Health News at Your Fingertips

Shielding will be paused nationally on 1 August as planned, he says.

Medical experts will explain more about this later today, he adds.

He apologises to people not being able to celebrate Eid as they had wished, but the risk can’t be taken, he says.

Employees should continue to work from home or in a Covid-secure workplace, he adds.

The further easing of lockdown restrictions in England that were due on 1 August for higher risk settings, including allowing small wedding receptions and the reopening of bowling alleys, skating rinks and casinos, has been postponed for at least two weeks, Johnson says.

Indoor performances will not resume, pilots of crowds in sports centres will not take place, and wedding receptions of more than 30 people will not be permitted, he adds.

We cannot be complacent; we have to act rapidly, Johnson says.

The decision to tighten restrictions in parts of the north of England are targeted measures that had to be done, he adds.

Measures taken in Leicester and Luton have successfully suppressed the virus, he says.

The plan to reopen society has always been conditional on progress against the virus and the brakes would be put on if needed, he says.

The prime minister is speaking now, providing an update on progress the country is making against the spread of the virus.

The number of deaths continues to fall, he says.

But he has consistently warned that the virus could return, he adds, citing rises in cases in numerous countries around the world.

The ONS reports that the prevalence of the virus in the community is likely to be rising in the country for the first time since May, he says.

The ONS also estimates the number of infections per day has been rising, compared to last month, he adds.

We can’t ignore this, Johnson says.

The prime minister’s news conference this afternoon, alongside the chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, is due to begin shortly.

The Scottish government is advising against all but essential travel to Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire for people in Scotland.

People living in Scotland are being advised to avoid travel to areas in northern England facing new lockdown restrictions after a rise in coronavirus cases.

The Scottish government said travel between Scotland and Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire should only be undertaken if absolutely essential.

Anyone from Scotland currently in the affected areas need not travel back immediately, but should be extra vigilant, it added.

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, urged anyone planning to travel to those areas to cancel their plans. She said:

I’m grateful to the prime minister for the update on the recent developments in the North West of England and all four nations agreed on the importance of sharing localised information as we work together to continue to suppress the virus.

We have always been clear that localised flare ups are likely as we continue to suppress the virus but by responding quickly and appropriately we can limit the effect these have on wider transmission.

I strongly advise anyone planning to travel to areas affected in the north of England, or anyone planning to travel to Scotland from those same areas, to cancel their plans.

Anyone whose travel is essential should follow public health advice at all times including the FACTS guidance and remain extra vigilant in monitoring for symptoms.

Up to 30 people can meet outside in Wales while maintaining physical distancing from Monday, the first minister has announced.

Mark Drakeford said children under the age of 11 will also no longer need to keep to the two-metre rule while outdoors due to the falling transmission rate.

He said the changes would help “family and friends” but would be restricted to outside locations “because we know it’s much safer to be meeting in the outdoors and the sunlight.”

The latest set of relaxed measures comes alongside the reopening of indoor service for pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes from Monday.

This morning, Drakeford told Sky News the Welsh government believes it has some “further headroom” to reopen aspects of society as the circulation of the virus continues to fall in Wales:

That gives us the opportunity to reopen bars, restaurants, cafes and so on, indoors, and to afford some extra flexibility to family and friends to meet in the outdoors.

The first minister also told the BBC’s Breakfast programme that a set of measures had been agreed with the hospitality sector to mitigate the risks of meeting indoors, adding:

We’re confident now those things will be in place and that it will be safe for people to go back.

Swimming pools, gyms, leisure centres and children’s indoor play areas will be able to reopen from 10 August, he confirmed.

The Welsh government would look to offer people “more opportunities to meet indoor” from 15 August, he said, including allowing people to expand the number of other households they can join into an extended household.

Drakeford said he did not need to introduce a mandatory face covering rule for shops as has been done in England because Wales had “stronger rules” than its neighbour on physical distancing.

In our regulations we require a two metres social distance, and we require premises to take all reasonable measures to make sure that a two metre distance can be observed.

