Coronavirus news: Boris Johnson set to make face masks mandatory in shops as WHO reports record global surge in infections
Follow the latest updates
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health
Get our free Health Check email
Boris Johnson is set to make face coverings compulsory in shops and other indoor venues as the government indicated further relaxation of lockdown restrictions.
The prime minister said he was looking at ways of being “stricter” about masks as the culture secretary announced gyms, sports facilities and beauty salons will be allowed to reopen in England later this month.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation warned the coronavirus pandemic had still not reached its peak, with the organisation’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying the virus is not under control “in most of the world” and is in fact “getting worse”.
It comes as quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of 76 countries are relaxed from Friday.
Follow the latest updates
At least 16 homeless people die of coronavirus in one month
The deaths of 16 homeless people involving coronavirus were registered in England between March 26 and June 26 2020, the Office for National Statistics has identified.
The statistics body said the figure in its data may be an underestimate of the true number of homeless people who have died with the virus.
It defined people as homeless who were sleeping rough, using homeless shelters and direct access hostels, or housed in emergency accommodation due to the pandemic at or around the time of death.
The 16 death certificates, mainly for homeless men, mentioned Covid-19 either as an underlying cause or a contributory factor.
Serbia removed from list of non-quarantine countries
Serbia is being removed from a list of where people returning to or visiting England can avoid quarantine, on the day the new rules come into force.
The UK government announced that the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England have "updated their coronavirus assessments of Serbia based on the latest data".
Serbia was included on a list of 76 countries and territories from which people arriving into England will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days from Friday.
The list included popular destinations such as Spain, Germany, France and Italy, but Portugal was one of the notable omissions.
The Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive decided to follow the same approach, but the Scottish Government produced a list of just 39 countries not including Spain or Serbia.
Falling infection rate cannot be taken for granted, culture minister says
Culture minister Caroline Dinenage said while the infection rate is falling that cannot be taken for granted.
She was asked, following comments by WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that the pandemic is still accelerating globally, whether she was worried about people returning to gyms.
She told Times Radio: "Well, we have been worried. That's why we haven't taken this step until now, and when gyms do reopen it will be with quite strict 'Covid-secure' guidelines, you know things like limiting the number of people that can use the facility at any one time, spacing out the equipment, proper ventilation and enhanced cleaning.
"So we're really sort of doing everything we can to get the economy back up and running, but doing it in a way that is safe for people.
"Our infection rate is coming down but we can't take that for granted, we need to move at a pace that's going to keep people safe."
Asked why people are not being asked to wear masks in gyms, she said: "Because the scientific guidance we've got is that all these measures we've asked them (gyms) to put in place, particularly around the ventilation, and the enhanced distancing, we think is sufficient.
"Although of course people can wear masks if they want to."
Decision on whether to make face masks mandatory in shops under review
Culture minister Caroline Dinenage said the decision on whether to make face masks mandatory in shops would be kept under review following the Scottish government's new guidance for the retail sector.
When asked whether ministers had considered making face coverings mandatory for shoppers, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Yes of course, and they are mandatory on public transport.
"But we have said face coverings in closed spaces is advised but people can use their own discretion - but of course we will keep this under review.
"This is a topic upon which scientists tend to have rather different views so we are looking at it as new scientific studies emerge."
Not one person fined in England or Wales for breaching quarantine rules
Not a single person has been fined by police in England and Wales for breaching quarantine rules after arriving from abroad, new figures show.
Just 10 tickets were handed out to passengers for not wearing face coverings on public transport, according to the data released by the National Police Chiefs' Council on Friday.
The figures come as quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of countries, including popular holiday destinations, were relaxed from Friday.
The 14-day self-isolation policy for UK arrivals, bar a handful of exemptions, was introduced on June 8, with breaches punishable of fines of between £100 and £1,000.
It was met with fierce criticism over the impact on the UK's travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
The NPCC said: "Up to June 22, no fines were issued by territorial forces in England and Wales for breaches of the requirement to quarantine following international travel."
The figures do not include fines given by Border Force, who have issued three penalties.
WHO sends advance team to China to investigate origins of coronavirus
An advance team from the World Health Organization (WHO) has left for China to organise an investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus which sparked the pandemic, a spokesperson has said.
The two WHO experts, specialists in animal science and epidemiology, will work with Chinese scientists to determine the scope and itinerary of the investigation, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a UN briefing.
"They are gone, they are in the air now, they are the advance party to work out the scope," she said.
The WHO will have no role in an independent panel, announced on Thursday, to review the global handling of pandemic, Ms Harris said, adding: "From now on it is completely hands off".
Italy likely to extend state of emergency
Italy will likely extend a state of emergency beyond its current deadline of July 31 due to the new coronavirus crisis, prime minister Giuseppe Conte has announced.
"The possible extension simply means that we are in a position to continue taking the necessary measures" to face the epidemic, Mr Conte said, speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony in Venice.
Italy declared a six-month state of emergency at the end of January, allowing the government to cut through red tape quickly if needed, after two Chinese tourists tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first cases detected in the country.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies