Coronavirus news – live: Boris Johnson accused of ‘shamelessly avoiding responsibility’ after sacking official and blaming ‘mutant algorithm’ for exams fiasco
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has blamed a "mutant algorithm" for this summer's exams chaos in an attempt to dodge responsibility for the downgrading of thousands of students’ grades.
Meanwhile, the guidance on face masks in schools has changed following the latest government U-turn on coronavirus, with secondary school pupils now told to wear masks in parts of England.
Face coverings will be required in communal areas of schools in parts of the country where local lockdowns are in place, while headteachers elsewhere will have the option to ask pupils to wear them.
It came as the government announced that the Department for Education’s top civil servant, Jonathan Slater, would step down next week following the controversy around exam results this month.
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India pushes ahead with national college entrance exams despite coronavirus risk
More than 2 million Indian students will sit admission tests for medical and engineering schools next week despite growing concern over the spread of coronavirus, the country’s government has said.
India reported more than 60,000 infections on Tuesday, maintaining the world’s highest single-day caseload since 7 August, according to a Reuters tally.
Nevertheless, the government has pushed for a return to normalcy to lessen the economic pain caused by lockdown restrictions.
You can find the full story below:
Boris Johnson blames exams chaos on 'mutant algorithm'
Boris Johnson has blamed this summer’s exams chaos on a “mutant algorithm” in a message to children on the return of schools.
In a live address to England’s schoolchildren on social media, Mr Johnson appeared to dodge responsibility for the downgrading of thousands of students’ grades.
Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:
Kenya’s president extends nationwide curfew for 30 days
Kenya’s president has extended a nationwide curfew for 30 days due to a rise in coronavirus cases in areas outside the country's capital.
In a televised address, Uhuru Kenyatta ordered bars and nightclubs to shut for another 30 days but increased the number of people allowed to attend weddings, funerals and other events.
Mr Kenyatta said infections were slowing in Nairobi, the capital, and the port and tourism hub of Mombasa.
“This crisis has however began to percolate to the counties. The new frontier of this invisible enemy is increasingly shifting to the counties and to our rural areas,” he said.
Kenya has 33,016 confirmed coronavirus cases so far, with 564 deaths.
More than 110,000 people to receive letter calling on them to take part in coronavirus study
More than 110,000 people are set to receive a letter on their doormat calling on them to take part in a study assessing levels of coronavirus throughout the population.
At present, researchers are regularly testing 28,000 people, but officials have announced plans to expand the programme to include 400,000 across Britain.
As part of the expansion of the study, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has written to more than 110,000 people across the UK asking them to take part in the Covid-19 Infection Survey.
The survey aims to act as a surveillance tool to detect coronavirus hot spots, with data on the types of people who are more likely to be infected.
Participants from private households, with or without symptoms, will provide nose and throat swabs on a regular basis. These are analysed to see whether they have contracted the virus.
Some people are also asked to provide a blood sample which looks for antibodies.
“The coronavirus has affected all our lives,” Professor Sir Ian Diamond, the UK's National Statistician, said.
“We're gradually returning to something more like normal life, but if that's to continue we need to be even more vigilant for further outbreaks.
“One of the most important surveys we've ever run at the Office for National Statistics will help do that."
Sir Ian added: “You can be tested once a week for the first month and up to once a month after that.
“We'll send a trained visitor to your home to make sure the test is done properly and safely. Then they'll take away the samples for analysis and we'll pass on the results to your doctor.”
Government hindering Covid response by ignoring councils and failing to share data, MPs told
The government has been accused of ignoring councils and failing to share data with local public health teams, hindering the effort to control coronavirus outbreaks.
Local government leaders told MPs on Wednesday there had been “no coordination” by central government and local authorities had learned about new initiatives at the same time as the media.
“It certainly has been quite evident throughout that we have not been trusted with the data and we've not been trusted with the powers,” Sir Peter Soulsby, mayor of Leicester, told a hearing of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on coronavirus.
Our policy correspondent, Jon Stone, has the full story below:
Death rates rise by more than 30 per cent during peak of Scotland’s outbreak
Death rates rose by more than 30 per cent across Scotland during the peak of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, according to official figures.
Public Health Scotland found Covid-19 contributed most to the 32 per cent mortality surge, although there was a rise in fatalities linked to other causes such as dementia and diabetes.
The body also reported a “striking” increase in excess deaths from external causes, such as traffic collisions and violence, despite lockdown measures.
“Our findings provide some support for the hypotheses that excess mortality from causes other than Covid-19 in Scotland may have resulted from reduced use of health services by those that need them, and from unintended consequences of measures taken to control the spread of the virus,” the body’s report said.
“For example, reduced use of hospitals or primary care services might explain the excess mortality from cancer, circulatory causes and diabetes.
“Also, physical distancing measures have been anecdotally linked to deterioration of physical and mental health of dementia and Alzheimer's patients.”
The report examined excess deaths in the 14 weeks between the registration of the first Covid-19 fatalities and deaths from all causes returning to typical levels - 16 March to 21 June.
Decision on face masks in Welsh schools to be made later today, Drakeford says
A decision on whether children in Wales will be required to wear face coverings in schools will be made later today, the country’s first minister has said.
Mark Drakeford hinted during Wednesday’s Welsh parliament plenary that the power to require their use of face masks could be left to local authorities in the case of spikes in their areas.
“We remain in discussions with a variety of important interests, local authorities, teaching unions, the Children's Commissioner, here in Wales,” Mr Drakeford said.
“There is a potential part to be played by face coverings in secondary schools in a local context where numbers rise above a certain threshold, where particular buildings don't allow the safe circulation of young people around the school.
“It is for a local determination in that set of particular circumstances, that those closest to them are best equipped to assess against guidance that we will provide to them.”
Opinion: ‘We’ve seen 13 U-turns from the government concerning the pandemic - this masks decision won’t be the last’
The government’s latest U-turn on face masks in schools has followed a familiar pattern of major policy changes during the coronavirus pandemic, our political columnist Andrew Grice has said.
With unemployment expected to rise significantly later this year, it is also unlikely to be the last.
Andrew writes:
“Conservative MPs are tearing their remaining hair out. Frustration has turned to despair and anger. They see an obvious pattern. The government says the science shows it is not necessary to do X. Then Nicola Sturgeon announces the Scottish government is doing it to keep people safe. Labour sees which way the wind is blowing and says it has been calling for X all along, renewing its (deserved) charge of government incompetence. Ministers in London deny they are planning a U-turn. Then they perform one, hiding behind a different and more convenient bit of scientific advice.”
You can find his full piece below:
Gatwick Airport to cut up to 600 jobs amid travel slump
Gatwick Airport has said it will axe up to 600 jobs (24 per cent of its workforce) due to a slump in travel brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
The airport, which is owned by VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was only operating about 20 per cent of last year’s flights and would now start formal consultations on cuts.
Boris Johnson calls face masks in classrooms 'nonsensical' hours after latest U-turn
Boris Johnson has described the idea of children wearing face masks in classrooms as “nonsensical” hours after his government said they would be required in some school corridors.
The prime minister suggested students would struggle to learn if their teacher was wearing a face covering.
Our Whitehall editor, Kate Devlin, has the full story below:
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