UK to carry out a MILLION covid tests a day by Christmas

Both sides are under pressure to come to an agreement over Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions.

No 10 said a call between the two sides had been scheduled for Sunday morning.

However Mayor Andy Burnham – who is resisting the highest level of controls without more financial support for workers and businesses – flatly denied a call had been scheduled.

It comes as Boris Johnson faces mounting pressure to impose a national circuit-breaker to slow the spread of the UK’s second Covid-19 wave.

Follow our coronavirus blog for the latest news and updates…

• Elizabeth Little17 minutes ago

  ANTI-MASK PROTESTS IN LONDON

  Thousands of anti-mask protesters descended on London today calling for “freedom” as the capital entered tougher lockdown rules.

  The group marched through Hyde Park and Oxford Street demanding an end to lockdown.

  They held up placards reading “Covid-19 equals control” and “lockdown kills” while shunning protective face masks.

  The agitators were flanked by police officers as they made their way through central London.

  Jeremy Corbyn’s brother Piers, who was previously fined £10,000 for organising a rally, was also in attendance. He could be seen shouting into a megaphone with his fist raised in the air.

  

  

  

• Elizabeth Little36 minutes ago

  FROZEN GOOD PACKAGING POLLUTED BY LIVING COVID ‘COULD CAUSE INFECTION’

  China’s disease control authority said on Saturday that contact with frozen food packaging contaminated by living new coronavirus could cause infection.

  The conclusion came as the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected and isolated living coronavirus on the outer packaging of frozen cod during efforts to trace the virus in an outbreak reported last week in the city of Qingdao, the agency said on its website.

  The finding, a world first, suggests it is possible for the virus to be conveyed over long distances via frozen goods, it said.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 15:38

  QUEEN COULD BE CALLED IN TO BOOST TRUST IN COVID VACCINE

  Her Majesty could be called on to bolster trust in a coronavirus vaccine – amid fears Brits won’t accept a jab.

  A whopping one in five say they are ‘unlikely’ to get vaccinated, even if one is approved by health watchdogs.

  A Government adviser says ministers need to boost trust in a jab – and the Queen could support efforts.

  

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 15:18

  NETHERLANDS RECORD SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES

  The Netherlands has hit a new record for daily coronavirus cases.

  More than 8,000 infections were confirmed in the past 24 hours, data released on Saturday showed.

  The number of confirmed cases climbed 8,114, according to daily figures compiled by the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM).

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 14:50

  PM FACES GROWING CALLS FOR NATIONAL ‘CIRCUIT BREAKER’

  Boris Johnson is facing growing calls from his own MPs for a national ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown – as Mancunians hit pubs and bars after local leaders rejected calls for new Tier 3 measures in the city.

  The PM has faced a battle with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham over additional shutdowns in the area – and used his press conference last night to warn that he could force the region into the strictest lockdown measures if needed.

  During his national address, he also battled back against calls for a second UK-wide lockdown – despite increasing pressure from all sides.

  Greater Manchester has so far resisted government pressure to agree to a Tier 3 lockdown which would see pubs and bars close.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 14:18

  IS YOUR AREA AT RISK OF TIER 3 LOCKDOWN?

  This new map reveals the next eight places that could be soon be put into Tier 3 coronavirus lockdown.

  Manchester tops the list compiled using the latest data from the Covid-19 Symptom Tracker App, followed by Newcastle.

  

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 13:51

  JACINDA ARDERN ELECTION VICTORY AFTER COVID-19 RESPONSE

  New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern today won a landslide general election after her Covid-19 response.

  The Kiwi politician-  who was praised globally for her handling of the tragic mass shooting by a white supremacist and again in her response to the coronavirus pandemic – won in what has been described as one of the biggest swings in New Zealand’s electoral history for 80 years.

  The mandate means Ardern, 40, could form New Zealand’s first single-party government in decades, and face the challenge of delivering on the progressive transformation she promised but failed to deliver in her first term, where Labour shared power with a nationalist party.

  Speaking after the election win, Ms Ardern thanked her supporters and volunteers, adding: “Most importantly thank you to the many people who gave us their vote, who trusted us to continue with leading New Zealand’s recovery.

  “And to those amongst you who may not have supported Labour before – and the results tell me there were a few of you – to you I say thank you.

  “We will not take your support for granted. And I can promise you we will be a party that governs for every New Zealander.”

• Joseph GampToday, 13:19

  WALES: MAN FINED £200 FOR CROSSING ‘COUNTY LINES’ TO BUY SACK OF POTATOES

  A sack of potatoes cost a shopper more than £200 – after police caught him crossing “county lines” to break tough Covid rules in Wales.

  The man, 62, travelled from local lockdown in Swansea 50 miles into to Pembrokeshire to buy sacks of potatoes.

  But the potato head driver had his chips – when he was stopped by police for breaching Covid rules imposed by the Welsh Government.

  The Wales-only rules say people cannot travel from their own county borough unless for essential reasons.

  And the man was fined £200 with £37 costs at Carmarthenshire magistrates for the coronavirus breaches.