On a rise in Covid-19 cases in the Wrexham area, Drakeford said the situation was “under control” but that further measures would be taken if needed.

The first minister will formally announce the latest relaxing of measures at a press briefing later this afternoon.

Labour has slammed the UK government’s “shambolic” communication over the new lockdown restrictions affecting some 4 million people across Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Matt Hancock made the announcement via Twitter on Thursday night, giving swathes of northern England less than three hours’ notice that they must endure tighter restrictions following a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said that while he supported the decision to tighten restrictions in the affected areas, there had been “poor communication” from the government. He wrote on Twitter:

He implored people to follow the new restrictions to prevent another outbreak.

Labour’s shadow health and social care secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the last-minute nature of the announcement had caused much “widespread confusion, anxiety and upset”:

Given the infection levels in parts of the country, and international warnings of a resurgence in the virus, Labour understands why measures have had to be taken to bring infection rates down.

The virus remains widely distributed across the UK and yesterday’s official statistics confirming we have had the highest excess death rate in Europe is a clear reminder that being slow to act has devastating consequences.

But the way in which the government has made the announcement has caused widespread confusion, anxiety and upset.

Labour has called on the UK fovernment to answer 12 questions on the situation, including: what is the guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable people in these areas? And what is the evidence behind pausing shielding for these groups given the local peaks?

Mike Kane, the Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East and shadow transport minister, said the way the new restrictions were announced was “a complete shambles”.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said:

As much as I always support the government, it’s a complete shambles the way it was announced. It’s been released on social media with hours notice. It puts people in a place of uncertainty, fear and confusion.

He said local MPs were invited by regional public health officials on Thursday morning to discuss how the pandemic was affecting the area, but he said no one had known about the impending new restrictions that were announced that evening.

The government has got to do better than this in informing people and give people the heads up. These things shouldn’t be binary, it shouldn’t be switched on and then switched off.

The Muslim Council of Britain’s secretary general, Harun Khan, has criticised the way the government announced new Covid-19 restrictions for parts of the north of England, which came the day before Eid celebrations began.

The health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, made the announcement via Twitter, giving swaths of northern England less than three hours’ notice on Thursday night that they must endure tighter restrictions following a rise in coronavirus cases.

People in the affected areas are not allowed to visit or host friends or family in private homes or gardens, the government says, nor should they meet and mix in restaurants or cafes. Two households, or up to six people from different households may meet outdoors in public spaces but physical distancing must be maintained for those who don’t live together.

Mosques may be attended but physical distancing must be maintained between households. “This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings). We recommend at this time that, if possible, prayer/religious services take place outdoors,” the government guidance states.

In a statement, Khan said:

With the first day of Eid being today, for Muslims in the affected areas, it is like being told they cannot visit family and friends for Christmas on Christmas Eve itself.

Whilst the safety of communities is of paramount importance, as has remained the case from the very outset of this crisis, so is effective communication delivered in a timely fashion.

Failure to communicate makes it difficult for communities across the country to continue working together to minimise the spread of the virus, whilst eroding trust in the ability of authorities to steer our course as we tackle the Covid-19 crisis.

The UK government has failed to provide clarity on the shockingly short notice and the reasoning behind the new rules that British Muslims deserve. Any such clarification would be most welcome.

Most areas of the UK peaked in April in terms of coronavirus infections but some are rising again, according to Guardian analysis of data, which we’ve presented on a page where you can check the situation in your area.

We’ve mapped to show local authorities where the number of cases has increased week-on-week and where it has fallen.

Some of this is due to natural fluctuations, especially in areas where there are very few cases, and so a rise from 1 to 2 is a doubling. Increased testing also means that more cases may be being detected than previously, although the impact of this between one week and the next is likely to be slight.

But even in Kent, a large and populous county with relatively many cases, a rise week-on-week may still be consistent with a downward trajectory overall, if outweighed by falls in the weeks before and after. It does, however, suggest the value of continued vigilance.