Summary

  • Wales becomes the first UK nation to lift its rule to stay local, although non-essential travel to other parts of the UK is still banned

  • Six people from two households can now meet outdoors and self-contained tourist accommodation may reopen

  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he sees 'absolutely nothing in the data' to dissuade him from continuing to lift lockdown restrictions

  • Meanwhile, the first Covid booster jabs to stop new variants could be given to over-70s from September, the vaccines minister says

  • Nadhim Zahawi said those in the top four priority groups of the vaccine rollout will get any booster jabs first

  • One-fifth of the Philippines' population is going into lockdown as hospitals in Manila struggle to cope with a surge in infections

  • In England, shops will be allowed to stay open until 22:00 BST six days a week when customers return from 12 April

  • Police in Bristol have made 10 arrests during a demonstration that they warned broke coronavirus restrictions

  • Both Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel have condemned the demonstrators

  • France has accused the UK of 'blackmail' over its handling of coronavirus vaccine exports

Live Reporting

Edited by Julian Joyce

  1. What's been happening around the world?

    Everyone arriving at German airports will need to have a negative test before departure, from TuesdayEPA

    Everyone arriving at German airports will need to have a negative test before departure, from Tuesday

    • France's foreign minister has accused the UK of "blackmail" over its handling of vaccine exports, amid a continuing row over the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. Jean-Yves Le Drian did not specify what he considered to be blackmail, but also suggested the UK may struggle to source second doses.
    • Germany has tightened its borders and classed neighbouring France as a "high risk" area as Europe continues to tackle a rise in cases. The head of the country's RKI public health institute warned that Germany could see 100,000 infections a day if the third wave spreads unchecked.
    • The prime minister of Poland has warned that the country's hospitals may not be able to cope with soaring Covid cases. The Kent variant of the virus is now responsible for 80% of all infections there. Its government has brought in tighter restrictions including a cut in the number of worshippers allowed to attend mass for Easter
    • The drug Ivermectin is at the centre of a legal battle in South Africa as some medics want it licensed for human use. The drug - used to treat parasitic worms - been touted by some as an effective coronavirus treatment even though it is clinically unproven. Some doctors have been prescribing it to patients with coronavirus, saying that they have seen anecdotal evidence that it can alleviate some of the worst effects of Covid-19.

  2. What's changing in Wales today?

    people would only be able to go on holiday with people in their own householdGetty Images

    People can now go on holiday within Wales with their own household

    It's a big day for millions of people in Wales today as lockdown begins to ease.

    From today, people can travel anywhere else in Wales - rather than being told to "stay local".

    Six people from two households are now allowed to meet up outside, an increase from the current four-person limit.

    Also, organised outdoor activities and sports for under-18s can resume.

    People can now go on holiday - as long as they stay within Wales. Self-contained tourist accommodation - including many hotels and cottages - will be able to reopen from 27 March, providing a potential boost to the tourism industry ahead of Easter.

    But non-essential travel to and from other UK nations will be banned for at least two weeks.

    Our guide on how the rules have changed is here.

  3. Newspaper headlines: 'Over-70s autumn booster' and 'freedom' on Monday

    Newspaper headlines

    Several of today's newspaper front pages in the UK strike an upbeat tone, with many papers looking forward to the next stage of lockdown easing in England on Monday.

    From 29 March - which the Daily Mail dubs "Freedom Monday" - more people will be allowed to meet outside, and the stay-at-home rule ends.

    Meanwhile, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi says the government's booster jabs programme will aim to "future proof" the UK against new Covid variants

    He tells the paper the boosters should be ready to go for the top priority groups by September, saying "however the virus behaves, we're going to be ready".

    Against such a backdrop, the paper asks in its editorial why the lifting of restrictions has been so slow. "Now that we have vaccinated so many, we should not be talking of more rules and regulations" but of "liberating our economy and society."

    Read more on the papers in our full review.

  4. Good morning

    Welcome to our live coverage.

    We'll be bringing you updates on the coronavirus pandemic from the UK and around the world throughout the day.