Mr Williamson says that the government is “making sure we are delivering the very best for every single child in this country.”

He adds: “Making sure we do everything we can do to give them the opportunity to get back in school, get learning and having the benefit of being with their teachers once more.”

She said: “For example, we know that individuals who are obese will have high rates of type two diabetes, and we also know that they may have some other underlying health conditions.
 

“It’s really important that we put all these variables together to understand risk.”
 

She added: “We are actually reviewing all of these different risk factors together to try and give a much more proportional representation of who might be at risk.”
 

“Children definitely don’t get as ill with coronavirus,” says Dr Jenny Harries.

She speculates that for younger children “there may be some evidence that they are less likely to pass it on”.

“Parents and teachers should not be thinking that every school is likely to be swarming with cases,” she adds.

Dr Jenny Harries says that there are different R values in three areas: We have community, we have care homes and we have hospitals as well, she says.

“It’s important we keep an eye on it [the R value], and how it is in different areas and what the drivers are,” she says.

It may not stop children from going to school but could mean the implementation of new measures in other aspects of society which bring down the transmission rate, she says.

He said the return was in line with other European countries in terms of getting schools, colleges and nurseries back.
 

Mr Williamson added: “I know lots of you will be worried about sending your children to school. Every one of us wants the very best for our children and I know how stressful this time has been for families across the country.
 

“I want to reassure you that this approach is based on the best scientific advice, with children at the very heart of everything we do.
 

“Education is one of the most important and precious gifts that we can give any child.”

Mr Williamson says the government will look at the R rate in “great detail” and schools will only return if five tests have been met.

If there are concerns about the rate of infection, we will look at that, he says.
 

Across every region of the country “we’ve got the right movement,” she adds.

The 7-day rolling average for daily deaths is also coming down, she says.

Mr Williamson outlines some of the protective measures that will be implemented for when schools reopen:
 

– Class sizes are to be reduced, with children kept in small groups
– Hygiene practices, such as hand washing, will be strictly enforced 
– Pupils and their families will be tested if they develop symptoms upon their return to school

Mr Williamson says that if the R rate decreases, this will give the country the “green light” for reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils to return.

“We’re also planning to get some secondary school pupils back, particularly in Year 10 and Year 12,” he says.

He adds that the government is prioritising these groups of pupils as they have the most to lose in staying away from school.

The education secretary is currently providing the latest data on the coronavirus outbreak and the national response. He says that a total of 34,466 people have now tragically died from Covid-19.

 

The southern African nation, which has reported 42 cases and four deaths from coronavirus, went into lockdown on 30 March and has been gradually easing the measures to help revive its troubled economy.
 

Economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak will exacerbate climate-induced shocks and monetary woes afflicting an economy battling shortages of foreign exchange, food electricity and medicines.
 

“Zimbabwe will… continue on the level two lockdown for an indefinite period. The country needs to ease out of the lockdown in a strategic and gradual manner,” Mnangagwa said in a live broadcast.
 

The president retweeted a video by journalist Kevin Vesey talking about what he called “alarming” levels of anger from the people he spoke to but pledging to cover their story fairly. Mr Trump added the comment: “People can’t get enough of this. Great people!”

Read more below:
 

Senior BTP officer criticised over cross-border travel to family home
 

A senior British Transport Police (BTP) officer has come under fire after he travelled from Glasgow to his family home in Yorkshire during lockdown.
 

BTP confirmed Chief Superintendent Eddie Wylie returned to Yorkshire from his rented flat in Glasgow on two occasions between 21 March and 13 May, but said he did not breach Covid-19 regulations.
 

It said that on both occasions he travelled home alone and by car to minimise any possible exposure to others.
 

But Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the journeys suggest Mr Wylie “believes there is one rule for him, and one rule for the rest of us”, and the officers has “serious questions to answer”.
 

In a statement, BTP said: “British Transport Police is a national police force with its headquarters in London, and as such our officers are required to regularly travel across England, Scotland and Wales for essential meetings or as operationally required. In these instances, Chief Superintendent Wylie will stay at whichever address is the most convenient.
 

“Our officers can be posted anywhere in the UK, at any time. This means it is not unusual for them to have their family home in one part of the country and rent other accommodation nearer to where they are currently stationed.”

Care home residents and staff in Wales now eligible for coronavirus test

All residents and members of staff in care homes in Wales will be able to get a coronavirus test, the Welsh Government has said.

Health minister Vaughan Gething said the change follows the latest scientific advice and brings Wales into line with England.

Opposition politicians said the original decision not to test everyone in care homes should be the subject of a future inquiry.

From now, every care home in Wales will have access to testing and will be able to order online testing kits for their residents and staff.

Previously only residents and staff in care homes with confirmed case of coronavirus were tested, as were homes with more than 50 beds, anyone being discharged from hospital into a care home, or anyone moving into a care home from the community.

Mr Gething said: “Today is a step change in how we will be testing in care homes, adapting our policy so that every resident and member of staff can be tested for coronavirus.