Coronavirus news: Boris Johnson postpones further lockdown lifting as Scottish people told not to visit areas of northern England
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Boris Johnson has postponed the next stage of easing lockdown restrictions planned for Saturday, which would have seen the return of casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks, indoor performances and wedding receptions for up to 30 people.
The prime minister also announced pilots of sporting events with crowds and gatherings in conference centres will be delayed.
Face coverings will become mandatory in places such as museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship in England from 8 August, Mr Johnson said on Friday.
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon warned Scottish people not to travel to parts of northern England hit by a spike in coronavirus cases unless their trip is “absolutely essential”.
Her comments come after the UK government imposed tougher lockdown restrictions in the areas affected, with people from different households in Greater Manchester, parts of East Lancashire and West Yorkshire banned from meeting each other indoors again.
The UK health secretary said these new restrictions on gatherings – which were announced shortly before the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha – were not aimed at curtailing celebration, but that ”immediate action” was needed in these areas.
Muslim leaders slammed the government for giving ”shockingly short notice” for the ban on different households mixing inside their homes or gardens in parts of northern England.
Airport testing in France
France's busiest airport has been preparing to start testing passengers for COVID-19 on arrival from high-risk countries, a move that could reduce the need for quarantine measures causing pain to the tourism industry across Europe.
From around 6am on Saturday morning, Paris public hospital official Benjamin Paumier will lead a team of about 30 testers working out of a makeshift space near baggage reclaim at Charles de Gaulle airport.
Anyone landing from one of 12 countries identified by the French government will be required to visit the testers.
One worker will record their contact details, then direct them to a colleague who will insert a swab into their nasal passage to gather a sample for testing.
Travellers are then allowed to continue their journey.
"The test (results) are not available immediately. We don't know if someone is positive or negative," Mr Paumier said.
"But the objective is to follow these people, especially those who are positive, to follow them up, and find out who they've been in contact with."
The countries affected are: South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, Israel, Brazil, Peru, Serbia, Algeria, Turkey, Madagascar, India and Oman.
Reuters
Dr Fauci on vaccine chances
Dr Anthony Fauci said today that he is "cautiously optimistic" of an effective coronavirus vaccine being available by the end of the year, but that it wouldn't be widely available to all Americans until 2021, Justin Vallejo writes.
Testifying before a House subcommittee investigation of the Trump administration's coronavirus response, the infectious diseases expert said he was confident that the vaccine being developed by Moderna would be successful as soon as the fall.
Full story:
Warning for Scots
Scots have been urged not to visit parts of northern England hit by a spike in coronavirus cases, with Nicola Sturgeon warning there is a "significant risk" this could lead to a rise in infections north of the border.
Scotland's first minister said Scots who are already in the affected areas should be "extra vigilant" when they return home, by minimising contact with anyone outside their own household and avoiding pubs and restaurants for two weeks.
She warned: "There is a significant risk of importation from parts of the north of England right now."
Ms Sturgeon urged Scots who had planned to travel to those parts of England this weekend not to do so unless their trip is "absolutely essential".
The Scottish government tweeted earlier today telling people to avoid going to the following areas due to a spike in cases:
Additional reporting by Press Association
Sage warns public disorder could threaten coronavirus efforts
Serious public disorder in the coming months could "overwhelm all attempts" to control coronavirus and "catastrophically" undermine recovery plans, scientific advisers have warned.
The current "volatile and highly complex situation" means the UK will face "grave challenges" in maintaining public order, according to a paper considered by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) in July.
The academics warn that tensions resulting from the pandemic have become "inextricably bound" with structural inequalities and international events.
They cited the Black Lives Matter movement that gained traction in May and early June after the death of George Floyd in the United States.
There is an increasing sense of "racial injustice, inequality and discrimination" felt among black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
At the same time, the authors say extreme right-wing groups are mobilising at a scale not seen for a decade, and exploiting fatal stabbing incidents in Reading, London and Glasgow.
The paper, by Professors Cliff Stott and Mark Harrison, reads: "While widespread urban disorder is not inevitable, currently, the situation in the UK is precariously balanced and the smallest error in policing (whether perceived or real, inside or outside the UK) or policy could unleash a dynamic which will make the management of Covid-19 all but impossible.
"Put simply, a serious deterioration of public order could overwhelm all attempts to control contagion, overwhelm hospitals, the criminal justice system and hinder revival of the economy."
Press Association
Help for struggling Americans
White House officials pressured top congressional Democrats to accept Republican proposals to temporarily extend help to Americans who are struggling most due to the coronavirus, John T Bennett reports.
Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters the White House and Republican leaders have made four offers in recent days, but Democratic leaders have rejected each one - and made no counteroffers.
Assistance for unemployed Americans and protections against evictions both expire at 11:59pm on Friday.
Record rise in global Covid-19 cases
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 292,527.
The biggest increases were from the US, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report.
The previous WHO record for new cases was 284,196 on 24 July.
Reuters
'Nonsense' timing
Police officers have called the timing of the government’s northern lockdown announcement “absolute nonsense” as authorities scramble to implement new rules, Lizzie Dearden, our home affairs correspondent, reports.
The Department of Health said that laws would be passed to enforce the changes, including a ban on different households meeting in homes and gardens.
But the new Health Protection Regulations had not been published by Friday afternoon, meaning that guidance on how police will enforce the change could not be distributed.
Full story:
Face masks in Greece
Greece will make mask-wearing compulsory in all indoor public spaces and also in outdoor spaces where proper social distancing cannot be observed, its deputy civil protection minister has said, following a further rise in Covid-19 infections.
Greece reported 78 new confirmed cases on Friday, its highest tally in about two months.
Reuters
Argentina extends lockdown
Argentina will extend a mandatory lockdown until 16 August as its coronavirus cases continue to rise, the Argentinian president has announced.
The lockdown, which has been the strictest in the capital Buenos Aires, was due to expire on Sunday.
The South American nation has seen its caseload spike in recent weeks and recorded a record daily tally on Thursday with 6,377 new cases.
There are now 185,373 confirmed cases and 3,466 deaths, according to the latest government data.
Reuters
Riots warning
Riots could sweep the UK if authorities do not reduce tensions over local coronavirus lockdowns, policing tactics, Black Lives Matter and political polarisation, scientific advisers have warned.
Lizzie Dearden, our home affairs correspondent, has the full story:
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