- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to give a press conference at 16:00BST
- Social gatherings over six are to be banned in England
- A new legal limit will be enforced through a fine but will not apply to schools or workplaces
- The Oxford University vaccine trial is paused after a participant falls ill
- The trial in South Africa, Brazil and the US involves 30,000 people. Millions of doses have already been ordered
- People are refusing to get tested in India's Punjab state as rumours fly about the coronavirus
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the developments in the coronavirus pandemic, brought to you by our team in London and our BBC reporters around the world.
Here are some of today’s biggest developments:
- Over 27.5 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported worldwide, along with 897,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University
- Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from next Monday - with some exemptions - amid a steep rise in infections. It will be enforced through a £100 fine if people fail to comply with police, doubling up to a maximum of £3,200
- Clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, are on hold after a participant came down with an “unexplained illness”. AstraZeneca described it as a "routine" pause, and is investigating whether the illness was linked to the vaccine
- Six new cases of coronavirus have been reported in New Zealand – all linked to a church in the capital, Auckland
- Wild rumours about coronavirus are fuelling opposition to testing in the northern Indian state of Punjab. They have also led to protests and even attacks on healthcare workers, reports BBC Punjabi's Arvind Chhabra
Social gatherings above six banned in England from 14 September
Our top story today is that social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday, in a bid to curb a steep rise in coronavirus cases.The restriction will be backed by law and will be enforced through a £100 fine if people fail to comply with police, doubling up to a maximum of £3,200.
Previously, guidance allowed gatherings of up to six people from different households outdoors - or two households of any size, indoors or outdoors. But until now the police have had no powers to stop them unless they exceed 30.
The new restrictions won’t apply to schools, workplaces, weddings, funerals and organised team sports as long as Covid-secure guidance is followed.
Across the UK almost 8,400 new infections have been recorded since Sunday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to give more detail at a press conference in Downing Street later.
Here’s what we know about the rules so far .
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulations.
England gatherings rule 'will be rigorously enforced'
BBC BreakfastHealth Secretary Matt Hancock has been talking this morning about the restriction on gatherings in England. From Monday, social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal.
He says it is a "super simple rule" that you can't gather in a group of more than six.
"This will be rigorously enforced by police," he says.
Hancock says he does not think lockdown was eased too early, adding: "It (the number of cases) was low all throughout the summer, which I was really pleased with - we have seen this rise just in the last few days."
He says there will also be a tightening of "some of the enforcement around hospitality businesses to make sure they are policing the guidelines very clearly".
Hancock urges only those with symptoms to get tested
Last week we first reported that some people were being asked to travel hundreds of miles to get a coronavirus test in the UK.Hancock tells BBC Breakfast that demand for tests is high and "about 25% of the people who come forward we estimate are not eligible for a test".
"We have seen this quite sharp rise in the last couple of weeks of people without symptoms who don't have a good reason coming forward to get a test," the health secretary says.
"If you don't have symptoms unless asked specifically to get a test, you're not eligible for a test."
There had been examples of "whole schools or parts of schools all being sent to get test", he says, adding that it is "not acceptable".
"I've even heard stories of people saying: 'I'm going on holiday next week therefore I'm going to get a test.'
"No - that is not what the testing system is there for. We've got to be firmer, I'm afraid, with the rules around eligibility for testing."
'Significant restriction' for families in England
On the rules on social gatherings in England, Hancock stresses "you can't gather in a group more than six".He says for a "family of five or six this will bring in some significant restrictions" and this has not been brought in "lightly".
For example, a family of five would only be able to meet one grandparent in the same setting.
He says if there is a household where more than six people live together "obviously that group will be able to stay together".
There will also be a "number of exemptions for school, work and for some very special events like weddings, funeral and christenings", Hancock adds.
Latest from around Europe
Another 1,164 cases have been reported in the past 24 hours by Czech health officials, the highest so far since the epidemic began. Most cases are either mild or asymptomatic but the outbreak has alarmed the World Health Organization, which has urged Prague not to go ahead with a reduction in contact tracing and testing. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis says the WHO should "shut up". Elsewhere in Europe:- More than 1,300 nursing home workers have been infected in Spain, which has already seen a reported 21,000 care home deaths linked to Covid-19, Cadena Ser radio reports. It says the worst affected region is Andalusia in the far south
- Voters in western Germany will have to take their own pens as well as a mask when they take part in Sunday's local elections. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has 14 million voters but some of them will vote by post
- Finally an update on Italian ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who's slowly getting better, six days after he was admitted to hospital in Milan. He says he's “struggling to get out of this infernal disease”.
Businesses will have to take customer contact details in England
Today Programme - BBC Radio 4Health Secretary Matt Hancock has given a bit more detail on how the government plans to tighten enforcement around hospitality businesses in England.
He says it will become compulsory for venues to take customer contact details for track and trace.
It has been voluntary, he says, and some businesses had chosen not to take details.
We'll hear more detail on the tightening of restrictions in England later from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Read more on this story here .
Health service disruptions threaten millions of children - UN
Millions of children’s lives are being put at risk by disruptions to health services brought on by coronavirus, according to the UN.Last year, the number of deaths of children aged under five dropped its lowest point on record – 5.2m, down from 12.5m in 1990.
But surveys by the UN have shown that a majority of countries are experiencing disruptions to child and maternity services, along with malnutrition treatment and immunisation.
"The fact that today more children live to see their first birthday than any time in history is a true mark of what can be achieved,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.
“Now, we must not let the Covid-19 pandemic turn back remarkable progress for our children and future generations,” he added.
Five reasons why rise in UK cases is not all it seems
Ministers and health advisers in the UK believe the country is at a critical moment and the average rate of new infections is now four times higher than it was in mid-July.Newly diagnosed cases have topped 2,000 for the past three days.
However, our health team has considered five important reasons why the rise in cases is not all it seems .
Oxford University vaccine trial paused after participant falls ill
Fergus Walsh - Medical editorAt first glance this may seem alarming. A vaccine trial - and not just any vaccine, but one receiving massive global attention - is put on hold due to a suspected serious adverse reaction.
But such events are not unheard of. Indeed the Oxford team describe it as "routine". Any time a volunteer is admitted to hospital and the cause of their illness is not immediately apparent it triggers a study to be put on hold.
This is actually the second time it has happened with the Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial since the first volunteers were immunised in April.
An Oxford University spokesperson said: "In large trials, illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully."
A final decision on restarting the trial will be taken by the medical regulator the MHRA, which could take only days.
But until then all international vaccination sites, in the UK, Brazil, South Africa and the USA are on hold.
The Oxford University team believe this process illustrates that they are committed to the safety of their volunteers and the highest standards of conduct in their studies.
Read more on this story here .
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