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As it happenedended1598987604

57 countries see surge in new cases as global count passes 25m with Portugal likely to return to UK quarantine list

Rise in new coronavirus cases worldwide as Glasgow lockdown tightened

Chiara Giordano,Jane Dalton
Tuesday 01 September 2020 20:13 BST
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WHO state cooperation is key to coronavirus recovery

More than 50 countries around the world are experiencing a rise in new coronavirus cases, figures show.

Europe, north Africa and south Asia have the highest concentration of countries that are experiencing an upswing in coronavirus cases, as the worldwide total passed 25 million.

The UK is among the worst hit. Infections have spiked in two northern areas of England due to be released from lockdown against the advice of local officials.

Meanwhile, there have been hints that Portugal will be put back on the list of countries arrivals from which must self-isolate for 14 days.

Lockdown restrictions have been tightened in Glasgow after a spike in coronavirus cases in the area.

Please see below for how the day’s events unfolded.

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Just 365 face covering fines handed out

Just 365 fines have been handed to public transport users in England breaking face covering rules despite one in 10 passengers not complying, transport secretary Grant Shapps has revealed.

Some 115,423 people have been stopped and reminded that coverings are mandatory in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, the cabinet minister wrote on Twitter.

A further 5,277 were prevented from boarding and 4,182 were ejected from or told to leave a service.

Face coverings became mandatory in public transport in England on 15 June.

Those with certain health conditions, disabled people and children aged under 11 are exempt from wearing them.

Mr Shapps said compliance is "around 90 per cent".

Passengers caught breaking the rules risk being fined £100.

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 09:34
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'Completely inappropriate'

Nurses and essential healthcare staff could be left redundant in the middle of the pandemic as local authorities look to make changes to healthcare contracts that would leave patients facing major disruption, NHS bosses have warned.

NHS Providers, which represents all NHS trusts, and NHS Confederation, which represents health and care organisations, said the decision to put contracts for public health services out to tender as workers battle coronavirus in the community is “completely inappropriate” and a “damaging distraction”, creating uncertainty for those who have spent the past six months on the Covid-19 frontline.

Samuel Lovett has more details in this exclusive report:

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 09:56
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'Unfair' to blame Public Health England over testing

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the blame laid at Public Health England's door over testing had been unfair, but that the decision to scrap the organisation could be a positive move.

The Commons Health Committee chairman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "My experience of Public Health England was that they basically did what ministers told them to do, so I think it would be wrong to make them a scapegoat.

"But I don't think that means we can't improve the structures we have."

Asked whether the complaints about the organisation in terms of its record on testing were fair, Mr Hunt said: "I think probably unfair, because, if you look back to that period in January and February, you can see there was a blind spot in the whole scientific establishment going well beyond Public Health England that made us all want to treat this like flu rather than Sars, which meant we de-emphasised testing.

"That was a failure that went back to my time as health secretary as well because we ran huge pandemic exercises preparing for flu and not thinking about Sars-like viruses.

"I think it would be unfair to lay that all at the door of Public Health England but does that mean we can't improve the structures we have? No, I'm sure we can, and so I think it probably will be a positive thing."

PA

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 10:05
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France makes face masks mandatory in workplace

French companies will have about a week to adopt new, strict rules on the compulsory wearing of face masks in the workplace to curb the spread of Covid-19, employment minister Elisabeth Borne has said.

Ms Borne told LCI TV that staff working alone, or in open-plan workspaces where there were relatively few staff with big spaces between workers, would not have to wear masks.

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 10:14
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The education secretary has revealed GCSE and A-level exams could be pushed back next year to allow students more teaching time, Zoe Tidman reports.

Gavin Williamson said Ofqual, England’s exams regulator, was working with the education sector to decide if there should be a “short delay”.

His comments come as schools in England start welcoming back all pupils for the first time since March – when they shut to most students due to coronavirus.

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 10:23
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As the government launches a major campaign encouraging people to return to their workplaces to kickstart the economy, here's everything we know so far about whether or not people can leave work if they feel unsafe:

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 10:31
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Poland bans direct flights from 44 countries

Poland is from tomorrow banning direct flights from 44 countries including Spain, Israel and Romania in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the Central European country.

The United States, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Brasil, Argentina and India are also on the list of countries, but local media reported that Russia and China had been removed from it.

The move follows measures to reintroduce restrictions on public life in the worst affected parts of the country, as the government tries to tackle the spread of the virus without resorting to a complete lockdown.

Poles are, however, allowed to fly to and from any country they want if they choose indirect flights through countries that are not on the list, such as Germany.

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 10:48
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European countries can cope with a rise in coronavirus cases in the months ahead without resorting to national lockdowns, the World Health Organisation’s director for the region has said.

Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said a host of factors meant hospitals across the continent were likely to see an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients this autumn.

The top official predicted a rise in admissions from people suffering from the disease as early as October — but also said countries would have to “learn how to live with the virus” without shutting down.

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 11:06
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Almost 3,000 NHS Scotland staff recruited as emergency measure

Nearly 3,000 new staff joined NHS Scotland as part of emergency measures to boost workforce numbers, the latest figures show.

Statistics released by NHS Education for Scotland show 2,966 staff joined as part of the Covid-19 accelerated recruitment programme.

Of these, 2,423 were nursing students and 515 were final year medical students.

The total number of staff employed by NHS Scotland rose to 171,577, an annual increase of nearly 5 per cent and the highest figure to date.

Nurses and midwives made up 42 per cent of the workforce with 63,178 whole time equivalent roles.

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 11:35
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Suicide deaths during pandemic peak

Provisional data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows there were 6.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in England between April to June this year - during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

This was the equivalent of 845 registered deaths, the ONS said.

But the ONS said the low number of suicide deaths registered during this period was likely to reflect delays to inquests being held because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

It added: "The lower number of deaths registered caused by suicide in quarter two of 2020 should be interpreted with caution; this likely reflects delays to inquests because of the impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on the coroner's service.

"All deaths caused by suicide in England are investigated by coroners.

"Given the length of time it takes to hold an inquest (around five months), we do not currently know the total number of suicides that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic."

Chiara.Giordano1 September 2020 11:53

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