That’s it from the UK blog for today. But you can follow our global coronavirus blog here -
A summary of today's developments
- Boris Johnson said the UK is “now seeing a second wave coming in” and that it was “inevitable” that coronavirus would hit the country again. The prime minister added the government is considering whether it needed to “go further” than the current national restrictions that were put in place this week.
- St Andrews University in Scotland has asked students to go into voluntary lockdown for the weekend from 7pm this evening.
- A further 4,322 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, an increase of nearly 1,000 cases from the previous day.
- Keir Starmer has urged Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting. The Labour leader said he was deeply concerned about the sharp rise in coronavirus cases and the difficulties people across the country are facing getting a test.
- The R number increased to between 1.1 and 1.4 in the UK. An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people. Estimates suggest the growth rate is between +2% and +7%, which means the number of new infections is growing by 2% to 7% every day.
- The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has strongly criticised Boris Johnson for not discussing the Covid crisis with the leaders of the devolved nations. Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff, Drakeford said there was a “vacancy at the heart” of the UK. He said he had had one brief conversation with Johnson since 28 May.
- Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland is at “a critical point” in terms of rising infections, and warned of “hard but necessary” decisions in the days ahead. She said she had asked Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting this weekend.
- More than four out of five schools in England have pupils stuck at home because they cannot get access to Covid-19 tests, according to a survey of headteachers. The National Association of Head Teachers said the government had “failed schools and children” after receiving reports from more than 700 of its members that 82% had pupils absent because of a lack of testing, and 86% had pupils at home waiting for their results.
- Millions of people across parts of north-west England and Yorkshire will be banned from mixing with other families under tougher restrictions announced to control the spread of coronavirus. The measures, due to come into force on Tuesday, will prohibit residents in Lancashire, Merseyside, and parts of West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Cheshire, from meeting others outside their support bubbles, and include a 10pm curfew on nightlife.
The Metropolitan Police said it will continue to deploy resources across London to help enforce the amended Coronavirus Regulations, which came into effect on Monday which limits social gatherings from 30 people to six.
Officers will patrol public spaces and will also respond to incidents where groups gather in numbers larger than six.
Exceptions to the new restrictions include gatherings organised by certain types of body (such as a business or a charity), having carried out a full risk assessment and taken all steps to limit the transmission of the virus.
Other exemptions apply to gatherings that are necessary for the purposes of work, taking part in sports, to protest or to provide emergency assistance.
On whether ministers were considering a short “firebreak” lockdown, the prime minister said: “We’re watching it the whole time and as soon as we’ve got more to say, we’ll be saying it.”
Johnson insisted any rule changes would be fully explained to the public, adding: “If and when we have to go forward with other local or national measures or whatever, we will of course be explaining very clearly to everybody how we see it.”
He also reiterated that people should keep up with wearing a face covering and washing their hands, while only those with Covid-like symptoms should go for a test.
Boris Johnson, when asked if the government had eased lockdown too quickly, suggested discipline in adhering to social distancing restrictions had slipped.
He added it is “difficult to maintain that kind of discipline for a long time.”
Johnson said: “If you look at what’s happened over the last few months, I think the British people have done a amazing job.
They got that peak under control, they brought it right down, they brought the number of infections right down by discipline and everybody adjusting our behaviours and the way we go about our lives - hands, face, space.
“And I think probably, truth to tell, what’s happened here and what alas has happened in so many other countries is that people find it difficult to keep this up.
“It is very difficult to maintain that kind of discipline for a long time and what you’ve seen is the disease starting to spread again among young people and that’s where it really started to kick off in France and Spain in those age groups and we are now seeing that here in this country.
“And alas now it is progressing and you’re seeing an increase in incidents in the 80-plus group as well, so that’s why we took the measures we did on Monday, action on the ‘rule of six’, as the disease progresses.
“If that isn’t going to work then of course we are going to have to take further measures but be in no doubt that we will want to be explaining what we are doing, taking people with us as we go and what I don’t want to do is go into a second national lockdown of the kind we had in March, April - I don’t want to do that again.”
Boris Johnson admits government considering extra national lockdown measures
The Prime Minister said his administration is considering whether it needed to “go further” than the current national restrictions that were put in place this week.
Asked about the possibility of a two-week October half-term in order to bring in a short lockdown, Mr Johnson told reporters: “What I can certainly say about parents and schools is we want to keep the schools open, that is going to happen.
We want to try and keep all parts of the economy open as far as we possibly can - I don’t think anybody wants to go into a second lockdown but clearly when you look at what is happening, you have got to wonder whether we need to go further than the ‘rule of six’ that we have brought in on Monday, so we will be looking at the local lockdowns we have got in large parts of the country now, looking at what we can do to intensify things that help bring the rate of infection down there, but also looking at other measures as well.
“What I will say is, as we go forward, we will be explaining in great detail to people what the scientific background is, what the epidemiology is saying and really how we propose to do it.”
Updated
More from Johnson, who said a second lockdown was the “last thing anybody wants” but said the current measures would need to be kept “under review”.
On Monday we brought in the measures that we did, the ‘rule of six’, to really try and restrict what people are doing and to bring in a new buffer - and to make it absolutely clear, the ‘rule of six’: indoors six maximum, six outdoors maximum.
