Coronavirus latest news: Covid-19 death surge appears to be slowing down, ONS figures show

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The latest surge in coronavirus deaths across England and Wales appears to be slowing down, new figures show.

A total of 2,697 deaths registered in the week ending November 20 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It is the highest number of deaths involving Covid-19 since the week ending May 15. But the figure is an increase of just 9 per cent on the previous week.

This is the lowest week-on-week percentage rise in registered deaths since the start of the second wave of Covid-19 in early September.

The ONS figures show the increase in deaths started to slow in late October: deaths jumped by 53 per cent in the week to October 16, then by 46 per cent the following week, then by 41 per cent, 40 per cent, 27 per cent and most recently 9 per cent.

Covid-19 still accounted for just over a fifth (21.5 per cent) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to November 20, however.

Follow the latest updates below.


06:43 PM

Duke of Sussex suggests coronavirus was a rebuke from mother nature

The Duke of Sussex has suggested that the coronavirus pandemic was a rebuke from mother nature, as he urged everyone to “be a raindrop” and repair the Earth.

Throwing his weight behind a new Netflix-style streaming platform for climate documentaries, the Duke said it was vital that viewers were “uplifted, educated and inspired” to take action.

He said that becoming a father had made him query the point of having children if the world they inherited was “on fire”.

Read more.


06:29 PM

Immunosuppressed cancer patients could remain contagious for prolonged periods if infected with Covid-19

Covid-19 patients who received cancer treatments that suppress their immune system may remain contagious and able to spread the coronavirus for two months or more, according to a study published on Tuesday.

In the new study, researchers analysed sputum and swab samples from 20 immunosuppressed cancer patients infected with the coronavirus. They found three were contagious for more than three weeks after their symptoms began, including one who remained contagious for 61 days.

“We know from several studies that if you’re ... healthy, you are no longer infectious after the first week of illness. But there is very little we know about immunocompromised patients,” said Mini Kamboj, one of the study’s authors from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Is that 20 days enough or do we need to exercise precautions for longer than that?”

While only a small proportion of cancer patients with Covid-19 are likely to remain contagious for prolonged periods, “it’s a residual risk that we need to address,” Kamboj said. “We need to keep an open mind about how (much) longer immunocompromised patients could pose an infection risk to others.”


06:20 PM

France to take measures to stop skiers from sidestepping local virus restrictions

France will take measures to stop skiers from sidestepping local virus restrictions and hitting the slopes in other countries during the Christmas holidays, president Emmanuel Macron said.

Downhill skiing is effectively banned in France for the season to help contain the spread of Covid-19 after the government said last week that ski lifts would remain closed until January, even though resorts could otherwise operate.

Slopes are open in neighbouring Switzerland, tempting French winter sports lovers to cross the border from 15 December, when the current partial lockdown is lifted.

“If there are countries that keep their resorts open, there will be controls to dissuade the French,” Macron told a news conference. This was to avoid “creating a situation in which there is an imbalance with stations in France”, he said.

Switzerland - not an EU member, though it has strong ties to the bloc - has ignored calls to fall into line, much to the frustration of French officials.

“In Switzerland, we can go skiing, with protection plans in place,” Swiss health minister Alain Berset said last week.


06:11 PM

'Closing pubs means people will buy supermarket booze and gather in houses – it's not rocket science'

Christmas is coming but the mood in the Welsh hospitality industry is none too merry.

The festive bubble popped yesterday when First Minister Mark Drakeford announced new rules aimed at controlling a spike in coronavirus cases, particularly among those aged under 25.

The latest regulations target hospitality venues including restaurants, bars and cafés, which will be banned from selling alcohol and forced to close by 6pm as of Friday, December 4. 

The news has dealt another severe blow to the country’s already struggling leisure and hospitality industry in what is ordinarily one of the busiest periods of the year.

Kerry Walker has more here.


06:00 PM

'The fifth substantial meal was mistake'

Matt

05:52 PM

Court delays could mean suspected criminals escape justice, Lord Chief Justice warns

Suspected criminals could escape justice as "important" witnesses "lose interest" because of court delays, the Lord Chief Justice has warned.

Lord Burnett said he was "acutely conscious" of the impact of delays caused by backlogs that had "grown significantly" due to the Covid pandemic. He warned that this came on top of "significant" delays between a victim reporting a crime and police charging the suspect in serious cases such as rape.

New figures show the backlog in crown court cases has reached 51,500, up 30 per cent from 39,300 before the pandemic, with some jury trials now being listed in 2022 for offences committed years earlier. 

Charles Hymas has more here.


05:43 PM

'It breaks my heart, but I can't justify going home this Christmas'

Naomi Southwell has taken the difficult decision to avoid meeting her vulnerable parents this December and will celebrate in her flatshare instead. Here she explains why:

There's a particular type of sadness reserved for those who feel down at Christmas. For the past few years, my mental health has always been at its worst in December. As everyone else's palette turns to red and green, illuminated by blinking string lights and candle glow, I can only see several shades of dull. 

The one thing that pulls me out of this distinctly un-festive feeling is simply being at home. Eschewing any notions of it being the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is a low-stakes affair at our house, and that suits me perfectly. 

But for the first time ever I’m not going to be at home in Manchester this Christmas. I’ll be in London, in my flatshare, having decided not to travel home because of the coronavirus. 

Read more.


05:34 PM

Daily Mail's NHS masks came from Uighur factory in China

A charity set up by the Daily Mail to buy protective equipment for NHS staff donated 100,000 face masks suspected of being made by workers in a controversial Chinese labour programme, the BBC has reported.

The masks were flown in from China by the paper's Mail Force campaign, which was launched in April to buy PPE.

They were bought from Medwell Medical Products, a firm suspected of using Uighur Muslims in the labour scheme.

Mail Force said it had been unaware of allegations about Medwell at the time.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "The masks in question represent 0.2 per cent of the 42 million items of PPE we delivered to the UK. We are implacably opposed to forced labour of any kind."


05:18 PM

Queen and Philip to spend Christmas at Windsor Castle

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will spend Christmas at Windsor Castle and not Sandringham for the first time in decades, Buckingham Palace has said.

There has been speculation about where the Queen and Philip would enjoy the festive period after Covid guidelines forced families to choose who to see during the holidays.

The Queen and her consort, who are both well into their 90s, may see some members of their family briefly in accordance with guidelines, but Christmas celebrations are likely to involve just the couple.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “Having considered all the appropriate advice, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have decided that this year they will spend Christmas quietly in Windsor.”

The head of state and her consort have not spent a Christmas at the their Berkshire home since the mid 1980s.

The Queen and Duke, pictured at Windsor Castle as they celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary - Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe

05:10 PM

UK reports 603 deaths amid 13,000 new cases

Britain has reported 13,430 new Covid-19 cases and 603 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, both up on Monday’s tallies, according to government data.


04:51 PM

Italy reports nearly 20,000 new cases

Italy reported 785 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, up from 672 on Monday, and 19,350 new infections, compared with 16,377 the day before, the health ministry said.

The first Western country hit by the virus, Italy has seen 56,361 Covid-19 fatalities since its outbreak emerged in February, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain's. It has also registered 1.62 million cases to date.

There were 182,100 swabs carried out in the past day, down from a previous 130,524.

The number of people in hospital with Covid-19 stood at 32,811 on Tuesday, down 376 on the day before. The number in intensive care decreased by 81 and now stands at 3,663.

When Italy's second wave of the epidemic was accelerating fast in the first half of November, hospital admissions were rising by around 1,000 per day, while intensive care occupancy was increasing by about 100 per day.


04:41 PM

Sweden advises children of coronavirus cases stay at home in policy reversal

Daniel Capurro reports:

Sweden’s public health agency on Tuesday changed its advice that children of people infected with Covid-19 should still attend school or nursery. The agency now recommends that children stay at home.  

The move is a further reversal of policy from the Public Health Agency, which has overseen one of the world’s loosest coronavirus regimes. In October, it dropped advice that adults living with an infected person should go to work as normal.

Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist has continued to insist that asymptomatic transmission is relatively unimportant to the spread of the virus. The health agency said in an announcement that it did not expect the policy change to have a “decisive effect” on infections but would “allay the concerns” of teachers and school staff.

Sweden’s neighbours have pursued far stricter coronavirus restrictions and the country’s death rate is more than ten times that of next-door Norway. 


04:30 PM

UK aid cut 'regrettable' while world's poorest facing 'worst hour', says UN humanitarian chief

The UK decision to cut overseas aid when the Covid-19 pandemic has put decades of human progress at risk is "regrettable", according to  a senior figure at the United Nations. 

Mark Lowcock, UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, said that as well as damaging the poorest, the cut of £5 billion this year could undermine the UK's global reputation. 

"The first thing is that when countries make commitments in the UN, it's really quite important to keep them," he said. "Secondly, the budgetary savings to the UK are really quite small, in relation to the impact of what is intended on the world's most vulnerable people, at their worst moment. So, obviously, from our point of view, this is a regrettable decision." 

Jenifer Rigby has more here.

Famine is back as a result of the pandemic, and rich countries must do more, said the UN's Mark Lowcock -  ESSA AHMED / AFP

04:23 PM

Catholic nuns test positive for Covid-19 in Germany convent

Seventy-six Catholic nuns have tested positive for Covid-19 after an outbreak at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany, church authorities said Tuesday.

Another 85 nuns received negative test results at the monastery in Thuine, not far from the Dutch border, the convent's Mother Superior told The Associated Press.

"We are grateful that so far nobody is in the hospital," Sister Maria Cordis Reiker said.

Local health authorities put the the entire monastery under quarantine late last week after the first cases of coronavirus were discovered there. Most Catholic nuns in Germany are elderly women because convents have had difficulties for decades recruiting young women for their cause.

Reiker said they were still waiting for the test results of the 160 non-clerical employees of the monastery, including nurses working at the monastery's old people's home, and others working at the monastery's kitchen and wash house.


04:08 PM

Vast majority of Covid-19 deaths in Sudan capital are going undetected

The vast majority of coronavirus deaths in Sudan's capital Khartoum are falling under the radar, according to a new report.

Estimates suggest that just 2 per cent of all deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in Khartoum, modelling by Imperial College London in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and other institutions has shown.

Low detection rates suggest that as many as 16,090  deaths may have been missed as of 20 November. 

Commenting on the results, Dr Oliver Watson of Imperial College London said: “It is increasingly apparent and saddening the extent to which Covid-19 has been able to spread largely unobserved in some parts of the world.

"We hope our findings reinforce the continued protection of high risk individuals as Khartoum heads into a second wave.”


03:47 PM

US healthcare workers could receive shots within the next 24 hours

Healthcare workers and others recommended for the first Covid-19 inoculations in the US could start getting shots within 24 hours or at most within 36-48 hours after the vaccine receives regulatory nod.

Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser for the US government’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine programme, said he hopes 20 million people will be immunised by the end of this year.

“Within 24 hours, maybe at most 36 to 48 hours, from the approval, the vaccine can be in people’s arms,” Slaoui said at a Washington Post event.


03:28 PM

France ready to begin vaccineation campaign net year says, Macron

French president Emmanuel Macron said France should be in a position to embark on a broader Covid-19 vaccination campaign between April and June next year, after initially targeting much a smaller group of people.

A first vaccination campaign starting towards the end of December or in January would be targeted at a smaller segment of the population, Macron said after meeting with Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo.

France’s top health advisory body said on Monday it had recommended Covid-19 vaccinations should target retirement homes residents and their staff first when doses reach the country.


03:12 PM

Naked MEP leapt from window as Belgian police raid orgy for breaking coronavirus rules

A naked MEP tried to escape through a window after police broke up a 25-strong sex party in Brussels’ city centre for breaking coronavirus rules. 

The unnamed MEP reportedly injured himself jumping out of the first floor of a flat above a bar, where the orgy was being held.

He was promptly arrested by police but brandished his European Parliament badge and claimed immunity. EU rules don’t confer immunity when a MEP is caught in the act of committing an offence. 

Belgian media reported police sources as claiming there were also a number of EU diplomats at the sex party, which was on Friday night and just a few metres from a city centre police station and the city's iconic Grand Place. 

Read more


02:55 PM

Watch: PM promises £1,000 for wet pubs


02:36 PM

Bangladesh expects to receive first Covid vaccines by February

Bangladesh expects to receive its first batch of coronavirus vaccines by February which people will receive free of charge, the health secretary said on Tuesday.

The South Asian country of more than 160 million last month signed a deal with the Serum Institute of India to buy 30 million doses of the vaccine developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca.

"We expect to get the vaccine as early as February and people will get it for free," health secretary Abdul Mannan told reporters.

Frontline workers like health service providers and police will be given priority.

In the global race to develop vaccines against Covid-19, AstraZeneca's candidate is viewed as offering one of the best hopes for many developing countries because of its cheaper price and ability to be transported at normal fridge temperatures.

Some experts, however, raised questions around its trial data.

Bangladesh will also get 68 million doses of vaccine from the GAVI vaccine alliance, Mannan said, referring to a global health partnership set up in 2000 to increase access to immunisation in poor countries.

Experts say Bangladesh, with patchy healthcare facilities, could face another surge in infections, having so far confirmed 467,225 cases and 6,675 deaths since the pandemic began.


02:24 PM

Madrid inaugurates huge new 'pandemic' hospital

Madrid on Tuesday inaugurated a huge, controversial new hospital built in just three months and capable of treating more than 1,000 patients during a health emergency.

The Isabel Zendal complex, which covers 80,000 square metres (860,000 square feet) cost nearly 100 million euros ($120 million).

Its purpose is to ease pressure on hospitals in the Madrid region, which has suffered one of the most deadly outbreaks of the novel coronavirus.

Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the conservative leader of Madrid's regional government who kicked off the project, attended the opening of the vast complex near Barajas airport on the city's eastern flanks.

Wires could be seen dangling from the ceiling of the still-empty hospital, with the first patients expected to arrive next week.

So far, the region has recruited 116 medical staff to work there, but has not said whether it intends to contract more.

The hospital "is adapted to suit any situation we might go through" said Diaz Ayuso, indicating its intensive care unit would


02:12 PM

Covid-19 was in the US weeks before previously thought, study finds

New analysis of blood samples in nine states across America shows the coronavirus may have been present in the US in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and around a month before the first official case in the US.

CDC scientists found evidence of Covid infection in blood donations collected by the American Red Cross between December 13 2019 and January 17 2020, according to a study published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Researchers found coronavirus antibodies in 39 samples from California, Oregon, and Washington as early as December 13 to December 16. They also discovered antibodies in 67 samples from Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin in early January — before widespread outbreaks in those states.

The first identified Covid-19 case in the United States was originally thought to be on January 19.

This discovery adds to evidence that the virus was quietly spreading around the world before health officials and the public were aware, disrupting previous thinking of how the illness first emerged and how it has since evolved.

"These findings also highlight the value of blood donations as a source for conducting SARS-CoV-2 surveillance studies," the authors said.


02:03 PM

Dutch make masks mandatory as new coronavirus cases taper

A law mandating the use of face masks to slow the spread of coronavirus went into effect in the Netherlands on Tuesday, completing a gradual turnabout in policy.

With the country in a "partial lockdown" since October 13, health authorities said new cases had fallen to 33,949 in the week ended December 1, down slightly from 36,931 cases in the week ended November 24.

A requirement that masks be worn in public buildings, including schools, supermarkets and restaurants, will be imposed for an initial three months. Violators can be fined up to 95 euros.


01:51 PM

Sir Keir Starmer: Level with public - you won't drop down a Tier before Christmas

Sir Keir Starmer has told the Government to "level" with people that it is "highly unlikely" areas will be dropped down a Tier before Christmas 

"Instead of levelling with public, the PM spent the weekend telling backbenchers... fuelling a promise that within two weeks or so local areas have real promise of dropping down. 

"We need to level with people - in my view that is highly unlikely." 

As MPs began to heckle him, the Labour leader said: "Let's just see where we are in two weeks 

"That is not being straight because that is not going to happen," he told a rowdy Commons. "I hope I stand here and I am wrong about this."

He accused Boris Johnson of having "his head in the sand", noting that just a "fraction" of people were self-isolating when required because he had failed to address support, which is only granted to one in eight workers. 


01:45 PM

Sir Keir Starmer casts doubt over Boris Johnson's Tiers system

Back in the Commons, Sir Keir Starmer starts by welcoming the fall in infection rates, noting that before the national lockdown it was doubling every two weeks and "the virus had been allowed to get out of control". 

He says you can argue about why the lockdown didn't come sooner, but "it's clear the lockdown was necessary and has helped" to slow infections. He also praises those who are working on vaccine development, saying politicians must do everything to encourage take-up. 

But the questions today are how to save as many lives and livelihoods until the vaccine is ready. 

Labour has supported the Government in two national lockdowns, and agrees with the need for more restrictions. But the economic package is not sufficient, and improvements must be made to Test and Trace. 

"We have been here before," he adds, listing "at least" five plans set out by Boris Johnson so far. "Everybody would forgive the British public for being sceptical about the Prime Minister's fifth plan."


01:38 PM

No vaccine passport needed for the pub, says Michael Gove

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said there were no plans for vaccine passports to allow people in to pubs and restaurants.

"I certainly am not planning to introduce any vaccine passports and I don't know anyone else in government (who is)," he told Sky News on Tuesday.

His comments come after the Government's vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi suggested hospitality and other businesses could bar those who have not had a Covid-19 vaccine.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Gove added: "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, that's not the plan.

"What we want to do is to make sure that we can get vaccines effectively rolled out."

He added: "Of course, individual businesses have the capacity to make decisions about who they will admit and why.

"But the most important thing that we should be doing at this stage is concentrating on making sure the vaccine is rolled out."


01:27 PM

After 4.2 million Covid-19 cases in November, tbe US is pinning its hope on vaccine

The United States entered the final month of the year hoping that promising vaccine candidates will soon be approved to halt the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus after 4.2 million new cases were reported in November.

The new Covid-19 cases were more than double the previous monthly record set in October, as large numbers of Americans still refuse to refuse to wear masks and continue to gather in holiday crowds, against the recommendation of experts.

With outgoing President Donald Trump's coronavirus strategy relying heavily on a vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule on December 10 on whether to approve the emergency use of a vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc .

A second candidate from Moderna Inc could follow a week later, officials have said, raising hopes that Americans could start receiving inoculations before the end the year, although widespread vaccinations could take months.

Other global pharmaceuticals including AstraZeneca PLC and Johnson & Johnson also have vaccines in the works, leading a member of the Trump administration's "Operation Warp Speed" program to predict the country could be vaccinated by June.

"One hundred percent of the Americans that want the vaccine will have the vaccine by (June). We will have over 300 million doses available to the American public well before then," Paul Ostrowski, the vaccine program's director of supply, production and distribution, told MSNBC television on Monday.

In the meantime, leading health officials are pleading with Americans to follow their recommendations and help arrest a pandemic that killed more than 36,000 people in November, pushing hospitalisations to a record high of nearly 93,000 on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally.


01:10 PM

Boris Johnson: We want to be 'as granular as possible' with Tiers

Boris Johnson gives way to a question about whether eradication is a likely outcome, or whether the approach should be containment. 

He says the latter is the approach they are taking, which gives him an opportunity to complain about Labour's "extraordinary" decision to abstain. 

The Prime Minister is then asked "what hope" he can give to hospitality, and he says he will come to that, noting the "anguish which everyone in this Chamber knows and understands". 

Returning to his statement, Mr Johnson stresses the Tiers are not a return to lockdown, and that people will be "free to leave their homes for any reason, and when they do they will find shops open". 

He is then asked if he will commit to a more local Tiered system. Mr Johnson replies: "Yes indeed...we do want to be as granular as possible as we go forward."


01:04 PM

Vietnam suspends inbound commercial flights after virus outbreak

Vietnam will suspend all inbound commercial flights after it detected its first Covid-19 outbreak in nearly three months, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Tuesday.

Phuc said inbound evacuation flights can continue but anyone coming in will still have to go into 14 days of quarantine. 


01:01 PM

Boris Johnson: We cannot afford to relax until there is a vaccine

Number 10 is gearing up for a vote on the latest tier restrictions in parliament today. Boris Johnson begins his statement by telling the Commons about his visit yesterday to a vaccine lab. 

This could help "turn the tide" against Covid, and yesterday was a "momentous day" where they started to manufacturer the Oxford vaccine, he tells MPs. 

"No vaccine is here yet and while all the signs are promising... we do not yet have one that has gained regulatory approval. 

"Until then we cannot afford to relax," he adds. 


12:56 PM

No.10 defends decision not to publish pandemic economic analysis

Downing Street has defended the decision not to publish an analysis showing the impact of the pandemic on different sectors of the economy.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Any attempt to estimate the specific economic impacts of precise changes to individual restrictions for a defined period of time will be subject to such wide uncertainty as to not be meaningful for precise policy making.

"The data used on this dashboard is drawn from publicly available sources. Throughout the pandemic you have seen us publish a wide variety of data. That will continue to be the case."

After Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said that he had not seen the document, the spokesman said that it had been drawn up by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

"You would expect Beis and other Government departments to want to understand the impact the pandemic has had across the country. Everybody in Government is clear that the pandemic is having a big impact on the economy," the spokesman said.


