Evening summary
- With warm weather forecast this weekend, in a moving moment during the daily news conference the chief nurse Ruth May pleaded with people to remember Aimee O’Rourke and Areema Nasreen, two nurses who died after contracting Covid-19. “Please stay at home, for them”.
- The health secretary Matt Hancock issued a call for more volunteers to take part in “essential” clinical trials. He said the bigger the trials, the greater the data, the faster treatments can be rolled out.
- UK hospital deaths saw a record daily rise of 684, bringing the total to 3,605 patients who have died after testing positive for Covid-19.
- The NHS Nightingale Hospital in London was opened by the health secretary and the Prince of Wales (via video link). In addition to ones in Birmingham and Manchester, two more temporary hospitals were announced in Bristol and Harrogate.
- The Welsh government is to make it a legal obligation for companies to ensure employees stay 2 metres apart. The law will come into effect on either Monday or Tuesday next week.
- The Premier League will ask footballers to take a 30% wage cut and it is committing £20m to the NHS and £125m to lower leagues. It also confirmed the league would not resume at the end of May.
- Confirmed cases among inmates rose by 20% in the last 24 hours to 88 across 29 prisons in England and Wales.
- The prime minister Boris Johnson remained in self-isolation as he continued to have a high temperature.
- Road travel fell to levels not seen since 1955 as all forms of travel plunged in urban areas.
- The exam regulator unveiled plans for how GCSE and A-level students will get their grades: a combination of teacher assessment, class rank and school performance will determine grades.
- And finally, the Queen has recorded a special coronavirus broadcast, which will be aired on Sunday. It will be only the fourth time she has issued a televised address to the nation in troubled periods.
Updated
Thousands of British nationals trapped in India after the country went into lockdown are to be rescued by charter flights which will start leaving the country next week, the foreign office has announced.
In the past few minutes, Jan Thomson the high commissioner in Delhi has said:
Special charter flights from India to the UK organised by the British government will start next week.
We are still in the process of finalising details with the Indian government and airlines.
Next week is just the start. We will not be able to get everyone home immediately so please bear with us.
A further update from Acting High Commissioner @JanThompsonFCO on getting you home:
— UK in India🇬🇧🇮🇳 (@UKinIndia) April 3, 2020
“Special charter flights from India to the UK will start next week – more information will follow over the weekend”
Details will be published on our Travel Advice and here. pic.twitter.com/LJf8AsKpnh
India has been a priority for the government since Dominic Raab announced the £75m airlift operation to repatriate stranded Britons.
More details of flights are expected on Sunday.
Thompson said the priority would be to get the most vulnerable on board first after reports of many elderly tourists in Kerala.
The British ambassador in Kathmandu has also confirmed flights from Nepal, possibly at the end of next week.
At the start of the year, plans for the celebration of the 700th anniversary of Scotland’s most important historic document, the Declaration of Arbroath, were well underway, with the a new digital exhibition at Arbroath Abbey, an international archivists’ conference and a national programme of public events for adults and children.
The original declaration of Scottish independence, in the form of a letter submitted by Scots nobles to Pope John XXII and dated 6 April 1320, was intended to confirm Scotland’s status as a sovereign state. Believed to have influence the American Declaration of Independence, the declaration famously states:
For as long as one hundred of us shall remain alive, we shall never in any wise consent submit to the rule of the English, for it is not for glory we fight, nor riches, or for honour, but for freedom alone, which no good man loses but with his life.
Then came lockdown. At the last minute, broadcaster Lesley Riddoch and filmmaker Charlie Stuar decided that the anniversary could not go unmarked.
As Arbroath Abbey and the National Library of Scotland, where the original medieval document is housed, were shutting down, the pair managed some speedy filming, as well as interviews with historians like Fiona Watson who were due to contribute to the scheduled celebrations.
A Facebook appeal called for members of the public to record a few lines from the evocative declaration on their phones, and contributors include the actor Brian Cox.
The film will be available on social media and on lesleyriddoch.com with the video available on from Saturday morning at 9am.
The chair of the home affairs select committee, Yvette Cooper, has has written to the home secretary requesting urgent clarification on government advice for individuals returning to the UK, particularly from areas with high numbers of coronavirus cases.
Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand are among countries now recommending or requiring quarantine or self-isolation for people arriving in the country.
In a letter to Priti Patel, by way of example, Cooper says people are continuing to arrive in the UK from New York where the number of cases in the state reached 75,000 this week and continues to rise and not asked to self-isolate for seven to 14 days.
The Coronavirus Act 2020 gives police and immigration officials powers to require those who arrive from affected areas to self-isolate, but it is not clear whether or how these powers will be used.
Cooper has asked Patel to confirm what advice the government has taken, and from whom, in respect of Covid-19 policies on people entering the UK from abroad.
Van Tam said there is no evidence that the generally wearing of face masks by the public who are well effects the general spread of the disease in society.
It is not recommended by the government.
Updated
Hancock said £5m has been put in to support Mind to help people dealing with mental health struggles.
He added that he “absolutely sees green shoots” in terms of the massive change in public behaviour. If that continues, they will be “really big green shoots in the end”.
In the hospital data it is too early to tell.
Van Tam said it is important that antibody tests are “rigorously evaluated” before they can be deployed.
Hancock said 17.5m antibody tests have been provisionally ordered but can only be used if they work.
He says no G7 country has yet found one that works and the search continues as the science is constantlyd developing.
May said DNAR discussions need to be done sensitively.
Hancock reiterated he does not know when the peak will com and distanced himself from earlier comments made to Sky News that it could be around Easter.
He concedes that there will be people who are self-isolating and who have Covid-19 that are not counted in the official statistics as they have not been tested.
He would not like to speculate on how large a number that represents.
He said it is for physicians in charge of care of patients to approach them and ask if they would like to take part in clinical trials.
But, yes, people are needed to take part.
The 926 figure is “fantastic work” from clinicians and patients.
Van Tam says a taskforce is looking at the loss of taste and smell as a symptom of Covid-19. He says that limited data suggests it is true but does not contribute anything on its own to the overall affinity of the diagnosis.
Hancock said he did lose his sense of taste while he was suffering from Covid-19 but this was not permanent.
Questions are coming in from the press now.
Van Tam said we do not know when the peak will be. But it will partly depend on how well physical distancing is adhered to. Premature actions will not be taken.
He added that he does not think we are “anywhere close to the kind of scenario” where the peak comes and the NHS does not have enough ventilators.
It is not known, but could be a few months, before results from clinical trials come in.
It depends on how fast patients can be recruited to take part in the trials.
There is a determination to move onto new medicines, which are moving into phase 2 and 3.
The therapeutics taskforce will coordinate this.
The initial focus was on repurposing medicines. An example is anti-malarials and HIV treatments.
Three weeks after the Recovery trial launched, 926 patients have enrolled.
Treatments have to be effective, safe and the right dosage, the right patients given the treatment and at the right time in the illness, makes this complicated.
This is where clinical trials come in.
Weeks ago, clinical trials were being looked at behind the scenes, he said.
The UK is in the same situation in terms of the shape of the curve as many countries around the world.
Hospital admissions are increasing, reinforcing the advice to stay at home and observe physical distancing.
However, the changes will take time to turn the curve on the disease.
The number of cases are increasing day by day.
This remains a dangerous time. It remains vitally important that people stay at home and practice the social distancing we’ve asked of them, even this weekend as the weather gets warmer.
Dramatic declines are noted on vehicle and public transport use, which is “very encouraging”.
Jonathan Van Tam is speaking now.
A chart shows declines in mobility across the UK, people are listening to social distancing advice.
This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be tempting to go out and enjoy the sunshine, but remember Aimee and Areema.
Please stay at home, for them.
Ruth May is speaking now.
She paid tribute to two nurses who have died, Aimee O’Rourke and Areema Nasreen. She fears there will be more.
Hancock reiterates that while the weather will be nice this weekend, the disease is still spreading and “we absolutely cannot afford to relax the social distancing measures we have in place.
If we do people will die.
This advice is not a request, it is an instruction.
Stay at home. Protect lives. And you will be doing your part.
For now, the only way to protect yourself and your family from this disease is to stay at home.
An expert therapeutics taskforce has been set up to search for and shortlist other candidate medicines for trials. Jonathan Van Tam advises on this.
Three national clinical trials have been established covering the each major stage of the disease: primary care, hospital care and critical care for the most seriously ill.
One of these trials was put together in nine days – at “breathtaking speed”.
