Coronavirus - 16th May

Summary for Saturday, 16th May

• German football season set to resume after two-month break, with six matches played behind closed doors
  
• Protests against lockdown measures expected later in several German cities, including Berlin and Stuttgart
  
• Italy will lift restrictions on internal and cross-border travel from 3 June
  
• In England, people are being urged to "think twice" before heading to beauty spots as lockdown restrictions are loosened
  
• President Trump says the US will reopen, with or without a vaccine against coronavirus
  
• A scientific trial to see whether dogs can sniff out coronavirus gets under way in London and Durham
  
• More than 307,000 people globally have died and 4.5 million have been infected - Johns Hopkins University tracker
  

Welcome to today's coverage

Thanks for joining us as we bring the latest developments in the global coronavirus pandemic, which has seen 4.5 million cases and more than 300,000 deaths.
Today, the German football season is set to resume after a two-month break, with six matches to be played behind closed doors. It is the first major European football league to start playing again. Several clubs have reported coronavirus cases in recent weeks, leading to fears that the season could be suspended again.
In other news:

• Italy is preparing to lift travel restrictions next month; it will allow travel to and from the country from 3 June, and it will also allow travel between the regions - which has so far been tightly restricted - from the same day
  
• Nearly a third of hospital patients who are seriously ill with the virus are developing dangerous blood clots, medical experts say
  
• Members of the public are being urged to avoid beauty spots in England this weekend, after the easing of lockdown restrictions in the country
  
• A call has been made to stop squabbling over school reopening in the UK
  
• US President Donald Trump says the country will reopen with or without a vaccine; he says he hopes one will become available this year, but makes clear the lockdown must end either way
  

The Bundesliga is back but behind closed doors

Germany's top football league, the Bundesliga, resumes behind closed doors this weekend, becoming the first major European league to restart after the coronavirus shutdown.
Saturday's six games are the first to be played since the league was suspended on 13 March and include the derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke at 14:30 BST (13:30 GMT).
There will be a police presence at stadiums to ensure fans do not enter and to prevent disturbances, amid concerns over anti-lockdown protesters.
Under strict health protocols, fans are banned from the stadiums. About 300 people, including players, staff and officials, will be in or around the stadiums.
Players have been tested for Covid-19 and will be expected to observe social distancing off the pitch. Every team has been in quarantine, going from a hotel to their training ground for the week leading up to this weekend's return.

Dangerous blood clots found in seriously ill patients

Richard Galpin - BBC World Affairs reporter
Up to 30% of patients who are seriously ill with coronavirus are developing dangerous blood clots, according to medical experts.
They say the clots, also known as thrombosis, could be contributing to the number of people dying.
Severe inflammation in the lungs - a natural response of the body to the virus - is behind their formation.
Patients worldwide are being affected by many medical complications of the virus, some of which can be fatal.
The virus has also increased cases of deep vein thrombosis - blood clots usually found in the leg - which can be life-threatening when fragments break off and move up the body into the lungs, blocking blood vessels.

Bundesliga return could provide 'sense of normality'

Today Programme - BBC Radio 4
As we told you earlier, the German football season resumes this weekend and Bundesliga commentator Derek Ray spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today programme about the prospect of games being played behind closed doors.
"The Germans have a name for it - 'geisterspiele' - which literally means 'ghost game'," he said.
"That's the one shame about this. German football is all about passion, it's the best attended league in the world. We're not going to enjoy that but we're going to enjoy the tradition of Dortmund against Schalke, which is the big draw as the league comes back.
"It's the biggest derby in German football, the 'mother of all derbies', as they call it, and the hope is that it will provide a sense of normality after what's happened over the course of the last few weeks."
Follow live text commentary on the game with our colleagues from BBC Sport from 14:30 BST (13:30 GMT

How to protect your mental health

This pandemic has plunged much of our everyday life into uncertainty and it's a stressful time for people all around the world for different reasons.
If you are worrying about how the virus - or the constant news updates about its spread - is impacting your mental health we have some useful tips to support your wellbeing.

Jobless migrant workers killed in lorry crash

Ethirajan Anbarasan - South Asia editor, BBC World Service

Rescue workers at the scene of the collision

At least 24 people have been killed in a crash between two lorries in northern India, the latest accident involving migrant workers travelling huge distances home after losing their jobs in the country's coronavirus lockdown.
The crash happened in the Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh state early on Saturday, when one of the lorries hit another parked at a roadside cafe. Around 35 other workers were injured - some seriously.
There have been a series of accidents involving migrant labourers trying to return home, and dozens have been killed.
The coronavirus lockdown has triggered a crisis for millions of Indians who rely on daily wages to survive. With no work, they have been heading home by foot, bicycles or in trains and vehicles arranged by the authorities.
India has reported over 85,000 coronavirus cases, surpassing China. More than 2,750 people have died so far.
The country has now started to ease the strict restrictions imposed in late March. In April alone, 122 million Indians lost their jobs amid the lockdown

Avoid England's beauty spots, public urged

"Think twice," people in England are being urged

Parts of England are expected to have a warm day and, for many, the temptation is to go out and enjoy it.
But people are being urged to "think twice" before heading to beaches and country parks this weekend, despite the easing of lockdown rules.
Councils in beauty spots fear a surge in visitors could result in a rise in coronavirus infections.
There is no longer a limit on the amount of exercise allowed - or how far people can travel for it - in England.
But people in England should not travel to Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, where the public is still being told to avoid any travel which is not essential.

A third of UK nursing staff lack proper protective kit - survey

More than one in three nurses and healthcare assistants in the UK are caring for Covid-19 patients without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), a poll suggests.
The survey of more than 5,000 nursing staff for the Royal College of Nursing found 34% were working without adequate PPE, including gowns and respirator masks.
Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents who need gowns said there were not enough for them to use, with a further 34% concerned about the supply for their next shift.
The government has previously said it is working "around the clock" to provide PPE to the NHS and social care sector.
Our colleague Michelle Roberts has more on PPE and the NHS.

'Stop squabbling' over opening schools in England

Sean Coughlan - BBC News, education correspondent
The government and teachers' unions should "stop squabbling and agree a plan" to reopen schools safely, the children's commissioner for England has said.
Anne Longfield said many disadvantaged children were losing out because of schools being closed for so long.
The government has set out plans to begin a phased reopening of primary schools in England from 1 June.
Teachers' leaders met the government's scientific advisers on Friday but did not agree how to go back to work. Meanwhile, some local authorities have said they will not reopen schools in line with the government's timetable because of concerns about safety.

How might schools in England reopen?

Plans are being made for how schools in England will start to reopen next month.
However, there is disagreement over whether children will be returning too soon and how schools can be made safe.
From reduced class sizes to staggered break times, our education team has taken a look at how children could return to the classroom.

Peak District beauty spot 'extremely busy'

As we told you earlier, people in England are being urged to "think twice" before heading to beaches and country parks this weekend as the weather improves - even though lockdown rules have been eased.
Despite the warnings, Langsett in the Peak District was reported to be "extremely busy".

  :tweet: :Left Quotes: Peak District National Park:
Saturday 16 May: Visitor Update, Langsett
This area is reported to be extremely busy with car parks currently full and social distancing difficult. Please don't travel to the area or park outside of designated bays.
Thank you

Relaxed Swiss borders set to bring people together

Imogen Foulkes - BBC News, Geneva
Switzerland, Germany and Austria begin relaxing border restrictions this weekend, ahead of a full reopening which will include France in mid-June.
The relaxation means friends, families and lovers divided by the border closures will be able to meet again.
The four countries, all members of the Schengen open-border zone, shut their frontiers in March in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Road, rail, and air travel were halted. Neighbourhoods were divided. Couples who lived on either side of the border found themselves separated. Different generations of the same family could no longer visit each other.
But for tourists, shoppers and the simply curious the frontiers stay closed.

Eyes on Germany as football returns

11 March: Borussia Monchengladbach v Koln. The last match, behind closed doors, to be played in Germany's Bundesliga football league before action was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.


16 May: The Bundesliga is back. Germany will become the first professional football league in Europe to restart at 14:30 BST (13:30 GMT).
You can follow live text commentary of all the main matches on the BBC Sport website and app.
Under strict health protocols, fans are banned from the stadiums, and players were wearing masks as a protection. One of them was Anton Fink, of Karlsruher FC, photographed here before the match against SV Darmstadt 98.


There will be a police presence at stadiums to ensure fans do not enter and to prevent disturbances, amid concerns over anti-lockdown demonstrators.
In Berlin, supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party have been gathering at the Brandenburg Gate to protest against government coronavirus measures.

Isle of Skye care home reports 10th death

A tenth resident has died with coronavirus at a care home on the Isle of Skye.
A total of 30 residents and 29 staff have tested positive for Covid-19 at Home Farm care home in Portree, the largest village on the remote island off the west coast of Scotland.
The Care Inspectorate began legal action this week, which could prevent the home's owner HC-One running the facility, after "serious and significant concerns" were raised.
HC-One said it was working with NHS Highland to implement a "robust action plan"

How do I know if I'm sick?

The most common signs of Covid-19 are a fever, dry cough and breathing difficulties.
For most people the symptoms will be mild but the coronavirus can be serious for some, including the elderly or people with certain pre-existing conditions.
Some of the early symptoms can easily be confused with other winter bugs including colds and flu. But for now the UK government is advising anyone with a high temperature or a new, continuous cough to self-isolate at home for at least seven days just in case.
Under current guidance, most people may not need to get tested. If you are in the UK and worried about having the symptoms, use the NHS 111 advice service.

And we have more about the symptoms and how you can protect yourself.

NY tourist arrested in Hawaii after posting beach photos

A 23-year-old tourist from New York was arrested in Hawaii on Friday for violating the state's mandatory quarantine rule.
He arrived on O'ahu on Monday and posted several pictures of himself on Instagram, the Hawaii governor's office said.
The man is said to have left his hotel room on the day he arrived and travelled to many places by public transport, when he should have been in quarantine.
"Authorities became aware of his social media posts from citizens who saw posts of him - on the beach with a surfboard, sunbathing, and walking around Waikiki at night," the statement said.
Hawaii requires visitors to the islands to self-quarantine for 14 days, without leaving their hotel room or residence.

Singers from cancelled Eurovision say thank you

The Eurovision Song Contest may have been cancelled but an alternative event will be held later to celebrate the acts that were due to take part, and the best songs from past years.
A show to find the UK's favourite Eurovision song of all time will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK at 18:30 BST (17:30 GMT), before viewers join a Europe-wide programme showcasing this year's contestants - although there'll be no voting.
The acts who were due to perform - some of whom will not get the chance to appear at Eurovision again - put together a video message for a BBC Newsbeat documentary to thank fans for their support.
Rotterdam's Ahoy concert venue was supposed to host the event, but instead has been converted into an emergency hospital to help the Netherlands battle its coronavirus outbreak.

Can I start driving lessons again?

Reality Check
Some of the lockdown restrictions introduced in England have started to be lifted but is a scarf enough to be used as a mouth covering on public transport?
Can you start driving lessons again? And when are religious services likely to resume?
See answers to those questions and many others that you have been asking.

Cambodia says it now has no current cases

Cambodia says its only remaining coronavirus patient has been treated and released from hospital.
Video of the 36-year-old woman leaving the hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh, was broadcast live on Cambodian television on Saturday.
Health officials have warned they will not ease existing restrictions, with Health Minister Mam Bunheng saying health checks would be carried out at all international borders.
There have been a total of 122 confirmed cases and no deaths in Cambodia, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest from around the UK

The public is being urged to avoid beauty spots on the first weekend since the government eased some lockdown measures in England.
There is no longer a limit on how far people can travel to take exercise, and councils in areas with beauty spots are concerned that visitors may come in large numbers.
In other developments:

• The children's commissioner for England has called for teachers' unions and the government to "stop squabbling" and agree a plan for the safe reopening of schools
  
• Later on Saturday, Graham Norton will front Come Together on BBC One, a replacement for the Eurovision song contest which has been cancelled due to the pandemic
  
• In Scotland, a 10th resident has died of coronavirus at a care home on the Isle of Skye
  
• A trial to see whether medical sniffer dogs can be trained to detect coronavirus has begun in the UK
  

German teams taking to the pitch again

Five football matches in Germany's Bundesliga are about to kick off as fans across Europe welcome the return of professional football.
After a suspension of 66 days because of the pandemic, the top-flight action will begin again behind closed doors from 14:30 BST (13:30 GMT). A sixth match will follow later.
You can follow live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.

Who should wear a face mask or face covering in England?

The Scottish government already recommends people wear face coverings when in shops and on public transport.
Now for the first time, people in England are being advised to wear them on public transport and in some shops, as well as "enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible and they come into contact with others that they do not normally meet".
We have all the new advice from the government for England.

Spanish PM to seek another lockdown extension

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he'll ask parliament for a further - and final - extension to the state of emergency declared over coronavirus.
Sánchez wants it to be extended for a month, instead of the customary two weeks. The current extension is due to expire in a week's time.
The prime minister has been facing growing political opposition to renewing emergency powers.
About 100 people held an anti- government protest in Seville, despite coronavirus restrictions.
Earlier Spain reported its lowest daily total of coronavirus-related deaths for more than two months - 102. As of Saturday, the total national death toll stands at 27,563, while number of cases has risen to 230,183.

Latest UK death figures

Here are the latest numbers of people who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in the four UK nations.

