Closing summary
• Advice on wearing masks in schools in England will shift if the medical evidence is persuasive, Boris Johnson has said as pressure mounts from schools and unions.
“On the issue of whether or not to wear masks in some contexts – you know, we’ll look at the changing medical evidence as we go on,” the prime minister told reporters on Tuesday. “If we need to change the advice then of course we will.”
No 10’s initial advice that masks could impede communication between teachers and pupils and have little health benefit was being rapidly overtaken by events as dozens of schools prepared to take the unilateral decision to provide face coverings.
• The head of England’s exam regulator, Sally Collier, has resigned over the exams fiasco that has engulfed schools and universities.
News of her departure came hours after the education select committee announced she had been called to give evidence to MPs on the exams debacle at a hearing next Wednesday. An education source said: “She knew she’d reached the end of the line.”
Collier, the chief regulator and Ofqual chief executive, oversaw the development of the flawed exams algorithm that was scrapped after it downgraded nearly 40% of A-level results. The algorithm was created after ministers insisted on avoiding grade inflation.
• Trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine may have gathered enough data to show whether it works and is safe by the end of the year – but it will then need to go through the regulatory process, scientists say.
Prof Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said it was “just possible” there may be enough clinical trial data on the vaccine to put before the regulators this year.
Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has said a vaccine may not be ready until next winter. Pollard suggested they were hoping to go faster.
We’re wrapping up the UK liveblog now but you can continue to follow our coverage of UK and global developments here. Thanks for reading.
Updated
The EU’s trade commissioner has said he broke no public health regulations governing the pandemic while in Ireland.
Phil Hogan, whose role makes him of key interest to British government officials pursuing post-Brexit trade talks, provided 20 pages of documents to the head of the European commission, Ursula von der Leyen, after she requested further details of his trip home earlier this month.
The former Irish government official said he believed he complied with rules designed to limit the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Hogan was among 81 guests who attended a controversial golf dinner in the west of Ireland. He returned to the Republic on 31 July and was required to restrict his movements for 14 days.
In a document published on the European commission website, Hogan said he tested negative for Covid-19 while in hospital for treatment on 5 August and claimed that “ended the self-restriction period”.
He told the Irish broadcaster RTÉ:
I am satisfied, arising from the test that I did that proved it was negative, that I was no risk to anybody.
Because of the fact that I had a negative test. Because my medical people said I was no risk to anybody. I checked with the Citizens Information website which is funded by the HSE and I felt that I was no risk to anybody by going to Adare.
I understand the perception. I was covered by the regulations that my work-related activities and under the regulation there is a reasonable excuse mechanism that allowed me the exemption to do that.
EU Commissioner Phil Hogan speaks to @tconnellyRTE about the controversy surrounding the golf dinner in Clifden, and the fallout | More: https://t.co/RE6IbDVbN0 https://t.co/yyEHWFxo75
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 25, 2020
Updated
The “eat out to help out” scheme encouraged more people into UK restaurants last week, taking the total number of meals claimed since the beginning of August to more than 64m – the equivalent of one for nearly every person in the country.
The figures released by HM Revenue & Customs suggest the scheme – where diners can claim a half-price discount up to a maximum of £10 per head on food and non-alcoholic drink on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August – has provided a much-needed boost for the embattled hospitality sector.
Ahead of the end of the scheme next week, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said the figures demonstrated how popular it had been so far, with 10.5m meals claimed in the first week, rising to 35m in the second and 64m by the third.
Updated
Autistic children need time to prepare for changes on wearing face coverings within schools, a charity has said, after Boris Johnson hinted at a U-turn on the policy.
Tim Nicholls, the head of policy and public affairs at the National Autistic Society, said face coverings in schools would be another “unexpected change” for autistic children.
Secondary school pupils in Scotland will be required to wear face coverings in between lessons from Monday, while the prime minister suggested there could be a change to the current advice for schools in England.
The current guidance says face coverings are not recommended, but Boris Johnson told reporters: “If we need to change the advice then of course we will.”
Nicholls said wearing a mask could feel suffocating and overwhelming for some pupils with autism, while others may have difficulty understanding why it was required.
“They are going back to schools that look and feel incredibly different from when they were last there,” he told the PA Media news agency.
Updated
Parliamentary authorities have been accused of censorship after refusing to accept a charity’s petition highlighting non-Covid patients not receiving NHS care during the pandemic.
Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) submitted the petition in June. It said that NHS England’s decision in March to restrict most normal care, so that hospitals could focus on the influx of Covid patients, “has meant access even to urgent diagnostic procedures and treatment for non-covid conditions has been severely restricted, putting lives at risk”.
But parliament’s petition team, which decides which proposals are hosted online, rejected AvMA’s petition, saying that reopening NHS services now that the pandemic has subsided is not a matter for ministers.
It said: “We can’t accept your petition because the UK government aren’t responsible for the issue you raise. This is an operational matter for the NHS.”
Government ministers have been told they still have questions to answer over this summer’s grading chaos, following the resignation of the Ofqual chief regulator in the wake of the A-level and GCSE results U-turn in England.
Sally Collier will be replaced by her predecessor Dame Glenys Stacey, the exams regulator said.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ofqual said Collier had decided “that the next stage of the awarding process would be better overseen by new leadership”.
However, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said questions still remained for ministers over what went wrong, and the National Education Union (NEU) said issues “run far deeper than the actions of one chief executive”.
The Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman, Layla Moran, accused the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, of letting someone else “take the blame” for what had happened, and reiterated a call for him to resign.
The education select committee has said Ofqual representatives will appear in front of MPs on 2 September, while Williamson is due before the committee on 16 September.
The committee chairman, Robert Halfon, said Collier had agreed to appear in front of MPs before her resignation and he hoped she still would.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the ASCL said Collier’s resignation “follows the failure of the statistical model that led to this year’s grading fiasco, but the fault is not hers alone”. He added:
Ministers have questions to answer over the extent to which they scrutinised and challenged the methodology and reliability of the statistical model, particularly given the enormity of the task and the importance of getting it right.
The ASCL has written to Williamson to request an “immediate independent review to rapidly establish what happened and what went wrong”.
Barton added: “We believe that public confidence has been so badly damaged that full transparency is essential.”
The NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said:
Sally Collier had no option but to follow through Michael Gove’s reforms of GCSEs and A-levels, which set up many of the problems of 2020.
We have no sure way of knowing where the balance of fault lies, but we can be quite certain that Gavin Williamson gave direction to Ofqual that there should not be grade inflation and all candidates should get a fair grade.
He must have known that both those directions are incompatible.
Updated
UK records 1,184 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours
There have been a further 1,184 Covid-19 cases recorded in the UK, and 16 more deaths, Public Health England has confirmed after technical problems with the online Covid-19 dashboard, which is failing to load data.
This takes the total number of recorded cases to 327,798 and the total number of fatalities to 41,449.
The COVID-19 dashboard is currently experiencing technical difficulties. We can confirm that:
— Public Health England (@PHE_uk) August 25, 2020
1184 new positive cases have been recorded on Tuesday 25 August, giving a total of 327,798.
16 new deaths have been reported across the UK, giving a total of 41,449.
Updated
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a dip in the number of cancer patients in England being treated with radiotherapy, a charity has said.
New analysis by Macmillan Cancer Support found that the number of people in England receiving radiotherapy for one of five common types of cancer dropped 24% in April.
There were around 3,500 records of people with breast, prostate, lung, bladder or oesophageal cancer having radiotherapy in April this year, compared with around 4,600 in April 2019.
Radiotherapy data from Public Health England’s national cancer registration and analysis service showed the figures increased in May when there were 4,800 records of people with these types of cancer having radiotherapy.
