Friday summary
That’s all from me today. Thank you so much for all your contributions. Have a good weekend.
- UK reproduction rate falls. The UK’s R rate has fallen to between 0.9 and 1, according to new figures. The number has been confirmed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which advises the government on its response to the pandemic. Scientists have estimated the R – or reproduction – value, is now edging below one.
R, or the 'effective reproduction number', is a way of rating a disease’s ability to spread. It’s the average number of people on to whom one infected person will pass the virus. For an R of anything above 1, an epidemic will grow exponentially. Anything below 1 and an outbreak will fizzle out – eventually.
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the estimated R for coronavirus was between 2 and 3 – higher than the value for seasonal flu, but lower than for measles. That means each person would pass it on to between two and three people on average, before either recovering or dying, and each of those people would pass it on to a further two to three others, causing the total number of cases to snowball over time.
The reproduction number is not fixed, though. It depends on the biology of the virus; people's behaviour, such as social distancing; and a population’s immunity. A country may see regional variations in its R number, depending on local factors like population density and transport patterns.
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
- Downing Street says there are ‘no plans’ to print union flag on Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses. Downing Street has said there are “no plans” to have the union flag printed on the Oxford and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, following reports that No 10’s union unit had asked for the British flag to appear on packaging. The prime minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “There are no plans for the union jack to be on doses.
- Wales announces new restrictions and closes cinemas, bowling alleys and indoor entertainment venues. The Welsh first minister has announced new restrictions for Wales which will involve the closure of cinemas, bowling alleys and indoor entertainment venues. There will also be fresh restrictions on pubs and restaurants in a week’s time, Mark Drakeford announced. Non-essential shops, hairdressers and gyms will remain open. The restrictions will cover the whole of Wales. “It’s a national approach because we need a national effort,” he said.
- Face-to-face Brexit talks resume. Top-level, face-to-face Brexit talks are to resume in London, the EU’s chief negotiator has said. However, Michel Barnier warned before a meeting with his UK counterpart, David Frost, that “significant divergences” remain. In-person negotiations in Brussels were suspended a week ago after a member of Barnier’s team contracted coronavirus. But Barnier has now said “physical negotiations” can resume.
- Some Covid controls may be eased before Christmas, says minister. Ministers have raised the prospect that some coronavirus restrictions in England could be eased before Christmas as they seek to head off a growing Tory revolt. Many Conservative MPs reacted with fury after it emerged that 99% of the country is to be placed in the top two tiers of restrictions when the lockdown lifts next week. There was bafflement that areas with low infection rates are facing tougher controls – including a ban on social mixing indoors – than before they went into lockdown last month.
That’s all from us for tonight. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Updated
A student house has been issued with a closure order after holding parties despite coronavirus restrictions.
Manchester city council said the order, preventing anyone apart from the tenants, emergency services and parties acting for the landlord from entering the property, was secured against the house in Fallowfield at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on Friday.
A spokesman for the authority said the partial premises closure order, in place for three months, was issued after police were first called to the house in September and found more than 70 people attending a party.
The organiser was issued with a £200 fixed penalty notice and received a closure warning visit from police and a council officer.
On 14 November, police received reports of another party at the address and when officers arrived at 7.50am the next day the festivities were still going, with four people there who were not tenants.
The council said since September 183 letters had been sent to student households alleged to have breached Covid restrictions and 16 visits had been made to addresses where a second breach had been reported.
Police had issued 185 fixed penalty notices to students for breaches of coronavirus restrictions and reports had been made to their universities, a spokesman for the authority said.
Cllr Nigel Murphy, the deputy leader of Manchester city council, said: “The overwhelming majority of students living in Manchester, in their tens of thousands, have done the right thing in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances.
“However there have been some who have not taken seriously the guidelines that are in place not only for their own wellbeing but for the people they live alongside.”
Updated
Health inspectors are moving between Covid-hit England care homes without tests, leaked memos have revealed, raising fears of increased infection risks for residents and inspectors.
Updated
The UK government has updated its coronavirus dashboard. Here are the key statistics.
- The UK has recorded 521 further coronavirus deaths. It is still above the average for the past seven days (465). The death rate over the past week is 14% higher than for the previous week.
- The UK has recorded 16,022 more coronavirus cases. That is down from the total for yesterday (17,555). Week on week, positive cases are down 26%.