One trial – “Recovery” – which deals with hospital care is “the largest of its kind in the world” with 926 patients involved.
Research about treatments is central to the government’s plan, as there is still much we don’t know about Covid-19.
Over 7,000 NHS staff have now been tested.
More than 26m PPE products were delivered to 281 different organisations yesterday.
More PPE will be provided to Northern Ireland, over 5m items, to meet their needs.
Hancock says over 2,000 critical care beds are free and available across the country, before the Nightgale hospitals come on stream.
More Nightingale hospitals are planned in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, along with one in Bristol and one in Harrogate.
Updated
The construction in nine days of the NHS Nightingale hospital in London is an “outstanding achievement” and he credits everyone involved in building this place “of hope and healing”.
173,784 people have been tested, of whom 38,168 have tested positive.
3,605 have sadly died.
In the last 24 hours, two nurses and two healthcare assistants have tragically died.
Matt Hancock is speaking now.
He reiterates that everyone must stay at home.
Downing Street press conference
We expect the health secretary Matt Hancock to lead this afternoon’s daily news conference, due to begin shortly, alongside Prof Jonathan Van Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, and the chief nurse Ruth May.
Updated
An emergency support package for legal aid practices has been announced by the Ministry of Justice as lawyers warn that their livelihoods are in danger of disappearing.
The measures are intended to provide additional assistance for those working on legal aid cases and to preserve access to justice during the pandemic.
The lord chancellor Robert Buckland, said:
These measures are a clear indication of their important status both in times of crisis and beyond and the role they play in ensuring the justice system continues to function effectively.
The justice system is adapting to the crisis by postponing most non-urgent cases and conducting some cases remotely online. City law firms have pledged £85,000 to support law centres as their cash reserves run down.
Julie Bishop, director of the Law Centres Network, said:
Many Law Centres were operating on a knife edge financially and the Covid-19 crisis has made the situation even more dire.
Without emergency funding many centres will close imminently and leave their communities without vital support, at a time when so many vulnerable people are facing uncertainty.
Welcoming the additional MoJ legal aid funding, Simon Davis, president of the Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, said:
If criminal law practitioners, who have to go into prisons and courts to keep the system of justice going, cannot afford to keep going themselves – the whole system risks grinding to a halt.
The justice secretary is due to appear before an emergency session of the Justice select committee next Tuesday to discuss the crisis – but it will be online and in private. A statement will be issued later.
There has been criticism of the decision to hold the meeting behind closed doors. Kerry Hudson, president of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association, tweeted:
Absolutely no reason why it should be in private. If courts and police can embrace technology, so can you. Transparency more important than ever.
Two families with children on the autistic spectrum have launched a legal challenge against government rules banning people from leaving the house more than once a day.
According to Bindmans solicitors, which is handling their case, restrictions on leaving their homes are making it difficult for their clients to “manage their children’s high needs and promote their wellbeing” at a time when external agencies are less able to provide support.
The firm has sent a letter before action to the government, the first stage in the judicial review process, arguing that the physical distancing rules disproportionately affect adults and children with disabilities, particularly those with autism or mental health conditions.
They are challenging the policy on the basis that it breaches elements of both the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act. Jamie Potter, Partner at Bindmans, said:
The social distancing measures being put in place by government are clearly important, but they cannot be used to disproportionately interfere in the rights of those with protected characteristics, particularly those with mental illness, autism or similar conditions that necessitate leaving the house more than once per day.
Such rights can clearly co-exist with the health measures being put in place and Parliament clearly did not think it necessary to impose the once per day restriction arbitrarily introduced by the government. It is essential the government needs to rethink this restrictive policy and allow appropriate flexibility where it is necessary and justified.
One of the affected families instructing Bindmans said:
The government must consider the vital needs of disabled people and their families, many of whom now have considerably reduced support, while managing the coronavirus crisis, including essential social distancing. Without these considerations, the current situation risks becoming unmanageable for them.
A will company is waiving fees for those working in the NHS after experiencing a 12-fold increase in the number of requests from such workers in March compared to December.
Farewill is waiving its £90 fee to make a will, the company’s chief executive, Dan Garrett, said.
We’ve seen demand for our services increase recently and we’ve done everything we can to meet it, taking on around 20 extra staff. When we started seeing the volume of inquiries from NHS workers grow so steeply, we all wanted to support them.
So, to give them peace of mind and make the process as simple as possible in the middle of what must be an incredibly demanding time, they can make a will with us in as little as 15 minutes, for free.
People can do it from home, from work – from wherever they like, so long as they have either internet or phone connection.
Things are challenging for everyone in the NHS at the moment and we hope this gesture, even though it’s a small one in the scheme of things, will go some way towards helping.
We're now offering a free will to all NHS staff. In the last few weeks, we've seen 12 times more NHS workers using our will service than usual, so we wanted to do our bit to help. Simply go to https://t.co/BvPe0O4dg4 and sign up with your NHS email address to claim a free will. pic.twitter.com/TKj9tZjZh4
— Farewill (@Farewill) April 2, 2020
Updated
Cases among prisoners rises 20% in 24 hours to 88
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus among prisoners in England and Wales has risen by 20% in 24 hours, according to the daily update from the Ministry of Justice.
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 among prisoners increased to 88 across 29 prisons as at 5pm on Thursday. There are around 83,000 prisoners in England and Wales across 117 prisons.
The number of prison staff who have tested positive remained at 15 in the same period, while the number of infected prisoner escort and custody services (Pecs) staff remained at four.
On Tuesday, the justice secretary, Robert Buckland, confirmed most pregnant women and inmates held in mother and baby units would be temporarily released.
There have been increasing calls from reform groups to release further prisoners, including inmates with severe health conditions and low-risk offenders.
Updated
Updated
A design and technology teacher has gone back to school in York to make visors for NHS workers.
Paul Cooper, head of design and technology at St Peter’s School, has been manufacturing visors in his classroom to supplement 6,500 items of protective equipment donated by the school to York Teaching hospital NHS foundation trust last week.
After hearing about the shortage of face masks for health professionals, Cooper realised that his DT department has the machinery and equipment to manufacture visors for staff working on the frontline against coronavirus.
Mr Cooper has been manufacturing face masks in his Design & Technology classroom to help protect #NHSheroes at @YorkTeachingNHS. He can produce a face mask in just 6 minutes and has made 60 visors so far! https://t.co/GmzKNU8Ya3 #StPetersTogether #NHSThankYou #BBCMakeADifference pic.twitter.com/Y313WyJtUF
— St Peter's, York (@stpetersyork) April 3, 2020
It now takes him just six minutes on a laser cutter to manufacture each mask, which is made from polypropylene sheet and photocopy film. They have been designed with the minimum number of components required, using an integrated adjustable head band.
Cooper initially made five sample face masks for the approval of the local NHS and was given the go-ahead to produce a further 60 visors, which were collected from the school on Thursday.
Updated
The health secretary Matt Hancock has indicated that the coronavirus outbreak could reach its peak in the UK on Easter Sunday, with around 1,000 deaths each day running up to that date.
Asked about reports from NHS sources that the government was working on the calculation that deaths would start to peak on 12 April, Hancock said:
I defer to the scientists on the exact predictions, I’m not going to steer you away from that. That is one perfectly possible outcome.
Of course there is uncertainty around that. Part of the challenge of communicating about this disease and our response to it is there are a lot of things we don’t yet know and this is one of them.
Speaking to Sky News from the newly opened Nightingale hospital at London’s ExCeL centre, Hancock said:
We are prepared not only for that eventuality but also in case it’s worse than that, because I want to make sure that the NHS is prepared for all reasonable outcomes, as well as something that might be closer to the central projection.
Prof Yvonne Doyle from Public Health England has previously said the government was monitoring modelling on the spread of the virus and gave 12 April as the day after which it would undertake a review of the lockdown measures.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon played down the suggestion that the peak in fatalities could happen so soon. She told a press briefing on Friday:
Nothing I have seen gives me any basis whatsoever for predicting the virus will peak as early as a week’s time here in Scotland.
Updated
Debenhams is expected to enter administration in the coming days following the impact of the pandemic.
It is understood the department store chain, which runs 142 stores and employs around 22,000 workers, could file for administration as early as next week.
The company has not yet filed for insolvency but sources told the PA Media news agency that administration is the “most likely” course of action.
The retailer has lined up accountancy firm KPMG to handle the process, according to Sky News.
Debenhams confirmed that it is “making contingency plans” in a bid to secure its future, with a view to re-opening stores once the lockdown is removed.
