Summary

  • Portugal is set to be moved from UK's green travel lists to amber - meaning that people can only travel there for essential reasons

  • Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says the move is a "safety first approach" to "give us the best chance of unlocking domestically"

  • No new countries are being added to the green lists - the news has been heavily criticised by the travel industry

  • Seven more countries are set to be added to the red lists, indicating they should only be visited in extreme circumstances

  • They are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Trinidad & Tobago

  • "I understand why people want to travel, of course I do, but we’ve got to make sure we keep this country safe," Matt Hancock says

  • Making sure coronavirus vaccines are available "at cost" to poorer nations is a priority, the UK health secretary also says

  • Half of UK adults have received two doses of a coronavirus jab, the vaccines minister has announced

  • 17,162 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to 26 May, up 22% on the previous week and the highest for six weeks

  1. Redknapp and Grimshaw isolate after game show casepublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Harry Redknapp and Nick GrimshawImage source, Getty Images

    Former football manager Harry Redknapp and Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw are among the celebrities self-isolating after a crew member tested positive for Covid-19 on the set of The Wheel.

    The BBC One game show, which is hosted by Michael McIntyre, is currently filming a new series which will air later this year.

    During the filming of one episode last Friday, some celebrity guests came into contact with a crew member who later tested positive for coronavirus.

    Those affected are now self-isolating.

    A BBC spokesman says: "We can confirm an individual has tested positive for Covid. The production has and will continue to follow strict government guidelines to ensure the safety of all on the show."

  2. Home Covid testing in England lowest in six weekspublished at 11:53 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Man testing himselfImage source, Getty Images

    As the number of Covid cases in England has gone up, the number of people testing themselves at home has gone down.

    The number of rapid Covid-19 tests carried out in England has fallen to its lowest level in six weeks - despite the government urging everyone to take two tests a week.

    Just over 4.8 million lateral flow device (LFD) tests were taken in England in the week to 26 May, the latest Test and Trace figures show.

    It is the fifth week in a row the number has decreased.

    The number of LFD tests peaked at just over 7.6 million in the week to 17 March, which coincided with the return of secondary students to school.

    Since 9 April, everyone in England has been eligible for free swab tests that give results in 30 minutes.

    Here's how to get your test kits and a guide on how to use them.

  3. Surge testing in Derbyshire after variant foundpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Surge testing and sequencing is to be launched in Derbyshire after the identification of the Delta Covid variant - first found in India.

    NHS Test and Trace, along with the local authority, is carrying out the additional testing in the Gamesley Ward of High Peak.

    Everyone aged five and over who lives or works in the area is being encouraged to take a Covid-19 PCR test whether they have symptoms or not.

  4. 10,000 volunteers pull out of Tokyo Gamespublished at 11:39 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    A giant Olympic rings monument is seen at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan, on 12 May 2021Image source, EPA

    We reported earlier about the head of the Tokyo Olympics expressing confidence in the Games going ahead this year, after being postponed last year because of the pandemic.

    However, the head of the organising committee earlier said some 10,000 of 80,000 volunteers have already pulled out over coronavirus concerns, external.

    Some also dropped out because of the postponement of the Games or in protest at sexist remarks made by president Seiko Hashimoto's predecessor, who was forced to resign in February after saying women talked too much in meetings.

    The committee's chairman, Toshiro Muto, says the development will not seriously affect operations because the Games have been scaled back and given the fact no foreign spectators are being allowed to attend.

    Most Japanese oppose holding the Olympics, which are due to start next month; Japan has been struggling to contain the pandemic and vaccination rollout has been slow.

  5. Covid cases in England at highest in weekspublished at 11:30 British Summer Time 3 June 2021
    Breaking

    The number of new coronavirus infections in England was up by almost a quarter on the previous week, Test and Trace figures show.

    A total of 17,162 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to 26 May.

    That's up 22% on the previous week and is the highest figure since the week to 14 April.

  6. Covid outbreak migrant housing unlawful, court rulespublished at 11:14 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Napier BarracksImage source, PA Media

    The Home Office's decision to house migrants in a "squalid" barracks in Folkestone - causing a Covid-19 outbreak - was unlawful, the High Court has ruled.

    Six migrants claim housing at Napier Barracks was "unsafe" and dormitory use caused a Covid-19 outbreak.

