UK coronavirus news: official death toll rises by 36 in lowest increase since lockdown began

Senior scientists have reported flaws in an influential World Health Organization study into the risks of coronavirus infection and say it should not be used as evidence for relaxing the UK’s two-metre physical distancing rule.

Critics of the distancing advice, which states that people should keep at least two metres apart, believe it is too cautious. They seized on the WHO research, which suggested a reduction from two metres to one metres would raise infection risk only marginally, from 1.3% to 2.6%.

But scientists who delved into the work found mistakes they believe undermine the findings to the point they cannot be relied upon when scientists and ministers are forming judgments about what constitutes safe physical distancing.

You can read the full story from my colleague Ian Sample here:

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described protesters in Glasgow as “utterly shameful” after skirmishes erupted and police were forced to step between demonstrators for and against the removal of a statue of Robert Peel.

Hundreds of people arrived at George Square in Glasgow to call for the statue of Metropolitan Police founder Robert Peel to stay in place. The event was organised by a group called the Loyalist Defence League, after a protest was organised to call for its removal.

However, the protest in favour of the statue’s removal, organised by Glasgow Youth Art Collective, was postponed due to what organisers say was a lack of access to the square and “police targeting activists”. Sturgeon welcomed the cancellation.

At the daily coronavirus press briefing, the Nicola Sturgeon said that violent protest was “never acceptable”, particularly not during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I say to anyone that has found themselves on the streets of Glasgow in an altercation with other groups or with the police, that they should really take a long hard look at themselves,” she said. “That is not acceptable behaviour at any time, but at this time of crisis that the country faces, I think it’s particularly shameful behaviour.”

Despite the cancellation, police were forced to step between protesters calling for the statue to stay, and those in favour of its removal, who were from an unknown group, with objects thrown between the groups.

The UK’s daily coronavirus death toll is today at 36 – its lowest since lockdown began.

A total of 41,698 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Saturday, The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.

This is an increase of 36 from 41,662 the day before. On March 21, the day the UK went into lockdown, the death toll rose by 35, making today’s figures the lowest since lockdown began.

The DHSC also said in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Sunday, 144,865 tests were carried out or dispatched, with 1,514 positive results.

This brings the total number of tests to 6,772,602, with 295,889 cases confirmed to have been positive.

The figure for the number of people tested has been “temporarily paused to ensure consistent reporting” across all methods of testing.

It is worth noting that figures provided on a Sunday are often lower due to under-reporting over the weekend.

Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor has described the 6,000 people who attended illegal raves in the city last night as “reckless”, saying the events were a “flagrant breach of the coronavirus legislation”.

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said attendees risked public health and put a “strain on our police at what is still a very difficult time”.

She also revealed that the city’s events industry have agreed to ban anyone involved with the raves in light of the events, and praised the mass clean-up which has happened in communities across Greater Manchester this morning.

Hughes also said that Greater Manchester Police have seen a “noticeable reduction in Covid related incidents over recent weeks”.

“Greater Manchester will not allow a small minority to put us the sacrifices we have made over recent months at risk,” she added.

You can read the full statement here.

The Welsh health minister has admitted he would have made “different choices” in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, but denied accusations that the Welsh Government had been “cavalier” in its approach.

Speaking on BBC Politics Wales, Vaughan Gething said that, had the government been in possession of the information now available, it would have done things differently.

Gething was asked about the discharging of 1,300 patients from hospitals into care homes which occurred during March and April. The consistent testing of patients leaving hospital and entering into care homes did not begin until late April, leading to concerns that those discharged before that date could have been carrying the virus.

“It should always have been the case that anyone who was symptomatic should have been tested and that was our understanding of the science and the evidence at the time when all of the choices were made,” Gething said. “We of course developed further understanding and further knowledge, so if I had the knowledge I have today, I’d have probably made different choices at a number of points in the coronavirus pandemic.”

“We certainly haven’t taken a cavalier approach,” he added.
“The safety of the people in Wales has always been the driving force in the choices we’ve made, right from the choice to stop large areas of NHS activity in the middle of March, to the way we’ve done the testing strategy, to where we are now.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has issued message reminding Londoners that “lockdown has not been lifted. The virus is still out there.”

He has previously requested that anti-racism demonstrators “stay at home and find a safe way to make your voice heard” over concerns that the protests would cause a spike in the number of cases of coronavirus.

London had significantly more deaths from coronavirus per 100,000 people than any other region, and experienced the fastest rise in cases when the outbreak began.

Around 10,000 people have gathered in Millennium Square in Leeds for an anti-racism demonstration.

Cheers and applause swept the protest, organised jointly by Black Lives Matter and Black Voices matter, when it officially began at 2.30pm. Police vans lined the surrounding streets while officers stood in pairs.

There were another “couple of hundred” demonstrators standing around the city’s war memorial, PA reporters said.

