Coronavirus latest news: Austria bans direct flights from Britain as fears over Indian variant rise

Covid UK - Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Covid UK - Peter Byrne/PA Wire
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Austria has added the UK to its red list and imposed a landing ban for direct flights over concerns at the rising number of cases of the Indian variant.

From June 1, only Austrian citizens and residents will be allowed to enter the country from Britain. The announcement follows a similar move by Germany over the weekend.

An ongoing row has erupted over eight hotspot areas in England that have been placed under new restrictions on travel and socialising due to the Indian variant, in what MPs have called a "lockdown-lite through the back door".

During an urgent question in the Commons, Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, said the Government is "taking rapid action" to contain the B.1.617.2 strain, as Labour's shadow health secretary, Jon Ashworth, demanded the new guidance for hotspots be withdrawn.

​​Follow the latest updates below.


01:51 PM

Public 'paying the price for government negligence' on Indian variant

A Cabinet minister has declined to apologise for a delay in placing India on the Government's "red list" of countries that require hotel quarantine on return to the UK.

Labour's Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, told vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi that his "statement is utterly chaotic - it is completely confused", as she demanded clarity in the Commons on any restrictions for Indian variant hotspots (scroll down for details).

While praising the vaccines minister for his work on the programme, she said the reason they are being "put in this position is because the Government failed to put India on the red list earlier".

She asked him to apologise "for the additional restrictions" being imposed on various parts of the country as a result.

But Mr Zahawi responded that on April 23, when India was put on the red list, it was "a full six days later" that the variant was named a variant of interest and two weeks after that it was named a variant of concern "so her criticism is unfair".

Amid a barrage of angry questions in the Commons, Bedford MP Mohammad Yasin also accused ministers of making his constituents "pay the price for his Government's gross negligence and incompetence once again", referencing the delay in April of restricting travel to Covid-hit India.


01:37 PM

'There is no local lockdown' amid Government 'fairly major comms error'

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has called the new Government guidance urging restrictions for Indian variant hotspots a "fairly major communications error" which has caused "huge amounts of confusion" and "chaos".

He said: "It would appear guidance was reissued on Friday but has been amended and it would appear to put more emphasis around travel, hence the confusion that has been created.

"Nobody in our system was told about this change in the presentation of the guidance."

Meanwhile, the Conservative leader of nearby Bolton Council, David Greenhalgh, said: "Clearly over the last 24 hours there has been a degree of confusion but I am delighted to say, after a series of calls with senior officials from the Government, Public Health England and NHS colleagues as well, we are in a position to be able to say with assuredness there is no added restrictions coming to Bolton.

"There is no local lockdown, the position in Bolton remains the same as it did at the time of the Prime Minister's announcement 10 days or so ago."


01:28 PM

UK to push for global clinical trial standards at G7 meeting

Britain will use its G7 presidency to push the world’s largest economies to establish a set of shared principles for clinical trials, to combat a “chaotic” and fragmented output of research during the pandemic.

While several mega-trials – notably the UK’s Recovery trial and the World Health Organization’s Solidarity trial – have yielded significant results around Covid-19 treatments, experts estimate that roughly a third of studies have been too small to provide conclusive answers.

The Telegraph understands that Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, intends to use an upcoming meeting of G7 health ministers to push countries to commit to closer collaboration and coordination of both drug and vaccine trials in future.

“We must make sure that data can be properly shared and used across national boundaries, and that results are shared in a transparent way,” Mr Hancock said.


01:09 PM

No 10 wants to replace 'top-down edicts' as lockdown eases

Downing Street has said it wanted to move away from "top-down edicts" as lockdown restrictions ease, and stressed it was for individuals to make a judgement on how to behave.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman stressed that the new guidance affecting eight Indian variant hotspot areas was "not statutory".

The spokesman told reporters this lunchtime: "It is important to emphasise that this is guidance, these are not statutory restrictions placed on those local areas.

Covid UK - Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Covid UK - Peter Byrne/PA Wire

"We have talked before about where we are at this stage in the pandemic in the UK, where we are able to move away from top-down edicts from the Government and start transitioning to a position where we have moved back to where the public are able to exercise their good judgment, as they have done throughout.

"We will continue to monitor the situation."

No 10 confirmed there would be no extra financial support made available for the hospitality sector, local authorities or other businesses in the hotspot areas beyond what is already available.


01:01 PM

Bolton hospital taking 'urgent action', Covid hospitalisations up

Bolton's A&E department saw one of its busiest days ever on Monday as NHS chiefs warned Covid hospitalisations there are rising.

Andy Ennis, the chief operating officer of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said in a statement: "People are presenting with a range of problems and staff are working very hard to ensure they receive all the care they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"However, we are also now seeing more people requiring hospital treatment from the effects of Covid-19, and whilst we have discharged a number overnight, today we still have 41 inpatients with Covid, including eight in critical care.

"Going into the bank holiday weekend and half term, which is always a busy time for the NHS, we anticipate this pressure continuing. As such we are taking urgent actions to ensure we can continue to manage this demand effectively."

He urged the public only to attend the emergency department if absolutely necessary.


12:45 PM

EU heralds reopening of societies through vaccines

EU leaders have welcomed the lifting of restrictions on non-essential travel and an agreement on intra-EU vaccination certificate, but warned of need to be vigilant against new variants.

It comes as Austria joins Germany in banning all non-essential visitors from the UK over fears of the Indian variant spreading.

This morning the European Council said the bloc's accelerated vaccination programme "will allow for a gradual reopening of our societies".

"However, we need to stay vigilant regarding the emergence and spread of variants and to take action as necessary," they added.

And leaders agreed: "Efforts to ensure a coordinated approach should continue ahead of the summer. In that context, the European Council welcomes the agreement reached on the EU Digital Covid Certificate and calls for its rapid implementation."

As announced on Friday at a Global Health Summit, the bloc will also aim to donate 100 million vaccine doses to poorer countries by the end of the year.


12:33 PM

Here are some other key points from Nadhim Zahawi's Commons update

Scroll down for the highlights from the vaccine minister's answers to MPs in the Commons this lunchtime on the local lockdown row for Indian variant hotspots.

ICYMI, here are three other key points he raised:

  • Booster jabs next year? The Government will be ready to roll out Covid booster jabs in September, perhaps dovetailing with an enhanced flu vaccine campaign, but a clinical decision may not be made until the new year

  • A decision on domestic vaccine passports before June 21? It would be "remiss" not to look at technologies that could reopen larger venues such as Wembley, he says, and no decisions have been taken but they will be set out before we reach step four of England's roadmap - so that could be before June 21

  • Self-isolation beyond June 21 even for the inoculated? Asked about our exclusive story this morning, he says "even if you have had two doses of either vaccine - and I have had this in my own family - you can still contract Covid, and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining" - but ministers are looking at regular tracing as an alternative


12:22 PM

Moderna says its Covid-19 vaccine found safe and effective in teens

Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine was shown to be "highly effective" in adolescents aged 12-17 and showed no new or major safety problems in a clinical trial, the developer has said.

Moderna Inc, whose vaccine is authorised for adults 18 and older, said it will submit the findings of its adolescent study to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators for emergency use authorisation in early June.

US regulators took about a month to review a similar study from Pfizer/BioNtech, which was authorised for ages 12-15 on May 10. If Moderna gets the same treatment, its authorisation would come in early July.

Meanwhile in the UK, the regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) earlier this month asked for permission to use the jab in 12 to 15-year-olds – one of the age groups most responsible for spreading the virus.


12:09 PM

Vaccination changes the game on Indian variant, Sturgeon says

Up to Scotland now, where First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been holding a coronavirus press conference this lunchtime.

She said in a televised briefing that while case numbers were rising in Scotland, they were still "quite low relative to the situation we experienced in the early part of this year" - saying this also applied to hospital and ICU admissions - with the number of hospital patients reaching more than 2,000 in January as the second wave hit.

The First Minister said vaccination may allow the country to "change our response" to the virus. "Vaccination changes the game", she adds.

"There's got to be a point to us having a mass vaccination programme, and that is it does allow us to change how we deal with this virus in a way which has much less restriction on our day-to-day lives," she says.

She said: "Increasingly we are monitoring whether and to what extent vaccination might be breaking that link between rising case numbers and significantly rising cases of serious illness and death.

"And if that does prove to be the case, as we hope it will, we hope our response to this virus can evolve as well."

Ms Sturgeon said this "might mean we don't have to react quite so aggressively with tough restrictions in the face of rising case numbers".


12:03 PM

Bedford 'sneaked into local lockdown'

Mohammad Yasin, the Labour MP for Bedford, questions the vaccines minister on why his town has been plunged into a form of local lockdown because of the Indian variant.

"Last night, I learnt the Government had sneaked Bedford into local lockdown without even bothering to warn the public health team," he tells the Commons.

Repeating his call for all over-16s to be invited for vaccines in the area, he adds: "Until last Friday, many of my constituents had been forced to travel miles to access the Pfizer vaccine. The variant first identified in India has been imported here because of the Government's lax approach to border control."

Covid UK - Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Covid UK - Peter Byrne/PA Wire

The minister Nadhim Zahawi responds by stressing the Government's current surge vaccine approach is the right one, as vaccinating teenagers now could take jabs away from others.

Bedford Borough Council says it was "not made aware of the introduction of this advice" and is "urgently" assessing its implications.


11:54 AM

'We are in a good place' despite Indian variant, says optimistic minister

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi tells the Commons that the Public Health England assessment last week showing vaccines are proving highly effective against the Indian variant of coronavirus is "good news".

Asked about the delay until June 21 for the next tranche of restrictions to be eased, he says "ultimately we are effectively pursuing an evidence-led strategy" so the data can be assessed before unlocking more.

"At the moment, I would say I am cautiously optimistic that we're in a good place," he says, but adds that "we need to remain vigilant".


11:47 AM

'Withdraw this guidance now', Labour demands

Labour's shadow health secretary calls on the Government to withdraw the new guidance for Indian variant hotspots and convene a meeting of local public health leaders to forge a clear approach to rising cases.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi responds by saying we need to work together in areas where the new variant is prevalent, including surge testing and surge vaccinations.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt then asks the minister if it is time to start vaccinating over-12s - a step some other countries have taken - to speed up the jab rollout. Mr Zahawi notes the UK regulator has not yet approved this change but that Britain will be "operationally ready" to administer the vaccines to children when needed.

Covid UK
Covid UK

11:41 AM

Now: MPs questioning Government on Indian variant hotspots

Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, has arrived in the Commons, standing in for Matt Hancock to answer questions from MPs on the row over new travel advice for Indian variant hotspots.

Mr Zahawi repeats the advice for hotspot areas, including meeting outside where possible, keeping two metres apart and avoiding travelling in or out for non-essential reasons.

"We're trusting people to be responsible and act with caution and common sense," he tells MPs, adding "rapid action" is needed to ensure the Indian variant does not undo our progress in tackling the pandemic.

In an apparent reference to tiered restrictions, he adds: "We want the whole country to move out of these measures together."

But Jon Ashworth, Labour's shadow health secretary, responds by demanding answers on why the new travel advice was quietly slipped out on Friday night.

Mr Ashworth asks: "Can he understand how upsetting it is, how insulting it is, to have new restrictions imposed on us, local lockdown by stealth, and the Secretary of State doesn't even have the courtesy to come and tell us?"


11:33 AM

Ministers to face questions on local lockdown row

A minister is about to appear in the House of Commons for a grilling from Labour on the escalating row over the Government's quiet new restrictions on travel in Indian variant hotspots.

People living in Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside have been told not to travel in and out of the areas, or socialise indoors. The guidance appears to have been updated, without any announcement, on Friday.

Ministers are facing accusations of local lockdowns by stealth, with Labour calling it "utterlty shameful".

Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, will question Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, in the Commons in a couple of minutes time.

Stay here for the latest updates.


11:24 AM

US calls for 'transparent' new investigation into Covid origins

The United States has called for international experts to be allowed to evaluate the source of the coronavirus and the "early days of the outbreak" in a second phase of an investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

US intelligence agencies are examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first cases of Covid-19 were reported, according to US government sources who cautioned on Monday that there is still no proof the disease originated at the Wuhan lab.

"Phase 2 of the Covid origins study must be launched with terms of reference that are transparent, science-based, and give international experts the independence to fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak," US health secretary Xavier Becerra told the annual ministerial meeting of the World Health Organization.

He did not mention China directly, where the first known human cases of Covid-19 emerged in the central city of Wuhan in December 2019. The origin of the virus is hotly contested.


11:06 AM

India hamlet in lockdown after hundreds gather for horse's funeral

Authorities in India have sealed off a hamlet amid fears that a mass funeral for "God's horse" was a super-spreader event for coronavirus.

Around 400 people in a hamlet near the town of Gokak in Karnataka state gathered at a local Hindu monastery for the horse's funeral on Sunday, a government official said.

Videos showed people walking shoulder-to-shoulder to the funeral, many without face masks, in violation of physical distancing norms and a state-wide lockdown. Face masks are still mandatory across much of India, which is battling a wave of coronavirus infections.

"The people believed the animal to be God's horse ... it has been at the monastery for some 23 years," Gokak administration official Prakash Holeppagol said.

"We rushed to the spot once we learned about the gathering. We took help from police to seal down the place quickly," Holeppagol said, adding no one would be allowed to enter or leave the hamlet of Maradimath for at least 14 days.

Rapid tests are being rolled out in the hamlet of roughly 2,000 people, and police are investigating.


10:51 AM

Mapped: The hotspots for the Indian variant of Covid-19 in the UK

More than 20 million people in England now live in an area where at least five cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 have been detected locally, data shows.

A total of 97 local authorities with a combined population of 23.4m have seen five or more cases of B.1.617.2, the strain of coronavirus first identified in India, according to sequencing data running up to May 15 from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

That is compared to 36 local authorities covering 9.8m just two weeks previously, suggesting the Indian variant is continuing to spread rapidly throughout the UK.


10:42 AM

EU leaders back global reforms to stop the next pandemic

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among those rallying around efforts to strengthen the World Health Organization and the fight against pandemics.

It comes as the UN agency opened its annual assembly with a draft resolution in the works that acknowledges mistakes in the response to Covid-19.

The European Union and Vanuatu are behind the resolution that would create a working group on strengthening WHO's readiness and response to health emergencies.

“We have to have institutions that are up to the task, that meet our ambitions,” Macron said by video during the mostly virtual meeting. WHO, he said, must be “robust” and “flexible” in times of emergency and crisis. “And it must be completely transparent to make sure that people trust the organization.”

Merkel threw her backing behind the idea of a “global health threat council” and said leaders should provide WHO with “lasting financial and personal support.”

The resolution would set up a six-person working group to report to the assembly next year. The text acknowledges “serious shortcomings” in the world's ability to prepare, prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies.


10:28 AM

Here's a recap on the local lockdown row raging this morning

Local leaders in eight Indian variant hotspots have criticised the Government's quietly-announced changes to advice on coronavirus controls, which have been described by one MP as "lockdown-lite".

Health chiefs said they were not consulted or informed about fresh guidance asking those in affected areas in England to restrict their social interactions and travel.

The updated advice issued on Friday - which is not law - was published on the Government website without an official announcement, encouraging people in areas including Bolton, Kirklees and the London borough of Hounslow not to meet indoors in a bid to spread the halt of the highly-transmissible mutation.

Bolton Covid - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Bolton Covid - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

People should avoid travelling into and out of the eight areas, with Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley and North Tyneside also on the list, while residents in the eight areas should also be tested twice a week, according to the Government advice.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the failure to alert local leaders was "utterly shameful" and branded local lockdowns the "wrong approach".

But Therese Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, insisted it had not come "out of the blue" amid accusations the Government is imposing local lockdowns by stealth, and was "surprised" that local leaders were blindsided.


10:11 AM

Austria joins Germany in banning British arrivals

Austria has added the UK to its "red list" for travel and imposed a landing ban for direct flights over concerns at rising number of cases of the Indian variant, Justin Huggler reports in Berlin.

From June 1, only Austrian citizens and residents will be allowed to enter the country from Britain. The announcement follows a similar move by Germany over the weekend.

Austria currently has one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, with a 7-day incidence of just 595, and has largely reopened to tourism. Visitors from other EU states and a handful of other countries do not have to self-isolate and can enter with a negative test or proof they are fully vaccinated.

But Britons will not be able to enter the country unless they are long-term residents, or in exceptional cases. Austrian citizens or residents entering from the UK will be obliged to self-isolate for ten days.

While Austria currently has a lower infection rate than Britain, a similar move by Germany at the weekend came as a surprise. The current German infection rate is much higher, with a 7-day average of 7,381 compared to the UK’s 2,073.

Both countries lag behind the UK on vaccinations, although they are catching up: 40.4 per cent of Germans have had their first jab, and 37.9 per cent of Austrians, compared to 56 per cent in the UK.


09:50 AM

Lancashire leaders to discuss new guidance with Government today

Leaders in Lancashire are due to discuss the new guidance with the Government today, a spokesman said.

The spokesman for the Lancashire Resilience Forum said: "We have raised this with Government and are having discussions later today."


09:38 AM

Blackburn MP 'strongly' opposes 'lockdown-lite'

Blackburn MP Kate Hollern said she was "strongly" opposed to changes to coronavirus restrictions in her constituency, which she described as "lockdown-lite".

The Labour MP tweeted: "On Friday night the Government rolled out lockdown-lite through the back door. The guidance is likely to have major implications on businesses, schools and the hospitality sector and I'm furious that the Government hasn't bothered to consult the local authorities involved.

"I strongly oppose the Government's attempt to introduce new measures by stealth and without consultation. Instead, the Government needs to continue to ensure it gets vaccines to where they're needed the most.

"The Government also needs to immediately explain why it has issued new guidance and publish the risk assessment it carried out so that those areas affected can understand the impact the new guidance will have.

"If the Government continues on this path, it must be ready to provide whatever financial support necessary. That means support for Blackburn's businesses, self-isolation support that matches furlough and support for schools."


09:28 AM

Starmer demands clarity 'fast' over changes to advice

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the Government provide clarity "fast" over the changes to advice on travel in and out of eight hotspots in England battling the Indian variant of coronavirus.

He tweeted: "Making a major change that will impact so many people without even telling them is utterly shameful. The Government needs to provide clarity, fast. Local lockdowns are the wrong approach for both public health and local economies.

"The Government is time and again failing to learn lessons. We need proper support to self-isolate, decent sick pay, a working test and trace system and the roll out of the vaccine as quickly as possible."


09:06 AM

The local lockdown areas, in pictures

A boy plays football in the street as gunners from the Royal Horse Artillery distribute Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to local residents on May 24, 2021 in Bolton - Christopher Furlong/Getty
An aerial view of homes in Bolton - Christopher Furlong/Getty
Children play in the street as soldiers help out in Bolton - Christopher Furlong/Getty

08:53 AM

West Yorkshire expects Matt Hancock to explain local lockdowns to Parliament

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said she expects Health Secretary Matt Hancock to explain to Parliament what is happening with the new guidance.

She told BBC Breakfast: "It's another example of the Government doing to us without working with us.

"It's caused a lot of confusion. We were only alerted to it by journalists last night, late last night."

Ms Brabin said she would be meeting vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on Tuesday morning, and added: "I'm expecting Matt Hancock to come to the Houses of Parliament to explain what's actually going on."

"Unfortunately this is yet another example of the Government and their chaotic response to Covid," she said.

"We know that during this pandemic our councils have worked absolutely tirelessly to deliver for our communities. But, if we have an issue here, we need Government to be working with us, not causing more chaos."

Asked if this is a step towards a return to tiers, Ms Brabin said: "If it is, we would like to know. This is part of the problem. We don't know how to respond. We don't know what to advise our citizens.

"One wonders whether we should be taking this seriously at all."


08:27 AM

Essential travel only for local lockdown areas, minister says

People living in areas where the Indian variant is spreading should consider "whether it really is essential" for them to travel, the Work and Pensions Secretary told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

Asked whether a family from Bolton, where new guidance calling on people to limit their interactions and travel has been issued, should go ahead with half-term holiday plans to a "green list" country, Therese Coffey said: "I'm not going to give individual travel guidance on some hypothetical situations to people in different parts of the country.

"The guidance is very clear that people need to consider whether it really is essential.

"I'm conscious that the green list is there, it is there for a purpose because we recognise the amount of transmission in that country is very low, so the risks of bringing the variant back into the UK are very low, and that's why we have the process that we have.

"But I think people just need to consider carefully the risks that they are under themselves.

"But that's why I really want to praise the communities who have stepped up with the extra support that has gone in there to target the vaccinations and make sure people are just generally very aware this particular variant is more transmissible and this I think is a sensible approach."


08:04 AM

Cabinet minister: 'I think June 21 is still very much under consideration'

Cabinet minister Therese Coffey said the Government is still working towards lifting all coronavirus restrictions next month, despite issuing fresh guidance to some areas calling on people to limit their interactions in a bid to halt the spread of the Indian variant.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think June 21 is still very much under consideration.

"We are taking a little bit longer to make sure that we have all the data to understand the impact of what has been happening and some of the measures that have been taken and helped by local communities in order to assess whether or not we can proceed.

"But those announcements will be made in the usual way.

"We are just gathering more data, recognising the risk that this new variant poses."


08:00 AM

North Tyneside director of public health had 'no indication' of restrictions

North Tyneside's director of public health, Wendy Burke, said there had been no indication of any additional restrictions when an announcement about extra testing was made last week.

She said: "Last Wednesday it was announced in Parliament that North Tyneside, along with five other areas in England, would be subject to enhanced testing and vaccinations.

"When the announcement was made there was no indication it would come with any additional restrictions for North Tyneside or the other areas.

"We understand that, later, Government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the Government website.

"This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

"We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.

"We will continue to work with Government on our enhanced testing and vaccination plan which is now in place."


07:52 AM

Herd immunity was not government tactic, insists Cabinet minister

Herd immunity was not a tactic the Government looked to deploy at the outset of the pandemic, a Cabinet minister has said, following claims by former Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings.

Asked whether herd immunity was discussed as a response to dealing with Covid-19, Ms Coffey said: "Er, no.

"I would say that there were a variety of ways that we wanted to (react) early on, and in particular a smaller group of people were involved in some of the day-to-day tactical decisions about how we were going to suppress this virus.

"That has been an important part of the strategy along the way, our road map to how we were going to get vaccines was clearly part of the strategy and that's why so much effort was put into that vaccine taskforce, and Government investment along the way.

"So it has been a variety of ways where we've worked with the chief scientific adviser, the chief medical officer in what we can do to try and suppress this awful virus."


07:39 AM

Are ministers nervous about Cummings appearance?

Pressed on whether she was "nervous" about the Prime Minister's former aide Dominic Cummings appearing before MPs on Wednesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told LBC radio: "I'm not nervous at all.

"It is right that Parliament has these inquiries and scrutiny.

"Of course, next year we will have the full public inquiry because the Government is still focused on tackling the coronavirus and also the road map to recovery.

"We are still busy getting on with the job and I'm sure there will be more interest tomorrow on what is said and the questions asked."


07:39 AM

Where are the eight areas subject to local lockdowns?

The guidance says travelling for work or education is considered essential travel. It covers the areas governed by:

  1. Bedford Borough Council

  2. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

  3. Bolton Metropolitan Council

  4. Burnley Borough Council

  5. Kirklees Council

  6. Leicester City Council

  7. London Borough of Hounslow

  8. North Tyneside Council


07:12 AM

Up to 8,700 patients died after catching Covid in hospitals in England

Up to 8,700 patients died after catching Covid-19 while in hospitals in England, according to a report of NHS data obtained under freedom of information (FOI) laws.

The Guardian said official figures provided by NHS trusts showed some 32,307 people had "probably or definitely" contracted Covid-19 while in hospital since March 2020, with 8,747 of them dying.

The newspaper reported that it received data from 81 of England's 126 acute hospital trusts.

It said their FOI answers revealed that the 8,747 people who died were all in hospital for other medical treatment, such as to have an operation, for care after a fall or the flare-up of a serious illness.

The data includes people who died in hospital and after discharge, and did not distinguish between those who died from Covid, with Covid, or from another condition that could have been exacerbated by the virus - for example a heart attack.

FOI responses revealed that the University Hospitals Birmingham trust had the highest number of deaths with 408. This was followed by Nottingham University Hospitals with 279 and Frimley Health with 259.

Nine trusts had 200 or more deaths, The Guardian said.


07:02 AM

Therese Coffey responds to Telegraph exclusive.

