Image source, EPA

Police have issued a second £1,000 fine in Northern Ireland for breaching coronavirus travel regulations.

On Tuesday, a County Fermanagh man became the first in Northern Ireland to receive such a fine after he went on socialising following a holiday in Spain. He later tested positive for Covid-19.

Police have confirmed a second person was fined on Friday for a breach of the International Travel Regulations.

Between 30 March to 4 September there have been a total of 479 fines issued for breaches of coronavirus regulations.

It comes as 61 new positive cases of the virus were confirmed in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 7,503.

There was one further death, meaning the death toll in Northern Ireland now stands at 564, as recorded by the Department of Health.

Image source, Reuters

Eighty London key workers have been invited to play on Wimbledon tennis courts, to thank them for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.

NHS staff, London Ambulance Service and Transport for London employees are now in south-west London to play on the famous courts over two days.

"Rally Together" is part of a scheme launched by the Mayor of London, which celebrates community, individual and business responses to coronavirus.

Sadiq Khan said during his visit to Wimbledon on Friday that Londoners "owe a debt of gratitude" to those who looked after people "during the darkest days of the pandemic".

"None of us are claiming the pandemic is over or the virus has gone away - many of those here today will be back on the front line in the coming days.

"But it's important we take a moment to say thank you."

Image source, Reuters

The Czech Republic has seen a record numbers of new Covid-19 cases for the third day in a row. Thursday's tally of 680 took the number of infections to nearly 26,500 with 426 deaths.

Radio Prague says the country has the highest rate of infections of all its neighbours. But officials say the low number of people needing hospital treatment shows that facilities are not in danger of being overwhelmed.

However, the virus is impacting all aspects of Czech life. The chief public health officer has tested positive for the virus and a number of ministers, including the health minister, are self-isolating. Sports events have been cancelled because team members have tested positive, and schools are under threat of closure having just reopened.

Face masks will be mandatory again in all shops and shopping centres in the capital, Prague, from Wednesday. People across the country already have to wear the coverings in public spaces and on public transport. Bars and clubs in Prague will also have to close between midnight and 06:00.

Image source, Getty Images

Some travellers have been left frustrated and out of pocket after changing their flights home to England to avoid a potential Portugal quarantine that now hasn’t been imposed.

"We feel as if we've lost two days of our holiday, it's cost us an arm and a leg - we're just very disappointed," Karen said as she waited to board a plane at Faro airport.

There has been confusion over whether people need to quarantine for 14 days after returning to the UK from Portugal or Greece.

There are strict new self-isolation rules for people from Wales and Scotland coming back from Portugal. But there is no change for England and Northern Ireland as yet.

"We've paid just over £1,000, I think, for three going back to Manchester," said another passenger, Ron, adding: "It would be good if governments could all get together... and come up with one set of policies which are applied reasonably consistently."

Kelly Jones and her family changed their flights home from the Algarve from Saturday to Friday at a cost of £900.

The 45-year-old from Birmingham said the situation was "absolutely disgusting".

She said: "The government just changes the goalposts left, right and centre at the moment. It's embarrassing."

Image source, Reuters

Political opponents have called for a "full investigation" by the Leader of the House of Commons, following rumours Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech to at least 50 Conservatives in a parliament room marked for a maximum of 29 people.

The PM remarked that his colleagues were packed "cheek by jowl" as he gave a speech to the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs on Thursday night, it was reported.

A Number 10 spokesman did not deny concerns that social distancing rules may have been breached but refused to clarify the circumstances.

"I'm not privy to the detail, it's a political event," he said.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench committee, insisted "social distancing of one metre plus was maintained".

But the Liberal Democrats said any speculation threatened to "undermine faith in government and ultimately impact the effectiveness of government public health messaging".

"We cannot allow it to look as though there is one rule for Conservative MPs and another for the rest of the country," said Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse.

Image source, PA Media

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Pear Video

There are often stories this time of year about students being sent home for the wrong uniform, but in central China’s Hebei province, masses of students have been sent home because their hair had grown too long.

This meant that many parents have been resorting to drastic measures. Footage has gone viral today in China of students outside the gates of a secondary school in the city of Zhuozhou having their hair cut by their parents, to avoid their kids missing a single day of school.

Media says that most students getting a quick chop from their parents were female, as the school had introduced rules saying that “hair should not be longer than shoulder length”. , external

Students across China have been returning to physical classrooms this week, and many haven’t seen their campus in seven or eight months. For some, that has meant a lot of surprises.

The only region where students have yet to return is Xinjiang, in the northwest. However, yesterday the region confirmed that students at primary and secondary schools could return in phased groups from 6 September. College and university students in the region can begin to return from 10 September.

It has been 19 days since any domestic cases of Covid-19 have been reported in China.

Rachel Schraer
BBC Health Reporter

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Testing people, followed by tracing the contacts of those infected, is considered vital to stop coronavirus from spreading.

Here's what to do and when.

Anyone showing symptoms of coronavirus can be tested. These are:

• a fever
• a new continuous cough
• a loss of smell or taste

There are two types of tests: the first, typically a nose and throat swab, checks if you are currently infected; the second involves blood samples and looks for antibodies - which indicate past, not current infection.

Tests can be taken by visiting either a drive-through or walk-through testing site, or a mobile testing unit. They need to be booked - online , externalor by calling 119.

Alternatively, you can order a home testing kit, but only in the first four days of having symptoms., external

Generally only people with symptoms are told to apply for a test, with results expected inside 48 hours.

However, staff and residents in care homes should now be receiving regular tests, as well as some hospital staff.

People living in areas where there is a current outbreak can also be tested, even without symptoms.

Current testing capacity in the UK is reported as being 350,000 a day.

The government has also pledged to bring in mass coronavirus testing by the end of the year, even among people with no symptoms.

For more information, read here.

Downing Street has refused to deny that advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) was that travel from Portugal and the six Greek islands currently restricted by Wales presents a risk of spreading coronavirus. Scotland has also has Portugal, and all of Greece, on its quarantine list.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier acknowledged the UK's quarantine rules are confusing, with England and Northern Ireland holding off from putting Portugal and Greece on their own quarantine lists.

Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said Wales was acting "in line with" the risk assessments from the JBC in imposing a 14-day quarantine on arrivals from those areas.

A Number 10 spokesman has declined to comment on what the JBC's advice was but when asked by reporters if he disputed Mr Gething's assessment, the spokesman said "no".

He explained: "Ministers assess the data which is provided by JBC - and the JBC risk assessments are assessed by ministers."

Image source, Getty Images

The numbers of people testing positive for coronavirus in England remain unchanged in the week to 25 August, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Its latest survey found there were about 2,000 new cases per day and an estimated 27,100 people in the community had the virus during that week.

This is similar to the previous week and several weeks before, which suggest that, despite outbreaks in some areas, overall cases continue to be stable and infections remained at a constant level during August.

Based on tests on people in households whether they have symptoms or not, the figures are thought to give one of the most accurate pictures of whether or not new infections are increasing.

It does not cover people in hospital or care homes.

Read more here.

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Virgin Atlantic is to cut a further 1,150 jobs after UK and US courts approved a £1.2bn rescue plan which will secure its future for at least 18 months.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a severe impact on the aviation industry, as lockdowns and quarantines devastate air travel.

Virgin had already cut more than 3,500 jobs, from the 10,000 employees it had at the beginning of the year.

The airline had previously stated that the rescue deal should mean no further job losses but said "regrettably" the company was compelled to make further cuts "one last time... to ensure it emerges from this crisis".

"Until travel returns in greater numbers, survival ispredicated on reducing costs further and continuing to preservecash," said Virgin Atlantic in a statement.

Image source, Getty Images

Indonesia is one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus in South-East Asia, and the authorities have been coming up with some creative ways to encourage people to wear their masks.

But punishing mask-refusers by making them lie in an open coffin is one tactic that has proved to be short-lived. It was introduced on Wednesday but abandoned by Friday after an intense public backlash, the BBC's Jerome Wirawan reports.

The punishment was intended as an alternative to a $17 fine or community service, which usually involves cleaning public facilities, our correspondent says. One official said the aim was to get the culprit to “contemplate their actions because with Covid-19 there is a risk of them being laid inside a real coffin”.

But internet users criticised the plan, with one, Situr, pointing out: “People are not scared of coffins, even couples are getting intimate in the graveyard."

One man who did go in the coffin for not wearing the mask indicated to local media that it was a quickest and cheapest option.

Image source, Reuters

Police have raised concerns about people planning to travel to Tenby, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to race the Ironman route this weekend - even though the event was cancelled nearly three months ago.

The annual 2020 triathlon, which typically attracts more than 2,000 athletes from all over the world, was cancelled in June because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dyfed-Powys Police and Pembrokeshire council said they were concerned people still intended to attempt the 140-mile course, which comprises a 2.4-mile (3.86km) swim, a 112-mile (180km) bike ride and a marathon.

"While we understand people have trained really hard to compete and are disappointed the race is cancelled, we are concerned about the impact of racing without any road closures or the usual support," local police said on Facebook, external.

They urged cyclists not to ride in large groups, runners to consider social distancing and swimmers to check sea conditions.

Others on social media shared their concern, with Mike Field urging participants "to respect the pandemic and the people of Pembrokeshire".

Read more.

If you're just joining us, here's a reminder of the latest news on coronavirus around the world today:

• Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, aged 83, is in hospital in Milan with early-stage double pneumonia after testing positive for coronavirus, according to Italian media reports
• New Zealand has reported its first Covid-19 death in three months after a man in his 50s died in hospital in Auckland. He was part of a cluster of cases in the city which has been under renewed lockdown rules
• India has recorded a total of 3.94 million cases, closing in on Brazil as the world’s second highest tally

• Transport Minister Grant Shapps has admitted that differences in UK quarantine rules are “confusing” for travellers as the four nations take varying approaches to international travel
• Filming of the new The Batman movie has been suspended again, following media reports that actor Robert Pattinson has tested positive for coronavirus days after filming recommenced near London
• More than 23.6 million cases and 868,000 deaths have been confirmed globally, according to Johns Hopkins University

Image source, CO-OP

Grocery chain the Co-op is opening 50 new stores and creating 1,000 new jobs this year.

The new roles come on top of the 1,000 jobs which the retailer added during lockdown, as demand from shoppers increased.

The extra posts announced today will be spread across new shops, in areas including Wrexham, Leeds and Guildford - as well as 15 stores that are being remodelled.

The Co-op said its research found that 70% of adults have relied on their local store for food and other goods in recent months as customers prioritised convenience.

In contrast to other parts of the economy, the grocery sector has seen a surge in demand during the pandemic. Last month, Tesco said it would create 16,000 permanent jobs after lockdown led to "exceptional growth" in its online business.

Image source, Reuters

Pret a Manger is to offer customers up to five coffees a day if they sign up to a monthly subscription service.

The chain is hoping that the price tag of £20 is low enough to win back some of the business lost during the pandemic.

Pret has already announced it is closing 30 outlets and laying off a third of its staff.

Pret boss Pano Christou told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the sandwich chain "needs to adapt itself to the changes of customer patterns" as many office workers continue to work from home.

For the fixed monthly fee, a customer can select any "barista prepared" drink, using their phone to access the subscription, up to five times a day, seven days a week.

The scheme appears to be designed around the "new normal", at a price that is still attractive even if you're only going to the office twice a week, said Natalie Berg, an analyst with NBK retail.

"Pret is betting you'll buy a sandwich with that coffee and it becomes habitual," she said.

Read more.

Mike Sanders
BBC News

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Silvio Berlusconi's political party Forza Italia insists he's been taken to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan as a precaution after testing positive for coronavirus.

The former Italian prime minister has released a video saying he feels fine.

But he is 83, and reportedly in the early stages of double pneumonia. That's not necessarily any worse than pneumonia in one lung but it is a recognised symptom of Covid-19, which was originally called novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia.

His 30-year-old girlfriend, the Italian MP Marta Fascina, and two of his children have also tested positive.

Image source, Getty Images

Well, the slightly infuriating answer is "it depends". You are free to travel there, but whether you'll have to self-isolate when you get home depends on which bit of the UK you live in.

If you are travelling to Wales (no matter which UK airport you've landed at) and you've just been to Portugal, then you'll have to quarantine for two weeks when you get back.

The same applies if you're travelling to Scotland, as of 04:00 BST on Saturday. Scotland has also added Greece and French Polynesia to its quarantine list.

And if your final destination is Wales, you'll also have to self-isolate if you've been to any of these places: Gibraltar, French Polynesia or the Greek islands of Mykonos, Zakynthos (or Zante), Lesvos, Paros, Antiparos or Crete.

So how is it decided which country ends up on the quarantine list?

That's done with the help of the Joint Biosecurity Centre, set up by the government, which works with the chief medical officers of each nation and advises which countries it should have on its list.

Each UK nation sets its own quarantine list, although until recently these have generally been identical.

Take a look at our explainer here which gives more detail.

Image source, Reuters

As we mentioned earlier, New Zealand is mourning its first death with Covid-19 in three months with confirmation that a man in his 50s died in hospital in Auckland today.

New Zealand was widely praised for its tough early measures, which resulted in 102 days without any locally transmitted cases of the virus - one of the few countries to reach such a milestone.

Here's how the country's response has played out so far:

• 3 Feb: Bans entry to anyone coming from or via China after a man in the Philippines becomes the first person outside China to test positive. This is then extended to include other countries with outbreaks
• 19 March: Bans all non-residents from entry
• 25 March: Nationwide lockdown, despite recording only 102 cases and no deaths
• 8 June: PM Jacinda Ardern announces transmission of the virus has been "eliminated.. for now" and the lockdown is lifted.
• 13 August: Fourteen new cases, most traced to one family, recorded in Auckland, which goes back into lockdown
• 4 September: Despite restrictions, cases rise to 152 with three new cases recorded on Friday. The country's death toll from the pandemic now stands at 23

A school in Staffordshire has closed to pupils because of a confirmed case of Covid-19.

The JCB Academy in Rocester, which welcomed pupils back at the end of last month, asked children to stay at home on Friday.

In an email to parents, seen by the BBC, the co-ed secondary school - and apprenticeship training centre - said it was investigating a "single case" of the virus.

It added there was no need for parents to be "unduly concerned" but asked parents to book a test if their son or daughter displayed any symptoms.

It is not clear whether the case involves a pupil or a member of staff. The school said lessons would continue online in the meantime.

Many Year 11 and Year 13 students have returned to school for the first time since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Some London-based pupils have been speaking about their worries when it comes to taking their exams next summer having missed several months of teaching in a classroom.

Video by Tarah Welsh and Davie Faye