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Live Reporting

Edited by Rob Corp

All times stated are UK

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  1. Thanks for joining us

    We're wrapping up today's live coverage and will be back again tomorrow. For now, here's a look back at some of the biggest developments from the UK and around the world:

    • Almost two million people in north-east England will be banned from meeting other households under new measures introduced amid a rise in cases
    • Meanwhile, people travelling from Singapore and Thailand to England and Scotland will not need to quarantine from Saturday morning
    • The World Health Organization has warned that a “very serious situation” is unfolding in Europe after the continent's weekly tally exceeded 300,000 patients last week
    • South Africa, which had one of the world's earliest and strictest lockdowns, announced a further easing of anti-coronavirus measures
    • In the US, President Donald Trump contradicted the head of the main health agency with comments on vaccines and masks. Mr Trump said a vaccine would be available "immediately" - and not as late as mid-2021
    • New Zealand is in its deepest recession in decades, following strict measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic which were widely praised.

    Today's live page was edited by Paulin Kola and Rob Corp and written by Lauren Turner, Georgina Rannard, Alex Therrien and Alice Cuddy

  2. Coronavirus rule changes 'bit of a nightmare'

    Emma Barnett

    BBC 5 Live

    The Patricia in Jesmond

    The owner of a Newcastle restaurant says the new coronavirus measures are "worrying" and "a bit of a nightmare".

    Nick Greaves, who runs The Patricia in Jesmond, said: "It's a bit of a shock. We have come so far to get back on our feet and now we are back down in this saga again."

    He said the 22:00 curfew puts his restaurant "in an awkward position".

    "We have changed the restaurant to have people much more spaced out time wise, in three sittings almost," Mr Greaves said.

    "It's going to take out that 20.30 table sitting."

    He said the restaurant offers a six-course menu that takes about two and a half hours to work through.

    Mr Greaves also said he couldn't understand how the rules would help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

    "It could even be a little bit dangerous with people going to the pub, necking as much as they can and then they end up drunk and are like 'let's go to a house or something'.

    "I can't get my head around that's going to help anything. The virus is still dangerous before 22:00, as it is afterwards."

  3. Covid symptoms: Is it a cold, flu or coronavirus?

    Video content

    Video caption: A cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have?

    Colds, flu and Covid-19 are caused by different viruses but can have similar symptoms.

    It can be hard to judge which one you may have.

    Most people who feel ill with coronavirus will have at least one of the key symptoms:

    • a high temperature
    • a new, continuous cough
    • a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste

    Read our explainer here on the other things to look for out for.

  4. Inside the epicentre of France’s new Covid crisis

    Lucy Williamson

    BBC News, Marseille

    A medic checks the pulse of a patient at the emergency unit of La Timone hospital in Marseille, southeastern France, on 11 September, 2020.

    What’s striking, as you enter the main intensive care unit at Marseille’s La Timone hospital, is the laughter and banter of the staff. Protection comes in many different guises.

    Around them, in isolation rooms, are 13 seriously ill patients with coronavirus. Each time they enter, the medical teams need to step into full, zip-up body suits, and put on masks and gloves. For the riskiest operations, they add helmets, and portable ventilators to purify the air inside them as they work.

    On the day we visit, doctors are trying to save the life of a 65-year-old man on life support. Looking more like astronauts than medical staff, they step inside the glass screen, and thread a camera down the patient’s throat.

    They’re checking for blockages before trying to oxygenate his blood by machine – a last resort.

    The ghostly figures hovering around his bed are the patient’s only visitors. His wife calls the unit once or twice every day for news. But contamination risks mean she’s not allowed in to see him.

    This unit is now the epicentre of France’s new Covid crisis.

    The director of public hospitals in Marseille has said the city is “nearing saturation” and that 100 extra staff have been recruited in the past week, to try and keep pace with demand.

    Rates of infection here are now twice that of Paris. More than 10% of those tested here are positive.

    But despite France meeting its target of a million tests a week, many people are facing long waits for testing or results.

    The government has told testing centres to prioritise those with symptoms or confirmed contact with cases, but the health minister today admitted there were still problems including bottlenecks in big cities.

  5. Canada's most populous province scales back reopening

    As Canada moves into the cooler days of autumn, people in parts of the country will see social gatherings being newly restricted as Covid-19 cases surge.

    In some parts of the province of Ontario - including Toronto, Canada's largest city - outdoor gatherings will now be restricted to a maximum of 25, down from 100.

    Indoor gatherings are no limited to 10, down from 50.

    That includes backyard parties and picnics, provincial Premier Doug Ford said, warning of hefty fines for rule-breakers. ​

    "We will throw the book at you if you break the rules," he said.

    Party hosts could receive fines of C$10,000 ($7,500; £5,800), with attendees getting C$750 tickets.

    Ford called partygoers who have been reckless "a few fries short of a Happy Meal".

    Covid-19 cases have been increasing though they still are lower than in the months of April and May. There were 293 new cases in Ontario today.

    Toronto, the nearby Peel Region, and Canada's capital Ottawa are hotspots in the province.

  6. Capt Sir Tom Moore launches charitable foundation

    Captain Sir Tom Moore at Windsor Castle

    Captain Sir Tom Moore has launched his charitable foundation after raising more than £32m for NHS charities during lockdown.

    He said he wanted to help those going through difficulties, referring to his late wife Pamela's struggles with mental health. He said the foundation will support people "where a little bit of hope will do them some good".

    Speaking to BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty from his garden, he said his wife's mental health problems started when she was a child and got worse and worse.

    When Capt Sir Tom could no longer look after her properly, she went into a home. She was expected to be treated for six weeks but stayed until she died from dementia.

    The inspiration for his foundation, called The Captain Tom Foundation, came from seeing many "lonely" ladies in the home who had no visitors, he said.

    "That's one of the things that the foundation is, to help lonely people and people who are in difficulties, not just old people, there are some young people that are not properly looked after."

  7. Analysis: The tide was not turned - now what?

    Laura Kuenssberg

    Political editor

    A testing site

    Nearly 10 million people's lives are under limits again.

    The number of coronavirus cases is rising fast.

    Concerned members of the public are stuck in frustrated queues for coronavirus tests in some parts of the country.

    The tide was not turned. Life is not back to normal.

    And even some Conservative MPs are asking, what on earth is going on?

    Read the full blog here.

  8. Covid testers go on strike in France

    A French doctor holds a test tube after conducting a coronavirus test
    Image caption: France has ramped up testing for coronavirus

    Staff at coronavirus laboratories in France have joined a strike, protesting against poor working conditions.

    The CGT labour union told Reuters news agency that several hundred staff from coronavirus laboratories were taking part in the action, and that it was disrupting testing in some towns.

    The union said the strike could drag on if laboratory bosses failed to deal with complaints over staff shortages and pay.

    "We're overwhelmed," one laboratory nurse told Reuters. "We're exhausted, physically and mentally."

    A technician told the news agency the pace of work was “relentless” and that workers were doing free overtime.

    France has ramped up testing for coronavirus, and now conducts more than one million tests a week, according to officials.

    But people have complained of long queues at testing centres and delays in receiving results.

    A representative of employers in the sector said the strike was having a minimal impact on testing.

    Like other countries in Europe, France has reported a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

  9. National Theatre to reopen for audience of 500

    How the National Theatre will look when it reopens
    Image caption: How the National Theatre's Olivier Theatre will look when it reopens

    The National Theatre, on London's South Bank, is to reopen after remodelling its largest stage.

    The Olivier can usually seat 1,150 people. But when it opens in October, there will be an audience of just under 500, watching performances in the round.

    A new play called Death of England: Delroy is first to be staged, before pantomime returns to the National Theatre as a one-off, with performances of Dick Whittington in December.

    The venue - closed since 16 March - said it was "delighted and relieved to be reopening".