But the figure was still 14% down on last year, according to the Macmillan analysis.
Sara Bainbridge, the head of policy and influence at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:
For many people living with cancer there has never been a scarier time to face a diagnosis and any disruption to treatment like this only adds to the worry that so many patients and their loved ones are already experiencing.
We urgently need to see the recovery plan promised by the government to make sure cancer services can deliver care as quickly and safely as possible.
There is a lot of work to be done and the scale of the challenge must also be addressed by securing more staffing and resources.
We cannot let cancer become the “forgotten C” during this pandemic.
In further research, Jo’s Cervical Cancer found that minority ethnic women are less likely than white women to attend cervical cancer screenings during the pandemic.
Figures from the charity, published by the Guardian, show that black, Asian and minority ethnic women (BAME) are twice as likely (20%) to be strongly worried about contracting the virus at a cervical cancer screening than white women (9.4%).
Two in five BAME women (39.6%) said they would feel unsafe visiting a doctor’s surgery at the moment compared with 27.2% of white women, according to a poll of 2,000 women.
And 17.3% of women with BAME heritage said they believe that delaying cervical cancer screening is the safest thing to do at the moment, compared with 8.1% of white women.
Updated
Coronavirus restrictions in parts of northern England are expected to continue when the government reviews existing measures later this week, but will be more tightly targeted and focus on smaller areas.
People in Oldham in Greater Manchester, and in specific wards in Pendle and Blackburn in Lancashire were told not to socialise with anyone outside their household from midnight on Saturday.
They were also advised to only use public transport if essential and numbers attending weddings, civil partnerships and funerals were restricted to up to 20.
Council chiefs in Blackburn welcomed the announcement after they campaigned for a targeted approach at a “really local level” and said resources and efforts could be concentrated on the places that needed it most.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) also lifted restrictions in Wigan, Rossendale and Darwen, bringing them in line with the rest of England.
The next announcement by the DHSC on restrictions in the “northern area of intervention” is due to take place after a meeting on Thursday of the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) chaired by the health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, and England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty.
Local councils and MPs are expected to make their recommendations to the JBC by Wednesday over where, if any, restrictions should be imposed in their local areas.
The Tory leader of Bolton council has called on the government to lift restrictions in the borough.
Councillor David Greenhalgh said:
According to recently produced data, we have seen this week’s data for Bolton now at 12.9 per 100,000 new confirmed cases, showing Bolton over the past three weeks with a downward trajectory and way outside those authorities that are areas of concern on government lists.
We have seen our neighbours in Wigan taken out of GM (Greater Manchester) restrictions and it is now time for Bolton to follow suit, and the figures and data support this.
Mohammed Iqbal, the leader of Pendle council, criticised the extra restrictions imposed in the borough as the number of Covid-19 cases continued to fall. He said:
We are not signed up to extra government restrictions. This is not what Pendle needs right now.
What we do need is extra support from the government, including financial support to ensure the safety messages and rules for Pendle reach everyone.
Last week Hancock said: “Our approach is to make the action we take as targeted as possible, with the maximum possible local consensus.
“To do that we are introducing a new process to increase engagement between local leaders, both councils and MPs, with the aim of taking as targeted action as possible.
“This will allow local councils to focus resources on to the wards which need more targeted intervention in order to drive infection rates down, and gives local people a stronger voice at the table.”
Updated
The Guardian’s deputy political editor is reporting that a number of Tory MPs are concerned about a possible government U-turn on masks in schools as Boris Johnson comes under growing pressure to review Public Health England advice which “does not recommend them”.
“Several are strongly opposed and want concerns conveyed to Number 10,” Jessica Elgot has tweeted.
Tory MPs making representations to the whips over potential u-turn on masks in schools. Several strongly opposed and want concerns conveyed to Number 10.
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) August 25, 2020
Updated
Covid-19 widely circulating in UK in early February - study
Scientists believe a 75-year-old woman from Nottinghamshire was the first known person to catch coronavirus in the UK and the earliest to die from it, as research shows the disease was circulating widely in communities in early February.
Samples analysed by the University of Nottingham show the unnamed woman, who had an underlying health condition, tested positive for the virus on 21 February.
She was admitted to Queen’s medical centre (QMC), in Nottingham, and died on 3 March, two days earlier than the first recorded Covid-19 death in the UK. Her positive coronavirus test results were not returned until 16 March, almost two weeks after her death.
Previously, the first case caught in the UK was believed to be a man in Surrey who was reported to have tested positive on 28 February.
Scientists retrospectively analysed samples from the QMC hospital dating back to January, and discovered the virus had been circulating in the area between early February and March.
Their study said this was undetected at the time because the government was restrictive both in its definition of coronavirus symptoms, and over who could be tested.
Read the full story here:
Updated
The National Deaf Children’s Society said that schools and colleges must be ready to meet the needs of deaf pupils by doing things such as investing in clear masks.
As speculation builds that the government may be about to make a policy U-turn, paving the way for near-mandatory use of face coverings in English schools, the organisation said the use of face masks in education would have serious consequences for the UK’s 50,000 deaf children.
Ian Noon, the chief policy adviser of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:
For many, there may be little benefit in even attending school or college because they won’t understand their teachers and classmates, with loneliness and isolation a tragic result.
Public health must always be the priority, so if face masks are introduced, schools and colleges must be ready to meet deaf pupils’ needs by investing in clear face masks, making every reasonable adjustment possible and urgently discussing the best way forward with specialist teachers, parents and deaf pupils themselves.
Education is a right, not a privilege, and this does not change because you’re deaf.
Updated
A mother has said she will not send her son to school if rules in England are not changed, and he is not allowed to wear a mask.
Amid increasing pressure, Boris Johnson has hinted that guidance which says face coverings are not required for schoolchildren in England could be changed, with some reports saying a U-turn has already been agreed by the government.
Debra Kidd, 52, is from Saddleworth, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, where additional lockdown measures are currently in place amid a rise in coronavirus cases.
She told the PA Media news agency her son Sam, 13, had been told by Saddleworth school that children would not be required to wear masks and would be expected to remove them at the front gates.
“We’ve complained about this and the school says it is following government guidance,” she said. “Our position is that if he can’t wear a mask, he’s not going back.”
Updated
Virgin Atlantic says it has reached “a significant milestone in safeguarding its future” after creditors voted to approve a £1.2bn bailout.
The vote was a key part of a court-sanctioned process being used by the airline to implement the deal.
It warned earlier this month it could run out of money by the end of September if the rescue package was rejected.
The company said in a statement:
Today, Virgin Atlantic has reached a significant milestone in safeguarding its future, securing the overwhelming support of all four creditor classes, including 99% support from trade creditors who voted in favour of the plan.
The next step is an English high court hearing on September 2 to sanction the restructuring plan.
Updated
Phil Hogan, the European trade commissioner who is battling to save his job, has sent the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, a 20-page summary of his movements during the period he breached lockdown rules in Ireland.
Hogan, a former Irish minister whose role at the commission makes him a key figure in post-Brexit trade deal talks between the EU and the UK, has apologised for attending an event in his home country that may have breached Covid-19 regulations but he remains under pressure. Von der Leyen requested detailed of his movements.
The commission has published details of a memo from Hogan here, but holes are already being picked in the details provided.
Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty says Phil Hogan has "misinformed" @vonderleyen by including a Citizens Information link that's not relevant.
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) August 25, 2020
"Everyone who knows the restrictions knows you must restrict movements for 14 days" upon return to Ireland. pic.twitter.com/Jo9vzRpsJZ
Hogan claims he could skip quarantine because he got a negative test. The HSE tells us this is not the case for incoming travellers.
— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) August 25, 2020
“A test is only a point in time," adviser said. "So I’m afraid the 14 day still stands regardless of test negative or not”
https://t.co/7ehtPsrS9i
Updated
Five patients on a cancer ward in Northern Ireland have tested positive for Covid-19.
It is the second cluster of infections at Craigavon Area hospital in Co Armagh. A member of staff has tested positive and three close staff contacts are self-isolating as a precaution, the Southern health and social care trust said.
It added: “Covid-19 is rising again in our community. We urgently appeal to everyone to wash their hands, cover their face and maintain social distancing.
The ward is closed to admissions. Trust staff are working closely with the Public Health Agency to manage the situation.
Updated
Trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine may have gathered enough data to show whether it works and is safe by the end of the year – but it will then need to go through the regulatory process, scientists say.
Prof Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said it is “just possible” that there may be enough clinical trial data on Oxford University’s Covid-19 vaccine to put before the regulators this year.
Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has said a vaccine may not be ready until next winter. Pollard suggested they were hoping to go faster.
“I think that Chris Whitty is quite rightly being cautious, that it could take as long as that to first of all demonstrate a vaccine works and is safe and then to go through the processes of regulators looking at that very carefully to make sure everything’s been done correctly,” Pollard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Updated
Students have begun receiving their BTec grades, a week after exam board Pearson withdrew some and delayed the publication of others to give itself time to recalculate scores in the week of the A-level exam results fiasco.
About 200,000 people who had taken the level one and two vocational qualifications were told last week, just hours before results day, that they would not be receiving them on time. A further 250,000 level-three grades, which had already been awarded, were also reassessed.
It came after an outcry over A-level and GCSE results led to the scrapping of an algorithm that had calculated pupils’ grades in lieu of exams. After the algorithm downgraded the results of many pupils from the estimates given by their teachers, while apparently favouring pupils from private schools, pupils held multiple protests with many calling for the resignation of the education secretary, Gavin Williamson.
Updated
Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls to meet bereaved families who lost their loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said they have asked for meetings with the prime minister on four occasions.
Earlier this month, the all-party parliamentary group on Coronavirus heard from bereaved families who said they felt they are being “swept under the carpet” by the government.
The APPG chairwoman, Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, wrote to the prime minister and said she was shocked to learn that he had “refused” to meet the group - which represents 1,450 families.
Commenting on the letter, Jo Goodman, who lost her father, Stuart, after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 aged 72, said:
The prime minister has refused to meet bereaved families four times now. This isn’t about pointing fingers or laying blame, so we don’t know why Boris Johnson won’t meet with us.
We can only hope that the prime minister listens to the APPG and finally does the right thing by meeting with bereaved families. We just don’t want others to go through the same pain we have.
Updated
The Co-operative Bank became the latest major British employer to announce redundancies on Tuesday as it said it would part ways with around 350 members of staff.
Last week, more than 7,700 major job losses were announced at big British employers.
It comes as the Office for National Statistics said 730,000 people have been taken off payrolls since the beginning of the crisis in March.
You can read back over full coverage of today’s latest grim economic and business news on our business live blog here on a day when hopes of a swift recovery suffered some serious blows.
Updated
A piece of news now that - for a significant section of the population - might be as important as anything else today.
The Great British Bake Off will look as it always does when it returns to screens due to the cast and crew living and filming “in a bubble”, a Channel 4 executive has said.
Production of the 11th series was initially delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but filming on the popular show finished last week.
Kelly Webb-Lamb, deputy director of programmes and head of popular factual for Channel 4, explained during a controller session at Edinburgh’s Television Festival that the “enormous” feat of getting the show back on air was due to stringent health and safety measures.
She said: “The feat of getting Bake Off back was enormous and enormously important.
Updated
Head of exams regulator, Sally Collier, quits
The head of England’s exam regulator, Sally Collier, has resigned over the exams fiasco that has engulfed schools and universities.
Collier, the chief regulator and Ofqual chief executive, oversaw the development of the flawed exams algorithm that was scrapped after it downgraded nearly 40% of A-level results. It came after ministers insisted on avoiding grade inflation.
She had been conspicuous by her absence since the U-turn on results last week, with Ofqual’s chair, Roger Taylor, issuing a public apology instead.
Collier’s resignation comes days after the publication of millions of GCSE results and a day after Gavin Williamson insisted Ofqual had his “full confidence”. He had previously refused to back Collier.
Updated
Amid speculation that the government has already signed off on a U-turn on its masks policy in English schools, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has added his voice to calls for the government to to take World Health Organization (WHO) advice on board.
“The World Health Organization has advised children over 12 to wear a face covering where they can’t socially distance, and as more countries are introducing them in school corridors and communal areas, it’s important that lessons are learned,” said Khan.
“I have continually called on government to respond to the latest health advice and my team are speaking with officials in Scotland to ensure we have the most up-to-date advice ahead of our schools returning.”
Updated
Public Health England and the Department for Education have both signed off on a new policy that will make the wearing of face masks near-mandatory in communal areas of secondary schools in England, the TES reports, citing sources.
An announcement could come as early as today, the same sources say.
Updated
Downing Street probably hoped Dominic Cummings’ family would not provide any more headaches after the furore prompted by Boris Johnson’s adviser’s lockdown dash to his parents’ Durham farm this year.
But, in a fresh blow to No 10, the top aide’s father-in-law has reportedly said Johnson will stand down as prime minister in six months.
The claim – strenuously denied by Downing Street – was apparently delivered by Sir Humphry Wakefield to a visitor to the family’s 13th-century Grade I-listed Chillingham Castle, in Northumberland, last week.
The 84-year-old baronet, father of Cummings’ wife, Mary, told visitor Anna Silverman the PM was still struggling badly after having coronavirus and would step down in six months, according to a report in the Times.
Wakefield, a lifelong horse rider, is said to have likened the virus to being “gone in the fetlock”, a horse’s joint. “If you put a horse back to work when it’s injured it will never recover,” he reportedly said.
No 10 dismissed the claim as “utter nonsense”. Wakefield could not be reached for comment.
Updated
Labour is calling for the use of face masks in secondary schools, citing a “growing body of evidence that the use of face masks in communal areas in secondary schools helps protect students and staff and drive down transmission”.
The shadow education secretary, Kate Green said a change in advice was needed quickly. “The prime minister must listen to this evidence and act quickly to give certainty to parents and teachers who are just days away from schools reopening,” she said.
“The last thing concerned parents and pupils need is another last minute U-turn from this government that throws school plans into chaos.”
Updated
More from the official stats authority, while we await more updates on the possibility that schoolchildren will be asked to wear face coverings when they return next month.
The proportion of people who believe Britain will be united after the coronavirus pandemic has halved in three months, figures suggest.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) surveyed 12,630 adults between 24 April and 28 June about their perceptions of unity and division in Britain.
Over the period as a whole, 46% of adults on average thought that Britain will be united after society has recovered from Covid-19.
At the start of the period, a higher proportion of people felt Britain would be “very or somewhat” united after the pandemic than felt this way at the end of the period.
In the first week of the survey period more than half (57%) felt the UK would be more united, falling to 28% in the final week. Exactly half of female respondents believed this compared with 41% of men.
Updated
Deaths in the UK have risen above average levels for the first time since mid-June, official statistics show, but coronavirus is not thought to be behind the rise.
The high temperatures of the heatwave earlier this month are most likely behind the recent increase, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
In the week ending 14 August, there were 9,392 deaths from all causes in England and Wales – 447 more than the previous week.
This took the number of deaths that week to 3.4% above the average for this time of year over the past five years – the first time the average has been exceeded since June.
Of the deaths registered in Week 33, 139 mention #COVID19 on the death certificate (1.5% of all deaths).