    Lawyers say the accommodation in Kent breached human rights, but the Home Office has argued providing short-term housing there was lawful.

    Mr Justice Linden's judgment follows hearings that took place in April.

    The ruling - which found accommodation at the barracks "fell below the minimum standard" - paves the way for a massive damages claim against the Home Office.

    Read more here.

  7. WHO is not aware of 'Nepal variant'published at 11:07 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is not aware of a new variant being detected in Nepal, following some UK media reports saying one had been found there.

    The predominant variant in circulation in the Himalayan country is Delta, the variant initially found in India, it adds.

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    And in Nepal, the health ministry has also said it is unaware of the existence of the variant.

    “We don’t know what ‘Nepal variant’ is, as we have not detected any such so-called Nepal variant of the coronavirus,” Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, spokesman for the health ministry, has told the Kathmandu Post, external.

    “We have written to the concerned health agency of the United Kingdom regarding the news reports. We will issue a press statement if needed.”

    The WHO is using the new names for virus variants based on Greek letters.

    BBC graph on variants' new names
  8. What are the rules for green list countries?published at 10:57 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    BeachImage source, AFP

    We've been talking a lot about the green travel list this morning. We're expecting to find out later whether any countries will be added - or removed.

    But what is the green list? And how does it work?

    Holidaymakers can visit green list, external countries without having to quarantine upon return to England.

    It includes a small number of places - and only Portugal and Iceland, external are accepting UK tourists.

    If returning from a green list country, you must:

    Head over to our guide to the red, amber and green lists for more information.

  9. Covid passports 'some way off' - Hancockpublished at 10:48 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    We have been talking about travel already today and so has Matt Hancock ahead of the G7 health ministers' meeting.

    He tells reporters an internationally agreed approach to Covid vaccine certification - known as vaccine passports - remains "some way off".

    The health secretary says: "Ultimately there are a number of countries around the world that have said they're definitely going to have a requirement to be vaccinated in order to travel.

    "We're making sure that here any Brit can see their vaccine status.

    "But we're some way off having an internationally agreed approach for that.

    "It's something we talk about and are discussing but there's still a lot of work to do."

  10. Gove: UK open minded to furlough extensionpublished at 10:40 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Michael GoveImage source, PA Media

    The UK government is "open-minded" to SNP calls to extend furlough, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove says.

    Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants the job support scheme extended "for as long as it is needed".

    The call comes ahead of a virtual meeting between Boris Johnson and the three devolved administrations on how to emerge from the Covid pandemic.

    The furlough scheme - officially called the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) - was launched in March 2020, to minimise unemployment.

    It now covers up to 80% of an employee's salary for the hours they cannot work, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month, and is due to expire at the end of September.

    Gove tells BBC's Good Morning Scotland he is "open-minded" on the SNP's proposal.

    He adds the furlough scheme is a "huge success" that is only possible "thanks to the broad shoulders of the UK Treasury".

  11. The Australian millennials desperate for vaccinespublished at 10:32 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Frances Mao
    BBC News, Sydney

    A young woman walks past an ad featuring an illustration of a woman wearing a maskImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Australia hasn't opened its vaccine programme yet to people under 40

    The hot, new thing that young people want in Australia right now? It's not the latest Yeezy sneakers or an iPhone - it's a Covid vaccine, preferably the much coveted Pfizer.

    For most millennials, vaccines are off-limits right now, a reality many argue is holding them back - and risking their future.

    Four months into Australia's vaccine programme, most people aged under 40 still aren't eligible to get the jab. The country has been running a rollout in stages based on age and vulnerability.

    The process has also been held up by supply issues, delivery failures and concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine.

    Read more here.

  12. Collins' resignation a 'huge loss'published at 10:21 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Sir Kevan CollansImage source, Alamy
    Image caption,

    Sir Kevan Collins stepped down yesterday, saying the government's funding to help pupils make up for lost learning during the pandemic "falls far short of what is needed"

    Anne Longfield, former children's commissioner for England, has described Sir Kevan Collins' decision to resign as education recovery commissioner for England as a "huge loss".

    Longfield tells BBC Breakfast: "The scale of the difference between the proposals that he's poured his energies into over recent months, and what's been put forward, I think, really will be what has done it for him."

