Coronavirus - 28th June

Summary for Sunday, 28th June

• Globally, the number of infections now stands at over 10m and nearly 500,000 people have died - Johns Hopkins University
  
• In the UK, the city of Leicester could be placed under a local lockdown after infections surge
  
• The US states of Florida and Texas have reinstated curbs on bars to battle a surge in infections
  
• America has recorded around 2.5 million cases and at least 125,000 deaths
  
• UK travel companies say holiday bookings have "exploded" on news that restrictions are being eased
  
• Delhi is now India's worst-hit area, with about 73,000 recorded cases and at least 2,500 deaths
  
• The head of the European Commission has warned no country will escape the pandemic until it has been ended everywhere
  
• Globally, the number of infections now stands at 9.98m, and more than 498,000 people have died - Johns Hopkins University
  

Hello and welcome to our live updates on the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the latest headlines from around the world:

• The number of cases is set to pass 10 million shortly with nearly 500,000 Covid-19 deaths, figures by Johns Hopkins University suggest
  
• In the US - where about one in four of the world’s cases have been recorded - several states including Florida and Texas are reintroducing restrictions amid record numbers of new infections
  
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has begun to outline plans to kickstart the country’s economic recovery, pledging that the country will “absolutely not be going back to the austerity of 10 years ago"
  
• More illegal street parties have been broken up by police during another night of unlawful gatherings in London. It follows violent clashes last week when officers broke up similar events elsewhere in the capital
  

We'll bring you more on these stories and further developments through the day.

UK 'will not return to austerity of 10 years ago' - PM

The UK is “absolutely not going back to the austerity of 10 years ago", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
Johnson made the pledge as he began to outline plans to kickstart the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic in an interview with the Mail on Sunday. "We're going to make sure that we have plans to help people whose old jobs are not there any more to get the opportunities they need", he told the paper.
His plans will include the creation of a new taskforce - led by Chancellor Rishi Sunak - to look at speeding up the building of hospitals, schools and roads.
It comes as latest figures show that the economy shrank by 20.4% in April - the largest monthly fall on record - while the number of workers on UK payrolls dived more than 600,000 between March and May.
Read more here

The symptoms - and what to do if you have them

The UK's National Health Service has listed three main symptoms of coronavirus that people should be aware of and ready to act upon:

• A new, continuous cough
  
• Fever, where your temperature is above 37.8C
  
• Loss of smell or taste
  

So what should you do if you have mild symptoms, and at what stage do people need to go to hospital?
The BBC's health and science correspondent James Gallagher has produced this comprehensive guide.

What's happening in the southern US states?

More now on the record numbers of cases that have been reported in southern US states.
The surge comes after businesses were allowed to reopen in recent weeks. The so-called sun belt, which includes Florida, Texas, Georgia and Arizona, had been at the forefront of reopening their economies.
But many states have since reported record spikes as businesses reopened and people poured in from other areas.
The spike has led state officials in Florida to tighten restrictions on business again - as Texas also did on Friday.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the BBC that the "sheer numbers are so high" that they are putting a huge strain on the city's healthcare system.
And in a further development, Vice-President Mike Pence said he was postponing campaign events in Florida and Arizona "out of an abundance of caution".

Welsh first minister 'concerned' by UK government's messaging

Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford has expressed concern with the UK government's messaging over coronavirus.
Speaking to Sky News, he said the virus "has not gone away" - something which he said was a "very different message" to that in England, where it seems it is "it's all over and you can go back to doing what you did before".
"My concerns with the UK government are sometimes less with the substance where I think we are all broadly trying to do the same things," he told Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
"I'm more concerned with the messaging - the way things are described."
Many restrictions are being lifted sooner in England than Wales, where the Welsh government decides its own response to coronavirus.
Asked whether the UK government was moving too quickly, he said that Wales would continue to move "carefully, cautiously, one step at a time".
"We put our efforts into planning first and making the announcements second - not making an announcement and then thinking about how you can make those things happen," he added.