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) August 25, 2020
This has fallen since the previous week (Week 32) when 1.7% of all deaths mentioned COVID-19 https://t.co/0r659l7KFx pic.twitter.com/8XngAaDlUp
Meanwhile, deaths involving coronavirus have been steadily falling. There were 139 deaths registered in the week ending 14 August that mentioned “novel coronavirus”, an 8.6% fall from the 152 deaths recorded in the previous week.
The ONS said: “The rise in deaths between weeks 32 and 33 coincided with high temperatures in England and Wales, and heatwave warnings were issued by NHS England.”
Updated
There have been no further reported deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Wales, health officials have said.
The total number of deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic remains at 1,593.
Public Health Wales said the total number of coronavirus cases had increased by 28, bringing total cases in Wales to 17,774.
The Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething, said he hoped to make an announcement on whether children would be made to wear face coverings when they returned to school by tomorrow evening.
“Scotland have made a change in their arrangements after their schools had essentially been open for two weeks,” he said during the Welsh government’s coronavirus press briefing.
“I would much rather that we’re in a position where if there’s going to be any change, including if that change is just around guidance as opposed to mandating anything, that we’re able to do so by the end of tomorrow so we’re not looking to make a decision late in the week when there’s a bank holiday weekend just before schools are due to reopen.”
Updated
The Tory chair of the education select committee, Robert Halfon, has called for “more clarity” on face coverings ahead of schools returning.
He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme:
Clearly at the moment the science in England is that masks are not required. I think it would be worth perhaps a bit more reassurance from the chief medical officer to explain the reasons for this, to [help] teachers and parents and students going back to school.
Having said that, perhaps it might be better just to leave these decisions in terms of PPE, particularly with masks, to the headteachers of individual schools.
He went on: “I think if the chief medical officer has set out the reasons why masks weren’t necessary and the science behind it. I think that would reassure a lot of people in education and parents wondering or not whether they’re needed when they send their children back to school next week.”
I’m Amy Walker, taking over from my colleague Ben Quinn while he takes a break. I’ll be keeping you up to date with all the key coronavirus developments from the UK for the next hour or so.
Updated
Two more “Nightingale” courts have started to hear cases in efforts to clear the backlog exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) headquarters in Westminster and a former court building in Fleetwood, Lancashire, opened on Monday.
A press conference room in the government building at 102 Petty France has been converted into a court room and will hear cases from east and west London family courts.
In Fleetwood, the building will hear civil or family cases listed for Preston or Blackpool magistrates courts. It comes after Nightingale courts opened in Swansea, Middlesbrough, Hertfordshire and Telford last week. There are 10 in total so far, with two in Leeds and Peterborough yet to open.
Not everything has been as transparent or as smooth as one might have hoped however. Here was the experience of the new arrangements yesterday of the Evening Standard’s courts correspondent.
I've tried & failed to determine what exactly was happening at the Petty France court today. Nothing listed online anywhere, I think. No one answered the phone. Granted, I didn't go along but it's not the usual practice to turn up randomly at a court just to see what's happening. https://t.co/cYFzsZ9Pmo
— Tristan Kirk (@kirkkorner) August 24, 2020
Updated
The Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething, has issued a stern warning against traditional pub crawls and stag and hen parties following a rise in coronavirus cases in Cardiff.
Gething stopped short of putting a limit on the number of venues people should go to but he stressed that every visit to a new pub or bar was another chance for Covid to be transmitted.
He said: “At this point in time there isn’t a need to close pubs and restaurants. This depends on the behaviour of all of us. This is a choice about how we behave to keep coronavirus at bay for all of us.”
There have been 47 positive tests in the last week - 37% of all cases in Wales. Public health officials said many of the new cases were among people between the ages of 20 and 30.
Gething hinted that hospitality venues faced being shut before schools, adding:
The government has been very clear in Wales that we won’t close schools if other areas are driving infection rates. We will take other action first before we go to the possibility of school closures. People need to consider the choices they are making. We don’t want to stop people enjoying themselves. We want people to enjoy themselves within the rules.
More people going to more venues is more of a risk. I recognise it’s difficult. It’s an appeal to our common sense.
Gething said that Welsh authorities had not said there is a limit to the number of places to go to but that people need to limit contact with others.
The way I would have enjoyed drinking with my friends in my 20s is an entirely different place to where we are now.
Updated
Facebook has recruited 10 former policy officials since the start of last year, adding to suspicions that technology firms are trying to develop a closer relationship to the government.
The Times reported that officials left roles in government and with regulators to work on policy and communications for Facebook.
Whitehall watchers said there is usually a “mini exodus” of staff from key departments in the weeks and months after a general election, but rarely as many as 10 civil servants departing to the same company.
Senior Conservative MPs said that Facebook was seeking to limit regulations before they were introduced.
Julian Knight, the Tory chairman of the Commons committee on digital, culture, media and sport, told The Times that the public “have a right to question the cosy relationship between government and big tech at all levels”.
Facebook said their policy teams play a key role in developing and applying Facebook’s policies such as our community standards — which set out what is and isn’t allowed on their platforms.
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Johnson: government 'might have done some things differently' on grades fiasco
Questioned about the exam results fiasco, Johnson added that in hindsight, the government “might have done some things differently”.
He told reporters that those who had done their A-levels and GCSEs this year, had been “in many ways a remarkable generation”.
They’ve had to stay at home, which has been difficult, it has posed risks, as I say, to their health, to their mental health, they’ve done a fantastic job, they’ve protected the NHS, they’ve helped to save lives, to get us through this pandemic and I’m just pleased that they now do have results that they can work with.
And yes, you know if we had to do it again, we might have done some things differently, I’m certainly not going to deny that. But they’ve got a series of results that they can certainly work with and use to develop their careers.
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Guidance on masks in schools could change - Boris Johnson
Guidance saying that face coverings are not required in England’s schools could be altered if the medical advice changed, according to the prime minister.
Boris Johnson told reporters: “On the issue of whether or not to wear masks in some contexts - you know, we’ll look at the the changing medical evidence as we go on. If we need to change the advice then of course we will.”
Asked why the UK government was ignoring World Health Organization (WHO) advice that children aged over 12 should wear masks, he said: “The overwhelming priority is to get all pupils into school.
And I think that the schools, the teachers, they’ve all done a fantastic job of getting ready and the risk to children’s health, the risk to children’s wellbeing from not being in school is far greater than the risk from Covid.
If there are things we have to do to vary the advice on medical grounds, we will, of course, do that. But as the chief medical officer, all our scientific advisers, have said, schools are safe.
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Wales to review guidance on wearing of coverings in schools
Guidance on whether children in Wales should wear face coverings in schools is to be reviewed, according to authorities in Wales.
The Welsh government’s Health minister, Vaughan Gething, said:
In light of the update to World Health Organization advice on the use of face coverings for children over 12 - and the decision by the Scottish government to introduce wider face covering wearing in schools - I’ve asked the children and schools advisory group... to consider the current guidance here in Wales.
The briefing where Gething made those those comments can be watched again here.
The Welsh move comes after it was announced that Scottish secondary school pupils will have to wear face coverings in corridors, communal areas and school buses from next week.
Updated
There have been 44 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Scotland since yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon has announced at her regular media briefing, including seven in Tayside, where the cluster around the 2 Sisters food processing plant continues.
Scotland’s first minister said that over past six days more than 900 people have been tested at mobile testing unit outside the plant in Coupar Angus, and that there is still little evidence of community transmission.
Sturgeon also said there had been a “major spike” in demand for testing over the weekend, and announced the establishment of 11 local walk-through testing centres, the first of these will be housed in the Victory Memorial Hall in St Andrews. She also said three mobile testing units would be deployed across the central belt of Scotland, the first of which will be operational in Glasgow this afternoon.
