Coronavirus news - live: Test result turnaround times hit lowest point, as millions in northeast face lockdown

Follow all the latest updates and statistics on the pandemic

Hancock announces new restrictions for the north east of England

The proportion of people in England receiving an in-person Covid-19 test result within the government's 24-hour target period has hit its lowest point since the middle of June. 

Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding told MPs the latest capacity for Covid-19 tests stands at 242,000 across the UK, but that demand was currently three to four times higher.

The former Talk Talk boss conceded that tests were lying unused at testing sites, lest they go out of date at backlogged laboratories, where she said the “constraint” lay in the system.

It came as more than 1.5 million people across the northeast of England prepare to be placed under new coronavirus restrictions, bringing the total subject to additional measures to nearly 10 million across the country.

The new rules will see residents banned from socialising outside their own households or support bubble, leisure and entertainment venues shut between 10pm and 5am, and table service only in bars and restaurants from midnight on Thursday. 

And globally, reported infections surpassed 30 million, according to a Reuters tally, as countries’ combined official death tolls neared the million mark.

Key Points

• Test result turnaround times hit lowest point
• NHS bosses fear lack of coronavirus tests is driving rise in staff sickness
• New coronavirus restrictions announced for northeast of England
• WHO warns of 'very serious' situation in Europe as cases surge
• Test and trace stats show 167% rise in positive cases
• Boris Johnson says pubs curfew may be needed to stop coronavirus
• Health minister plays down reports of national lockdown
• PM tells public to only snitch on 'huge Animal House parties'
• Northeast of England faces fresh lockdown restrictions
• Coronavirus news you may have missed overnight

[17 September 2020 07:52 · Chiara Giordano]

Good morning and welcome to today’s live blog - we’ll be bringing you all the latest updates and statistics on the pandemic.

[17 September 2020 07:52 · Chiara Giordano]

Northeast of England facing fresh lockdown restrictions

Swathes of the North East of England are expected to be brought under local lockdown measures from Friday to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to local media reports — impacting hundreds of thousands.

The Northern Echo reports measures could include a ban on socialising between different households and a 10pm curfew on pubs, adding that Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland are all expected to be impacted.

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said "additional, temporary" measures are being planned to prevent another full lockdown — and that health secretary Matt Hancock is expected to make an announcement on the matter on Thursday morning.

[17 September 2020 07:55 · Chiara Giordano]

Only snitch on neighbours having “huge Animal House parties"

Boris Johnson has told people not to snitch on neighbours breaking the new “rule of six” unless they are having “huge Animal House” style parties.

The prime minister urged people to speak with rulebreakers before notifying the authorities.

He told The Sun: "I have never much been in favour of sneak culture, myself.

"What people should do in the first instance is obviously if they are concerned is raise it with their friends and neighbours.

"But I think what is reasonable for anyone to do is if they think there is a serious threat to public health as a result of their neighbours' activities - if there is some huge kind of Animal House party taking place, as I am sure, hot tubs and so forth, and there is a serious threat to public health then its reasonable for the authorities to know."

Animal House is an American comedy which marked John Belushi's film debut as a hard-partying college fraternity member.

The PM's advice is seemingly at odds with that of the home secretary, who on Tuesday said she would report breaches of coronavirus restrictions by neighbours and even suggested families stopping to talk in the street could be breaking the new laws.

[17 September 2020 08:05 · Chiara Giordano]

Health minister plays down reports of national lockdown

Health minister Edward Argar has played down reports that the government is considering a two-week national lockdown as coronavirus cases continue to rise.

"It is not something I have seen within the department," he told Sky News.

"The prime minister has been very clear on this. He doesn't want to see another national lockdown. He wants to see people abiding by the regulations and making the local lockdowns work."

With further lockdowns expected to be announced in the northeast of England today, Mr Argar said the region was seeing a spike in cases similar to that in the North West.

