The prime minister's spokesman also said that Boris Johnson believes we are "not out of the woods yet" - even though the number of new cases is falling.

"Throughout the pandemic we have always said it's encouraging when cases are falling," he said, adding "any reduction is encouraging but the pandemic is not over".

He pointed out that moving to step four - which allowed more mixing indoors - will have an impact on case numbers, and we have not seen the impact yet.

And he said that the government believes cases will increase - as the health secretary had said in the Commons.

"We should still expect to see a rise in case numbers given the move to step four [of the roadmap] last week," the spokesman said.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

There will be 500 testing sites for critical workers by end of this week, the prime minister's spokesman has said.

But he could not say how many are operating now.

He said the 500 sites will be across various sectors - food, border staff, emergency services and transport infrastructure.

The PM's spokesman added that the exemptions list will be kept under review but could not give any guidance on whether more sectors or occupations would be added.

He said: "We will speak to businesses - if there are other critical services that need exemptions we will look at this very closely. Regular dialogue will continue."

He had no statistics on the amount of exemptions granted so far.

The daily testing scheme allows critical workers in certain industries to avoid self-isolation if they come into contact with a positive case.

It's lunchtime in the UK so let's have a recap of the day's coronavirus news so far:

• A testing scheme for staff in the food supply chain, as well as transport and emergency service workers, has begun today, allowing them to avoid self-isolation if they come into contact with a positive case

• Senior ministers will decide later whether to further expand daily testing to fully vaccinated key workers

• Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner says the government's plans for vaccine passports are "unworkable"
• Heathrow has warned it could see even fewer passengers in 2021 than last year as expensive testing requirements and restrictions hold back travel
• The number of new Covid-19 cases has fallen for the fifth day in a row in the UK for the first time since February
• Tunisia's president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament, after violent mass protests on Sunday over the government's mishandling of the coronavirus crisis
• France's parliament has adopted a controversial law introducing Covid passports for entry to bars, restaurants and for long-distance trains and flights

Image source, PA Media

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner has been speaking about Covid passports during a visit to a co-working office space in London.

The government plans to require people to prove they have been fully vaccinated before attending nightclubs and other large, crowded venues in England.

Labour thinks the government's plans for vaccine passports are "unworkable", Rayner says.

"We should be encouraging people to get the vaccine as soon as they possibly can, and also encouraging people to take regular tests as well," she says. "Because that is how we keep control of the virus.

"Of course, even with the two vaccines you can still get Covid, so therefore testing has got to be an important part of that scheme."

She previously said that the "bureaucracy" around vaccine passports "shouldn't fall on businesses".

You can read more about the government's plans for Covid passports here.

Some Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland are being relaxed today and ministers at Stormont will meet later to decide when theatres and concert halls can reopen.

Up to 15 people from unlimited households are now able to meet outdoors, and close contact services such as hair salons can open without the need for pre-booked appointments.

Fully-vaccinated people returning to Northern Ireland from countries on the amber list will not have to quarantine.

Meanwhile, there has been a "significantly increased demand" for intensive care beds due to Covid-19 over the weekend, according to Northern Ireland's chief nursing officer.

Charlotte McArdle says hospitals are also seeing "an increase in young people requiring a very high level of acute care".

Alexandra Fouché
Journalist, BBC World Online

Image source, AFP

As we've reported, the French pass - known as pass sanitaire - is progressively being rolled out over the next few weeks to include a number of venues across the country.

It means people must show proof of full vaccination or a recent negative Covid test to enter venues including most museums and cinemas.

Last night, I took my family to a local cinema in south-western France (where we are visiting relatives) and we were asked for our passes to be able to see the film.

My husband and I have both been vaccinated in the UK so we wondered if we would be admitted.

We adopted a two-pronged approach: I downloaded the French app, #TousAntiCovid, on my phone (an iPhone) and scanned the QR code on my NHS app to show my vaccination status. This seemed to work after I scanned the code showing my second vaccination, and the French app confirmed I had successfully downloaded my status.

