Image source, Getty

Queues of up to seven hours amid tighter border controls have led some passengers to describe conditions at Heathrow Airport as "not humane".

One described a mother having to feed her baby on the floor as passengers queued until the early hours of the morning on Sunday, with no chairs or water.

A union for border control workers said Covid security measures for staff designed to prevent infections were to blame.

Lucy Moreton, general secretary of ISU, the union for Borders and Immigration, said staff have been put into bubbles of 10 people to reduce the risk of cross infection - but it meant it was harder to deploy extra staff when needed.

But the Home Office disputed this account. It said the queues were caused by "a large number" of passengers on Sunday failing to purchase in advance the required testing kits to take during quarantine.

"Every essential check stops the spread of coronavirus in the UK. These people should not have been allowed to travel without their testing packages and we are following up with regulators and carriers to ensure the law is enforced," the Home Office said.

Image source, PA Media

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will be leading a Downing Street briefing later - and is likely to face questions about the prevalence of the Brazil variant in the UK and whether quarantine measures are tight enough.

He will be joined by Dr Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, and deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.

We'll bring you full coverage.

Image source, Reuters

Britain should be a "force for good in the world" said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, commenting on the start of the rollout of vaccines under the Covax initiative.

Ivory Coast is one of the first to benefit from the UN-backed distribution scheme set up to share doses fairly with poorer nations.

Raab told reporters: "What we are seeing today is the first mass rollout at Cote d'Ivoire - half a million doses - part of our strategy to get the most vulnerable people in 92 of the developing countries vaccinated by June.

"And that's because we believe Britain should be a force for good in the world but also because we recognise that we are not safe until everyone is safe."

Raab also said border restrictions in the UK are "robust" despite the discovery of cases of a Brazilian coronavirus strain.

"The border restrictions, I think, are robust - we keep them under constant review," he said. "I think variants are the normal feature of any pandemic and any virus."

Image source, Alastair Smith

A couple who set up camp with their child on the edge of a precarious North Yorkshire clifftop have fallen foul of another hazard - coronavirus regulations.

Police fined the 27-year-old woman and 30-year-old man for breaching lockdown rules by travelling from Doncaster and Middlesbrough to Port Mulgrave in the North York Moors National Park.

All three lives had been put at risk by choosing to camp in a place prone to landslips, officers said.

"To travel from Middlesbrough and Doncaster with the intention to camp overnight is obviously a clear breach of the regulations," North Yorkshire Police said.

"Not only were the individuals involved risking their own safety and the safety of the child who was with them, if a landslide had occurred, they would also be risking the lives of the emergency services who would attend the resulting incident."

Dr Scott Kobner, an ER doctor at LAC+USC Medical Center, has been taking photos from the front lines in the US's worst-hit county.

More than 20,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Los Angeles County in California, more than any other county in the US.

"I thought the historical importance of capturing this pandemic would be really useful for us in generations to come, to reflect on some of the challenges that we faced and the way we overcame those challenges," he tells the BBC.

Image source, Rob Noble

Police turned away more than 100 cars from Formby Beach in Merseyside over the weekend, as people travelled from as far away as Leeds and Manchester to make the most of the sunny weather.

Supt Graeme Robson said it was "totally unacceptable" for people to be travelling such large distances and showed a "complete disregard" for the guidance to stay in your local area.

"Now more than ever people should be taking heed of the advice, so that infection rates can continue to drop, and we can meet the criteria necessary for easing lockdown in the upcoming weeks and months," he said.

Merseyside Police said it also issued 20 fines of £200 for people breaching Covid guidelines at the beach.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, China Media Analyst

Image source, CCTV

Schools in China have been opening over the last week for the spring term, so the country’s official broadcaster CCTV has been devoting extensive coverage this week towards showing that schools are safe.

Today, CCTV visited primary and secondary schools at four cities in different parts of the country., external It is clear that some precautions are still in place in cities that experienced outbreaks as recently as last month.

There have been no domestically-transmitted cases of Covid-19 anywhere in mainland China over the last week. But in January, several areas of northeast China went into strict lockdown for a month.

These included the city of Shijiazhuang and part of the capital, Beijing. At schools in these areas, mask-wearing is enforced in the classroom, and in some schools, students sit at individual desks. Markers in the corridors make students aware of social distancing.

Image source, CCTV

But in schools in northeast Shenyang, and southwest Chengdu - areas that have remained Covid-free during the winter months - life looks very much like it did pre-pandemic. Students sit two or three to a desk, and are mask-free in and outside of the classroom.

Last year around the same time, all schools in China moved to teaching online.Classroom teaching was very slowly phased back, and in some densely populated areas like the original Covid-19 epicentre Wuhan, schools remained closed until the autumn, even though China largely brought its outbreaks under control by the spring.

Image source, Getty Images

UK officials will discuss the European Union's plans for a coronavirus passport with counterparts in Brussels, Downing Street says.

The European Commission has set out plans for a "digital green pass" which would record vaccination status and test results, and could unlock travel for work and tourism.

The prime minister's official spokesman says: "We have said that we are looking at the issue of vaccine passports.

"As you can expect, the Department for Transport will speak to countries across the world in terms of how they may look to introduce passports."

The spokesman says they will not pre-empt the outcome of the UK Government's review.

But "of course you can expect us to speak to the EU and other countries on how they may implement any similar sorts of policies", they say.

Image source, Getty Images

At the Scottish government's coronavirus briefing, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has been giving an update on the three travellers to Aberdeen who tested positive for the P1 Brazilian variant.

After arriving at Heathrow, they flew on BA1312 to Aberdeen on 29 January.

Freeman said that all passengers on the flight will be contacted. “If you were on that flight and have not yet been contacted, you will be contacted shortly, so please wait for that," she said.

She said there is no reason to believe the variant is spreading in Scotland. But she added: "We are doing everything we can and all that is necessary to check whether this variant could have been transmitted within Scotland and to identity and break any possible chains of transmission."

Scotland has recorded another 386 confirmed cases of the virus today and no new deaths, Freeman said.

On the anniversary of Scotland's first coronavirus case, she said it was "impossible to adequately express" her gratitude for what the Scottish people have endured to prevent the spread of the virus and for the "tireless and unrelenting" work of health services.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Reuters

Hong Kong has today recorded its 200th Covid-19 death, external.

More than 11,000 people have been affected by the virus in the city of 7.4m.

Hong Kong began its inoculation drive on Friday, when the Chinese Sinovac vaccine became available to high-risk groups. From Wednesday, priority residents will be able to book a Pfizer-BioNTech jab, external.

Hong Kong has experienced four waves of Covid-19 - the most recent, in November 2020, was described by the island’s leader Carrie Lam, as “severe”.

In December, Hong Kong banned flights from the UK, amid fears that the Kent strain of the coronavirus could lead to a wider outbreak. This means hundreds of Hong Kongers have been left stranded in the UK, external.

The situation does appear to be improving, with Hong Kong gradually relaxing restrictions over the past month - including the reopening of gyms and beauty salons, external.

But there remain concerns about people gathering at outdoor venues, as the weather improves: a local landmark, dubbed “Instagram Pier”, was reportedly forced to close on Monday due to concerns over people not social distancing., external

Image source, WALSALL HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST

Five weeks after she gave birth while seriously ill with Covid-19, 20-year-old Ellie Wright held the hand of her son, Leo, for the first time.

She had the virus when she was 30 weeks pregnant and the doctors told her she needed an emergency Caesarean, which would mean putting her under for three days.

Instead, she spent weeks unconscious as her illness worsened, according to her mother, Michelle Stankevitch.

Michelle said baby Leo is now doing "brilliantly" after coming home from hospital last week, where he had been on a ventilator.

But she was told Ellie's rehabilitation from the virus and pneumonia may take up to two years.

After regaining consciousness, Ellie was able to hold Leo's hand for the first time.

"I said to Ellie 'here's Leo' and she smiled at me and then she'd just about got the strength to lift her left arm and she touched his hand," Michelle said.

"Then when we left, she just cried because she didn't want us to go, but it was an absolute magical moment."

Image source, Family handout

Image source, Welsh Government

First Minister Mark Drakeford says more than 3% of the population in Wales has now received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine - "a larger proportion than any other part of the UK".

Speaking at a Welsh Government coronavirus briefing, Mr Drakeford said the total number of vaccinations in Wales had passed the one million mark at the weekend, with more than 100,000 people having been given both doses.

He added that the total number of coronavirus-related patients in hospital had fallen below 1,500 for the first time since early November.

“All these are encouraging signs that the worst of the second wave is hopefully behind us, and we can look forward with confidence to more positive days and weeks ahead of us," he said.

However, he urged people to continue being “respectful” of lockdown measures and keep "within the rules" - particularly as the weather improves.

It follows"numerous reports" of crowds at beauty spots in Wales over the weekend, which led to the closure of car parks and fines being issued.

Under Wales' lockdown rules people should only leave home to exercise or for reasons such as work or school, with driving to attractions such as parks or beaches prohibited.

Image source, Reuters

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is going to ask US President Joe Biden to share some of the US's Covid vaccine supply when they meet at a virtual summit later today, according to Reuters news agency.

Lopez Obrador has frequently spoken out about vaccine inequality, calling for high-income countries - many of which have bought up surplus doses - to help improve lower-income nations' access to vaccines.

He's also called the current system of distributing vaccines "totally unfair".

Biden is apparently open to discussing the issue, but will tell Lopez Obrador that his "number one priority" is vaccinating people in the US, an anonymous White House official told Reuters.

The call comes as the US reports more than 2,400 cases of Covid variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that this isn't the full number of variants circulating - just those that have been found by analysing positive samples.