Lockdown 'perfect for unwelcome wildlife'

"Nature is returning" has been a familiar refrain over the weeks and months of lockdown.
With cities and towns less busy, and often deserted, many species rarely seen in urban areas are now in plain sight.
In the UK, conservationists say hedgehogs, stoats, foxes and badgers and deer all increasingly took advantage of fewer humans being about.
Globally,cougars explored the streets of Santiago and wild boar roamed in Haifa in Israel. Dolphins swam in Istanbul's Bosphorus River.
But increased sightings of some species were not so welcome - lockdown also saw a surge in rat numbers.
Read more

Australia spike came from ‘shared cigarette lighter’

Let’s take a look at Australia, where there’s been a spike in cases in the state of Victoria despite the rest of the country managing to contain the virus.
State Premier Daniel Andrews has suggested that one outbreak may have come from a cigarette lighter that was shared among staff working at a hotel.
"[They were] keeping their distance but sharing a lighter between each other," he told a press conference.
"There also seems to be carpooling arrangements between staff, which meant they were in closer contact than we would like," he added.
Mr Andrews also announced that Victoria is making testing mandatory for all people returning from overseas trips.
The state reported 49 cases of the virus on Sunday, its highest total in more than two months.

How Delhi 'wasted' lockdown to become India's biggest hotspot

Aparna Alluri - BBC News, Delhi

Delhi health workers have begun screening every household

With more than 77,000 cases of Covid-19, India’s capital Delhi has become the country’s biggest hotspot.
The city administration appears to have squandered the opportunity afforded by a stringent nationwide lockdown that lasted more than two months.
Lax contact tracing, excessive bureaucracy, poor or no co-ordination with private health services and political wrangles have all led to a surge in numbers.
Smaller Indian cities appear to have done a far better job than the capital, the seat of India’s federal government. The southern city of Bangalore has been lauded for its contact-tracing efforts which have contained the infection, and Chennai (formerly Madras) has had relatively few deaths despite a surge in cases.
Read more

Sri Lanka lifts its lockdown curfew

Some good news now: Sri Lanka has completely lifted the curfew it imposed in March to control the spread of the virus.
The authorities there had gradually lifted a daytime curfew, but maintained strict restrictions for four hours until midnight.
Although the curfew has now been lifted, health officials are urging people to maintain caution.
A stringent lockdown and widespread testing has helped Sri Lanka maintain a low mortality rate compared with other South Asian nations.

How funerals under lockdown have 'felt incomplete'

Rory Claydon, BBC News
The coronavirus pandemic has put extra pressure on many workers in the UK, not least those involved in funerals, as they have struggled to cope with the strain the thousands of deaths have put on their industry.
About 21,000 people work in the sector, and the National Association of Funeral Directors says its members have had to deal with 58,000 more deaths since March than they saw on average in the same period over the last five years.
David Barrington, who runs a funeral directors in Wirral, said he had found it "very hard" as the restrictions imposed by government and local councils have meant not a single mourner has "had the funeral they wanted".
Read more

UK city 'could be locked down', says home secretary

A localised lockdown could be imposed in Leicester following a spike in coronavirus cases, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said.
About 25% of the Midlands city's 2,494 confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported in the two weeks before 16 June.
Asked about newspaper reports that the Midlands city faced a return of more stringent restrictions, Patel told the Andrew Marr programme: "That is correct".
"There will be support going into Leicester and in fact the health secretary was in touch with many of us [ministers] over the weekend - explaining some of the measures of support," she said.
She added that extra resources - including more tests - will go into the local authority to help ensure a "localised solution" to the "flare up" of the virus.
However, the city's mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, has said there is "no immediate prospect" of a lockdown.

Infections worldwide top 10 million

More than 10 million coronavirus cases have been declared worldwide, Johns Hopkins University says.
Meanwhile the number of virus-related deaths is at 499,124, and is likely to rise above half a million in the coming hours.

'Stick to the rules' on meeting up, UK home secretary warns

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has called on people not to attend street parties, protests or mass celebrations.
Several officers have been injured in recent days as police moved to break up a number of illegal parties in England, where only groups of up to six are allowed to gather.
"As much as people do want to be out right now - the weather is amazing - stick to the rules, follow the guidance," she told the Andrew Marr programme.
She added that "thuggishness and violent behaviour is simply unacceptable" and that more resources would be made available to the police if needed.
Larger numbers also gathered at Anfield last week, to celebrate Liverpool FC winning the Premier League. However, Patel said football fans "did not need" to travel to the stadium to celebrate.
She also encouraged people to follow the rules and guidance when pubs and restaurants begin to reopen next weekend.
"We don't have a vaccine so it is incumbent on all of us to make sure we keep our distance and we enjoy ourselves in a responsible way, but be conscientious of other people around us," she said.

Could Scotland be Covid-free by the end of summer?

Scotland could eliminate coronavirus by the end of the summer if the decline in new cases continues, one public health expert believes.
It had no confirmed deaths from the virus on Friday or Saturday.
Prof Devi Sridhar, of Edinburgh University, said the country would effectively be Covid-free if that progress could be maintained.
She said the challenge would then be how to stop new cases being imported.
Read more on how Scotland is progressing here.

UK 'on a knife edge' in bid to manage coronavirus

The UK is on a "knife edge" and facing an "absolutely critical" few months in tackling the virus, a government scientific adviser has warned.
Wellcome Trust director Sir Jeremy Farrar, who is part of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the UK - and particularly England - faced a "very precarious" situation and he "would anticipate" a rise in cases.
He warned people to still be "really cautious, particularly around any events indoors" ahead of the scheduled reopening of pubs and restaurants in England next weekend.
He said that "the virus has not disappeared" and that the next three months were "absolutely critical".
He said that having a low number of cases going into winter would mean "you're in a good position" allowing for localised lockdowns which could help "prevent the national catastrophe that happened in March and April".

UK could face 'Thatcher levels of unemployment' - Miliband

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said he "fears Thatcher levels of unemployment" without further government aid for firms which cannot open.
New House of Commons Library analysis, commissioned by the Labour Party, suggests unemployment levels could soar above 3.3 million - levels not seen since the 1980s, under then prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Miliband accused the current government of "pulling the rug from under" many parts of the economy by telling businesses that they will have to start paying towards the furlough scheme from August, before it closes entirely in October.
"You've got to have a bridge between the end of the furlough and a proper job creation programme," he told the Andrew Marr programme.
The former Labour leader also questioned why the government would not be announcing a new budget this summer and called on ministers to "bring forward" investment in the green economy.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has begun to outline his plans for an economic recovery. More on those plans here.

The latest from Asia

If you're just joining us in Asia, welcome. Here's the latest from across the continent:

• China has imposed a strict lockdown near Beijing in an effort to contain a fresh outbreak. Nearly half a million people will be barred from travelling in and out of Anxin county
  
• South Korea confirmed dozens more cases over the past 24 hours, as it struggles to contain a string of new clusters. There has been a spike in cases since the country relaxed social distancing rules last month
  
• Meanwhile in Japan, Tokyo reported 60 new infections on Sunday. That's its highest daily total since it lifted a state of emergency last month
  
• In India, Delhi is now the country's worst-hit area with about 73,000 recorded cases. Lax contact tracing, excessive bureaucracy and political wrangles have all led to a surge in numbers, our correspondent says
  

Iran to impose masks in covered areas

Iran - the country worst hit by coronavirus in the Middle East - is making the wearing of masks mandatory from next Sunday.
Speaking on state television, President Hassan Rouhani said they would be obligatory in covered areas where there were gatherings but he did not say what the penalty would be for failure to comply.
According to the deputy health minister, services will not be provided to those without masks in areas such as government organisations and shopping malls.
President Rouhani also said that local authorities could take steps to re-impose restrictions in high-risk regions.
Iran has recorded at least 222,669 infections and 10,508 deaths from Covid-19.

US not on draft list of countries being given access to EU

Katya Adler - Europe Editor
Most EU members have approved an initial list of “safe” non-EU countries - whose citizens will be allowed to travel to the EU/Schengen area as of 1 July, BBC Europe correspondent Katya Adler reports.
The US is not on the list, Australia and Canada are. China would be, if it - in turn - would allow EU travellers access to China. The UK will be dealt with separately.
Access to the EU has been given based on the non-EU country's stated infection rate, alongside their ability to show effective contact-tracing programmes, provide reliable health data and the issue of reciprocity.
But countries on the "safe" list do not need to meet all of the criteria - just some of it.
And the list remains advisory only.
This is because, in times of crisis, border control is the decision of each individual government, rather than the EU - but Germany, who takes up the EU presidency on 1 July - believes the EU needs to be seen to act together over the pandemic.
Individual EU members will not be compelled to admit all the nations on the agreed list, - but they will be expected to deny access to countries who do not make it onto the list.
The list will be published ahead of the 1 July deadline and "regularly updated" thereafter.
"It’s going to be a recognisably fudged EU compromise," writes Adler, on her Twitter feed.

Why could Leicester be more at risk from coronavirus?

Reality Check
Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe has warned that its residents “are disproportionately at risk from Covid-19”, following reports that the city faces a local lockdown.
She’s referring to poverty and the diverse population of Leicester.
In the 2011 Census, 37% of the population was recorded as Asian and a further 12% were from other minority groups.
Most minority groups are at increased risk of dying from coronavirus, including South Asians – the largest ethnic group in Leicester - who are 1.5 times more likely to die than white people, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

US housing secretary blames surge on lack of social distancing

The US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, says he believes the increase in cases in America is because people have not been following social distancing guidelines.
Florida and Texas are among states reinstating some restrictions.
But the former neurosurgeon pointed out that although the numbers of cases had increased, the mortality rate had gone down.

Rise in assaults on emergency services linked to protest activity

Reality Check
Earlier, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that she was concerned about mass gatherings “in the midst of a global [coronavirus] pandemic”. She said there had been “far too many assaults” on police officers at protests and street parties.
In the month to 7 June, assaults on emergency service workers in England and Wales jumped by 24% compared with the same period last year, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
The NPCC has attributed this, in part, to an increase in protest activity across the country.
At the end of last year, the Crown Prosecution Service said there had been almost 20,000 assaults on emergency workers in England and Wales.
It said a large number of these offences were for spitting but they also included kicking, punching, head-butting and biting.

The latest from Europe

If you're just joining us, welcome. Here are the latest coronavirus headlines from around Europe:

• In France, voters wearing mandatory face masks headed to the polls for the final round of local elections. But turnout has been low, with some 15% of voters in Paris casting their ballots by midday today. The vote was delayed in March because of the pandemic
  
• Meanwhile, an outbreak at a meat factory in the German city of Gütersloh has officials worried. More than 2,000 people have contracted Covid-19 in the area, and now officials say cases are rising among people who have no connection to the factory
  
• The Greek island of Kos will host dozens of German doctors for free from Monday. The tourism ministry said it was "in recognition and gratitude for their contribution in combating the coronavirus"
  
• The Czech Republic has registered a steep increase in the number of people infected with the virus. There were 260 new cases on Saturday, the highest figure in weeks
  

Illegal camping and partying in Lake District

Hundreds of people were found illegally camping and holding parties in the Lake District over the weekend.
Police and Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) rangers said they spoke to more than 200 individuals on Saturday evening.
Reports included some 20 people "partying" on a fell.
As well as camping illegally, damage was caused to trees and property and litter was left discarded, the LDNPA said.
Activities such as camping and large group gatherings are currently prohibited under government rules.

