Coronavirus news – live: Face coverings will not be made in compulsory in shops, Michael Gove says as Herefordshire farm in lockdown
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Your support makes all the difference.Face coverings will not be made mandatory in shops, Michael Gove said – two days after Boris Johnson hinted that England could copy Scotland by introducing the rule.
The cabinet office minister also stepped up calls for people to return to work following reports that the government was set to ease restrictions on using public transport.
It came as a Herefordshire farm went into lockdown after 73 vegetable pickers tested positive for coronavirus. The 200 staff are being kept in isolation in mobile homes at the site.
Meanwhile Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would be prepared to impose a border quarantine with England to prevent the spread of the virus if necessary, though there were no “immediate plans” to do so.
Follow our live coverage below
Japan anger at outbreak among US Marines
Dozens of US Marines stationed at two military bases in Japan have been diagnosed with coronavirus in a massive outbreak that has caused fury among local officials.
More than 60 of the specialist troops located on the southern island of Okinawa have become infected since 7 July, reports say.
No new deaths in Scotland or Wales
Scotland has recorded no new deaths for the fourth day in a row, meaning the total remains at 2,490.
The Scottish Government said 19 further cases had been confirmed, taking the total to 18,359.
Meanwhile there were 16 cases and no new deaths in Wales. The death toll in the region remains at 1,541.
Some AC units risk spreading Covid-19, say experts
Air conditioning units that recirculate air in rooms and offices should be turned off or used only with open windows because of the risk of spreading coronavirus, experts advise.
They fear that any Covid-19 droplets in the air could be transmitted more easily to people in the room, even those who are socially distanced.
200 workers quarantined in farm lockdown
The Herefordshire farm at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak has confirmed that the site has closed to visitors and workers are not allowed to leave.
"Our work force and local community are our priority at this difficult time and we continue to follow the guidance of the relevant bodies to ensure that the spread of the virus is controlled and our workforce is supported," AS Green and Co said.
"Public Health England advises that it is very unlikely Covid-19 can be transmitted through food or food packaging, so shoppers can remain confident buying British fruit and veg."
Cancer treatment petition hits 130,000 signatures
A petition calling for urgent action to prevent thousands of cancer deaths being caused by delays to treatment during the pandemic has gathered 100,000 signatures within hours of being launched.
It was created by Craig and Mandy Russell just weeks after their daughter Kelly Smith, 31, who had bowel cancer, died during lockdown.
They say they are "terrified" by estimates from medical experts who fear that in a worst-case scenario there will be 35,000 excess cancer deaths in the UK in the next year.
South Africa considering return to lockdown
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has announced he will speak to the nation about the crisis this evening, after top health officials have warned of shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen.
The country is now the ninth-worst-hit country in the world after reporting a surge in new cases over the last week. Nearly 13,500 were confirmed in the latest daily update, bringing the total to 264,184.
South Africa accounts for 40 per cent of all the confirmed cases in Africa and has recorded 3,971 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The recent surge follows the relaxation of one of the world's strictest lockdowns, which saw the closure of virutally all mines, factories and businesses and a ban on sales of liquor and cigarettes. The measures slowed the spread of the coronavirus but the resulting recession saw unemployment rise past 30 per cent.
Africa's 54 countries have reported 577,904 cases, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today. The continent's confirmed cases are concentrated in four countries - South Africa, Egypt with 81,158 cases, Nigeria with 31,987 cases and Algeria with 18,712 cases - which together make up more than 65 per cent of the continent's cases.
NHS England reports 15 more deaths in hospital
A further 15 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total to 29,066.
NHS England said the patients were aged between 72 and 96 years old. One patient, aged 96, had no known underlying health conditions.
We are still awaiting the official government figures for the whole of the UK.
Lebanon cases rise amid outbreak among cleaning staff
A Lebanese waste management company is quarantining some 133 Syrian workers who tested positive for the coronavirus, the company manager said on Sunday, as Lebanon recorded a new daily high for infections.
Lebanon has recorded more than 2,000 infections and 36 deaths from the coronavirus since February.
"We are moving them to a place to quarantine them. We are separating those who are infected from those who aren't ... we are waiting for more results," RAMCO manager Walid BouSaad told Reuters.
Health minister Hamad Hassan said more than 100 cases had been recorded, with most of them at what he described as "a big cleaning company", an apparent reference to RAMCO, which collects garbage across Lebanon.
Restrictions on mosque prayers in Kosovo
Muslim authorities in Kosovo on Sunday reimposed some limits on prayers at mosques due to rising numbers of infections from the new coronavirus.
A statement by the Islamic community of Kosovo, the highest local governing body of the faith, said mass gatherings would be suspended, with no more than 50 people at a time allowed to gather for prayers, and only for 10 minutes.
They will have to wear masks, remain at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart and use their own personal prayer rug. People older than 65 and younger than 16 should pray at home.
Mosques had been closed earlier this year after the emergence of the pandemic, but were reopened two months ago.
Kosovo reported more than 200 new cases of Covid-19 a day over the past week. As of Sunday, there have been 4,715 confirmed cases in the country and 101 deaths.
Farm outbreak 'first of its kind', says public health official
Karen Wright, director of public health for Herefordshire Council, said the spread of infection had been controlled due to "prompt testing".
She urged anyone experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 to arrange a test.
"While Herefordshire is the first to experience an outbreak of this kind, this is not unexpected," she said in a statement.
"Our priority is to protect the health and well-being of all residents in our community.
"Prompt testing on the farm has allowed us to understand transmission and control the spread of infection.
"We continue to support the farm management, their workers - who form an important part of our local economy, and the local community through this challenging time."
On the website of vegetable producer AS Green and Co, which is based on the farm in the village of Mathon, near Worcester, it says workers are expected to share accommodation at Rook Row Farm, while there is a recreational building with a pool table, dart board and TV for all employees.
The farm received more than 300 applications from workers as part of the government's "Pick for Britain" campaign to prevent crops rotting in the ground during the pandemic.
Photo of Rook Row Farm in Mathon, Herefordshire, via Press Association
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