• In England a further 181 people have died, taking the total number of deaths in hospitals there to 24,527
  
• In Scotland, there have been a further 41 deaths, taking the total to 2,094
  
• In Wales, there have been a further 18 deaths, taking the total to 1,191
  
• In Northern Ireland, there have been a further four deaths, taking the total to 473
  

Figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are mostly hospital deaths.
UK-wide figures published by the Department of Health - which use a different timeframe to those of individual nations and also include deaths in the community and care homes - will be published later.

Questions remain over safety of reopening schools

Victoria Gill - Science reporter, BBC News
There's still some disagreement on how likely children are to actually catch the coronavirus. But it's clear that if and when they do, the infection is generally very mild.
And with a respiratory infection, if you're not as severely affected - so you're not coughing and sneezing - you won't infect other people as much.
Dr Mike Tildesley, an epidemiologist at the University of Warwick who's studying the pattern of this outbreak, says opening schools will need to be done in careful stages - researchers will watch the infection rate and learn more at every phase.
"So we know that the average transmission rate for a child will be lower than the average for an adult," he said. "But is the average child 10 times less transmissible? Half as transmissible? We don’t know the answer to that and that’s quite a big difference."
In Friday's government coronavirus briefing, Jennie Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, sought to allay parents' anxiety by pointing to the low risk of anyone within a school being infected.
"In an average school - with 100 children the likelihood of anybody having this disease is very small and diminishing with time," she said. "I think we just need to keep that in perspective."
To protect teachers and their pupils, social distancing - which is a particularly alien concept for small children - will need to be a part of school life.
One aim of a phased reopening is to provide the space for that.

Greeks flock to coast as beaches reopen

Sun-seekers are required to respect social-distancing rules on the beach

As countries across Europe begin to ease lockdown restrictions, authorities in Greece are reopening more than 500 of the country's beaches.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says he wants Greece's tourism season to begin in July.
For now, sun-seekers are required to respect social-distancing rules on the beach. No more than 40 people are allowed per 1,000 sq m (10,750 sq ft).
Government rules also require beach-goers to keep their umbrella poles four metres (13ft) apart, with canopies no closer than a meter.

More than 130,000 tests in UK on Friday

There were 136,486 coronavirus tests in the UK on Friday, according to figures from the Department of Health.
The numbers include tests processed in laboratories as well as home testing kits which have been sent out - whether or not they have been processed.
The number of people tested on Friday was 78,537.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to reach 200,000 lab tests a day by the end of May.
Meanwhile, the department has confirmed that 34,466 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 across all settings in the UK.

Several hundred protest against lockdown in London

Tom Symonds - Home Affairs Correspondent

People protested against the lockdown in London's Hyde Park

Several hundred people have been protesting against the lockdown in Hyde Park in central London.
Scotland Yard said six people had been arrested as of 14:00 BST (13:00 GMT). Piers Corbyn, the brother of the former Labour leader, was among those taken into custody.
The protesters said they objected to their rights of free speech and movement being curtailed by the regulations introduced to control coronavirus. One group chanted "no 5G" and "no vaccines".
The protest was one of a number around the country resulting from flyers distributed on social media.

Education secretary to lead UK briefing

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will lead today's government briefing with the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.
It comes as Anne Longfield, the children's commissioner for England, says the government and unions should "stop squabbling and agree a plan" to reopen schools safely.
The briefing starts at 16:00 BST (15:00 GMT), and we'll bring you all the latest here.

New York horse racing tracks to reopen

Horse racing tracks in New York state can reopen without fans from 1 June, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced.
New York Racing Association's Belmont Park and Saratoga have been listed among racetracks that can run with empty stands, similar to other circuits around the country.
"There'll be guidelines for the actual participants - no crowd, no fans," said Cuomo. "For the industry itself, for the televised viewers, that can still work."
The state reported 157 new deaths on Saturday.
In England, Newcastle racecourse will host the first fixture under plans for horse racing's return behind closed doors next month. If a return to action is approved by the government, the first meeting would also be held on 1 June.

Canada approves its first coronavirus vaccine trial

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government has approved the first clinical trials in the country of a potential vaccine for corornavirus.
He told reporters the trials would be held at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University, in Nova Scotia.
Trudeau did not reveal who was developing the vaccine, but said that if trials were successful, the National Research Council of Canada would assist production and distribution.
Canada has reported over 75,000 cases of coronavirus, along with 5,595 virus-related deaths.

