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| UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson urges parents to send children back to school in September | UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson urges parents to send children back to school in September |
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| Prime minister tries to reassert his grip over education after days of chaos, saying risk of contracting virus in schools is ‘very small’ | Prime minister tries to reassert his grip over education after days of chaos, saying risk of contracting virus in schools is ‘very small’ |
| Downing Street insisted the UK would be first in line for a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University if it was proven to be effective, following reports Donald Trump is considering granting emergency authorisation for it to be deployed in the US.The vaccine is being developed by Oxford scientists and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.A Number 10 spokesman said: “We have been clear that we will only roll out a vaccine once it is deemed safe and effective by our regulators.”The UK Government has struck a deal with AstraZeneca to get “first access” to it once approved, the spokesman said.“AstraZeneca have entered into a number of agreements with other countries, they have the global licensing agreement with Oxford, but we have been clear: once it has been found to be effective, we have signed a deal for 100 million doses which means that once it is effective the UK will get first access.” | |
| No 10 has been asked if Boris Johnson regretted the Government’s handling of exam results this year, and if the prime minister was personally sorry about the way things had panned out. | |
| A Number 10 spokesman said: | |
| Asked should headteachers fine parents who do not send their children back to the classroom, the spokesman said: | |
| Downing Street said mass testing was “incredibly important” and pilot schemes were taking place.Responding to reports that the health secretary, Matt Hancock, wants up to 4m coronavirus tests a day by early next year, a Number 10 spokesman said pilot schemes were currently being assessed. | |
| The spokesman said: | |
| Mass testing on that scale “would allow for us to test wider sections of society that may be asymptomatic”. | |
| Scottish secondary pupils are expected to be told to wear face coverings in corridors and public spaces at school after the World Health Organization updated its advice, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. | |
| The first minister said John Swinney, the education secretary, was consulting with local councils and union leaders on the change after the WHO recommended three days ago pupils over 12 use face coverings in schools where physical distancing is not possible. | |
| Several high schools in Scotland have already implemented those measures, including James Gillespie’s in Edinburgh, Grantown grammar school in Grantown-on-Spey and Millburn academy in Inverness, after experiencing over-crowding in corridors and circulation areas. | |
| The EIS, Scotland’s largest teachers union, said it would press ministers to adopt the WHO’s new guidance after schools across the country found it extremely hard to maintain physical distancing while pupils moved between classes or at break times and lunch time. | |
| Grantown told parents over the weekend face coverings would be required from the start of school on Monday. Its Facebook page said: “Don’t forget to bring your face masks to school tomorrow! Pupils and staff need to wear them in the corridors when moving between classes and in the canteen.” | |
| The new measures follow an upsurge of cases involving Scottish schools and nurseries after they reopened earlier in August, including one cluster affecting 17 staff at a special school in Dundee. A nursery attached to Newburgh primary school in Fife was closed down after a child there fell ill with Covid-19. | |
| Sturgeon denied she had ever said there was no risk of Covid-19 transmission within schools and conceded the Kingspark school cluster could show it was an issue. She said the greatest risk for schools was transmission in the wider community. Even so “we must have the right mitigations in schools to keep the risk of transmission as low as possible”, she said. | |
| BBC drama boss Piers Wenger has told the Edinburgh TV Festival that productions ranging from EastEnders to The Pursuit Of Love are using “ingenious” ways to navigate Covid-19 filming restrictions, including have actors kissing through a sheet of perspex, which is then taken out in post-production, or putting cast and crew in “bubbles”. | |
| Also speaking at the festival, the BBC director of content, Charlotte Moore, has spoken about how the corporation has handled the coronavirus crisis, saying: | |
| The Guardian’s John Harris has been examining how the Covid crisis in the aviation industry is hitting towns across the UK, with workers from Belfast to Caerphilly fearing mass unemployment. | The Guardian’s John Harris has been examining how the Covid crisis in the aviation industry is hitting towns across the UK, with workers from Belfast to Caerphilly fearing mass unemployment. |