Updated
A “last resort” framework plan for the closure of schools in England has been published by the government, setting out what would happen in “exceptional circumstances”.
The Department for Education (DfE), which rebuffed calls by some trade union leaders and experts for schools to be shut down during the lockdown period, said it hopes never to have to implement the restrictions.
“Any implementation remains a decision for central government, working closely with local leaders, and would only come as a last resort to control extremely high prevalence of the virus if all other measures had been exhausted,” it said.
The Independent Sage group of experts have meanwhile advised in a new report that the situation in schools has become so dangerous that secondary school students should be asked to wear masks in classrooms and there should be a move towards a “blended” mix of on-site and home-based learning.
Infection rates among secondary school pupils were higher than any other age group, it said in a briefing today, where it accused the government of a “dogmatic refusal” to authorise more remote learning.
Dr Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said it was now clear that schools and colleges need much stronger safety measures.
“Bubbles in secondary schools must now be reduced in size – they were always too large and have inevitably led to significant disruption when new Covid cases emerge,” she added.
Separately, the DfE announced a new Covid workforce fund which schools and colleges can apply for to cover the cost of high staff absences.
The education secretary, Gavin Williamson, said: “Keeping schools and colleges open is a national priority, which is why I am launching the Covid workforce fund, to support schools and colleges facing significant budget pressures and staff absences.”
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) welcomed the additional money but noted that it provides only for staffing cover in the current half term.
Updated
A pub owner in Cornwall has asked that people thinking of travelling to the county for a pint “think of others” before doing so amid fears the tier 1 county could become overwhelmed.
Cornwall is the only area of mainland England that has been placed into the lowest level of measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
I’ve been very restrictive on who can come for a drink and ask that they email/message beforehand so I know who they are and where they have come from,” said Helen Nathan, 36, owner of The Kings Arms in Mevagissey.
As someone who travels a lot for work outside the pub, I’ve been very responsible and not left Cornwall unless it’s been completely necessary since beginning March. I hoped that others may do the same but Mevagissey has never been so busy during September and October.
Please think of others as well as your own safety before travelling anywhere outside your region.”
Asked if there was a fear too many people may travel to the county to go to the pub, Nathan said: “Yeah. There was post first lockdown, and the fear seems even more so this time round.”
Updated
Boris Johnson and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, discussed joint work on a coronavirus vaccine, along with trade, security and climate change during a phone call on Friday, Downing Street said.
The UK PM told his Indian counterpart that “2021 would be a year to deepen and strengthen the UK-India relationship”, according to No 10, as global leaders look to kick-start the recovery after the pandemic.
India’s Covid-19 cases soared past 9.18m this week, with more than 134,000 deaths. In the UK, 57,000 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, according to Government data.
But there is growing hope that an end to the pandemic is in sight due to recent successful vaccine trials worldwide, with the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab now being assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK.
India is home to some of the world’s biggest vaccine makers and there are five coronavirus candidates in different phases of trial in the country.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said:
The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi discussed joint efforts to find treatments and vaccines for coronavirus, and welcomed the collaboration between our countries’ leading scientists.
Updated
Leader of Lancashire county council, Geoff Driver, has called for local politicians to have more say in decisions on the tier system.
He said he was “extremely disappointed” the area had been placed in tier 3 despite local leaders asking for the county to be divided into two tiers to reflect different coronavirus rates.
He said:
We know there are still serious pressures on the hospitals and we really want to see that number come down.
We also know rates have come down significantly since the time when we were placed in the original tier 3, three weeks before this lockdown began, and in the west and north of the county this is particularly pronounced.
I am naturally disappointed by the decision to put the whole county into the same tier, and we will be speaking to the Government about what the measures will be for coming out of tier 3.
I also think it is important that local leaders have more input on these decisions as we know our areas best.
Updated
Bristol zoo is to move from his prestigious location in Clifton to a site on the edge of the city after suffering damaging financial losses during the Covid crisis.
The zoo will move to the organisation’s satellite site, the Wild Place Project, close to the M5.
This year’s problems follow years of declining visitor numbers to the city centre site, Bristol Zoo Gardens. The zoo has made an operating loss in four of the last six years.
Justin Morris, the chief executive of Bristol Zoological Society, said: “This year has been by far the most challenging year the society has faced in its 185-year history.”
