Coronavirus news - live: Burnham accuses Johnson of ‘exaggerating’ Covid situation amid warning Christmas will be ‘tough’

Follow the day’s events as they happened

Chief Constable: Leaders are agreed for need of proportionate enforcement of lockdown rules in Manchester

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has accused Boris Johnson of “exaggerating” the coronavirus situation in the region as he called for an end to the “war of words” between local leaders and ministers.

His comments came amid a stand-off between politicians in Greater Manchester and No 10 over the imposition of Tier 3 measures – the most severe restrictions – including the closure of all pubs and bars.

Mr Burnham has been calling for additional economic support for the region’s residents, but on Sunday Michael Gove risked inflaming tensions as he dismissed the concerns and accused him of political "posturing”.

Meanwhile, Christmas will be "tough" this year and not the "usual celebration" it traditionally is, Sage member Professor Jeremy Farrar has said.

He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday: "Christmas will be tough this year. I don't think it's going to be the usual celebration it is and all families coming together, I'm afraid.

“I think we have to be honest and realistic and say that we are in for three to six months of a very difficult period.”

Key Points

• Andy Burnham accuses Boris Johnson of ‘exaggerating’ coronavirus situation
• Christmas will be ‘tough’, Sage adviser warns
• Greater Manchester mayor blames Sunak for being ‘the problem’ in row over lockdown
• Michael Gove rules out circuit breaker ‘at the moment’
• South Africa's health minister tests positive for coronavirus

[18 October 2020 16:56 · Samuel Osborne]

Deserted streets in Paris as French coronavirus curfew comes in

The first night of the French coronavirus curfew led to eerily quiet streets on Saturday night in Paris and eight other cities around the country.

It was the first day of the new government imposed lockdown in order to tackle rising infections in France.

Daisy Lester reports:

[18 October 2020 16:34 · Samuel Osborne]

UK coronavirus cases up nearly 17,000 in 24 hours

The UK has recorded 16,982 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to new government data - up from 16,717 the day before.

The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test was 67, down from 150 the previous day. 

Sam Hancock has the full story:

[18 October 2020 16:24 · Samuel Osborne]

Italy reports record number of cases

Italy registered a record 11,705 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry has said, up from the previous record of 10,925 posted on Saturday.

There were also 69 Covid-related deaths, up from 47 the day before, the ministry added - far fewer than at the height of the pandemic in Italy in March and April, when daily fatalities peaked at more than 900.

[18 October 2020 16:07 · Samuel Osborne]

UK shop closures reach record high in 2020 amid coronavirus pandemic

A record number of shops closed during the first half of 2020 due to the coronavirus lockdown, new figures show.

A total of 11,000 chain operator outlets shut between January and August this year, according to research from the Local Data Company and accountancy firm PwC.

[18 October 2020 15:48 · Samuel Osborne]

Michael Gove defends £7,000 day rate for some Test and Trace consultants

Michael Gove has defended the up to £7,000 a day rate paid to some executives from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for the government-funded Test and Trace programme.

When asked whether the expenditure was a good use of public money, the Minister for the Cabinet Office replied “yes.”

Daisy Lester has more details:

[18 October 2020 15:28 · Samuel Osborne]

Some 950 more coronavirus cases diagnosed in Wales

There have been a further 950 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 35,628.

Public Health Wales said three further deaths had been reported, with the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic rising to 1,711.

[18 October 2020 15:15 · Samuel Osborne]

Disobedience is aggravating UK’s outbreak, says ex-Wuhan resident

A Chinese citizen living in London, who got trapped in Wuhan during the peak of the pandemic, has said China was able to get a quicker grip on the virus because people are more obedient and inclined to listen to science.

Mr Lu told the PA news agency there was a significant cultural difference, with Chinese citizens more likely to follow the rules mandated by their government.

He said: “In China if there is a rule, we follow the rule. If we see somebody not following the rules, we don't need to punish them, we need to make sure they are aware of their violations against the rules.

“Most of the Chinese people, in particular the younger generation, they have had more than 15 years of obligatory education. So most of the younger generation, they believe in the science. They just follow whatever the scientists say."

[18 October 2020 14:53 · Samuel Osborne]

Dutch royals return from Greek holiday after one day amid public anger

The Dutch royal family is back from a holiday to Greece after just 24 hours, following coronavirus-related public criticism.  

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and their daughters left for Athens as new partial lockdown rules took hold in the Netherlands and people were urged to remain at home and travel as little as possible.

The part of Greece the Dutch royals were travelling to is currently “code yellow” and does not require quarantine upon return, however the trip led to great controversy.

Katie Anderson has the story:

[18 October 2020 14:26 · Samuel Osborne]

Andy Burnham writes to Westminster urging government to secure ‘fair financial framework’ for local lockdowns

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has written to political leaders in Westminster urging them to help secure a "fair financial framework" for local lockdowns.

Mr Burnham told Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer and other party leaders that "this is not just a Greater Manchester issue" as he called for a consistent new package for tier 3 restrictions.

Backed by Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, he called for a "full and fair furlough scheme" covering 80 per cent of wages or at least the national minimum wage, support for the self-employed and improved compensation for businesses.

"With the challenging winter that lies ahead of the country, it is likely that most places will find themselves in tier 3 at some point before a vaccine is found," Mr Burnham wrote.

"That is why we believe it is right for Parliament to debate and agree what is a fair level of support for people and businesses in those areas.

"At present, local areas are agreeing individual deals with the government. It is by no means clear that these will be sufficient to cope with the pressures they will face. Also, the lack of transparency about this process and the risks of differential treatment is potentially divisive.

"Establishing clear national entitlements of the kind we had during the first lockdown will create a sense of fairness which in turn would help build public support for, and compliance with, any new restrictions."

[18 October 2020 14:17 · Samuel Osborne]

Some 61 more coronavirus deaths recorded in hospital in England

A further 61 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 30,971, NHS England said on Sunday.

Patients were aged between 54 and 96. All but four patients, aged 56 to 92, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between 4 and 17 October.

Four other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.