be local and not involve any travel.
- Garden centres should be open with physical distancing measures.
- Local authorities can plan to open libraries and recycling centres.
There was no mention of schools.
Join us live shortly for an update from @fmwales on the lockdown situation in Wales 🎥 pic.twitter.com/2XQC6hke4B
— Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) May 8, 2020
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UK scientists' fury over attempt to censor Covid-19 advice
Government scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal.
The report was one of a series of documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus.
However large blocks of text in the report, produced by SPI-B, the Sage subcommittee providing advice from behavioural scientists on how the public might respond to lockdown measures, were entirely blanked out.
Several SPI–B members told the Guardian that the redacted portions of the document contained criticisms they had made of potential government policies they had been formally asked to consider in late March and early April.
The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, is being praised for his VE day message and his handling of the coronavirus crisis by Conservative commentators and outlets.
The Labour Leader writing in the Daily Telegraph on VE Day tells you one thing - this guy is going to do everything he can to win. https://t.co/pycT3DAfhZ
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) May 8, 2020
— Iain Dale (@IainDale) May 8, 2020
Sir Keir has had a good plague – he has cloaked his broadsides in the language of constructive criticism, writes Stephen Daisley https://t.co/weFSqpQpwk
— Coffee House (@SpecCoffeeHouse) May 8, 2020
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In the next hour or so, the first minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford will reveal the next stage of the Welsh government’s lockdown plans. A press conference is due to start at 12.30pm.
Earlier this week he suggested that schools in Wales could reopen at the beginning of June.
“Our advice from the trade unions and from the local education authorities is that you will need three weeks as a minimum from the point that we decide to do that, to when schools can reopen, so we are talking about the beginning of June,” he told the BBC.
At 1.30pm the Scottish government is due to give its daily briefing. On Thursday, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, ruled out any significant lifting of the lockdown.
She also warned that changing the stay at home message would be a “catastrophic” mistake.
"We have concluded that the lockdown – and the associated regulations - must remain in place for now."
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) May 7, 2020
Today FM @NicolaSturgeon announced that the lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of #coronavirus will continue for now, but may be reviewed at any time. pic.twitter.com/sukGgHzlR6
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Summary
Here’s a summary of the main developments so far today:
UK coronavirus lockdown tested as bank holiday starts
The lockdown is facing a major test from the long VE Day bank holiday weekend of warm weather. There are concerns about mixed messaging before Boris Johnson’s announcement on easing restrictions. The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said “any changes in the short term will be modest, small, incremental” before the prime minister’s address to the nation on Sunday evening.
Rail services set to increase
Transport sources have revealed plans for a gradual easing of the lockdown from 18 May. The Department for Transport confirmed a “range of options” were being considered. Union leaders stressed they wanted to make sure their members’ safety was protected, with one saying lifting the lockdown was “fraught with danger”.
Nine Chelsea pensioners have died from Covid-19
The Royal Hospital Chelsea, the retirement home for British military veterans, which has 290 residents, made the announcement before VE Day on Friday. Five of the deaths occurred in the home, and four died while receiving hospital treatment elsewhere. A total of 58 of its residents, known as Chelsea pensioners, have recovered from the disease.
Javid says the economy should be run hot
The former chancellor Sajid Javid urged the government to go “far and as quick” to help the economy recover from the impact of coronavirus. Javid, who left his post in Boris Johnson’s government in February, said scientific advice needed to be acted upon, but the best course of action was “running the economy hot”. The Bank of England warned that Covid-19 could lead to the economy plunging 14% this year, in the worst annual fall since records began.
Global death toll nears 270,000
The total number of coronavirus deaths across the world has reached at least 268,999, according to Johns Hopkins University, which has tracked the spread of the virus. There are 3,846,949 confirmed cases.
WHO study: 190,000 people in Africa could die from virus
Up to 190,000 people in Africa could die of Covid-19 during the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on prediction modelling and analysing 47 countries in the region. The organisation also warned that the virus could “smoulder” on the continent for years.
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The live blog will be pausing at 11am to observe the two minutes’ silence marking the 75th VE Day anniversary.
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Rail services are set to increase later this month as part of the gradual easing of the lockdown
Sources said there would be a gradual increase from 18 May. Rail unions have been involved in talks about the safety of workers and passengers when more trains run.
Union leaders stressed they wanted to make sure their members’ safety was protected, with one saying lifting the lockdown was “fraught with danger”.
Mick Cash, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said: “There is a headlong dash to lift the lockdown on our transport services for May 18 and it is fraught with danger for both passengers and staff alike.
“To maintain the government’s own social distancing guidance would mean huge logistical and staffing input to manage passenger flows onto trains and it is imperative that all staff involved in this process are properly protected.
