UK records highest daily infection total since June as local lockdowns upheld and France threatens quarantine reprisals
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The UK has recorded its highest daily rise in infections for two months, with an official total of 1,441 new cases – four times higher than those just over a month ago.
Meanwhile, local lockdown restrictions in parts of the northwest, West Yorkshire, east Lancashire and Leicester will continue until further notice after coronavirus cases there failed to fall to a safe level over the past two weeks, the government has said.
People in the affected areas are not permitted to mix with other households (excluding a support bubble) within private homes or gardens to slow the spread of the virus.
The decision came as France threatened to impose reciprocal measures against the UK after the British government added the country, along with Malta and the Netherlands, to its coronavirus quarantine list.
This is how our live coverage today unfolded:
Scrap 'heartbreaking injustice' of A-level testing system, Keir Starmer urges government
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on the government to scrap the “fatally flawed” A-Level grading system, demanding ministers U-turn and revert to teacher-assessed grades for students who were downgraded.
“Young people and parents right across the country, in every town and city, feel let down and betrayed,” Sir Keir said in a statement on Friday.
“The unprecedented and chaotic circumstances created by the UK government’s mishandling of education during recent months mean that a return to teacher assessments is now the best option available.
“No young person should be at a detriment due to government incompetence.”
Our political correspondent, Ashley Cowburn, has the full story below:
Government removes 1.3m tests from daily data after double counting error
More than 1.3 million coronavirus tests have been removed from the government’s daily data on available tests after an error meant some were counted twice.
The change was quietly made to the daily national data set on the day that the Department of Health and Social Care announced new ways to count deaths linked to Covid-19. Shaun Lintern reports:
New quarantine rules 'will crush confidence in travel'
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has deplored Britain’s quarantine extension, writes Simon Calder.
Gloria Guevara, the chief executive, said: “WTTC is deeply disappointed that thousands of British holidaymakers have had their holidays ruined, now the UK government has added more countries to its quarantine list, including popular summer holidays destinations, France and Malta. While we agree public health should remain the top priority, this move will crush what little confidence there is left in the fragile travel and tourism sector.
“The UK clearly lags behind other countries, which have shunned quarantines in favour of comprehensive programmes of testing for everyone departing and arriving back into their respective countries. International coordination and a programme of testing for anyone who wants to go on holiday to help stop Covid-19 in its tracks are crucial in order to rescue three million jobs in the UK alone.”
Infection rate in England 'levels off'
The number of infections in England is levelling off after a rise in July, according to a new infection study by the Office for National Statistics. An estimated 28,300 people had the virus during the week ending 9 August - equivalent to 1 in 1,900 indviduals.
Spain shuts nightclubs to prevent contagion
All Spanish regions are ordering the closure of nightclubs and to ban smoking in outdoor areas when keeping a safe distance is impossible, among other measures aimed at curbing a rise in infections.
Health minister Salvador Illa has advised against meetings of more than 10 people, and warned young people specifically not to gather outside to drink alcohol.
Infections in the country have spiked in recent days, bringing the total as of Thursday to 337,334 since the pandemic began.
New Zealand extends Auckland lockdown for 12 days as fresh outbreak spreads
New Zealand has extended lockdown measures in Auckland for a further 12 days as its fresh coronavirus outbreak has continued to spread, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said.
The country’s largest city will remain under heavy restrictions until 26 August, while most of the rest of the country will be subject to some social distancing requirements.
“Lifting restrictions now and seeing a potential explosion in cases is the worst thing we could do for Auckland and the New Zealand economy,” Ms Ardern said.
Our reporter, Liam James, has the full story below:
UK government deals risk fueling scramble to hoard vaccines by rich countries, campaigners warn
The UK government’s move to secure supplies of multiple potential coronavirus vaccines risks fueling a global scramble to hoard vaccines by rich countries, public health campaigners have warned.
On Friday, the government announced deals with the companies Novavax and Janssen to purchase 90 million doses of two potential vaccines for the UK.
Campaigners have warned such deals contribute towards a trend of “vaccine nationalism” by richer countries, with the US and EU also to blame.
“This latest vaccine deal shows the government shows a complete disregard for its own claims about supporting equitable global access to Covid-19 vaccines,” Heidi Chow, senior campaigns and policy manager at Global Justice Now, said.
“This UK-first approach is fuelling vaccine nationalism as rich countries scramble to hoard vaccine supplies leaving poorer countries without."
Ms Chow added: “The fastest way to end this pandemic is through global collaboration.
“The government should work with other countries and support a global fair allocation process based on public health needs so that all vulnerable groups are immunised first, wherever they live.”
Local lockdown restrictions to continue in North West and Leicester
Local lockdown restrictions in parts of the North West, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester will continue until further notice, the government has said.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the latest evidence did not show a decrease in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the areas, while cases have continued to rise in Oldham and Pendle.
Edward Argar, a health minister, said the measures would be reviewed again next week.
“It is essential we all remain vigilant, and I urge everyone in these areas to follow the rules – wash your hands regularly, follow social distancing, get yourself a free test as soon as you get any symptoms, and isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to,” Mr Argar added.
People in the affected areas are not permitted to mix with other households (excluding a support bubble) within private homes or gardens and some elements of the lockdown easing have been postponed.
Full details on the restrictions can be found here.
New quarantine rules spark ‘nightmare’ mass tourist exodus from France
The UK’s announcement of new quarantine restrictions for people arriving from France has prompted a mass exodus from British holidaymakers in the country.
The move has left people on both sides of the Channel scrambling to rearrange plans, with the Eurotunnel website seeing long queues as thousands of customers attempted to make or change bookings on Friday.
Our reporter, Anthony Cuthbertson, has the full story below:
You can find more details below on the local lockdown restrictions in the North West and Leicester:
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