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 postpones further lockdown lifting as coronavirus rise across England

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.

Key Points

• Scots warned not to visit parts of northern England unless 'absolutely essential'
• Face masks to be mandatory in cinemas, museums and places of worship
• Government blamed for ‘indescribable chaos’ over messaging
• Boris Johnson postpones further lockdown lifting
• Infections increasing across England, new official statistics show
• New lockdown announcement 'crystal clear', Hancock insists
• PM's claim of 'massive success' is delusional, says Labour
• Trump again suggests delaying election

[31 July 2020 20:19 · Zoe Tidman]

'Can you imagine them pulling this on Christmas Eve?'

For parts of northern England, a ban on different households mixing indoors was announced on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a major Islamic festival.

Colin Drury spoke to people in Bradford about their feelings towards the announcement - and particularly its timing. 

“Can you imagine them pulling this sh*t on Christmas Eve?” one Bradfordian asked on Friday afternoon. “No way would that have happened.”

[31 July 2020 20:25 · Zoe Tidman]

French daily infection rate back to lockdown levels

France reported 1,346 new coronavirus infections on Friday, taking the total to 187,919 as the daily tally of new cases remained above 1,300 for the third day running, a level last seen during lockdown.

At the end of the first month of school holidays, with millions of French people traveling and mingling with friends and family not seen for weeks, the infection rate has risen back to a level last reported in late April, when the epidemic was in full swing and a strict lockdown was in place.

But while new infections are now back to lockdown and pre-lockdown levels, fewer people are dying or falling seriously ill compared to a few months ago.

Reuters

[31 July 2020 20:44 · Zoe Tidman]

Spanish holidays

Go on holiday against Foreign Office advice or lose some of your cash: that is the response of a leading online travel agent to the sudden government warning against travel to Spain, Simon Calder writes.

Read his full report below:

[31 July 2020 21:02 · Zoe Tidman]

Coronavirus in winter

The UK is still relying heavily on summer-compatible mitigation measures, such as encouraging people to meet each other outside. 

Also, seasonal illnesses, like flu, are less prevalent in the summer months, giving more capacity for the NHS to deal with Covid-19.

So, is it reasonable to expect, as Boris Johnson promised, that we will have a “more significant return to normality” by Christmas?

Sophie Gallager takes a look:

[31 July 2020 21:20 · Zoe Tidman]

Florida sets another record for daily deaths

Florida, one of the US coronavirus hotspots, reported another record increase in Covid-19 deaths on Friday.

The state health department said Florida registered 257 fatalities, a record for the fourth straight day.

In numerical terms, the one-day loss of life in Florida was roughly equivalent to the number of passengers on a single-aisle airplane.

Reuters

[31 July 2020 21:41 · Zoe Tidman]

'I have mould in my lungs'

Brazil’s far-right president appeared to joke about having mould in his lungs after spending weeks in isolation suffering from coronavirus.

The president tested positive for Covid-19 on 7 July, and tested negative last weekend.

Tim Wyatt reports:

[31 July 2020 21:46 · Zoe Tidman]

Bournemouth beach prepares for sunny weekend

Police are prepared to use cordons to stop Bournemouth beach from becoming overcrowded on Friday, amid fears that thousands of people will head there to make the most of the high temperatures.

This comes a month after a major incident was declared at the same beach because of overcrowding.

Rory Sullivan reports:

[31 July 2020 22:51 · Zoe Tidman]

Brazil's coronavirus tally

Brazil recorded more than 52,300 additional confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, as well as 1,212 deaths from the disease, the health ministry said on Friday.

The country has registered more than 2.6 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 92,475, according to ministry data.

Reuters

[31 July 2020 23:24 · Zoe Tidman]

Beaches

Thousands of people descended onto England’s beaches on Friday as temperatures soared, with council authorities pleading for others to stay away.

In Bournemouth and Poole, police and council officers were patrolling the seafront to enforce social distancing among the masses of people who visited the beaches today.

Kate Ng has the full story:

[31 July 2020 23:44 · Zoe Tidman]

That's all from us tonight, thanks for following.