“But for many years Bristol Zoo Gardens has been struggling with fundamental and persistent challenges. Namely an inability to meet the changing needs of the animals within the available space and infrastructure, and declining visitor numbers.
“These challenges have had an enormous impact on our finances and the impact of Covid-19 has caused us to radically rethink our plans about the future and how we address the fundamental and persistent challenges that we face in order to save Bristol Zoological Society.
“We know that Bristol Zoo Gardens has a special place in the hearts of many, and lots of people have fond memories of visiting the zoo.”
Bristol Zoo Gardens will remain open until late 2022 and visitors will not see an immediate change while plans are developed further. Wild Place Project will remain open throughout this time, until it becomes the new Bristol zoo from early 2024.
Updated
A mass coronavirus testing centre has been set up at the University of St Andrews to allow students to be checked before returning home for Christmas.
It is part of a rollout of asymptomatic Covid-19 testing to students throughout Scotland before the festive break.
They are invited to take the free self-administered tests, which involve swabbing the back of the throat and inside the nose, overseen by the university’s third-year medical students.
Results of the lateral flow tests are known within 30 minutes and students will receive an email or text within 24 hours telling them whether they have tested positive or negative for Covid-19.
If these come back positive, students will be asked by NHS Test and Protect to take a further type of test at the centre to confirm the result and should then self-isolate.
One million of the lateral flow device kits have been provided to the Scottish government by the UK government before being allocated to universities.
The facility in St Andrews will open on Saturday and has capacity for approximately 1,500 students to be tested each day. It will remain open until 18 December.
Updated
Dr Eleri Davies, the incident director for the Covid-19 outbreak response at Public Health Wales, welcomed the news of further restrictions for the country.
“Public Health Wales welcomes the decision of the Welsh government to introduce restrictions on indoor venues ahead of the Christmas period, in order to reduce the opportunities for the virus to spread in our communities and to keep people safe,” Dr Davies said.
“We understand that people will want to do their Christmas shopping at this time of year.
“We would suggest to try to visit shops during off-peak times, to always maintain social distancing and to wear a face covering if you can.
“Options such as ‘click and collect’ or online purchasing may also be something to consider.”
Updated
There have been a further 1,105 cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 77,091.
Public Health Wales reported another 21 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 2,494.
Bit more on the R number.
When the figure is above 1, the Covid-19 epidemic will continue to grow but if it is below 1, it shows the outbreak is in retreat.
Last week, the R number was said to be between 1 and 1.1. Experts believe that the R number is already below 1 in some places, particularly in parts of Yorkshire and potentially parts of the north-east as well as the north-west of England.
Meanwhile in London, the R number is between 1 and 1.1.
According to a Government advisor, the Government’s new tier 3 and tier 2 interventions, which are due to come into effect on 2 December, should keep the R number below 1 in the run up to Christmas.
But areas in Tier 1 may continue to see a growth in coronavirus infections.
The estimates for R and growth rate are provided by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), a subgroup of Sage.
Updated
No 10 reportedly wanted the union flag on Oxford coronavirus vaccine kits. The plan is said to have been hatched by a new ‘Union unit’ to counter a rise in Scottish nationalism.
Updated
UK infection rate falls
The UK’s R number has fallen to between 0.9 and 1, according to new figures. It means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 10 other people.
The number has been confirmed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which advises the government on its response to the pandemic.
Scientists have estimated the R – or reproduction – number, is now edging below one.
The growth rate estimate for the UK is between -2% and 0%, meaning the number of new infections is shrinking by between 0% and 2% every day.
A government statement said: “The UK estimates of R and growth rate are averages over very different epidemiological situations and should be regarded as a guide to the general trend rather than a description of the epidemic state.”
“Given the increasingly localised approach to managing the epidemic, particularly between nations, UK level estimates are less meaningful than previously,” it added.
Updated
Asked about plans currently under consideration to extend school holidays over Christmas, Scotland’s health minister, Jeane Freeman, sought to defuse speculation as she insisted that all government officials were “focused on keeping schools open”.
Speaking as Nicola Sturgeon took a rare day off the daily briefing, Freeman said: “We know that closing schools did have an impact notwithstanding the huge efforts teachers and parents put into maintaining their learning. The best place for young people to pursue their learning is the school environment and we will take all steps to ensure that is protected.”
