Coronavirus news you may have missed overnight: No date set for schools to re-open as outbreak shows signs of plateau

Covid-19 infections in UK rise to 120,067, with over 16,000 deaths

The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact every aspect of life across the world, and has infected 120,067 people in the UK, with over 16,000 deaths. Here is your morning briefing of everything you may have missed overnight.

No date set for schools to reopen

Gavin Williamson issued an apology to the nation’s pupils after admitting there is no date set for schools to be reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The government must pass five tests to prove the virus is waning before schools can reopen, he said. There were also no plans to restart lessons over the summer holidays.

Mr Williamson said at the daily Downing Street press briefing: “Of course, I want nothing more than to see schools back, get them back to normal, make sure the children are sat around, learning and experiencing the joy of being at school.

“But I can’t give you a date. Because before we do, we need to meet five tests.

“To any young people watching, I wanted to say to you how sorry I am that you’ve had your education disrupted in this way,” he added.

“I know how hard it must be, and I’d like to thank you for making the adjustments that you’ve had to make.”

The five test include protecting the ability of the NHS to cope, seeing the daily death rates come down, and having reliable data that shows the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels.

Virus outbreak in UK ‘starting to plateau’, says deputy chief medical officer

Britain’s deputy chief medical officer has said the coronavirus outbreak is beginning to plateau, with the latest figures showing the spread of the virus was “heading in the right direction”.

Speaking at the government’s daily press conference, Dr Jenny Harries said: “There is some very good news. Today the UK deaths were down to 596, from 888 yesterday.

“It is fair to say that we do know from the hospital data… that we are now starting to plateau.”

She stopped short of agreeing with Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of medical research charity Wellcome Trust, who said the country may be “past the peak” of the virus.

Dr Harries said it was “not fair” to say the peak was over and urged the government to be “extremely guarded”.

She added that if the public did not continue social distancing, “we will create a second peak and then we definitely won’t be past it”.

Poll suggests public wants Brexit extension to focus on pandemic

Majority of the British public would rather see the government extend its Brexit deadline than deal with negotiations during the coronavirus pandemic, a poll has suggested.

The poll, conducted by Focaldata for Best for Britain and Hope Not Hate suggested most of the public would prefer it if officials prioritised the crisis at hand, with two-thirds saying the government should focus all its energy on dealing with Covid-19 for the rest of the year.

Officials in Westminster and Brussels have insisted on continuing to negotiate the terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

This is despite coronavirus claiming the lives of over 100,000 people across Europe.

Just 34 per cent of all respondents believed ministers could “balance dealing with the coronavirus outbreak whilst also giving necessary time to negotiate a full trade deal with the EU before the end of the year”.

49 per cent of Leave voters supported pushing the end of the transition period past New Year’s Eve, as well as 48 per cent of Conservative voters and 45 per cent of those who previously backed the Brexit Party.

Iran to reopen shopping malls and bazaars despite pandemic fears

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani announced on Sunday the country would allow shopping malls and bazaars to reopen this week in a scheme to dramatically restart business activity despite warnings by health officials that doing so may undo any efforts made to contain Covid-19.

He said businesses located in “roofed places”, including bazaars and shops inside complexes, are “medium-risk” and will be allowed to reopen from 20 April.

Iran is the country hardest hit by coronavirus in the Middle East, with at least 5,118 people killed by the virus and 82,000 confirmed infections.

The authorities imposed strict quarantine measures to contain the virus, shuttering public and commercial life, but the measures have further damaged an economy already in deep recession.

Health experts called the move “premature”. Arin Balalian, an epidemiologist of Iranian descent at Columbia University, said: “It carries a substantial risk for the disease to come back. You are going to have shoppers and labourers, and all of them are going to use public transport, which increases the risk of transmission.”

UK must prepare for ‘volatile and agitated society’ after lockdown lifts

Police must be prepared to deal with a more “volatile and agitated society” in life after the lockdown, a senior officer has warned.

The president of the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) called for leaders to prepare for the effects of unemployment, mental health issues, abuse inside homes and a general need for “release”.

Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths told The Independent on Sunday: “There’s not been much debate at the moment about what the future looks like because we’re all in the present.

“But we’ve got to look at the social and economic impact… there are going to be people who are out of work, businesses that have not been able to sustain themselves, and the impact on society will start to come through.

“If there are challenges economically, there is sometimes a rise in crime and disorder.”

Restrictions on daily life due to coronavirus have been extended in the UK until at least 7 May.