News updates: visitors from ‘safe’ countries to England, Wales and Northern Ireland exempt, though Scotland retains restrictions
- UK opted out of EU vaccine scheme, sources say
- Scots to be able to meet indoors; Welsh pubs, cafes to open outdoors
- Tourists urged to avoid cruise ships
- Outdoor entertainment to restart in England from 11 July
- Global coronavirus updates – live
LIVE Updated 2m ago
Fri 10 Jul 2020 10.48 BSTFirst published on Fri 10 Jul 2020 07.43 BST
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- Deaths of 16 homeless people with Covid-19 may be underestimate – ONS
- Relatives of dementia patients should be key workers, say charities
- British government follows Scotland on quarantine for travellers from Serbia
1 new update
Not a single person has been fined by police in England and Wales for breaching quarantine rules after arriving from abroad, according to new figures.
Just 10 tickets were handed out to passengers for not wearing face coverings on public transport, according to the data released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council on Friday.
The figures do not include fines given by Border Force, who have issued three penalties.
Two British nationals were fined at Coquelles, near Calais, in northern France, on June 28, while a European was issued a penalty in Hull the following day.FacebookTwitterAdvertisementhttps://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
A trial is underway to use UV light to clean the handrails on escalators on London’s Tube network and is being assessed by Transport for London (TfL) with a view to rolling it out widely.
The device is connected to the escalator handrail and uses its motion to power a UV bulb that breaks down surface contamination to sanitise the handrail.
Andy Byford, London’s new Transport Commissioner, said: “A huge range of measures are in place across the transport network to ensure it is cleaner than ever, including the use of new hospital-grade substances, 1,000 hand sanitiser points, and a new trial of UV technology to sanitise hand rails.”FacebookTwitter
Today is the last day to register for free meals during the summer break and access the Covid-19 Summer Food Fund, which will allow schools to order free school meals vouchers for eligible children to cover the summer holidays.
Details for registration are here.
Boris Johnson was forced last month into a humbling U-turn over providing the food vouchers for some of England’s poorest families after a campaign launched by footballer Marcus Rashford threatened to engulf his government in another crisis.
Marcus Rashford(@MarcusRashford)
Guidance for how to apply for the COVID Summer Food Programme 👇🏾https://t.co/samSQUcbGq
Deadline for applications is July 10th.
Please share!June 26, 2020
Deaths of 16 homeless people with Covid-19 may be underestimate – ONS
The deaths of 16 homeless people involving coronavirus were registered in England between March 26 and June 26, according to the Office for National Statistics.
But it stressed that the figure may be an underestimate of the true number of homeless people who have died with the virus.
It defined people as homeless who were sleeping rough, using homeless shelters and direct access hostels, or housed in emergency accommodation due to the pandemic at or around the time of death.
The 16 death certificates, mainly for homeless men, mentioned Covid-19 either as an underlying cause or a contributory factor.
Updated at 10.20am BSTFacebookTwitter
Relatives of dementia patients should be key workers, say charities
Helen Pidd
Relatives of dementia patients should be treated as key workers so they can visit their family members and be tested for coronavirus where necessary, leading charities have told the government.
The heads of organisations including Dementia UK and the Alzheimer’s Society have signed a letter to the health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, calling for visits to resume safely and for relatives to be given the same “key worker” access to care homes and coronavirus testing as staff, the BBC reported.
The letter reportedly argues the care given by family members is essential to the overall wellbeing of dementia patients, and that the social distancing restrictions have contributed to a “hidden catastrophe” in care homes, which have been closed to non-essential visitors since March.
Hancock said on Thursday that the government would be setting out details “in the next few days” of how Covid-secure care home visits could resume.
Alzheimer’s Society(@alzheimerssoc)
Today, dementia charities across the country are uniting with a single, urgent message in #OneDementiaVoice.
We’re calling on the Government to give designated family carers Key Worker status so they can safely visit their loved ones in care homes: https://t.co/2gLKw6sHxJ pic.twitter.com/gjUBpQFcR0July 10, 2020
Updated at 10.13am BSTFacebookTwitterAdvertisement
Rebecca Smithers
Peri-peri chicken chain Nando’s has today become one of the first major UK restaurant groups to confirm that it signing up to the Government’s ‘Eat in to help out’ scheme anounced by chancellor Rishi Sunak in his summer statement on Wednesday.