Freeman confirmed that a further 37 people had died after testing positive for Covid-19, with 1,099 patients in hospital and 80 being treated in intensive care. The majority of the 969 new cases were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
Earlier in the day, the national clinical director, Jason Leitch, suggested that Scots could be creative in setting up a socially distanced Christmas dinner. Asked about festive logistics on BBC Radio Scotland, Leitch said:
“You need a big table but have you not used a pasting table on the day you’ve had granny round for Christmas dinner? Or served the kids round the sofa rather than the big table? I think Scotland is innovative enough to manage.”
On the vexed question of the serving of roast potatoes, which also came up at yesterday’s briefing, Leitch clarified: “You can have the roast potatoes – the roast potatoes are not your risk. Your risk is things that you share ... so big spoons, cutlery we share with each other. The big shared buffets, I’m afraid, are out.”
Updated
More on the Covid press conference going on in Cardiff right now.
The first minister, Mark Drakeford, has said it is not the Welsh government’s “intention” to allow for schools to close on 11 December to ensure that pupils and teachers will not have to self-isolate on Christmas Day.
“We will do everything we can to keep our schools working up until Christmas, we’ll do that alongside the unions, headteachers and the local education authorities.
“It is more important for our children not to miss out further on the education that is planned for them for the whole of the rest of this term and that’s what we will be working to achieve.”
The Welsh government will “finalise the detail” of new measures affecting the hospitality industry and put in place a “further major package of financial support” over the weekend, he added.
Drakeford said he would give further information at a press conference on Monday but confirmed that non-essential retail, hairdressers, gyms and leisure centres would continue to operate as they are currently in Wales.
“The new arrangements will apply to the whole of Wales,” Drakeford said. “That is necessary because we need a further national effort to bring down the rates in those parts of the country where they are high and to protect those areas from getting any worse where we have sustained the advantages of the firebreak for longer.
“A national approach can continue to protect us all. None of us wants to see further restrictions in our daily lives or our economy,” he added.
Updated
Suzi Quatro has revealed she has had coronavirus.
The singer told BBC Radio 2 she had “never felt anything like it”. “It’s like somebody came into my room and hit me over the head with a sledgehammer,” she added.
Quatro said she was “reluctant” to talk about catching the virus but she hoped that sharing her experience would “help other people who maybe are pooh-poohing this and making little of it”.
Quatro, 70, added that coronavirus took “every bit of energy that I possess”. “I’m just this side of hyper, if not hyper, and I slept 18 out of 24 hours for the first five days and I had to get up for two naps per day.”
Updated
The prime minister’s official spokesman has said he did not know if Boris Johnson was planning to see any elderly relatives this Christmas.
Asked whether Johnson agreed with the chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty’s assessment that people should not hug their elderly relatives over the festive period, the spokesman said: “The PM has said on multiple occasions that Christmas is going to be different this year and we all have to be careful, particularly around elderly relatives.
“I’m not aware of the PM’s plans for Christmas but you’ve seen what the prime minister said on this earlier this week. We’ve always said that we wanted to allow families to meet up over Christmas but it remains important for people to be careful.”
Asked whether the prime minister was planning to hold any conversations with disgruntled Tory MPs before next week’s vote on the new tiered approach, his spokesman said: “The PM is in regular contact with MPs and that will be no different as we move through this process.
“But the prime minister and the health secretary [Matt Hancock] have set out the need for the regionalised tiered approach and we’ve been clear in the Winter Covid Plan of the reasons, in terms of reducing the transmission rate of the virus.”
Pressed on whether the government could look to use the Civil Contingencies Act if the vote on the tiers does not pass through the Commons, the No 10 spokesman said he would “not get into speculation”.
The spokesman said he was not aware whether Johnson had spoken to opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer about the planned post-lockdown measures, following speculation he could need to rely on Labour votes.
Updated
Drinkers visiting pubs in England’s tier 2 regions will have to leave the premises once they have finished eating.
Under the new post-lockdown guidance, pubs in tier 2 areas can only stay open if they can function as a restaurant and alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal.
Asked how long drinkers can stay in the pub after purchasing a substantial meal, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We’ve been clear that, in tier 2 I believe, you need to have a substantial meal if ordering any alcohol and it remains the case that the guidance says that once the meal is finished, it is at that point [you must leave].”