• Joseph GampToday, 13:02

  TIER 3 RESTRICTIONS A ‘KICK IN THE TEETH’ FOR BLACKPOOL B&B OWNERS

  B&B owners in Blackpool have said they face a “bleak” future, as guests cancel bookings following the introduction of Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions for Lancashire.

  October is traditionally one of the busiest periods for the seaside town as crowds flock to see the Blackpool Illuminations during the school half-term holidays, local business owners said.

  But they fear the new Covid-19 measures, which came into force on Saturday, will drive tourists away, despite some attractions remaining open.

  Adam Mayes, who runs the 10-bedroom Phoenix Guest House on Cocker Street, said the restrictions were a “kick in the teeth” for B&B owners.

  He told the PA news agency: “Since Tier 3 was announced, we have already lost £500-worth of bookings for the next two weeks.

• Joseph GampToday, 12:36

  LIVERPOOL MAYOR’S BROTHER DIES FROM COVID-19 IN INTENSIVE CARE

  The Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has said his brother has died after being admitted to intensive care with Covid-19.

  On Friday evening, Mr Anderson urged people to follow the rules to prevent the spread of the virus as he revealed his eldest brother was in a “very serious condition” in hospital in the city.

  In a Twitter post on Saturday, he said: “Despite the efforts of all the staff @LivHospitals ICU my brother sadly died at 10.45 last night We want to thank the dedicated staff risking their lives for us.

  “Thank you all for your messages of love and support Let’s stick together and support each other and win this battle.”

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 12:13

  KATE GREEN URGES NO.10 TO RESUME TALKS WITH GREATER MANCHESTER LEADERS

  Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green has urged Downing Street to resume talks with Greater Manchester’s leaders today to end a “very grave” situation.

  The Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’m really, really alarmed, I do think that every day we’re delaying taking action is a day wasted but we have to have the financial support, the package of measures, to enable people to close their businesses, to isolate at home if necessary if additional restrictions are to work.”

  “That has not been offered by the Government. There hasn’t even been discussions over the past 24 hours between the Government and Greater Manchester’s leaders.”

  “What we need to get everybody around the table really as a matter of desperate urgency now. The situation here is very, very grave.”

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 11:43

  LIVERPOOL MAYOR’S BROTHER IN ICU WITH COVID-19

  The mayor of Liverpool has urged people to follow the city’s strict lockdown rules as he revealed his brother has contracted coronavirus.

  Joe Anderson write on Twitter on Friday evening: “10 mins ago my sister-in-law a Nursing Sister has told me my eldest brother her husband has got COVID-19 he is in the Royal @LivHospitals in the ICU in a very serious condition.”

  His tweet also highlighted a video shared by the Liverpool City Council Twitter account that featured Dr Richard Wenstone making a plea for people to follow coronavirus rules to ease pressure on the NHS.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 11:11

  ANGELA MERKEL URGES GERMANS TO CURB SOCIAL CONTACTS

  Angela Merkel has urged Germans to curb social contacts and keep travel to a minimum.

  Ms Merkel made a personal appeal after the federal and state governments struggled to agree on a strategy to contain a second wave of infections.

  The Chancellor said in her weekly video podcast: “We have to do everything to prevent the virus from spreading out of control. Every day counts.”

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 10:51

  COVID DENIER BABERSHOP SHUT DOWN

  Barbershop bosses who claimed Covid-19 is a ‘conspiracy’ and shunned masks and social distancing have had their business shut down by council chiefs.

  Authorities say staff at Talking Heads salon in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, put “customers at risk” by not following coronavirus guidance.

  Police and environmental health officers were called to the salon after “significant breaches” of rules and regulations on the virus.

  And when enforcement officers visited, they said barbers “didn’t appear to understand the need” for the requirements – and then handed over documents suggesting the pandemic is a hoax, the Nottingham Post reports.

  The shop will now be temporarily shut – and doors could be closed until mid-November, although there’ll be a review of the measure every week.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 10:28

  SWITZERLAND YODELLERS BLAMED FOR EUROPE’S WORST COVID-19 SUPERCLUSTER

  A yodelling concert attended by 600 die-hard fans in Switzerland is being blamed for what could be Europe’s worst coronavirus ’supercluster’.

  Experts now believe the special “musical” – held in the rural Schwyz canton region in late September – is responsible for a surge in Covid-19 cases in the area.

  The region has confirmed 1,238 cases – over double the 500 confirmed in mid-September.

  On Wednesday alone, 94 people tested positive, twice as many as the day before.

  The event asked attendees to respect social distancing guidelines – but the wearing of face masks were not compulsory.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 10:08

  LOCAL LEADERS COULD ENFORCE ‘EXTRA MEASURES’ IN ADDITION TO TIER 3

  Local areas could introduce “extra measures” on top of Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions because the alert level’s “baseline” is not enough alone to reduce infection rates, the government’s chief scientific adviser has suggested.

  During a Downing Street news briefing on Friday, Sir Patrick Vallance said “local knowledge and local insight” would help inform further measures to drive the R number below one.