12:46 PM

Hong Kong targets yacht parties in latest coronavirus curbs

Hong Kong's yachts and rented party boats are the latest target for Covid-19 restrictions after police warned waterborne revelry risked spreading the coronavirus.

The territory has set up a hotline for residents to report unauthorised boat parties as the financial hub tightens social-distancing rules to contain a surge of virus cases.

Nighclubs and karaoke bars have already been closed, leaving some to switch to hosting parties onboard vessels.

“Whilst scheduled premises such as bars, bath houses and party rooms have been closed according to the law, the police noticed that a number of vessels have been hired for social gathering,” the police said in a statement, according to Bloomberg.

“Even privately owned yachts are sometimes used for such purpose. This greatly increased the risk of transmission of disease.”

Ben Farmer reports.

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong - Getty 

12:35 PM

UK has now recorded 74,529 deaths involving Covid, latest figures show

More than 74,500 deaths involving Covid-19 have now occurred in the UK, PA Media reports.

A total of 71,719 deaths have so far been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, according to the latest reports from the UK’s statistics agencies. This includes 65,006 deaths in England and Wales up to November 20 (and registered up to November 28), which were confirmed by the ONS in its report this morning.

Since these statistics were compiled, a further 2,525 deaths are known to have occurred in England, plus 89 in Scotland, 132 in Wales and 64 in Northern Ireland, according to additional data published on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.

Together, these totals mean that so far 74,529 deaths involving Covid-19 have taken place in the UK.


12:29 PM

How countries around the world are celebrating a Covid Christmas

Countries around the world are preparing for Christmas with drive-through markets, live streamed nativity plays and socially distanced visits to Santa's Grotto amid growing concerns that household transmission is a key driver of Covid infections. 

In the UK restrictions will be eased for five days over the festive season, allowing up to three households to celebrate together, while visits to Father Christmas will remain a firm fixture with Santa's grottoes to open across all tiers - though perching on Santa's lap is off the cards. 

Socially distanced door-to-door carol singing will also be allowed, new guidance published on Sunday has revealed, but those in Tier 3 will have to live stream or watch a recording of school nativity plays. 

Similar initiatives have been introduced across Europe and the globe to safely celebrate what will be, in President Emmanuel Macron's words, a “Christmas not like others”. 

 Sarah Newey has the latest here.

The Christmas at York Castle Museum' event which sees the museums' famous Victorian street transformed by Snow, oversized decorations and large-scale projections that bringing characters from the Nutcracker to life - Danny Lawson / PA

12:20 PM

Thailand urges calm after four test positive for virus

Thai authorities urged calm on Tuesday as they scramble to trace a potential coronavirus outbreak after at least four women tested positive on returning from neighbouring Myanmar.

Since detecting the first case outside of China back in January, Thailand has managed to keep Covid-19 infections low, at just over 4,000 cases, in part by imposing strict entry rules.

But it shares an extremely porous 2,400-kilometre (1,500 mile) border with Myanmar, where the virus is rampant, with more than 1,000 new cases a day in recent months.

Four Thai women who worked in the notorious Myanmar border town of Tachilek and returned to Thailand have now tested positive, health officials said Tuesday.

Long plagued with a seedy reputation, Tachilek serves as a conduit for the so-called Golden Triangle's lucrative drug trade and is home to numerous casinos and brothels.

Myanmar currently has more than 90,000 cases, with parts of northern Rakhine state and commercial capital Yangon under lockdown.


12:08 PM

Locked down Greek fir tree farmers pray for a Christmas miracle

Locked down by coronavirus at their busiest time of year, fir tree farmers in Greece are hoping for a Christmas miracle to salvage a season all but lost.

A nationwide lockdown has meant thousands of Christmas trees may not get to market in time in a blow to farmers in an area of northern Greece where fir tree sales are their only livelihood.

"It will be a huge catastrophe," said Christos Bitsios, a fir farmer in Taxiarchis, a mountainous village in Greece's Chalkidiki region.

Greece has extended to December 7 a nationwide lockdown it imposed in November, its second since the coronavirus pandemic began, after a surge in Covid-19 cases. 

This time last year, Christmas trees were up for sale, Bitsios said. The annual crop requires up to 15 years of labour and the trees must be cut annually or they dry out as they are densely planted, he said.

Bitsios is optimistic that 2020 could be a year of high demand, if restrictions are eased, as people were more likely to stay home for Christmas.

"If they allow us, if they open the retail sector, we may fare better than other years because people want to decorate a tree. We've received many calls, many orders," he said.

If not, the loss for the village is estimated at 300,000 euros ($360,000). Asked what he wants from Santa Claus this year, Bitsios said: "Better luck next year".


11:52 AM

Tokyo governor wants city's elderly excluded from travel scheme

Tokyo's governor asked the government on Tuesday to temporarily exclude Tokyo residents aged over 65 from a scheme encouraging travel and tourism in Japan, saying it could expose them to the coronavirus and result in more severe cases of Covid-19.

The Go To Travel campaign offers subsidies for domestic travel. It has been credited by the Japanese government with boosting the country's regional economies and helping airlines and other travel companies weather the coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign, however, has come under pressure as Japan encounters a fresh wave of coronavirus infections that some fear could escalate beyond the capacity of hospitals to cope.

"The elderly are more susceptible to becoming severely ill, so from that standpoint we asked for the change," Yuriko Koike told journalists following a meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. "The decision and how to go about it is for the government to make."


11:45 AM

Number of people in need of aid set to grow by 40% in 2021, UN warns

In its annual Global Humanitarian Overview published Tuesday, the United Nations said that the number of people in need of aid would grow 40 percent in 2021 compared with this year, to 235 million people - or one in 33 worldwide.

"The increase arises almost entirely because of Covid-19," UN emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock told reporters, with the report saying the pandemic had tipped those "already living on a knife's edge" into need.

Some 160 million of the most vulnerable people could be helped across 56 countries with the $35 billion the UN is asking for, the report said.


11:34 AM

European agency to decide on Pfizer and Moderna vaccine fate

The European Medicines Agency said on Tuesday that if its experts have received enough data from drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna about their candidate vaccines against the coronavirus, the agency would complete its reviews by Dec. 29 and Jan. 12, respectively, at latest.

The companies said earlier on Tuesday that they had submitted approval requests for their vaccine candidates to the European drugs regulator.


11:25 AM

North-West England records highest Covid death rate in England

North-west England had 629 deaths involving Covid-19 registered in the week ending November 20 - the highest number for the region since the week ending May 1, according to the ONS.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, 481 Covid-19 deaths were registered in the week to November 20: again, the highest for the region since the week to May 1.

Some 306 Covid-19 deaths were registered in the West Midlands, while 289 were registered in the East Midlands: in both cases, the highest since the week to May 15.

Deaths increased week-on-week in every region of England except Eastern England.


11:12 AM

Vietnam breaks almost 90-day infection-free run after two cases reported in Ho Chi Minh City

Two new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Vietnam's in its commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City, pressing reset on almost 90-days without community spread.

The Southeast Asian nation is back on high alert after confirming on Monday the country's first community infection in 89 days, prompting the closure of several places in the densely-populated southern city.

The latest cases have been traced back to a flight attendant, who had been kept inside a quarantine facility for five days before being released to self-isolate at home.

"The flight attendant contracted the virus inside the quarantine area then spread it to others during his home-quarantine time," health minister, Nguyen Thanh Long, said in a government statement.

"It's the first ever time such thing happened. The flight attendant seriously violated quarantine regulations," he added.

With its usually strict quarantine and tracking measures, Vietnam has managed to quickly contain its coronavirus outbreaks, allowing it to resume its economic activities earlier than much of Asia.

Vietnam crushed its first wave of coronavirus infections in April and went nearly 100 days without local transmission until the virus remerged in the central tourist city of Danang in July and spread widely, before being contained in a few weeks.

The country has registered a total of 1,349 coronavirus cases altogether, with 35 deaths.


10:53 AM

World’s first Super Mario theme park to open in Japan after months of delays

Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo reports: 

The world’s first Super Mario theme park will open in the Japanese city Osaka in February next year, following months of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Super Mario World zone at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is the gaming giant Nintendo’s first foray into theme parks and will open on February 4, in time for next summer's rescheduled Olympic games.

The theme park, which was initially due to open in July ahead of the 2020 summer games, will include a familiar cast of iconic Nintendo game characters in a high-tech setting.

An aerial view shows Super Nintendo World, a new attraction area featuring the popular video game character Mario, which is set to open in the spring of 2021, at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka, western Japan, November 25, 2020. - KYODO/REUTERS

Highlights will include a real-life Bowser’s Castle and an interactive Mario Kart ride, with visitors able to wear a smartphone-linked wristband that permits them to collect virtual coins as in the famed Mario games.

The attraction was one of countless new ventures – alongside hotels and cultural events – initially timed to coincide with the summer Olympics in Japan that was hit hard by the pandemic.

The new opening date for the Super Mario venture comes as Japan tackles a third wave of coronavirus cases, with 2,107 new cases reported across the country on Monday.

The number of serious cases of coronavirus has climbed to a record high of 462, sparking concerns among government officials, with growing calls to restaurants to shorten opening hours hubs such as Tokyo and Nagoya.

“The number of people in serious condition tends to lag behind new cases,” Norihisa Tamura, the health minister, told Kyodo News. “So the fact that serious ones have increased to nearly 500 means we're facing a sense of crisis.”


10:46 AM

People in supported living still not getting regular testing

Steve Scown, chief executive of Dimensions UK, which supports people with learning disabilities, is giving evidence at the joint Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee.

He said people in supported living were still not getting regular testing for coronavirus.

He told the Health and Social Care Committee: "We decided we're going to buy our own tests to enable Christmas visits (for families) because that's the only way we're going to get them."

Carer James O'Rourke said his family had not been offered tests, which he said would have been useful for him to visit his brother, who is in supported living.

Committee chairman Jeremy Hunt said: "What we've seen is a very clear picture of people with learning disabilities at the back of the queue, behind care homes who have had a lot of national attention, and they in turn complained about being in the back of the queue behind the needs of the NHS."


10:41 AM

UK aid cut 'regrettable' while world's poorest facing 'worst hour', says UN humanitarian chief

The UK decision to cut overseas aid when the Covid-19 pandemic has put decades of human progress at risk is "regrettable", according to  a senior figure at the United Nations.

Mark Lowcock, UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, said the as well as damaging the poorest, the cut of £5bn this year could undermine the UK's global reputation.

"The first thing is that when countries make commitments in the UN, it's really quite important to keep them," he said. "Secondly, the budgetary savings to the UK are really quite small, in relation to the impact of what is intended on the world's most vulnerable people, at their worst moment. So, obviously, from our point of view, this is a regrettable decision."

Mr Lowcock, speaking to the Telegraph as the UN laid out its Global Humanitarian Overview 2021 report, said that the need for richer countries to step up had never been greater.

Jennifer Rigby reports. 


10:40 AM

How countries around the world are celebrating a Covid Christmas

People walk past a christmas market booth at the Castle Square in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on November 30, 2020, amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. - THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP

Countries around the world are preparing for Christmas with drive-through markets, live streamed nativity plays and socially distanced visits to Santa's Grotto amid growing concerns that household transmission is a key driver of Covid transmission. 

But - after Canada saw cases spiral after Thanksgiving celebrations in mid-October and US experts have warned Americans to expect "surge upon surge" after the holiday last week - experts increasingly fear Covid cases will double in January.

“The Christmas present we are going to get is not the one we need: we will get a surge in cases in the new year,” Dr Julian Tang, a consultant virologist at Leicester Royal Infirmary, told the Telegraph.

“If we get down to 5,000 to 10,000 cases a day by Christmas, you might see a doubling of that after Christmas,” he said, adding that the furore over tiers “misses the longer term benefits to this approach”.

“The point is that if you're in a higher tier, hopefully you can come out by Christmas and not worry so much about circulation of Covid during that five day amnesty.”

Sarah Newey takes a look at how countries across the world are preparing, in an attempt to minimise risks without extinguishing the festive spirit. 


10:37 AM

BioNTech, Pfizer ask Europe to OK vaccine for emergency use

The German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer say they have submitted an application for conditional approval of their coronavirus vaccine with the European Medicines Agency.

The two companies said Tuesday that the submission, which occurred Monday, completes the rolling review process they initiated with the agency on Oct. 6.

The move comes a day after rival Moderna said it was asking U.S. and European regulators to allow emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine.

BioNTech said if the vaccine, currently named BNT162b2, is approved, its use in Europe could begin before the end of 2020.

The companies said last month that clinical trials with tens of thousands of participants showed the vaccine had an efficacy rate of 95%. The success rate in particularly vulnerable older age groups was more than 94%, they said.

BioNTech and Pfizer have already submitted a request for emergency approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.K. regulator MHRA, as well as rolling submissions in other countries including in Australia, Canada and Japan.

"We have known since the beginning of this journey that patients are waiting, and we stand ready to ship COVID-19 vaccine doses as soon as potential authorizations will allow us," Pfizer's chief executive Albert Bourla said in a statement.


10:31 AM

Covid causing more than eight times number of deaths than flu or pneumonia, says Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter

A total of 2,697 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending November 20 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is the highest number of deaths involving Covid-19 since the week ending May 15.

It is also up from 2,466 deaths in the week to November 13 - a jump of 9 per cent.

Just over a fifth (21.5 per cent) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to November 20 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.

Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter , Chair, Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, University of Cambridge, said that there were only 280 deaths with flu or pneumonia as the main cause of death, meaning Covid is currently causing "more than 8 times the number of deaths than flu or pneumonia".

“It is encouraging that deaths that were not caused by Covid were slightly below the five-year average. 

"We might expect some deaths that would normally occur now to have been brought forward by the first wave, but this still suggests that the collateral damage of the measures against the pandemic have not yet had an impact on overall mortality." 


10:10 AM

Debenhams to start liquidation process in another blow to retail sector

British department store retailer Debenhams is to start a liquidation process that will see its stores close and the potential loss of 12,000 jobs, dealing another hammer blow to the country's retail sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Debenhams administrators FRP Advisory said on Tuesday the decision to wind-down Debenhams followed its failure to find a buyer.