Therese Coffey, asked about The Telegraph's exclusive that fully vaccinated people will still be told to self-isolate if they come into contact with positive cases after June 21, said she was "not aware of the basis" of the reports.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told LBC radio: "I'm conscious that that's a headline in one of the newspapers.

"I'm not aware of the basis of that particular information but, as has been said all along, we will keep working through all the data that has come in from right across the country to understand how we reduce the transmission of this (Indian) variant.

"I think it is too early to get into speculation about what will be happening with the social distancing and other elements from what we hope will still be June 21.

"We know that the virus and variants will continue to be a factor and an element of life in this country and within the world.

"That's why the success of the vaccination programme so far is really important in trying to tackle the impact coronavirus can have, but also we are still trying to build the data and understanding the data and what happens with transmissions and how we are tackling new variants."


06:53 AM

Government advises against travel to eight areas of England worst hit by Indian variant

The Government is under growing pressure to provide clarity on travel restrictions in eight areas of England worst affected by the Indian variant of coronavirus.

Guidance on the Government's website said the public should avoid travelling in and out of areas where the variant is growing fastest "unless it is essential".

The change to the guidance appears to have been made on Friday without an official announcement, prompting criticism from MPs.

The guidance says travelling for work or education is considered essential travel. It covers the areas governed by Bedford Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Bolton Metropolitan Council and Burnley Borough Council. Also included are Kirklees Council, Leicester City Council, the London Borough of Hounslow and North Tyneside Council.

Layla Moran, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said updating the guidance without a proper announcement "is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty".

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, said she was gobsmacked: "They're making such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents."


06:36 AM

Cabinet minister 'surprised' at local officials feel they were not informed

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said she was "surprised" to hear that MPs in areas impacted by new guidance around the Indian variant did not feel properly informed.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Coffey said: "The Prime Minister set out that we need to take extra caution in certain areas regarding the Indian variant.

"It is good practice to formally put that guidance on the record affecting those communities.

"We have been working in close contact, so I'm surprised to hear that people think this has come out of the blue - it hasn't.

"It is about formalising on the record the guidance which we believe people can and should follow in order to make sure we tackle and don't have more spread of the Indian variant."


06:22 AM

Blackburn director of public health not told about change of guidance

Professor Dominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn with Darwen, said he had not been made aware of the updated guidance advising against all but essential travel in the area.

He tweeted: "Local government areas involved were not consulted with, warned of, notified about, or alerted to this guidance.

"I have asked to see the national risk assessment which supports this action - it has not been provided to us yet."


06:12 AM

Today's front page

Here is your Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, May 25.

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06:02 AM

Vaccine tough sell in New York borough despite deaths

Registered nurse Anna Yadgaro, left, talks to Elva Rosario about the possible side effects before inoculating her with the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of the Queens - AP

If there's one place where people could fear the coronavirus more than a vaccination needle, it's the Far Rockaway section of Queens: Nearly 460 residents of the seaside neighbourhood have died of COVID-19.

That's one out of every 146 people who live there, making for one of New York City's highest death rates. And yet, no other place in the city has a lower percentage of vaccinated people.

As of Monday, only 29 percent of people living in Far Rockaway had received even one vaccine dose, according to data from the New York City Health Department. That compares to a rate of 49 percent citywide and nationally.

The situation in the community of about 67,000 people illustrates the challenges facing health officials in many places as they try to overcome hesitancy fueled by mistrust, misinformation and fear.


04:50 AM

Hong Kong may have to ditch millions of vaccines

A group of people line up outside a community vaccination centre to receive the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong, China, 12 May 2021 (issued 14 May 2021). Hong Kong residents have been offered free COVID-19 vaccines as part of a massive vaccination campaign but public distrust of the government and fears about the safety of vaccines have kept residents from stepping forward for their jabs. - Shutterstock

Hong Kong may soon have to throw away millions of coronavirus vaccine doses because they are approaching their expiry date and not enough people have signed up for the jabs, an official warned.

Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world fortunate enough to have secured more than enough doses to innoculate its entire population of 7.5 million people.

But swirling distrust of the government as it stamps out dissent - combined with online misinformation and a lack of urgency in the comparatively virus-free city - has led to entrenched vaccine hesitancy and a dismal vaccination drive.