The retailer has already notified suppliers of a delay to payments and has requested a rental holiday from landlords.
Updated
Premier League to donate £20m to NHS and ask players to take 30% wage cut
Premier League clubs held a meeting on Friday to discuss how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
They were singled out by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, this week for not doing enough in these difficult times but announced after the meeting that they were, among other things, “committing £20m to support the NHS, communities, families and vulnerable groups during the pandemic”.
The governing body said it would consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30% of total annual remuneration. It also said it would advance funds of £125m to the four leagues beneath the Premier League.
Finally, it also admitted that the league will not re-start at the beginning of May, adding that “the 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so”.
More to follow here.
Updated
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has contacted his fellow Premier League captains to organise a coronavirus fund that will raise millions of pounds for the NHS.
The full story is here.
Three weeks ago, the World Health Organization told countries battling Covid-19 to “test, test, test” for the virus.
Since then, the UK government has been accused of issuing mixed messages, of over-promising and under-delivering. The UK’s daily testing rate has only just passed 10,000.
The Guardian’s Frances Perraudin and Pamela Duncan have created a comprehensive timeline of Britain’s coronavirus testing scandal. It is here.
Updated
The government of Jersey has announced a plan to test every citizen for Covid-19 in a programme to be rolled out over the coming weeks.
The British crown dependency says it has ordered up to 150,000 antibody test kits which are due to arrive in batches. Known as serology tests, they measure the presence of antibodies in the blood which are known to be produced by those who have already contracted the virus.
Jersey went into lockdown on Monday and 96 islanders have so far tested positive. Frontline staff and key workers will be tested first, in order to check whether they have had the disease and therefore potentially gained immunity, meaning they can return to work.
The scheme will then be rolled out to other islanders. The first delivery is due by the middle of April. The Jersey government’s medical officer Dr Ivan Muscat said arrangements for expanding testing into the community may involve sending out mobile testing units.
“Obviously, we would be very interested in working out who is infected and who isn’t,” said Muscat at a press conference, “in order to determine what someone’s diagnosis is and where they’re looked after – if they’re admitted to hospital, for example.”
Fellow crown dependency the Isle of Man has taken a different approach, choosing to align with UK government advice, which is that antibody test kits are not reliable enough for widespread use in the community.
“The latest advice I’ve received is that so far they are only 30% reliable,” the first minister Howard Quayle told the island’s parliament on Friday. “We are obviously watching this and when our medics feel that the test is reliable … then of course we will be looking to implement that on the Isle of Man too.”
Updated
Train operator Grand Central, which runs services between Sunderland and Kings Cross, has announced it will suspend operations.
It is the second open-access operator – those that run a limited number of trains on bigger networks – in a week to halt operations, following Hull Trains. It had been operating a skeleton service since the outbreak began.
Northern has also announced it will cut back its timetable further from Sunday, leaving no trains at all running on some branch lines.
Updated
The latest data from Transport for London shows that people in the capital are heeding calls to avoid public transport for non-essential travel.
Just 160,000 people (measured by unique Oyster or contactless payment cards) used the London Underground or rail services on Wednesday, compared with 2 million at the same time last year, a total of 210,000 tube journeys (normally around 4 million a day).
Bus travel in London is still around 85% down on usual levels. To attempt to protect passengers and staff, the whole network is now cleaned daily with a new anti-viral disinfectant, TfL said.
Updated
Penguin Random House UK has teamed up with Neighbourly to distribute free books to some of the communities most affected by the coronavirus crisis, including families on low incomes and older people facing isolation.
Proud to be working on this programme with @PenguinUKBooks to deliver a bit of comfort through books for people who are alone or facing difficulties 📚 https://t.co/680bZZxMGP
— neighbourly.com (@nbrly) April 3, 2020
With communities across the country under severe strain as social isolation, school closures and a reduction in charitable donations all cause increased difficulties for those in greatest need, it is hoped the books will offer relief and escapism in challenging times.
New figures show that nearly a million people applied for universal credit in the last fortnight, a surge in welfare support that highlights the depth of the income crisis.
Charities and community groups who will receive the books and offer them as part of their essential services include UK Harvest, which delivers surplus food from commercial outlets such as supermarkets, to feed those people in greatest need.
Updated
Food redistribution organisations across England are being invited to bid for grants from new government funding to help slash food waste and redistribute up to 14,000 tonnes of surplus stock to food banks and charities during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Defra-funded grant of £3.25m, announced today, will be managed by the government’s food waste adviser Wrap and all food redistribution businesses and charities can bid for grants over the coming months.
The outbreak of coronavirus has caused massive disruption to the supply chain, while there is anecdotal evidence of consumers wasting food after over-buying.
Food wholesalers have been calling for help from the government as they struggle to deal with tens of thousands of tonnes of fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and dairy products no longer required by restaurants, hotels and schools.
As much as £20m of food with a shelf life of less than three months is lying in warehouses, according to the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, after the government ordered the closure of millions of hospitality businesses around the country.
The government’s food waste tsar Ben Elliot said:
Now more than ever, it is of paramount importance that we ensure good food does not go to waste. This money will support food redistribution organisations to continue their pivotal work in delivering food to those who need it.
Rene Meijer, chief executive of Sheffield-based food redistribution organisation The Food Works, said:
Over the past two weeks we have doubled the amount of food we redistribute, as many tonnes of food goes spare from businesses closing and people change their shopping habits.
Surplus food redistribution is all about providing resilience to the community, and at a time like this we need resilience more than ever to ensure good food does not go to waste and reaches those who need it.
Updated
John McDonnell has called for a wealth tax on the richest in society and a windfall levy on the banking industry to fund the government’s emergency response to the coronavirus crisis, as the social and economic costs of the outbreak rapidly mount.
In his final act as shadow chancellor before Labour elects a new leader on Saturday, McDonnell said the rebuilding job for Britain after Covid-19 should prioritise fully funded, publicly owned and democratically controlled public services.
More on this story here.
Updated
A news story in the British Medical Journal has appeared suggesting that four out of five cases of Covid-19 in China may be asymptomatic.
The story is based on figures released by Chinese authorities on Wednesday that revealed that of the 166 new infections identified in the preceding 24 hours, 130 people showed no signs of the disease.
Tom Jefferson, an epidemiologist and honorary research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, told the BMJ that while the sample was small it might have important implications, not least since it could mean that the virus had been circulating for longer than thought and that a huge proportion of the population had already been exposed.
He said:
If – and I stress, if – the results are representative, then we have to ask, ‘What the hell are we locking down for?’
But others have pushed back against the remarks. Among them, Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, who said that, while many people may have encountered the disease and been unaware of it, low rates of hospital admissions in several parts of the country suggested infection was not widespread and that lockdown therefore remained important. He said:
The lockdown is only [doing] one thing, which is to stop a surge of cases so that the trickle that are created are able to be safely treated in hospital and their lives saved.
Updated
Queen records special coronavirus broadcast
The Queen has recorded a special broadcast on the coronavirus outbreak to be broadcast on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said.
The televised address to the nation will be only the fourth of her 68-year-reign during times of national crisis and grief.
While she broadcasts a recorded message each year on Christmas Day, special addresses from the monarch in troubled periods are rare.
There have been three previous speeches broadcast: after the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, ahead of Diana, Princess of Wales’s funeral in 1997 and about the First Gulf War in 1991.
Amid celebratory times, the Queen made a televised address to mark her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Updated
UK hospital deaths rise by 684 to 3,605
A total of 3,605 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Thursday, the Department of Health said, up by 684 from 2,921 the day before.
The Department of Health said that, as of 9am on Friday, a total of 173,784 people had been tested of whom 38,168 tested positive.
For context, the previous day’s rise was a further 569 deaths and 33,718 tests had been positive for Covid-19, a rise of 4,244.
Updated
Further 24 deaths in Wales bringing total to 141
Another 24 patients have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 141, health officials said.
British people stranded in Thailand are facing decreasing options for leaving the country after it started closing down domestic travel routes.
The country is not a priority target for rescue flights forming part of Dominic Raab’s £75m repatriation effort announced on Monday. Those stranded are astonished that they are being pushed towards expensive flights routed through the US and elsewhere.
Today the British embassy in Bangkok advised Briton citizens who wanted to leave to “make a plan to leave immediately”.
FCO #TravelAdvice for Thailand 🇹🇭 was updated on 3 April.
— UK in Thailand 🇬🇧 (@ukinthailand) April 3, 2020
‼️Nationwide curfew in force between 2200-0400. Internal travel is likely to become even more difficult. If you wish to leave Thailand you should make a plan to leave immediately.