Diners will get a 50% discount off their restaurant bill – up to £10 per head – during August under Government plans to bolster the embattled hospitality sector. The deal will only apply from Monday to Wednesday and restaurants and pub chains must sign up to the scheme via a government website being launched next week. It is open to restaurant and pub chains as well as independent businesses.
A Nando’s spokesperson said: “We will be taking part in the ‘Eat in to help out’ campaign so our fans can look forward to great savings on their Peri-peri soon. We’re just working through the details and will have more to announce shortly.”
To get the best value for money, customers are likely to be drawn to “value” restaurants – and ordering meals costing no more than £20 a head. Children’s meals are covered, but not alcoholic drinks. Most restaurants reopening to diners after the lockdown are generally offering reduced menus.
Gwyn Topham
The Gym Group, one of Britain’s largest operators of low-cost gyms, has set out plans to reopen almost all of its establishments in England from 25 July, with Covid-19 measures including apps for customers to check if gyms are busy.
Initially, 160 of its 179 branches will open on the first date permitted under government guidelines issued on Thursday, with the remainder – in Leicester, Scotland and Wales – to follow when restrictions are relaxed.
There will be a trial of 24-hour opening in a small number of establishments at first while new operating procedures are tried out, including spacing out equipment, limiting users at any one time, temperature checks on staff, improved ventilation and sanitation, and cleaning kit after each use.
The group will also encourage people to use gyms and leisure facilities at quieter periods by providing members with a live “gym busyness” online tracker and recent usage patterns.
The Gym Group has lost more than 20% of its membership during the four months of lockdown, despite freezing all payments, and has just under 700,000 remaining customers, with an average age of 32. It said it would give options for all members to continue to freeze payments if necessary.
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There’s been unease in some quarters today at reports that the UK government has rejected the chance to join the European Union’s coronavirus vaccine programme due to concerns over “costly delays.”
The EU is planning to spend around €2bn (£1.8bn) on the advance purchase of vaccines that are undergoing testing on behalf of the 27 member states.
Negotiations with Brussels have been ongoing but Alok Sharma, the business secretary, is believed to have opted out of the opportunity, according to The Daily Telegraph. The European commission is expected to be notified today.
roger kline(@rogerkline)
Ideology trumps strategy
UK has opted out of EU coronavirus vaccine programme, sources say https://t.co/CdGrVqLo9HJuly 10, 2020
Though here’s another way of putting it:
Chris Kendall(@ottocrat)
More accurate and correct to say that the UK has chosen not to ask to join the EU vaccine programme. You don’t get to opt out when you’re not in by default. pic.twitter.com/xzSD5yA1zqJuly 10, 2020
A government minister has been reacting to fury from the beauty sector at government guidance that allows salons to open but which still prohibits facial treatments such as eyebrow threading and tinting.
Some detect double standards in the form of rules which allow for beard trimming to take place.
Caroline Dinenage, a minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, insisted the guidance on beard trimming was “actually quite tight” and said the scientific advice for now unfortunately meant that the restrictions on facial treatments had to remain.
Dizziana Gosney(@dizziana)
@10DowningStreet why is it possible that men can get their beards pampered in salons but the beauty therapy industry – a £7 billion industry!!! – can not offer facial treatments for women?!!! If this isn’t modern day sexism and misogyny I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. #beautysalonsJuly 10, 2020
The minister added: “Of course I want these services to be opened as quickly as anybody – I haven’t had my eyebrows done in months.”
“I totally understand the challenges and the frustrations, but we just have to err on the side of caution and keep people safe.”
Dinenage was also pressed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on what some view as an apparent reluctance on the part of some senior government figures, including the prime minister, to be photographed or filmed wearing face masks.
Dinenage said told the BBC’s Mishal Hussein she would “have to ask them”, while insisting ministers had been photographed and filmed wearing masks. She was not able to name others when asked.
The exchange came after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, faced criticism for not wearing a mask while taking part in a publicity stunt at a branch of Wagamama following the unveiling of an economic package this week.
‘No masks’: Wagamama criticised over Rishi Sunak photo op
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Updated at 8.38am BSTFacebookTwitterAdvertisement
Northern Ireland is moving ahead of the rest of the UK today by allowing the reopening of gyms 15 days ahead of England. No dates have been set for Scotland or Wales.