  :tweet: Eden Police:
:Left Quotes: We had this group of campers reported to us as seen at 06:15 this morning near to #HallinFell. They were apologetic on visiting them. Several fines issued. Other groups have also been visited this morning in the #Ullswater area. @lakedistrictnpa @nationaltrust

Social distancing stickers 'removed' before Trump rally

Staff at US President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma earlier this month removed stickers intended to maintain distance between attendees, the Washington Post has reported.
A video obtained by the newspaper shows workers removing stickers placed on seats and designed to ensure that the crowd followed social distancing measures.
There had been strong health concerns over Trump's rally on 20 June, which was the first of its kind since coronavirus lockdown measures were introduced in many US states.
People attending had to sign a waiver protecting the Trump campaign from responsibility for any illness, and six staff members involved in organising the rally tested positive for the virus hours before the event began.
However, attendance at the 19,000-seat stadium was far lower than anticipated.

Tests plea for workers in Wales food processing factories

The pandemic has seen clusters of cases in food processing plants, and staff who have yet to be tested for coronavirus after an outbreak linked to a food processing factory in Wales have been urged to "act immediately".
Anglesey council's plea comes after 210 cases were confirmed among workers at the 2 Sisters plant in Llangefni.
Meanwhile, Public Health Wales (PWH) said about 300 workers "have not yet presented for testing" at a Wrexham food factory which has had 166 cases.
It said there was "no evidence" Rowan Foods was the source of the outbreak.
Read more about their cases here.

Glastonbury 2021 'will be the most amazing party'

Sunday would have marked the final night of the Glastonbury festival, which was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year - and Taylor Swift would have been headlining on the Pyramid stage.
But 2020 became "the year that couldn't happen" when the coronavirus pandemic saw lockdowns imposed around the world.
Emily Eavis posted an instagram video ahead of the non-event, as she walked around the site
"At this time of year, on a warm evening, there's a real buzz - that doesn't really go away," she said, lamenting: "It's eerie and quiet."
Across the weekend - for locked down festival-goers kicking back at home - the BBC has thrown itself into reliving Glastonbury's best moments. Today sees Kylie in the legends slot, as well as performances by David Bowie, Lady Gaga,The Killers and Ed Sheeran.
Even former 2016 headliner Adele joined in on Saturday night, posting herself singing along to her own Glasto gig, with the little help of a cider or two...
Meanwhile, Eavis has vowed that organisers will be "throwing it all into 2021".
"Having to cancel was quite gutting," she told BBC Music. "But the first year back after what we've been through will be the most amazing party."

Greece to host German doctors for free

As we reported earlier, the Greek island of Kos is set to host dozens of German doctors for free from Monday.
The tourism ministry said it was hosting the 170 medical professionals "in recognition and gratitude for their contribution in combating the coronavirus".
Greece is officially scheduled to re-open its regional airports to passenger traffic on Wednesday
Hundreds of tests are to be conducted daily at airports. Visitors will also have to fill out information forms, and disclose where they are staying, at least 48 hours before entering the country.
Greece has reported fewer than 200 deaths from Covid-19.

UK death toll up by 36; Scotland reports no new deaths

A further 36 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK, latest government figures show.
It brings the total number of recorded deaths - in all settings - to 43,550.
Figures have also been released for the UK nations.
The figures - which are collated differently to the UK-wide numbers - show:

• In Wales, two more people have died with the virus, taking the Public Health Wales total to 1,504.
  
• One more person with Covid-19 has died in Northern Ireland, where the death toll now stands at 550.
  
• In England a further 18 people died, bringing the total to 28,653.
  
• And for the third day in a row, Scotland has not recorded any new deaths among those who have tested positive for the virus.
  

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she feels an "enormous" relief at seeing the death toll not increase. The current tally remains at 2,482.

New China outbreak 'linked to food market

More now on the strict lockdown that China has imposed near Beijing in an effort to contain a fresh outbreak of the virus.
Nearly half a million people have been barred from travelling in and out of Anxin county in Hebei province.
The latest spike is linked to a food market in Beijing, the South China Morning Post reported.
The city has ramped up testing in response to the outbreak, an official told a press conference on Sunday.
"We are also rolling out large scale screening to key regions and key populations," Zhang Qiang said. "We have already tested all the people that need to be tested."
Beijing reported its first case from this outbreak on 11 June, and since then more than 300 people have tested positive for Covi-19.

