The US is set to advise against travel to more than three-quarters of countries worldwide, citing “unprecedented risk” to American travellers, writes Cathy Adams.

The US State Department already has a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” alert for 34 countries across the world including Kenya, Brazil, Russia and Argentina, in order to restrict the spread of Covid-19.

It said it would increase the level 4 alert to cover around 80 per cent of countries worldwide. This implies adding nearly 130 new nations to the list.

The governor of Osaka has asked the Japanese government to declare a state of emergency in the region after ongoing measures failed to control the spread of a more infectious variant of Covid-19.

It comes just 50 days after a weaker state of emergency ended.

A new state of emergency would allow authorities to issue binding orders for business owners to close or shorten trading hours. Measures for the public, such as mask wearing and staying at home, would remain non-mandatory requests.

Osaka is expected to close theme parks, shopping centres and other commercial facilities in an effort to drastically reduce public activity for a few weeks.

Swedes under 65 vaccinated with one shot of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be given a different vaccine for the second dose, the Swedish Health Agency said on Tuesday.

Sweden paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March after reports of rare but serious blood clots among people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot. Sweden later resumed use but only for people aged 65 or above.

“People under the age of 65 who have already received a dose of Vaxzevria should instead be offered a second dose of so-called mRNA vaccine, such as PfizerBiontech or Moderna,” the Health Agency said in a statement.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam are in Israel to examine the country’s vaccine passport system.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “They are seeing first-hand the work on certification that Israel has up and running over there as we continue the work that we are doing on certification as an option here.”

The visit is “a purely Covid-related trip”, the spokesman said.

Former president Donald Trump has urged US residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and criticised the Biden administration for pausing the Johnson & Johnson treatment.

Speaking in an hour-long interview on Monday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Mr Trump revealed he has been vaccinated and branded the decision to pause the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose Covid vaccine over rare blood clots “so stupid”.

James Crump has the full report:

Speaking about the changes from Monday 26 April, Nicola Sturgeon said people who have been shielding can return to work, if they can not work from home.

In addition, children who have been shielding can return to school.

All shops will also be able to reopen from Monday, along with close-contact services, such as beauty parlours.

People will be able to go into premises to collect takeaways, rather than having to get them from a serving hatch, or at the door.

Meanwhile, cafes, pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen, with alcohol able to be served outside from Monday – when people can meet outside in groups of up to six from six different households.

But in indoor hospitality, Ms Sturgeon said the “greater” risks would mean alcohol can still not be served, although pubs, cafes and restaurants can open till 8pm.

Six people can meet indoors in hospitality settings, but must be from two households.

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed planned relaxations to lockdown measures in Scotland will go ahead from Monday.

Beer gardens, cafes, shops and gyms will reopen from 26 April, but indoor hospitality venues will have to close at 8pm, with outdoors following at 10pm.

Our Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin has the breaking story:

There has been a “dramatic deterioration” of press freedom since the pandemic tore across the world, Reporters Without Borders said in its annual report.

The group’s new World Press Freedom Index, which evaluated the press situations in 180 countries, painted a stark picture and concluded that 73 per cent of the world’s nations have serious issues with media freedoms.

It says countries have used the coronavirus pandemic, which erupted in China in late 2019, “as grounds to block journalists’ access to information, sources and reporting in the field”.

This is particularly the case in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, the media group said.

Issues have also arisen from a drop in public trust in journalism itself.

The group said 59 per cent of people polled in 28 countries claimed that journalists “deliberately try to mislead the public by reporting information they know to be false”.

The EU executive’s vaccine task force chief has said that at least 12 of the bloc’s 27 member states are confident they can vaccinate 70 per cent of their adult population by mid-July.

The European Commission set the target for the end of this summer, depending on a big increase in vaccine deliveries to accelerate its vaccination drive.

European internal market commissioner Thierry Breton told an Irish parliamentary committee said: “We are confident that we will be able to deliver enough doses but it is true also that it is up to member states to organise themselves to be ready for that.

“Today I can tell you that I understand we have at least 12 member states who say they are fully comfortable this 70 per cent figure. This number is increasing on a daily basis.”

Mr Breton did not say which 12 member states were confident or which countries were less comfortable about the target.

It comes after an announcement last week that EU countries will receive 50 million more vaccines produced by Pfizer this quarter has give the executive additional comfort on its delivery targets.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon is holding a coronavirus briefing today, where she is expected to give an update on the latest lockdown restrictions.

Ella Glover explains what time her announcement is and what you can expect from it: