Summary for Tuesday, 18th May
- Ministers will step up calls for people - especially those living in hotspots of the Indian Covid variant - to accept a vaccination as soon as they are offered one
- The health secretary said anyone who was unsure should "look at ... Bolton" - where he said most people in hospital with Covid were eligible for a jab but refused it
- But Yasmin Qureshi, the Labour MP for Bolton South East, challenged that assertion, blaming poor organisation of the vaccine rollout instead
- The NHS website for booking a vaccination is now open to those aged 36 and over in England
- Cross-Channel rail operator Eurostar secures a £250m rescue package after warning it was fighting to survive
- UK job vacancies hit their highest level since the start of the pandemic as lockdown easing leads employers to start recruiting
- Lockdowns eased in England, Wales and most of Scotland on Monday
- But a number of UK universities are preparing to keep lectures online into the autumn term
The latest UK headlines
- The government is going to step up calls for people to accept a vaccination as soon as they are offered one - especially those living in hotspots of the Indian Covid variant
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock said anyone who was unsure should "look at ... Bolton", where he said most people in hospital with Covid were eligible for a jab but refused it. But Yasmin Qureshi, the Labour MP for Bolton South East, blamed poor organisation of the vaccine rollout instead.
- Holidaymakers from England, Scotland and Wales have begun jetting off overseas in what the crisis-hit tourism industry hopes is the start of a recovery
- The UK's unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.8% in the three months to March, down from 4.9% previously
- A number of UK universities are preparing to keep lectures online into the autumn term, raising the prospect of Covid disrupting another academic year
- A decision about whether key workers with long Covid should get compensation could take more than a year, government advisers have told the BBC
Latest across Europe
- The Italian government has agreed to push back the unpopular overnight curfew from 22:00 to 23:00. It'll be moved back to midnight from 7 June before being scrapped later in the month. Just over 30% of Italians have had a first Covid vaccination. Restaurants are being allowed to serve customers indoors on 1 June; weddings can restart from 15 June under Covid protocols.
- Germany’s professional paediatrician association has warned of an unprecedented level of psychiatric illness among young people. Spokesman Jakob Maske has told German media that children and young people were “from the start massively neglected” by politicians. He says child and youth units are full and triage is in place for only the most serious cases.
- Finnish MPs will vote today on whether to back the EU’s €750bn (£640bn) Covid stimulus package. Twenty EU countries have approved it so far, but the government needs to attract a two-thirds majority in parliament - and that may prove tricky.
- French health minister Olivier Véran says people will be able to stop wearing masks outdoors soon. He says the requirement will be relaxed faster in spacious areas than in busy cities with shops and queues, and it depends on vaccination levels.
- Three US airlines - United, Delta and American - have announced Covid-tested flights to Italy after the government in Rome eased travel restrictions to boost summer tourism. Passengers have to test negative ahead of flights both ways.
- British nationals aiming to stay with family and friends in France are being told they need a French reception certificate before they travel. Anyone without EU citizenship currently needs proof of accommodation, either as a receipt from a hotel or a town hall.
- Portugal’s football league has scrapped plans for a limited number of fans to attend the last games of the season starting from tomorrow. They’ve cited uncertainty surrounding health conditions.
Around the world today so far…
The Guardian- India has suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, with 4,329 deaths in 24 hours. The devastating toll comes as India’s case total passes 25 million, according to the health ministry.
- As Cyclone Tauktae hit the Gujarat coast , Mumbai shifted about 600 Covid-19 patients from field hospitals “to safer locations”. In Gujarat, all Covid-19 patients in hospitals within five kilometres of the coast were moved. One Covid-19 patient died in the town of Mahuva after he could not be moved in time before the storm hit.
- Reports claim India is unlikely to resume major exports of Covid-19 vaccines until at least October as it diverts shots for domestic use.
- Two people have died in Taiwan, where authorities reported a further 240 new local cases on Tuesday. All schools across Taiwan have been told to close until the end of the month.
- The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine can be stored at fridge temperature for much longer than previously recommended, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
- Israeli airstrikes have destroyed the only Covid-19 testing laboratory in Gaza and damaged the office of Qatar’s Red Crescent.
- A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a sharp rise in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games.
- George Eustice, the UK’s environment secretary, confirmed that local lockdowns might be needed if the situation were to deteriorate in some areas of England. Bedford’s director of public health said she was “really worried” about the local increase in Covid-19 cases linked to the Indian variant. There were strong words for the UK government from Dr Zubaida Haque, who said ministers should have “stalled” the lifting of restrictions on Monday.
- Eurostar, operator of the trains that run under the Channel, has secured a €290m (£250m) rescue package to keep it afloat while waiting for Covid-19 travel curbs to be lifted.
- Tax documents released by his office show that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s contract with publishers for his book about dealing with the coronavirus pandemic was worth $5 million.
- Egypt is prioritising the vaccination of tourism workers to support the sector’s recovery and is on track to announce full inoculation of two resort areas this month, its tourism minister has said.
- Germany will scrap its Covid vaccine priority list and start offering jabs to all adults from 7 June, the country’s health minister Jens Spahn said.