The ban on non-essential travel to Scotland from Manchester and Salford will be lifted from next week, the Scottish government has announced.
It marks an easement of tensions between Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham after a public disagreement over the policy.
Scotland's Health Secretary, Humza Yousaf, said: “Nobody wants travel restrictions in place for any longer than is absolutely necessary.”
Mr Burnham accused the Scottish Government of disrespect after Ms Sturgeon imposed the travel curbs on June 21 despite Scotland having higher case rates than much of Greater Manchester.
A source close to Ms Sturgeon jettisoned the prospect of an earlier ceasefire when they accused Mr Burnham of making an “incoherent and absurd” contribution to a meeting.
It comes as Nicola Sturgeon today met the Queen on the second day of the traditional Royal Week.
Scotland now has the highest infection rate in the UK, according to an analysis by the PA news agency.
Follow the latest updates below.
02:29 PM
Quarantine-free travel to the US unlikely to make a comeback this summer
Hopes have been dashed that flights between the UK and US will restart this summer, hitting the travel plans of millions of Britons, Oliver Gill reports.
Talks between officials on either side of the Atlantic are unlikely to reach a conclusion by the end of July as had been hoped.
A rise in Delta variant cases in the UK and uncertainty over the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine mean discussions may drag on until September, the Financial Times reported.
Passengers in the arrivals hall at Heathrow Airport, London - Aaron Chown/PA Wire
The delay will come as a huge blow to British Airways and Heathrow airport, both of which have pinned their hopes of a meaningful return of transatlantic flights this summer.
For BA, these routes are among their most profitable. For Heathrow, there are fears that failure to restart services to the US will leave the door open to EU airports to fill the void - making it even more difficult for the London base to regain its crown as Europe’s busiest airport from Paris.
Ban on travel to Scotland from Manchester and Salford lifted
The ban on non-essential travel to Scotland from Manchester and Salford will be lifted from next week, the Scottish government has announced.
It marks an easement of tensions between Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Mr Burnham accused the Scottish Government of disrespect after Ms Sturgeon imposed the travel curbs on June 21 despite Scotland having the highest case rates in the UK.
02:12 PM
Vaccines have prevented 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England
The vaccination programme has prevented 7.2 million infections, and 27,000 deaths in England, new analysis by Public Health England (PHE) and the University of Cambridge has found.
It is the first time that PHE has estimated how many people have been spared a case of coronavirus and experts said it showed vaccines have “given us a path back towards a normal life”.
It comes as new figures show infections rose by nearly 70 per cent in a week to 22,868 on Monday, although there were just three deaths reported.
Staff hand out bottles of water as people queue for a mass coronavirus vaccination centre at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium - Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Dr Mary Ramsay, the PHE head of immunisation, said: “These findings remind us once again why getting both doses of your vaccine is the most important thing you can do to stop the spread of this terrible disease.
“As well as preventing the deaths of tens of thousands from Covid-19, for the first time we can now appreciate the huge impact that the vaccines have had on stopping people getting infected, and therefore passing the virus on to others.”
Retired Gurkha soldiers succumb to Covid as Nepal’s plea for vaccines goes unanswered
At least 63 retired Gurkha soldiers who served the British Army in theatres – including Iraq and the Falkland Islands – have died from Covid-19 in remote Nepali villages after pleas to the British government for vaccinations went unanswered, the Telegraph can reveal.
The Nepali government was forced to suspend its vaccination programme until early June due to a shortage of doses. Less than one percent of the Himalayan country’s 30 million residents have been fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, a devastating second wave of Covid-19 driven by the more virulent “Delta” variant overwhelmed its fragile healthcare system and resulted in nationwide shortages of oxygen, killing thousands of Nepalis.
“Most of the retired British Gurkha soldiers in Nepal have not been vaccinated against coronavirus. It is estimated that about 3,000 Gurkha soldiers and their families have been vaccinated but the total number of retired Gurkha soldiers and their widows is over 20,000,” said Yam Bahadur Rana, Deputy Field Director of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, a British charity working in Nepal.