No deaths in Madrid for first time since pandemic hit

There's good news from Spain, which was once among the worst-affected countries in Europe.
On Saturday, the capital Madrid recorded zero deaths for the first time since the pandemic reached the city, the president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced.
"Together we can ensure that this nightmare doesn't happen again," she said on Twitter on Sunday.
It's a big change from a few months ago, when Ms Díaz Ayuso said that an estimated 3,000 people had died in the region's care homes in March alone - 2,000 higher than normal.
More than 28,000 people have died in Spain since the pandemic began, and there have been almost a quarter of a million confirmed cases.

Will the pop-up bike lanes boost cycling in England?

There has been a very definite boom in cycling across the UK since lockdown began at the end of March.
It's prompted ministers to pledge millions of pounds for new "pop-up" bike lanes, and other road safety measures across the country.
However, cycling campaigners say progress has been mixed, with improvements so far only seen in cities like London and Manchester, where plans to boost cycling were already in place.
Pete Gibbons, who lives in Bristol, had been taking advantage of the quieter roads in lockdown to cycle more with his nine-year-old daughter.
"It was a completely different experience during lockdown because there wasn't any traffic, so it felt safe to be on some of the main city roads."
As the traffic returns, BBC journalist Becky Morton been asking if the UK's roads are better geared for cycling.
And has enough been done to to keep people like Pete on his bike?
Read more here

What's been going on in the UK?

Haven't had a chance to catch the headlines today? Here's a brief summary of what's been going on around the UK:

• For the third day in a row, Scotland has not recorded any new coronavirus deaths. It came as the UK recorded a further 36 deaths among those who tested positive for Covid-19. The total UK death toll is 43,550
  
• UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has called on people not to attend street parties, protests or mass celebrations, adding there had been “far too many assaults” on police officers and they would be given more resources if required
  
• The moment 95-year-old Megan Williams was clapped back into her care home in Anglesey after spending seven weeks in hospital with Covid-19 brings a tear to the eye
  
• Meanwhile, in Gateshead, in Tyne and Wear, a wildlife worker has survived on a diet of nettles, hawthorn leaves and gorse foraged on daily walks to raise money for charity
  
• See the latest figures and statistics on coronavirus in the UK here
  

Ten million cases, nearly half a million deaths

Ten million people around the world have now been diagnosed with Covid-19. More than four million cases are in the Americas, followed by Europe with 2.6 million.
Almost half a million people have died worldwide since the coronavirus was first identified in China six months ago.
The World Health Organization says the global rate of infections has accelerated since mid-May and is now especially increasing in Brazil, Mexico and Chile.
Covid-19 is also taking a serious toll in Africa and South Asia, with India now recording more than half a million cases.

We're pausing our coverage

Thanks for being with us on another busy day of developments as the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic goes on. Sunday was the day when the number of people infected with the virus passed 10 million globally with nearly 500,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US.
In other international developments:

• China imposed a strict lockdown near Beijing in an effort to contain a fresh outbreak. Nearly half a million people were barred from travelling in and out of Anxin county
  
• Other Asian countries, including South Korea and Japan, reported new clusters of the virus. Tokyo reported 60 new infections while South Korea confirmed dozens of positive tests
  
• In the US, southern states reinstated curbs on bars and restaurants to battle a surge in infections. The country has seen a spike in cases since some states moved to reopen
  
• And in the Middle East, the region's worst-hit country Iran said it planned to make the wearing of face masks compulsory
  

Our UK team is finishing for the day but our colleagues in Singapore will be back with the latest news in the morning.

Today's updates were brought to you from socially-distanced laptops by Gareth Evans, Matt Cannon, Patrick Jackson, Robert Greenall, Claire Heald, Victoria Lindrea and Victoria Bisset.