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Thursday 30 April 2020 20:03
Follow the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic
The UK is “past the peak” of the coronavirus outbreak and “we are on a downward slope,” Boris Johnson said at his first government briefing since he was hospitalised with Covid-19.
The UK’s coronavirus death toll has risen to 26,771, a rise of 674 in the last 24-hours, the Department of Health and Social Care announced.
It comes as a poll shows that two-thirds of the British public believe the government was too slow to enforce a lockdown. The government is also under pressure over testing on the crunch day for its target of carrying out 100,000 daily by the end of April. Robert Buckland, admitted the the government “probably won’t” hit that ambitious goal.
Donald Trump and his campaign team are revising the president’s 2020 re-election strategy in real-time with the coronavirus death toll in the United States over 61,000, and a major part is trying to further turn voters against China.
The president spent weeks referring to the deadly respiratory disease as “the Chinese virus,” but dropped use of the term. He admitted there was a trade deal to think about.
But as he increasingly lashes out at the Chinese government, it’s clear there’s something, for him, more important to consider: Four more years in the White House.
John T Bennett has more:
Members of the public who head to Westminster Bridge and other landmarks for the weekly Clap for Carers tribute will be told to go home, police have said.
Scotland Yard said it would be telling its own officers to “to maintain an appropriate social distance at all times” following criticism of scenes in London two weeks ago.
Dame Cressida Dick was filmed leading the applause on a crowded Westminster Bridge, which was jammed with police vehicles, officers and members of the public.
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A hospital linen porter has died after testing positive for Covid-19, his NHS trust has confirmed.
Mike Brown had worked for 20 years for University Hospital Southampton (UHS) before his death in the early hours of Wednesday.
A spokesman for the NHS trust said that Thursday’s #ClapForCarers outside Southampton General Hospital would be held in honour of the 61-year-old.
He said: “University Hospital Southampton has today confirmed the death of a member of staff, Mike Brown, aged 61, who had tested positive for coronavirus on admission to Southampton General Hospital.
“Mike, a linen porter who had been with the organisation for 20 years, had an underlying health condition and sadly passed away after receiving treatment in our critical care unit in the early hours of yesterday morning.”
New York City has announced it will suspend its 24-hour subway service every night for cleaning in a bid to better protect essential workers who use the trains to travel to and from work.
The agreement to shut down services from 1am to 5am each night came after a report in the New York Daily News citing acts of arson, inappropriate sexual behaviour, and human waste from riders who’ve used the subway as a temporary home.
After the report, Governor Andrew Cuomo told the Metropolitan Transit Association (MTA) to come up with a plan to better manage and disinfect trains. He also implored New York City to come up with a plan for how to help homeless people.
More below:
Seven jurors rather than the normal 12 could decide guilt or innocence in court trials as part of “radical” proposals to clear a mounting backlog of cases.
The lord chief justice and the justice secretary have publicly supported the change, which was also made during the Second World War.
Remote jury trials, where evidence is heard over video link, are also being piloted and officials are considering moving to larger venues or spreading through several courtrooms to enable social distancing.
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The government will insist sports teams have to undergo full coronavirus testing three times a week in order to get back to playing, costing around £30,000 a week, and potentially creating big decisions about who returns.
The Premier League has been at the forefront of such moves, and has circulated a plan to restart by 8 June, but are probably one of few competitions that could collectively afford what amounts to an extra footballer’s wages.
This will create problems for League One and League Two without funding, however, as well as a host of other sports.
More below:
Sir Keir Starmer has said the Prime Minister’s commitment to outline an exit strategy next week is a “step in the right direction”.
The Labour leader said: “I’ve been calling on the Prime Minister to have a plan for the next stage and exit strategy. We’ve been pushing hard on that in the last week or two.
“The Prime Minister has now said he’s going to have a plan next week.
“So I think that shows that we were right to challenge on it, and I’m pleased that we’re going to see a plan.
“We’ll look at it when we see it, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Beleaguered tourism sector faces future restrictions
Boris Johnson told a concerned business owner known only as “Michelle from Cornwall” that tourism would be managed so as to avoid a second wave of coronavirus cases.
Mr Johnson said: “We’re going to make sure the UK bounces back as strongly as it possibly can but we’ve got to be sensible.
“It’s vital that does not fray and we don’t see people starting to disregard what we’re saying.
“Michelle, the short answer is you’re dead right, we have to get your business going again, we’ve got to get tourism going again.
“But we can’t allow such a big influx of tourists as to create a second spike – a second wave – of the disease.”
The cumulative number of deaths of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK in all settings is now 26,771, according to data published by the Department of Health and Social Care to accompany the slides shown at the Downing Street press conference.
This is an increase of 674 on the equivalent total announced on Wednesday.
The total of 26,771 is different to the total announced by Boris Johnson at today’s press conference. Mr Johnson announced a total of 26,711, though he did also say there had been an increase of 674 on the previous day.
Face masks will play a part in easing Britain out of coronavirus lockdown, Boris Johnson has said in the most substantive comments yet from the government on the public use of the coverings.
“What I think Sage is saying, and what I certainly agree with is that as part of coming out of the lockdown I do think face coverings will be useful, both for epidemiological reasons but also giving people confidence they can go back to work,” the prime minister said during a Downing Street press briefing.
More details will be given next week, he said, as part of a new plan that charts the way out of lockdown.
More below:
Boris Johnson has said it will be “useful” for people to use face coverings after weeks of government assurance masks have little impact on the spread of Covid-19.
“As part of coming out of the lockdown I do think face coverings will be useful”, he said during the daily briefing.
The Prime Minister has indirectly pushed against austerity measures following the lockdown, arguing that he has “never liked the term” and that it does not make up part of the government’s plan to restimulate the economy.
It comes as the government pours millions into firms, workers and social security offerings to keep the country running during lockdown.
The prime minister said he would set out a “road map” for easing lockdown restrictions next week.
Mr Johnson said: “What you are going to get next week is really a road map, a menu of options – the dates and times of each individual measure will be very much driven by where we are in the epidemic, what the data is really saying and we are getting in a lot more data every day now and in the course of the next few days.”
The UK’s coronavirus death toll has risen to 26,711, a rise of 674 in the last 24-hours, Boris Johnson has announced at his first government briefing since he was hospitalised with Covid-19.
The figure included deaths in hospitals, care homes and the wider community.
More below:
Boris Johnson acknowledged the “frustrations” in expanding the number of coronavirus tests and the difficulties getting sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) – two of the major issues his government has been taken to task over across the last month.
“We’re determined urgently and in particular to overcome those challenges that have in the last few weeks been so knotty and so infuriating,” the PM said.
“I’m not going to minimise the logistical problems we face in getting the right protective gear to the right people at the right time, both in the NHS and in care homes.
“Or the frustrations that we’ve experienced in expanding the numbers of tests.
“But what I can tell you is that everyone responsible for tackling these problems, whether in Government or the NHS or Public Health England or in local authorities, we’re throwing everything at it, heart and soul, night and day, to get it right – and we will get it right and we’re making huge progress.
“And I will not underrate the work and achievement of those who are dealing with global shortages in a global pandemic – they are rising to a challenge we’ve never seen in our lifetimes.”
Boris Johnson says UK past coronavirus peak and ‘on downward slope’
Boris Johnson has claimed the UK has past the peak of the coronavirus and the country is on a “downward slope”.
In his first appearance at the No 10 daily briefing since being discharged from hospital after suffering from Covid-19, the prime minister said: “I can confirm today for the first time we are past the peak of this disease”.
More below:
Boris Johnson has announced the nation is past the peak of the virus as he said the UK will unveil its plan for easing lockdown measures.
“For the first time we are past the peak of this disease”, he said. “We are past the peak and we are on the downward slope and we have so many reasons to be hopeful for the long term”.
He added the UK was leading worldwide efforts on a vaccine, and that he would be setting out a plan next week to show how lockdown would be eased.
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