| Near Caerphilly, nearly 600 posts are being lost at the vast aeroplane engine maintenance plant run by the global giant General Electric, which before the pandemic employed 1,400 people. In Broughton in north Wales, where employees of Airbus assemble wings for the company’s entire range of planes, there are plans to cut 1,400 jobs from a total of 6,000. In Derby and Nottinghamshire, Rolls-Royce is expected to lose about 1,500 workers. | Near Caerphilly, nearly 600 posts are being lost at the vast aeroplane engine maintenance plant run by the global giant General Electric, which before the pandemic employed 1,400 people. In Broughton in north Wales, where employees of Airbus assemble wings for the company’s entire range of planes, there are plans to cut 1,400 jobs from a total of 6,000. In Derby and Nottinghamshire, Rolls-Royce is expected to lose about 1,500 workers. |
| You can read John’s full report below: | You can read John’s full report below: |
| More on Tesco’s plan to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support growth of its online business. | More on Tesco’s plan to create 16,000 new permanent roles to support growth of its online business. |
| These 16,000 jobs are in addition to around 4,000 permanent jobs that have already been created since the start of the pandemic, Tesco said. | These 16,000 jobs are in addition to around 4,000 permanent jobs that have already been created since the start of the pandemic, Tesco said. |
| It expects the majority of these roles to be filled by staff who have joined the company on a temporary basis in recent months. | It expects the majority of these roles to be filled by staff who have joined the company on a temporary basis in recent months. |
| Jason Tarry, chief executive officer of Tesco UK and ROI, said: | Jason Tarry, chief executive officer of Tesco UK and ROI, said: |
| Preparing for Christmas in a pandemic. The Ministry of Fun’s summer Santa school at Southwark Cathedral in London is aiming to create Covid-safe Christmas grottos by teaching Father Christmases how to appear safely in person while maintaining the Christmas magic. | Preparing for Christmas in a pandemic. The Ministry of Fun’s summer Santa school at Southwark Cathedral in London is aiming to create Covid-safe Christmas grottos by teaching Father Christmases how to appear safely in person while maintaining the Christmas magic. |
| Members of the physically distanced Santa School travel to Southwark Cathedral, London. | Members of the physically distanced Santa School travel to Southwark Cathedral, London. |
| Lessons in how to give presents safely. | Lessons in how to give presents safely. |
| A petition with over 104,000 signatures is gathering momentum online as the dispute between parents and government over potential fines if they decide to keep their children off school from September continues. | A petition with over 104,000 signatures is gathering momentum online as the dispute between parents and government over potential fines if they decide to keep their children off school from September continues. |
| The petition, started by Jennifer Dunstan, is calling for the government to not force parents to send their children to school until coronavirus numbers have significantly decreased and scientists agree it is safe to do so.In the petition she states: “I am a lone parent to an amazing nine-year-old son who goes to a special needs school. If I get coronavirus, I’ll have no one to look after him while I’m ill. I’m terrified that the government is going to try to force us to send our children to school while Covid-19 rates are still high. Parents should not be put in that position. | The petition, started by Jennifer Dunstan, is calling for the government to not force parents to send their children to school until coronavirus numbers have significantly decreased and scientists agree it is safe to do so.In the petition she states: “I am a lone parent to an amazing nine-year-old son who goes to a special needs school. If I get coronavirus, I’ll have no one to look after him while I’m ill. I’m terrified that the government is going to try to force us to send our children to school while Covid-19 rates are still high. Parents should not be put in that position. |
| “I desperately want my son to go back to school, but I have a chronic illness called ME and we don’t have other people who can look after him if I get sick. So I will only take him to school when the scientists agree that it’s safe. I should not be fined - and my son should not lose his place - just for trying to keep my family safe.” | “I desperately want my son to go back to school, but I have a chronic illness called ME and we don’t have other people who can look after him if I get sick. So I will only take him to school when the scientists agree that it’s safe. I should not be fined - and my son should not lose his place - just for trying to keep my family safe.” |
| Here is a summary of the latest rates of new Covid-19 cases in key areas of England, according to a tally by the PA news agency. | Here is a summary of the latest rates of new Covid-19 cases in key areas of England, according to a tally by the PA news agency. |
| Oldham | Oldham |
| There were 149 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in Oldham in the seven days to 20 August. This is the equivalent of 62.8 cases per 100,000 people - down from 102.5 per 100,000 in the previous week (the seven days to August 13). Oldham continues to record the highest rate of new cases in England, but the rolling rate has fallen steadily since a peak of 112.2 in the seven days to 11 August. Further restrictions were introduced in Oldham from midnight on Saturday 22 August, with people told not to socialise with anyone outside their household and to use public transport only if it is essential. | There were 149 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in Oldham in the seven days to 20 August. This is the equivalent of 62.8 cases per 100,000 people - down from 102.5 per 100,000 in the previous week (the seven days to August 13). Oldham continues to record the highest rate of new cases in England, but the rolling rate has fallen steadily since a peak of 112.2 in the seven days to 11 August. Further restrictions were introduced in Oldham from midnight on Saturday 22 August, with people told not to socialise with anyone outside their household and to use public transport only if it is essential. |
