Coronavirus: Evening update as survey suggests England's infection level

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52665588

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Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Thursday evening. We'll have another update for you on Friday morning.

1. 'One in 400' people in England has coronavirus

One in 400 people in England - outside of hospitals and care homes - is infected with coronavirus, a pilot study of 11,000 people in households suggests. Participants carried out swab tests in the two weeks up to 10 May. It indicates about 148,000 people in England could be infected right now - equating to 0.27% of the population. Robert Cuffe, the BBC's head of statistics, says while his personal chances of catching the virus are currently "quite low", the one in 400 figure also highlights "the challenge for the government in trying to move out of lockdown".

2. 'First steps' to ease NI lockdown

Northern Ireland's executive has taken the "tentative first steps" in easing the country's lockdown measures by allowing garden centres and recycling centres to reopen from Monday. Marriage ceremonies where a person is terminally ill will also be permitted. First Minister Arlene Foster said updated medical advice meant these "tentative first steps" could now be approved by the executive, which published a five-phase blueprint for lifting restrictions but did not include a timeframe.

3. Overnight queues for New Zealand barbers

Thousands of businesses in New Zealand have reopened on Thursday after the country reported no new cases of coronavirus in the past three days, and relaxed its restrictions. Shops, cafes, and public parks are all open as the country moves into Level 2 of its restrictions, described as a "safer new normal". Some hairdressers reported seeing overnight queues for their services, with some people seen wearing hoodies in an apparent attempt to hide their overgrown lockdown barnets.

4. Fears for people with learning disabilities

There have been 175% more deaths in places that can support people with learning disabilities in England last month, than reported in the same period last year, according to the the Care Quality Commission. Concerns have been raised that while elderly people are entitled to be tested for Covid-19, people with a learning disability - who are significantly more likely to have respiratory conditions - are not.

5. 'I was just flinging words at Matt'

What happens when Hollywood actor Matt Damon spends lockdown in the small Irish seaside town of Dalkey? Well, if you're the local radio station SPIN 1038, you embark upon a six-week campaign for an interview; featuring residents' encounters with the star and being kicked out of local Facebook groups. Just when presenter Nathan O'Reilly had given up all hope, he and co-host Graham O'Toole landed the radio coup of the lockdown with a surprise phone call from the Jason Bourne actor, who told them quarantining in Dalkey with his family had been "like a fairytale".

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