“But the crucial thing is at the same time to observe the basic rules on social distancing - hands, face, space - that is what everybody has got to do if we want to continue to beat this thing.
“But as we look at this particular curve and what is happening now, clearly we are going to keep everything under review. I don’t want to get into a second national lockdown at all, it is the last thing anybody wants.
“I don’t want to go into bigger lockdown measures at all, we want to keep schools open and it is fantastic the schools have gone back in the way they have. We want to keep the economy open as far as we possibly can, we want to keep businesses going.
“The only way we can do that is obviously if people follow the guidance.”
Boris Johnson said UK is “now seeing a second wave" of coronavirus cases
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK is “now seeing a second wave coming in” and that it was “inevitable” that coronavirus would hit the country again.
During a visit to the Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre construction site near Oxford, he told broadcasters: “Obviously, we’re looking very carefully at the spread of the pandemic as it evolves over the last few days and there’s no question, as I’ve said for several weeks now, that we could expect (and) are now seeing a second wave coming in.
“We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe - it has been absolutely, I’m afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country.”
Updated
The full letter to St Andrews University students about the weekend lockdown.
Urgent Covid message from St Andrews Principal Professor Sally Mapstone to all students:
— University of St Andrews (@univofstandrews) September 18, 2020
"...I am writing to all of our students to ask you to please observe a voluntary lockdown this weekend, effective from 7pm this evening."
Read the full message ⬇️https://t.co/tUvsUzzDH1 pic.twitter.com/i2rna9MmZC
Principle of St Andrews University, Sally Mapstone, has written to students asking them to stay in their rooms and avoid going to bars and restaurants.
Scotland’s clinical director, Jason Leitch, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime the letter was “appropriate” after reports of a number of incidents on the campus as well as a beach gathering which had led to infections.
He said that he remained hopeful there would not be another national lockdown, but that the Scottish government was considering more national restrictions.
“The principle thing you want to stop happening is household transmission...the crucial intervention is to stop households mixing. That can happen in houses, hospitality and other places we have opened up.”
Leitch said officials would inevitably be looking at the possibility of curfews but praised the hospitality industry for its enforcement of guidance so far.
He added he did have concerns about households distancing from each other when they were out together.
St Andrews University asks students to go into voluntary weekend lockdown
St Andrews University in Scotland has asked students to go into voluntary lockdown for the weekend from 7pm this evening.
St Andrews University has asked students to go into voluntary lockdown for the weekendhttps://t.co/9sgNq9E64H 1/
— UCU (@ucu) September 18, 2020
Here is Friday’s update of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 for every local authority area in England, according to an analysis by PA.
The figures, for the seven days to September 15, are based on tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community.
The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.
In Bolton, 546 new cases were recorded in the seven days to September 15 - the equivalent of 189.9 per 100,000 people. This is the highest rate in England and it is down slightly from 198.2 in the seven days to September 8.
Hyndburn has the second highest rate, up from 96.2 to 144.4 with 117 new cases.
Preston is in third place, where the rate has risen from 106.9 to 139.0, with 199 new cases.
Areas recording sharp increases in their seven-day rates include:
- South Tyneside (up from 66.9 to 121.9, with 184 new cases)
- Liverpool (up from 76.5 to 119.3, with 594 new cases)
- Knowsley (up from 76.2 to 117.3, with 177 new cases)
- Oldham (up from 86.5 to 113.4, with 269 new cases).
Scientific research group Independent Sage says the UK has “only two to three weeks” to improve its contact tracing systems before the virus “spirals out of control”.
Christina Pagel, a mathematician and professor of operational research at University College London (UCL) and a member of the group, warned that hospitals risk being at March 17 levels by next weekend.
And hospital admissions from Birmingham show exponential growth, Independent Sage said.
Independent Sage has published details of a “10-point emergency plan” to avoid another national lockdown.
Measures include redeploying funds to local authorities for contact tracing purposes and creating an emergency fund to support all those needing to shield or self-isolate.
Summary
- A further 4,322 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, an increase of nearly 1,000 cases from the previous day.
- Keir Starmer has urged Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting. The Labour leader said he was deeply concerned about the sharp rise in coronavirus cases and the difficulties people across the country are facing getting a test.
- The R number increased to between 1.1 and 1.4 in the UK. An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people. Estimates suggest the growth rate is between +2% and +7%, which means the number of new infections is growing by 2% to 7% every day.
- The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has strongly criticised Boris Johnson for not discussing the Covid crisis with the leaders of the devolved nations. Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff, Drakeford said there was a “vacancy at the heart” of the UK. He said he had had one brief conversation with Johnson since 28 May.
- Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland is at “a critical point” in terms of rising infections, and warned of “hard but necessary” decisions in the days ahead. She said she had asked Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting this weekend.
- More than four out of five schools in England have pupils stuck at home because they cannot get access to Covid-19 tests, according to a survey of headteachers. The National Association of Head Teachers said the government had “failed schools and children” after receiving reports from more than 700 of its members that 82% had pupils absent because of a lack of testing, and 86% had pupils at home waiting for their results.
- Millions of people across parts of north-west England and Yorkshire will be banned from mixing with other families under tougher restrictions announced to control the spread of coronavirus. The measures, due to come into force on Tuesday, will prohibit residents in Lancashire, Merseyside, and parts of West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Cheshire, from meeting others outside their support bubbles, and include a 10pm curfew on nightlife.