| PendlePendle is currently recording the second highest rate in England, but here too the numbers are falling. Some 55 new cases were recorded in the seven days to 20 August - the equivalent of 59.7 cases per 100,000 people. This is down from 90.1 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to 13 August. | PendlePendle is currently recording the second highest rate in England, but here too the numbers are falling. Some 55 new cases were recorded in the seven days to 20 August - the equivalent of 59.7 cases per 100,000 people. This is down from 90.1 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to 13 August. |
| Blackburn with DarwenA total of 76 new cases were recorded in Blackburn with Darwen in the seven days to 20 August, or 50.8 per 100,000 people. This is down from 94.9 in the previous seven days. Both Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle have had the same additional restrictions imposed as in Oldham. | Blackburn with DarwenA total of 76 new cases were recorded in Blackburn with Darwen in the seven days to 20 August, or 50.8 per 100,000 people. This is down from 94.9 in the previous seven days. Both Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle have had the same additional restrictions imposed as in Oldham. |
| LeicesterCases continue to fall in Leicester. The latest figures show 167 new cases were recorded in the seven days to 20 August, or 47.1 per 100,000 people. This is down from 60.7 in the previous seven days. At the peak of the recent outbreak in the city, the rolling rate was as high as 159.5 cases per 100,000 for the seven days to 24 June. | LeicesterCases continue to fall in Leicester. The latest figures show 167 new cases were recorded in the seven days to 20 August, or 47.1 per 100,000 people. This is down from 60.7 in the previous seven days. At the peak of the recent outbreak in the city, the rolling rate was as high as 159.5 cases per 100,000 for the seven days to 24 June. |
| BirminghamThe city of Birmingham was placed on the government’s national watchlist on 21 August as an “area of enhanced support”, meaning it will be provided with extra resources and support to help increase testing and manage outbreaks if necessary. | BirminghamThe city of Birmingham was placed on the government’s national watchlist on 21 August as an “area of enhanced support”, meaning it will be provided with extra resources and support to help increase testing and manage outbreaks if necessary. |
| No new restrictions have been placed on residents, however, and the number of new cases is falling. | No new restrictions have been placed on residents, however, and the number of new cases is falling. |
| Birmingham currently has the 17th highest rate in England, with 23.6 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the seven days to 20 August - down from 30.4 in the previous seven days. | Birmingham currently has the 17th highest rate in England, with 23.6 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the seven days to 20 August - down from 30.4 in the previous seven days. |
| NorthamptonFor a few days earlier in August Northampton had the highest rate in England, thanks to an outbreak at the town’s Greencore sandwich factory. The spike in cases caused by that outbreak has now passed. Northampton’s latest seven-day rate is 35.6 cases per 100,000, down from 117.5. | NorthamptonFor a few days earlier in August Northampton had the highest rate in England, thanks to an outbreak at the town’s Greencore sandwich factory. The spike in cases caused by that outbreak has now passed. Northampton’s latest seven-day rate is 35.6 cases per 100,000, down from 117.5. |
| Stoke-on-TrentThis is one area where the latest numbers are showing a notable jump. Stoke-on-Trent recorded 79 new cases in the seven days to 20 August, the equivalent of 30.8 cases per 100,000. This is up from 15.6 in the previous seven days. Stoke-on-Trent currently has the 11th highest rate in England. | Stoke-on-TrentThis is one area where the latest numbers are showing a notable jump. Stoke-on-Trent recorded 79 new cases in the seven days to 20 August, the equivalent of 30.8 cases per 100,000. This is up from 15.6 in the previous seven days. Stoke-on-Trent currently has the 11th highest rate in England. |
| Note: all numbers have been calculated by the PA news agency based on the latest Public Health England data published on the government’s coronavirus online dashboard. Data for the most recent three days (August 21-23) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised. The dashboard is due to be updated later today. | Note: all numbers have been calculated by the PA news agency based on the latest Public Health England data published on the government’s coronavirus online dashboard. Data for the most recent three days (August 21-23) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised. The dashboard is due to be updated later today. |