🔗https://t.co/DFGCCnUwjy pic.twitter.com/xic9lPmCAA
⚠️Some provinces, including Phuket, Phang-nga and Chiang Mai, are closing their provincial borders or saying that they will close soon. Many bus, train and boat routes are also closing or closed.
— UK in Thailand 🇬🇧 (@ukinthailand) April 3, 2020
✈️Domestic air travel options in Thailand are decreasing. If you intend to leave Thailand you should ensure that you can get to your international departure airport, moving forward your travel if necessary.
— UK in Thailand 🇬🇧 (@ukinthailand) April 3, 2020
It said a nationwide curfew was due to come in force and internal travel would become increasingly difficult, with some provinces including Phuket, Phang-nga and Chiang Mai, closing their provincial borders or saying that they will close soon.
In India, which is going to get charter flights, there is also concern about Britons in Goa, with reports of difficulties getting food and clean water.
One woman in the UK who is concerned for a friend stranded in the province said: “The Indian police are being brutal and she is having to sneak out under cover of darkness to forage for food. She knows people out there who are sharing what they have, but everyone is in the same boat and supplies are running low.”
Updated
The Prince of Wales has hailed the new NHS Nightingale hospital as a “practical message of hope” for coronavirus patients during a “time of national suffering”.
Prince Charles opened the temporary facility at the ExCeL centre in east London via a video link from Scotland and praised its speed of construction as an “almost unbelievable feat of work”.
Attending the ceremony in person was the health secretary, Matt Hancock, senior NHS figures and others involved in the project. All stood two metres apart, observing coronavirus advice.
Hancock said the “extraordinary project”, the core of which was completed in just nine days, was a “testament to the work and the brilliance of the many people involved”.
Updated
Schools and colleges have been told to rank students within each grade for each subject after GCSE and A-level exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
England’s exams regulator Ofqual has instructed teachers to provide grades for pupils which reflect “fair, objective and carefully considered” judgments of the results they believe each student would have been most likely to achieve if the exams had gone ahead.
Exam boards will be contacting schools and colleges after Easter to ask them to submit their judgments by a deadline that will be no earlier than 29 May.
Updated
Wales’s first minister, Mark Drakeford, told a press conference in Cardiff the new two-metre distancing regulations would be published later on Friday to come into force on Monday or Tuesday next week.
Drakeford said: “We are going to put into law the two-metre requirement in the workplace, requiring employers to take all reasonable actions to comply with that two-metre rule.
“It’s been advice up until now, and now it’s going to be part of the regulations.
“We will publish fresh guidance alongside the regulations, and the regulations we will pass today will come into force on Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
“It is simply saying to employers they should put the needs of their workforce first, that their health and wellbeing must be part of their agenda, and the two-metre rule is to protect that.
“But if they take all reasonable actions and comply with the guidance we’re giving them their business can continue.”
Updated
In England, more than 26.7m units of personal protection equipment (PPE) were delivered to 281 NHS “trusts and providers” on Thursday, Downing Street confirmed.
The prime minister’s spokesman said: “That included 7.8m aprons, 1.7m masks and 12.4m gloves.”
It follows the new guidance issued by Public Health England about the level of protection health staff should wear depending on the patient situation.
There would be no new guidance published on the public wearing masks or face coverings when out of the house, said the spokesman.
Updated
The prime minister’s spokesman said “surveillance” of the population to determine the spread of coronavirus was ongoing, with 3,500 antibody tests carried out per week.
“This is a population surveillance programme which we have been carrying out since February,” said the spokesman.
“It is being done by Public Health England at their campus which is at Porton Down.
“We currently have capacity for 3,500 of these surveillance tests to be carried out this week which is enough for small-scale population sampling.”
Police have issued more than 140 fixed-penalty notices to people flouting coronavirus lockdown rules in Scotland in the week since new powers came into force.
It is now a criminal offence to flout the public health guidance on social distancing to prevent Covid-19.
Police Scotland chief constable Iain Livingstone said the “overwhelming majority” of people in Scotland had been doing the right thing and following the rules.
But he warned police officers would not hesitate to take action against those who refused to comply.
He told BBC Good Morning Scotland on Friday: “We’ve had to use the powers very infrequently. The level of co-operation and support from the public in terms of social distancing has been vast, overwhelming. Everyone is stepping up and doing their duty.
Updated
The Welsh government will introduce a law compelling employers in Wales to make
sure their workers keep two metres apart, first minister Mark Drakeford has said.
Updated
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Learning and childcare hubs for the children of key workers will remain open across Scotland during the Easter holidays.
All of Scotland’s local authorities will keep learning and childcare hubs open in their areas to support children and young people. The number of hubs that are open, and the types of support they provide, will vary between each council area depending on local demand.
Education Secretary John Swinney said:
I am very grateful to colleagues in education and childcare who are working so hard to deliver this service.
Clearly these are unprecedented times and this will be a very different Easter holiday period for teachers and pupils across the country. I would like to thank all of those who have volunteered to provide support over this time.
Our key workers are on the frontline of the response to coronavirus and it’s only right that we do everything we possibly can to support them.
By keeping learning and childcare hubs open in our local authorities, we can make sure children are safe and well looked-after while their parents are doing critical jobs helping our communities.
With warm weather expected this weekend and temperatures in some areas set to hit highs of 20C, councils are urging residents to continue social distancing and staying indoors.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils across England and Wales, says it is vital that people avoid taking any unnecessary risks.
James Jamieson, LGA chairman, said:
With warm weather forecast for the weekend, I like many others will be looking forward to some fresh air. I understand families might be tempted to go out and enjoy the sunshine, whether that’s a trip to the coast or seaside, or a picnic in a beauty spot or country park.
But the government’s guidance is clear; you shouldn’t go out unless it is necessary and for essential travel or once daily exercise.
We know that the vast majority of people have followed the advice and stayed safe and stayed at home.
By simply remaining at home, we can save lives and reduce the pressure on our incredible health and social care workers.
Confirming a further 46 coronavirus deaths in Scotland, taking total to 172, and 3001 positive tests, an increase of 399, first minister Nicola Sturgeon urged the public to stick with strict isolating measures, saying that “nothing I have seen gives me any basis for believing that the virus will peak in Scotland next week”, as has been suggested it may do elsewhere in UK.
There was a similar stark message from chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood: “Now is not the time to think that perhaps it will all be over soon.”
Sturgeon said that plans for 3,500 tests per day by the end of April was equivalent to the first pillar of the testing plan set out by the health secretary Matt Hancock yesterday, and that she was confident that Scotland would continue to do proportionate testing.
Yesterday Sturgeon admitted Scotland’s death toll from the pandemic had been significantly under-reported because of delays getting relatives’ consent before recording them centrally. She accepted that today’s figure of 46 deaths could still include some numbers from that lag, but that in future the new counting system means that the numbers announced daily refer to deaths in the past 24 period.
She added that the Scottish government intended to be able to provide more detail on deaths in the coming week – Calderwood said that patient confidentiality was key, especially in smaller health boards where the numbers were very low, but that she planned to release information on gender and area.
Greta Thunberg has taken her climate strike online amid the coronavirus pandemic. She posted on Friday to tell people to stay at home, also using the hashtag “schoolstrike4climate”.
School strike week 85. Act responsible, your actions can be the difference between life and death for others.#climatestrikeonline #StayAtHome #fridaysforfuture #schoolstrike4climate #flattenthecurve pic.twitter.com/NXvn7wOL66
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) April 3, 2020
An update from Boris Johnson, who took to Twitter to explain that he is still in self-isolation and to ask people to stay inside this weekend as good weather is expected.
Updated
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will stick to guidelines issued by health officials and remain in self-isolation until his high temperature falls, his spokesman said.
Earlier, Johnson, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, said he was still self-isolating, longer than the recommended seven-day guidance.
“He does continue to have mild symptoms, in particular a temperature. The guidance is clear that if you still have a high temperature you should keep self-isolating until it returns to normal,” the spokesman told reporters.
“The guidance is really, really explicit. It sets out that you should stay at home for seven days, but that you should stay at home for longer if a high temperature persists. The PM is following that advice to the letter.”
The clerk of the House of Commons John Benger has said MPs would have to agree to allow for the creation of a so-called “virtual Parliament”.
On Wednesday, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the parliamentary authorities were looking at how video-conferencing software could be used to maintain oversight during the Covid-19 outbreak if parliamentarians are not able to meet in person.
