Belgium will not deploy mobile phone apps to trace the path of coronavirus infections, telecommunications minister Philippe De Backer has said. It amounts to a U-turn after he initially pushed the idea.

While the Belgian government was one of the first in Europe to show interest in mobile data and the development of smartphone apps to pinpoint those in the country of 11.5 million at risk of infection, Mr De Backer said this had been ruled out for now.

“There is no need for an app for contact tracing, it can be done manually and it has been around for years,” he told Belgian television channel VRT.

On easing lockdown measures across the UK, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “What we want to do, and I’m sure it’s no different for Mark Drakeford [the Welsh first minister], is to ensure that we don’t do anything which can lead to a second peak because that is the worst thing that we can do, not only for the nation’s health but also for the economy.”

The spokesperson added: “We and they have all said that we want to adopt a four-nations’ approach and that is what has happened so far.”

Downing Street has dismissed Donald Trump’s suggestion that injections of disinfectant could treat coronavirus, saying “it’s not something that’s being looked at here”.
 

Mre than 250,000 people have now viewed the paper the Scottish Government published on Thursday setting out how lockdown measures could be eased, ​Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The first minister described the document as an “attempt to have a grown up conversation with the wider public” on the issue.

But with the risk that easing measures could see coronavirus surge again, she said any moves forward would need to be “baby steps”.

Inside NHS Nightingale: Special report

A 4,000-patient hospital constructed in just 10 days, NHS Nightingale in east London was set up as a key part of the preparations for a coronavirus surge – and has been highlighted as a crowning achievement by ministers and officials at every turn, from the House of Commons to countless press releases and PR videos, writes Shaun Lintern.

But at the 100-acre ExCel centre in London Docklands, the number of patients fighting for their lives in the field hospital is approximately 30. Questions are being asked about why the Nightingale isn’t taking more patients from London’s hospitals, which have carried the burden of the surge in patients needing intensive care, cancelling operations, creating makeshift intensive care units in overspill areas and stretching staffing to unsafe levels.
 

Leaders from New Zealand, Austria and other countries that have seen relatively low incidence of coronavirus have convened to share tips, Austria’s chancellor has said.

Vietnam reported two new Covid-19 cases on Friday, taking the tally to 270, its health ministry said, after the nation’s lockdown order was lifted a day earlier.

Both of the new cases are Vietnamese citizens, who returned from Japan on 22 April and were under quarantine upon arrival, the health ministry said in a statement.

The country had stayed clear of the virus for seven days and has reported no deaths.

Coronavirus has spread to all 50 US states, hitting the northeast especially hard. Regional patterns reveal the challenges faced by different states as they work to combat the virus.
 

Professional bodies involved in the construction industry have written to the Scottish government urging a gradual reopening of non-essential building sites as soon as possible.

Groups representing chartered surveyors, architects and other professionals said the industry faces long-term damage unless action is taken quickly, warning a “state of paralysis” is setting in. 

Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon outlined out the country would eventually emerge from lockdown, but warned a return to normality was not likely in the near future.
 

The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it would extend a unilateral ceasefire in Yemen by one month to support efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a coalition spokesman.

A two-week ceasefire announced by the coalition that is battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen expired on Thursday without leading to a permanent truce.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of war crimes in its five-year war in the country, which is backed by UK arms. Reports this month said Riyadh had carried out bombing raids even during the recent ceasefire.

Humanitarians have warned that coronavirus could exacerbate dire conditions in Yemen where millions lack enough food and medicine.

Gardai will install checkpoints on Irish roads this weekend to ensure the public complies with the restrictions, a top official has said.

Liz Canavan said: “Dublin Bus notified us yesterday evening of an increase in passenger numbers day-on-day this week. All days are above levels seen in previous weeks. They are engaging with the National Transport Authority to get more specific data on this.

“An Garda Siochana will also be updating us to give us their view. They are continuing to monitor the situation in terms of traffic volumes and will continue to urge the public to abide by the measures.”

The Royal Navy is investigating reports that a nuclear submarine crew held a party after returning to their UK base while the rest of the nation was under coronavirus lockdown.

Social media footage has emerged of the crew of the HMS Trenchant apparently enjoying the barbecue and party after returning to Devonport, Plymouth. The 30-second clip shows two sailors standing behind a makeshift DJ booth covered with a sheet with “HMS Trenchant Prison Party” written on it.

They are playing dance music while some of the crew stand watching and others sit at wooden benches on the quayside.

It is understood the party took place earlier this month while the rest of the UK was in lockdown, after social distancing guidelines were introduced because of Covid-19 pandemic.

Trenchant is a nuclear-powered Trafalgar-class hunter-killer submarine, armed with torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The health secretary insisted the goal remains achievable, but his comments appear to be the first admission from a minister that the government could miss the 100,000 figure in just six days’ time, writes Ashley Cowburn.

A 64-year-old hospital worker has been charged with the theft of personal protective equipment (PPE) at a hospital in Surrey.

Stephen Fuller, of Buckland Way, Worcester Park, London, was arrested following an investigation by Surrey Police over the alleged theft from Epsom General Hospital.
 

 Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel are to help launch a global initiative on Friday to accelerate work on Covid-19 drugs, tests and vaccines and to share them around the globe, the World Health Organization has said.

The WHO said late on Thursday it would to announce a “landmark collaboration” on Friday to speed development of the treatments.
 

More than 90 per cent of NHS Acute Trusts patients reported a positive experience in the first two weeks of April, according to analysis by the Patient Experience Platform.

This contrasts with 75 per cent positive feedback in April 2019.

PEP, a recently selected member of the NHS Innovation Accelerator 2020, collates publicly available patient feedback to provide insights into standards at NHS and private hospitals. 

It is hoped the multimillion-pound support package will ensure supply routes bringing critical goods into the UK can remain open.

Up to 31 routes are eligible for support, with up to £17m available for those between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and up to £10.5m for ferry and freight services to the Isle of Wight and Scilly Isles, the Press Association reports.

Further support is available for critical routes between Britain and the European mainland – including Eurotunnel. Light rail systems in Manchester, Sheffield, the West Midlands, Nottingham and Tyne and Wear will also receive support.

The funding is designed to ensure required capacity levels are maintained on the routes. Support is expected to be provided within weeks once discussions with operators have been completed.

Amid global debate over the emergence of contact-tracing apps and warnings from the UN that the introduction of stricter surveillance measures could be hard to repeal, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) argues the public must accept a level of intrusion that would normally “be out of the question in liberal democracies”.

Governments face must choose between economic chaos, overwhelmed health systems or increased surveillance, the report suggests.

“Compared to the alternatives, leaning in to the aggressive use of the technology to help stop the spread of Covid-19… is a reasonable proposition,” the paper says.