Coronavirus: The 17 major developments that happened on Friday
Here’s what you need to know on 7 August. This article was updated at 4.45pm.
Deaths: The Government said 46,511 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Thursday, up by 98 from the day before.
Infections: An average of 3,700 people per day in private households in England were estimated to be newly infected with COVID-19 between 27 July and 2 August, according to the ONS. It’s down slightly from 4,200 per day in the period 20 to 26 July. In Wales between 27 July and 2 August, an estimated 1,400 people in private households had it. Read more here.
R rate: The R rate is rising in the UK, with scientific advisers not sure it’s below one in England. It’s 0.8 to 1.0 for the whole of the UK, an increase from last week's 0.8 to 0.9. Read more here.
Travel: There are concerns for holidaymakers as the government adds more countries to its quarantine list, meaning travellers would have to self-isolate for two weeks on their return. There are concerns France could be added. Read more here.
Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon has given a warning to two Aberdeen players after they tested positive for coronavirus following a visit to a bar. Another six players are in isolation. Read more here.
Sturgeon has made it mandatory for pubs and other social venues to take customers details as she said there was a clear link between those reopening and an increase in cases. Face coverings will become mandatory in libraries, museums and places of worship from Saturday. Read more here.
Wales: Gyms, pools and leisure centres will reopen in Wales from Monday. The Welsh Government is also looking at whether people could be allowed to meet others indoors who are not already part of their extended household from 15 August. Read more here.
Lockdown: Local measures in Greater Manchester have been extended to Preston, meaning different households cannot meet indoors. It come as the seven-day rolling rate of new cases rose from 20.3 per 100,000 people in the seven days to 27 July to 32.8 in the seven days to 3 August. Read more here.
Almost half of people aged 25 to 34 have said that they would flout rules if a second coronavirus lockdown was imposed. A poll of more than 2,000 UK adults revealed the data, published Friday. Read more here.
Britons have been warned to avoid beaches because they are too packed. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s beach checking app has listed a series of areas as red, meaning “avoid, social distancing not possible”. Read more here.
A pub landlord has apologised for an outbreak of COVID-19 linked to his establishment. Custodio Pinto, who runs the Crown and Anchor in Stone near Stoke-on-Trent, said he was not strong enough in enforcing social distancing. Read more here.
NHS: Thousands of NHS workers will demand a pay rise in nationwide protests against the government on Saturday. One of them, Laura Duffell, told Yahoo News UK that NHS staff feel they have been “stabbed in the back” after months on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.
Business: More than 10,000 British Airways workers are being made redundant, it has been confirmed. Trade union Unite said 4,000 are compulsory and it’s reported 6,000 were voluntary. Read more here.
Read more about COVID-19
How to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms
What you can and can’t do under lockdown rules
In pictures: How UK school classrooms could look in new normal
How public transport could look after lockdown
How our public spaces will change in the future
Rest of the world
The global lockdown will have a limited impact on the climate crisis, despite sharp drops in carbon emissions. Global heating will be cut by just 0.01C by 2030 according to a study. Read more here.
India confirmed 62,538 new cases on Friday, sending its total to more than 2 million. Indian is the third worst-affected country in the world behind the US and Brazil. Read more here.
Four people have died and three left with new visual impairments after drinking hand sanitiser in the US. A total of 15 people - 13 men and two women - were admitted to hospital after ingesting the sanitiser. Read more here.
Positive news
Melbourne residents have joined in a collective scream, while being socially distanced, to let off steam amid the frustration of lockdown rules. More than 24,000 people said they were attending on Facebook, with the event originally intended to be a joke. Read more here.