  10. False claims the UK has made vaccines compulsory

    Marianna Spring

    Disinformation and social media reporter

    A video being widely shared on Facebook and Instagram is being accompanied by false claims that receiving a coronavirus vaccine has already been made mandatory and that it will be used to inject microchips into people.

    The video, originally posted on TikTok and viewed over 3 million times, does not itself refer to coronavirus. In it, a British woman says her daughter was vaccinated at school without her consent and she doesn’t know “what she’s had put in her”.

    The shared video has been accompanied by false claims that a coronavirus vaccine has already been made mandatory in the UK and that it will be used to inject microchips into people.

    We’ve looked into these claims before, and there is currently no legislation in the UK making vaccines mandatory - although the government has not ruled this out for a coronavirus vaccine in the future.

    There is also absolutely no evidence that a vaccine will be a tool to microchip or deliberately cause harm to individuals.

    According to subsequent videos being shared, this woman’s daughter was administered the HPV vaccine - even though she had said she did not want her daughter to receive it. This vaccine protects against high-risk HPV infections, which can lead to many cervical cancers - and some others.

    The woman in the video points out that there is a clause on the NHS website that states if a parent does not consent to a child receiving the HPV vaccine “the nurse can override my decision and vaccinate my children if they show an interest in having this done”. While this is true, the child still has to indicate consent.

  11. Death spike warning in locked-down areas of south Wales

    Rhondda

    There is a "high risk" that a spike in Covid cases will lead to more hospital admissions and deaths in locked-down areas of Wales, health officials have warned.

    Dr Robin Howe, of Public Health Wales, said older people are being infected in Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

    It comes as people in Rhondda expressed frustration at becoming the second area in Wales to return to lockdown after Caerphilly.

    Strict rules came into force at 18:00 BST for the area's 240,000 residents.

    Read more

  12. US Post Office 'axed plan to ship 650 million masks to Americans'

    A postal worker wearing a mask

    The US Post Office (USPS) had planned to send 650 million reusable cotton face masks to Americans - roughly five per household - back in April, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post though a Freedom of Information Act request.

    But the plan was axed by White House officials who felt it would create a panic among Americans, an unnamed White House official told the Post.

    "There was concern from some in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the office of the vice president that households receiving masks might create concern or panic," the official said.

    The postal service has been at the centre of attention in recent months as Democrats and Republicans argue over its role in the upcoming presidential election in November. A record number of voters are forecast to submit their ballots by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    US Postal Service row: What is it about?

  13. Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised over 'carping' remarks

    Video content

    Video caption: Rees-Mogg: 'endless carping' over coronavirus tests

    Senior UK government minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has been criticised after he described concern over coronavirus testing shortages as "carping".

    The Commons leader told MPs people should instead celebrate the "phenomenal success" of increasing test capacity.

    Labour's shadow health minister Alex Norris said he should "immediately apologise" for his comments.

    A No 10 spokesman said the government was increasing test capacity.

    Read more

  14. German football team loses 37-0 in socially distanced match

    A German football team lost 37-0 to their local rivals after fielding only seven players who socially distanced throughout the match.

    Ripdorf fielded the minimum number of players possible in the game on Sunday because their opponents, SV Holdenstedt II, had come into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus in a recent match.

    Their team tested negative but Ripdorf said the conditions were not safe.

    Ripdorf asked for the match to be postponed but the local association refused, and the team would have faced a €200 (£182) fine if they had not played.

    Read the full story

  15. New York City delays start of in-person learning for most students

    Teachers work outside their school building for safety reasons as they prepare for the delayed start of the school year
    Image caption: Teachers have been preparing for the return of in-person learning

    New York City has delayed the start of in-person learning at public schools for a second time for most students, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.

    In person-learning was set to begin on Monday.

    Instead, the city is phasing the return of students to the classroom, with only pre-kindergarten children and students with special learning needs now set to start on Monday.

    Under the new plans, first grade to eighth grade students will begin on 29 September, while middle- and high-school students will start on 1 October.

    Students will continue with remote-learning in the meantime.

    It is the second time the mayor has delayed the return to classrooms, which was originally due to happen on 10 September.