On the decision to give “obligatory guidance” to young people to wear face coverings in high schools, she said: “I don’t under-estimate how challenging it is for teachers to do their already difficult jobs and be mindful of all the different requirements to keep Covid under control.”
Asked about compulsion, given that the guidance is not yet mandatory, she said that “ideally we don’t want to have an enforcement regime around this guidance in schools”. She went on: “Schools already have behavioural policies in place, this is another aspect of that and in my view much better done in that way of being part of the process for young people understanding things we have to adhere to [to combat the virus].”
Updated
Problems with the UK government’s website meant that it wasn’t possible to book a local Covid-19 drive-through test for about three hours today.
I’ve been contacted by someone in Brighton who was trying to book a test earlier and was found that the website was, intermittently, either down or else it directed him to go to London. I called the government’s helpline and was told that the site was down for about three hours today.
When the person in Brighton phoned an official number he was told there was nothing that could be done at the moment as the system was down and “multiple calls” with the same complaint had been coming in.
He called back and was told “very few (if any) people are able to book a test online today due to technical errors, and so I should just turn up at the test centre, do the swab test, and complete/enter barcode details AFTER completing the test.”
Headteachers and teaching unions have been responding to the decision in Scotland that all secondary pupils should wear face masks in schools from Monday.
If there’s to be a U-turn in England, they want it sooner rather than later, but most agree - whatever the government says - staff and students should be allowed to wear face coverings if they want to.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, urged ministers to review the existing guidance, which says masks are not necessary in schools, and to provide clear direction one way or another. “We have two concerns,” he said.
First, parents, pupils, and staff, will be anxious about the situation and need reassurance from the government about the public health basis for its policy over face coverings in England, rather than it being left entirely to schools to explain the government’s rationale. And, second, if there is going to be any U-turn by the government that it does this sooner rather than later because the start of the new term is imminent.
A spokesman for the National Association of Head Teachers said: “Where there are individual members of staff or pupils who feel the need to wear a mask in order to feel safe enough to come to school, then we have confidence that our members would be able to make a sensible decision and allow that.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, added that it should be permissible for staff members and students to wear face masks if they wish to do so.
We have to stay abreast of the science, so when the World Health Organization says that children over 12 should wear masks in communal areas at school, that ought to be listened to.
Updated
Drop children off and 'get on with tasks of the day', Williamson tells parents
Parents should avoid chatting with friends at the school gates after dropping their children off in order to help limit Covid-19’s spread, the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has suggested.
Continuing his drive to get children back into England’s classrooms in September, Williamson said that parents should show “understanding and consideration”.
The minister, who continues to face calls for his resignation over the handling of the exams fiasco, suggested that parents should “drop their children off and then get on with all the tasks of their day”.
In an interview with the Evening Standard, Williamson conceded that not all children may be back in class on the first day but his goal was to see them coming back “over the next few weeks”.
Williamson told the Evening Standard:
We’re asking all parents to show understanding and consideration to the whole school community.
Most schools have put in place staggered starts to make sure that there’s a swift and good flow-through of parents, and we just ask people to be respectful of the systems that are being put into place. We’d ask parents just to be really considerate, make sure they’re able to drop their children off and then get on with all the tasks of their day.
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Virgin Atlantic’s creditors will vote on a £1.2bn rescue deal today, as the airline tries to secure its future following the coronavirus crisis.
The airline last month revealed the privately-funded recapitalisation plan agreed with its shareholders and investors, after Virgin’s attempts to win UK state support were unsuccessful. The plan is designed to help it survive another 18 months of travel turmoil, with a return to profit in 2022.
The carrier, founded by Sir Richard Branson, has previously said it will run out of money and could collapse into administration if creditors do not back the deal.
Almost 200 of the airline’s affected trade creditors, each of whom is owed more than £50,000, will vote on Tuesday at a hearing at the high court in London. Virgin Atlantic needs to gain support equivalent to 75% of the overall outstanding value of money owed.
Ofqual heads and Gavin Williamson to be questioned by MPs
Senior officials from the exams body, Ofqual, are to face questions next week about the grades fiasco from MPs on the House of Commons education committee.
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, is scheduled to come before the committee on 16 September at what the committee billed as a “regular accountability session”.
A statement released by the committee said it would question the chief regulator, Sally Collier, and the Ofqual chair, Roger Taylor, “on what went wrong in the awarding of grades, where responsibility lies and how and why problems with the standardisation model were not identified earlier”.
“MPs are also likely to ask what steps are being taken to support students, schools and colleges who have lost out because of the standardisation model and subsequent U-turn, and about lessons learnt to ensure a fair system should exams be cancelled in the future.”
Both Collier and Taylor are due to appear on 2 September.
Updated
Birmingham announces new enforcement measures
Birmingham city council has announced new enforcement measures targeting businesses flouting Covid-19 restrictions, coming into force from tomorrow.
The latest steps were approved following a meeting of local authority chiefs and the government’s gold command, and come on the back of concerns about a recent rise in infections in the city - although the rate is now falling.
In a statement, the council said the “enhanced measures” would tackle the fact much of the current guidance is “not legally enforceable” at the moment.
Councillor Ian Ward, the leader of Birmingham city council, said:
Staying focused now will also support our fragile economic recovery in the long term. No one wants to see a continual ‘stop, start’ approach as to what citizens can do and where they can go, least of all our business community, most of whom are adhering to the guidance and are doing all they can to keep our citizens safe.
For those that are not we are now enacting powers to ensure that they do. These new powers will allow us to intervene when businesses are putting staff and customers at risk of infection.
We reported yesterday that a police chief has warned that people are acting like “the virus isn’t out there” after a weekend of illegal gatherings in the West Midlands, despite Birmingham edging closer to a local lockdown.
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Scientists in Wales will launch a study this week into whether mouthwash can be used to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Covid-19 patients at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff will take part in new research to find out if it has the potential to reduce the levels of the virus in saliva.
Sars-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus with an outer fatty (lipid) membrane, and previous studies are said to show that agents usually found in mouthwash - such as low amounts of ethanol, povidone-iodine and cetylpyridinium - could disrupt the membranes of other lipid viruses.
Dentyl is the only UK mouthwash brand to take part in the 12-week study led by Prof David Thomas from Cardiff University and called: “The measurement of mouthwash anti-viral activity against Covid-19.”
Dr Thomas said: “We are very keen to start this much-needed clinical trial as our review of the literature indicated that we need to look deeper into the possible positive impact that mouthwashes may play on the transmission of Covid-19.
Updated
Senior political figures in England might have survived controversies over alleged breaches of social distancing or lockdown restrictions but pressure is building from Brussels on the European trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, who has been resisting moves to quit over breaches in Ireland.
RTE’s Tony Connelly tweets that European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has asked Hogan to provide further details of his movements in Ireland.
Breaking: European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen expects a full report by 2pm today CET from Phil Hogan on the golf meeting controversy and wants him to publish the timeline of his movements in Ireland, according to European Commission spokesperson
— Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) August 25, 2020
The Irish representative on the European commission was asked on Saturday by Ireland’s prime minister and deputy prime minister to consider his position after his attendance at a golf dinner caused public outrage and led to other political resignations.
Hogan, who offered an initial apology on Friday only after the prime minister, Micheál Martin, demanded one, said on Sunday he had listened carefully to the views of Martin and the deputy prime minister, Leo Varadkar.
Updated
Heatwave likely to be behind rise in UK deaths - ONS
Deaths in the UK have risen above average for the first time since mid-June, according to new figures, but Covid-19 is not believed to be behind the rise.
