Coronavirus news: More schools abandon plans to reopen next week as rising UK infection rates spark fears of second wave
Follow the latest developments in worldwide pandemic
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Fears of a second coronavirus spike grew after new figures showed the virus could be growing exponentially in the northwest of England.
The reproduction rate is thought to be 1.01 in the northwest and 1 in the southwest according to data compiled by Public Health England (PHE) and Cambridge University.
The blow comes as the World Health Organisation updated its guidelines to recommend everyone wear a mask while in public – and over-60s wear medical grade masks.
Follow latest updates below:
Please allow the blog a moment to load
Catholic bishops issue guidance for reopening churches
Churchgoers should wear face coverings and could have to book places at Mass when churches reopen, Scotland's Catholic Bishops have said.
The Bishop's Conference of Scotland has sent the country's 600 priests guidance about the reopening of churches and the resumption of public worship, urging them to “act in harmony” with the Scottish Government's health advice.
With public worship currently suspended due to the coronavirus lockdown, priests have been encouraged to start preparations to allow churches to safely reopen in accordance with social distancing measures.
The Catholic church's guidance has been developed by their Covid-19 infection control working group, chaired by Scotland's former chief medical officer Sir Harry Burns.
In line with the Scottish Government's “route map” for easing lockdown, the guidance stresses that Mass can resume once the country enters phase three, with the recommendation to have services on both Saturdays and Sundays to allow more people to attend.
Press Association
How badly the UK compares with the rest of Europe
With the second highest death toll from the Covid-19 coronavirus in the world, reports this week claimed that the UK had more daily deaths than the whole of the EU combined on a recent day, despite its population being just one seventh of the size.
While the actual figures are close, the data used in the graphic has a number of flaws that reveal that to be inaccurate.
The government’s daily coronavirus press conference no longer includes a slide comparing the UK’s coronavirus death toll to other countries.
Read more:
Prince William reveals he has been helpline counsellor during lockdown
Prince William has revealed that he has been counselling people via a crisis helpline that his Royal Foundation helped to launch.
The Duke of Cambridge is one of more than 2,000 crisis volunteers at Shout 85258, a 24-hour text messaging helpline.
His work with the service was made public to coincide with Volunteers Week, an annual celebration of the contributions people make across the country though volunteering.
Read more:
Government believed to be on track to meet care home testing target
The Government is understood to be on track to meet its June 6 care home coronavirus test target, despite a survey finding some had not received testing kits.
More than a tenth of homes surveyed by the National Care Forum (NCF), which represents 120 not-for-profit care organisations, reported they had not received testing kits at the start of the week.
However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) believes it is on track to have offered testing to all care homes with residents over 65 in England by Saturday, it is understood.
The DHSC is expected to announce whether it has hit its target in the coming days.
It comes as a letter from the DHSC sent to care providers on Friday revealed plans to expand testing to all remaining adult care homes for those under the age of 65 from 7 June.
Tests will be available to all residents and asymptomatic staff, the letter said.
Press Association
center no-repeat #999999;cursor:pointer;background-size: 9px 10px;top:-8px; border-radius: 2px;">↵
The pro-migrant support you’re seeing from the public is under threat
Tens of millions of Britons on their doorsteps applauding an organisation propped up by foreign workers each week. A prime minister thanking two immigrants whose work as nurses saved his life. It would perhaps have seemed unthinkable from a Conservative government less than 10 years on from vans with “go home” emblazoned on the side, and indeed from the man who led a Brexit campaign warning of mass immigration from Turkey.
There have been some tangible changes in response to the unfolding coronavirus crisis. The Home Office eased the rules on its asylum housing and immigration detention in order to prevent spread. It extended visas for NHS staff and, after public outcry, dropped the controversial health surcharge for health workers tackling the pandemic on the front line.
But is this the beginning of real change for how immigration is viewed in Britain?
The Independent's social affairs correspondent, May Bulman, writes that experts remain sceptical.
Head here for more:
Indonesia reports nearly 1,000 new cases of coronavirus
Indonesia reported nearly 1,000 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, a new single-day high for the country that brought its total caseload past 30,000, as the government unveiled an enhanced stimulus package worth $47.6 billion to anchor the virus-battered economy.
The health ministry said there were 993 newly infected people over the past 24 hours. Indonesia has confirmed 30,514 cases, including 1,801 deaths, the most in Southeast Asia.
Finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said a 677.2 trillion rupiah ($47.6 billion) stimulus package aims to strengthen the health care system, direct more spending toward social protection to boost consumption, and provide incentives to rescue Indonesian businesses from bankruptcy and workers from layoffs.
The package is bigger than the one worth 641.17 trillion rupiah initially allocated in late April.
“We are hoping that this stimulus can maintain our economic growth at above zero percent,” Ms Indrawati said at a live-streamed news conference.
She said Indonesia's GDP growth could be lower than the government's protection of 2.3% this year. In the worst-case scenario, the government expects the economy to contract 0.4%, she added.
Indonesia's economy grew just 2.9% in January-March, the slowest growth in almost two decades, as the pandemic made its effects felt in exports, investment and consumption in Southeast Asia's largest economy.
Associated Press
Thousands expected to attend anti-racism protests across UK despite ministers warning against mass gatherings
Thousands of anti-racism protestors are set to attend demonstrations across the UK this weekend – despite government warnings that such mass gatherings are banned under the coronavirus lockdown.
Rallies will be held in cities including London, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle and Leicester with supporters demanding an end to institutional discrimination.
It comes as worldwide anger continued to grow over the death of George Floyd, a black father-of-one in the US city of Minneapolis last week.
Read more:
More schools abandon plans to reopen next week
More schools have shelved plans to reopen on Monday, after new data suggested coronavirus could still be spreading in the North West of England.
Health officials at Blackburn and Darwen Council, which runs 85 schools in Lancashire, reportedly emailed local schools on Friday evening advising them not to reopen to more pupils on Monday morning.
The same advice has been given by officials in Tameside, Greater Manchester.
It comes after new data showed the reproductive rate, known as the R value, is higher than the crucial threshold of 1, in the North West region.
The R value refers to the average number of people that will contract coronavirus from an infected person.
If it is 1 or higher, the virus will spread exponentially through the population, while a value less than 1 indicates the virus is in decline.
Press Association
Here is the World Health Organization's updated guidance on the use of masks to control coronavirus.
Frontline health workers host makeshift wedding ceremony in hospital
A couple who have both been working on the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak have hosted makeshift wedding ceremony in hospital after they were forced to postpone their nuptials.
Paramedic Nathan Judge and healthcare assistant Charlotte Medcalf were supposed to get married on 30 May after he proposed on a trip to Las Vegas.
But when the coronavirus outbreak struck, and one of their suppliers pulled out of the wedding, they had to cancel.
Read more:
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
Comments