Ireland to restrict indoor hospitality to fully vaccinated and previously infected
Ireland is to restrict indoor drinking and dining in bars and restaurants to people who have had both vaccine jabs or previously contracted coronavirus, its Prime Minister Micheal Martin has announced.
The move is part of a more cautious approach to the relaxation of Covid rules amid concerns about the spread of the Delta variant.
"A return to other indoor activities, including hospitality, will be delayed given the increased transmissibility for the Delta variant," Martin said.
Micheal Martin, the Irish Prime Minister, has reneged on plans for a fuller reopening of indoor hospitality - Aris Oikonomou/Pool via Reuters
He said that the safest way to reopen indoor hospitality is to limit access to those who have been fully vaccinated or recovered from coronavirus.
Of the 31 countries monitored by the European Centre for Disease Control, Ireland currently the fifth highest rate of infection.
01:23 PM
Pound slides as delta variant jitters grow
Gold has dropped to its lowest in two months, as the dollar strengthens as a result of market jitters about the delta virus variant which is spreading in Europe, reports Morgan Meaker.
Bullion is facing its biggest monthly drop in over four years after the Federal Reserve said interest rate hikes could arrive sooner than expected.
Gold has slid below $1,800 an ounce this month and traders are now focused on the timing of when policy makers may start retracting stimulus.
Spot gold fell as much as 1.3pc to $1,756.02 an ounce, the lowest since April. It is currently at $1,756.55. Prices are down 8pc this month, the most since November 2016. Silver, palladium and platinum also all retreated.
Overseas bosses win exemption from quarantine rules
Company bosses and senior bankers will be allowed to fly into Britain without facing a lengthy quarantine again, write Tom Rees, Lucy Burton and Charles Hymas.
It comes amid fears that France is trying to woo banks frustrated with tough UK travel rules.
Executives flying in from New York, Frankfurt and Hong Kong will not have to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival after ministers reinstated the special fast-track route into the UK for executives.
The proposals follow intense lobbying by US banks over restrictions for senior business figures. But they sparked outrage from campaigners who said it was unfair families were facing tougher restrictions.
The trip must bring “significant economic benefit” to Britain's economy to receive the exemption. That means there has to be a greater than 50pc chance of creating or protecting at least 500 UK-based jobs.
The relaxation will open up business travel for factory visits and important meetings with potential investors and company boards among others, the business department said.
Scotland overtakes north-west as Britain's main Covid hotspot
Scotland has now overtaken the north-west of England to become the main coronavirus hotspot in the UK, new analysis has shown.
East Lothian now has 595.8 Covid cases per 100,000 people, the highest rate anywhere in the UK, followed by Dundee (587.3 per 100,000).
Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, recently received her second dose of a coronavirus vaccine - Jeff J Mitchell/AFP
Hyndburn in Lancashire (547.9) has the third-highest prevalence of the virus, while Midlothian (520.2) and Edinburgh (503.5) round out the top five, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
Hyndburn is recording its highest rates of the virus since mid-January, as Scotland comes close to recording its highest ever rate of infection.
12:32 PM
How Australia's strict Covid defences were breached by the delta variant
With just one coronavirus death recorded for all of 2021, Australia, on the surface, looks like the success story of Covid-19 control.
But the more transmissible delta variant has brought a new wave of lockdowns that have again raised questions about both the country's over-reliance on tight border controls and the pace of the vaccine rollout.
Cases traced to strict quarantine hotels have allowed the new variant, first identified in India, to spread widely.
Mounted police patrol along Bondi Beach in Sydney - Joel Carrett/AAP via AP
Once inside the country, Covid-19 has a good chance of spreading unchecked as Australia limps towards just 5 per cent of its population being vaccinated.
A single gold miner who is thought to have contracted the virus in a quarantine hotel is believed to be the key to clusters appearing in many major cities.
BBC's over-75s licence fee amnesty to end next month
The BBC will end its licence fee amnesty for over-75s next months as the corporation will chase payment from 260,000 pensioners who have yet to settle their bill.