JD Sports Fashion confirmed on Tuesday it would not make an offer for the group.

A woman walks past a Debenhams store in Manchester  - Danny Lawson 

The collapse of Debenhams, which trades from 124 UK stores, comes a day after Philip Green's Arcadia fashion group entered administration, threatening about 13,000 jobs.

"Given the current trading environment and the likely prolonged effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the outlook for a restructured operation is highly uncertain," FRP said.

"The administrators have therefore regretfully concluded that they should commence a wind-down of Debenhams UK, whilst continuing to seek offers for all or parts of the business."

FRP said Debenhams will continue to trade through its UK stores and online to clear its current and contracted stocks.

"On conclusion of this process, if no alternative offers have been received, the UK operations will close."


10:05 AM

Face masks become mandatory in Netherlands - including in schools

: A customer shops at a supermarket wearing a protective face mask on November 30, 2020 in Amersfoort, Netherlands. As of December 1st, wearing a face mask is obligatory for everybody above the age of thirteen in all Dutch shops, museums, schools and more. - BSR Agency 

A law mandating the use of face masks to slow the spread of coronavirus went into effect in the Netherlands on Tuesday, completing a gradual turnabout in policy.

With the country in a "partial lockdown" since Oct. 13, health authorities are expected to release weekly figures later on Tuesday that will show new Covid-19 infections are about flat from the 36,931 cases reported for the week ended Nov. 24.

A requirement that masks be worn in public buildings, including schools, supermarkets and restaurants, will be imposed for an initial three months. Violators can be fined up to 95 euros.

From March through September, the government did not recommend pubic use of cloth masks other than on public transportation, following advice from the National Institute for Health (RIVM).

The World Health Organization began recommending their use in public places when maintaining social distance is impossible from June. But RIVM head Jaap van Dissel said there was no compelling scientific evidence for their effectiveness and theorized that using them might lead people to disregard the more important social-distancing rules.

However, on Sept. 30 the government changed tack and decided to "strongly advise" the use of masks in crowded public places.

The measure required parliament to adopt a special law to overcome constitutional guarantees on personal freedoms.


09:55 AM

Scotch eggs are a 'substantial meal' Michael Gove corrects himself

Michael Gove later said that a Scotch egg is a "substantial meal", having previously claimed it was probably a starter.

The definition is important because pubs in England's Tier 2 can only serve alcohol to customers eating a "substantial meal".

He told ITV News: "I myself would definitely scoff a couple of Scotch eggs if I had the chance, but I do recognise that it is a substantial meal."


09:42 AM

Vulnerable children became invisible during pandemic, Ofsted chief inspector warns

Amanda Spielman has warned that the neediest children are missing out on support through home schooling.  

The  Ofsted chief inspector said attendance rates for this group were “surprisingly low” and hadn’t picked up after the first lockdown. 

She said that this was despite “considerable efforts” by schools and social care. 

“It’s the combination of the loss of services they might need, things for special needs like speech and language therapy. they’ve lost education and of course they’ve lost those teacher eyes that spot new problems and worsening problems,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. 

“Referrals drop dramatically in the first lockdown and they’re still not back up to normal levels so we’re really worried that there are not enough children getting services they desperately need which could compromise their longer term development.

“It’s really important that schools social services and other services really do work together to spot and make sure children get the help,” she added. 


09:37 AM

Nine in 10 NHS beds occupied in England

Asked how close the NHS is to running out of beds, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told the BBC: "Data shows the average bed capacity in the NHS, in England, in the week ending November 15 was 88 per cent - that's almost nine in 10 beds being occupied."

He insisted that new restrictions are necessary to protect the NHS from a surge in Covid cases, saying: "It is sad that we have to point this out, but you can look at Wales...

"In Wales they did have a two-week set of restrictions, then they lifted those restrictions in quite a blanket way.

"As result we have seen a resurgence in the infection and the Welsh Government have had to slam the brakes on again."


09:36 AM

Scotch egg is a starter but 'I'm a hearty trencherman', says Michael Gove

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said he considered a scotch egg to be a starter, after Environment Secretary George Eustice said the snack would constitute a "substantial meal".

In areas in Tier 2 of the new restrictions to be enforced in England from Wednesday, alcohol will only be served with food at pubs.

Asked whether a scotch egg is a substantial meal, Mr Gove told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "As far as I'm concerned it's probably a starter.

"But the broader, more serious point I think we need to establish is there are reasonable rules about hospitality which are there to keep us all safe."

He said the definition of the term has existed in law for many years which allows families to buy 16-year-olds an alcoholic drink with a substantial meal, but he could not say what it constituted.

"They (pubs) already do know what the rules are and they have for years now," he said.

"My own preference when it comes to a substantial meal might be more than just a scotch egg but that's because I'm a hearty trencherman.

"The Government is relying on people's common sense."


09:31 AM

Pandemic threatens to undo last decade of HIV work, warns charity

New pressures thrown up by the pandemic threaten to undo the last decade of crucial HIV prevention work, report finds. 

Frontline AIDS'  Shadow Reports has analysed the HIV prevention responses of countries with some of the highest HIV burdens in the world. 

The reports found that the pandemic has forced some HIV prevention services to shut and has slowed down, if not completely halted national and sub-national decision-making processes which are crucial to implementing change, such as drug policy reform, sexual education roll outs and the prohibition of forced marriage.

Even when these actions are taken, benefits are not filtered down to individuals at highest risk – including the LGBT community, sex workers and people who use drugs, the reports said.

They highlighted that stigma, discrimination and violence against these groups are an ongoing barrier to HIV prevention across all seven nations, despite their efforts to address legal and social barriers.

Funding allocated to HIV prevention also continues to be inadequate and is mainly funded by international donors. 

Christine Stegling, Executive Director comments: “Covid-19 has brought huge additional pressures to HIV prevention services, which were already falling behind the 2020 Prevention Targets set in 2016.

"Our Shadow Reports reinforce UNAIDS modelling that things are rapidly moving in the wrong direction and we could see up to 293,000 additional HIV infections globally due to Covid-19 related disruptions.

“We have got to act now, to persuade Governments that HIV prevention is an emergency too." 


09:17 AM

India daily cases drop to one-third of its September peak

The Telegraph's Joe Wallen reports:

Public health experts are adamant the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over in India, despite the number of new daily cases dropping to one-third of its September peak.

Yesterday, India recorded 31,118 new infections, the 24th consecutive day the world's second-most populous nation has reported fewer than 50,000 daily cases.

Hindu devotees wearing face masks participate in a religious ritual at the ancient Matar Vav (Step-well) on the occasion of Dev Diwali in Ahmedabad on November 30, 2020 - SAM PANTHAKY 

But, testing has dropped across much of the country, due to shortages in both testing kits and the availability of medical professionals, with experts believing the majority of cases are now being missed.

There is also increasing "Covid-19 fatigue" among India's 1.38 billion citizens as the pandemic has caused economic devastation, particularly for its lower and middle classes.

Therefore, many Indians are foregoing social distancing rules through a necessity to return to work.

The most recent national serosurvey suggested that over 74 million Indians had already come into contact with Covid-19 by September 22, whereas the official total caseload stood at just 5.5 million."


