Coronavirus new: Starmer blames government ‘failures’ for new restrictions as UK sees 6,000 new cases

Follow all the latest updates and statistics

Boris Johnson says restrictions could remain in place for at least 6 months

Keir Starmer has laid the blame for “necessary” new coronavirus restrictions at Boris Johnson’s feet, repeating that the resurgence of the virus is “not an act of God [but] a failure of government”.

It came after Dominic Raab has warned a second national lockdown “can't be ruled out” if the latest restrictions do not manage to control a surge in cases.

Meanwhile, Professor Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, has said a ban on households mixing in England could be coming “very soon” and waiting just two or three weeks to implement such a measure would be too late. 

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Key Points

• UK cases top 6,000 in one day
• England might ban home mixing ‘very soon’
• Raab denies UK trying to take ‘Swedish approach’ to pandemic
• PM repeating ‘mistake’ by not going far enough with restrictions
• Isles of Scilly report first positive Covid tests
• Timeline of key coronavirus events
• Second national lockdown ‘can’t be ruled out’

[23 September 2020 23:51 · Samuel Osborne]

How to download and use the NHS track and trace tool

The official coronavirus is finally arriving, months after it was supposed to be released, Andrew Griffin reports.

The tool – available for iPhone and Android – is intended to help the country stop the spread of the virus as part of the government's response to the pandemic.

It has gone through extensive testing and redesigns and is now available anyone in England and Wales from 24 September.

Here’s how to download and use the NHS track and trace tool.