Updated
Police in the UK have said coronavirus remains a “real and deadly threat” and urged people to comply with the rules as a warm and sunny weekend is forecast, PA reports.
Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix, of Kent police, said there would be an increased presence in “key areas” around the county and that enforcement would be used if necessary.
The Met Office forecast a weekend of “largely dry, bright and fine” weather, which could see temperatures rise as high as 24C (75F).
Nix said:
Kent has had a very good compliance rate when it comes to adhering to the national health advice around the coronavirus.
However, the government has made it clear that the risk of increasing infections is too great to ignore, and stricter social gathering rules have now come into effect to help keep everyone safe.
Kent police officers continue to engage, explain and encourage people to follow the latest advice, and enforcement will be used as a last resort.
There will be an increased presence in key locations around the county to ensure the current national advice is adhered to, such as preventing unlicensed music events and illegal gatherings.
Updated
One in five people in Britain will be under local lockdown within days if newly flagged areas join those where restrictions are already in place.
This would bring to 13.5 million experiencing a local lockdown in the UK, excluding those self-isolating, quarantining or shielding and those subject to work-specific lockdowns.
The largest single addition to the tally is Merseyside, which encompasses Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, and houses 1.4 million residents.
All parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale are banned from socialising with other households or bubbles in private homes and gardens, bringing the total headcount under local restrictions in those council areas to 1.2 million.
More than 1.1 million people living in the Lancashire county council area will face local lockdown. (Pendle, a constituent part of Lancashire with more than 92,000 residents already had restrictions in place.)
Lockdown measures have also been flagged in Warrington, Halton, Wolverhampton and Oadby and Wigston bringing the total number of people under lockdown in England to 10.8 million or one in six people.
Updated
Coronavirus cases in England almost doubled in one week, with infections becoming more widespread across all ages, leading one expert to say a second wave had begun.
Almost 60,000 people are thought to have had the virus in the week of 4-10 September – one in every 900 people – with about 6,000 new cases a day, according to the Office for National Statistics survey of randomly selected people in the community.
The previous week, about one in 1,400 people are thought to have had the virus, with 3,200 new cases a day. “The estimates show that the incidence rate for England has increased in recent weeks,” the ONS team writes.
There was evidence of higher infection rates in north-west England and London. The R figure – the average number of people one infected person infects – was also revealed to be 1.2-1.4 in England and 1.1-1.4 UK-wide, up from 1.0-1.2 last week.
Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London who leads the Covid symptom study, said the data suggested a second wave of Covid had begun. “The data from the app is painting a worrying picture, with cases on the rise across the UK, with the only exception to that rule being the south-west, where we see numbers staying low,” he said.
Updated
4,322 test positive for coronavirus in the UK
A further 4,322 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, an increase of nearly 1,000 cases from the previous day.
Overall, 385,936 people have tested positive for coronavirus since the pandemic began.
Updated
Campaigners have urged the government to prioritise disabled people in its Covid response after official statistics showed that people with a disability were disproportionately likely to die from the virus, official statistics show.
Disabled people accounted for 59% of all Covid-related deaths in England and Wales in the first few months of the pandemic, despite making up just 16% of the population in England and Wales.
Overall, people with a disability accounted for 27,534 of the 46,314 Covid-related deaths. Of these, 90% were of people aged over 65.
James Taylor, the executive director at the disability equality charity Scope, said:
The vastly higher mortality rate of disabled people is a damning result of disabled people being forgotten about during this crisis.
This inequality cannot be allowed to continue. Making sure disabled people do not bear the brunt of the pandemic needs to be a top priority for the government.
The Covid death rate for severely disabled people was 241 per 100,000 population and 151 for people with less serious disabilities, according to the Office for National Statistics. These rates compare with 84 per 100,000 for non-disabled people.
Disabled women were 2.4 times more likely than non-disabled people to die from coronavirus, while disabled men were two times more likely to die than non-disabled counterparts.
Vicky Foxcroft, the shadow minister for disabled people, said:
These heartbreaking figures show how urgent it is for the government to listen to disabled people and act on what they say.
Ministers must urgently review the steps they are taking to protect disabled people, especially in light of a potential second spike.
People are counted as disabled if they report their daily activities are limited by a health problem or disability expected to last at least 12 months. Around 12.5m people in England and Wales self-report as disabled.
The figures cover the period 2 March to 14 July.
Updated
The incidence rate of Covid-19 in England is six times higher for people of Pakistani origin than for white people, according to the latest data from Public Health England.
There were 126 infections per 100,000 Pakistani people in the week to 13 September, the data showed, compared with 21 per 100,000 white people.
The rate among Indian people was two and a half times higher, with 56 per 100,000. Black people were also more likely to have Covid, with 29 cases per 100,000.
Multiple studies, including a Public Health England report published in June, have found that people from BAME backgrounds in the UK were disproportionately affected by the first wave of Covid-19.
The Public Health England figures also break down cases by local authority area. Bolton, where a local lockdown is currently in place, reported the highest weekly case rate, with 175 infections per 100,000.
Blackburn with Darwen and Oldham had the second and third highest rates, with each reporting around 107 cases per 100,000 residents.
Updated
The NHS Nightingale hospital in Birmingham has been moved back to “high alert” and is ready to reopen in 48 hours if needed, according to a report by the Birmingham Mail.