In February, the Telegraph revealed how the BBC had suspended its threat to prosecute over-75s who had failed to set up a new television licence, following an outcry over the scheme.
The corporation said the temporary amnesty was a response to the pandemic but declined to say how long it would last.
In a statement today, the BBC said this grace period will now end on July 31 because over-75s' households are now "in line with the general public".
"These were promised at the beginning of this process but can now take place, subject to any further Covid-19 restrictions, and will begin in the autumn."
Covid-related pupil absence hits record high since schools returned in March
More than 375,000 pupils are off school as a result of Covid, up from 239,000 the previous week, writes Camilla Turner.
This includes 275,000 children who have been forced to self-isolate because of a case at school, a 60 per cent increase in the space of a week, according to the latest official data.
Figures published today by the Department for Education (DfE) show that 5.1 per cent of all children in England were not at school last Thursday due to a Covid-related reason, up from 3.3 per cent the week before.
Teacher Catherine McClean has her temperature checked by assistant teacher Hilary Brennan at St Clare's Primary School in Belfast - Liam McBurney/PA Wire
The latest data comes as The Telegraph launches a campaign calling on ministers to put children first as the country recovers from repeated lockdowns, with action to bring an end to the disruption of schools, and address the harm caused.
Ministers have been urged to end bubbles as soon as possible to prevent further disruption during the final weeks of term and during the summer holidays.
‘Remorseless’ build-up of Covid hospital patients simply hasn’t happened
When Boris Johnson delayed the final release of Covid restrictions on June 14, he warned the country that hospital admissions were increasing by 50 per cent per week.
"We know the remorseless logic of exponential growth," the Prime Minister said at a gloomy press conference, imploring the public to allow the NHS "a few more crucial weeks".
Yet the "remorseless" build-up of patients simply has not happened. On June 14, there were 220 people admitted to hospital. The most recent daily reported figure was 227, and in between it has flip-flopped between 203 and 237.
Crucially, not only have admissions failed to skyrocket, but the total number of people in hospital is also not rising alarmingly as it did in previous waves.
Around 1,500 people are in hospital with Covid, an increase of 20 per cent since the mid-June press conference – and a figure that pales in comparison with the 39,000 seen during the January peak.
Russia pushes back vaccine targets amid low uptake and record deaths
The Kremlin is pushing back its target for nationwide coronavirus vaccination as the vaccine uptake has been extremely sluggish, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian president, said the target of administering the jab to at least 60 per cent of the population by the end of summer is no longer realistic.
“It's obvious that we won’t manage to vaccinate 60 per cent,” he said. “We see that the number of those wanting to get the jab began to grow this week. But the pace of vaccination was unfortunately very slow until now.”
Regional officials have reportedly been told that the target has been revised to “at least 30-35 per cent” of the population by September. Just 12 percent of Russians have received the jab since the vaccine became available at the end of December.
People wait in line to receive the Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V) vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Mega shopping center. - Yevgeny Sofiychuk/TASS via Getty
It comes as Russia reported 652 Covid deaths today - a record high - and 20,616 new cases. The number of new cases in Moscow, the epicentre of the third wave, has somewhat subsided to 6,209.
Russia was one of the first countries in the world to develop an effective Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V. However vaccination rates have been extremely low due to Russians’ pervasive distrust of their government and the Kremlin’s mixed messaging.
11:26 AM
Covid absences hit record high since return of schools
Absence among pupils relating to coronavirus has hit its highest level since the reopening of schools in March, according to new Department for Education data.
Around one in 20 (5.1 per cent) state school pupils did not attend class owing to virus-based reasons in the week ending June 24, up from 3.3 per cent the previous week.
These include almost 279,000 children self-isolating due to a possible contact with a Covid case, 24,000 pupils with a suspected case, and 15,000 with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
11:11 AM
The harsh reality of schools during Covid
Haslingden High School has had its fair share of troubles. Four years ago, 31 of its pupils were at the Manchester Arena to see the Ariana Grande concert on the night of the terrorist attack, three of whom suffered shrapnel injuries.
Yet even the trauma of a suicide bombing did not prepare the school community for the difficulties it has faced over the past year, according to Russell Clarke, the school’s deputy head.
“We’ve had some really challenging times,” he said. “But now we have everyone struggling at once.”
Russell Clarke, deputy head at Haslingden High - Warren Smith
When the secondary school in Rossendale, Lancashire reopened in September 2020 following the first lockdown, the autumn term was a “real disaster” with pupils sent home to isolate on 1,700 occasions.
“One mother rang me recently and said it was her child’s seventh period of isolation,” Mr Clarke said. “So that is 70 days of isolation for one pupil. She was saying just how her child was suffering emotionally, that he has missed out on playing with friends and his confidence has dropped.”
Hong Kong is to ban all flights from the UK later this week to curb the spread of the coronavirus delta variant, reports our South Asia correspondent Ben Farmer.
The UK will be classified as an "extremely high-risk" country, putting it at the highest rating Hong Kong has for pandemic travel.
The ban will come into effect on Thursday, and affect all incoming flights from the UK. People who had recently spent more than two hours in Britain would not be allowed to board flights to Hong Kong from any airport.
All incoming flights from the UK to Hong Kong will be affected - Tyrone Siu/Reuters
The city's authorities said the decision was based on the "recent rebound" of the pandemic in the UK and the "widespread delta variant virus strain" in the country, the BBC reported.
There are around eight daily non-stop flights from the UK to Hong Kong, all flying out of London. Flights outbound from Hong Kong to the UK are not affected by the upcoming ban.
10:38 AM
Zero coronavirus deaths registered in Wales
Wales has registered zero weekly coronavirus deaths for the first time since the start of the pandemic, new figures have shown.
Out of the 573 deaths recorded in Wales in the week ending June 18, none mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.
Mark Drakeford, the Welsh First Minister, pictured at a coronavirus press conference - Matthew Horwood/Getty Images
This had not previously happened since the week ending March 13.
In England, there were 102 deaths involving coronavirus in the week ending June 18, a rise of 19 on the previous week.
10:24 AM
Boris Johnson condemns 'thugs' who harassed Chris Whitty
The Prime Minister has condemned the two "thugs" who accosted Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, in a central London park, reports Gareth Davies.
Boris Johnson was commenting after a video posted online showed the incident.
"I'm shocked at seeing the despicable harassment of Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty," Mr Johnson said.
"I condemn the behaviour of these thugs. Our hard-working public servants should not have to face this kind of intimidation on our streets and we will not tolerate it."
The Metropolitan Police are investigating the clip.
'Muddled thinking has allowed the voices of doom to dominate'
Over the past 15 months, there have been some standout moments in the handling of Covid-19, writes former education secretary David Blunkett. On the plus side, we have seen a phenomenal scientific endeavour to develop and fast track approval for vaccines.
But the one thing that has continued to cause real concern has been the loss of learning: the confusion, contradiction and failures of forward planning within the education system.
Alongside the importance of teaching has been social interaction, support for individual vulnerable young people and those with special needs, but also the impact on the mental health of a wide cohort of youngsters right across the age range.
With an estimated quarter of a million young people not in the classroom because they are “isolating”, and despite this year’s assessment and tests having been concluded, the impact on continuing learning and catch-up could be profound.
This is brought about by confused advice, poor communication and, frankly, muddled thinking.
Former catch-up tsar says his £15bn proposals were rejected
Former catch-up tsar Sir Kevan Collins confirmed that there was a large spending plan in his proposals, which were rejected by the Government.
He quit his role as education recovery commissioner earlier this month with a condemnation of the Government's £1.4 billion catch-up fund.
Asked if he had asked ministers for a £15 billion recovery package, Sir Kevan told the Education Committee: "There were proposals which got to £15 billion, yes."