    She adds: "We've seen in other areas, of course, spending has needed to happen during the pandemic. Furlough, not least. None of us would say that wasn't money well spent, but somehow when it gets to children and education there's so many hoops that need to be jumped through."

    Dr Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, echoes her concern that a generation of children could be failed and also thinks Collins would not have taken the decision to resign lightly.

    "I just hope that it's a wake-up call for government to see this as the beginning of a much bigger, more ambitious programme," he tells the Today programme.

    "And remember this is an investment for the future. If we don't address these issues now the real fear is that we will fail a whole generation."

  13. India's top court criticises vaccination drivepublished at 10:13 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    People waiting to get a Covid vaccine on 10 May 2021 in Delhi, IndiaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    India has administered more than 220 million doses since it began vaccinating in mid-January

    India's Supreme Court has sharply criticised the federal government over its coronavirus vaccination programme.

    The judges asked the government to explain why it was mandatory to register on an app for getting a jab.

    The court says this will hamper vaccinations across rural India where internet access is difficult.

    The judges also questioned whether federal policy was making individual states compete against each other for vaccines.

    India has administered more than 220 million doses since it began vaccinating in mid-January, but so far only 3% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has opened up vaccinations for some 960 million eligible Indians without having anything close to the required supply.

    The shortage came amid a deadly second Covid wave and warnings of an impending third wave. The wave has since slowed - the number of daily infections has fallen from the peak of over 400,000 last month to 132,788 cases recorded in the past 24 hours.

    Read more here.

  14. Speculation over which countries could go on green listpublished at 10:00 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    People dive into water at Gozo Island in MaltaImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Malta is among the destinations speculated to be added to the UK's green list

    There is speculation in the travel industry over which countries could be added to England's travel green list when an announcement is made later.

    Spanish and Greek islands plus Malta are among the destinations experts believe may be given green status.

    Robert Boyle, former director of strategy at British Airways' parent company IAG, predicts a number of summer hotspots will be added to the green tier.

    In a blog post he says: "It still seems very likely that whilst Spain and Greece will not make it on to the green list, many of their islands will." He suggests case rates and vaccination rates for the islands should be considered, rather than national totals.

    "Malta, Finland and Slovakia are fairly safe bets, based on high testing rates and low reported cases," he adds.

    Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, expects additions to the green list to include the Greek islands of Zante, Rhodes and Kos, the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Antigua, plus Malta and Finland.

    But he says he would be "surprised" if Spain's Balearic Islands - including Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca - were added today.

  15. Government considering proposal to extend school day - ministerpublished at 09:50 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    School pupilsImage source, PA Media

    The government is reviewing a recommendation about extending the school day to help children catch up on missed classroom time during the pandemic, Home Office minister Victoria Atkins says.

    The education recovery commissioner for England, Sir Kevan Collins, resigned yesterday - putting pressure on the government to come up with more cash for education in England.

    He had proposed £15bn to be spent largely on longer school days and extra teaching, but the government's plan is for £1.4bn for more tutoring and teacher training.

    Atkins tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme the money will be focused on extra tuition, which she says could mean a "significant gain" when it comes to catching up, especially for the most disadvantaged children.

    Asked whether the government is considering spending the full amount recommended by Collins, she says she is not privy to discussions between the Department for Education and the Treasury, but adds: "This is part of a programme of work. We are reviewing this recommendation about extending the school day - we're very much looking into that, we're reviewing it very carefully."

    Senior Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee, tells the programme the government must "decide their priorities in terms of education".

    "Where there is the political will, the Treasury can find the money from the back of the sofa," he says, adding the pandemic has been "disastrous" for young children's education.

    "We need some radical thinking, some thinking out of the box, a proper long-term plan and I will keep campaigning for that, and a proper funding settlement so that that plan is properly resourced."

  16. G7 health ministers to discuss vaccine sharingpublished at 09:43 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Tulip Mazumdar
    Global Health Correspondent

    A member of the National Guard looks on as a batch of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, delivered under the Covax scheme, is unloaded in Mexico City, Mexico, on 27 May 2021Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Unicef wants G7 and EU countries to donate 20% of their vaccine doses over the summer to countries that need them

    As we mentioned earlier, there is a meeting of G7 health ministers being held in Oxford later today - ahead of the fully fledged G7 summit in the UK next week - to discuss, among other issues, sharing vaccines with poorer countries.

    Eighteen countries in Africa have either run out of Covid vaccines already, or will run out in the next couple of weeks.

    The shortfall is primarily down to the crisis in India, which has resulted in doses from the main supplier, the Serum Institute, being diverted for use domestically.

    Unicef wants G7 countries, together with the EU, to donate 20% of their vaccine doses in June, July and August, to help plug the gap.

    For the UK, that would mean giving just over four million doses this month. For the US, it’s almost 27 million doses.

    This week, many rich nations promised another £1.7bn ($2.4bn) to help get vaccines into poorer countries.

    But with manufacturers unable to keep up with demand, and a few wealthy countries hoarding so many of the currently available doses, it’s the world’s poorest who remain last in line to be vaccinated.

  17. Amazon beefs up Covid testing capabilitiespublished at 09:35 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    A technician at the Amazon testing facilities
    Image caption,

    Amazon has set up its own Covid testing facilities in Greater Manchester

    Amazon is to expand its Covid testing lab facilities in the UK as the pandemic continues.

    The online giant says this is to benefit employees and UK public health.

    However, analysts say it could also provide business opportunities in the health sector and buff up Amazon's reputation after questions over working conditions.

    Amazon recently moved into the online pharmacy business in the US for subscribers to its Prime service.

    The company's UK lab, in Manchester, has processed 900,000 test samples to date.

    The test results are anonymous and will be shared with Public Health England once the lab is approved for sequencing.

    Lab director Luke Meredith, who joined Amazon from the World Health Organization, says: "What we decided during the Covid outbreak is that we really needed to maximise protection for safe working in the fulfilment centres."

  18. Healthcare organisations call for stricter PPE rulespublished at 09:21 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    A woman in medical PPEImage source, Getty Images

    More than 20 healthcare organisations are calling for stricter UK guidelines to be introduced on face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

    In a virtual meeting with officials, they will say existing rules leave them vulnerable to infection through the air, especially by new Covid variants.

    The unprecedented appeal - thought to be the first time health and care organisations have united on a single issue in this way - will see them argue that other countries, such as the United States, protect their health workers with higher-grade equipment.

    The delegation will include representatives of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and many other professional organisations and unions.

    On the government side will be about 20 of the most senior officials from all four UK nations, many involved in setting the guidelines on PPE.

  19. Canary Islands should be treated different from Spain - tourism reppublished at 09:11 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Two people on a beachImage source, Getty Images

    There is speculation about countries that could be added to the green list today - including Finland, Malta and the Canary Islands.

    Cristina del Rio Fresen, leader of Global Tourism Safety on the Canary Islands - a project run by the department of tourism - tells BBC Breakfast the islands should be considered separately from the rest of Spain.

    "The islands should have a different regulation, especially the Canary Islands that have a very strong relationship with the United Kingdom, and I think we should be treated in a different way," she says.

    It's expected that most people will have been vaccinated on the islands by the end of July, she says - when rules on face coverings may be relaxed.

    "Bars are open, in the Canaries there are many more people going out, dining outside. We're recovering the normal situation day by day," she adds.

    "It has been a dramatic situation for many companies, hoteliers, bars, restaurants. People are wiling to work. We need to start activity as soon as possible. As the British market it so important to us, we need to be sure, and people need to be sure, that they will be working in the near future."

  20. Hancock speaks ahead of G7 meetingpublished at 09:00 British Summer Time 3 June 2021

    Matt Hancock walks past a police officer outside Downing StreetImage source, PA Media

    Pursuing a better early warning system for emerging virus threats is on the agenda of an upcoming meeting of G7 health ministers, Matt Hancock says.

    Speaking ahead of the summit in Oxford, the UK health secretary says making sure coronavirus vaccines are available "at cost" to poorer nations is also a priority.

    "Ultimately we’re only going to get out of this global pandemic if the world is able to get out," he says.

    When asked about the announcement on the UK’s travel list system later, Hancock repeats the line that the government has "got to follow the data".

    "Of course I understand why people want to travel, of course I do," he says. "But we’ve got to make sure we keep this country safe especially as the vaccine programme is going so well.

    "We’ve got to protect the progress that we’ve made here at home whilst, of course, allowing for travel where it is safe to do so - so you’ve got to follow the data."