Dr David Rosser, the chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham, said:
We hope we are over-preparing but are nervous we are not.
The levels of anxiety among our staff is beyond anything I have experienced in over 30 years. I have never known a clinical team so anxious in my 30 years about what is ahead.
Updated
The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said if Scotland needs to introduce further restrictions, it will be to avoid another “full-scale lockdown”.
This from @devisridhar is important. If we need to tighten restrictions, it will be in the interests of trying to keep the virus under control while avoiding another full scale lockdown - and crucially keeping children in education https://t.co/OAyqUj9Mdp
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 18, 2020
Updated
Train operators and the government are locked in talks to extend the £3.5bn rescue deal that kept the railways running through the pandemic, which is due to expire on Sunday night.
The Department for Transport’s operator of last resort is on standby to take over rail franchises should fresh agreement not be reached.
Industry sources widely expect interim deals to be reached that would again involve operators being paid a management fee to run services, rather than having more train lines follow LNER and Northern into full state control.
However, rail firms are clear that the default position – the franchise deals that existed up to March, with operators taking the revenue risk – remain unviable. Passenger numbers since Covid-19 are only back to about 40% of 2019 levels, and fare income is correspondingly low.
The UK government is facing legal action over Boris Johnson’s “moonshot” project, which could involve up to £100bn being spent on an attempt to increase Covid-19 testing capacity to 10m per day.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, and the minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, are named in a case that alleges the project, as described in leaked papers, is unlawful because it ignores scientific evidence, involves potentially huge private contracts that may not have been tendered and breaks the government’s own value-for-money rules.
The project has been widely criticised as a misdirected effort when between 3 and 9 September, only 571,400 people were tested for infection in England in NHS and community settings, according to official figures. Community testing has been getting slower, with the median time taken to get a result at local test sites increasing from 24 hours to 35 hours.
Supporters of the project say it is the kind of ambitious thinking required to enable life to return to normal until an effective vaccine can be rolled out.
What do the new Covid rules mean for north-west England and Yorkshire? Here’s a helpful explainer from Guardian reporter Amy Walker:
Updated
The shadow health secretary has called for more funds for local contact-tracing systems as the number of coronavirus infections rises in the UK, PA reports.
Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Jonathan Ashworth said he “strongly supported” the group’s recommendations and that contact-tracing systems should be localised, rather than outsourced to private companies.
Scientific research group Independent Sage says that the UK has “only two to three weeks” to improve its contact-tracing systems before the virus “spirals out of control”.
Measures include redeploying funds to local authorities for contact tracing purposes and creating an emergency fund to support all those needing to shield or self-isolate.
Updated
Keir Starmer urges Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged prime minister Boris Johnson to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency committee Cobra following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, PA reports.
He said:
I am deeply concerned about the sharp rise in coronavirus cases and the difficulties people across the country are facing getting a test.
There is mounting concern about whether we have got the virus sufficiently under control. This is the time for swift, decisive national action. We cannot afford to be too slow.
That’s why I’m asking the prime minister to convene a Cobra meeting and to update the country on the measures the government is taking to keep the virus under control, including to fix testing.
The British public want to know what the situation is and what the government is going to do about it.
I want to make clear too that Labour will continue to act in the national interest. We will support whatever measures the government take to protect the NHS and save lives.
Updated
A headteacher in Lancashire has blamed an outbreak of Covid-19 at a primary school on staff who attended a party together before the start of term.
Eight members of staff at Holy Trinity Stacksteads CE primary school in Bacup have tested positive for the virus following a “social event” at the home of a former colleague on 5 September, said John Aspin.
A further three who did not attend have since contracted the virus and the whole of the school has been forced to close.
In a letter to parents on Tuesday, Aspin said although the staff members had not broken any restrictions, they had jeopardised “the hard work that had been put in creating bubbles within school, and numerous cleaning and organisational protocols, by mixing with each other”.
He added that he had only been made aware of the event on Monday after spending “many hours over the weekend” trying to work out why so many staff were falling ill.
Aspin said:
Had I been aware of the event I would have told them that they should not attend because of the risks, but sadly I was not informed.
In normal circumstances I will do everything that I can to support and defend the actions of the staff of the school.
On this occasion, I cannot defend the error of judgment that they made. They failed to appreciate the bigger picture of Covid-19 and knowing each of them as I do, I know each will be regretting the decision they took to attend what last year would have been an enjoyable event, but in the current situation was an ill-advised action to take.
Aspin added that he apologised to parents for the disruption caused by the school’s closure because of their “error of judgment”.
Updated
14 more Covid-related hospital deaths in England
A further 14 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, PA reports, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,719, NHS England said on Friday.
Patients were aged between 41 and 93 and all had known underlying health conditions.
The dates of the deaths were between 9 September and 17 September, with the majority on or after 15 September. Three other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
Public Health Wales said one further person had died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing its total number since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,601.
The number of cases of Covid-19 in Wales increased by 185 on Friday, bringing the revised confirmed total to 20,233.
Updated
The Communication Workers Union, which represents Royal Mail workers and posties across the country, has repeated its call on the government to use them to deliver a track-and-trace system.
Our members serve every community, every day. We made an offer to the government to help deliver an efficient track and trace system. That offer still stands. Why give this crucial role to the anti-union, tax dodging Amazon when they could use our loyal posties to help our NHS?