09:56 AM
'Key thing' on schools is to follow evidence
Back to schools, former catch-up tsar Sir Kevan Collins said the "key thing" is to follow the evidence when asked about using testing to end self-isolation for school pupils in bubbles.
He quit his role as education recovery commissioner with a condemnation of the Government's £1.4 billion catch-up fund, which he said fell "far short" of what was needed.
"In all of my work, the key thing for me is to follow the evidence of course," he told MPs on the Education Committee.
"I guess with the bubbles, what I would really like to, and I think it's what the DfE (Department for Education) are doing, is taking new advice and asking the scientists and asking the experts what should we do next.
"Ideally, of course, what we all want to do is get every child back in school every day because that's the very best way we'll recover from the pandemic."
09:47 AM
'More needs to be done before July 19', says data company
Immediate action is necessary to tackle exponential rise in Covid-19 due to delta variant in UK, data analysts GlobalData has said.
Emily Martyn, an infectious disease analyst at the company said: "While the UK Vaccine Taskforce should be applauded for its sterling work in ensuring 83.3%* of the UK have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, the Government must not become complacent and do more to reduce the spread of Delta. Vaccine promotion simply isn’t enough. Unpopular as the prospect may be, more needs to be done before the final restrictions can be lifted on 19 July to prevent a deadly third wave. Actions such as reimposing tighter restrictions, ensuring people continue working from home, and home schooling will be vital to this aim. However, it may already be too late.
"Not enough is being done to explain to the public that one vaccine dose does not provide adequate protection against all SARS-CoV-2 infections.
"The lack of public messaging, coupled with the relaxing of restrictions, has created the perfect opportunity for delta to spread among vaccinated individuals, and, more worryingly, to unvaccinated vulnerable individuals.
“Delta is a growing threat, as cases in the UK have risen 46 percent in the last seven days, with 35,204 new people tested positive for Covid-19 as of 25 June. The R factor for the Delta variant is now 1.44, meaning that, for every ten people infected, they will infect an average of 14 further people."
09:16 AM
Care home deaths up slightly
Some 21 care home resident deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales were registered in the week to June 18, up from 14 in the previous week.
In total, 42,546 care home residents in England and Wales have now had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate.
The ONS figures cover deaths of care home residents in all settings, not just in care homes.
A total of 153,767 deaths have now occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said.
The highest number of deaths to occur on a single day was 1,481 on January 19.
During the first wave of the virus, the daily death toll peaked at 1,461 deaths on April 8 2020.
09:11 AM
First time weekly deaths above 100 since mid-May
A total of 102 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending June 18 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - up 21% on the previous week.
It is the first time the number of deaths has been above 100 since the week ending May 21.
All of the 102 deaths were registered in England.
This is the first week since the start of the pandemic that Wales has registered zero deaths involving Covid-19, the ONS said.
08:57 AM
Priti Patel: We need to adapt our lives to live normally
Home Secretary Priti Patel said we will have to "adapt our lives accordingly" in order to get freedoms back while at the same time living with coronavirus.
"Look, I would love to take the mask off - but at the right time, I will do that," she told Times Radio Breakfast.
"We are living with coronavirus and many of us have been saying this across Government, probably for the last 12 months actually, we are living with this virus, we're in a pandemic.
"Yes, we have the vaccine, there'll be boosters at some stage, booster jabs as well, so we are adapting our way of life.
"I think to look to getting our freedoms back, which of course we all dearly want, we are adapting how we live and that means living with the concept of this pandemic, the virus, and obviously we adapt our lives accordingly."
08:56 AM
Self-isolating still 'very important', stresses minister
Schools minister Nick Gibb said it is still "very important" that those who come into contact with people with Covid self-isolate, whether in schools or society.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the Government is trialling daily testing in schools to see if it would be an effective alternative to self-isolation.
He said: "Well, it is very important that, when a Covid case is identified and somebody has had Covid, that we identify anybody they have been in contact with and they are asked to self-isolate, whether that's in schools or any other part of society, as we seek to tackle this appalling pandemic and minimise the spread of the virus.
