Coronavirus - 2nd November

Summary for Monday, 2nd November

• Boris Johnson is addressing MPs over his plan for a new four-week lockdown across England from Thursday
  
• The NHS could be overwhelmed if no action is taken, with medical staff having to choose who to treat, he warns
  
• Pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship will be affected by the lockdown
  
• England will return to the regional tier system on 2 December when the measures end
  
• Several senior Tory MPs oppose the move but Labour says it will back the new measures
  
• Leaders from across the UK say they will "work together” on a "joint approach to the Christmas period" after diverging over Covid restrictions in recent weeks
  
• Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford says two households can form a "bubble" when its firebreak lockdown ends on 9 November
  
• Scotland's five-level system of Covid restrictions has come into force
  

Morning everyone! Welcome to Monday’s coronavirus live page. We will be bringing you updates on the latest pandemic news throughout the day.
Here’s a recap of some of the major developments from the weekend and this morning:

• The prime minister has announced England will be going into a four-week national lockdown from 00:01 on Thursday, closing pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship
  
• Mayors of some of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19 have called for England's schools and colleges to close during the lockdown to reduce the spread of the virus more quickly. But the government has insisted it wants to keep schools open
  
• There were 23,254 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK on Sunday and 162 further deaths. Of those deaths, 132 were in England, 16 in Wales, eight in Northern Ireland and six in Scotland
  
• Boris Johnson will warn MPs later today that Covid-19 deaths could be twice as high over the winter as they were in the first wave of the pandemic unless he – and the whole country – acts now by taking a nationwide lockdown approach
  
• Palace sources have told the BBC the Duke of Cambridge contracted Covid-19 earlier this year. It is believed he tested positive in April at a similar time to his father, the Prince of Wales
  
• Scotland’s new Covid restrictions comes into force today. The regional system has five levels but each of the country's 32 local authorities has initially been graded between levels 1 and 3
  

‘Earlier lockdown would’ve saved thousands of lives’

A two-week circuit-break lockdown over half term would’ve saved “thousands of lives” and done “less damage” to the economy, according to one professor.
Professor Andrew Hayward says countries like ours have “repeatedly underestimated” the virus and done “too little too late” to control its spread.
The government’s scientific advisory committee – Sage – met on the 21 September where it recommended imposing a two-week circuit breaker over the school half term.
But ministers chose to adopt a regional lockdown approach – with tougher restrictions in areas hit hardest by the virus.
Prof Hayward, from the Infectious Disease Epidemiology department at UCL, says it’s with a “high degree of certainty” he can say lives would’ve been saved with an earlier lockdown.
He says the national action being taken now will affect the deaths from Covid-19 in three or four weeks’ time.
“Early action is essential and waiting to see if less intense measures are going to work is really quite a dangerous way of doing things,” he told Radio 4's Today programme.

The papers: 'Nightmare without end' and 'PM faces Tory fury'

Unsurprisingly the fallout from Boris Johnson's weekend announcement continues to dominate many of today's front pages.
The Daily Mirror says Christmas is "hanging in the balance" after Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove admitted the four-week lockdown in England could be extended if the country fails to "get a grip" on Covid-19.
The Times suggests the new shutdown could last until next year, with a brief relaxation over the Christmas period for people to see their families.
And The Daily Telegraph warns that up to 80 Conservatives are considering rebelling when the new measures are put to a vote in Parliament on Wednesday. You can see the front pages and read our full newspaper review here.

Virus spreading ‘even faster’ than anticipated

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the coronavirus has been spreading across England "even faster" than anticipated, which is why a four-week national lockdown has to be introduced.
He said the data suggested that unless the government took more action, deaths would be running at levels "in excess" of where they were in the spring.
Mr Sunak said what was particularly concerning was the rapid rise in cases in areas which currently had lower levels of the virus.
"It would mean in a matter of weeks the NHS would be overwhelmed with the consequent turning away of non-coronavirus patients and doctors having to make very difficult decisions."
He told Radio 4's Today programme that bringing in a national lockdown was "the last thing" the government wanted to do.
"We're dealing with a virus that has clearly moved at a pace faster than we had anticipated and feared," he added.
Furlough is being introduced again "in the interest of simplicity and to give businesses that ease at this difficult time", he added.
The restrictions would end on 2 December "as a matter of law" but he said he could not give a "precise day" on which the restrictions would be reviewed, as they would be "constantly" reviewed.

Shops, gyms and schools to reopen in Wales from 9 November

Shops, gyms, schools and places of worship will reopen when Wales' firebreak lockdown ends on 9 November, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He said people will still be asked to work from home whenever possible but when the lockdown was lifted "large parts of life will be able to resume as they were on 22 October".
"We went for a 17-day firebreak and explained to people that if we were going to make it short, we'd have to make it really sharp," he told Radio 4's Today programme.
Mr Drakeford said "early indications" show that travel in Wales over the firebreak period has been much lower, which suggests people have been following the rules.
But he said it will take a couple of weeks from the end of the firebreak before it is clear whether it has succeeded in bringing the virus numbers down. Read more here.

Coronavirus latest across the world

Here are some of the main coronavirus developments from around the world:

• The White House has accused a leading infectious disease expert of playing politics days before the presidential election, in an interview about the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Anthony Fauci told the Washington Post the US was in for a "whole lot of hurt". He also offered an assessment of how both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, are approaching the pandemic
  
• Machu Picchu has reopened after nearly eight months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the ancient city high in the Andes mountains will restrict visitor numbers to 675 a day - about 30% of previous capacity – for safety reasons
  
• Staff at funeral homes in Spain have gone on strike to demand more workers as coronavirus deaths continue to rise. Unions say more staff are needed to prevent the delay in burials that was seen during the first wave of the pandemic in March. Spain has recorded more than 1.1 million cases and 35,800 deaths since the outbreak began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University
  
• Slovakia is testing everyone over the age of 10 for Covid-19 to try to stop the spread of the virus. The operation to test four million people is to last over two weekends. Infections have soared in Slovakia and officials argue the only alternative would be a total lockdown. But the president has said she thinks the idea is "unfeasible"
  
• The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is self-quarantining after someone he had been in contact with tested positive for Covid-19. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had no symptoms but would be working from home over the coming days in line with WHO protocol
  

Ryanair will not offer November flight refunds

Ryanair customers will not be refunded for flights in November, according to its boss, despite all but essential travel being banned under England's new lockdown.
Michael O'Leary said if a flight was operating, passengers would not get their money back - but they could change to a later flight without paying a fee.
From Thursday, all but essential travel will be banned under a second lockdown.
Ryanair said the first lockdown and subsequent restrictions resulted in an 80% drop in passenger numbers.
Read more on this story here.

Expand therapeutic Covid drug trial - Blair

The UK should be looking at accelerating the deployment of possible Covid vaccines and therapeutic drugs to more people during the November lockdown period, says Tony Blair.
The former prime minister also suggested a government minister should be appointed to oversee mass testing and that adopting better data systems would help tackle the spread of the virus.
"November should be the month of organisation and preparation and I believe if we deal with those four aspects... we could be in a situation by December where we start to open up again," he told Radio 4's Today programme.
But some scientists say the only effective way of finding out whether a treatment is safe and effective is by doing "randomised controlled trials".
"Simply giving drugs to patients and watching to see what happens does not tell you whether or not they work because you have nothing to compare them with," says Professor Adam Finn of the University of Bristol.
"Likewise you cannot tell whether there is a 'safety issue' in any particular group of patients until you evaluate the therapy in question in a controlled randomised blinded trial that is free of bias."

English lockdown restrictions will not apply in Jersey

BBC Radio Jersey
Jersey's chief minister is reassuring islanders that England's lockdown restrictions - due to come into force on Thursday - will not be applied on the island.
Pubs, bars and restaurants will be forced to close again in England, with people advised to work from home wherever possible.
Senator John Le Fondre says Jersey is in a "very different position" to the United Kingdom in terms of the lower prevalence of Covid-19 in the community.
"Thanks to the preventative measures we have already implemented to contain and limit the spread of the virus, our excellent test, track and trace regime and the continued co-operation of all islanders, there is no need to introduce such wide-reaching measures at this time," he adds.

Prince William 'contracted coronavirus in April'

The Duke of Cambridge contracted Covid-19 earlier this year, palace sources have told the BBC.
It is believed he tested positive in April at a similar time to his father, the Prince of Wales.
According to the Sun newspaper, which first reported the story, Prince William, 38, kept his diagnosis private to avoid alarming the nation.
Kensington Palace, the office and home of Prince William, refused to comment officially.
Prince William, second in line to the throne, did not tell anyone about his positive test result because "there were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone", according to the Sun.
He was treated by palace doctors and followed government guidelines by isolating at the family home Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, the paper added.
Read more on this story here.

Ryanair's O'Leary hits back over 'false' listener claims

Earlier this morning on 5 Live Breakfast, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary hit back at claims the airline hasn't refunded all passengers for flights earlier in the year, saying texts and emails from listeners to the programme were "false".
He has told the BBC today that customers won't be refunded for November flights, but flights for March to July have all been reimbursed, he told 5 Live presenter Rachel Burden.
"We have no backlog in our refund department - that's a fact," he said.

Farage to focus on fighting lockdown

Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage is promising to focus on dealing with the government's "woeful" Covid response.
He has applied to change the Brexit Party's name to Reform UK, saying renewed lockdown will "result in more life-years lost than it hopes to save" and arguing that "building immunity" would be more effective.
However, Mr Farage also says he will be "keeping a close eye" on Mr Johnson "to make sure he does not sell us down the river" in any trade deal with the EU.
The UK has left the EU but is currently in a transition period while it negotiates a deal on its future relationship with the bloc. That period is due to end on 31 December.

What are the new lockdown plans for England?

Boris Johnson has announced a new four-week lockdown across England in an attempt to try to keep coronavirus under control.
The restrictions - which will be voted on in Parliament on Wednesday - are expected to come into force at 00:01 GMT on Thursday and last until at least 2 December.
We're expecting to hear from the prime minister later, when he tells MPs more about the plans.
But we do know that the lockdown is set to include the following rules:

• People will be told to stay at home except for education, work (if it can't be done from home), exercise and recreation, medical reasons, shopping for food and other essentials, or to care for others
  
• All pubs and restaurants will have to close (takeaways and deliveries can continue)
  
• All non-essential shops will have to close (supermarkets can sell non-essential goods)
  
• Households will not be allowed to mix with others indoors, or in private gardens
  
• Individuals can meet one person from outside their household in an outside public space
  
• Support bubbles for people who live alone and households made up of single parents and children can continue
  
• Children will be able to move between homes if their parents are separated
  
• Schools, colleges and universities will remain open
  
• Workplaces will be asked to stay open if people cannot work from home - including construction and manufacturing
  
• Outdoor exercise and recreation will be allowed, but gyms will have to close
  
• Clinically vulnerable people are advised not to go to work if they are unable to work from home
  

Brazilian health minister returns to hospital

The Brazilian health minister, Eduardo Pazuello, who is ill with Covid-19, will stay in a military hospital overnight on Sunday, after having been discharged from a civilian facility earlier in the day.
Pazuello had checked into hospital on Friday, suffering from dehydration, and left on Sunday. However, the minister has now returned to a different hospital.
In a statement, the health ministry said it was “a precautionary measure,” as reported by Reuters.
“Pazuello is well and stable and should stay resting until tomorrow,” the statement said.
The minister tested positive for coronavirus on 21 October. Roughly half of president Jair Bolsonaro’s 23-member cabinet has contracted the coronavirus, with the president and his wife coming down with the disease in July.
Brazil has the world’s second-deadliest outbreak of Covid-19, with 160,074 people killed, second to only the United States, according to a Reuters tally.

Travel Bubble arrangement between Hong Kong and Singapore

Hong Kong and Singapore are finalising details of a travel bubble, with a Hong Kong minister telling reporters people could be flying as soon as the end of this month.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Secretary for commerce and economic development Edward Yau said it was likely travel agencies could start selling tickets for the flights – expected to be at least daily – from mid-November. He said more flights could be added if it proves popular, but there would also be measures in place to quickly suspend the arrangement if either city saw a resurgence in cases.
Singapore’s transport minister Ong Ye Kung told the Straits Times they are now looking to Malaysia for the next bubble.
“But as of now, the cases in Malaysia are quite high, so I think we will have to wait and see,” he said.
Ong said Singaporean officials assessed Malaysia as taking the virus control “very seriously”.
“When the time is right I’m sure I will propose [a travel bubble] to them.”
Singapore has been reporting fewer than 20 cases a day for the last month, the vast majority of them imported. Hoping to boost its tourism industry, it has in recent weeks begun allowing visitors from several countries to apply for an Air Travel Pass, allowing entry without quarantine (pending a negative test result on arrival). Mainland China and the Australian state of Victoria were recently added to the list which already included Brunei, New Zealand, and Vietnam. Visitors are still subject to exit restrictions of their home country, however.
Hong Kong remains closed off to all non-residents, as has been the case since March. It has reported small numbers of community cases in recent days.

Charlie Hebdo trial suspended after two more defendants Covid-19 positive

The trial over the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack has been delayed for at least a week after two more defendants tested positive for coronavirus, Agence France-Presse report.
Fourteen people are on trial accused of having helped the killers of 12 victims in the attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. After primary suspect Ali Riza Polat received a Covid-19 diagnosis over the weekend, the presiding judge ordered all those on trial to be tested.
“In view of the health protocols in force requiring isolation of both positive and contact cases, the hearing will not be able to resume this week,” Regis de Jorna said in an email sent Sunday to lawyers involved in the case.
The trial had already been suspended until Wednesday following Polat’s positive diagnosis, with Jorna telling lawyers the court would not sit again until all the results were in.
Two further defendants then tested positive, with two others remaining under supervision despite negative results as they were believed to be “contact cases”, according to Jorna’s email.
The results from the other defendants, detained in Fleury-Merogis, are due Monday.
The extended suspension of the hearing will further delay the conclusion of the trial, which opened on 2 September.
Defence lawyers were scheduled to plead on November 6, 9, 10 and 11 with the verdict expected on 13 November.
France returned to lockdown last week in the latest measure to curb a disease that has infected more than 44.5 million people worldwide and killed nearly 1.2 million.