In response, Benger said: “The introduction of a further virtual element to the House’s formal proceedings would require a resolution of the House, akin to the resolution which permitted virtual meetings of select committees.
“However the House has already shown it is more than willing to change how it works in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, and the recent successful work - done at great speed - to enable committee sessions to take place virtually, shows the ingenuity and commitment of colleagues across the House service and parliamentary digital service.”
The health secretary Matt Hancock is “deflecting blame” on to footballers by saying they should take a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend.
Hello all. I am taking over the Guardian’s live coverage for the next hour while my colleague Lucy Campbell has some lunch. Please do continue to send over any news tips or insights from where you are.
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
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Lobby briefing
Here are the main points from this afternoon’s Downing Street lobby briefing:
- Boris Johnson is still self isolating because he has a high temperature.
- There is concern about the upcoming good weather and the slight increase in car use. The government is re-upping its warning today for people to stay home. The prime minister’s spokesman said:
If you go outside and ignore that advice ... you are putting lives at risk.
- The 100,000 test ambition is for England only and not the whole UK. In an apparent mix-up in messaging, the health secretary Matt Hancock insisted today it was UK-wide. The 250,000 target has not been dropped but 100,000 by the end of April is the immediate goal.
- The UK is not following other countries in suggesting people wear masks outside.
- An update on whether the lockdown and whether it will continue will be given shortly after Easter.
- The prime minister’s letter will be arriving on doormats by the end of next week.
- The government is not considering forms for people to say they can move around, as has been introduced in France.
- On the restrictions on funerals and maternity wards, the prime minister’s spokesman said they recognised they are asking the public to do “difficult and distressing” things to save lives.
- The Brexit talks continue as David Frost is now out of isolation. The system has moved to continuous dialogue on legal texts rather than blocks of time set aside as in the previous timetable. The UK is still leaving transition period by the end of the year.
The Welsh government is to make it a legal obligation for companies to ensure employees stay 2 metres apart. The law will come into force on Monday or Tuesday.
At a press conference in Cardiff the Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford said 1,500 health and care workers in Wales had been tested for Covid-19. Of them, around 70% were negative.
Drakeford expressed disquiet over confusion at whether the UK government’s target of carrying out 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month was for England or UK wide.
He said in Wales 1,100 tests a day were being done. This would increase to 5,000 by the middle of the month and 9,000 by the end of April.
Drakeford urged people not to be tempted to venture out into the sunshine this weekend. He said:
This is not the time to slacken our resolve.
He said he did not believe the lockdown restrictions would come to end in Easter week – but said he thought the issue should be reviewed next week.
Boris Johnson forced to self-isolate for longer
An update on the health of the prime minister, who is still self-isolating as he has a high temperature.
In accordance with government advice I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes.
Johnson, who was diagnosed with Covid-19 seven days ago, had intended to leave self-isolation today.
He urged people to stick to the regulations this weekend and not to be tempted to venture outside if the weather is good.
I just want to say one crucial thing, one quick thing to everybody thinking about this weekend and what may be some fine weather.
I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time... and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.
I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.
This country has made a huge effort, a huge sacrifice, done absolutely brilliantly well in delaying the spread of the virus.
Let’s stick with it now - remember that incredible clapping again last night for our fantastic NHS. We’re doing it to protect them and to save lives.
Another quick update from me on our campaign against #coronavirus.
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) April 3, 2020
You are saving lives by staying at home, so I urge you to stick with it this weekend, even if we do have some fine weather.#StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/4GHmJhxXQ0
Updated
Road travel falls to 1955 levels amid lockdown
The coronavirus outbreak has brought Britain to a near standstill, with road travel plummeting by as much as as 73% to levels not seen since 1955, our environment editor, Damian Carrington, reports.
All forms of travel have plunged in urban areas. Walking, cycling and car and van journeys are all down by about three-quarters, while bus numbers are down by 60%. Large lorry journeys have declined by 40% as essential supplies continue to be transported.
The empty streets have already resulted in big drops in air pollution, which is likely to reduce early deaths from lung and heart conditions. Traffic deaths and injuries are near certain to have fallen, but data is not yet available. Noise pollution, which is also known to have adverse affects on human health, is down, and the quieter streets have encouraged wildlife to venture into some towns.
National data from Monday and Tuesday, however, the two most recent days available, shows motor traffic down only 63%, equivalent to 1962. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, called the trend concerning. He said:
Please follow medical and scientific advice to stay home and save lives.
Get the full story here.
Updated
A bridalwear firm is making crowdfunded scrubs for NHS Scotland staff, who are facing a shortage of the necessary work wear needed to fight Covid-19.
Mirka and Maja from Mirka Bridal Couture, Holly Baxter-Weir from Fabric Bazaar, and Clare Boyle have teamed up to purchase fabric and sewing supplies needed to make new scrubs and dispatch them to hospitals that are accepting donations.
On their GoFundMe page, they write:
Any donation no matter how small is greatly appreciated and will allow us to provide our army of volunteer seamstresses with fabric, elastic and thread. The more we raise, the more scrubs we can make for the NHS.
Updated
Further 46 deaths in Scotland taking total to 172
A total of 172 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by 46 from 126 on Thursday.
A total of 3,001 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up from 2,602 the day before – an increase of 399.
There are 176 people in intensive care with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms, an increase of 14 on yesterday.
Nicola Sturgeon confirms a further 46 coronavirus deaths in Scotland, taking total to 172, and 3001 positive tests, an increase of 399
— Libby Brooks (@libby_brooks) April 3, 2020
Updated
Exam regulator unveils GCSE and A-level grading plans
The exam regulator for England has finally given some details about how pupils studying for GCSE and A-level exams will get their grades – using a two-step system of teacher assessment and internal school rankings in each subject combined with a new formula to apportion the final grades.
While the formula has yet to be finalised, it appears each school or examination centre will be rationed a proportion of grades based on pupil attainment and their school’s past performance as well as Ofqual’s estimates for the national cohort taking the exams.
Under the system, examination boards will ask schools and colleges to recommend a grade for each pupil in each subject, and ask the schools to “rank order” each candidate within each grade, from most certain to least, with those at the top end of the scale most likely to be awarded their assessed grade.
Each candidate’s final grade will then be assigned using a model to be developed by Ofqual, which will take into account the prior attainment of the year group of students at each school and college, and the results of the school or college in recent years.
Schools – or each examination centre – will be asked to provide “a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgment of the most likely grade a student would have achieved if they had sat their exams this summer,” Ofqual said. But the assessment will be kept confidential and not shared with individual students.
Schools have been asked to submit data to their examination boards from 29 May, and Ofqual said it hopes to announce grades by the time they would normally have been published in mid-August or earlier if possible.
While this covers pupils taking A-levels and GCSEs, those taking BTecs or other vocational or technical qualifications will have to wait, as will external or private candidates such as home-schooled pupils.
You can read the full story here.
Updated
Fancy a pint at the Red (On)Lion? The real ale organisation Camra has created a virtual pub to recreate the atmosphere of the real thing and help tackle loneliness and social isolation during the lockdown and closure of the UK’s pubs.
Join us at the Red (On)Lion! 🦁🍻
— CAMRA (@CAMRA_Official) April 3, 2020
We've created a virtual pub where people can get together to help tackle social isolation while the nation’s pubs are closed. The Red (On)Lion is a video platform where anyone can enjoy a chat over a pint.
Check it out👉 https://t.co/BBWYLEngSK pic.twitter.com/TxCcBvKbOv
The new facility is a video platform where anyone can enjoy a lively chat over a beer or cider, or a soft drink. There is a “main bar” area, and visitors can also create or book a table to set up video conferencing with their friends.
Tables can take part in games such as Heads Up and Charades, or participants can tune into presentations and events, such as pub quizzes and expert-led tutored tastings, bringing all virtual social activities into one place for the pub-goer.
The platform also supports Facebook Live streaming for pub quizzes and other events run by brewers and pubs, who can easily submit them for sharing.
Nik Antona, Camra’s national chairman,said:
While nothing can replace the community created by a real local pub, we wanted to create a home where the nation’s beer and cider drinkers can come together for a chat and a drink. We’re all experiencing social isolation and loneliness, so now it is more important than ever before to come together as a community to support one another.
The Red (On)Lion is the social arm of Camra’s #PullingTogether campaign, which was launched two weeks ago with the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and Crowdfunder to support the brewing and pub industry during this difficult time.
