UK coronavirus live: Sturgeon urges caution as Scotland begins easing lockdown
Stewards are to marshal a North Yorkshire beauty spot after around 100 people gathered there on Monday.
Police attended Richmond Falls on the River Swale after partying crowds flouted social distancing rules.
A 29-year-old man from Staffordshire has been charged with assaulting a police officer, while a 30-year-old man from Catterick Garrsion was fined for disorder.
The deputy leader of Richmondshire District Council, cllr Helen Grant, said the actions of some who visited the falls over the bank holiday weekend had been “totally unacceptable”.
She added that stewards would be working at the site this weekend to prevent large groups of people or anyone with alcohol from gaining access.
NHS England has announced the deaths of 149 more people who had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals in England to 26,383.
However, only 36 of the deaths occurred yesterday, while 59 occurred on May 27 and 17 on May 26.
The figures also show that 30 of the news deaths took place between May 3 and May 25, while six occurred in April, one one took place on March 19.
NHS England releases updated figures each day of coronavirus-related deaths in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths.
This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for post-mortem examinations to be processed and for data from the test to be validated.
The latest figures show that April 8 continues to have the highest number of hospital deaths in a single day, with a current total of 893.
Police in England and Wales have issued nearly 17,000 fines to people for alleged breaches of lockdown rules, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Official data shows 15,552 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were recorded by forces in England up to May 25, with 1,395 issued in Wales.
Since lockdown measures were eased on May 13, a total of 841 fines have been handed out by forces in England.
A further 10 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of deaths in the country to 1,317.
Public Health Wales said another 102 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 13,827.
A civilian pilot sparked an emergency response after landing without permission on a closed RAF airfield in North Wales “because he wanted to go to the beach”.
Ministry of Defence guards and fire crews confronted the pilot after he landed on a runway at RAF Valley on the Island of Anglesey on Monday, the RAF confirmed.
The pilot is understood to have flown from an airfield in Surrey in order to go to the beach, despite it being in breach of Welsh coronavirus lockdown rules, a source told the PA news agency.
The Pilatus PC12 plane which took off from Fairoaks airfield in Surrey before flying to north Wales where the pilot landed without permission on a closed military runway at RAF Valley “because he wanted to go to the beach”. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
Workers were said to be carrying out repairs and maintenance of the airfield at the time of the incident, and no bird control unit was in place.
After security checks were carried out, he took off again. An RAF spokesman said the incident had been reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
I’m Amy Walker, here to cover the UK coronavirus live blog while my colleague Lucy Campbell takes a lunch break.
A Tory MP who says he has received several hundred emails about the lockdown breach by Dominic Cummings has told angry constituents that people who made sacrifices in this pandemic “will feel let down” but he believed that the prime minister’s chief advisor was operating “at the limit” of rules.
A letter from Tom Randall, the MP for Gedling, said:
I appreciate that Mr Cummings’ decision to leave London is controversial. He also took advantage of things, like a spare cottage on his parents’ estate and private woodland to exercise in, which you and I can only dream of.
He also went on to appear to suggest that media attention towards Cummings potentially placed him and his family in danger.
He said that there was no-one in London who could have looked after his child and that there were concerns about safety if he remained at his London address. Having seen the recent scenes outside his house, I am minded to believe him.
Randall’s constituents include Ben Davies, whose partner gave birth to a healthy baby daughter on 29 March, but for whom physical distancing has meant relatives, including grandparents, have been unable to visit and meet her.
How can a prime minister give a briefing where he so blatantly lies, avoids questions and blusters to protect his adviser?
We’ve just had the daily Downing Street briefing with Boris Johnson’s spokesman, and this is what we learned:
The official coronavirus alert level is still at four This is despite the easing of lockdown restrictions from Monday. Speaking to the liaison committee of senior MPs on Wednesday, Boris Johnson said the level would be coming down from four to three. But his spokesman said it remains at four. The decision is seemingly the responsibility of the government’s new joint biosecurity unit, which is not yet fully operational. Police will not have powers to do spot checks on homes over social distancing From Monday, groups of up to six people can meet outdoors, for example in people’s gardens. No 10 said that while the emergency coronavirus laws did allow enforcement of lockdown, police could not do spot checks of people’s gardens. He said:
I am sure that members of the public will show common sense and will want to abide by the rules. Police will have the power to enforce the regulations, using proportionality and the pragmatic approach they have taken so far.
The government is confident of reaching its 200,000-a-day testing target This is due to happen by the start of June – that is, Monday. The spokesman said:
We do believe we are on target to meet it.
The latest daily figure for tests was 119,587, for yesterday. These are the tests to see whether someone has the virus, not the antibody testing which determines if they have had it in the past. There are as yet no figures for the number of antibody tests used from those bought from pharmaceuticals company Roche.
It is not clear if teachers must return to work if their schools are open Asked whether refusing to do so for safety reasons would be seen as a breach of contract, Johnson’s spokesman stressed what he said was “a cautious and phased return” of pupils, but indicated this was up to individual schools. He said:
Headteachers, I am sure, will be having conversations with their own staff in the usual way.
A relaxing of lockdown rules in Wales means that, from Monday, people from two different households will be able to meet outdoors as long as they do not travel more than five miles, the first minister Mark Drakeford said.
Under new “stay local” guidelines, which replace the “stay at home” message previously used by the Welsh government, people will still need to observe social distancing when meeting in public or private outdoor spaces.
Exceptions will allow for travelling to work, to seek care, and shopping for essentials if they are not available locally. Beauty spots and tourist destinations will remain closed.
Also, from Monday, weddings and civil partnerships will also be allowed to take place if the bride or groom is terminally ill.
Drakeford added that non-essential retail businesses that can comply with social distancing rules should start to prepare to reopen over the next three weeks.
A decision on whether they will reopen will be taken at the next review of lockdown measures on 18 June and will depend on scientific and medical evidence. He said:
I understand that we’re talking about people’s businesses and livelihoods. But to be clear with people, the way we do things in Wales, we prepare and we make things safe and then we change the law.
A social distancing sign by escalators inside John Lewis in Kingston upon Thames as the store is being prepared for reopening. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
Nicola Sturgeon said she was “conscious” that this will be the first weekend where lockdown measures have been eased to the point where people in Scotland can meet those from another household outdoors, and that the rules should be followed closely to avoid a resurgence of the virus.
The first minister urged “caution” as she reiterated her calls to ensure that any meetings with other households must be outside and people must stick to social distancing guidelines by meeting in groups of no more than eight and by keeping two metres apart.
She said people should also ensure that items such as cutlery and food are not shared and people do not enter homes that are not their own.
She also asked that people stay local as much as possible – within five miles of their home – avoid crowds at parks and beauty spots across the country, and to go elsewhere if areas are busy. People should still stay at home as much as possible, she added.
Sturgeon said the changes would improve the lives of Scots, but added that she was still “nervous” about the easing of measures. She said:
I said yesterday I was nervous ahead of these changes and that’s still the case. If too many of us change our behaviour a bit more than these changes are designed to allow, we could see the virus spread quickly again and we will be back to square one.
I’m not trying to cramp anyone’s fun. I want everyone to enjoy these changes – you have more than earned it. But I am asking for you to do it responsibly. I am appealing to your judgment and your sense of solidarity to each other. Please stay within the rules.
If you are in doubt about whether your plans are within the rules or not, err on the side of caution.
However harsh these rules might feel right now, and I know that they do, abiding by them will never, ever be as harsh as grieving the loss of a loved one.