“RMT will not compromise on the health, safety and livelihoods of our members and we will not agree to anything that fails to put the safety of staff and passengers first.
“If that means advising our members not to work under conditions that are unsafe and in breach of the government’s own guidelines then that is exactly what we will do.”
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef said: “We want to help Britain return to what we knew as normal before the pandemic, and have agreed with the Department for Transport that we will increase the number of services when and where it is safe for passengers and for staff.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We are examining a range of options on how transport can respond to support the recovery in a timely way when the time comes and it is safe to do so.
“We continue to prepare for any scenario we might be asked to support.”
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Historians have praised Florence Nightingale before the 200th anniversary of her birth, and said her legacy has “never been more relevant” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Staff at the Florence Nightingale Museum in Westminster said her key nursing values – which focused on maintaining good hygiene, regularly washing hands and carrying out evidence-based practices – had been widely echoed over the past months.
Nightingale was born on 12 May 1820 and Tuesday also marks International Nurses Day.
She developed these habits during the Crimean war, where, along with a small troupe of nurses, she tended soldiers’ wounds and worked to improve hospital conditions.
Her data-based work also helped shape modern nursing: founding the nursing school at St Thomas’ hospital, developing palliative care and midwifery, and shaping the redesign of hospitals across the UK and the health system itself.
Kristin Buhnemann, assistant director at the Florence Nightingale Museum, said: “In terms of modern nursing, her legacy has never been so relevant, as she was a pioneer for sanitation, hygiene and had a monumental impact on infection control today.”
Health leaders continue to use the concept of evidence-based healthcare, a theory Nightingale pioneered and advocated for and which is currently being used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to track and trace Covid-19 patients.
Her passion for data saw her become the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society, while her invention of the coxcomb, an early version of a pie chart used to show Queen Victoria and her government the connection between cleanliness and the mortality rate of British soldiers, is being used today to combat the current pandemic.
Elsewhere, her compassion towards nurses has also had an impact on modern practices, and historians have drawn parallels to the current PPE (personal protective equipment) crisis.
Buhnemann, said: “So just like today’s nurses, Nightingale risked her life to help others, and I believe she would be incredibly proud of the current healthcare workers.”
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Premier League clubs opposed to the idea of playing their remaining matches at neutral venues once the competition restarts must realise people’s lives are at stake and football concerns should take a back seat, police have said.
Mark Roberts, the national lead for football policing, told Sky he was concerned about some of the comments he had heard regarding the conditions for restarting the league, which was suspended in mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Discussions are continuing about resuming games after clubs were told only neutral venues approved from a health and safety point of view would be allowed.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s chief executive, Paul Barber, said his team were opposed to surrendering home advantage and Christian Purslow, his counterpart at Aston Villa, said relegation would be a £200m catastrophe.
“The things that are starting to concern me a little as we get closer to a potential restart are comments we’re hearing on the margins by people involved in football,” Roberts said.
“Comments such as ‘we might get relegated’, ‘we don’t want to play at neutral venues’, ‘when we played them away there were fans in the stadium’, ‘we play at home without fans that’s a disadvantage’, ‘we want to get the trophy’.
“I get this in a football context that these are all a big deal. But in the context where 30,000 people have died (in the UK) and the total is still going up, then it’s not such a big deal.
“We want to work with football ... get the season back going for the commercial reasons, for the morale reasons ... but we have to remind ourselves that cannot be at the risk of putting a single further life in jeopardy.”
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Hello, I am updating the UK liveblog this morning. Please send any tips and stories to nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or follow me on Twitter @NParveenG to send me a message. Thank you.
The editor-in-chief of the Lancet has said that the lockdown should remain in place until the beginning of June, warning of a second wave of the pandemic.
Speaking to Nick Robinson on the Political Thinking podcast, Dr Richard Horton said: “Absolutely don’t do it too fast. In Wuhan they locked down for 10 weeks and a lot of the epidemiological modelling shows that you need to lock down for around about 10 weeks. That takes us to 1 June. We locked down on 23-24 March.
“So I really worry that if we come out of this too quickly, maybe two or weeks too quickly we could see the flare-up of a second wave and so I would say keep it in place until the end of May, to the beginning of June.
“The danger both economic and the toll in deaths danger is so great. Those extra couple of weeks are worth it. I know it’s painful but it’s worth it.”
Horton also condemned the “corruption and collusion” of scientific advice to the government during the pandemic.
He said: “I don’t think the system was self-critical enough.
“There should have been more criticism – such as ‘what if this isn’t influenza, what if this is like a Sars-like virus, why don’t we know what was taking place in China?’ These questions weren’t asked and you see it in some of the documents on Sage.