  His comments follow those of England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, who earlier this week said the flexibility within the new three-tier system of alert levels for England could see “additional” measures guided by local health leaders.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 09:40

  DOMINIC RAAB CONDEMNS RUSSIA CLAIMS VACCINE COULD TURN PEOPLE INTO MONKEYS

  Dominic Raab has blasted Russia’s campaign to discredit the Oxford coronavirus vaccine.

  Moscow is flooding social media with posts pretending the jab will turn people into monkeys. 

  They are peddling lies about the vaccine in a bid to get countries to buy its rival Sputnik version instead.

  Tearing into the scare stories, the Foreign Secretary said the vicious campaign could cost lives.

  Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a shabby piece of disinformation, but it is very serious because it is an attempt to disrupt the attempts to find a safe vaccine.

  “We know that Russia has a track record of using disinformation as a foreign policy tool.”

  “But actually any attempt to spread lies about Covid-19, and the vaccine in particular, when we’re trying to come together as an international community to resolve a global pandemic is utterly deplorable.”

  

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 09:22

  20,000 BRITS BATTLE FOR HALF-TERM REFUNDS

  Twenty thousand angry Brits are battling for refunds after scrapping half-term holidays to 23C Italy – as the country was put on the quarantine list from tonight..

  And an Italian job getaway is seeing 10,000 Brits in Italy hit by trebled flight prices as they dash back to the UK before 4am tonight to avoid a two-week self isolation. 

  Read more here.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 09:02

  PICTURED: A sea of party-goers flooded Soho’s streets for one last hoorah before Tier 2 measures came into place at midnight

  

  

  

  

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 08:49

  COPS CLASH WITH CROWDS IN LONDON

  Police clashed with crowds of drinkers in London overnight – just hours before the capital was plunged into a Tier 2 coronavirus lockdown.

  Swarms of revellers made the most of their final night of freedom as officers patrolled the streets for “dangerous and reckless” Covid-19 breaches.

  It came as nine million Londoners were plunged into a Tier Two lockdown at midnight, preventing households from sharing a pint in the pub from now on.

  The Met Police ramped up patrols on the streets to break up boozy gatherings and desperately tried to send punters home at 10pm.

  Drinkers were seen piling out of pubs in Soho as cops muscled their way through the crowds.

  Things escalated in the capital when drinkers were asked to leave before the curfew at 10pm.

  Crowds of protesters held up banners and officers were pictured making arrests.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 08:32

  TEACHERS UNION BACKS CIRCUIT BREAKER

  The UK’s biggest teachers’ union has backed a ‘circuit breaker’ coronavirus lockdown and called for an extended two-week half term.

  The intervention by the National Education Union (NEU) comes amid mounting pressure on Boris Johnson from Labour, the NHS and the Government’s scientific advisers to reintroduce national measures.

  The NFU says the emergency measure is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus – calling for schools and colleges across England to close for two weeks for the October half term, rather than one.

• Elizabeth LittleToday, 08:11

  NEW MEASURES IN PLACE

  New coronavirus restrictions have come into force in England this morning.

  More than half the population are facing further constraints on their lives, with vast areas of the north, London and parts of the south east now subject to tougher COVID-19 rules.

  The stronger measures have placed more than 28 million people in England into the top two tiers of restrictions.

• Hana Carter16th Oct 2020, 00:54

  A MILLION TESTS A DAY TO BE DISHED OUT BY CHRISTMAS

  A million coronavirus tests a day will be carried out by Christmas, a scientist involved with the testing programme has said.

  Results could be given in as little as 15 minutes as the Government seeks to ramp up testing in a bid to contain the Covid pandemic.

  The prediction reportedly comes after the government spent more than £500 million in the past fortnight on new laboratory-based testing machines.

  That will more than triple the current capacity of around 300,000 tests a day.

  Another 15,650 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus but new cases are down by a sixth on yesterday – raising hopes that new infections are steadying.

• Hana Carter16th Oct 2020, 00:47

  GREATER MANCHESTER TO HAVE ALL INTENSIVE CARE BEDS TAKEN

  Greater Manchester is on course to have almost all of its intensive care beds occupied by coronavirus patients within weeks.

  The Independent revealed there were 90 patients in intensive care with the virus across the region’s 12 main hospitals.

• Hana Carter16th Oct 2020, 23:47

  WOMAN’S HOME HALF TIER ONE AND HALF TIER TWO

  A mum whose home is split over two lockdown tiers is banned from popping next door for a cuppa.

  Amelia Burnett is free to drive from the Tier One part of her property to meet pals across the UK — but she cannot go next door to her neighbour’s Tier Two home.

  The mum-of-two, 41, said: “There’s no logic behind it, it’s baffling. The Government doesn’t seem to have a clue what it is doing. It is all as clear as bloody mud.”

  Tory MP Sir Graham Brady said: “This is a classic example of the crazy situations that arise when you go down the route of arbitrary rules rather than trusting people’s judgment and common sense.

  “It is time we trusted the public as grown-ups as to how they go about their lives. Lines on a map are splitting up families and friends and leading old people to become isolated and lonely.”

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