PRESTON has been plunged into local lockdown, after the council asked residents to follow a number of extra restrictions in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
Authorities have urged people not to “kill granny” amid reports almost half of new cases in Preston were among those aged 30 and younger.
Adrian Phillips, chief executive of Preston City Council, said: “Our director of public health has said ‘don’t kill granny’ to young people to try and focus the message”.
He added: “Young people are inevitably among the brave and the bold, they want to be adventurous and out and about but we know that they have the virus, are more likely to at the moment, they often have less symptoms but they do take it back to their household.”
The news comes as officials warn Brits holidaying in France may have to face a two-week quarantine when they return to the UK.
France may be bumped off the quarantine-free air bridge list, joining Belgium and Andorra.
Meanwhile, the UK government have announced that the list of settings where face masks are compulsory has expanded to include hairdressers, cinemas, and more. Police can issue £100 fines for those caught breaking the rules.
Deaths in the UK have now reached 46,566, after 55 more fatalities yesterday.
Follow our coronavirus live blog for all the latest news and updates…
TRUMP WILL ‘USE AUTHORITY’ TO PASS STIMULUS PACKAGE
President Trump has said he will use his “authority” to pass his preferred version of the next batch of coronavirus aid.
The comments come after talks between Democrat and Republican lawmakers over what the package should contain ended in stalemate.
Tens of millions of Americans have been benefitting from a series of weekly payments of $600, the last of which was made last month.
Democrats hope to see the package extended to counter the financial impact of the pandemic, but Republicans want to see measures phased out.
“I will act under my authority as president to get Americans the relief that they need,” Trump told reporters last night.
It was not clear which powers he intends to exercise to pass the measures, NBC reported.
758 NEW UK INFECTIONS, SAYS PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND
The UK recorded 758 new coronavirus infections yesterday, Public Health England has said.
The figures include all cases reported in the 24 hours to 9am today.
It brings the total number of cases diagnosed in the UK to 309,763, and represents a slight fall from the 771 cases logged last Saturday.
At the peak of the pandemic, the UK was seeing around 5,000 new cases every day.
MALTA URGES GOVERNMENTS NOT TO IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVELLERS
Malta has urged governments to ‘analyse the figures intelligently’ before imposing quarantines on returning travellers.
The call comes after a rise in the number of coronavirus infections in the country.
In a statement, the Malta Tourism Association said: “Tourism is important for us, but the safety of our people and the people who visit us is more important and we would never put people in jeopardy.
“The small number of cases in Malta vis-a-vis the size of the population can easily give a skewed impression of the actual situation, more so if the numbers are seen out of context.
“We trust that all governments will analyse the figures intelligently and we are open to all discussions to ensure that we can mitigate any concern. Malta in fact has one of the highest, if not the highest testing rates in Europe.”
BRITS CANCEL FRANCE HOLIDAYS
Brits are cancelling trips to France amid fears they could be forced to quarantine after the country saw its biggest increase of Covid-19 cases since lockdown ended.
New infections of the virus rose by 2,288 yesterday, the third day in a row on which the number has increased significantly and the worst the country has seen since May.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the government “won’t hesitate” to require returnees from France to quarantine for two weeks if cases continue to rise.
Karen Reekie, 44, from London, had been set to travel to Normandy for a family holiday.
“It’s just not worth it, being stuck at home for two weeks not knowing if you’ve got Covid. It’s not really like a holiday,” she said.
Read the full story here.
JUST TEN ENFORCEMENT ORDERS ISSUED FOR QUARANTINE BREACHES
Just ten enforcement orders have been issued to UK arrivals for breaches of quarantine rules, reports say.
Travellers to the UK from certain countries continue to be required to quarantine for 14 days.
The government has said that anyone found flouting the measures faces a fine of £1,000.
The Home Office confirmed that border forces had handed out nine sanctions, while the police has issued only one, the Guardian reported.
BRUNEI TO BE ADDED TO SAFE LIST
People travelling to England and Wales from Brunei will no longer need to undergo a quarantine period, the government has said.
The change is set to be introduced at 4am on Tuesday.
Anyone making the trip is currently required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.
The change will also apply to travellers from Malaysia and comes after a fall in coronavirus cases in both countries.
Writing on twitter, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ”Data shows that we are now able to add BRUNEI and MALAYSIA to the Government’s Travel Corridor list following a decrease in confirmed cases of coronavirus.