“There was such a concern about the potential economic damage of raising the alarm. Some of the papers Sage were considering and Imperial College produced – they were trying to balance the concern about an epidemic with the potential concern for an economic hit. And I think that did lead to a pulling of punches.”
The full podcast is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08clg1w
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A nurse has received a Points of Light award from the prime minister for creating a book to help reduce anxiety in children caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Molly Watts, a staff nurse on the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Southampton Children’s Hospital, was thanked for her book Dave the Dog is worried about coronavirus, which she created in her spare time.
The free online publication, which has now been published in paperback, has been downloaded more than 260,000 times in 164 countries, and was used in schools and nurseries to help ease the fears of children before the lockdown.
It is one of a collection of titles Watts has written under her Nurse Dotty Books brand, which are often written and illustrated by her when she returns home from shifts on the unit.
The Points of Light award is given by the prime minister to recognise those who are supporting their communities during the pandemic, with Captain Tom Moore being a high-profile recipient.
In a letter to Watts Johnson wrote: “You have used your Nurse Dotty Books to help reduce the fear and anxiety that many young people have about coronavirus.
“Allow me also to express my deepest gratitude and admiration for your service to our country as a paediatric nurse in intensive care.
“Twenty-four hours a day, for every second of every hour, you and your colleagues are watching over your patients with the most astonishing devotion, precision and love.
“It is why our whole nation is so immeasurably proud of our NHS and everyone who works within it and, on behalf of the whole country, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Watts said: “I am so honoured to receive this award, especially now when so many incredible people are doing so much to help others.
“The fact that the story has reached so many children and that they have found it helpful is amazing to me.”
Visit http://www.nursedottybooks.com for more information and access to the books.
Andy Serkis’s continuous live reading of The Hobbit, starting online at 10am, has already raised £100,000 for charity.
The actor, who has played Gollum, will read JRR Tolkien’s 1937 novel from start to end.
Money raised from the 56-year-old’s expected 12-hour performance will be shared between NHS Charities Together and Best Beginnings.
The GoFundMe campaign has already received more than 7,000 donations from more than 70 countries and the campaign target has now been increased to £250,000.
As a token of his appreciation, Serkis will choose a handful of donors at random and call them to say thank you for joining him on the journey.
He said: “I have been absolutely blown away by the response, both from those who have tuned in to watch along, and from those who have been generous enough to donate. I want to express my gratitude to every single person who has come on this journey with me. The difference that this money will make to these two amazing charities is huge, so thank you very much.”
Tune in to the live stream here.
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The residents of Cambrian Road in Chester dress up in 1945 clothing and have a social distancing tea party to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Although large-scale public events are unable to go ahead because of coronavirus restrictions, politicians and members of the royal family will pay tributes, alongside a host of other events as the nation remembers those who fought and died in the second world war.
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Kyle Walker claims he is being “harassed” after admitting that he breached lockdown rules to visit his sister and parents.
The Manchester City defender had been forced to issue an apology last month after media reports that he had hosted a party at his home. But Walker has hit back at the latest stories, saying he is being targeted and that the ongoing controversy is affecting his and his family’s health.
Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images
Walker admitted contravening coronavirus regulations again by visiting Sheffield to see his sister and his parents – for which he could be fined and cautioned by police.
Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, has spoken of his delight after the prime minister named his baby boy Wilfred after his grandfather, a second world war RAF pilot.
Stanley told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I’m thrilled that Boris and Carrie have named their boy … after my father, Wilfred.
“It’s a wonderful strange feeling actually to see that this name is going to live on in this young boy.
“I actually broke the lockdown rule … but I went, I said ‘there’s bound to be something in the papers’ and went across to the garage … I said ‘I know I’m not really meant to be out buying a newspaper, I’m not sure it’s an essential journey, but I just think there’s something in the paper today about my 14th grandchild.’”
Johnson also spoke of his anxiety when the PM fell critically ill with Covid-19.
“I think I was as worried as any father would be if their child is at death’s door … I make no bones about it, I said a prayer or two,” he said.
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The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, said the prime minister would on Sunday set out a “road map” for how England would begin to lift the lockdown restrictions.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said: “We can start to look to the future but we’ll have to do so in a very tentative and cautious way, so people should not expect big changes.”
He added: “If there is any indication that things are starting to get out of control, we won’t hesitate to step back.
“But people should be able to look forward to the weeks and months ahead to know where we are going and the order in which we are doing it.”
Meanwhile, the first minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, reiterated that any changes made to the region’s lockdown measures – extended for another three weeks on Thursday – would be “minor” and “nuanced” in order to keep the “R-rate” of infection below 1.
She said: “We don’t want to take any chances that it will go above the number 1 again.
“Everything will stay as it is.