| Tesco will create 16,000 new permanent roles across the UK to support the growth of its online business, it has announced. | Tesco will create 16,000 new permanent roles across the UK to support the growth of its online business, it has announced. |
| The company said 10,000 of the new roles will be for pickers, who assemble orders, and 3,000 drivers will be hired, in addition to other positions within the distribution network. | The company said 10,000 of the new roles will be for pickers, who assemble orders, and 3,000 drivers will be hired, in addition to other positions within the distribution network. |
| Many of the jobs will be filled by temporary workers who have been employed by Tesco during the pandemic. | Many of the jobs will be filled by temporary workers who have been employed by Tesco during the pandemic. |
| People with eating disorders could be at risk of suffering long-term consequences from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have warned. The fallout from routines being disrupted in lockdown, a focus on food and exercise which came to dominate the public conversation, and healthcare moving online, could all have lasting effects, academics from Northumbria University in Newcastle said. | People with eating disorders could be at risk of suffering long-term consequences from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have warned. The fallout from routines being disrupted in lockdown, a focus on food and exercise which came to dominate the public conversation, and healthcare moving online, could all have lasting effects, academics from Northumbria University in Newcastle said. |
| While positive messaging around diet and fitness can be beneficial to the majority of people, it is important to recognise these can be “triggering or upsetting” for others, their paper published in the Journal of Eating Disorders said. The study looked at data from 129 people recruited online who were experiencing, or in recovery from, an eating disorder during the early stages of lockdown. | While positive messaging around diet and fitness can be beneficial to the majority of people, it is important to recognise these can be “triggering or upsetting” for others, their paper published in the Journal of Eating Disorders said. The study looked at data from 129 people recruited online who were experiencing, or in recovery from, an eating disorder during the early stages of lockdown. |
| Key themes identified included disruption to living situations, increased social isolation and reduced access to usual support networks, changes to physical activity rates and changes to relationship with food. One of the major challenges was a reduction in healthcare service provision, as well as discrepancies in access to healthcare services. | Key themes identified included disruption to living situations, increased social isolation and reduced access to usual support networks, changes to physical activity rates and changes to relationship with food. One of the major challenges was a reduction in healthcare service provision, as well as discrepancies in access to healthcare services. |
| According to Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, approximately 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder. Until now, little was known about the impact of the pandemic on this population. Researchers said: | According to Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, approximately 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder. Until now, little was known about the impact of the pandemic on this population. Researchers said: |
| Dr Dawn Branley-Bell, co-author of the paper, said: | Dr Dawn Branley-Bell, co-author of the paper, said: |
| Hi. Caroline Davies here. I will be running the live blog for the rest of the day. You can get in touch via email on caroline.davies@theguardian.com | Hi. Caroline Davies here. I will be running the live blog for the rest of the day. You can get in touch via email on caroline.davies@theguardian.com |
| That’s it from me, Amy Walker. I’ll be handing over to my colleague Caroline Davies now, who will steer you through the rest of the day’s key UK coronavirus developments. | That’s it from me, Amy Walker. I’ll be handing over to my colleague Caroline Davies now, who will steer you through the rest of the day’s key UK coronavirus developments. |
| If you missed it yesterday, the Observer’s science editor, Robin McKie, has written a useful analysis explaining why Covid fatalities currently remain low when infection numbers are rising across parts of the globe, including the UK. | If you missed it yesterday, the Observer’s science editor, Robin McKie, has written a useful analysis explaining why Covid fatalities currently remain low when infection numbers are rising across parts of the globe, including the UK. |
| In areas including Oldham in Greater Manchester and Birmingham, cases of coronavirus have surged in recent weeks, although the number of deaths and cases of severe complications remain relatively low. | In areas including Oldham in Greater Manchester and Birmingham, cases of coronavirus have surged in recent weeks, although the number of deaths and cases of severe complications remain relatively low. |
| Although doctors are unsure exactly what is going on, some have suggested that Covid-19 is now becoming more prevalent among younger people, who are less likely to die or suffer serious complications. | Although doctors are unsure exactly what is going on, some have suggested that Covid-19 is now becoming more prevalent among younger people, who are less likely to die or suffer serious complications. |