Mainland China reports 24 new cases of Covid-19

Mainland China has reported 24 new cases of Covid-19 for Sunday, including 21 found in people arriving from overseas. The three local cases were all reported in the Xinjiang region where health officials have said they are going to start a second round of testing the entire population of Kashgar city as well as two adjacent counties, Reuters reported.
Following an outbreak which was sourced back to a 17-year-old factory worker, authorities tested more than 4.75m people, finding mostly asymptomatic cases. The outbreak itself sparked concern that it was linked to alleged forced labour programs in the region.
The decision to launch a second round of testing is interesting given just last week China’s chief epidemiologist had criticised recent decisions by various city authorities to test whole populations despite opposition from experts. Speaking after Qingdao tested more than 11 million people in five days after 12 cases were linked to a local hospital, Wu Zunyou said it was “overkill”.
Wu said the mass tests might be reassuring to residents and officials but “when tests expanded and no cases were found… the social cost was too big and unnecessary.”
Testing is expensive and last week’s sweep through Kashgar returned a rate of around 38 positive cases for every one million people tested.

South Korea to fine people without masks

Justin McCurry - The Guardian
South Korea will fine people for not wearing masks from later this month, as the country expands its rules on mandatory face coverings.
Although South Korea has fared better than many other countries in containing the coronavirus outbreak, daily cases have risen to over 100 in recent days.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 124 new cases on Saturday, the fifth day in a row infections had exceeded 100. The agency said clusters had emerged in places such as schools and care homes, and at small family gatherings.
The country had recorded a total of 26,732 Covid-19 cases and 468 deaths as of Monday morning.
In response, mandatory mask wearing - already in place in 12 “high-risk” venues such as clubs and karaoke bars - will be expanded from 7 November to 23 additional places, including spas, wedding halls, department stores, theme parks and hair salons.
From 13 November, anyone not wearing a mask in those places faces a fine of up to 100,000 won (£68), while the venues’ operators could be fined as much as 3 million won.
South Korean officials warned against complacency despite the country’s relatively low case numbers. “A prolonged Covid-19 outbreak is inevitable until treatments and vaccines are developed,” the health minister, Park Neung-hoo, said.

Trump breaks coronavirus curfew at Florida rally

US president Donald Trump is currently speaking past a coronavirus curfew intended to mitigate infections in Florida, as he hosts a rally in Miami-Dade county.
The county has a nightly curfew that comes into effect at midnight. But Trump’s rally is still going on past the witching hour, with thousands of supporters in attendance.

  Bianca Padró Ocasio:

:Left Quotes:  With 25 mins left til Miami-Dade’s midnight curfew goes into effect, Pres. Trump has landed in Opa-Locka.

“Is there any place you would rather be than a Trump rally? We got a lot of rich people here, lotta money,” says Trump at his rally that is now breaking Miami-Dade curfew.

Global death toll passes 1.2 million

A sad milestone has just been passed – as the world has officially recorded more than 1.2 million fatalities from Covid-19,
1,200,361 people have now died from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The US leads the death toll with 230,972 deaths, followed by Brazil (160,074) and India (122,607).

Trump threatens to fire Dr Fauci after election

And more from that ongoing Trump rally that is now in violation of a local coronavirus curfew in Florida.
Trump has just told a crowd that he may fire the US’s leading expert on his coronavirus task force, Dr Anthony Fauci.
After a chant of “Fire Fauci” broke out during the rally, Trump responded: “Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election.
“I appreciate the advice,” he added.

Japan conducts sports tests ahead of Olympics

Justin McCurry - The Guardian
Japan has used new technology to determine if large crowds can watch sports events in safety amid the coronavirus pandemic, less than a year before Tokyo is due to host the coronavirus-postponed Olympics.
High-precision cameras examined spectators’ movements, and the proportion who were wearing masks, over the course of three baseball matches at Yokohama Stadium from last Friday. Carbon dioxide-monitoring devices and wind-speed measuring machines were installed to gauge how saliva droplets spread when spectators wearing masks shouted, and ate and drank.
On Friday, up to 16,000 people were permitted to enter the 34,000-seat stadium to watch the Yokohama DeNA BayStars play the Hanshin Tigers, with the maximum raised to 80% of capacity on Saturday and 100% for the third and final game on Sunday.
Reports said the number of fans fell short of the total target, with some apparently choosing to stay away amid signs of a slight uptick in cases in Japan. The country has recorded just over 100,000 Covid-19 infections and about 1,750 deaths - a relatively low number in a country of 126 million people.
The choice of Yokohama Stadium was no coincidence: it will be the main venue for softball and baseball matches at next summer’s Games, which are due to open on 23 July.
“We will report our findings here to the government,” said Kiyotaka Eguchi, a local government official. “The information we get here will be reflected in [government] guidelines, and that will also be used for the next year’s Olympics and professional baseball.”
Fans entering the stadium were asked to install a contact-tracing app so they can be notified if they came into contact with or sat near someone who later tested positive for the virus.
They were asked not to cheer loudly during the matches, while staff approached fans who were not wearing masks to cover their faces, local media accounts said. Older people and those with pre-existing health conditions were asked not to attend.
Data from the trial will be combined with simulations carried out by the supercomputer Fugaku, and could help the government decide whether to relax current limits on the number of people allowed to attend sporting and other big events.

Currently, no more than 50% of seats can be filled in venues with a capacity of over 10,000, although that ceiling, which will remain in place until the end of the month, did not apply during the recent baseball trial.

Summary from The Guardian

Here are the key developments from the last few hours.

• World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sunday that he had been identified as a contact of someone who tested positive for Covid-19, but added that he was feeling well and did not have any symptoms. Tedros said in a tweet that he would be self-quarantining “over the coming days”.
  
• US President Donald Trump threatened to fire the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci. At Trump’s rally in Florida, a “Fire Fauci” chant broke out when Trump defended his handling of coronavirus. Anthony Fauci, a highly respected member of his coronavirus task force, has been increasingly critical of Trump’s handling of the virus. In response to the “Fire Fauci” chant, Trump said: “Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election.”
  
• Trump broke a curfew at rally in Miami-Dade county. Trump spoke until well after midnnight in Miami-Dade county, breaking a midnight coronavirus cufew intended to mitigate infections.
  
• Japan has used new technology to determine if large crowds can watch sports events in safety, less than a year before Tokyo is due to host the coronavirus-postponed Olympics.
  
• South Korea will fine people for not wearing masks from later this month, as the country expands its rules on mandatory face coverings. Although South Korea has fared better than many other countries in containing the coronavirus outbreak, daily cases have risen to over 100 in recent days.
  
• The trial over the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack has been delayed for at least a week after two more defendants tested positive for coronavirus, Agence France-Presse reports.
  
• Brazilian health minister returns to hospital. The Brazilian health minister, Eduardo Pazuello, who is ill with Covid-19, will stay in a military hospital overnight on Sunday, after having been discharged from a civilian facility earlier in the day.
  
• England’s lockdown could be extended – Gove. The one-month lockdown for England announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this weekend could be extended as Britain struggles to contain a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Michael Gove told Sky News on Sunday.
  
• The Duke of Cambridge tested positive for coronavirus in April, according to reports. The BBC said it had been told by Buckingham palace sources that Prince William had contracted Covid-19 that month.
  
• Brexit Party to rebrand as ‘anti-lockdown’ party, Farage says. Nigel Farage plans to rebrand the Brexit Party as an anti-lockdown party called Reform UK, the party leader has announced in an article in the Telegraph where he says “it is time to redirect our energies”.
  
• More than 300 Brazilians gathered on São Paulo’s main commercial thoroughfare on Sunday to protest state Governor João Doria’s support for mandatory Covid-19 immunization and testing the potential vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac.
  
• Iran’s true death toll is likely to be at least three times higher than the reported figure, the head of Iran’s medical council has said.
  
• Brazil’s health minister has been discharged from hospital. He was admitted to hospital with coronavirus and dehydration two days ago.
  
• There have been a further 23,254 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK, according to government data. This compares to 21,915 new cases registered on Saturday.
  
• Donald Trump’s campaign rallies may have led to 30,000 additional confirmed cases of Covid-19, and likely resulted in more than 700 deaths overall, according to a Stanford University paper posted online this weekend.
  
• Greece has reported a further 1,678 new coronavirus cases,bringing the country’s total to 40,929. It comes after a record daily increase of 2,056 was announced on Saturday.
  
• Geneva will impose a partial lockdown on Monday after the Swiss canton reported more than 1,000 new cases on several days.
  
• France reported 46,290 further coronavirus cases on Sunday,bringing the total to over 1.4 million cases. Infections rose by 35,641 the previous day.
  
• Slovakia tested almost half of its entire population yesterday, as part of a two-day mass testing programme designed to bring coronavirus under control without implementing further lockdown measures. Of the 2.58 millio people tested, 1% were positive and will have to quarantine.
  
• Russia’s daily tally of coronavirus cases hit a record high of 18,665, taking the national total to 1,636,781. Meanwhile, Iran has marked its highest daily increase in its coronavirus death toll, with 434 recorded on Saturday.
  