Updated
Downing Street says there are 'no plans' to print union flag on Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses
Downing Street has said there are “no plans” to have the union flag printed on the Oxford and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, following reports that No 10’s union unit had asked for the flag to appear on packaging.
The prime minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “There are no plans for the union jack to be on doses.
“We’ve said previously, the manufacturing for some of the leading potential vaccines is already under way so they can be rolled out quickly if and when approved,” he added. “Manufacturers are well versed in the best ways to package products like this.”
Updated
Wales announces new restrictions and closes cinemas, bowling alleys and indoor entertainment venues
The Welsh first minister has announced new restrictions for Wales which will involved the closure of cinemas, bowling alleys and indoor entertainment venues.
There will also be fresh restrictions on pubs and restaurants in a week’s time, Mark Drakeford announced. Non-essential shops, hairdressers and gyms will remain open. The restrictions will cover the whole of Wales. “It’s a national approach because we need a national effort,” he said.
Drakeford said some of the advantages gained during the “firebreak” lockdown were beginning to “fade”. He expressed particular concern about the rise in the number of under-25s with Covid.
He said the R rate in Wales could be as high as 1.4 and that hospitals were under sustained pressure, with more than 1,700 people with coronavirus in hospitals in Wales. In September it was below 400.
Drakeford said: “We too now have to use the coming weeks to reduce the spread of the virus and create more headroom for the Christmas period.
“This does not mean a return to the firebreak arrangements but the cabinet has agreed to take further specific and targeted action to reinforce the current national measures we have in place.”
Updated
The chairman of the highly influential 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, Sir Graham Brady, said he opposed the new tiered coronavirus restrictions because they impacted on human rights.
“My concerns are two-fold,” he said. “The first is that the restrictions in tiers 2 and 3 are a massive restriction of people’s fundamental human rights: telling them when they can see their children, their grandchildren, preventing people from meeting their partners, and stopping people from visiting vulnerable relatives in care homes.
“Secondly, the tiers have been applied in an unjust and unfair way – putting whole counties into lockdown when significant areas have very low levels of infection.”
Updated
David Frost, Boris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator, has insisted a trade deal “is still possible”.
He tweeted: “I look forward to welcoming Michel Barnier and his team to London and to resuming face-to-face talks tomorrow. We are glad all are safe and well.
“Some people are asking me why we are still talking. My answer is that it’s my job to do my utmost to see if the conditions for a deal exist. It is late, but a deal is still possible, and I will continue to talk until it’s clear that it isn’t.”
He added: “But for a deal to be possible it must fully respect UK sovereignty.
That is not just a word – it has practical consequences. That includes: controlling our borders; deciding ourselves on a robust and principled subsidy control system; and controlling our fishing waters.
“We look to reach an agreement on this basis, allowing the new beginning to our relationship with the EU which, for our part, we have always wanted. We will continue to work hard to get it – because an agreement on any other basis is not possible.”
1/4 I look forward to welcoming @michelbarnier and his team to London and to resuming face-to-face talks tomorrow. We are glad all are safe and well.
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) November 27, 2020
Updated
Around a quarter of adults in Great Britain believe it will take more than a year for their lives to return to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey suggests.
Seventeen per cent of people think it could take between four to six months, while 18% believe it may take between 10 and 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Only 2% of respondents thought it would be between one and three months, compared with 24% who said they expected it to be more than a year.
Meanwhile, 18% thought their household’s financial situation would get a little worse in the next 12 months, while 4% said it would get a lot worse.
The ONS questioned adults about their behaviour between 18 and 22 November as part of its opinions and lifestyle survey, receiving 3,631 responses.
The weekly survey aims to understand the impact of the pandemic on households and communities in Great Britain.
Updated
Face to face Brexit talks resume
Top-level, face-to-face Brexit talks are to resume in London, the EU’s chief negotiator has said.
However, Michel Barnier warned before a meeting with his UK counterpart, David Frost, that “significant divergences” remain.
In-person negotiations in Brussels were suspended a week ago after a member of Barnier’s team contracted coronavirus. But Barnier has now said “physical negotiations” can resume.
He is briefing EU member states today before travelling to London this evening for talks with Lord Frost. Areas such as fishing rights remain major obstacles to a deal before the Brexit transition period expires at the end of next month.
In line with Belgian rules, my team and I are no longer in quarantine. Physical negotiations can continue.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) November 27, 2020
I am briefing Member States & @Europarl_EN today. Same significant divergences persist.