Instead, the heatwave during the week ending August 14 is likely to explain the weekly increase, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There were 9,392 deaths from all causes in England and Wales in the week ending August 14 - 447 more deaths compared with the previous week.
It took the number of deaths that week to 3.4% above the average for this time of year over the past five years - the first time the average has been exceeded since June 12.
Meanwhile, deaths involving coronavirus have been falling. Some 139 deaths registered in the week ending August 14 mentioned “novel coronavirus”, an 8.6% fall from the 152 deaths in the previous week.
It is the lowest number of weekly deaths involving Covid-19 registered since the week ending March 20, before the lockdown. Overall, there were 10,580 deaths from all causes registered across the UK in the week ending 14 August - 265 deaths higher than the five-year average and 370 more deaths than the previous week.
This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now. If you want to flag up pandemic-related stories that we should be covering today you can reach me on Twitter at @BenQuinn75 or by email.
Updated
I will be logging off soon and handing over the blog to my colleague Ben Quinn. Below are some of the latest developments of the day so far:
• A leading member of the Oxford university team trying to find a vaccine for coronavirus has not ruled it out being ready for this winter. Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at Oxford university, said: “If cases accrue rapidly in clinical trials we could have data to put before regulators this year.”
• Scotland’s education minister, John Swinney, has announced that all secondary pupils should wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas from next Monday. The measure applies to all high schools but Swinney added that nobody should be sent home for not wearing a mask.
• Alok Sharma, the business secretary, said school staff or young people would not be penalised for wearing facemasks when schools reopen, although the advice is that they are currently not necessary. Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, Sharma said that the government has followed scientific and medical advice.
• Sharma also waded into the controversy over the Last Night of the Proms featuring traditional flag-waving anthems Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory. Following suggestions that the music might be axed because of perceived links to colonialism, the BBC confirmed on Monday night that the songs would be performed – but as orchestral versions with no singing. Sharma said he would like to see the lyrics sung and suggested the BBC could put subtitles up so people can join in from home.
Updated
Three prisoners tested positive for coronavirus in a Teesside jail block that has now been locked down.
It comes after widespread testing of almost 800 inmates at HMP Holme House in Stockton. One house block, of around 170 prisoners, has now been isolated as a precaution following the positive tests.
A prison service spokesperson said:
One house block has been isolated as a precaution after widespread testing of almost 800 prisoners resulted in three positive tests.
The service also confirmed no prison officers have tested positive for Covid-19.
The 770 inmates were tested as part of a DHSC-commissioned testing study in prisons across the country to help increase our understanding
of the virus. Visits to Holme House have not been suspended, the service added.
Updated
The business secretary, Alok Sharma, has waded into the controversy over the Last Night of the Proms featuring traditional flag-waving anthems Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory.
Following suggestions that the music might be axed because of perceived links to colonialism, the BBC confirmed on Monday night that the songs would be performed – but as orchestral versions with no singing.
Sharma said he would like to see the lyrics sung and suggested the BBC could put subtitles up so people can join in from home. Asked about the controversy, Sharma told Sky News on Tuesday: “The Last Night of the Proms gives huge amounts of pleasure to millions of people. I personally think it’s a very joyous occasion and it’s going to be very strange this year that you’re not going to have a live audience.
“I understand now that the BBC has said they will maintain some of these traditions. Personally, I would like to see the lyrics sung. I understand some songs will have lyrics sung and, of course, the BBC is always able to put on subtitles so if people want they can join in from home.
“I think what’s really important is that if you’re looking at this sort of stuff is, you should be looking to tackle the substance of problems, rather than the symbols. I think that’s a point the prime minister has made very well.”
Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Updated
People with eating disorders are at significant risk of negative impacts of the pandemic, a research paper says.
Data was collected from 129 people experiencing, or in recovery from, an eating disorder during the early stages of the UK pandemic lockdown. Participants were aged between 16 and 65 years.
When asked about the overall impact of the pandemic on their eating disorder symptoms, (86.7%) reported that their symptoms had worsened as a result of the pandemic, with over 30% reporting that their symptoms were much worse.
The paper was published in the Journal of Eating Disorders.
Fantastic research study from @TheCyberPsyche and @CatherineTalb from @NorthumbriaUni- almost 9/10 participants said their ED symptoms had worsened in the pandemic. They believe this will have long-term effects on their symptoms and recovery. See more here: https://t.co/ch5GRDo909
— Beat (@beatED) August 25, 2020
People with blood cancer are at greater risk of dying if they go to hospital with coronavirus than people with other types of cancer, research shows.
A paper published by Lancet Oncology found that of 224 people with blood cancer (leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma) who got coronavirus and ended up in hospital, 36% of them died.
There are more than 200,000 people with blood cancer who are in the “extremely clinically vulnerable” group.
Analysis found that once you account for age and gender, people with leukaemia are more than twice as likely to die (125%) if they are diagnosed with coronavirus than the average person with cancer.
People with lymphoma are 72% more likely to die, and people with myeloma are 65% more likely to die. People with other types of blood cancer appear slightly less likely to die (around 20% less likely) than the average person with cancer.
Gemma Peters, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK, said: “These findings confirm that the coronavirus is especially dangerous for people with blood cancer, and they will be very worrying for the 200,000 people in the UK who have been shielding because of it.
“Thankfully, the coronavirus is now less prevalent in society than it was a few months ago, and so we’re no longer in a position where people with blood cancer shouldn’t leave their homes at all. But given they are at greater risk than people with other types of cancer, it’s important that people with blood cancer talk to their healthcare team about their own personal risk and that they do everything they can to avoid the virus. This includes avoiding coming into contact with people and avoiding crowded places, particularly indoors. And if they do develop symptoms of Covid-19 it is important they talk to their specialist blood cancer team immediately.
“As well as this, the government needs to do more to support people with blood cancer to protect themselves. In particular, ending the shielding scheme has effectively forced people with blood cancer to go back to work at a time when it is becoming increasingly clear they are high risk of dying if they get the virus.”
Updated
Tesco is to permanently employ 16,000 extra staff taken on during the pandemic to help support a surge in online grocery trade.
The roles include 10,000 pickers, who select and pack grocery orders for home delivery, and 3,000 drivers, as well as a variety of other roles in stores and distribution centres.
Tesco’s move comes after the electrical goods specialist AO.com, the DIY chain Kingfisher and the delivery firms DPD and Hermes hired thousands more workers combined to cope with the rise in home deliveries.
However, the shift online has hit high streets hard, with Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Boots among the chains shutting stores and cutting jobs. London department store Liberty is also planning redundancies via a voluntary scheme under which at least 50 of its 550-plus UK team are expected to go.
Stress and exhaustion from the Covid-19 crisis threaten to intensify burnout among women working in the NHS just as it prepares to resume most services, according to a survey that has prompted calls for greater support for female staff.
The pandemic had amplified alleged bullying, sexism and racism on the part of managers, some workers also warned, while 26% of women said they did not feel safe sharing personal concerns with their boss.
This was especially true for staff from a minority ethnic background, who also reported feeling traumatised by the disproportionate impact of the virus, said the Health and Care Women Leaders Network of the NHS Confederation, which carried out the survey.
The exams debacle could fatally undermine Boris Johnson’s claim to be a champion of “levelling up”, a former education secretary has said.
Justine Greening, who was education secretary for two years under Theresa May, said that more had to be done to ensure young people were not failed again by the government.
She said the fallout from the crisis, in which poorer pupils suffered disproportionately as A-level results were downgraded by algorithm until a humiliating government U-turn, could do to Johnson what Black Wednesday did to John Major.
“The exams crisis this summer threatens to be as damaging for the public’s confidence in Boris Johnson’s government’s ability to level up Britain, as the ERM crisis was for John Major’s government’s competence on economic management,” she said.
