Zahawi has announced that people will be required to be fully vaccinated to attend "large crowded settings" such as nightclubs from the end of September - after all over-18s have had the chance to receive both vaccine doses and develop immunity.

"So at that point we plan to make full vaccination a condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather, proof of a negative test will no longer be sufficient," he said.

"We will ensure the appropriate exemptions for those who have genuine medical reasons of why they can't get vaccinated and I'm clear we will always look at the evidence available and do all we can to ensure people can continue to do the things they love."

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth is replying to the vaccines statement in the House of Commons.

He says children can become very sick with Covid and can go on to develop long Covid.

He wants to know why the JCVI has not recommended that all children are jabbed rather than only those who are the most vulnerable.

He raises the issue of what will happen in September when students return to school and asks whether ministers aim to improve ventilation in classrooms and make enough tests available for everyone who needs them.

We have some of the highest infections rates in the world, he adds, and the NHS is facing a summer crisis.

Moving on to self-isolation for people who have been in close contact with positive cases, Zahawi says it remains "one of the most effective tools we have" to reduce transmission.

But he adds: "However, we recognise there are some very specific circumstances where there would be a serious risk of harm to public welfare if critical roles are unable to go to their workplace, like air traffic controllers or train signallers.

"So people in those kind of roles who have received two vaccinations plus two weeks... will not need to self-isolate to perform those critical tasks."

They will however, still need to self-isolate at other times, Zahawi adds.

People eligible for this will receive personalised letters.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

This news conference will be a bit of a strange one with the prime minister being beamed in from Chequers (the country house that prime ministers get to use) because he's in self-isolation.

Watch out for questions about why he considered using a scheme that would have allowed him to avoid isolating when so many other people are having to do it.

Expect more too of his message of caution and probably something on plans to vaccinate some children but not the majority.

And how will he respond to charges from Labour that he is being "reckless" by having gone ahead with lifting the last legal restrictions in England when cases are going up?

We're expecting to hear from the prime minister soon.

He'll be speaking via video link from his country residence, Chequers, where he is self-isolating.

Over in Downing Street, he'll be joined by Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser.

Continuing his statement in the Commons, Zahawi says the government asked the JCVI whether all children over the age of 12 should be given the Covid vaccine.

He says: "Although we are not taking this step today, the JCVI is keeping this matter under review and they will be looking at more data as it becomes available."

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises UK health departments on immunisation, has recommended that Covid vaccines be offered to certain groups of under-18s, vaccines minister Nadim Zahawi tells MPs.

Speaking in the Commons, Zahawi says the JCVI advises:

• Children aged 12 to 17 at increased risk of serious Covid – such as those with severe neurodisabilities, Down’s syndrome, or immunosuppression – should be offered the Pfizer vaccine
• That vaccine should also be offered to 12 to 17-year-olds who live with an immunosuppressed person
• And “it is considered reasonable” to offer a vaccination to those children who are within three months of their 18th birthday “to ensure good uptake of vaccine in newly-turned 18-year-olds”

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only vaccine that has been authorised for 12 to 17-year-olds in the UK.

Zahawi tells the Commons the vaccination programme has "given us extra legs" in the fight against Covid.

But he adds: “We are entering the next stage [of that fight], the stage where we continue with caution while doing what it takes to manage the risks of this virus, which is still with us.”

Canterbury Cathedral is preparing for larger congregations and to allow them to sing again.

The Very Rev Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, said: "We're going to be able sing hymns again and that's not happened since 16 March last year."

He said only 170 people had been allowed to worship at a time but now the cathedral was preparing for up to 700 members in the congregation.

"We're aware some people will be very nervous and wanting to shield and we'll make provision for them, and people are being advised to bring a mask with them."

He said those taking Holy Communion would no longer need "those great visors" worshippers had been wearing.

"We won't need to wear masks all the time."

Vaccines minister Nadim Zahawi is due to update MPs shortly on the latest advice with regards to offering Covid vaccines to children.

Earlier this morning, he told the BBC the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation had recommended that children with medical conditions that make them vulnerable to Covid-19 should be vaccinated, along with those who live with clinically vulnerable people.

And he also says they recommend that children close to their 18th birthday should have the vaccine.

We'll bring you updates from his statement here.

Reality Check

Image source, Getty Images

Parts of Asia are experiencing a rapid rise in Covid cases as the Delta variant, first identified in India, spreads across the region.

The variant - recently described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the "most transmissible" identified so far - is putting severe strain on healthcare systems in several countries.

Nepal has been particularly badly hit, with a dramatic surge in infections overwhelming the local health infrastructure.

Afghanistan's cases were at an all-time high in June and the country's health minister, Wajid Majrooh, said that 60% of cases in the capital, Kabul, were due to the Delta variant.

The WHO has also recently reported rising case numbers in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Vaccination rates have been low in many Asian countries, leading to fears that the virus will continue to spread.

Read more about the impact of the Delta variant in Asia here.

Another 18,186 people have had their first jab and a further 128,878 have had their second in the UK, according to the latest government statistics.