— The CWU (@CWUnews) September 18, 2020
The government’s track-and-trace system could be outsourced to a giant delivery firm such as Amazon, the Telegraph reported Thursday. A tender for the management of the entire “end-to-end” supply chain is expected to be issued next month. The paper reports the delivery giants considered, such as Amazon, would win a hugely lucrative contract.
Updated
The UK has joined Covax, the international initiative to support discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines for one billion people by the end of 2021.
Covax is the vaccine’s pillar of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a global collaboration to speed up the development, production, and equitable access to coronavirus tests, treatments, and vaccines.
It is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The UK is working with international partners to set up Covax as quickly as possible, which will support access to any coronavirus vaccine in the UK for millions of people.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “The global effort to find a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is not a competition but is among the most urgent shared endeavours of our lifetime - it benefits us all to be better equipped to fight this virus.
“That’s why I am delighted to confirm that the United Kingdom will join the global Covax initiative to expedite the discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of a vaccine to one billion people.
“Today’s landmark agreement complements the various vaccine deals the UK has already made and ensures we have the best chance of accessing a safe and effective vaccine for people in the UK as soon as one becomes available, as well as supporting access in poorer countries.”
Downing Street has rejected claims that people are not able to get coronavirus tests in some areas of the country.
Despite widespread criticism over delays in getting tests, the government insisted the system is working.
Asked about testing levels, a Downing Street spokesman said: “We are ramping up capacity, or working to ramp up capacity in terms of tests.
I am not aware of anything to suggest that tests are not available in some parts of the country.”
Number 10 also said there are no plans to charge people for such tests. The Downing Street spokesman added: “It is not something I am aware of, or heard of.
The comments came after Labour hit out at the levels of testing. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the government failed to increase capacity during the summer.
He told the BBC:
We have always warned the government that unless you fix the testing and the tracing system, then infections will rise and the virus will get out of control.
They should have used the summer to build up the capacity in the testing system
Throughout the summer the testing capacity figures effectively flat-lined, they hardly increased at all.
Ministers should have increased capacity in the testing system over the summer.
Updated
R number increases to between 1.1 and 1.4
The latest R and growth rate estimates by NHS England regions has just been released:
Latest R number range for the UK: 1.1 to 1.4
Latest growth rate range for the UK: +2% to +7% per day
An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people.
A growth rate between +2% and +7% means the number of new infections is growing by 2% to 7% every day.
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.
Updated
Nicola Sturgeon has backed Mark Drakeford’s earlier comments, warning that the UK is at “the most critical point of decision making since the one we faced in late March”.
Asked about Drakeford’s comments, Nicola Sturgeon said that she could not remember the last time she had spoken to the prime minister directly, “which maybe tells its own story”.
She said: “Mark Drakeford is not saying anything that is not correct.”
“Most of the four nations discussions recently have been with Michael Gove. I’m not criticising that, they’ve are helpful, I think they could do with being in a more regular rhythm and sometimes being a bit more meaningful in terms of discussing what we are actually going to do as opposed to hearing what the UK government is going to do.”
She went on the re-iterate her calls for an immediate Cobra meeting: “It would be very helpful to have a PM-led four nations cobra type discussion over this weekend.
“The moment we are in right now it probably the most critical point of decision since the one we faced in late March and that’s why I think that discussion at that level with that urgency is really appropriate this weekend and I know the first minister of Wales shares that view.
Updated
Public Health England’s medical director has warned that the virus is now spreading among people of all ages and that the growing number of people being admitted to hospital could be an ominous portent.
“We’re seeing clear signs this virus is now spreading widely across all age groups and I am particularly worried by the increase in rates of admission to hospital and intensive care among older people. This could be a warning of far worse things to come”, said Dr Yvonne Doyle.
“We must all play our part in controlling the virus by continuing to wash our hands, wear face coverings and follow social distancing rules.”
Doyle, one of the senior medics who used to appear at the now-scrapped daily government media briefings on Coronavirus, reiterated that only people with symptoms should seek a test from the overloaded Test and Trace system, a plea Matt Hancock has been making this week as the testing system has hit serious problems.
“Our monitoring also suggests we’re seeing a spike in other viruses that cause the common cold. These can cause a runny nose, sneezing and a sore throat. You should only request a COVID test if you have a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in sense of taste or smell”, Doyle.
Updated
More detail on the proposed ‘circuit break’ being proposed by the government for England:
Boris Johnson is considering imposing short-term nationwide restrictions across England, which could include closing pubs and restaurants, to create a “breathing space” in the battle against coronavirus.
Government sources confirmed that “active discussions” were under way in No 10 about how best to respond to a sharp increase in cases, which have been doubling every seven to eight days.
One option under consideration, which was among those discussed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), is a short period, perhaps a fortnight, of England-wide rules.
Government sources denied this would amount to a second national lockdown, which the prime minister has repeatedly said he is keen to avoid, describing it as the “nuclear” option.
Updated
“It’s down to us to stop the infection”, the director of public health at Leicestershire County Council has said after local lockdown restrictions were placed on the boroughs of Oadby and Wigston.
Commenting after infection rates in the boroughs shot up to 145 per 100,000 people - over three times the national and Leicestershire averages - and placing it second in the country, Mike Sandys said: “This steep rise is off the scale and underlines that residents need to change their behaviour.
