Wednesday evening news briefing: Only 2,000 NHS frontline staff tested for coronavirus

Only 2,000 NHS staff tested as UK suffers deadliest day

The Government promised it would "go further, faster". Yet today it emerged only 2,000 frontline NHS England staff have been tested for coronavirus, out of about 1.2 million staff members. As thousands of medics self-isolate at home without knowing if they have Covid-19 or not, Britain today recorded its deadliest day, with the UK death toll rising by 563 to 2,353. In today’s Downing Street press conference, Business Secretary Alok Sharma insisted the Government has taken "the right steps at the right time". It comes as cigarette maker BAT claims it has made a breakthrough in the hunt for a vaccine. And with all the numbers, it can be easy to forget these figures represent real people. This video of a family friend describing the last moments of the 13-year-old boy believed to be Britain's youngest victim is heart-wrenching.

Meanwhile, new research suggests the UK's lockdown measures appear to have made coronavirus less contagious than flu and could see a decline in cases. Health Editor Laura Donnelly explains the figures. Today we have launched our coronavirus live tracker, where you can keep up to speed with cases in your local area, the latest symptoms, the number of tests taking place each day and the UK's rate of growth. It is an incredibly useful piece of work from The Telegraph's data team. Click here to see it. Wimbledon has become the latest sporting casualty, with the 134th championship cancelled. And if you are finding lockdown restrictive, spare a thought for people in these countries as Henry Samuel reveals the lockdown rules and punishments around the world.

PS - News you can trust is more important than ever. Stay informed with our liveblog, daily Global Health Bulletin, WhatsApp group, coronavirus podcast and index page with all our articles. We have a special offer when you take out a new Telegraph subscription that allows you to access all our newspaper and online articles without leaving home. Sign up for a free one-month trial - then save 50pc on your first three months.

Premier League clubs living in 'moral vacuum'

MPs have accused Premier League clubs of living in a "moral vacuum" after they applied for a taxpayer-funded bailout during the coronavirus crisis instead of asking their players to foot the bill. Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Norwich City have all taken advantage of the country's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in which as much as 80pc of their non-playing staff's wages could be paid by the Government. Read what Julian Knight, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee, told The Telegraph about the move. And Jason Burt outlines why it is a disgrace that Premier League clubs are abusing the Government's furlough scheme before cutting player wages.

Charles hails supermarket staff as 'emergency service'

The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to the "utter, selfless devotion to duty" of NHS staff, volunteers and the new "emergency service" of supermarket workers, as he speaks of the "strange, frustrating and often distressing" experience of self-isolation. Prince Charles, who has had a mild case of coronavirus himself, said those on the front line in the battle against Covid-19 must be treated with "special consideration" when it came to their shopping, to help them through a "profoundly challenging" situation. Click here to watch his full video message.

At a glance: More coronavirus headlines

• Italian demands | Call for German solidarity or EU 'will cease to exist'

• State of the nation | Record numbers work from home, polling finds

• Prison riots | Unrest in jails around the world amid outbreak

• Edinburgh Festival | World's largest arts event cancelled due to virus

• Coronavirus positive | Good news round-up - Eurovision is back on

Comment and analysis

• Ewen Stewart | Covid-19 shows EU's fragility and UK left just in time

• Asa Bennett | Virus won't make extending post-Brexit transition free

• Ben Kelly | If EU can't rein in Hungary's dictator, it will rot from inside

• Anthony Costello | The UK has been too slow on mass testing

• Con Coughlin | Virus means we must now treat China like hostile state

You Are Not Alone - Surviving coronavirus lockdown

1. We want to know | What are you watching on TV during lockdown?

2. Joanna Lumley | 'Lockdown is nothing like the Blitz, it's so much harder to help people now'

3. Moral Money | Nursery asked us to keep paying fees even though it's closed – should we?

Business and money briefing

Banks axe dividends | Britain's biggest banks have bowed to pressure to suspend shareholder dividends and scrap senior banker bonuses to focus on supporting the economy through the coronavirus pandemic. Read on for details. But Business Editor Ben Wright explains why cancelling bank dividends is a slap in the face for hard-pressed investors.

• First-time buyers | Banks withdraw mortgages needing low deposits

• BP and Shell up 40pc | Investor bravery pays off in bounce back

• On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day

Video: Lockdown at aquarium creates unlikely friends

A rockhopper penguin took a field trip inside Chicago's shuttered Shedd Aquarium to visit the beluga whale exhibit. The whales, including Annik, a calf born last year, collectively gathered at the window to take in the penguin, named Wellington, and stared back as he waddled back and forth. Staff have allowed penguins to take "field trips" while the site is closed. Click here to watch the heart-warming encounter.

Also in the news today

Supermarket in clear | Morrisons cannot be held liable for the actions of an employee with a "grudge" who leaked the payroll data of almost 100,000 members of staff, Britain's highest court has ruled. The supermarket chain brought a Supreme Court challenge in a bid to overturn previous judgments which gave the go-ahead for compensation claims by thousands of employees. Read on for details.

• Drunken row | Barrister admits headbutting female colleague in face

• 'Fake mileage claims' | NHS junior doctor sacked from two hospitals

• Clinical negligence | Landmark ruling for women left infertile

• Meghan's hairdresser | 'We wanted her to look like people's princess'

• David Bowie's arch enemy | The sad, strange saga of Jobriath

World news: One story you must read

Prisoner returns home | A British-Iranian businessman who was imprisoned in Iran for eight years has returned to the UK, raising hopes of release for other dual nationals held in the Islamic Republic. Kamal Foroughi, 80, was arrested by Iranian security forces in 2011 and charged with spying for MI6. He was released in 2018 but was only able to return to the UK after being givrn an Iranian passport last month. Details here.

Tonight's TV

Save Me Too, Sky Atlantic/NOW TV, 9pm | Anyone concerned that the first series of the brilliant but bleak Save Me wasn’t quite dark enough can rest assured that the formula for series two appears to be the same but with added misery. Read on for more.

And finally...

Warmer times | Antarctica was once covered with "swampy rainforests" and had an average temperature of 12C, scientists have found. The study, published in the journal Nature, found the area had a much more temperate climate around 90 million years ago - similar to that of parts of New Zealand today. Read on for details.