This means more than 46 million UK adults - or 87.9% - have had one vaccine dose and of those more than 36 million - or 68.5% - have had two.

There have been a further 39,950 cases and another 19 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test, according to today's UK government figures.

In his statement in the House of Commons, Robert Courts MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Transport says after a "hugely challenging 16 months for the aviation industry" he is delighted that new rules allowing fully vaccinated people to travel to nearly all amber list countries without isolating on their return came into effect this morning.

He says this coincides with a change in advice so the "do not travel" guidance no longer applies to amber list countries.

"This will be a huge boost to our aviation and travel sectors ahead of the vital summer season," he says.

Also from today, under-18s will not have to self-isolate when returning to England, making family reunions and holidays far more accessible, he says.

Robert Courts MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Transport is running through changes to the countries in the UK's international travel traffic light system which kicked in at 04:00 BST.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been added to the government's green list, he tells the House of Commons.

He says: "Croatia and Taiwan have also been added to the green watch list, signalling to passengers that these countries are potentially at risk of moving from green to amber at short notice should swift action be required in order to protect public health in England.

"The Balearic and the British Virgin Islands have been added to the amber list and unfortunately Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sierra Leone have been added to the red list," he says.

What are the rules for travelling to green, amber and red list countries?

Dharshini David
Economics Correspondent

The FTSE 100 index has fallen on renewed concern over the third wave of coronavirus surging across the UK.

Overall the FTSE 100 is down 2.3%, with ITV down 6% - with analysts pointing to concerns that a big wave of infection could hit advertisers’ confidence to spend money on TV advertising.

Travel shares are also lower, with British Airways owner IAG down 5.5%.

The plane engine manufacturer Rolls Royce is down 5.5%.

Companies with exposure to the travel sector are also hit, with EasyJet down 6.8% and Tui down 4.4%.

The wider FTSE 250 is down by 2%.

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

In the most recent week of data, it looks like more than a million people were under isolation orders in England alone.

It’s hard to get a precise number, because there’s some overlap between the different routes to isolation, but even allowing for that leaves you with a big figure.

And these are figures for nearly a fortnight ago. The current figures are likely to be higher.

Just under 200,000 people tested positive in the week ending 7 July, according to figures from NHS England’s Test and Trace.

Another 340,000 contacts of those people were reached and told by Test and Trace to isolate.

On top of that, more than 620,000 children in state schools were isolating because someone in their class or bubble had coronavirus.

And the NHS app sent out another 520,000 ping alerts, maybe to people who had been contacted by another route and maybe to the same person more than once.

But it’s hard to see how fewer than a million people were being asked or told to isolate the week before last.

Image source, Getty Images

The NHS Covid-19 app will not have its sensitivity tweaked, Downing Street has confirmed, despite industries warning of staff shortages in England.

Surging case numbers have left some hospitality, leisure, food production and retail businesses complaining of having to close premises or cut opening hours because of the number of people being told to stay at home for 10 days after being in contact with a person who has tested positive.

But the government says it does not plan to reduce the sensitivity of the app to avoid people being "pinged".

The prime minister's official spokesman, asked whether the app is working as expected, meaning it does not need tweaking, told reporters: "That's correct."

Earlier, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the number of workers being "pinged" by the NHS Covid-19 app is the "single biggest issue" being raised with him by company bosses.

In England, 16 August remains the date from which fully vaccinated people can skip the self-isolation requirement if pinged by the app or contacted by tracers.

Kwarteng told LBC he accepted "it's a difficult situation" but adds "there isn't any movement on it".

Masks continue to be recommended in crowded and enclosed spaces in Englandbut are no longer required by law.

However, across the country, regional leaders have requested they be worn on public transport.

In Manchester, mayor Andy Burnham is calling for face coverings to remain on the tram network as part of a condition of carriage.

The BBC has been speaking to passengers on the region's tram network to ask if they will they continue to wear them.

Image source, EPA

The Northern Ireland version of the Covid-19 vaccine certificate app should be ready to go from Monday 26 July, the Department of Health says.

Currently travellers are using an interim system, external to prove they have had both jabs.

Anyone travelling from NI between 20 and 25 July can access a downloadable certificate and QR code, external.

Dr Eddie O'Neill says the certificates are "designed specially for the EU specification".

You can read more about the NI app here.

Image source, Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers have ascended Mount Arafat, near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, as they perform one of the most important rituals of the annual Hajj pilgrimage for the second time since the start of the pandemic.

They will spend hours in prayer at the site, where it is believed the Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon.

The pilgrimage has been massively scaled down in an effort to reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19.

More than two million people would normally take part, but this time only 60,000 have been allowed to participate, and all of them are Saudi nationals or foreign residents living in the kingdom.

To take part, pilgrims must have received both doses of a vaccine and be aged between 18 and 65 without chronic illness.

It comes as Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said only fully vaccinated citizens would be permitted to travel outside the kingdom from 9 August.

Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 500,000 coronavirus infections and 8,000 deaths during the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University data.