| But researchers have pointed to the situation in the US where there was a recent spike in cases among those in their 20s and 30s, followed by a spike among older people who picked up the virus from younger people. As a result, there has been a jump in deaths, and scientists warn that a similar pattern could occur in the UK. | But researchers have pointed to the situation in the US where there was a recent spike in cases among those in their 20s and 30s, followed by a spike among older people who picked up the virus from younger people. As a result, there has been a jump in deaths, and scientists warn that a similar pattern could occur in the UK. |
| You can read Robin’s analysis here: | You can read Robin’s analysis here: |
| Eurostar has announced that rail passengers will be able to travel directly from Amsterdam to London from the end of October. | Eurostar has announced that rail passengers will be able to travel directly from Amsterdam to London from the end of October. |
| The new service commences on 26 October and will enable people to travel from the Netherlands’ capital in four hours and nine minutes, with tickets costing at least £40 each way. | The new service commences on 26 October and will enable people to travel from the Netherlands’ capital in four hours and nine minutes, with tickets costing at least £40 each way. |
| Passengers will also be able to travel back to St Pancras International in London from Rotterdam in three hours and 29 minutes. | Passengers will also be able to travel back to St Pancras International in London from Rotterdam in three hours and 29 minutes. |
| The announcement comes after the UK government removed the Netherlands from its list of countries people can travel to without having to quarantine on their return. | The announcement comes after the UK government removed the Netherlands from its list of countries people can travel to without having to quarantine on their return. |
| Travellers who arrive back in the UK from the Netherlands after 15 August have to self-isolate for 14 days under coronavirus safety measures. | Travellers who arrive back in the UK from the Netherlands after 15 August have to self-isolate for 14 days under coronavirus safety measures. |
| As the dispute between teachers’ unions and the government over plans for schools to reopen in England next month continues, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said staff are more likely to get Covid-19 during their coffee break than in the classroom. | As the dispute between teachers’ unions and the government over plans for schools to reopen in England next month continues, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said staff are more likely to get Covid-19 during their coffee break than in the classroom. |
| Dr Jenny Harries said the risk for teachers in schools is probably highest “between staff” and that a scenario in which all schools across the country would be forced to close again was “unlikely”. But in areas subject to potential local lockdowns, individual schools could close. | Dr Jenny Harries said the risk for teachers in schools is probably highest “between staff” and that a scenario in which all schools across the country would be forced to close again was “unlikely”. But in areas subject to potential local lockdowns, individual schools could close. |
| Harries said no environment was “risk free” from the virus, but added that the risk to children was higher from seasonal flu compared with those currently posed by Covid-19. She told Sky News: | Harries said no environment was “risk free” from the virus, but added that the risk to children was higher from seasonal flu compared with those currently posed by Covid-19. She told Sky News: |
| She added that a single case of coronavirus within a school “bubble” may not lead to the whole bubble being forced into isolation. | She added that a single case of coronavirus within a school “bubble” may not lead to the whole bubble being forced into isolation. |
| Seventeen teachers at a special school in Dundee have contracted Covid-19, alongside two pupils and three community contacts, health officials in Tayside have disclosed. | Seventeen teachers at a special school in Dundee have contracted Covid-19, alongside two pupils and three community contacts, health officials in Tayside have disclosed. |
| NHS Tayside shut Kingspark school last Wednesday for deep cleaning after the outbreak emerged, and on Friday closed it to allow staff and pupils to self-isolate for 14 days because of the pupils’ complex needs. | NHS Tayside shut Kingspark school last Wednesday for deep cleaning after the outbreak emerged, and on Friday closed it to allow staff and pupils to self-isolate for 14 days because of the pupils’ complex needs. |
| The board said on Sunday that 22 people were infected, up from 12 on Friday. It said contact tracing had identified links to two other schools in Dundee, with one positive case at St Peter’s and St Paul’s primary, and another at Happy Times out-of school club at Downfield primary. | The board said on Sunday that 22 people were infected, up from 12 on Friday. It said contact tracing had identified links to two other schools in Dundee, with one positive case at St Peter’s and St Paul’s primary, and another at Happy Times out-of school club at Downfield primary. |
| You can read more on this from our Scotland editor, Severin Carrell, here: | You can read more on this from our Scotland editor, Severin Carrell, here: |