“We know that the virus is spreading in communities so it makes sense for the government to restrict mixing between households. This will be tough.
“But with no one source of infection, it really is down to us to stop the increase. Whether you’re on the school run, travelling to work, in the office or going out for a drink, follow the guidance. The route out of this is changing our behaviour,” he added in a statement.
The government has also added the district of Blaby to its watch-list as an ‘area of enhanced support’ after cases rose to 65 per 100,000 people.
Khan also accused the government of “incompetence” over Londoners not being able to book coronavirus tests.
The mayor told the PA news agency: “I’m angry at the incompetence of the government that has led to Londoners being refused a test.
“Those that get a test are sent miles and miles away, and those that have done the test aren’t getting their results for days.
“I’m also angry that those who have given their contacts to the authorities, many of them aren’t contacted, aren’t told to self isolate, which could lead to the virus spreading.”
There is huge frustration in the Welsh government that people are being directed from far and wide to a testing centre in Rhondda Cynon Taf, where lockdown restrictions are in place.
People have travelled across the Welsh/England border from Somerset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Somerset to the testing centre at Abercynon.
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, said the matter was being taken up with the UK government. “It does not make sense,” Drakeford said.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has said the city is “two weeks behind” parts of the UK which have had tighter coronavirus restrictions, PA media reports.
Speaking in central London on Friday, the mayor said he was “really worried” about the rising number of cases in boroughs across the capital.
He said:
What we’ve seen in other parts of the country and in the north-east in particular is an instruction for bars and restaurants to close at 10pm.
The reason for that is to minimise the amount of hours people spend socialising which can increase the risk of the virus spreading.
We’re looking into all possibilities in London and we’re looking to see which policies across the country are successful.
According to the latest evidence I’ve seen we’re about two weeks behind some parts of the country.
That’s why I’m saying to Londoners, please follow the advice.
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Welsh first minister slams "vacancy at heart of UK"
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has strongly criticised Boris Johnson for not discussing the Covid crisis with the leaders of the devolved nations.
Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff, Drakeford said there was a “vacancy at the heart” of the UK.
He said he had had one brief conversation with Johnson since 28 May.
He said:
This is simply unacceptable to anyone who believes that we ought to be facing the coronavirus crisis together.
We need a regular, reliable rhythm of engagement: a reliable meeting even once a week would be a start.
I make this argument not because we should all do the same things, but because being round the same table allows each of us to make the best decisions for the nations we represent.
There is a vacancy at the heart of the United Kingdom, and it needs urgently to be filled, so we can talk to each other, share information, pool ideas and demonstrate a determination that the whole of the country can face these challenges together at this most difficult time.
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Nicola Sturgeon asked Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting this weekend
Nicola Sturgeon has said that Scotland is at “a critical point” in terms of rising infections, warning of “hard but necessary” decisions in the days ahead and saying that she has asked Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting this weekend.
She said at her daily briefing:
I want to give the nation advance notice that the coming days are likely to see some hard but necessary decisions.
This weekend is a critical moment for us to take decisions about the additional steps we need to take ... I do want to have four-nations discussions around this, I have asked the prime minister to convene a Cobra, we will ideally align as much as possible.
But if there are things that I think based on my data and advice are essential in Scotland, I am not going to hold back. I hope we will have discussions over the weekend and try to come to a shared position on the steps that are necessary.
She underlined that she was not talking about a full lockdown, but about further measures that would avoid such severe restrictions again and would allow Scotland to keep schools open.
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The north-east of England is “heading towards a catastrophe” if the issues with the coronavirus testing system are not resolved, a council leader has told the BBC.
Gateshead council’s Martin Gannon said a mobile testing unit provided by a private company is “like a Del Trotter Enterprises van” from the TV show Only Fools and Horses.
He told the public broadcaster:
We have got our hands bound behind our backs and a blindfold on because we cannot get tests. There are really significant problems with the test system.
I visited the mobile test centre. It was like a Del Trotter Enterprises van. The whole system is completely failing.
I’m not having a go at staff or that particular company. Testing needs to be devolved from multiple private sector companies to local public health.
We have got the expertise but we need money and test kits. We’re heading towards a catastrophe until they [government] recognise that.
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Wales’s first minister, Mark Drakeford, said the the R number is now likely to be over 1 for the whole of Wales, during an update on the latest coronavirus situation.
After a period of no deaths, Wales reported three deaths from coronavirus yesterday. Drakeford said 41 people are being treated for coronavirus and four are in intensive care.
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The number of people reporting that they have gone out to bars, cafes and restaurants has fallen rapidly over the past week, reversing a steady upward trend that began when lockdown was relaxed in July, according to the latest Office for National Statistics coronavirus social impact statistics.
As local lockdowns have started to come into force in more areas, 30% of adults said they went out to socialise in the week 9-13 September, compared with 38% the previous week. Fewer people reported they had met with others in a public or private space, or ventured out to a local beauty spot or beach.
The regular survey – the last before “rule of six” conditions were imposed this week – showed just 13% of adults reported socialising with six or more other people.
Over half said they had socialised with one to five others, while 29% said they had not met anyone outside their household over the past week.