On Tuesday, a member of the government's vaccine task force warned that Hong Kongers "only have a three-month window" before the city's first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines go out of date.


04:15 AM

Americans warned against travel to Japan

security guards keep watch next to the Olympic Rings while people take part in a protest against the hosting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, in front of the headquarters building of the Japanese Olympic Committee in Tokyo. - The United States warned its citizens on May 24, 2021 not to travel to Olympic host Japan, citing the growing risk of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Asian nation just two months before the Games begin. - AFP

The United States warned its citizens Monday not to travel to Olympic host Japan, citing the growing risk of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Asian nation just two months before the Games begin.

But the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it was still "confident" that American athletes will be able to participate this summer in Tokyo.

The warning came in a travel advisory issued by the State Department as Japan, which has been criticised for its slow inoculation rate, opened its first mass vaccination centres in a push ahead of the Olympics, which were postponed last year due to the pandemic.

The decision was based primarily on government health advice, as well as "secondary factors such as commercial flight availability, restrictions on US citizen entry, and impediments to obtaining Covid test results within three calendar days," the advisory said.


03:44 AM

Child mental illness more severe and complex, says NHS

Child mental illness has become “more severe and complex” due to delays in treatment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, NHS leaders have said.

A damning poll of managers revealed increases in waiting times across the country, with some services, such as eating disorder clinics, now overwhelmed due to mounting demand.

When children and young people are finally seen, their treatment is more lengthy and difficult, the survey found.

NHS Providers said this is due to the traumas wrought by the pandemic itself, but also the difficulty accessing help.
Read the full story


02:21 AM

Melbourne braces for more cases after new outbreak

The Australian city of Melbourne reinstated Covid restrictions today as authorities scrambled to find the missing link in a fresh outbreak that has grown to five cases.

Home gatherings will be limited to five guests; only 30 people allowed at public meetings; and face masks will be mandatory indoors until June 4.

All five cases belong to one extended family across different households and could be traced back to the variant found in an overseas traveller who returned to Melbourne this month after completing quarantine in the city of Adelaide.

Authorities, however, said they could not find how the latest cases contracted the virus from the traveller.

Thousands have been ordered to self-isolate and undergo tests with health alerts issued for several sites, including one of the largest shopping centres in the country.

One of the cases had a high viral load while he visited venues, prompting authorities to warn Melbourne's five million residents to brace for more positive cases in the next few days.


12:56 AM

Updated guidance with no announcement 'a recipe for confusion'

The chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus said updating the guidance on travel restrictions in eight areas of England affected by the Indian variant without a proper announcement was a recipe for confusion and uncertainty.

"It seems crucial lessons have still not been learnt about the importance of clear messaging during a pandemic," Layla Moran said in a Twitter thread.

"This is a major change to policy that will have a huge impact on people's lives."

She said local people and public health leaders in these areas need urgent clarity from the Government.

"Matt Hancock must come before Parliament and make a public statement to explain these new rules," Ms Moran said.

Newly elected West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin said the change could cause anxiety and confusion.

Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East and shadow international development minister, said she was gobsmacked: "I was not informed of this and I understand nor was anyone else in Bolton.

"They're making such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us or tell our constituents."


12:47 AM

Calls for more clarity on travel restrictions in England

The Government is under growing pressure to provide clarity on travel restrictions in eight areas of England worst affected by the Indian variant of coronavirus.

Guidance on the Government's website says the public should avoid travelling in and out of areas where the variant is growing fastest "unless it is essential".

The change to the guidance appears to have been made on Friday without an official announcement, prompting criticism from MPs.

The guidance says travelling for work or education - if people cannot work or study from home - is considered essential travel.

It covers the areas governed by Bedford Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Bolton Metropolitan Council and Burnley Borough Council. Also included are Kirklees Council, Leicester City Council, the London Borough of Hounslow and North Tyneside Council.

A Government spokesman said: "Working with local authorities, we took swift and decisive action to slow the spread of the B1.617.2 (India) variant by introducing surge testing and bringing forward second doses of the vaccine for the most vulnerable.

"We provided additional guidance for those living in affected areas when we became aware of the risk posed by the variant, to encourage people to take an extra cautious approach when meeting others or travelling."


12:00 AM

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