“From 04:00 on Tuesday, passengers arriving in England from these destinations will no longer be required to self-isolate.”
‘TOUGH TIMES AHEAD’ ADMITS SUNAK
Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday admitted there is “hardship ahead” for Brits as the furlough scheme winds down.
He told Sky News: “It’s one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in this job.
“I don’t think it’s fair to extend this indefinitely, it’s not fair to the people on it.
“We shouldn’t pretend there is in every case a job to go back to.
“This is what we need to do now, it’s to look forward, provide the opportunities for tomorrow.
“Yes, there is hardship ahead for many people, we know that, but they shouldn’t be left without hope.”
15 MORE DIE IN ENGLAND
A further 15 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospitals in England.
Patients were aged between 67 and 100.
One of the casualties, who was aged 91, didn’t have an underlying health condition.
MASKS NOW MANDATORY IN RESORT FAVOURED BY RICH AND FAMOUS
Super-glam French resort Saint-Tropez is making masks mandatory outdoors from today.
More cities and towns in France – especially in tourist areas – are imposing mask requirements as the country’s coronavirus rate spikes again.
As of today, wearing a mask outdoors is also compulsory in some crowded parts of Marseille.
Paris is expected to announce similar measures in the coming days.
Image: AP
FURY AS LOVE ISLAND COUPLE ‘FLOUT QUARANTINE’
Fans of Love Island have hit out at former contestants Rebecca Gormley and Biggs Chris after the pair broke UK quarantine rules after their holiday in Spain.
Despite having just returned from their getaway, the couple appear to have travelled to Glasgow.
They shared their antics on social media.
Here’s the story.
JET2 CANCELS SPAIN HOLS
Holiday company Jet2 has cancelled all of its flights and holidays to the Spanish islands.
It comes after the UK Government imposed a 14-day quarantine on all holidaymakers returning to the UK from Spain.
The tour operator announced on social media that the cancellations would affect both the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
The company said: “We have taken the decision to suspend flights and holidays to the Balearic and Canary Islands up to and including August 15.”
Image: Bav Media
‘DON’T KILL GRANNY’
One of the big stories today is the local lockdown in Preston.
Health chiefs have a new message for youngsters – “Don’t kill granny.”
The city council’s chief executive Adrian Phillips told Radio 4 this morning: “I know our director of public health has said ‘don’t kill granny’ to young people to try and focus the message.”
Here’s the story.
RESORT SHUTS BEACHES OVER COVID SPREAD FEARS
Officials in Bournemouth yesterday closed 20 out of 24 beaches over concerns that they were too crowded to allow social distancing.
Hundreds of thousands of people travelled to Dorset yesterday – creating 15-mile queues on major roads – as Brits sweltered in the hottest August day for almost 20 years.
Here’s what you need to know.
Image: BNPS
CRITICAL CARE NURSE SAYS ‘WE’RE ON OUR KNEES’
That last blog post was about a march through London that’s taking place today.
One of those protesting NHS workers’ pay is Dave Carr, a critical care nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital.
That’s where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was treated in intensive care when he was diagnosed with Covid-19.
Mr Carr said: “I was drained, wearing all the PPE, incredibly long shifts.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life and we’re all exhausted.”
He said hospital workers are exhausted, adding: “We’re on our knees, absolutely on our knees.”
NHS WORKERS MARCH FOR PAY RISE
Hundreds of people are marching through central London in calls for fair pay for NHS staff.
Protesters also want recognition of medics’ efforts during the pandemic.
Marchers were applauded by members of the public as they arrived outside Downing Street.
Image: PA
EARLY FINISH?
Boris Johnson has vowed to get all kids back in class by September.
But now it’s reported that schools may defy that – by opening for half days.
Parents are apparently receiving emails from schools telling them pupils will be taught only until lunchtime for at least one day a week.
Here’s what you need to know.
Image: AFP
SEVENTEEN MEMBERS OF AFGHANISTAN’S GRAND ASSEMBLY TEST POSITIVE
At least 17 members of Afghanistan’s grand assembly have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said today.
The assembly, also known as the Loya Jirga, is a legal body that assembles to settle significant national and regional issues in the country.
The group met on Friday with over 3,600 participants to debate whether a number of Taliban prisoners should be freed amid ongoing peace talks.
Saeed Jami, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s ministry of public health, said: “Samples from all 3,620 participants were taken by our health team, and among them result of 17 were positive.”
