Coronavirus news: First UK local lockdown imposed in Leicester as WHO chief warns pandemic ‘not even close to being over’
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Britain’s first local lockdown has been imposed in Leicester by the government after a surge in coronavirus cases in the city.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said schools and non-essential retail shops will have to close again, while existing anti-coronavirus measures would be extended for at least two weeks longer than the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, has called the pandemic a “disaster” for the UK and made it clear he wants to boost infrastructure spending to help the economy.
Globally, the death toll for Covid-19 has topped half a million, while more than 10 million people have tested positive for the virus.
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More shops reopen in Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon has urged shoppers to act responsibly and not to "squander" virus progress as more shops welcome back customers in Scotland.
Stores with outdoor entrances were reopening in Scotland on Monday as part of phase two of lockdown easing.
Scotland's first minister told shoppers to social distance, wear a face mask and follow hygeine advice.
"We've made so much progress against the virus - let's not squander it," she tweeted.
Additional reporting by Press Association
Coronavirus law
The government is refusing to repeal a “draconian” coronavirus law – despite it being used to wrongly prosecute scores of people, Lizzie Dearden reports.
The Coronavirus Act has not been used lawfully in a single criminal case since it came into force on 25 March, according to a review by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Full report below:
Lockdown speeding
There was a 71 per cent spike in the number of drivers pulled over for speeding by the UK's largest police force at the start of lockdown, according to new figures.
Full story below:
Back to the pub
Britons are expected to spend £210m in pubs over the first July weekend, according to new research.
The Centre for Economics and Business Research said it expects around 6.5 million pub trips to be made on the weekend - around 1.5 million more than would be the case on a normal weekend.
However, there will be a fair few changes as pubs put anticoronavirus measures in place.
Our reporter Kate Ng outlines what the guidance says:
Additional reporting by Press Association
'We are concerned about any local outbreak'
Boris Johnson said the government was "concerned about Leicester" where there has been a flare-up of coronavirus.
On a visit to a construction site in west London, the British prime minister said: "We are concerned about any local outbreak."
"I want to stress to people that we are not out of the woods yet."
He added: "We are making these cautious, calibrated steps, we are opening as much of hospitality as we can on 4 July, opening as much of the economy as we can - some things, alas, still remain closed until they can become Covid-secure."
Additional reporting by Press Association
Coronavirus survivors at risk of PTSD, doctors warn
Survivors of coronavirus who fell seriously ill with the disease should be screened for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a group of leading doctors has urged.
Patients who required intensive care or hospital treatment are especially at risk of developing mental health issues due to the psychological trauma from battling the infection, the medics said.
The Covid Trauma Response Working Group, led by University College London, is made up of medical experts and doctors who say tens of thousands of people who were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 should be assessed and checked regularly for signs of PTSD.
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China puts 400,000 people near Beijing into lockdown amid surge in cases
China has reinstated a lockdown of around 400,000 people near Beijing following a small surge in coronavirus cases.
Officials said Anxin county, in Hubei province, would be “fully enclosed and controlled”, with only essential workers allowed to leave their homes and one member of a household allowed out once a day to shop for necessities.
Officials have warned anyone breaking the rules will be punished by police, according to the BBC.
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UN says coronavirus has pushed millions into hunger
Millions of people have been pushed into hunger by the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said on Monday as it appealed for nearly $5 billion to help feed the growing numbers in poor and middle-income countries.
“The frontline in the battle against the coronavirus is shifting from the rich world to the poor world,” said David Beasley, WFP's executive director. “Until the day we have a medical vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos.”
He said without access to enough food, the world could see “increased social unrest and protests, a rise in migration, deepening conflict and widespread under-nutrition among populations that were previously immune from hunger".
To tackle the rising tide of hunger, WFP is undertaking the biggest humanitarian response in its history, aiming to assist 138 million people, up from from a previous record of 97 million in 2019. The agency says sustained funding is needed to support its work in 83 countries, to provide food to the most vulnerable and to support governments working to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The number of hungry people in the countries where it operates could increase to 270 million before the end of 2020 — an 82% increase from before the pandemic took hold, said WFP.
The fallout from the pandemic is being felt hardest in Latin America, which has seen an almost three-fold rise in the number of people requiring food assistance, and among urban communities in low- and middle-income countries, which are being dragged into destitution by job losses and a precipitous drop in remittances.
Spikes in hunger are also evident in West and Central Africa, which has seen a 135% jump in the number of food insecure as well as in Southern Africa where there has been a 90% rise.
Associated Press
Leicester mayor criticises government as city faces first local lockdown
The mayor of Leicester, which is facing the country’s first local lockdown amid a spike in coronavirus cases, has slammed the “intensely frustrating” process of getting health information from the government.
The city has recorded 866 of its 2,987 Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks – sparking speculation that its inhabitants could be plunged into a localised lockdown.
Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and the council’s director of public health Ivan Browne will meet government officials on Monday morning to discuss the latest coronavirus testing data.
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BREAKING
Nicola Sturgeon says there have been no confirmed Covid-19 deaths in Scotland for the fourth consecutive day.
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