Greening, writing for the Guardian, also said she believed the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, would have been aware of the risk to disadvantaged pupils before the exams crisis unfolded and that more must be done to help disadvantaged students as schools reopen next week.
“While talk about levelling up has continued, levelling down is what’s happened in reality,” she said.
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Coronavirus has led to more people switching jobs, research for the Office of National statistics shows.
It published an article that looks at people switching occupation in early 2020, and compared with the same period of 2019, before the pandemic.
In 2002, 6.1% changed occupation in the first half of this year, compared with 5.7% in the same period last year.
Analysis of only those who have changed occupation in the first half of this year shows that associate professional and technical occupations experienced the greatest percentage of occupational outflows (20.9%) and occupational inflows (21.2%); over half (52.5%) also changed major industry.
Updated
The Coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on the use of algorithms in decision making among government bodies, after one was used by the exam regulator Ofqual in recent A-level results.
It downgraded almost 40% of grades assessed by teachers, culminating in a humiliating government U-turn and the system being scrapped.
Guardian research shows that other uses of algorithms have been dropped with 20 councils no longer using an algorithm to flag claims as “high risk” for potential welfare fraud. The ones they flagged were pulled out by staff to double-check, potentially slowing down people’s claims without them being aware.
The Home Office recently stopped using an algorithm to help decide visa applications after allegations that it contained “entrenched racism”. The charity the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) and the digital rights group Foxglove launched a legal challenge against the system, which was scrapped before a case went to court.
Here is a look at some global updates around coronavirus.
- Gaza reported its first Covid-19 cases outside quarantine areas and declared lockdown. The first cases of coronavirus have been detected outside of quarantine facilities within the Gaza Strip, a potentially disastrous development given the enclave’s fragile health system.
- MPs urge Boris Johnson to meet ‘forgotten victims’ of coronavirus. Boris Johnson must meet families whose relatives have been killed by coronavirus and fund research into the longer-term effects, known as “long Covid”, to help the pandemic’s forgotten victims, MPs have said. Their recommendations form part of a fresh set of demands made on the prime minister intended to shape how he prepares for a potential second wave of the illness this autumn.
- ‘Very low evidence’ for plasma therapy authorised by Trump, says WHO. In case you missed this in the earlier blog: Donald Trump on Sunday announced the emergency authorisation of convalescent plasma, a method involving taking plasma from people who have recovered from Covid-19, for coronavirus patients. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the WHO, stressed that it was still unproven and that there was “very low evidence” it was safe and effective.
- Dr Fauci warns against rushing out a vaccine. Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, warned that distributing a Covid-19 vaccine under special emergency use guidelines before it has been proved safe and effective in large trials is a bad idea that could have a chilling effect on the testing of other vaccines.
- Usain Bolt has tested positive for coronavirus. World-record sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating at his home in Jamaica after last week celebrating his 34th birthday with a big bash mask-free, Reuters reports.
- South Korea orders most Seoul schools to close. South Korea on Tuesday ordered most schools in Seoul and surrounding areas to close and move classes back online, the latest in a series of precautionary measures aimed at heading off a resurgence in coronavirus cases, Reuters reports.
Updated
Secondary school pupils in Scotland should wear face coverings from Monday
Scotland’s education minister, John Swinney, has announced that all secondary pupils should wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas from next Monday.
The measure applies to all high schools but Swinney added that nobody should be sent home for not wearing a mask.
Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland: “This is not going to be mandatory. We are recommending this is what should be done and we will encourage schools to pursue that as part of the work to maintain safety within schools. It’s about making sure that everybody is looking out for each other.”
Yesterday, the Scottish government said that it had been consulting councils and teaching organisations about the measure after face coverings were recommended for secondary schools by the World Health Organization at the weekend.
WHO said face coverings were useful where physical distancing between adults and pupils aged 12 and over was impossible, or in areas of high transmission.
Updated
Alok Sharma says pupils and staff will not be penalised for wearing masks in schools in England
Alok Sharma, the business secretary, said school staff or young people would not be penalised for wearing facemasks when schools reopen, although the advice is that they are currently not necessary.
Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, Sharma said that the government has followed scientific and medical advice.
“Public Health England does not recommend at the moment [facemasks] in schools... We are always considering the latest advice and evidence but the current advice is that it is not recommended.”
When asked if people would be penalised for wearing them, he said this would not happen. “It’s about what makes sense. We have seen recent surveys from the ONS showing high level of confidence in terms of pupils returning safe settings in schools.”
He said that the focus was opening up the economy in a phased and “cautious manner, getting businesses up and running”.
When asked about whether the government would offer financial support to those who may need to quarantine and therefore lose wages, he said they “look at all suggestions” they receive.
“The key thing though is the best way we can restart the economy is by opening up in cautious manner,” he repeated.
Updated
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has said the first volunteers have now been dosed in its clinical trial of a new drug to help prevent and treat Covid-19.
The group, which is also separately developing a Covid-19 vaccine together with scientists at Oxford University, said the drug - known as AZD7442 - is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies.
AstraZeneca said the trial, which will include up to 48 healthy volunteers in the UK aged 18 to 55, will look at the safety of the treatment, as well as the body’s reaction to the drug and how it processes it.
The Cambridge-headquartered group said the phase 1 clinical trial is an “important milestone” in the development of the drug, which has the potential to act as a preventative for people exposed to the virus, as well as to treat patients already infected with Covid-19.
A so-called monoclonal antibody combination works by mimicking the body’s natural antibodies. The antibodies come from patients infected with coronavirus and were discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Centre and then licensed to AstraZeneca in June.
Astra then boosts the combined antibodies so that they “afford at least six months of protection from Covid-19”.
Mene Pangalos, executive vice-president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at Astra, said: “This trial is an important milestone in the development of our monoclonal antibody combination to prevent or treat Covid-19.
“This combination of antibodies, coupled to our proprietary half-life extension technology, has the potential to improve both the effectiveness and durability of use, in addition to reducing the likelihood of viral resistance.”
If the trial is successful, Astra said it would look to move the treatment to late-stage phase 2 and phase 3 trials. The trial is being funded by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
It comes after Downing Street said on Monday the UK would be first in line for the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and Astra, once approved. This followed reports that Donald Trump was considering granting emergency authorisation for it to be fast-tracked in the US.
Updated
The Guardian has been writing about those who lost their lives from Covid-19.
Next in the Lost to the Virus series: Belly Mujinga.
— Sirin Kale (@thedalstonyears) August 25, 2020
She was a wife, a mother, a key worker, a Black woman
Was Belly spat at? Is that how she died? Why did police close the case? There are so many questions.
I attempted to answer them, for @guardiang2 https://t.co/CDmH1ivhL6
Hong Kong scientists reported of a healthy man in his 30s who became reinfected with coronavirus after falling sick to it months earlier.
They say genome sequencing shows the two strains of the virus are “clearly different”, making it the world’s first proven case of reinfection.
But the World Health Organization warned it is important not to jump to conclusions based on the case of one patient.
Dr Jeffrey Barrett, senior scientific consultant for the Covid-19 genome project at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “Given the number of global infections to date, seeing one case of reinfection is not that surprising even if it is a very rare occurrence.
“It may be that second infections, when they do occur, are not serious - though we don’t know whether this person was infectious during their second episode.”
Scientist does not rule out vaccine for this winter
A leading member of the Oxford university team trying to find a vaccine for coronavirus has not ruled it out being ready for this winter.
The trials ongoing around the world hope to involve around 50,000 people and he said if cases accrue rapidly in clinical trials they could present data to regulators this year.
It comes after the chief medical officer for England, Chris Witty, suggested that a vaccine would most reasonably be ready next winter or in the one after.
Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at Oxford university, said: “I think Chris Witty is right to be cautious, it could take as long as that to demonstrate that the vaccine works and is safe and then we have to go through a process of regulators looking at that to make sure it is done correctly. But if cases accrue rapidly in clinical trials we could have data to put before regulators this year,” he said.
Updated
Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at Oxford university – one of the lead researchers on its vaccine trial – has said that if coronavirus cases accrue rapidly at clinical trial stage they could have data to put before regulators this year.
It comes after the chief medical officer for England, Chris Witty, suggested that a vaccine will most reasonably be ready next winter or in the one after.
“I think Chris Witty is right to be cautious, it could take as long as that to demonstrate that the vaccine works and is safe and then we have to go through a process of regulators looking at that to make sure it is done correctly. But if cases accrue rapidly in clinical trials we could have data to put before regulators this year,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of people being reinfected with the virus after a Hong Kong man caught Covid-19 twice, Pollard said: “I think it is important in all vaccine development to look at changes in the virus, which happens over time, to make sure if the virus does change the vaccine is still effective against it.”
Updated
The chief executive of the Royal Statistical Society has told Ofqual to “cease defending the indefensible” in the latest exchange in a row over the algorithm used to determine this year’s A-level and GCSE results.
The dispute began with comments made by the RSS in which the society said it had offered to help with the algorithm but objected to the proposed confidentiality agreement that experts would be required to sign and claimed it had received no official response to its concerns.
Ofqual’s chair, Roger Taylor, rebuffed the criticisms on Sunday. He said Ofqual had published a copy of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to dispute the “restrictions you have incorrectly alleged” and denied that the regulator had failed to respond to the issues raised by the RSS.
An interesting look at six of the most promising treatments for Covid-19 so far from my colleague Sarah Boseley.
Summary of the latest developments
Below is a look at the latest news and developments regarding coronavirus in the UK.
- Students will begin receiving their BTec results from Tuesday after exam board Pearson delayed their publication.
- Thousands of headteachers have written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, accusing the government of repeatedly failing to listen or collaborate as schools prepare to reopen to millions of children across England.
- Pupils wearing masks is an option that should be kept under review, a union has said, despite the education secretary insisting the measure is not needed as schools in England prepare to reopen.
- The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, is in quarantine after reportedly testing positive for Covid-19 just days after a party for his 34th birthday, which was attended by England footballer Raheem Sterling and several other sports stars.
- Stop and searches in London rose by 40% during lockdown and a lower proportion of them led to arrests, figures show.
- Four times as many adolescents are physically abused compared with younger children in England, analysis of police-recorded offences shows, with incidents against 11- to 18-year-olds soaring during the coronavirus lockdown.
Updated
The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, is in quarantine after reportedly testing positive for Covid-19 just days after a party for his 34th birthday, which was attended by England footballer Raheem Sterling and several other sports stars.
Jamaica’s health ministry said late on Monday that Bolt, the world 100m and 200m record holder, had tested positive for the virus. He had earlier posted a video on social media saying he was waiting to hear back on his results – before urging anyone who had come into contact with him recently to enter quarantine.
Jamaica’s minister of health and wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, reportedly confirmed Bolt had been notified of the positive test and contact tracing was under way.
Former Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt says he is quarantining as he awaits his #COVID19 test results.
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) August 25, 2020
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Updated
Students will begin receiving their BTec results from Tuesday after exam board Pearson delayed their publication.
Grading for the vocational qualifications was delayed to give the board more time to recalculate the grades after A-level and GCSE results were based on teacher estimates.
Last week, Pearson said the regrading was needed to “address concerns about unfairness in relation to A-levels and GCSEs and ensure no BTec student is disadvantaged.”
Cindy Rampersaud, senior vice-president for BTec and apprenticeships at the company, said all eligible results would be available by Friday.
Around 200,000 level one and two entries were due to receive grades last Thursday, while 250,000 level three grades have already been awarded but were part of the reassessment.
Updated
Justine Greening, the MP for Putney from 2005 to 2019, has written for the Guardian today on the exams crisis in England and Wales:
The exams crisis in England and Wales this summer threatens to be as damaging for the public’s confidence in the ability of Boris Johnson’s government to tackle regional inequalities and level up Britain as the crisis over the exchange rate mechanism (ERM) was for John Major’s reputation on economic management. How it responds now is pivotal for the country’s future, but also the current administration’s.
As soon as the decision was taken to close schools in mid-March, it was clear that there needed to be a plan in place for reopening them and helping young people catch up on the education they lost out on during lockdown.
It was also clear that children who were already less privileged were most affected by the shutdown. It was clear when life-defining exams were cancelled that there would also need to be a way to ensure university places, apprenticeships and wider employment opportunities wouldn’t become even further out of reach.
Updated
Thousands of headteachers have written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, accusing the government of repeatedly failing to listen or collaborate as schools prepare to reopen to millions of children across England.
In what appears to be a damaging breakdown in relations, headteachers say they are facing some of the most significant challenges of their professional lives but feel they are “working in isolation”, unsupported by the government.
School leaders, who are still picking up the pieces after the recent exams fiasco, say their confidence in government has been “significantly knocked”. They are calling for urgent changes to current ways of working to help ensure a safe return to school.
Hannah Bernard, head of business banking at Barclays, said their research showed more women were thinking of starting businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Bernard was asked whether companies taking out loans would not be able to pay them back in time. “You have to make sure support is in place and lots of preparation is made for businesses that may go through difficulties when they start to pay back loans. We are doing lots to make sure they are ready,” she said.
“If someone took a loan out at the start of the scheme their first payment will be May next year. Lots of women have been spurred to start businesses due to lockdown,” she said, citing research the banking giant did on this subject.
Updated
Michael Fabricant, Conservative MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire, said he would like Rule, Britannia! to be performed by a solo singer at the Last Night of the Proms.
It comes after the BBC confirmed on Monday night that the song will be performed as an orchestral version only. The change is down to Covid-19 restrictions, the corporation said, after reports the anthems could be axed for political reasons.
Fabricant told BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I think it is all very sad, Rule Britannia has some lovely words.”
He argued that while the BBC said the changes were due to coronavirus restrictions that other tunes will be sung, such as the national anthem.
He said that a solo singer version would not be “thin”.
“When you hear opera singers belting it out, I would not say that is a thin voice, I’d be happy with that compromise: a single voice singing it [Rule, Britannia!] loudly.”
Updated
Pupils wearing face coverings should be kept under review, union says
Pupils wearing masks is an option that should be kept under review, a union has said, despite the education secretary insisting the measure is not needed as schools in England prepare to reopen.
It comes as the Scottish government is expected to state its decision on face coverings in schools in light of the latest guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) that children aged 12 and over should wear a mask.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said as evidence continues to emerge, Westminster should review its guidance.
The ASCL general secretary, Geoff Barton, told the Daily Telegraph: “We would expect the government in Westminster to review its guidance on the use of face coverings in schools - which currently says they are not required - in light of the WHO guidance and the consultation taking place in Scotland.
“The evidence is clearly evolving on this issue and it is important that it is kept under review and that clear direction is provided to schools.”
But Prof Russell Viner, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said there was concern about younger children wearing face coverings.
The WHO and UN children’s agency Unicef suggested that face shields may be an alternative in situations such as speech classes where the teacher and pupils need to see each other’s mouths.
The shadow education secretary, Kate Green, has already said the issue should be kept under review. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said her education secretary John Swinney is in the final stages of consulting with teachers and councils on whether to recommend the use of masks when moving around schools.
Updated
Morning everyone and welcome to the Guardian’s UK coronavirus live feed. I am here to bring you all the latest developments this morning. Please do get in touch to share your thoughts, comments and news tips with me.
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Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
