Coronavirus news you might have missed overnight: Army to help NHS and McDonalds to close

Medical workers warn of ‘unacceptable’ shortage of equipment

The coronavirus pandemic continues to cause chaos across the UK and around the world.

Here is your morning briefing of everything you may have missed overnight.

The armed forces are being drafted in to help manage and distribute supplies of protective equipment to frontline NHS staff battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has admitted there have been “challenges” with the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) but insisted he was taking the issue “very seriously”.

The health secretary spoke on Monday following a letter in The Sunday Times from almost 4,000 NHS workers who called on Boris Johnson, the prime minister, to resolve an “unacceptable” shortage of equipment.

The group warned many medical workers were “putting their lives on the line every day” by treating coronavirus patients without appropriate protection and called for an adequate supply of masks, safety glasses, gloves, aprons and protective suits.

All jury trials have been suspended in England and Wales as part of ongoing efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, has said no new trials will start and ongoing trials will be paused while arrangements are put in place to allow them to continue continue safely.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will not be cancelled, games chief Yoshiro Mori has said, but “postponement” is one of a number of scenarios being considered by organisers.

Mr Mori said Japan was “not considering cancelling the Olympics at all”, saying plans for the start of the Olympic torch relay on 26 March would go ahead.

Organisers will monitor the coronavirus pandemic for four weeks before making a decision on how to proceed, he said, with postponement among a number of options.

His comments came after Canada said it was pulling its athletes out of the games and urged the International OIympic Committee (IOC) “to postpone the games for one year”.

McDonald’s will shut down all of its restaurants in the UK and Ireland after previously offering takeaway and drive-thru services amid increasing concern over the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.

The fast food giant first stripped back its offering on 17 March when it announced it would close all seating areas across the country to mitigate the spread of the virus, which has killed 281 people in the UK.

However in a statement the business confirmed it would go a step further by fully closing its more than 1,300 outlets across the region by 7pm on Monday.

The rail franchising system has been suspended because of the coronavirus crisis, and may never return in its present form.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that franchise agreements to run trains across the UK will be suspended for six months.

Ticket sales are down by at least two-thirds, with some train operators reporting passenger numbers just 15 per cent of normal levels. Rail services will be cut by around half from today.

As the travel industry implodes because of the coronavirus crisis, rules on refunds for cancelled holidays are to be suspended.

At present package holidaymakers whose trips are cancelled are entitled to all their money back within two weeks of the trip being called off.

But the Package Travel Regulations 2018 were never designed for a total shutdown of international tourism.

Some of the UK’s top research groups will work to assess how the Covid-19 coronavirus spreads and behaves by sequencing its genome in labs across the nation.

The Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium – composed of the NHS, Public Health Agencies, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and numerous academic institutions – will use whole genome sequencing to map the spread of the virus and how it behaves.

It is believed this technique will lead to a greater understanding of the virus, allowing scientists to identify variants in the genetic code that may help to treat future mutations.

An elderly woman with lung cancer has been told by the Home Office she must return to Ukraine despite a ban on all air traffic to the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, her lawyer has said.

The Ukrainian national, 80, was in the UK visiting family and had planned to return home before her visa expired on 19 March, but was unable to do so due to a travel restrictions.

Health officials have issued a rallying call to blood donors after donations dipped by 15 per cent as concerns grow around the coronavirus pandemic.

The impact has been mitigated by the cancellation of pre-planned procedures in the NHS, but NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) officials urged blood donors to stick to their appointments.

Extra safety measures are in place in donation centres – for example, potential donors are being triaged on arrival to ensure that they are well enough to be around other donors. The national body responsible for blood supply in NHS hospitals said it will need donors “more than ever” over the coming weeks and months.

An NHS paramedic has revealed he was evicted from his home by a landlady who feared he would contract coronavirus.

Joseph Hoar, a paramedic for South Western Ambulance Service, tweeted on Saturday night a screen grab of a message he received over WhatsApp.

“Joe on reflection I am now super nervous about having someone from the NHS here,” the message read. “As it’s only a matter of time before [you are] in contact with the virus. Can [you] organise an Airbnb and collect your stuff tomorrow.

“Sorry I normally would never do this but it’s not worth the risk. I’ll charge you for the week and refund everything. Hope [you] understand.”

Iran’s supreme leader has suggested the United States created “a special version” of the deadly coronavirus now ravaging the country.

The disease has killed at least 1,685 Iranians, including 129 in the last 24 hours.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top political, military and religious leader, spurned offers of US help in a speech on Sunday marking the beginning of the Persian calendar year. He suggested Washington would exploit any acceptance of American aid.

“The American leaders have said several times that ‘we are willing to provide you with treatment and medical assistance’,” he said. “First of all, you face shortages yourselves. If you have anything available, use it yourselves. Second, you, Americans, are accused of producing this virus. I do not know how true this accusation is. But as long as this accusation stands, which sane mind will trust you?”

Federal law enforcement warned that white supremacist terrorists had considered weaponising coronavirus through saliva-filled spray bottles and contaminating non-white neighbourhoods with the virus, according to intelligence briefings.

A brief from the Federal Protective Service written last month reported that white supremacists on the encrypted messaging app Telegram discussing spending “as much time as possible in public places with their ‘enemies’” to transmit the virus.

They also plotted targeting law enforcement by leaving “saliva on door handles” and elevator buttons at government offices.

Donald Trump has appeared to mock the threat of the deadly coronavirus facing Mitt Romney, the only Republican senator who voted to convict him on impeachment charges.

The Utah senator and former presidential nominee said he was taking advice on self-isolation after spending time on Friday with Rand Paul, who announced on Sunday that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Told during a White House briefing that Mr Romney was one of several politicians self-isolating, the president said: “Romney’s in isolation? Gee, that’s too bad.”