Top story: Scientists say disease could still regain foothold
Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this Wednesday morning.
Britons may be able to go on holiday to a number of “core” European countries including Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey and Croatia if talks succeed in creating “air bridges” where people do not have to quarantine on their return. Austria and Germany are also among the countries officials are considering. It is possible an announcement could be made before next week’s review of the quarantine rules, giving the travel industry time to prepare. However, scientists advising the government have warned that the reopening of pubs, restaurants and other public venues at the same time as halving the two-metre social-distancing rule risks another wave of infections in England. Boris Johnson hailed the easing of lockdown measures from 4 July as “the end of hibernation”, but some experts said the move could allow Covid-19 to regain a “foothold”. They fear the lack of an effective track and trace system and the heightened risk of transmission indoors: 97% of super-spreader events, those with five or more transmissions, have taken place indoors. Bars and restaurants face a privacy minefield after being told they must record customers details when they reopen next Saturday.
There was good news for bookshops as sales hit 4m in the first week since they were allowed to reopen. But the economic impact of coronavirus threatens technical bankruptcy for more than eight out of 10 English councils providing adult social care services.
You can catch up with how the papers covered the PM’s big announcement, plus all the coronavirus developments overnight at our live blog here and there are more stories and features in our Coronavirus Extra section further down.
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Dementia clue – People suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are twice as likely to develop dementia, according to the latest study to link gut health to neurological diseases. A growing amount of research suggests that changes in the gastrointestinal tract may affect the brain through two-way communication known as the gut-brain axis. Previous work has shown people with IBD have a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease and US researchers now say that people with IBD have more chance of developing dementia and tend to be diagnosed with dementia earlier.
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‘Bully pulpit’ – MPs have defeated an attempt by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the House, to allow debate on complaints about serious bullying and harassment. Cross-party opposition rallied against the proposal because they said it would risk turning the Commons into a “bully pulpit” and would make it more difficult for victims to come forward. Tory MP Andrea Leadsom argued that the plan, even with constraints, would “result in a complainant feeling re-victimised”.
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American ‘awakening’ – Barack Obama has helped Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden to raise $11m in fundraising events as the party gears up for the November election. Referencing a “great awakening” among young people seeking reform, the former president told 175,000 online attendees that they must not be “complacent or smug” about the presidential race. Biden will have to unseat Donald Trump, who is trying to ban his niece from publishing a book claiming the first family is “a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse”.
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Net gain – Lockdown has seen a sharp rise in the amount of time that Britons are spending online, with the average person now logged on for a quarter of their waking day. Ofcom says that at the height of lockdown the average UK adult was spending a daily average of four hours and two minutes online – up from three-and-a-half hours last year – and has “radically changed the way we live”. And while you’re sitting at your computer at home as it gets hotter this week, here are some tips on how to stay cool.
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Segway segue – Segways, the oversized scooters once hailed as the future of urban transport, have reached the end of the road. Despite being popular with tourists and police, they never took off in the way envisioned by inventor Dean Kamen and production will end next month. The two-wheelers were dogged by bad publicity, including when entrepreneur Jim Heselden died after crashing one 10 months after he bought the company.
Coronavirus Extra
The head of the US disease control agency says the virus brought the country “to its knees”, as more evidence emerged of a dangerous surge in cases across a band of states from California to South Carolina. Australia has recorded its first Covid-19-related death for a month after a fresh outbreak in Victoria, which now faces a renewed lockdown.
The push towards cashless transactions has been one of the features of the crisis in Britain. But as many older people depend on cash, as do those who don’t have bank accounts at all, we look at how the change will affect these vulnerable groups. Charity shops have appealed for extra volunteers as they face being overwhelmed with donations after an estimated 40% of households cleared out unwanted clothes and shoes during lockdown.
Today in Focus podcast
Our international correspondent Michael Safi talks about how he uncovered allegedly widespread interference in policymaking by tobacco companies after looking into why Jordan has the highest smoking rate in the world.
Lunchtime read: Richard Dreyfuss: ‘I check all the hell-raising boxes’’
Richard Dreyfuss was one of Hollywood’s biggest names in the 1970s, starring in Jaws, Close Encounters and Goodbye Girl. What happened next was a hell-raising rampage of drink, drugs and a car crash that changed his life. “I check off all the boxes of that cliche,” he reveals to David Smith, as he talks about Steven Spielberg, manic depression, the #MeToo movement and why he has a T-shirt saying “Don’t shoot. I win Oscar”.
Sport
José Mourinho emphasised that Harry Kane is “fundamental” to his Tottenham side after watching the England striker score his first Premier League goal of 2020 in the 2-0 home win against struggling West Ham. Neal Maupay was denied from the spot by Kasper Schmeichel as Leicester’s poor form continued with a goalless draw against Brighton. Andy Murray has said Novak Djokovic’s coronavirus-ravaged Adria Tour was “not a great look for tennis” after his 6-2, 6-2 win over Liam Broady at the Battle of the Brits event. The England and Wales Cricket Board is confident the recreational season can begin next month despite Boris Johnson’s claim that the ball is a “natural vector” of Covid-19. Burnley will demonstrate further opposition to the “White Lives Matter Burnley” banner flown over the Etihad Stadium when they resume their campaign at home against Watford on Thursday. Cameron Champ has become the second golfer in a mere five-day window of the PGA Tour’s resumption to test positive for Covid-19. And the FBI says that the noose found in the team garage of Bubba Wallace, Nascar’s only black full-time driver, was not part of a hate crime.
Business
Leading economist Mohamed El-Erian, writing in the Guardian, says that the post-coronavirus recovery must be led by the US, starting with Washington restoring its global economic leadership. The FTSE100 is set to fall 0.75% this morning despite a recovery on Asian markets overnight. The pound will buy you $1.252 and, if you have your eye on an air bridge to Europe, €1.106.
The papers
The lockdown changes are once again the main focus. “Summer’s back on!” says the Mail, while the Express says “Cheers Boris! Here’s to a brighter Britain”. The Sun is also unable to resist the pub theme with “Vast orders”. The Guardian says “PM hails ‘end of hibernation’ – but scientists urge caution”, while the Telegraph quotes Johnson for its headline: “Our hibernation is beginning to end, the bustle is coming back”. The Times has “Hibernation at an end” but the Mirror goes for “Life … but not as we know it”.
In Scotland, the Herald splashes on “Lockdown exit set to speed up but two-metre rule stays” and the National quotes a former Labour MP saying “Labour are out of touch with their voters on Indyref2”. The FT plumps for “Wirecard founder Braun arrested on suspicion of false accounting”.
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