Coronavirus news: Sport to return and groups of six can meet to exercise together says government, despite warnings on lockdown easing
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Elite sport can return behind closed doors from 1 June, the government announced as it eased coronavirus restrictions to allow groups of up to six people to exercise together outdoors.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden described the move as “a significant moment” despite warnings from scientific advisers that Covid-19 “is spreading too fast to lift lockdown in England” with an estimated 8,000 infections per day.
With the new NHS test and trace system still “untested”, Professor John Edmunds accused ministers of making a “risky” and political decision, saying “Westminster clearly made a decision that this is the sort of level of incidence that they’re willing to tolerate”, despite it being “significantly higher” than similar European nations.
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Use weapons funding to prevent next pandemic, says Pope
Pope Francis called on national leaders to prioritise scientific research into pandemics in his largest prayer gathering since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
He led prayers with around 130 people in the Vatican garden as part of a virtual rosary with around 50 Catholic shrines around the world.
In his closing prayer, the pope said national leaders should take a far-sighted attitude, helping the most needy now and putting in place long-term economic and social solutions.
He prayed that the Madonna would "touch (leaders') consciences so that enormous sums spent to possess more armaments and to perfect them be instead destined to the promotion of sufficient research to prevent such catastrophes in the future".
Pope Francis leads Holy Rosary prayer in Vatican gardens (Reuters)
Family of Belly Mujinga urge more protection for rail workers
British Transport Police have said there was no evidence a rail worker was spat at by a passenger before her death from coronavirus.
Officers investigated Belly Mujinga's death last month after it was reported she had been confronted by a man who claimed he had coronavirus on the concourse of London's Victoria Station.
However tests carried out at the 57-year-old suspect's workplace revealed that he had not had Covid-19, and CCTV revealed "no evidence of anyone spitting in this incident". The BTP announced yesterday they were taking no further action.
Ms Mujinga's husband, Lusamba Gode Katalay, said: "We had never thought a prosecution was likely, but it was disappointing to get that news. We are not pursuing a prosecution. We are instead calling for her employer to take action to protect their workers.
"There are important things we need answers to. Her union, the TSSA, reported it to Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (the health and safety body of the Office for Road and Rail), and that investigation into the safety of Belly's workplace is still ongoing.
"Hopefully that will answer questions like why she was out working on the concourse at all given that she had a respiratory health issue."
The BTP said in a statement: "We understand that the tragic death of Belly Mujinga has shocked many people and that the outcome of our investigation has raised questions.
"We want to be clear on why we decided not to take any further action - based on key witness statements and having reviewed the CCTV footage, there is no evidence of anyone spitting in this incident.
"Senior detectives are confident that this incident did not lead to Belly Mujinga contracting Covid-19. This is because the man in the CCTV footage who detectives interviewed as part of the investigation had a negative antibody test result for Covid-19 in the time after the incident, therefore showing that he had never had the illness."
Are Russia's coronavirus statistics believable?
A change in methodology has pushed Moscow's case fatality statistics closer to international levels, Oliver Carroll writes, but doubts about accuracy nationwide still linger.
Liverpool has highest proportion of people shielding
NHS data shows people living in Liverpool have been hardest hit by government advice on shielding those most at risk from coronavirus, with almost 10 per cent of the population currently staying behind closed doors.
Across England, more than 2.2 million people have now been identified by GPs and NHS specialists as being at extreme high risk from Covid-19.
Only 3 per cent of people in Wales have had coronavirus
The Welsh government's advisory group has released a study suggesting only 2.6 per cent of people have developed antibodies for Covid-19.
It is based on analysis of 1,006 samples from the Welsh Blood Service.
By comparison, around 15 per cent of people in London have antibodies for Covid-19, according to Public Health England.
Beach evacuated after four injured in cliff fall
A coastguard has criticised the 'absolute carnage' on a crowded Dorset Beach after four people were injured jumping from a 200ft cliff on Saturday afternoon.
"When I say that by visiting the coast you’re potentially putting yourself, other people and rescuers at risk I never imagined anything like this madness," he added.
Helicopters land on sand as coastguard chief slates ‘absolute carnage’ of people failing to social-distance
Greece to test all visitors from 13 UK airports
Greece announced it will conduct coronavirus tests on visitors arriving from 'high risk' airports when it opens to tourism on 15 June.
The list, which is published by EASA, includes 13 in the UK, ranging from Healthrow and Gatwick to Newcastle and Glasgow.
"If you originate from an airport on the EASA affected area list, then you will be tested upon arrival," the Greek ministry of foreign affairs said.
"If the test is negative, then the passenger self-quarantines for 7 days. If the test is positive, the passenger is quarantined under supervision for 14 days."
Visitors arriving from other areas will be randomly tested upon arrival.
US deaths pass 102,000, says CDC
The official tally kept by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stands at 102,785 deaths and 1,737,950 cases, as of 4pm EDT on Friday.
That means an increase of 1,074 deaths and 18,123 cases in a 24 hour period.
It does not necessarily include up-to-date cases reported by individual states. The Johns Hopkins University puts the current US figures at 103,472 deaths and almost 1.76m cases.
Care homes unable to access £600m 'infection fund'
A £600 million government fund designed to prevent the spread of infections in care homes has been heavily criticised by care leaders who revealed they had been banned from spending the cash on protective masks and clothing for staff.
The infection control fund was announced by ministers earlier this month, but the money has reportedly come with so many strings attached that social care bosses have dismissed it as “confused and unnecessarily bureaucratic”.
Lockdown easing begins 'critical week' for UK, says Labour leader
Sir Keir Starmer has said that the government's actions over the past 10 days have made difficult decisions more "risky" as lockdown measures are eased from Monday.
The Labour leader said: "Labour supported the lockdown and has always argued that restrictions need to be eased gradually and in a safe way.
"The government's actions over the past 10 days have made difficult decisions more risky.
"First, ministers have not yet got a fully functioning test, track and trace system in place; and second, the government's public health message has been undermined because the Prime Minister was too weak to take firm action against Dominic Cummings for breaking lockdown.
"Ministers need to accept that mistakes have been made and do everything they now can to reduce the risks to public health. That should include three things.
"First, a reiteration of the government's commitment to follow the science and take immediate action if scientists start raising the alarm.
"Second, ensure flexibility to allow restrictions to be rapidly reintroduced, both nationally and locally, if we see an increase in the R-rate.
"And third, a redoubling of efforts to ensure we have a fully functioning and effective test, track and trace system in place as soon as possible.
"This is going to be a critical week for the country and a key test of the government's strategy. I would urge everyone to do their bit in the national interest by following the public health advice and helping to save lives."
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