"We are actually trialling daily contact testing, where somebody who has come into contact with somebody with Covid, instead of self-isolating, takes a test every day, and if they are negative they can go into school.
"We have trialled this in a small number of secondary schools and that trial finishes tomorrow.
"We will look at the data to see if that is an effective alternative to self-isolation."
08:45 AM
Priti Patel 'horrified' by Chris Whitty footage
Priti Patel called footage appearing to show England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, being harassed by two men in a park "appalling" and said that officials are looking at support available to him.
"I'm just horrified by that, I really am," the Home Secretary told Times Radio Breakfast.
"Chris is just a remarkable public servant, a man who has been leading the whole coronavirus response - nationally, yes, he has a high profile, and I think he's an incredibly respected figure.
"I'm horrified by what has happened to Chris and the police are actually involved as well and we're also speaking to Chris to look at what we can do to support him, it's just appalling."
Asked if she thinks Prof Whitty needs security measures, she said: "I can't speak about that but it's important that we make sure that Chris is given the right kind of support.
"It's terrible to see such an important public figure, someone that day in, day out, has been serving our country in the way in which he has to keep us safe, being subject to just appalling abuse."
08:37 AM
Standon Calling music festival will go ahead
The Standon Calling music festival will go ahead this summer, the organisers of the event have said.
The festival is scheduled to take place from July 22 to 25 in Hertfordshire and performers will include Arlo Parks, Bastille, Craig David, Primal Scream and De La Soul.
A statement from the festival said it will go ahead at a full capacity of around 15,000 people.
Festival director Alex Trenchard said: "To be able to confirm that Standon Calling 2021 will be taking place this year is something that brings me incredible joy.
"We are incredibly grateful to our staff, artists and suppliers who have worked tirelessly with us to get to this point."
08:35 AM
PM condemns men Chris Whitty video
Here is the latest from Boris Johnson:
I’m shocked at seeing the despicable harassment of Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.
I condemn the behaviour of these thugs. Our hard-working public servants should not have to face this kind of intimidation on our streets and we will not tolerate it.
Hancock rules breach unlikely to make others disobey, says professor
Professor Robert West said former health secretary Matt Hancock not following Covid rules is not on its own likely to make other people disobey them.
Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday if Mr Hancock's actions will encourage people to ignore the regulations, Prof West, who is a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B), said: "I think that, in and of itself, that is already being priced in because people don't really trust politicians.
"The risk is if that seeds a wider norm around other people.
"So I think it's really up to everyone else, who people do trust - public health officials, the NHS, other public figures - not to go down that route and not to get drawn into that kind of double-speak, as it were."
07:37 AM
Government's 'big job' to get people to understand risks once society reopens
Professor Robert West said that the Government had a big job to do getting people to understand the risks from coronavirus as society opens up further.
Prof West, who is a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (Spi-B), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that infection control needed to be embedded into people's daily lives in the same way as road safety.
He added: "People are working on how we can embed better infection control into people's lives and of course we do already have models for this, with road safety for example which is actually quite a strong parallel.
"You have a situation where you have to get on with your life, you have to do the things you want and need to do but what you do is you take steps to minimise the risk."
When asked if people understand the risks Prof West said: "Not very well at the moment from the evidence that we have got, so that's a big job to do.
"For example, many, many people still are not fully familiar with what they need to do if they have been infected and have symptoms."
07:18 AM
Watch: Chris Whitty 'harassed' in London park
The Metropolitan Police are investigating after this video was shared online that appeared to show England's Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, being harassed by two men in a London park.
Schools minister Nick Gibb said Professor Chris Whitty had been a "first class chief medical officer" when asked about a video appearing to show him being harassed by two men in a park.
"I've seen those appalling scenes in that video footage," he told LBC.
"Chris Whitty has been a first class chief medical officer throughout the pandemic, providing very high quality advice to Government, providing very calm advice to the public in those press conferences.
"Of course that has made him a well known figure, and that makes the behaviour of those yobbos just even worse."