Donald Trump threatens to fire Anthony Fauci after US election

Oliver Laughland - The Guardian
The full story now on US President Donald Trump threatening to fire Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, during a midnight rally in Florida 24 hours before the presidential election.
As crowds at the Miami Opa-Locka airport chanted “Fire Fauci”, Trump allowed the chants to continue for several seconds before responding: “Don’t tell anybody, but let me wait until a little bit after the election. I appreciate the advice. I appreciate it.”
He continued: “Nah, he’s been wrong on a lot. He’s a nice man though. He’s been wrong on a lot.”
Fauci, one of the world’s foremost infectious diseases experts, has served for over three decades as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He is one of the lead experts on Trump’s coronavirus taskforce and has frequently offered frank public health guidance in contrast to the president’s repeated falsehoods on the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump’s rally in Florida, a critical swing state he needs to hold to win the election, was held as Covid-19 cases in the state continued to surge. Like countless Trump campaign rallies there was no social distancing and thousands of attendees did not wear face masks.
Read more

Czech Republic records 6,542 new coronavirus cases

The Czech Republic has reported 6,542 new coronavirus cases for yesterday and 178 new deaths, health ministry data showed today.
The total number of cases in the country of 10.7 million rose to 341,644, while deaths reached 3,429.

'Risk' over keeping pubs open in Wales due to England lockdown

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has said keeping pubs open could create a "risk" along the border between England and Wales, due to England's new lockdown rules.
Asked when hospitality businesses would hear about measures from 9 November, he said: "I don't want to keep those places closed."
But he said Boris Johnson's decision does "create a different context".
"If pubs are closed along the border in England there is bound to be a risk," he said.
"Because pubs here will be open and serving alcohol.
"I don't want our police forces to be diverted to having to police the border."

Germany's 'lockdown light' and other news from Europe

Germany hasn’t suffered as much from coronavirus as some of its European neighbours, but now it is in “lockdown light” for at least a month.
The shutdown mainly affects catering, sports and entertainment. Food outlets can still provide takeaways, but social lives is taking a hit: 10 people maximum from two households can meet up in public. Small businesses can apply for state compensation for their losses.
Schools, shops and workplaces remain open - with Covid hygiene rules, of course. This lockdown isn’t as tough as those now in force in France and Belgium.
Those two countries have night curfews and shops can only sell essential goods. France requires its citizens to download permits - as in the March-April lockdown - to show why they are outdoors: for essential shopping, medical needs, school, work or limited exercise.
Belgium is among the worst-hit European countries. With a population of 11.5m it has seen more than 11,000 deaths and, in the past week, its new infections have averaged nearly 15,850 cases daily. Its hospitals are under severe strain.
Italy is also preparing tighter restrictions, to curb its rising infections, but there is resistance to any new national lockdown. The northern Lombardy region, including Milan, is the biggest hotspot.

Scotland considering national lockdown due to furlough support

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will consider whether to impose another national lockdown in Scotland now the furlough scheme has been extended to provide support during England's new lockdown.
At her daily news conference, she said the Scottish government would ideally continue to assess the impact of current tier-system restrictions for a while longer.
But she said officials must decide whether to take the opportunity of more generous financial support to step harder on the brakes now.
At this stage, the indication from Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the UK Treasury is that the more generous furlough scheme is only going to be available for the next month during the period of lockdown in England, she said.
"We will continue to firmly press the case that it should be available to the devolved nations when it is needed," Ms Sturgeon added.
"We can’t put off a vital decision while we have a debate with the Treasury," she said, with the Scottish government hoping to get "absolute clarity on that point" from the Treasury today.
There's more dedicated coverage from Scotland here.

Tory MP urges public to use NHS after cancer diagnosis

Conservative MP Chloe Smith has urged the public to "check for lumps" and continue to use the NHS throughout the second lockdown - after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The MP for Norwich North, who is the constitution and devolution minister, said she aims to "carry on as normally, positively and openly as possible" during her treatment.
Ms Smith said: "Please, check for lumps and see your GP without delay if you find one.
"The latest announcement about coronavirus is very clear that the restrictions will help non-Covid healthcare to keep going.
"And you should continue to use the NHS, get your scans, turn up for your appointments and pick up your treatments."

• Inside Europe's largest cancer unit
  

Labour leader blames UK chancellor for delayed England lockdown

Labour's leader Sir Keir Starmer has blamed Chancellor Rishi Sunak for the government's delay over a second lockdown, saying “make no mistake, the chancellor’s name is all over this".
Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry's annual conference, Mr Starmer said the chancellor’s decision to dismiss a so-called circuit-breaker - a short lockdown - as a “blunt instrument” now means that “businesses will have to close for longer".
Mr Starmer said recent weeks have shown both the prime minister and the chancellor have “failed to learn, failed to listen and failed to lead".
Mr Starmer reiterated that the Labour Party will “provide the votes the government needs” to ensure the legislation passes through parliament, but demanded that Mr Sunak “come to parliament today and lay out the full package of support".

All FA Cup first-round ties to go ahead as planned

All 40 FA Cup round one ties, including those involving non-elite teams, will be played as planned from 6-9 November, despite England's new lockdown.
Elite sports can continue behind closed doors during the four-week lockdown from Thursday but rules on grassroots and amateur sport are to be finalised.
However, the government has confirmed that the 10 non-elite teams left in the FA Cup can play under elite protocols.
The BBC is showing 13 of the ties, with FC United of Manchester v Doncaster on BBC Two on Saturday (17:30 GMT).
There will be live streams of 12 further matches on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website over the weekend.
All the matches will be played behind closed doors, with losing teams set to receive a share of prize money to lessen the financial impact of no fans attending.
Read more here.