09:10 AM

Sri Lanka frees hundreds of prisoners after riot sparked by coronavirus

Sri Lanka freed hundreds of prisoners and said it would release thousands more after a riot sparked by anger over coronavirus cases at one of its many overcrowded jails left nine inmates dead and 113 wounded.

Guards opened fire at the high-security Mahara prison outside Colombo on Sunday night after prisoners went on the rampage demanding to be freed because of soaring coronavirus cases in jails.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday granted an amnesty to 637 convicts across the country and Justice Minister Ali Sabry said the government was working on expediting the release on bail of thousands of remand prisoners to ease congestion.

Rajapaksa meanwhile sacked Prison Reforms Minister Sudharshini Fernandopulle and shifted her to a new ministry dealing with the pandemic.

Sri Lanka's prisons house just over 30,000 inmates, nearly three times their capacity, and about 1,200 of them have tested positive for the coronavirus with two deaths, according to official figures.

Relatives of an inmate weep at Ragama hospital on the outskirts of Colombo on November 30, 2020 a day after a prison riot over the surge of coronavirus infections. - LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP 

08:53 AM

Non-essential shops in Belgium reopen

A christmas tree is seen at the empty Grand Place after new coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic restrictions implemented in Brussels, Belgium on November 30, 2020. - Anadolu Agency 

Non-essential shops in Belgium were reopening Tuesday in the wake of encouraging figures about declining daily coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions.

The government is fearful, however, that the change might lead to massive gatherings in the nation's most popular shopping centers and streets. Over the weekend, pre-Christmas light festivals already led to crowded scenes in several cities, prompting warnings from virologists about the dangers of reopening too soon.

Belgium has reported more than 16,500 deaths linked to the virus during two surges in the spring and the fall.

Under the new rules, shopping has to be done alone or with a minor or a dependant person. Time in a shop is limited to half an hour. Restaurants and bars remain closed.


08:31 AM

Sir Ed Davey says he will not vote for 'confusing and chaotic tier system'

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: "I will not be voting for this arbitrary, confusing and chaotic tier system today.

"If Johnson wants our support he needs to work with local authorities to build a system which keeps people safe, and builds back public trust in the Covid guidelines."


08:21 AM

Singapore - Hong Kong air travel bubble delayed

A hotly-anticipated air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong has been delayed until next year, the cities' authorities said on Tuesday, due to a spike in coronavirus cases in Hong Kong.

The first flights between the two Asian financial hubs were called off a day before they were due to depart on Nov. 22. If they had gone ahead it would have been the first quarantine-free travel bubble in Asia.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in a statement there would be a review in late December over when to proceed.

A couple wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus embrace on a street in Hong Kong, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.  - Kin Cheung 

08:17 AM

Ireland opens up after partial lockdown

Ireland ended a second partial coronavirus lockdown on Tuesday, with non-essential shops, hairdressers and gyms unlocking their doors after six weeks of tough restrictions.

Museums, galleries, libraries, cinemas and places of worship also reopened as the nation lifted virus curbs in place since October 22.

On Friday, pubs and restaurants serving food will follow suit, although drinking-only establishments will remain shuttered.

A woman walks past the Brown Thomas Christmas window on Dublin's Grafton street.  - Brian Lawless 

Ahead of Christmas, the government is also urging people to wear masks outdoors on "busy streets", starting on Tuesday.

Infection rates are bound to rise in the run-up to the festive season, foreign minister Simon Coveney told state broadcaster RTE on Monday.

"The challenge is to keep that increase as low as possible," he said.

According to latest official figures, there have been 2,053 deaths from coronavirus in Ireland, a nation of five million.

The daily death toll peaked at 77 in mid-April and in recent weeks has frequently remained in the single digits.


07:57 AM

Christmas rules ‘too permissive’ claims Andy Burnham ahead of January

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has said that the Government is being “too strict in December to allow too permissive a Christmas”. 

He told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that he thought “a more balanced approach should have been taken” in light of January being the busiest time for the NHS. 

When asked if he thought three households should mix at Christmas he said: “I think it’s too much.

“I think a more steady approach would have been better because January is the worst possible time in the national health service with or without covid - the first two weeks of January and I think it’s a risk to allow five days of mixing of three households.” 


07:52 AM

Michael Gove confident third lockdown could be avoided

Mr Gove said he is confident another lockdown could be avoided, but that the Government could not rule one out.

He told Sky News: "I am as confident as confident can be that we won't need one because the tiers that we have now are pretty robust."

Asked if he could rule out another lockdown, Mr Gove said: "You can never rule anything out in politics, but, as I say, I'm pretty confident on the basis of the rigour with which these new tiers are applying that we can prevent a national lockdown.

"One thing I fear though would be that if we were to relax the situation too rapidly then we would have the situation which we have had in some other countries, and, indeed, in Wales, where you have to slam the brakes on again."


07:45 AM

Government not planning on using 'vaccine passports'

Senior British minister Michael Gove said that the government was not planning a system of vaccine passports which would prevent those who hadn't had a Covid-19 jab from going to the pub or attending events.

"I certainly am not planning to introduce any vaccine passports and I don't know anyone else in government (who is)," Gove told Sky News on Tuesday.

The minister in charge of vaccines, Nadhim Zadhawi, said on Monday that he expected people who refused the Covid-19 vaccine could find that they were refused entry to restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports venues.

When asked about that, Gove said he did not think people would need a vaccine passport to go to the pub, the theatre or to sports events.

"The most important thing to do is to make sure we vaccinate as many people as possible," he said. 


07:35 AM

Lewis Hamilton tests positive for Covid-19

Lewis Hamilton will miss Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for coronavirus and has "mild symptoms". 

A statement by Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said: Lewis was tested three times last week and returned a negative result each time, the last of which was on Sunday afternoon at the Bahrain International Circuit as part of the standard race weekend testing programme.

"However, he woke up on Monday morning with mild symptoms and was informed at the same time that a contact prior to arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive. Lewis therefore took a further test and returned a positive result. This has since been confirmed by a retest.

"Lewis is now isolating in accordance with Covid-19 protocols and public health authority guidelines. Apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well, and the entire team sends him our very best wishes for a swift recovery." 

They added that they would announce a replacement driver for this weekend in due course. 

Follow updates here. 

Lewis Hamilton wearing a protective face mask during a press conference ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix FIA - REUTERS

07:13 AM

Tennis players will skip Australian Open if blocked from training in quarantine

Players will skip the Australian Open if they are not allowed to practise during their mandatory two-week quarantine due to the risk of injury, Daniel Vallverdu, who has coached some of the biggest names on the ATP Tour, has said.

Tennis Australia (TA) have been in talks with the Victoria state government over the Covid-19 protocols to be established for those arriving ahead of the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, which is scheduled for January 18 - 31.

State officials have confirmed players will have to undergo quarantine and that the tournament will likely start one or two weeks later than scheduled.

Vallverdu, who currently works with three-times Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, said TA had previously assured players they would be able to practise but nothing had been confirmed.

"Obviously that would be the only way that it would work for the players if they're allowed to practise," the 34-year-old Venezuelan, who has also worked with Grand Slam champions Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, said from Monaco.

"Because they wouldn't be able to just sit in a hotel room for two weeks and then start and play five sets in a Grand Slam. It's just impossible physically, the risk of injury is too high.

