Coronavirus news – live: Boris Johnson hints two-metre rule could be scrapped in schools, after Covid-19 alert level lowered
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Boris Johnson has hinted he may scrap the two-metre social distancing rule for schools, adding: “Watch this space.” His comments came after schools in England were offered £1bn to help children catch up on learning lost due to coronavirus.
Plus, the UK’s Covid-19 alert level has been lowered from 4 to 3 on the recommendation of the four chief medical officers, who nonetheless warned: “It does not mean that the pandemic is over.”
Also on Friday, figures showed that black men suffered the highest coronavirus death rate of any group at the height of the UK’s epidemic.
UK's borrowing hits record high - full story
Government borrowing reached a record monthly high of £55.2bn in May – nearly nine times higher than in the same month a year ago, according to the Office for National Statistics, writes Adam Forrest.
It means borrowing has soared to a record £103.7bn in the financial year to date – £87bn more than the same time last year and the highest in any annual period since current records began in 1993.
Government extends protections for business tenants
The government has extended measures to prevent landlords from evicting businesses struggling due to the coronavirus crisis, it has been announced.
The extension will run until the end of September and comes as the Business and Communities departments launch a voluntary code of practice between landlords and tenants, including the hospitality and retail sectors.
Latvia unveils statue honouring health workers
A large statue has been unveiled in Latvia‘s capital to honour healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic on the front lines, writes Zoe Tidman.
The 20ft monument of a person wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and a stethoscope around their neck was revealed in Riga earlier this week.
The statue looks up towards the sky with outstretched arms.
£1bn schools catch-up fund criticised for leaving out nurseries and colleges
Education leaders have criticised the £1bn catch-up funding plan for schools in England.
Headteachers say they were not consulted on the details of the scheme, which will see the most disadvantaged children in England given access to funds to pay for tutors, while the majority of the money will be shared across schools to help pupils from all backgrounds affected by the lockdown.
College and nursery leaders have criticised ministers for leaving out their pupils out after it was announced that £650m would only be given to state primary and secondary schools for the 2020-21 academic year.
A further £350m will be spent on a year-long subsidised national tutoring programme targeted at the most disadvantaged pupils in schools.
Sector leaders say the funding will not reach young children in nurseries and college students who are most "in need of support" amid the pandemic.
Myanmar reports 23 coronavirus cases in refugees deported from Thailand
Myanmar has reported 23 cases of coronavirus infection among a group of people held in quarantine there after being deported from Thailand.
The health ministry said the group had tested positive while in a quarantine centrein the southeastern Kayin state.
Thant Zin Aung, MP for Myanmar's Myawaddy township, which borders Thailand, said all 23 had been deported to Myanmar from Thailand on 8 June.
They had been in a Thai detention centre close to the Malaysia border over visa violations, he said.
Malaysian and Thai authorities have been detaining and deporting migrants from Myanmar in recent weeks as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Many are believed to be refugees from the Rohingya ethnic minority, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled a crackdown in Myanmar.
The 23 cases were the most officially reported in a single day in Myanmar, which has recorded only 286 cases of the virus so far and six deaths. Testing has been limited.
Thailand has reported no local transmission of the coronavirus for almost a month, only imported cases.
Reuters
Wales in major lockdown easing
All non-essential shops in Wales will be able to re-open from 22 June, as part of a gradual relaxation of lockdown which will see further easing of restrictions every Monday for the next three weeks, writes Andrew Woodcock.
Pupils will return to Welsh schools on 29 June and the requirement to remain within five miles of your home will be lifted if conditions allow on 6 July.
Six more coronavirus deaths in Scotland
A total of 2,470 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by six from 2,464 on Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Speaking at the Scottish Government's virtual coronavirus briefing, the first minister said 18,104 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 27 from 18,077 the previous day.
There are 904 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, a decrease of 25 in 24 hours.
Of these patients, 19 were in intensive care, down by four.
South Asian people at greater risk of dying in hospital
A new study has found South Asian people are at a greater risk of dying in hospital with coronavirus than other ethnicities, writes Zoe Tidman.
Researchers said this could partly be put down to a higher prevalence of diabetes.
Germany reports highest daily rise in coronavirus cases in a month
Germany has reported its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases in a month after managing to contain its outbreak better than comparable large European nations.
The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control centre, listed 770 new confirmed cases, taking the country's total to 188,534.
A flurry of positive tests this week from an outbreak at a slaughterhouse in the western region of Guetersloh contributed the biggest daily increase since 20 May.
The German government has stuck to its course of gradually reopening the country while seeking to clamp down swiftly on localised outbreaks.
A free app launched on Tuesday to help trace people who may have been exposed to the virus has already been downloaded 9.6 million times in Germany, which has a population of 83 million.
AP
Johnson suggests 2-metre distancing rule could be axed in schools
He said: "Watch this space."
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