Reverse takeaway beer restrictions, pub bosses urge

Pub bosses and campaigners want the government to reverse its "baffling" decision to restrict the sale of alcohol during England's four-week national lockdown.
Under the restrictions, bars and pubs must close from Thursday but food takeaway and delivery services are still permitted.
But businesses will not be allowed to sell takeaway alcohol.
Pub owners warn that it will mean beer left in pub cellars will have to be "tipped down the drain".
James Calder, chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers (Siba), said: "As if a second national lockdown in England wasn't disastrous enough for pubs and independent breweries, the government has gone further this time around and introduced an unjustified restriction banning pubs from selling takeaway beer, a service which was the only source of income for many businesses during the summer lockdown.
"This is baffling considering supermarkets will presumably still be allowed to sell packaged beer, whilst small breweries and pubs will not."
He said the government needed to provide urgent clarification on the sales restrictions.

MPs to get vote on 'way forward' after England's month-long lockdown

MPs will be given a vote on “the way forward” at the end of the month-long England-wide lockdown.
Downing Street says the new regulations contain a “very clear provision” that means they will automatically expire at 00:01 GMT on Wednesday 2 December.
MPs will then get a vote on what replaces the regulations.
The intention of the government is to go back to the three-tiered system, according to the latest data and trends. In advance of doing that, MPs will have a vote.
The PM’s official spokesman says Boris Johnson and his colleagues have been engaging with MPs throughout the weekend, and will continue to do so today.

Lebanon lengthens night-time curfew and other news from the Middle East

Lebanon has lengthened a nationwide night-time curfew in place since September by four hours and extended lockdowns in 115 towns and villages, amid a continuing surge in new coronavirus infections.
From Monday, people will be required to stay at home and businesses forced to close between 21:00 and 05:00. In areas under lockdown, bars and nightclubs are not allowed to open at all, restaurants and cafes can operate at 50% capacity, and public gatherings are banned.
Lebanon has reported 82,617 cases of Covid-19 and 643 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The number of infections skyrocketed after the devastating explosion in Beirut on 4 August.
Meanwhile, authorities in Iran reported that a record 440 people with Covid-19 had died in the past 24 hours, raising its overall death toll to 35,738.
On Monday, the government imposed a four-day ban on travel into and out of 25 provincial capitals. State media said it was also considering a two-week lockdown in Tehran.
It comes after the head of Iran’s Medical Council, a non-governmental organisation, warned of a “catastrophic mortality rate”. Mohammadreza Zafarghandi told Isna news agency that its field surveys showed the actual death toll was three times higher than the official count.

7,500 military on standby to tackle second wave of Covid

Jonathan Beale - BBC defence correspondent
Some 7,500 military personnel have been placed on standby to help the government and local authorities deal with the second wave of Covid, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has told MPs.
He added that the Ministry of Defence was currently examining a number of “significant asks” from local authorities – without going into any detail.
More than 10,000 military personnel were on standby to help civil authorities deal with the first wave of the virus earlier this year, though Mr Wallace said about 4,000 had been used.
Most were involved in helping build the Nightingale hospitals, testing and delivering PPE to hospitals.

Boris Johnson set to address MPs about new England lockdown

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will shortly address MPs to set out his plans for a new lockdown in England. This is a summary of what he said it would involve on Saturday:

• People will be told to stay at home except for specific reasons
  
• These include work which cannot be done from home, childcare or education, exercise outdoors, medical reasons, essential shopping, providing care for vulnerable people or for volunteering, and visiting members of your support bubble
  
• Meeting indoors or in private gardens will not be allowed, but individuals can meet one other person from another household outside in a public place. Children under school age and those dependent on round-the-clock care who are with their parents do not count towards the two-person limit
  
• Non-essential retail will close, but can remain open for click-and-collect delivery
  
• Pubs, bars, restaurants will have to close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery, excluding takeaway of alcohol
  
• Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, will also close, along with entertainment venues and personal care facilities such as beauty salons
  
• Places of worship will close, unless they are being used for funerals, to broadcast acts of worship, individual prayer, formal childcare, or essential services such as blood donation or food banks
  
• Construction sites and manufacturing workplaces can remain open
  
• Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be able to take place except in exceptional circumstances, and funerals will be limited to a maximum of 30 people
  
• Children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated
  
• Clinically vulnerable people will be asked to be "especially careful" but people will not be asked to resume shielding
  
• Overnight stays, staying in a second home, and holidays will not be allowed - including in the UK and abroad - although there are exceptions, such as work trips
  
• People will be told to avoid all non-essential travel by private or public transport
  

Keeping schools open 'risks longer lockdown'

Keeping secondary schools open could lead to a longer lockdown in England, according to one professor.
Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at University College London, said earlier it was clear there was "substantial transmission" within secondary schools.
It comes as more than 150,000 teachers and support staff backed the National Education Union's (NEU) campaign to close schools and colleges as part of England's lockdown.
Schools are an "engine for virus transmission", the largest teaching union in Britain has warned.
But cabinet minister Michael Gove said on Sunday that the government wants to keep schools open.