Updated
Orders for a self-cleaning door handle invented in Leeds have doubled – but almost all interest has come from overseas rather than the NHS or any other UK institutions.
The company, Surfaceskins, sells a patented pack that sprays a small amount of alcoholic gel on to door push pads and pull handles that prevent the next person using it from picking up viruses and other diseases.
The product has been tested in NHS hospitals and UK schools but just 10% of sales are domestic, mainly to private hospitals and businesses.
Brian Wallgora, the chief executive, told the FT that Surfaceskins was willing to earmark most of its production for the NHS, but had failed to secure orders. He said:
We have had a lot of support [in the past] from the NHS. Our distributor has been working with individual hospital trusts and has tried to approach the central buying office to make sure they are aware of the product … but no one is ready to order.
The FT has the story.
Updated
Speaking via video link from his Scottish home in Birkhall, Prince Charles has called the hospital “an intensely practical message of hope to those who need it most at this time of national suffering” and has thanked everyone who has made it possible.
The Prince of Wales said:
It is without doubt a spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work in every sense, from its speed of construction - in just nine days as we’ve heard - to its size and the skills of those who have created it.
An example, if ever one was needed, of how the impossible could be made possible and how we can achieve the unthinkable through human will and ingenuity.
He has declared the NHS Nightingale Hospital London open.
Updated
NHS Nightingale hospital in London opens
The opening ceremony for the first of the government’s new NHS Nightingale hospitals has begun at the ExCeL Centre in east London.
The hospital is being opened as we speak by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, and is due to admit its first Covid-19 patients.
He said the “extraordinary project”, the core of which was completed in just nine days, was a “testament to the work and the brilliance of the many people involved”.
He also praised the NHS and the way its staff are dealing with the virus crisis.
Hancock said:
In these troubled times with this invisible killer stalking the whole world, the fact that in this country we have the NHS is even more valuable than before.
He added:
It is the best of efforts. It is the best of the NHS. And it is the best of Britain to come together in these difficult circumstances to put together such a facility, at such pace, that will be there for people so that we can give the very best care. And so that as a nation we can come through this crisis in the best way we possibly can.
Updated
More than 40 organisations from across the mental health, homelessness, violence against women and girls, criminal justice and women’s sectors have written to the prime minister to demand that the most disadvantaged and vulnerable women are supported during the pandemic.
We've united with over 40 orgs urging the PM to include the needs of the most disadvantaged women in the govt's response to Covid-19. We must not leave women who are already vulnerable to face even more difficulty during this crisis https://t.co/kSQAvc07Zb pic.twitter.com/qq0uMLZova
— Agenda (@Agenda_alliance) April 2, 2020
The letter, coordinated by Agenda and signed by organisations including Mind, Homeless Link and Women’s Aid, warns that women facing disadvantage are at increased risk due to any breakdown of vital services or being trapped at home or forced into other unsafe conditions where they are at risk of violence and abuse. It calls for urgent, immediate funding for specialist services needed to support them and keep them safe.
The letter highlights a few of the essential ways the government could support the most disadvantage women, particularly:
- Allocated funding for gender specialist services that are able to find and support women who are homeless and provide them with safe, single-sex accommodation.
- Immediate, emergency funding and increased capacity for specialist services working with women in crisis, including by and for services for BME, LGBTQ+, migrant and disabled women.
- A pause on all benefit sanctions and conditionality. Resources must be made available to actively reach out to women unable to access benefits or engage with Job Centre Plus as a result of trauma.
- An end to “no recourse to public funds’, which leaves migrant women destitute and unable to access vital support.
- Prioritisation of women in plans for early release from prison with appropriate support and accommodation in place.
You can read the full letter here.
Updated
Sunderland Airshow, Europe’s biggest free event of its kind, has been cancelled. It had been due to take place on the weekend of 24-26 July.
Sunderland City Council’s assistant director of culture and events, Victoria French, said:
We understand that this news will cause disappointment for lots of people but hope that everyone will appreciate that the health and wellbeing of our communities is at the forefront of our decision-making process.
Following careful consideration, we announce the
— SunderlandAirshow (@SunAirshow) April 3, 2020
cancellation of Sunderland Airshow 2020.We understand this news will be
disappointing but hope you appreciate that the health and wellbeing of everyone is at the forefront of our decision making process.
Updated
The health secretary Matt Hancock has arrived at the NHS Nightingale hospital in London ahead of its official opening this morning.
MPs and peers from across the political spectrum have written to the universities minister Michelle Donelan, calling on the government to address the problems facing university students.
More than 100 parliamentarians have signed the letter which calls on universities to take a flexible approach to end-of-year assessments and rent refunds for those who have had to move out of accommodation.
Students have complained that private landlords are demanding payment for accommodation even though it’s empty after students were forced to travel home.
The letter also suggests a temporary suspension of the rule which currently prevents students claiming universal credit because so many have lost casual work.
Thanks to 109 colleagues from all parties who have joined me in calling for urgent Govt action on student exams, rent and lost earnings @APPGStudents @nusuk pic.twitter.com/z08HLLXlC2
— Paul Blomfield MP (@PaulBlomfieldMP) April 2, 2020
Paul Blomfield, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central and chair of the all party parliamentary group for students, said:
These three issues are causing deep concern among students and need the sort of radical government action we have seen for others.
We’re simply asking for students to be treated like other part-time workers in relation to lost earnings and for contracts not to be enforced where accommodation has been vacated due to public health advice.
On exams, we want students to be given the choice on how they will be assessed, recognising that the shift to online teaching will have affected them differently.
There are over two million university students who urgently need peace of mind on these issues. So far, their concerns have been overlooked in this crisis. We’re asking the government to give them reassurance without further delay.
Frontline workers in pharmacies are being subjected to a wave of abuse ranging from violent attacks to verbal intimidation such as being told: “I hope you get coronavirus”, my colleague Ben Quinn reports.
Police patrols have been deployed to some outlets as deterrents amid mounting day-to-day tensions, scuffles in queues outside premises, which are limiting the number of entrants, and incidents including the theft of one Midlands pharmacy’s stock by masked raiders.
Nicola Goodberry, a pharmacist in Doncaster, told the Guardian:
After the [government] advice [on phyical distancing] came in, we had to limit the number of people coming in at one time, and that has led to grief.
Unfortunately, we are seeing some people behave in a very out-of-character way when they have experienced delays, in some cases swearing and even throwing boxes of tablets at staff.
You can read the full story here.
Updated
The Adam Smith Institute, which on Thursday released a report calling for companies, universities and charities to be given permission to test for Covid-19, have welcomed the health secretary Matt Hancock’s 100,000 tests per day target.
Head of research Matthew Lesh said:
We’ve wasted too much time with an excessively centralised, bureaucratic approach to testing. It’s welcome news that the government will be allowing the private sector to begin testing. Lives are on the line and this couldn’t come soon enough. We will need both fast-track approval for labs and new tests in order to reach the ambitious 100,000 tests per day target.
There is no time for usual bureaucratic delays or power grabs. Public Health England must stop trying to do everything themselves, we need to fast-track approval of companies, universities and charities. Importantly, we should be using every type of machine and every type of reliable test.
Updated
Following the news that 36-year-old NHS nurse Areema Nasreen died after contracting Covid-19, this clip from last night’s BBC Question Time feels very timely.
Donna Kinnair, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, highlights to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, that while it is known that four doctors have so far died, the number of nurses that have become ill has not been counted and/or made available.
Matt Hancock - 4 Doctors have died & some nurses
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) April 2, 2020
Donna Kinnair(Royal College of Nursing) - They're not even counting the nurses, Matt...#bbcqt #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/PIghy1yuxy
Updated
If you haven’t done so already, I would highly recommend you watch this week’s episode of Anywhere but Westminster.
In an especially touching film, John Harris and John Domokos explore how people’s experience of work has been turned upside down during the lockdown, from an employee of McDonald’s struggling to heat her home to a medical courier fighting for sick pay rights.
It’s a bizarre kind of time to be considered integral, but to still have so [few] rights, so [few] securities.
Find the episode here.
The government missed the opportunity for university labs to help increase the testing of NHS staff for Covid-19, according to a leading UK scientist.
Ali Tavassoli, a professor of chemical biology at Southampton University, said he was surprised the government had not asked university labs to help test frontline health and social care workers:
I was surprised that right from the start when this [pandemic] started kicking off that that capacity wasn’t called in. Look, there’s people and instruments at universities. This is war – let’s deploy it.
