Top story: Hottest day brings social distance warning
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Plans to introduce coronavirus tracing have been hit by fresh uncertainty with a mobile app not expected to be ready until June. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, had said last week that it would be “rolling out in mid May” across England. NHS insiders said the deployment of the app being trialled on the Isle of Wight would not take place until next month as developers iron out problems. Hancock said on Monday that 21,000 contact tracers had been recruited across England. But people recruited to contact those exposed to someone with Covid-19 have told the Guardian they spent days just trying to log into the online training system.
The capacity of parks and outdoor facilities to accommodate socially distanced sunbathers might be tested today, which is predicted to bring the hottest weather of the year so far including a possible high of 29C in south-east England. People are allowed to meet up with one person from another household outdoors, as long as two metres’ distance is maintained. Councils have urged the public to remember that many facilities like outdoor pools and public toilets remain closed. Many tourist hotspots have asked people to stay away and said that attractions will remain closed. The majority of beaches are not currently lifeguarded although activities are allowed. Thunderstorms are predicted for Thursday.
Brazil has seen its most deadly day since the coronavirus outbreak began, prompting Donald Trump to consider a ban on travel to the US from Brazil, even as he called the large number of US cases a “badge of honour … It’s a great tribute to the testing and all of the work that a lot of professionals have done.” The US has the highest number of cases in the world, at more than 1.5 million with nearly 92,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins university tracker. Brazil overtook Britain on Monday to become the country with the third-highest number of confirmed infections, behind Russia and the US. It has reported a total of 271,628 cases and 17,971 deaths.
Keep an eye on our global live blog for updates and here are some of the key developments overnight.
There’s more in our Coronavirus Extra section further down … and here’s where you can find all our coverage of the outbreak – from breaking news to factchecks and advice.
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‘Absolved as of today’ – The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has declared an end to security cooperation with Israel and the US, citing the threat of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank. Abbas said the PLO and the state of Palestine “were absolved, as of today” of all their agreements with the American and Israelis. It was unclear what this would mean in practice – Palestinian officials have to coordinate with Israeli officers just to move around in the West Bank. The new Israeli government is officially considering the annexations, apparently with Donald Trump’s support. The Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, is reported to have said in confidential briefings in Washington that “there is a window of opportunity now, so it must be done now … we don’t know what will happen in the US presidential elections. Biden could win.”
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Lifetime surveillance on terror suspects – Terrorism suspects not convicted of any offence could face expanded and permanent measures to control their lives under counter-terrorism laws proposed by the UK government. Ministers want to weaken the burden of proof for measures known as Tpims to be imposed on people suspected of terrorist activity and remove a two-year limit. The new counter-terrorism bill builds on the response to terrorist attacks in the last 12 months – at Fishmongers’ Hall in the City of London and Streatham High Road in the city’s south-west – which led to scrapping of automatic release of terrorist offenders halfway through their sentences.
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Midweek catch-up
> Super Cyclone Amphan is bearing down on millions of people in eastern India and Bangladesh with forecasts of a potentially devastating and deadly storm surge. Mass evacuation efforts have been hampered by the need to follow Covid-19 precautions.
> Norma McCorvey, aka the plaintiff Jane Roe in the 1973 US abortion court case Roe v Wade, left a video before her 2017 death saying she was paid to switch sides and back the anti-abortion movement, it has been revealed.
> Johnson & Johnson is to stop selling its talcum-based baby powder in the US and Canada but not elsewhere in the world. Tens of thousands of lawsuits have alleged its talc caused cancer.
> BBC Three could return as a broadcast TV channel after a run of hits – from Fleabag to Normal People – that have rated with youth audiences. The channel was taken online-only four years ago.
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Astronaut launch overshadowed – With Nasa seven days away from the first US launch of American astronauts since the space shuttle, its head of human spaceflight has resigned over an apparent breach of procurement rules. Doug Loverro is being replaced by a deputy who will now overseee the launch, due on Wednesday next week, of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that will carry human beings for the first time. It is due to dock with the international space station. Loverro has said that he resigned because he took a misjudged “risk” related to Nasa’s Artemis programme to return humans to the moon.
Coronavirus Extra
Thousands of people with cancer could die early because so many hospitals have suspended surgery for the disease during the pandemic, the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) has warned.
Public trust in the travel industry has plunged to an all-time low as airlines and holiday companies continue to deny and delay refunds for coronavirus cancellations, in breach of the law, according to Which?.
In our science podcast Nicola Davis asks mathematician Kit Yates how useful global comparisons are when it comes to the coronavirus outbreak, given the huge differences in demographics and public health responses.
Today in Focus podcast: Science races to understand Covid-19
In the five months since the world learned about Covid-19 it has killed hundreds of thousands of people. In that time, what have scientists found out – and what do they still not know?
Lunchtime read: Social Distance – a graphic short story
In this touching story for the Guardian, Mark Haddon depicts a solitary man finding isolation no different from normal life – until he has an unexpected encounter at the Co-op.
Sport
The Premier League has been buoyed in its attempts to complete the season, after only six of 748 players and staff, including Burnley assistant manager Ian Woan, tested positive for Covid-19. The Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin has told the Guardian he is suffering from sleepless nights from the coronavirus crisis but is confident “good old football” will return to normal. Plans to reopen gyms and leisure centres in July across the UK are being discussed in government circles as part of wider proposals to further open up grassroots sport, the Guardian understands. Johanna Konta has cautiously offered her support to the idea of the ATP and the WTA tours merging.
The Warrington Wolves chief executive, Karl Fitzpatrick, has insisted the signing of the Australian great Greg Inglis does not fly in the face of rugby league’s economic struggles. The head of the UK Anti-Doping Agency has warned drugs cheats that the lockdown will not stop them from getting caught – despite the almost complete lack of testing during the pandemic. The fate of this year’s British Grand Prix, and the calendar for Formula One’s return to racing in general, is likely to be decided by the end of this week. And Horace Grant, who won three titles alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, has given a withering assessment of the documentary, The Last Dance, saying “about 90% of it [was] BS”.
Business
The fallout from coronavirus is forecast to slow the growth in renewable energy for the first time in 20 years. Figures from the International Energy Agency predict that the world will grow its capacity of renewable energy by 6% or 167GW (gigawatts) this year. The growth is 13% less than the amount of new capacity which started up in 2019, with the industry especially hard-hit in Europe. The FTSE 100 is on course to dip 0.35% at the opening this morning, while the pound is on $1.226 and €1.121.
The papers
The Guardian leads with “No 10 retreats as rebellion over schools gathers pace”, reporting that up to 1,500 English primaries are expected to remain closed on 1 June. The Times has “Doubt cast over date for school reopening” while the Telegraph says “BMA drops opposition to schools reopening” as the doctors’ body “rows back on support for unions”.
The Mail picks sides and no prize for guessing whose: “Callous teacher union’s plotting exposed”. The Mirror steers clear with a splash about organ donation and says its “four-year campaign” helped get the law changed.
“ARAISE, Sir Tom” says the Sun, the wordplay being in reference to his knighthood for raising millions for the NHS. “Blame the scientists” and “Blame game begins” – the Metro and the i respectively sum up a ministers claim that coronavirus missteps were made because of bad advice. The Express and the Financial Times focus on the economy. “Recession like we have neve seen”, says the former, with attribution to Rishi Sunak. “Sunak dashes bounceback hopes as jobless claims soar above 2m”, says the FT.
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