Regional approach 'didn't work', says UK minister

Environment Secretary George Eustice has admitted that the government’s regional approach to coronavirus, with different areas being placed in different tiers of restrictions, “didn’t work”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One shortly before th PM addresses MPs, he said: “Well that didn’t work with hindsight, but I think it was worth trying given that we know the extraordinary cost and difficulty of implementing a full lockdown.
“I think the point about this is two weeks ago when we had the levels of infection that we had with particular pockets in parts of the country that had a particularly specific problem, this regionalised approach with those tiers was the right thing to do.”
He said data on infection rates "enabled us to see for the first time that if we carried on in the way that we were, we would simply find that in a month’s time, everybody would be in a same sort of position as the North West.”

Who is Boris Johnson trying to convince?

In a short while Boris Johnson will speak to MPs about the second lockdown in England, which is set to begin on 5 November.
He'll want to persuade MPs - including some of his own - to back it in a vote later this week.
But several Conservatives are likely to rebel against the government.
Tory ex-minister Sir Desmond Swayne said it would take a "huge amount of persuasion for me to vote for this disastrous course of action", while former Cabinet minister Esther McVey said she would vote against them because the "'lockdown cure' is causing more harm than Covid".
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the announcement of another lockdown was a "body blow" to the British people.
He tweeted: "Just as the economy was picking up, even giving cause for optimism, we're now to impersonate the Grand Old Duke of York, giving in to the scientific advisers and marching England back into another lockdown."
He said the system had "broken down... with Sage believing its advice to be more like commandments written on stone".
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee - which is made up of Conservative backbenchers - said: "If these kinds of measures were being taken in any totalitarian country around the world we would be denouncing it as a form of evil."
But any Tory rebellion will be more symbolic, since Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has already said his MPs will vote in favour of the new rules.
He said it should have been brought in sooner, though. "The lockdown now will be longer, it'll be harder, we've just missed half-term and there's a very human cost to this," said Sir Keir.

Government 'looking at possible benefits of vitamin D'

Former Conservative minister David Davis raises the idea of vitamin D - which is currently being trialled in the UK to see if it can offer a boost against Covid.
UK residents are already advised to consider taking supplements over winter when vitamin D levels can dip. But that's to improve general health, not specifically to stop infections.
Mr Davis said: "Over the weekend a number of eminent scientists called on the government to try to resolve the vitamin D deficiency issues in the United Kingdom to reduce the severity of the pandemic.
"There have been dozens of studies over hundreds of countries in the last six months which show or imply, anyway, that this could reduce the infection rates by half... and the case death rates by half again."
The PM replied that "we are indeed looking at the possible beneficial effects of vitamin D and... I know we will be updating the House shortly."
Read more on vitamin D here.

'Why can't pubs sell takeaway beer?'

"Why can't pubs sell takeaway beer to go with their takeaway food," asks Conservative Mark Pawsey, noting that the months in the run-up to Christmas are particularly important for some venues.
Boris Johnson says a number of measures are needed to reduce the infection rate and adds "when you start unpicking one bit a lot of the rest of it comes out".
He says that if the measures are properly enforced, the infection rate should come down and pubs will be able to do Christmas business.

The headlines from the UK and beyond

If you're just catching up, here are the latest coronavirus headlines:

• The UK faces a "medical and moral disaster" unless tough action is taken now to stop the spread of coronavirus, the prime minister has warned
  
• The self-employed will be able to claim state aid of up to 80% of profits - up from 40% - as England prepares for a new lockdown, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced
  
• Pubs have expressed dismay at the latest English lockdown saying they will “have to throw beer down the drain” amid fears of more job cuts and permanent closures
  
• Two households in Wales will be able to form a bubble and meet at home after the 17-day firebreak ends on 9 November, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said
  
• Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon says she faces a "dilemma" over whether a national lockdown should be introduced in the coming days - with a decision depending on how long furlough funding is available
  
• Universities say students in England should not move home for the lockdown - even if courses are switched to being taught online
  
• Strictly Come Dancing is to carry on through the new lockdown in England, as TV and film production can continue during lockdown
  
• Germany has entered the first day of a month-long "lockdown light", and Italy is also planning tighter rules
  
• Track the global pandemic in detail here
  

Thanks for joining us

We're ending our live coverage for today.
You can read our main story on coronavirus in the UK here, and come back tomorrow for more live coverage.

Our live page today was put together by: Lauren Turner, Chris Clayton, Cherry Wilson, Ella Wills, Kate Whannel and Francesca Gillett.