"In the North East we are seeing a spike in infections. It is exactly what we have seen in the North West. We monitor that rate. Where we need to, we step in and take action," he said.

Mr Argar said that in the North West, the rise had been driven in part by people not adhering to the social distancing requirements.

"Obviously a nighttime economy will fuel that with people having been out late into the evening."

[17 September 2020 08:17 · Chiara Giordano]

North East restrictions are ‘preventative’ measure, says council boss

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes has said new coronavirus restrictions are being introduced in the North East as a "preventative" measure.

"I think we should all be deeply concerned about the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases we have seen over the last week in the North East," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"And not just the rapid rise in numbers, but also the fact that the average age of people being infected is going up as well.

"Last week 60% of the people that were being tested were between the ages of 18 and 30. That is now starting to reach into older age groups as well.

"We know that when it starts to affect older people that's when you start to get the hospitalisations and sadly also the mortality too.

"That's why we are acting now as a preventative measure to try to put off any further spread of the virus and ensure that we don't end up here in the North East in a more restrictive lockdown instead."

[17 September 2020 08:28 · Chiara Giordano]

Workplaces could reportedly close again in fortnight

Offices will be reshut within two weeks if coronavirus infection rates continue to rise, ministers have reportedly warned.  

The new restriction would come little more than a month after Boris Johnson told people they should be returning to the workplace. 

Our North of England correspondent Colin Drury explains more:

[17 September 2020 08:39 · Chiara Giordano]

Pub curfews

The prime minister has said the government is looking at bringing in a curfew on pub opening hours to stop the spread of coronavirus, Jon Stone reports.

Boris Johnson said he hoped the government's new "rule of six" would be enough to send the country's "R number" negative again, and said he did not want to impose a full nationwide lockdown for the sake of businesses.

[17 September 2020 08:52 · Chiara Giordano]

Surge in cases ‘can be controlled through local measures’

Health minister Edward Argar has said the government believes the rise in coronavirus cases can be controlled through local measures.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We saw in Leicester it worked, we saw those rates come right down - it does work and it does control it at a local level.

"I don't think we are at a place where we would wish to see or need to see a national level of restrictions."

Mr Argar said that while the government was "ramping up" testing capacity as cases rose, it would need to prioritise key workers.

“We will see this in the next few days, the official guidance coming out that will prioritise frontline NHS care workers, teachers and similar,” he said.

"It is possible that there are people with symptoms who apply for a test who have to wait longer because we are prioritising those key frontline workers we need to keep our NHS and care system working."

[17 September 2020 09:11 · Chiara Giordano]

Spain reports highest rise in deaths in months

A further 239 people have died in Spain after contracting Covid-19 in the highest increase seen for months, reports say, bringing the country’s death toll to 30,243.  

The last time such a high figure was reported was on 19 June - and that was an “anomaly” because it included hundreds of older cases, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.  

Apart from the date in June, the last time the Spain saw a figure this high was at the beginning of May when the country was in a strict lockdown.  

Madrid is expected to introduce selective lockdowns in urban areas where the coronavirus is spreading faster.  

Deputy regional health chief Antonio Zapatero said the measures will most likely affect southern, working-class neighbourhoods of the Spanish capital where infection rates have been steadily soaring since August.  

Mr Zapatero said Madrid wants to "flatten the curve before the arrival of autumn and the complications cold weather could bring," adding that the measures to be taken will be decided by this weekend.

[17 September 2020 09:21 · Chiara Giordano]

PM contradicts ministers over snitching on neighbours

Boris Johnson has said people should not report their neighbours for violating the new ‘rule of six’ coronavirus measure unless they are having huge parties, contradicting controversial statements by his ministers earlier this week.

Mr Johnson is encouraging people to discuss the issue with their neighbours, rather than going directly to the authorities.

The prime minister’s words stand in sharp contrast with home secretary Priti Patel, who said she would report her neighbours for breaking the new coronavirus law, which came into effect on Monday.