Significant differences in attitudes to test-and-trace rules were revealed in the survey. English pubs and restaurants were less likely than their Scottish and Welsh counterparts to insist customers leave their contact details for test-and-trace purposes when they visited, the survey revealed.
Just over a quarter of English respondents reported they had not been asked for contact details, compared with 23% in Wales and just 12% in Scotland. Scots were the most likely to give their contact details when asked - 87% - compared with 78% in Wales and 66% in England.
There was an increase in numbers reporting they had travelled into work at least once during the week – more than one in 10 workers reported they mixed going into work with working from home.
The number of people reporting that they wear face masks where they are required to, such as in shops and on public transport, remains high at 95%, a level unchanged since July. About 38% of parents reported that all or some of their children had worn a face mask in school.
The ONS surveyed 2,500 adults in Great Britain between 9-13 September.
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The health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, said the new restrictions announced in Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, Warrington, Halton and Wolverhampton were necessary to protect lives following the sharp rise in coronavirus cases.
Hancock said:
I know these restrictions will make everyday life harder for many, but I know that residents will work together and respect the rules so we can reduce rates of transmission.
I urge local people to isolate and get a test if you have symptoms, follow the advice of NHS test and trace, and always remember ‘hands, face, space’. By sticking to these steps, we will get through this together.
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A national lockdown in England could happen as soon next week, Sky’s political editor, Beth Rigby, reports. The restrictions could force bars to close or run on restricted hours and different households would be asked not to mix.
Can’t/won’t rule out 2nd national lockdown but current plan, which cld happen next week, is to have nationwide restrictions - a hybrid if you like btwn full lockdown & current situation - with bars etc closed & all of us being asked to stay home bar ‘essential travel’ to work/sch https://t.co/G6ZAtPZ6Uc
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) September 18, 2020
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Thousands of people across Lancashire, Merseyside and Warrington will be banned from mixing with other families under tougher restrictions announced to control the spread of coronavirus.
The measures, to be introduced from Tuesday, will prohibit residents in 17 council areas from meeting others outside their support bubbles and include a 10pm curfew on nightlife. Blackpool is the only area in the county which will be exempt from the restrictions.
People in affected areas should only use public transport for essential purposes, such as travelling to school or work, and avoid attending amateur or semi-professional sports events as spectators. Residents should also take holidays only with people in their own household or support bubble.
Preston, Pendle and Blackburn with Darwen, which already had restrictions in place, will be included under the stricter measures.
Local politicians and leaders were told of the stricter measures being proposed by the government during a meeting on Thursday.
More than 10 million people across the UK are living under local restrictions, covering parts of Scotland, south Wales, the north-west and north-east of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands.
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New restrictions announced in Warrington, Halton, Merseyside and Lancashire
The government has announced new reigional restrictions Warrington, Halton, Merseyside and Lancashire (excluding Blackpool and Greater Manchester).
BBC political reporter Phil McCann has tweeted text that states restrictions will come into force on Tuesday 22 September.
BREAKING: New restrictions for Warrington, Halton, Merseyside and Lancs. pic.twitter.com/DeEzpxCWsC
— Phil McCann (@phi1mccann) September 18, 2020
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Ryanair will cut a further one in five of its flights scheduled in October, blaming Irish and EU governments for what it called “excessive and defective” travel restrictions.
The move comes on top of an earlier 20% reduction in flights in September and October, which it announced in August, blaming a drop in bookings and the introduction of fresh quarantine requirements.
Ryanair now expects to fly 40% of flights in October compared with the same month in 2019, a fall from the 50% it had previously predicted. However it hopes its planes will fly almost three-quarters (70%) full.
The budget carrier said the reductions in capacity were necessary because of frequent, and often short-notice, changes to travel restrictions and policies being introduced by EU governments, which have impacted customers’ willingness to make future bookings.
Ryanair said it was “disappointed” to cancel more flights, and that it may announce more cuts if travel restrictions remain in place.
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London’s New Year’s Eve firework display has been cancelled
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed that London’s New Year’s Eve firework display will not be taking place this year. Khan said he was working on an alternative event that people would be able to enjoy from their homes.
Sadiq Khan has confirmed that London’s New Year's Eve firework display will not be taking place this year. The Mayor of London told LBC that there will be an alternative event that people can enjoy from home.#SpeakToSadiq pic.twitter.com/4odIaxZUDc
— LBC (@LBC) September 18, 2020
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More than four in five schools have children isolating because they can’t access a Covid-19 test, according to a survey by the school leaders’ union NAHT.
Data collected from 736 school leaders over the last 24 hours shows that:
- 82% of schools have children not attending because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.
- 87% have children not attending because they are waiting for their test results.
- 45% of schools have staff not at work because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.
- 60% have staff staying home because they are waiting for their test results.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of NAHT, last week wrote to the prime minister about the impact the lack of access to Covid-19 tests is having on schools, warning that the situation is becoming increasingly disruptive and unsustainable.
Whiteman says:
Tests for Covid-19 need to be readily available for everyone so that pupils and staff who get negative results can get back into school quickly. But we are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country – chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms. This means schools are struggling with staffing, have children missing school, and ultimately that children’s education is being needlessly disrupted.
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Fiona Carragher, the director of research and influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society, said the rise in care home infections despite minimal lifting of restrictions wa “extremely concerning”, PA reports.