"The only way that the players will go to Australia is if they're fully allowed to practise during those two weeks."

TA has said it expected to finalise the details "very soon" and that it was in constant touch with the global tennis community over the protocols.


07:05 AM

Bethlehem all but deserted ahead of Christmas

Christian worshiper light candles in the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. - Majdi Mohammed 

The coronavirus has cast a pall over Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, all but shutting down the biblical town revered as Jesus' birthplace at the height of the normally cheery holiday season.

Missing are the thousands of international pilgrims who normally descend upon the town. Restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops are closed. The renowned Christmas tree lighting service will be limited to a small group of authorized people, as will church services on Christmas Eve.

"Bethlehem is dead," said Maryana al-Arja, owner of the 120-room Angel Hotel on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

"We had 351 tourist groups booked in our hotel this year, each one 150 people," she said. "But they all canceled."

The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, this week imposed a new nighttime lockdown to help contain a spike in coronavirus cases. People must remain indoors from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., and Bethlehem is included in the lockdown.

Bethlehem's mayor, Anton Salman, said the famed Christmas tree lighting, scheduled on Thursday, will be limited to just 15 guests, including local mayors, the district governor and the Latin Patriarch and other clergy.

Midnight Mass, a solemn event led by the Latin Patriarch that is usually attended by religious leaders, local VIPs and hundreds of pilgrims from around the world, has also been scaled back, Salman said. The event will be closed to the general public but broadcast live for people to watch.

"No one can hold the responsibility of inviting large numbers of people to Christmas events," he said. "Nothing will be the same during the pandemic."


06:47 AM

Covid-19 pandemic has increased gender-based violence, says Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad says the Covid-19 pandemic has left the health and safety of women "on the line."

The 27-year-old activist, who was forced into sexual slavery by Islamic State fighters in Iraq, said curfews, lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed by governments to slow the spread of the virus "have had unintended consequences on women worldwide."

Iraqi Nobel laureate Nadia Murad - KARIM JAAFAR 

"Rather than reducing human trafficking and gender-based violence, the pandemic has increased the risk of exploitation and brutality against those most vulnerable," she said. "Numerous countries have seen increases in reports of domestic violence since the pandemic began."

Murad said domestic tensions have intensified in confined living spaces, and stay-at-home orders "are increasing human trafficking farther underground, out of sight of law enforcement."

"The few resources designated for prevention, rescue and rehabilitation are being stretched thin," she said. "As a result, women's health and safety are on the line. It is now difficult for many women to access psychological support (and) health care."

A member of Iraq's Yazidi minority, Murad was among thousands of women and girls who were captured and forced into sexual slavery by Islamic State extremists in 2014. Her mother and six brothers were killed by Islamic State fighters. She became an activist on behalf of women and girls after escaping and finding refuge in Germany, and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.

Murad spoke virtually at a U.N. meeting on Monday entitled "Locked Down and Locked-In: Standing Against Sexual Violence and Human Trafficking during the COVID-19 Pandemic."


06:41 AM

$35 billion in aid needed in 2021, says UN

The UN said Tuesday that $35 billion would be needed for aid in 2021, as the pandemic leaves tens of millions more people in crisis, and with the risk of multiple famines looming.

The world body's annual Global Humanitarian Overview estimated that 235 million people worldwide will need some form of emergency assistance next year - a staggering 40-percent increase in the past year.

"The increase arises almost entirely because of Covid-19," United Nations emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock told reporters.

Next year, one in 33 people worldwide will be in need of aid, the report found, stressing that if all of them lived in one country, it would be the world's fifth largest nation.

The annual appeal by UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations usually presents a depressing picture of soaring needs brought on by conflicts, displacement, natural disasters and climate change.

But now, it warned, the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 1.45 million people worldwide, has disproportionately hit those "already living on a knife's edge."

"The picture we are presenting is the bleakest and darkest perspective on humanitarian need in the period ahead that we have ever set out," Lowcock said.

The money requested in the appeal would be enough to help 160 million of the most vulnerable people across 56 countries, the UN said.


05:42 AM

Vietnam sees first case in 89 days

Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after discovering the country's first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days.

State media reports that a 32-year-old man in Ho Chi Minh City tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday after visiting a flight attendant who was undergoing self-quarantine at his home following his return from Japan two weeks ago. The flight attendant tested positive on Saturday, the Tuoi Tre newspaper said.

Health authorities ordered 137 people who had been in close contact with the man to stay in a central quarantine facility and shut down an English centre where he works as a teacher, the newspaper said.

The new case ended Vietnam's streak of 89 days without any known local transmission of the virus. Earlier, it went 99 days without local transmissions until a cluster of cases broke out at a hospital in Da Nang in central Vietnam in July.

Vietnam's borders remain closed in an attempt to keep out the virus. Only limited international flights are operating to repatriate Vietnamese nationals and transport foreign diplomats and experts.


02:28 AM

Trump's science adviser quits

Dr Scott Atlas, a science adviser to President Donald Trump who was sceptical of measures to control the coronavirus outbreak, has resigned his White House post.

An official confirmed that the Stanford University neuroradiologist, who had no formal experience in public health or infectious diseases, resigned at the end of his temporary government assignment.

Atlas joined the White House this summer, where he clashed with top government scientists, including Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx, as he resisted stronger efforts to contain the pandemic that has killed more than 267,000 Americans.

Dr Atlas has broken with experts and the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community to criticise efforts to encourage face covering to slow the spread of the virus. In October, he tweeted: "Masks work? NO," despite overwhelming scientific evidence proving the benefit of wearing masks. Twitter concealed the message as misinformation. 

Read more: Controversial science adviser for Trump resigns

Donald Trump with Scott Atlas. The White House response to the coronavirus has been widely criticised - REUTERS

02:16 AM

Kim 'given vaccine by China'

China has provided North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his family with an experimental coronavirus vaccine, a US analyst claimed on Tuesday, citing two unidentified Japanese intelligence sources.

Harry Kazianis, a North Korea expert at the Center for the National Interest think tank in Washington, said the Kims and several senior North Korean officials had been vaccinated.

It was unclear which company had supplied its drug candidate to the Kims and whether it had proven to be safe, he added.

"Kim Jong-un and multiple other high-ranking officials within the Kim family and leadership network have been vaccinated for coronavirus within the last two to three weeks thanks to a vaccine candidate supplied by the Chinese government," Mr Kazianis wrote in an article for online outlet 19FortyFive.

Read more: Kim given experiment vaccine by Beijing, analyst claims

Kim insists there are no Covid cases in North Korea - GETTY IMAGES

01:19 AM

Don't send all students back at once, Labour urges

The Government should stagger the return of students to universities in the new year or risk spikes in coronavirus infections, Labour has said.

The party is calling on ministers to allow students on placements - or whose face-to-face teaching is essential - to return to campus first, with other students following later in the term.

The Government must urgently set out its plans for January so students and universities have enough time to prepare for a safe return to campus, Labour said, adding that the delay was "irresponsible".

Shadow minister for universities Emma Hardy said ministers should avoid a mass migration of students over a short timeframe after the festive break.

Read more: Could universities close again? The new lockdown rules for students in England


01:08 AM

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