07:12 AM
'You can't just write-off the rest of the term'
Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Schools, said that 10% of the children and young people across the group's schools - around 3,000 children - were out of school due to coronavirus.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday he said that something needed to be done about pupils having to go into self-isolation in bubbles as soon as possible.
He added: "We have got just over 3,000 children across our primaries and secondaries out of school at the moment, so it's a pretty alarming situation and we would say that something needs to be done about this now.
"There are still three weeks of this summer terms to run - you can't just write-off the rest of the term."
Mr Chalke said that testing should be done in schools because for many children and families there was no incentive to do the tests at home.
He added: "What incentive is there for doing a lateral-flow test at home if it is just going to penalise you in every way and put you in an impossible situation and add to your stress and anxiety, so yes, bringing the tests in school would be a huge step forward."
07:08 AM
Children have 'taken a big burden for us' during pandemic
Bubble arrangements and self-isolation for schoolchildren should end as soon as possible, the new Children's Commissioner warns.
Lockdown restrictions have been a "real trauma" for many young people.
Dame Rachel says children have sacrificed normal aspects of childhood - such as making friends, and having fun - to protect older people during the coronavirus pandemic, with many now struggling with their mental health.
Her calls for urgent action to prevent a lost generation come as The Telegraph launches a campaign calling on ministers to put children first as the country recovers from repeated lockdowns, with action to bring an end to the disruption of schools, and address the harm caused.
06:49 AM
Length of school day also under review
Schools minister Nick Gibb said that a review was under way into how effective it would be to increase the length of the school day to allow children to catch up with missed learning due to the pandemic.
"We know that the best catch up of course happens every day in school with children at school in those classrooms," he told Sky News.
"But we're also conducting a review right now of the evidence about extending the school day and time spent in school to understand how that would work, how effective it would be if we were to increase the length of the school day."
06:33 AM
Decision on school self-isolation within two weeks
A decision on replacing self-isolation requirements for school bubbles with contact testing will be made before July 19, according to minister for school standards Nick Gibb.
He told Sky News: "We will look at the results of the trial and we'll make any decisions, it will be announced before we make a decision on step four going forward.
"We have to do everything we can to minimise the risk of transmission of this virus and that's why all those measures have been taken in schools to keep children and staff safe."
06:28 AM
Government conducting school bubbles review, minister confirms
Schools minister Nick Gibb confirmed that the Government was conducting a review into using testing to end self-isolation for school pupils in bubbles.
"We are conducting trials of daily contact testing as a possible alternative to self-isolation," he told Sky News.
"What matters also is that we keep the school safe and if you go around our schools, you will see a raft of measures to reduce the infection rates within schools.
"There's extra hygiene, there's staggered breaks, we keep children in bubbles, and there's extra ventilation in classrooms to minimise the risk of transmission."
He said that about 3% of students are currently self-isolating, but added this figure is lower than it was in the autumn.
06:18 AM
Today's front page
Here is the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, June 29.
dt
05:46 AM
Young use social media to bypass vaccination rules
Vaccine walk-in centres are defying official guidance by handing out second doses after just 21 days.
Young people in particular are bypassing the booking system and relying on word of mouth via social media to identify centres willing to bend the rules.
On Sunday, NHS officials were forced to reprimand a walk-in centre at London’s Science Museum after it emerged they were issuing walk-in second doses to people of any age, as long as it was 21 days since their first.
People wait in a queue to register for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali - SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP
Indonesia's government will wait until Covid cases fall significantly before opening Bali to foreign tourists, the country's tourism minister said.
The pandemic has devastated the economy of Bali, for decades a magnet for holidaymakers thanks to its spectacular beaches, vibrant nightlife and distinctive Hindu culture.
"We were targeting end of July, beginning of August, but we just have to be mindful of where we are in this recent spike (in coronavirus cases)," Indonesia's Minister for Tourism and the Cultural Economy, Sandiaga Uno, told Reuters.
Coronavirus infections have surged across Indonesia in recent weeks to about 200 cases per day.
The minister said he wanted Bali's daily infections to fall to 30 or 40 per day before reopening.