Travelling to London this evening to continue 🇪🇺🇬🇧 talks w/ @DavidGHFrost + team.
Prior to Barnier’s announcement there had been uncertainty about when the face-to-face talks would resume, amid reports that the EU chief negotiator would only head to London if there was a significant shift in the UK’s position.
Updated
Different age groups may get different Covid vaccines, experts say. Oxford/AstraZeneca are planning a new trial of a lower-dose jab to see how well it works in older people.
Updated
Johnson said more mass coronavirus testing is in the pipeline and the supply of quick-result tests is not an issue, with the UK set to make its own within months.
“We’ve got tens of, perhaps hundreds of, millions of lateral flow tests coming into this country. We already have a huge stockpile,” he said.
“The difficulty is not the supply at the moment, the difficulty is actually working with local government, local communities, to get them doing it.
“Liverpool already showed the way. We’re now looking at Barnsley, Doncaster and other places around the country where they want to pull together and do it.
“Just now, in this lab here in PHE [Public Health England] in Porton Down, I’ve been talking to some scientists – we are seeing real progress on a UK-made lateral flow test.
“We’re now quite there yet, but in the months ahead we’ll be making them in this country as well.
“So the supply, I don’t think, is going to be the problem. The issue is going to be getting everybody mobilised to understand the potential advantages of mass community testing.”
Updated
Johnson defends government’s latest tiered controls
The prime minister acknowledged that many people felt “frustrated”, particularly if they were in an area with low infection rates, but said they were essential to get coronavirus rates down.
“I know it is frustrating for people when they are in a high-tier area when there is very little incidence in their village or their area. I totally understand why people feel frustrated,” he said during a visit to a public health laboratory in Wiltshire in a pooled clip for broadcasters.
He added: “The difficulty is that if you did it any other way, first of all you’d divide the country up into loads and loads of very complicated subdivisions – there has got to be some simplicity and clarity in the way we do this.
“The second problem is that, alas, our experience is that when a high-incidence area is quite close to a low-incidence area, unless you beat the problem in the high-incidence area, the low-incidence area I’m afraid starts to catch up.”
Updated
Northern Ireland has started a two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown to curb Covid-19 infection rates that have remained stubbornly high and piled pressure on a struggling health system.
Pubs, restaurants, non-essential retail, gyms and close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauty salons, closed on Friday until 11 December, mirroring many restrictions that will cover 99% of England’s population from next week.
Indoor household visits have been banned in Northern Ireland since 22 September. Schools remain open and pubs, restaurants and cafes can offer takeaway and delivery services.
The deputy first minister, Michelle O’Neill, defended the restrictions, announced last week, saying they were difficult but right.
The region recorded eight more Covid-related deaths on Thursday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 962. There were 442 new confirmed cases, raising the total to 51,118.
The R rate was just below 1, said Arlene Foster, the first minister. Hospital bed occupancy was at 99%. Of 431 people being treated for the virus, 39 were in intensive care and 33 were on ventilators.
The government in the Republic of Ireland, where infection rates are much lower, will ease restrictions next week. Public health experts said the lack of an all-island strategy was undermining the fight against the pandemic.
Updated
Wales had the highest percentage of extra deaths in the winter of 2019-20, at 19.2%, followed by the north-west of England, at 19.0%, and London, 18.6%.
The excess deaths mortality index for these areas was “statistically significantly” higher than the England average of 16.8%, the ONS said.
In comparison, Yorkshire and the Humber (15.7%), the east of England (15.6%), the south-west of England (15.2%) and the north-east of England (13.8%) were statistically significantly lower, it said.
The excess winter mortality index is calculated so that comparisons can be made between sexes, age groups and regions, and shows the percentage of extra deaths that occurred in the months between December and March.
Updated
The government could face some “tough choices” if the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is found to be less effective than others, a former Department of Health director of immunisation has said.
Prof David Salisbury said ministers would need to think “very carefully” about their handling of the vaccine if its efficacy was lower than that of other jabs, such as those from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is currently being assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK.
Data from two arms of its phase-3 trial, announced last week, gave a combined efficacy of 70%.
A half dose followed by a full dose was found to have 90% efficacy in protecting against Covid-19, according to a subset of data, but the figure was 62% for people given two full doses.