Police arrest 19 at anti-lockdown protest in London

Earlier we told you that Piers Corbyn, brother of the former Labour leader, was among the people arrested during a protest against the coronavirus lockdown.
Dozens of people defied social distancing to gather at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park.
The protesters said they objected to their rights of free speech and movement being curtailed by the regulations introduced to control coronavirus. One group chanted "no 5G" and "no vaccines".
There is no evidence to link 5G and Covid-19.
A flyer advertising the protest called for "no to mandatory vaccines, no to the new normal, and no to the unlawful lockdown".
David Samson, 50, told the PA news agency: "I never thought I'd see, in my generation, the suppressing of civil rights" over a "fake virus".
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said it was "disappointing" that the group gathered "in clear breach of the guidance, putting themselves and others at risk of infection".
He said officers urged the group to disperse but "they clearly had no intention of doing so", leading to 19 arrests. A further 10 were issued with a fixed-penalty notice.
The protest was one of a number around the UK, including Southampton and Belfast.

Back to school: Why were specific age groups chosen in England?

Rachel Schraer - BBC Health Reporter
Will some children returning to school in England lead to an increase in infections? This is being debated by politicians, teachers and unions.
Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, said seven different "return to school" scenarios had been modelled by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
She said the government had adopted the one scientists estimate will give the smallest increase in the "R" number - the measure of how fast the disease is spreading.
In England, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children will return to school from 1 June. In the rest of the UK, there are currently no plans to return any more children to school.
Some of the reasons given for picking these age groups were to do with preventing spread of disease, for example because older children are more likely to have higher numbers of contacts outside school so pose a greater transmission risk.
Some were about balancing up children's needs, including the fact that younger age groups may find self-directed learning more challenging.
Dr Harries also said daily testing had reached its highest level yet, with 136,486 tests provided yesterday.

Testing extended to all care home staff and residents in Wales

Coronavirus testing will be extended to all care home residents and staff in Wales, the Welsh government has announced.
The Welsh government had faced criticism for not testing everyone in care homes.
Initially, it had opted only to test individuals with symptoms, and then increased testing to larger homes with no signs of the virus on 6 May.
Testing in care homes in Wales had been more restrictive than in England, where all residents and staff have been eligible for testing regardless of symptoms since the end of April.

Surreal scenes as football returns to Germany

No paying spectators are allowed at the matches

Surreal. Eerie. Odd. Just some of the descriptions from fans watching on television from home as professional football returned in Europe with the resumption of Germany's Bundesliga behind closed doors after a nine-week absence.
Erling Braut Haaland scored for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-0 local derby win over Schalke.
But instead of being mobbed by jubilant team-mates, he made sure they all kept their distance as he performed a little dance on the sidelines, in homage to the strict hygiene rules that the league has to follow.
Six matches have been taking place on Saturday, with every shout by players or coaches audible, and social distancing protocol followed by substitutes.

New Zealand PM turned away from cafe because of social distancing rules

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern found herself turned away from a local cafe in Wellington on Saturday because of social distancing measures.

  :tweet: :Left Quotes: Joey:
Omg Jacinda Ardern just tried to come into Olive and was rejected cause it's full.

But Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford's "date brunch" was rescued when a member of staff from the cafe chased them down the street to let them know a table had just become available.
In a tweet replying to Joey, Mr Gayford said it was his fault for not booking ahead.
"She had a lovely brunch and left half an hour later. She was lovely with all the staff ... [and] she was treated like a normal customer," the cafe manager later told the New Zealand Herald.

We're pausing our live coverage

Thank you for following our updates.
We're now wrapping up the live page for today but before we go, here's a quick recap of Saturday's main developments:

• Nearly 4.6 million coronavirus cases have been reported globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The total death toll has also risen to more than 309,000
  
• UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said a phased reopening of schools in England will begin from 1 June. Teachers' unions have said the date is too soon to be safe
  
• Beaches have begun to open in parts of Greece, France and Italy after weeks of lockdown. Italy says it will begin allowing holidaymakers to visit from 3 June, hoping to boost its tourism trade for the summer
  
• Germany's Bundesliga became the first major football league in Europe to resume action behind closed doors, after a two-month pause to the season
  
• Cambodia says its only remaining coronavirus patient has been treated and released from hospital. There have been a total of 122 confirmed cases and no deaths in Cambodia, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University
  

Please join us again tomorrow if you can.

Saturday's updates were brought to you by Hugo Bachega, Alex Fouché, Josh Cheetham, Victoria Lindrea, Doug Faulkner, Ben Collins, Becky Morton, Frank Keogh, Michael Emons, Lauren Turner, Patrick Jackson and Alix Kroeger.