He added that those who tested positive had been sent to hospital quarantine and treatment.
750,000 TESTING KITS RECALLED
Up to 750,000 coronavirus testing kits produced by diagnostics company Randox have been recalled by the medical regulator, the BBC reports.
The kits were among roughly 1.3million provided to care homes by the firm.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reportedly had concerns over the safety standards of the kits.
Writing on twitter, BBC health editor Hugh Pym said: “Medical regulator MHRA recalling up to 750,000 unused Randox coronavirus testing kits sent out to care homes and for individual home testing because of issues over safety standards/certification.
“Health provider Randox sent out total of 1.3 million kits.”
GATWICK SOUTH TERMINAL ‘COULD REMAIN SHUT FOR A YEAR’
The South Terminal at Gatwick Airport could remain closed for a year, bosses have said.
Staff at the site were this week told it could be next summer before it is able to reopen.
Redundancies are also expected amid continuing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines affecting some travellers to the UK and other countries.
Chief executive Stewart Wingate made the warning about the South Terminal in a live-streamed meeting with staff on Monday, the Telegraph reported.
US PASSES FIVE MILLION CASES
The United States has become the first country record five million coronavirus cases, figures show.
Data published on the Worldometer website says that the country has now seen 5,095,903 people diagnosed with the virus.
The tally now accounts for more than a quarter of all cases globally.
The country has also seen 164,122 people killed by the virus.
President Trump continues to face criticism for his handling of the crisis.
CASES HAVE STABILISED IN VICTORIA, SAYS AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
The Australian government has said that the spread of coronavirus in the state of Victoria has begun to stabilise.
The announcement comes after the reimposition of new lockdown measures following a spike of cases in the state.
Experts have previously warned that the state faced months of isolation from the rest of the country unless outbreaks were brought under control.
Speaking today, Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said: “Certainly we’re seeing some stabilisation in numbers.
“We’ve got four to five hundred cases each day that has been more or less the average for the last week.”
MASKS SHOULD BE MANDATORY IN CLASSROOMS, SAY GERMAN VIROLOGISTS
The wearing of face masks should become mandatory in schools and classrooms, a group of top German virologists has said.
The group wrote an open letter published on the website of the German Society for Virology on Saturday.
The coronavirus appears not to have the same impact on young children as it does on older people, but fears remain they could play a significant role in transmitting it.
“Due to the real danger of infections between students who are asymptomatic, we urge strict mask wearing in all grades, including during lessons,” they wrote.
“We are warning of the error to think that children do not play a role in the pandemic and infections.
“Such ideas are not in line with scientific data.”
COVID SPREAD ‘MAY BE LEVELLING OFF IN ENGLAND’
The spread of coronavirus in England may be levelling off, experts have said.
Data released by the Office of National Statistics show that, between July 27 and August 2, roughly 1 in 1,900 people had the virus, while 3,700 cases were being diagnosed each day.
The figures represent a fall from the week before, when around 1in 1,500 people had the virus and 4,200 additional cases were being recorded each day.
In a report, analysts at the ONS said: “Modelling shows rates of people testing positive for Covid-19 have risen since the lowest recorded estimate, which was at the end of June, but there is evidence that this trend may be levelling off when compared with last week’s headline estimate.”
TALKS FOR NEW US STIMULUS PACKAGE FAIL
Talks between lawmakers in the US over the shape of any new stimulus package for the country’s economy have ended in stalemate.
Democrats hope to see the package extended to counter the financial impact of the pandemic, but Republicans want to see measures phased out.
Tens of millions of Americans have been benefitting from a series of weekly payments of $600, the last of which was made last month.
Unemployment in the US is currently 10.2 percent, a higher rate than at any point during the recession in the years that followed the 2008 financial crash.
£1.5bn IN EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR SMALL BUSINESS UNCLAIMED
Emergency coronavirus funding for small businesses worth £1.5bn has still not been claimed, business leaders have said.
The money is what remains of £12bn worth of funding released by the Treasury to councils four months ago.
The Federation of Small Businesses has said that the cash is currently sitting in councils’ bank accounts.
It also warned that the money is set to be returned to the Treasury at the end of the month if it goes unclaimed.
The Local Government Association said local authorities needed more time to get the funding to businesses, while the government said it was working with councils to make sure eligible business know the money is available.
Around 900,000 businesses have benefited from the funding so far.
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