Updated at 8.34am BSTFacebookTwitter
Libby Brooks
The Scottish government will scrap free university tuition for EU students next year – one of its key pledges after the 2016 referendum – as institutions continue to cope with a financial burden from the pandemic
Higher education minister Richard Lochhead said ministers had taken the decision with a “heavy heart”, blaming the “stark reality” of Brexit for the decision.
Referring to the financial stresses brought about by the impact of Covid-19, he said the money saved – which he estimated to be up to £19m for 2021-22 – will be kept within the higher education sector and the number of university places for Scottish students will rise as a result.
Students from EU countries have been eligible for free tuition since fees were scrapped, as is still the case for Scottish students.
Lochhead said: “That is the stark reality of Brexit and a painful reminder that our country’s decisions are affected by UK policies that we do not support and did not vote for. Our internationalism remains a key strength of higher education in Scotland.
“EU students who have already started their studies, or who start this autumn, will not be affected and will still be tuition-free for the entirety of their course.”
Updated at 8.38am BSTFacebookTwitterAdvertisement
Lanre Bakare
Theatres and music venues in England will be able to host physically distanced outdoor performances from Saturday 11 July under new government guidance, but industry figures are calling for more clarity on when full-capacity indoor performances can return.
The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, announced the relaxing of restrictions at Thursday’s 5pm press conference where he said performances can now take place as long as they are “outside and with a limited and socially distanced audience”.
“As I’ve seen for myself at the Royal Academy this morning, the National Gallery and as we’ll see shortly from the National Museums Liverpool, our cultural institutions are beginning to welcome back visitors,” he said.
“I’m really urging people to get out there and to play their part, buy the tickets for outdoor plays and music recitals, get to your local gallery and support your local businesses.”
British government follows Scotland on quarantine for travellers from Serbia
The British government is removing Serbia from its list of countries from which people can return to or visit England without going into quarantine, bringing England into line with Scotland.
A spokesman said: “The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Serbia based on the latest data.
“As a result, the government has decided to remove Serbia from the list of countries from which passengers arriving in England are exempted from the need to self-isolate.
“We’ve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary. Both our list of exemptions and the FCO travel advice are being updated to reflect these latest risk assessments.”
I’m going to seek some clarity in relation to the position in Wales.
Update: A spokesperson for the Welsh Government tells me that Wales is aligning with England on this.
Updated at 10.14am BSTFacebookTwitter
The Guardian has the warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) that the virus is accelerating, while the Mirror focuses on the economic carnage wrought in the UK
Updated at 8.38am BST FacebookTwitter
More than nine in 10 commuters are complying with rules requiring face coverings on public transport, a Guardian snapshot has found – though conspiracy theories, confusion over public messaging and concerns over lack of enforcement are prompting concern.
In Glasgow on Wednesday, compliance with the measure to control coronavirus was almost 100% on buses, overground trains and the subway. The Guardian saw only one passenger with a bare face out of a total of 160.
In Manchester, 91% of 184 passengers surveyed on trams and buses were wearing face coverings. Around 99% of 225 passengers observed on London underground and at overground stations were wearing face coverings – including two moving from carriage to carriage on the tube with a paper cup, begging for small change.
Updated at 7.56am BST FacebookTwitter
Ben Quinn
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of coronavirus developments in the UK.
It’s a big day for the travel and hospitality sector – as well as would-be holidaymakers – with quarantine rules for people entering Britain from countries deemed “safe” being relaxed today, though the Scottish government is retaining a 14-day quarantine restriction for travellers from Spain.
Meanwhile, the accelerator is being pushed down on lockdown easing following the announcement that gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres in England will be allowed to reopen within the next two weeks.
In Scotland, the wearing of masks becomes mandatory today.
At around midday, Boris Johnson will take questions from the public as he hosts another edition of his so-called “People’s PMQs”, answering pre-selected questions about the government’s handling of the pandemic and other issues.
All of the above takes place against a bleak economic background, with many today digesting the latest job losses announced yesterday at Boots and John Lewis, who have plans to cut 5,300 jobs and close stores.
I’m Ben Quinn: you can tweet me at @BenQuinn75 or email ben.quinn@theguardian.com if you’d like to flag up developments that we should be picking up on.
Source: The Guardian
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