03:50 AM
Would you like a QR code with your burger?
A woman shows a QR-code to an employee of a McDonald's restaurant in central Moscow - Sergei Bobylev
Restaurants and cafes in Moscow on Monday started requesting vaccination proof from customers or a negative coronavirus test as the Russian capital faces a surge of new infections.
According to a decision by city authorities last week, all Moscow restaurants, cafes and bars must only admit customers who have been vaccinated, have recovered from Covid in the past six months or can provide a negative test from the previous 72 hours.
As proof, customers must visit a government website to get a QR code.
The new restrictions come as Moscow registered infection levels on par with last winter and recorded all-time high daily numbers of coronavirus deaths.
03:28 AM
Meanwhile, in Australia...
Residents of Perth woke to a four-day snap lockdown on Tuesday, making it Australia's third major city under stay-at-home orders as the highly contagious delta variant spreads. Three positive cases have been diagnosed in Western Australia since the outbreak was detected but local health officials have long taken a highly cautious approach to clusters.
Concerns the delta strain could touch off significant outbreaks have forced lockdowns in three state capitals, while most other cities have imposed some form of restrictions with more than 20 million Australians, or about 80pc of the population, affected.
Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, reported 19 locally acquired cases on Tuesday as it fights an outbreak of the delta variant. Sydney, home to a fifth of the country's 25 million people, is under a two-week lockdown until July 9.
Sydney is in lockdown as Australia fights the delta variant - SAEED KHAN/AFP
Brisbane on Tuesday became the fourth major city to issue stay-at-home orders with a three-day snap lockdown. The capital city's surrounding coastal regions and the small northern city of Townsville are also subject to the latest order, after an unvaccinated hospital worker spent up to 10 days travelling around Queensland while infectious.
The lockdown in the northern city of Darwin has been extended for another 72 hours until Friday. Tough restrictions, including mandatory masks and fewer gatherings, are in place elsewhere. A small cluster linked to an outback gold mine sent Darwin into lockdown after exposure sites were found for the first time in the Northern Territory city, which is home to a large indigenous population feared to be more vulnerable to Covid-19.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced vaccines will become mandatory for aged-care and quarantine hotel workers, while the AstraZeneca jab will be available to people aged under 60 who sign an indemnity form.
Almost 7.4 million vaccine doses have been administered to date in Australia, with less than five per cent reported to have received both jabs.
The country has recorded a total of just over 30,000 cases and 910 deaths since the pandemic began. The largest current outbreak is in Sydney, where 130 people have tested positive since a driver for an international flight crew was diagnosed in mid-June.
02:02 AM
Travel bubble Down Under to resume
New Zealand will partially resume quarantine-free travel with Australia and remove all Covid curbs in place in Wellington after no community cases were reported in the capital city after more than a week of restrictions.
Quarantine-free travel will resume with South Australia, the ACT, Tasmania and Victoria from July 5, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.
Coronavirus restrictions in Wellington will be eased from midnight on Tuesday.
01:17 AM
Police investigate video of chief medical officer harassment
Metropolitan Police is investigating a video shared online that appeared to show England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty being harassed by two men in a park.
The force tweeted: "We are aware of a video being shared online showing an incident in St James's Park. Officers spoke to all those involved at the time and their details were taken."
We are aware of a video being shared online showing an incident in St James’s Park.
Officers spoke to all those involved at the time and their details were taken. We are in contact with the victim and the circumstances continue to be investigated.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Vaccines Minister, condemned the incident, tweeting: "This is disgusting and these thugs must be found and charged. Zero tolerance for harassing a public servant."
When Boris Johnson delayed the final release of Covid restrictions on June 14, he warned the country that hospital admissions were increasing by 50pc per week: "We know the remorseless logic of exponential growth." Yet the "remorseless" build-up of patients simply has not happened.
Vaccine scientist Dame Sarah Gilbert hardly knew where to look at Wimbledon as she was greeted with a standing ovation usually reserved for tournament greats.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