    The mayor is expected to give more details later.

  16. New coronavirus rules in Europe country-by-country

    Wearing masks is now compulsary in some parts of France
    Image caption: Wearing masks is now compulsary in some parts of France

    As Europe grapples with a significant rise in cases, governments are introducing measures to try to control the spread of coronavirus.

    Some of those measures are reintroduced restrictions from the first lockdowns earlier this year.

    In France masks must worn outdoors in some areas by anyone aged 11 and over, including busy streets in Paris. They must also be worn in workplaces. And in Germany, testing is compulsory for arrivals at airports from high-risk countries.

    Read more about what European countries are doing to try to limit the spread of infection.

  17. Top US law official slammed for comparing lockdown to 'slavery'

    Congressman Clyburn speaks in Congress
    Image caption: Congressman Clyburn called the comparison "the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I've ever heard"

    US Attorney General William Barr, a top Trump appointee and the highest ranking US law enforcement official, has drawn fire for comparing Covid-19 lockdown orders to the historical US enslavement of black people.

    "You know, putting a national lockdown, stay at home orders, is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history," he told a college in Michigan on Wednesday.

    In a CNN interview, Democratic Congressman James Clyburn - the highest-ranked African-American in the House of Representatives - slammed the remark as "the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I've ever heard".

    "It is incredible that the chief law enforcement officer in this country would equate human bondage to expert advice to save lives. Slavery was not about saving lives, it was about devaluing lives." He pointed out that the federal government never instituted a lockdown, and they were instead ordered by the states.

    Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who is also black, took issue with Barr's description of slavery as a form of “restraint,” telling CNN it was actually “one of the worst crimes against humanity ever committed”.

  18. BreakingSlovenia and Guadeloupe on England and Scotland quarantine list

    The UK government has removed Slovenia and the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe from England's safe travel list, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.

    Mr Shapps said people in Slovenia and Guadeloupe who arrive after 04:00 on Saturday will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

    The government also announced that passengers arriving back from Singapore and Thailand will not be required to quarantine as those countries have been added to the safe travel list.

    The Scottish Government has confirmed the changes announced today will also apply there.

  19. Why the WHO is sticking to 14 days quarantine

    Smitha Mundasad

    News reporter

    The World Health Organization has repeated its plea for countries not to shorten the quarantine period for people who have been exposed to coronavirus.

    The global health body recommends anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has definitely got coronavirus or probably has, should stay at home or somewhere similar for two weeks.

    The idea is simple - to monitor people in case they get ill and spot Covid-19 cases early on, preventing the virus from spreading further.

    The Centrers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, for example, says based on the best current studies, it is likely that the time from someone being exposed to getting symptoms is between two and 14 days.

    It's evidence like this that is behind the WHO's advice.

    And in the UK if you are told by the Test and Trace system that you have had close contact with someone who has coronavirus, you must isolate for 14 days.

    But France is reportedly taking a different approach. It is slashing its isolation time from 14 fourteen days to seven. That's because health experts there say the majority of people find it too difficult to isolate for a whole two weeks. They also say this is when people are most likely to be infectious.

    There are also some small studies that suggest people are most likely to pass on the virus in the first week they have symptoms. But the science is still emerging and scientists across the globe agree there are still many uncertainties.

    That's why different countries have different approaches - each has to balance the evidence, the unknowns and the chance for citizens to get back to a more normal life.

  20. Test and Trace chief responds to testing delays

    NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding is asked about test turnaround times.

    She acknowledges tests have been taking "slightly longer than usual" in the last "week or so".

    People are waiting longer for coronavirus test results from England's community testing centres, figures showed today. Only a third of tests carried out in these venues came back in 24 hours in the week up to 9 September.

    Baroness Harding says: "We have very consciously in the last couple of weeks, when we've seen the very significant increase in demand, made use of every single day of the seven days of lab capacity to try and maximise the total number of people who have been tested.

    "And what that has meant is that for some people the testing turnarounds have gone out a bit."