Tavassoli suggested the government may not have done this because the tests need to be standardised to rule out false positives and false negatives, and not all university labs could automatically do the two-step testing process currently carried out in the approved labs.
He said, given notice, university labs could have adapted their testing regimes to comply with the approved tests. But the opportunity to do this had passed because universities were now closed and lab teams had dispersed. Tavassoli added:
I do understand the government’s position. They can’t just suddenly stop and change everything. But the reason we’re struggling now is this resource wasn’t deployed a month ago. If they’d started things going then it would be a lot better.
Universities could have been involved with more complex tests and to simplify and optimise existing tests and develop new tests. But all of that relies on reagents [chemicals used in the testing process]. And the supply chain is now shut down pretty much [and] universities are closed.
He said the government last week requested that university scientists volunteer in the designated testing labs and that this would improve the situation.
Updated
Walsall nurse Areema Nasreen, 36, who was in intensive care on a ventilator, has died, friends have said.
A close friend of the mother-of-three, who worked at Walsall Manor hospital, paid tribute to her on social media and confirmed she had died.
Fellow nurse Rubi Aktar said:
She was the most loveliest, genuine person you could ever meet, she went above and beyond for everyone she met.
I am so broken that words can’t explain. I can’t believe I will not see your smile again.
You can read the full story here.
Updated
Our Scotland correspondent, Libby Brooks, has collated these snaps around Sutherland, in the far north of the country, reminding people to stay at home while the lockdown is in place.
The hand-made signs are indicative of concerns that the Easter period could see an influx of so-called “isolation tourists”. It’s important to note, though, Libby stresses, that tourists of all kinds will be welcomed back with open arms once all this is over.
Hand-made signs around Sutherland, in the far north of Scotland, indicate levels of local concern about an influx of isolation tourists over Easter h/t @KirsteenCurrie pic.twitter.com/zDHXUva3wS
— Libby Brooks (@libby_brooks) April 3, 2020
I should add that all the Highlanders I am speaking to emphasise that they'll welcome visitors again with open arms...once the lockdown is over
— Libby Brooks (@libby_brooks) April 3, 2020
Two of the siblings of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who died after testing positive for Covid-19, are displaying mild symptoms of coronavirus, which means no family members are able to attend his funeral.
The child, from Brixton, south London, died alone in hospital in the early hours of Monday. He will be buried in Brixton on Friday without his family present as his mother and six siblings are forced to self-isolate.
Family friend Mark Stephenson said:
Shaykh Sharif Zain will be leading the funeral and I will be delivering a short speech for the Abdulwahab family and a few close family and friends.
We hope that we can send a live stream of the funeral to his mother and siblings so they can be there remotely, but they are obviously devastated that they can’t be there in person again.
It’s extremely upsetting for everyone involved, but they have been very moved by the warmth and very positive messages of support from people following their appeal.
Updated
A British woman battling coronavirus has thanked Guatemalans for their support after her Instagram profile “exploded” with messages of love and support after she was featured on local media.
Jaia, 26, has spent the last week in hospital in the Central American country after falling ill with the disease and has posted daily health updates on her Instagram for her worried friends and family.
The British national, who has been on a round-the-world trip since November, is a high-risk patient with a number of immunological conditions. She told the Guardian that although her Covid-19 symptoms were improving, the illness had left her feeling weak and she was struggling with pain from other conditions.
Jaia, who did not want to provide her last name, is receiving help from the Foreign Office after the owner of the accommodation she was
renting asked her not to return. There are no flights back to the UK from Guatemala, where there are currently 36 confirmed cases of
Covid-19.
Updated
Good morning. I’m Lucy Campbell, taking over the live blog for the rest of the day.
We will be covering all UK coronavirus developments throughout the day. You can read all the latest Guardian coronavirus articles here, you can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here and here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter to share insight or send tips, I’m on @lucy_campbell_.
The Northern Ireland first minister, Arlene Foster, has said she has confidence in her health minister, Robin Swann.
Foster was speaking after the deputy first minister, Michelle O’Neill, claimed on Thursday that Swann had been “too slow” to act on issues such as testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare staff.
Foster told the BBC: “[The Department of Health] have been working very hard on a whole range of areas including workforce recruitment, they have put out an appeal for more people to come forward, they have brought forward specific Northern Ireland modelling so that we can have live data to make decisions on, which is critically important.”
Updated
Police in Scotland issued more than 140 fines in the first week of the lockdown, including a number imposed on partygoers who refused to break up a house party, the chief constable has disclosed.
Iain Livingstone told BBC Radio Scotland the 140 fixed penalty notices of £60, or £30 if paid within 28 days, was quite a low number given Scotland’s population.
He said: “We’ve had to use the powers very infrequently. The level of cooperation and support from the public in terms of social distancing has been vast, overwhelming. Everybody is stepping up and doing their duty.”
The chief constable urged the public to maintain their “discipline” in observing the lockdown and social distancing, with Easter weekend and better spring and summer weather approaching, particularly in the absence of a coronavirus vaccine.
“I don’t think there has been so many people flouting the laws. If you take the country as a whole it has actually been a tiny minority. My expectation is that the level of support and cooperation that we have seen from the people of Scotland will continue.
“At the moment, because of the absence of a vaccine, because of the absence of any intervention other than social distancing to try to restrict the spread, it is absolutely crucial that everybody does their duty to their fellow citizens and maintains the social distancing discipline that they have showed.”
Asked about Scottish Police Federation concerns about the powers police have in Scotland to deal with people who coughed or spat at officers, claiming to have the virus, Livingstone said the force would “make sure the full weight of the criminal justice system is brought to bear” on anyone who assaults a police officer or emergency services worker by coughing or spitting at them. “Somebody who assaults a police officer will be arrested, make no mistake,” he said.
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I will shortly be handing over to my colleague Lucy Campbell who will be running the live blog for most of the day. Please do share any final thoughts with me, or any news tips.
Twitter: @sloumarsh
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist.
The BBC has unveiled the “biggest push on education in its history” to support “every child in the UK”.
BBC Bitesize will deliver daily online lessons for all age groups, it says, while daily programmes will help guide parents and children.
This is a good time to work for the BBC. Makes you proud. https://t.co/zFgiy9rjls
— Katie Razzall (@katierazz) April 3, 2020
The BBC director general, Tony Hall, said: “In these uncertain times parents look to the BBC to support them and offer education while children can’t be in school.
“This is the biggest education effort the BBC has ever undertaken. This comprehensive package is something only the BBC would be able to provide.
“We are proud to be there when the nation needs us, working with teachers, schools and parents to ensure children have access and support to keep their learning going - come what may.”
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Matt Hancock said the commitment to eventually get to 250,000 tests a day “still stands” but he had wanted to “put a very clear timeline” on the goal to get to 100,000 by the end of the month.
He said currently no antibody tests have been “pencilled in” as part of the 100,000 figure.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, he said: “We haven’t put in a breakdown of the different type of tests.
“It is a 100,000 goal across the five pillars of the testing strategy. I haven’t actually pencilled any in for the home test – the antibody tests – and the reason for that is because we so far haven’t found one that works and so I’m not going to pencil any in, but if we do find one that works obviously that will be great.”
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The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has spoken about his own experience of coronavirus, describing it as “pretty nasty” illness.
Hancock said it had been worrying not knowing how badly it might affect him.
He told Good Morning Britain: “I had two days or so when it was like just razors in your throat, a very, very sore throat. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t drink.
“The worst bit was on the way down, worrying how bad it would get because we’ve all seen how bad it can get and it seems to be indiscriminate.”
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The company behind Fuller’s pubs has cancelled shareholder payouts and cut the board’s pay in a bid to weather the coronavirus crisis.
Fuller, Smith & Turner said it would not pay out a final dividend to shareholders, after handing them £6.8m last year.
Pubs across the country have been forced to close their doors as the government banned all but the most essential stores from remaining open.
Fuller’s said in a statement to shareholders on Friday:
In light of the unprecedented current situation – especially the uncertainty as to how long the emergency regulations will last - and to ensure the company is in the best possible financial position with maximum flexibility, the board has taken the decision not to propose a final dividend on the company’s ordinary shares for the year ended March 28 2020.
There are currently around 8,000 patients a day who need to be tested for Covid-19 but with social distancing measures in place it is hoped that number will flatten out, the health secretary said.
Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast that around 1,500 frontline healthcare staff are being tested daily since centres opened at the weekend but that number is “ramping up fast”.