Carragher said:
We are keen to see further detail from the government’s adult social care winter plan but it is positive to see concrete steps already to prevent the devastating loss of life we saw earlier this year, such as the appointment of a new chief nurse for adult social care - we need to see this go one step further by ensuring nursing staff are allocated to individual care homes throughout the pandemic.
And with care homes across the country once again closing their doors, we must make sure people with dementia are not cut off from vital visits from their loved ones - we’re urging the Government to prioritise providing personal protective equipment (PPE) and repeated, regular testing for both care home staff and for family carers.
Where this isn’t possible, steps must be put in place to ensure regular contact can continue between residents and their loved ones.
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The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, told LBC that Cobra hasn’t met since 10 May and that he hasn’t had contact with the prime minister since then.
Sadiq Khan tells @LBC that Cobra hasn’t met since May 10.
— Theo Usherwood (@theousherwood) September 18, 2020
He says he has not had any contact with the PM since then.
Speaking on @LBC this morning, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that Cobra has not met since the 10th of May and that he hasn't spoken to the PM in the last 4 months.
— Shehab Khan (@ShehabKhan) September 18, 2020
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Ryanair has announced it will cut its planned October flight capacity from 50% of last year’s levels to 40%.
A spokesman for the airline said:
We are disappointed to reduce our October capacity from 50% of 2019 to 40%.
However, as customer confidence is damaged by government mismanagement of Covid travel policies, many Ryanair customers are unable to travel for business or urgent family reasons without being subjected to defective 14-day quarantines.
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Restaurants, pubs and other hospitality businesses could be shut or asked to close early for a few weeks as part of a national “circuit break” to try to stop a surge in coronavirus cases in England getting out of control.
The measures are being considered, according to the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, as the number of cases of the virus is doubling every seven to eight days, with more than 3,300 new cases reported on Thursday.
Schools and workplaces would remain open but hospitality businesses would have “circuit breaks” – essentially shutting their doors or changing their opening hours for a few weeks.
New lockdown measures are also expected to be introduced in Lancashire – with the exception of Blackpool, the BBC reported. It follows local lockdowns brought in elsewhere in the north of England.
The government is considering the proposal for circuit breaks, although a final decision has not been made. Boris Johnson is said to be against another national lockdown, which would mean shops and businesses would close.
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The MP for Stockport in Greater Manchester was delighted this week to receive a letter promising a new testing site in his constituency, where the infection rate is almost double the national average.
There was only one problem: the much-needed facility was 240 miles away in Kent.
In a letter to the Labour MP Navendu Mishra, the health minister Lord Bethell wrote: “I am writing to update you on the provision of coronavirus testing in Stockport.”
However, the letter added: “I wanted to write to you to confirm that we are opening a local test site in your constituency at the Jellicoe Building car park – University of Greenwich, over the coming days.”
Even for a national testing programme that frequently directs people to facilities far outside their home towns, a nine-hour round trip to Kent would be something of a stretch for Stopfordians.
The letter from Bethell, a “minister of innovation” at the Department of Health and Social Care, said officials had “engaged with local stakeholders to narrow down the location and identify a suitable site”. However, it added: “I hope this site will make it easier for many people in Brompton to access testing” – a possible reference to West Brompton in south-west London.
Mishra said:
I know we haven’t seen the details of the government’s parliamentary boundary review yet but it would appear that the new Stockport constituency will stretch all the way to Kent!
This once again highlights the government’s complete mishandling of the Covid crisis, further putting lives at risk as we enter the second wave. Never mind Operation Moonshot - this government can’t even provide tests for those that need them.
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Matt Hancock warns 'this is a big moment for the country' as cases surge
The health and social care secretary has been doing the media rounds this morning following reports that a second national lockdown could happen in October.
Matt Hancock told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the government is keen to avoid national lockdown altogether, describing it as “the last line of defence”.
Asked if he was considering a new national lockdown, the health secretary said:
I have learned over the last nine months not ever to rule anything out. However, it is not the proposal that’s on the table.
He said what happens in the next few weeks is crucial:
This is a big moment for the country. We are seeing an acceleration in the number of cases. And we are also seeing that the number of people hospitalised with coronavirus is doubling every eight days. We are now starting to see the effects in hospital.
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Morning, I’m Aamna Mohdin and I’ll be covering the UK liveblog today.
Leading scientists who sit on UK government’s advisory board have proposed a two-week national lockdown in England in October to try to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases, the Financial Times reports. The second national lockdown could coincide with the October school half-term, so it has a limited impact on education.
This follows reports that Leeds is poised to be added to the list of areas in England facing stringent coronavirus restrictions on Friday. Infection rates in the West Yorkshire city remain lower than some other hard-hit cities, but have been increasing rapidly, prompting ministers to act. The constraints are likely to include shutting social venues, such as pubs and restaurants, at 10pm, and limiting contact between separate households.
If local measures are imposed on Leeds today, it would mean more than 10 million people across the UK are living with enhanced measures designed to control the spread of infections.
The rising cases come amid sharp criticism of the UK’s coronavirus test and trace system, which was condemned as “barely functional” as its tsar admitted that demand was up to four times higher than capacity, and 90% of tests were failing to hit the 24-hour turnaround target.
If you want to get in touch, you can email me (aamna.mohdin@theguardian.com) or message me on Twitter.
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