My husband meanwhile only had to show his vaccination status on the NHS app to be able to get in - much easier! Older children are exempt from having to show the pass for the time being.

You can read more about France's Covid pass here.

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Public transport services are being hit by staff self-isolating after being pinged by the NHS coronavirus app.

Thameslink and Southern has cut its weekday timetables on five routes "until further notice", and warned that further changes could be required.

Avanti West Coast has reduced the frequency of its services between London Euston and Manchester, Birmingham and North Wales to "manage staff shortages and ensure a reliable service".

A revised timetable with fewer services was also launched by London Northwestern Railway on Saturday.

ScotRail said a "very limited number of trains" are being cancelled due to staff shortages, but it has not amended its timetables.

Read more: Daily testing to replace self-isolation for transport staff

Image source, PA Media

Indoor hospitality in the Republic of Ireland is reopening today.

Customers, including those from Northern Ireland, must have official proof they have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 180 days.

Many pubs, especially those that do not serve food, have been closed since March 2020.

For the overwhelming majority of people in the Republic, they will prove eligibility through the EU's Digital Covid Certificate, with its QR codes.

Every adult must also bring along official identification such as a driving licence with a photo.

The president of the Restaurant Association of Ireland, Mark McGowan, said it was his understanding that the Northern Ireland vaccination card will be accepted as proof of immunity at venues in the Republic.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Heathrow has warned it could see even fewer passengers in 2021 than last year as expensive testing requirements and restrictions hold travel back.

Figures show fewer than four million people used the airport in the first half of 2021 - equivalent to 18 days of passenger numbers in 2019.

The airport, which was Europe's busiest before the pandemic, now believes it will see 21.5 million passengers in 2021, driven by what it hopes will be pent-up demand for holidays.

But that is down from 22.1 million in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, and almost 90 million in 2019.

Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye says: "The UK is emerging from the worst effects of the health pandemic, but is falling behind its EU rivals in international trade by being slow to remove restrictions.

"Replacing PCR tests with lateral flow tests and opening up to EU and US vaccinated travellers at the end of July will start to get Britain's economic recovery off the ground."

Read more on this story here.

Image source, AFP

The French parliament has adopted a controversial law introducing Covid passports for entry to bars, restaurants and for long-distance trains and flights.

It widens the scope of Covid passports, which are already required for access to museums, theatre and cinema shows and swimming pools.

The expanded law, which takes effect next month, means people will have to show proof of full vaccination or a recent negative Covid test.

It also makes full vaccination mandatory for health workers and staff in certain popular venues, such as restaurants and cinemas.

On Saturday more than 160,000 demonstrated against it and some clashed with police.

More than 44% of the French population has been fully vaccinated, Our World in Data reports.

There were some compromises in parliament - the 12 to 17 age group will not need the pass until October; the law will be reviewed in November and staff who ignore the law will no longer be paid, but will not be sacked.

President Emmanuel Macron decreed the Covid passports as France is battling a fourth wave of the virus, with the Delta variant sending the infection rate soaring.

But Covid cases in intensive care are below 1,000, whereas at the peak in late April the figure was nearly 6,000.

Image source, Getty Images

Labour leader Keir Starmer has suggested he could support the use of Covid passports for mass events - but not to access healthcare, dentistry or food.

Starmer tells LBC that "we’ve got to be careful at mass events and certainly the principle of double vaccination and negative tests is one that I support... The idea that we can go back to mass sporting events or any events without any checks is not one that I can subscribe to."

He reiterates Labour's position that Covid passports should not be for everyday use and gives specific examples of accessing food, dentistry and healthcare as areas where he would not support their use.

He adds that he thinks "tests are much more useful" and "passports on their own aren't enough".

Asked whether he would support the government in a vote on Covid passports, he said Labour would "look carefully" at its proposals.

Read more: How can the NHS Covid Pass prove I've had both jabs?

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Senior ministers are meeting today to discuss whether to widen the number of jobs eligible for a daily testing regime which aims to tackle the "pingdemic".