He added:
At the moment we think that there are around 35,000 frontline NHS staff who aren’t in work due to coronavirus. The number is much smaller than some of the anecdotal evidence that we’ve been hearing, although of course there may be pockets.
He said “over the next couple of weeks” the testing figures for frontline staff “should” rise to thousands a day.
A secondary school has confirmed the death of a teacher who was admitted to hospital a week ago, having been diagnosed with coronavirus.
In a letter to the families of pupils, Thorns Collegiate Academy in Quarry Bank, near Dudley, West Midlands, said: “It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the death of Kate Fox one of our teachers of L4L.
“Sadly Kate was admitted to hospital a week ago having been diagnosed with Covid-19, which had exacerbated her underlying health-related issues.
“The medical workers did everything they could to treat Kate but her condition worsened and she passed away in the early hours of Thursday, April 2 2020.”
The Literacy for Life teacher had worked at Thorns for more than 20 years, was much-loved and respected by her students and colleagues and will be very much missed by everyone, the school said.
The letter, from Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust CEO, Sir Mark Grundy, and school principal, Manny Kelay, added: “This is a tragic loss for our whole school community.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her partner, her family and her friends.
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Pressed on when the peak of coronavirus cases would come, the health secretary said: “The modelling suggests that that peak will be slightly sooner than previous, in the next few weeks.
“But it is very, very sensitive to how many people follow the social distancing guidelines.
“The more people follow the social distancing rules, the sooner that peak will be. That is the only thing around this that we know for absolute sure.”
Matt Hancock has been speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning. He said: “In a typical coronavirus, one of the six existing coronaviruses, immunity lasts a minimum of a year, and for some diseases can last up to a lifetime.
“But we don’t know that yet. Because this disease is only four months old, it’s impossible to know how long that will last.
“So, that is a really important scientific question that we don’t yet know yet the answer to.”
At least 52 migrants, including five children, risked their lives to cross the Channel on Thursday.
They were intercepted by Border Force staff travelling across the water in four inflatable boats, the Home Office confirmed late on Thursday.
It comes as two cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Calais migrant community and another in a refugee camp in Dunkirk.
Despite the latest batch of successful crossings, the Home Office has again denied the coronavirus crisis has had an impact on its operational response to the issue.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, and her French counterpart, Christophe Castaner, have “reaffirmed their commitment to tackling this issue since the outbreak of coronavirus”, her department said.
The 52 individuals intercepted on Thursday were Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan nationals, and were brought ashore at Dover.
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Iraq has banned the Reuters news agency from operating in Iraq for three months for reporting that the number of corona cases in the country is much higher than acknowledged by officials.
The agency reported that the actual number of those suffering from the virus could be thousands higher than the official tally of 772 and that the scale of the outbreak has been downplayed to avoid public panic.
The report adds impetus to concerns reported in the Guardian on Monday that state figures of suspected Covid-19 patients in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon may be substantially lower than real numbers. Hezbollah has said it is opening treatment centres in southern Lebanon that supplement the state’s health system. However there are fears that a parallel state structure could obscure real numbers of those infected with the virus.
Read more on developments across the world via our global live blog.
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My colleague Simon Murphy has explored the death rate and how coronavirus took hold in the UK earlier than thought.
Below are some of the discussions taking place on Twitter today:
1 million confirmed cases of #COVIDー19 worldwide. 53,000 deaths.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 3, 2020
Solidarity with every family around the world going through hell this morning after losing a loved one.
This is going to get worse before it gets better, but we will get through this together.
⚠️Hot weather☀️is planned for this weekend & going out to enjoy the sunshine may be tempting⚠️
— Lambeth Council (@lambeth_council) April 2, 2020
It’s vital 🙏 we continue to follow @GOVUK #StayAtHome & social distancing rules to prevent the spread of #coronavirus to stop people from dying & help protect our NHS #LondonTogether pic.twitter.com/w158d0ilG3
⚠️ Reminder: Londoners must work from home wherever possible to protect our key workers who need to travel.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) April 3, 2020
⚠️ The best way you can support our NHS nurses, doctors, paramedics and workers on the frontline is to stay at home. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/hD8x2RmbR9
.@SkyNews data via @IslaGlaister
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) April 3, 2020
- Deaths up 636 (27%) to 2,977
- 3 days for death rate to double (just)
NHS Eng 1st breakdown of date of death/age
- Shows 1st COVID19 death was Feb not March
- March 29 highest one day total (401 deaths)
- Over 60s account for 90% of deaths pic.twitter.com/Jh7kXpfyjd
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My name is Sarah Marsh, and I am a news reporter at the Guardian. Please do share your thoughts with me, or any news tips from where you are this morning.
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
The health secretary Matt Hancock said it is “frustrating” that the first antibody tests that have been tested have not worked, but added there are more on the way, many from China.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I really hope we can find one that works. And for the domestic production, we’ll work with the companies to try to help them to improve their tests.
“Essentially, a really good home test has not been invented yet.”
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Megabus coach services in England and Wales will be suspended by Sunday, owner Stagecoach has announced.
Services are “temporarily winding down” and will stop by the end of the week, the Perth-based transport group said. Coaches will continue to operate within Scotland.
A Megabus spokesman said:
A number of customers use Megabus services within Scotland to travel to and from essential work, for example NHS workers. Therefore, in Scotland, an agreement has been made with the Scottish government to continue running coach services.”
Passengers whose journeys have been cancelled will be refunded, Megabus told passengers.
Megabus managing director Mark Venables said:
We’re sorry for the inconvenience this will cause you. We firmly believe that the decision to temporarily suspend services is the right one based on the current unprecedented circumstances, and I hope you understand the reasons for our decision to stop running services in England and Wales.
There is an interesting long read on the Guardian today about stockpiling and the psychology behind it. Please do give it a read.
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After several days of intense scrutiny over failures in testing, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has set a target of achieving 100,000 daily coronavirus tests in England by the end of April.
They will include antigen tests, which tell people whether they currently have Covid-19, as well as antibody tests to see whether people have previously had the infection. A version of the latter has yet to be approved for use in the UK but is expected soon.
Experts say testing is important to track the virus and give the UK hope of exiting the lockdown, with those who are confirmed to have already had the virus able to return to work.
Hancock, who has recovered from Covid-19 and came out of self-isolation on Thursday, announced a new “five-pillar” strategy to increase the country’s testing capacity.
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The Nightingale hospital in London to open
The first of the government’s new Nightingale hospitals will open in London on Friday to continue the battle against coronavirus.
The NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCeL centre in east London is due to admit its first Covid-19 patients, while two other temporary hospitals have also been announced for Bristol and Harrogate.
Elsewhere, NHS England said 1,500 extra beds for coronavirus patients will be available at two newly planned hospital sites at the University of the West of England and the Harrogate Convention Centre.
The temporary hospital in Bristol will be able to look after up to 1,000 patients, while Harrogate can care for up to 500.
They will join other sites due to open at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre and Manchester’s Central Complex.
It comes as leaked documents revealed bosses at London’s new Nightingale hospital are worried about the number of ambulances and trained crew needed to bring cases to the site.
The documents said “communications within the intensive care will require particular attention”, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported.
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Summary of the key developments:
To those waking up, here is a summary of the main developments this morning:
- In the UK, there are more than 34,000 cases after a sharp rise in the number of confirmed cases on Thursday, and more than 2,900 deaths. A temporary hospital, built in nine days, will open in London on Friday.
- Health secretary Matt Hancock said “money is no object” in the UK’s coronavirus fight. He told BBC Breakfast: “Money is no object here, what matters is getting the country out of this situation as quickly as possible.”
- Officials are “finalising” a plan to fly home around 200 Britons who were on board the coronavirus-hit Zaandam after the cruise ship and its sister ship, the Rotterdam, were allowed to dock in Florida.
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Megabus coach services in England and Wales will be suspended by Sunday, owner Stagecoach has announced.
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London’s Heathrow airport has said it will close one of its runways from Monday because of a fall in traffic. The airport has two runways and will alternate which one they keep open on a weekly basis, a spokesman said.
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There are now more than 1,002,000 confirmed cases worldwide and more than 51,400 deaths. The US, which has the largest number of cases of any country, has more than 236,000 confirmed cases and more than 5,600 deaths.
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Governments in the Middle East need to act fast to limit the spread of the coronavirus after cases rose to nearly 60,000, almost double their level a week earlier, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
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Hello all, I’m Sarah Marsh and welcome to the UK coronavirus live blog. We will be bringing you updates on the latest news. Please do feel free to share any insight with me via any of the means below.
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
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