Summary for Friday, 21st May
Good morning and welcome to coronavirus live page for Friday. We'll be bringing you all the latest updates today.
- Retailers enjoyed a surge in spending as shoppers flocked to UK high streets following the easing of restrictions
- Spain says it is officially lifting restrictions for UK travellers from Monday
- It says the UK and Japan will be on a list of countries whose residents will not need a PCR test to enter Spain
- The EU is delaying making a decision on which countries will be added to the EU-wide white list for travel for two weeks
- A decision is expected later about any change to the Covid protection levels, which dictate restrictions in Scotland
- A report suggests the risk of stillbirth or premature birth may increase for those who have coronavirus around the time of birth
- Most pregnancies are not affected and pregnant women should have the jab when offered it, scientists say
- Experts in Australia are concerned about rising vaccine hesitancy there
Good morning and welcome to coronavirus live page for Friday. We'll be bringing you all the latest updates today.
Here are some of the main headlines so far:
- Retailers have enjoyed a surge in spending as shoppers returned to high streets last month following the easing of restrictions
- A large UK study suggests having coronavirus around the time of birth may increase the chance of stillbirths and premature births - although the overall risks remain low
- Most pregnancies are not affected however, and scientists say pregnant women should have their vaccines as soon as they are eligible
- A teenager has been talking about having to stay in a quarantine hotel - despite the fact she has "brittle" asthma, meaning an attack can soon become life-threatening. The rules state those with serious health conditions should be allowed to quarantine at home
- Failures in England's Test and Trace system are partly responsible for a surge in the Indian variant in one of the worst affected parts of the country, a report seen by the BBC says
- Australia's troubled vaccine rollout has hit a potential new stumbling block - rising vaccine hesitancy. A survey has suggested about one-third of Australians said they were unlikely to get vaccinated, reportedly up from previous months
- Concerns over the Indian variant mean vaccination is being speeded up in many areas and second doses are being offered earlier to some people. Check here when you will be eligible
- And it is the first weekend since indoor hospitality opened again in England, Scotland and Wales on Monday.
- Northern Ireland’s devolved government has agreed to add Portugal, Israel and Gibraltar to its “Green list” for international travel, according to a letter to lawmakers seen by Reuters.
- The EU has reached a deal on Covid certificates designed to open up tourism across the bloc this summer, the centre-right European People’s Party said.
- Two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are around 85% to 90% effective against symptomatic disease, Public Health England analysis indicates.
- Canada announced it is renewing non-essential travel restrictions along the US border until 21 June.
- Japanese regulators recommended the approval of Covid vaccines developed by Moderna Inc and AstraZeneca PLC.
- Waiving intellectual property rights for Covid vaccines will not be enough to close the huge supply gap between rich and poor countries, the head of the World Trade Organization warned.
- South Korea has said it will conduct a clinical trial that mixes Covid vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca Plc with those from Pfizer Inc and others
- Dogs are better at detecting Covid-19 in humans than many fast lateral flow tests, a French study found.
Latest across Europe
- EU member states and the parliament have come to an agreement for an “EU digital Covid certificate” that enables travel across all 27 countries. The digital or paper pass will be free and include vaccination, tests and recovery from Covid and should be in place by the end of June, in time for the main holiday season. A key condition is that PCR tests be affordable and accessible.
- An updated safe list for travel from non-EU countries is expected to be agreed later today – and EU ministers are set to decide whether the UK is on it.
- Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, has declared most Covid restrictions can be lifted, including the overnight curfew and the wearing of masks in public places. In his weekly radio interview he’s also said events can be held outdoors with up to 500 people.
- Portugal is to maintain a lockdown in four mainland towns in place since mid-January. Another 10 areas are on a watchlist because of relatively high infection rates – they include four on the Algarve such as Albufeira where thousands of holidaymakers have been heading in recent days, many from the UK. Portugal’s 14-day incidence rate of about 50 per 100,000 is still relatively very low.
- The Eurovision Song Contest has suffered a few Covid scares in the past week but it’s now one day away and the final line-up is known after last night’s semi-final success for another 10 countries including Iceland. Iceland had to pull out of the live show and use an earlier recording after one of the group tested positive for Covid. Poland also had a Covid scare but didn’t qualify.
- One of the world biggest tourist attractions, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, is to reopen on 16 July after months of closure. The number of visitors will be limited to 10,000 a day, under half of normal levels.