“We don’t just look at the public health, of course that is the priority, we do have to look at the economic damage that is being done to our country and the societal damage and the wider health issues we have to take into account as well.
“We will look to see if we can make minor amendments within those three weeks.”
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The government should open up the economy “as far and as quick” as possible to recover from the economic impact of coronavirus, the former chancellor Sajid Javid has said.
The Bank of England warned that Covid-19 could lead to the economy plunging 14% this year, in the worst annual fall since records began.
Javid, who left his post in Boris Johnson’s government in February, said scientific advice needed to be acted upon, but the best course of action was “running the economy hot”.
Official data suggests more than 36,000 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, while the number of cases has topped 200,000.
Speaking to Sky News, Javid said the government was right to put the public health first but this had led to economic issues and a balance needed to be struck.
“We’re going to have to co-exist with this virus for many months, if not potentially years. But we’ve got to find a way forward and that does mean you’re relaxing, as much as you can,” he said.
“Running the economy hot, you could say, in a way that you are trying to take into account, not just the sort of necessity to control the virus, but also the wider impact on society.”
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Briefings from Downing Street about relaxation of lockdown were “entirely wrong and a foolish mistake”, according to Scotland’s deputy first minister John Swinney.
Describing the briefings, which prompted celebratory headlines on Thursday morning and then fierce criticism about mixed messaging from No 10, as “a disastrous piece of communications by the UK government”, Swinney said that first minister Nicola Sturgeon had had a “helpful discussion” with the prime minister yesterday afternoon. Sturgeon has been clear that she believes lifting lockdown too quickly could be “catastrophic”, with Scotland’s infection curve behind the rest of the UK.
He told BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “It gave the opportunity for the leaders of the devolved nations to express clearly to the prime minister the perspectives in different parts of the UK.”
Swinney said that the Downing Street response to the meeting, which stressed Johnson’s “commitment to continuing our UK-wide approach to tackling coronavirus, even if different parts of the UK begin to move at slightly different speeds”, showed an important recognition of the “importance of following the science in different parts of the country”.
Responding to complaints overnight from the chief executive of Scottish Care, Donald Macaskill, that home care staff booking tests were being asked to travel to the other side of the country, Swinney said that the situation was “not acceptable”. “We have to make sure that the capacity is used to the full throughout the country,” he said.
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Children and staff at Breadsall primary school in Derby during a VE Day lunch party to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe:
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The UK will come together to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and remember those who fought and died in the second world war, despite restrictions imposed due to coronavirus.
Although large-scale public events are unable to go ahead, tributes will be paid by politicians and members of the royal family, as well as through a host of other events.
Friday commemorates the official surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces on 8 May 1945, following the second world war.
Boris Johnson has written to veterans to assure them that, despite the ongoing lockdown, they and their efforts to defeat a “ruthless enemy” would not be forgotten.
“We cannot pay our tribute with the parades and street celebrations we enjoyed in the past; your loved ones may be unable to visit in person,” he said in the letter.
“But please allow us, your proud compatriots, to be the first to offer our gratitude, our heartfelt thanks and our solemn pledge: you will always be remembered.”
The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, will also release a pre-recorded commemorative message to mark VE Day, and tributes will be offered by speakers in both the House of Commons and the Lords.
A two-minute national silence will be observed at 11am to honour the memories of the British servicemen and women who gave their lives during the conflict. The silence will be led by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and broadcast from a location in Scotland, where they are self-isolating.
At 9pm, the Queen will address the nation in a televised message – the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a speech over the radio three-quarters of a century earlier.
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The lockdown is facing a major test from the long VE Day bank holiday weekend of warm weather, and concerns of mixed messaging ahead of Boris Johnson’s announcement on easing restrictions.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said “any changes in the short term will be modest, small, incremental” before the prime minister’s address to the nation on Sunday evening.
Raab admitted there could be minor rifts in efforts to maintain a UK-wide approach to tackling Covid-19, with Wales set to announce plans on Friday.
But he told the public that the rules had not yet changed ahead of the long weekend to mark 75 years since VE Day, when victory was declared in Europe during the second world war.
“For the moment it is really important, particularly as people look towards a warm bank holiday weekend, that we continue to follow the guidance in place at this time,” Raab said.
With official data suggesting more than 36,000 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, the PM will unveil his “roadmap” for easing the lockdown in a broadcast to the nation at 7pm on Sunday.
In other developments:
- The Royal Hospital Chelsea said nine Chelsea Pensioners had died of coronavirus-related conditions
- Tests continued to stay below the 100,000-a-day target, with 86,583 conducted in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday
- The nation clapped from their windows and doorsteps for the seventh week in a row to show their appreciation of NHS workers and other carers.
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