AstraZeneca has said it will carry out a further global clinical trial to assess the 90% dosing regimen, which it acknowledged was the result of a dosing error.
Prof Salisbury told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there could be issues if the 90% finding did not hold up under scrutiny.
Updated
Some Covid controls may be eased before Christmas, says minister
Ministers have raised the prospect that some coronavirus restrictions in England could be eased before Christmas as they seek to head off a growing Tory revolt.
Many Conservative MPs reacted with fury after it emerged that 99% of the country is to be placed in the top two tiers of restrictions when the lockdown lifts next week.
There was bafflement that areas with low infection rates are facing tougher controls – including a ban on social mixing indoors – than before they went into lockdown last month.
With a crucial Commons vote looming, the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, insisted there was “every reason” to expect some areas could be moved into a lower tier when the controls came up for their first 14-day review on 16 December.
However, Prof John Edmunds, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said there would be limited scope for easing controls so quickly.
“I think that is quite an early time to be able to see what the effect has been. I think we will still be seeing the effect of the lockdown at that point in time,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Updated
Sobering read. Fear of bleak winter unites those across England’s tiers. People in tiers 2 and 3 face tight restrictions while those in tier 1 worry of influx from outside.
There were an estimated 28,300 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in the winter of 2019-20, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is 19.6% higher than the 23,670 excess winter deaths in the winter of 2018-19 but still lower than the 49,410 recorded in the winter of 2017-18.
The ONS said respiratory diseases continued to be the leading cause of excess winter deaths that occurred in 2019-20.
For the winter of 2019-20 the ONS said it had excluded deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate from the main figures to improve the “comparability of this winter’s measure with previous years”.
Updated
Handy guide here to find out which tier you are in.
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Meanwhile, another member of Sage, Dr Michael Tildesley, said “there is no strong evidence whatsoever of large-scale spread in schools”.
Tildesley noted that tier 3 regions had had an increase in cases in schools but, as the measures in those areas kicked in, “those had started to come down”.
The epidemiologist told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “It is very, very clear that, yes, there are cases in schools and there are children isolating, but there is no strong evidence whatsoever of large-scale spread in schools.
He added: “We are not seeing cases in schools are leading to a spillover to cases in the community.
“In fact, there is slightly weak evidence admittedly that it is actually the other way around, where we are seeing more cases in the community leading to cases in schools.
“To me, there really isn’t strong evidence that schools staying open represent a strong risk to society in terms of a rise in infections. It is more important, in my opinion, for children’s educational needs.”
He noted that children have already been out of school for a long period and we “don’t want to exacerbate that” by closing schools when the evidence in terms of risk is very weak.
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Despite the government’s promises of a review of tiers and easing of restrictions a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said there is limited scope for easing coronavirus restrictions in England before Christmas.
Prof John Edmunds said they will have had little chance to assess how well the new tiered controls are working when they come up for the first 14-day review in mid-December.
“I think that is quite an early time to be able to see what the effect has been. I think we will still be seeing the effect of the lockdown at that point in time,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“For me, I think that is quite an early review stage. I can’t imagine there will be huge changes at that point just simply because I don’t think we will have accumulated much data by then.”
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Jenrick has said the tiered restrictions in England are designed to see the country through until a vaccine becomes available.
“The point of the tiered approach is: can we get tiers that are sufficiently robust to steer the country through the last few months before we manage to get the vaccine programme rolled out,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Jenrick said families would have to make their own decisions as to whether they hug elderly relatives over Christmas.
“It is very hard not to come together with your kids and grandparents and not want to have a loving family Christmas. That is a matter of a personal decision for individual families,” he said.
“I suspect some families will conclude they want to do things differently this year than they have in the past.”
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Here’s the main line of yesterday: the backlash has grown against the tiers plan. Our political editor, Heather Stewart reports on MPs’ fury as 55m people in England face months in top tiers.
This morning, the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, has said some areas in England could have their coronavirus restrictions eased before Christmas.
Jenrick said there was “every reason” to believe some places could see a change when the current tiers are reviewed in mid-December.
“It is possible. There will be a review point in 14 days’ time, around 16 December. At that point we, advised by the experts, will look at each local authority area and see whether there is potential to move down the tiers,” he told Sky News.
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Morning, I will be updating today’s UK blog. Please send your stories, tips and ideas to nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or follow me on Twitter to send me a DM and follow updates on the global situation on our global blog here.
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