Image source, Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the coronavirus jab as the country opened its vaccination programme for the wider population.

India launched its vaccination drive on 16 January, but it was limited to healthcare workers and frontline staff.

Now, people who are above the age of 60 and those who are between 45 and 59 but have co-morbidities can get vaccinated.

State-run hospitals will offer free jabs but people can also pay at private facilities to get vaccinated.

Read more here.

Image source, Reuters

We've been covering some criticism of the UK's coronavirus border controls following the discovery of a number of cases of a highly transmissible variant from Brazil.

Downing Street has defended its policies saying the current situation, where a person infected with the new variant is being sought after not filling in their details, is "very, very rare".

It is not known whether this unidentified person had recently been abroad,

The prime minister's official spokesman says the requirement for people to isolate when they arrive in the UK has been in place for "a long time".

"We now ensure that people have a negative test before they enter the UK," he says.

"That is why we had those border policies to try and reduce the number of variants that enter the UK and stop the re-importation of cases. The important thing is that when people arrive they follow the border restrictions."

He adds: "In a very, very few rare cases individuals do not complete that information, which means that extra action has to be taken to track them down. That is what we are currently doing with regards to the Brazil variant."

Police officers in Wales say they are facing "greater hostility" from the public when enforcing Covid rules.

The head of the South Wales Police Federation said officers were dealing with "significant problems" of people congregating in public spaces.

As weather improved over the weekend, car parks were closed across several beaches in Swansea at the request of police.

"We understand people are incredibly frustrated these restrictions have been in place for a long while now - however, the rules are quite clear on this, that people shouldn't be travelling to take exercise," Steve Treharne told BBC Radio Wales.

"I don't think the situation is being helped with the circumstances around off-licences being allowed to open, so we've got people congregating," he added.

"Our officers are now facing greater hostility from members of the public and it's not really fair."

Speaking at Monday's Welsh Government coronavirus briefing, First Minister Mark Drakeford called for "responsible" behaviour as more people head outdoors in the Spring sunshine.

"People have spent the long winter months confined at home, people wanted to enjoy the fresh air, but it's still a matter of doing that in a way that's responsible and within the rules," he said.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says people should not be overly concerned that a new coronavirus variant, first seen in Brazil, has been found in the UK.

He added that Public Health England have advised that there isn't a threat to the wider public.

The new variant is thought to be more contagious, and there have been concerns current vaccines might not work as well at preventing it.

Image source, Getty Images

One of the challenges for understanding Covid-19 is that all the science has happened under a spotlight.

Usually, by the time you read about scientific research on a news site like the BBC, it has gone through a period of scrutiny, development and evaluation.

That science is not secret as it's being done, it's just something people rarely pay attention to until it reaches a journal.

What's different about Covid-19 is that we all – the public, politicians, journalists – have experienced science at its frontiers.

At the border between the known and the unknown, research is messy, confusing, and sometimes contradictory.

Human fallibility and bias is possible. But this is how it works. This is how we find out how the world operates, and how we move forward to greater understanding as a species.

Over the past year, BBC Future has aimed to go deeper into the science behind the pandemic as it evolved. What have we learnt, and what is still unknown?

The shadow home secretary is calling for urgent answers over how the Brazilian strain of coronavirus reached the UK and one infected person is so far untraceable.

Health officials are trying to find one person in England who is understood to have used a home testing kit but did not complete a registration form.

They are appealing for anyone without a result from a test on 12 or 13 February to come forward.

Nick Thomas-Symonds says he has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel.

He says: “This is unforgivable incompetence from the UK government.

"Despite being warned time and time again, they have failed to act to protect our borders against emerging Covid variants and could put at risk the gains from the vaccine.

“People will be appalled to hear someone with the Brazilian variant cannot be identified, raising questions about how many others may have been missed by quarantine measures.

"There is no excuse for continuing to ignore Labour’s call for a comprehensive hotel quarantine system.”

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied his government was too slow to implement quarantine on those coming into the UK from overseas, telling reporters "we moved as fast as we could".

His comments come as England's health officials are trying to trace one person in England who has been infected with a concerning variant of coronavirus first found in Brazil.

They are one of six cases of the P1 variant found in the UK in February.

Johnson said of border control and quarantine: "It's a very tough regime - you come here, you immediately get transported to a hotel where you are kept for 10 days, 11 days".

Mr Johnson said the quarantine proceedings, which include testing travellers on day two and day eight, were "designed to stop the spread of new variants while we continue to roll out the vaccination programme".

He said a "massive effort" was under way to prevent the spread of the Brazil variant, after six cases were discovered in the UK.

"If you look at what we have done in the case of the South African variant, a massive effort went in there. The same is going on now to contain any spread of the Brazilian variant."

And he reassured the public that vaccines remained effective - against all known variants.

"We don't have any reason at the present time to think that our vaccines are ineffective against these new variants of all types," he said.