Dionne Edwards, from Black Voices Matter, said: “Our rally is a peaceful protest. We do not condone damage to public or private property. We simply want to raise a call for our voices of pain to be heard – and to be heard loudly. We will no longer be silenced from fear.”

A further 27 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, NHS England have said. This brings the total death toll in English hospitals to 27,954.

Boris Johnson has said that there are “benefits” to maintaining the two distancing metre rule, but that the government was keeping it “under constant review”.

During a visit to the Westfield shopping centre in east London, Johnson said the number of people currently infected with coronavirus was “probably” fewer than one in every thousand people.

Echoing Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s message when he suggested the government were looking to ease the two metre distancing rules this morning, Johnson said the current infection figures allowed for “more margin for manoeuvre” in easing the social distancing regulations.

However, he insisted this he would work “very closely with the scientists at all times” and the decision would be based on “safety, health, and stopping the disease”.

“As we get the numbers down, so it becomes one-in-a-thousand, one-in-sixteen hundred, maybe fewer, your chances of being, two metres one metre or even a foot away from somebody who has the virus are obviously going down statistically, so you start to build some more margin for manoeuvre, and we’ll be looking at that and keeping it under constant review,” he said.

He also said that people should be able to “shop with confidence” when non-essential stores reopen in England tomorrow, and that he hoped there would be a “gradual” increase in the numbers of people returning to the high street.

“I am very optimistic about the opening up that is going to happen tomorrow,” he said. “I think people should shop and shop with confidence, but they should of course observe the rules on social distancing and do it as safely as possible.”

Boris Johnson has said that there are “benefits” to maintaining the two metre rule, but that the government was keeping it “under constant review”.

During a visit to the Westfield shopping centre in east London,Johnson said the number of people currently infected with coronavirus was “probably” fewer than one in every thousand people.

Echoing Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s message when he suggested the government were looking to ease the two metre distancing rules this morning, Johnson said the current infection figures allowed for “more margin for manoeuvre” in easing the social distancing regulations.

However, during a visit to the Westfield shopping centre in east London, the prime minister said there were “benefits” to keeping the social distancing measures in place.

He also said that people should be able to “shop with confidence” when non-essential stores reopen in England tomorrow, and that he hoped there would be a “gradual” increase in the numbers of people returning to the high street.

“I am very optimistic about the opening up that is going to happen tomorrow,” he said. “I think people should shop and shop with confidence, but they should of course observe the rules on social distancing and do it as safely as possible.”

“As we get the numbers down, so it becomes one-in-a-thousand, one-in-sixteen hundred, maybe fewer, your chances of being, two metres one metre or even a foot away from somebody who has the virus are obviously going down statistically, so you start to build some more margin for manoeuvre, and we’ll be looking at that and keeping it under constant review,” he said.

A further three people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, Public Health Wales have said, taking the total coronavirus death toll to 1,444.

There were a further 39 recorded cases of the virus, taking the total number of cases to 14,742.

Here is a video of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s response to a question from Andrew Marr this morning about whether scientists would have to be consulted over a decision to lower the social distancing guidelines from 2m.

He said that scientists were simply there to advise ministers, who would ultimately make the decision.

More than 100 people were arrested and 23 police officers were injured during violent protests by far-right activists in London, yesterday, the Metropolitan Police have said.

Here are the key figures:

• 23 officers were injured after protesters threw items at police or “targeted them with violence”. None of the injuries are serious.

• 113 people were arrested at the demonstrations.

• The arrests were made for offences including breach of the peace, violent disorder, assault on officers, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of class A drugs and being drunk and disorderly.

• The 28 year old man detained on suspicion of outraging public decency in connection with the photograph of someone urinating near the memorial to PC Keith Palmer remains in custody.

Commander Bas Javid thanked the officers and said: “The scenes officers encountered across central London yesterday were utterly shocking. Once again, they were pelted with missiles, or challenged by groups of men intent on violence.

“Mindless hooliganism such as this is totally unacceptable and I am pleased arrests were made. We will now work closely with the courts in pursuit of justice.”

Police say that a shocking 6,000 people attended two illegal raves in Greater Manchester last night.

According to Greater Manchester Police, 4,000 people attended a rave in Droylsden, and a further 2,000 were present at one in Carrington.

At the Droyslden event, a 20 year old man died from a suspected drug overdose. At the Carrington event there were three separate stabbings and the alleged rape of an 18 year old woman.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, said: “These raves were illegal and I condemn them taking place – they were clearly a breach of Coronavirus legislation and guidelines, and have had tragic consequences.”

“We hope the public can recognise the challenges we are facing at the moment and our communities join together in doing the right thing by following the government guidelines,” the statement continued.

Coronavirus is still a threat and we will continue to engage with people to encourage them to take some personal responsibility and do the right thing,” he added. “Ultimately we need the people of Greater Manchester to join together and demonstrate the spirit that they have previously shown in the face of hard times.”