The government has been trying to ease the effects of workers having to self-isolate if they are "pinged" by the NHS Test and Trace app, after coming into contact with someone who has Covid.

Ministers have so far resisted pressure from business leaders and some senior Conservative MPs to immediately bring forward a wider relaxation of isolation rules for all fully-vaccinated people from 16 August.

Instead they have been focusing on granting a limited number of exemptions to keep key services running and to protect essential supply chains.

The Covid operations sub-committee of Cabinet will meet later and their decisions will depend on the demand registered with Whitehall departments. Refuse collectors are expected to receive assistance, while the hospitality industry is not. We'll bring you updates on this decision as we have them.

Image source, Reuters

The US is heading "in the wrong direction" on the pandemic as infections surge among the unvaccinated, the country's top infectious disease expert has warned.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, says the Delta variant is driving the spike in areas with low vaccination rates.

The coronavirus situation in the country is becoming "a pandemic among the unvaccinated", he told broadcaster CNN on Sunday, external.

He said US health officials were considering revising mask guidance for vaccinated Americans to curb cases and that offering booster jabs to vulnerable people was also under review.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

A drop in the number of people testing positive for Covid over the last few days is a positive sign of things to come over the summer, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia.

"Today's figures do not of course include any impact of last Monday's end of restrictions. It will not be until about next Friday before the data includes the impact of this change," he says.

"If I was a betting man, I would now say that the impact of 19 July will not be sufficient to start case numbers increasing again, but I cannot be certain."

He adds: "The data at present is looking good for at least the summer."

But Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, says there "may well" be another rise in cases this summer.

"There are at least eight million adults who have had no vaccination at all, plus most children under 18," he says.

"That is still a lot of material for the virus to work with... and if the change in behaviour is dramatic enough [after 19 July], then we could see cases increase again."

An expert in infectious disease modelling says he is "cautiously optimistic" to see the number of new coronavirus infections are falling in the UK.

Dr Mike Tildesley, who sits on the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) told BBC Radio 4's Today programme cases have gone down quite significantly, with yesterday's figure some 20,000 lower than the previous Sunday.

This needs to be monitored over coming days, to see if cases are consistently lower or if it is a "dip" because schools have closed, he says.

"The other thing we do need to look at before we draw confidence in whether we are seeing everything turning around is what is happening with hospital admissions, and of course what's happening with deaths," he adds.

He says he is "cautiously optimistic" about the fall in cases in recent days but that it will take a few weeks before we can see the effect of the relaxation of restrictions on 19 July and also if hospital admissions start to decrease.

"If they do, then at that point we can be much more confident that we are starting to see, hopefully, this wave turning around," he says.

Image source, PA Media

The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 has continued to fall in the UK, the latest daily figures show.

The UK recorded 29,173 new cases on Sunday - down from 48,161 logged a week earlier on 18 July.

The number of new infections by date reported has fallen for five days in a row for the first time since February.

It is also the first time since the start of the pandemic that a sustained drop in cases has not coincided with a national lockdown.

Prof Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia says: "The data at present is looking good for at least the summer.

"Today's figures do not of course include any impact of last Monday's end of restrictions. It will not be until about next Friday before the data includes the impact of this change."

What could be causing the fall in cases?

Image source, Reuters

Tunisia's president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament, after violent mass protests nationwide on Sunday.

Anger over the government's handling of a massive recent spike in Covid cases has added to general unrest over the nation's economic and social turmoil.

President Kais Saied, who was elected in 2019, announced he was taking over.

His supporters erupted in celebration, but opponents in parliament immediately accused him of staging a coup.

The recent coronavirus surge - which saw the health minister sacked last week after a bungled vaccination operation - has fuelled long-standing frustration.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, iStock

An education minister has not ruled out that students could be required to be double-vaccinated in order to attend university lectures in person and live in halls of residence.

The Times, external reported that Boris Johnson had suggested the move in order to help drive up the rates of young people taking up the vaccine.

Conservative MP and minister Vicky Ford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "So obviously, I can't comment on things that haven't been announced. But one does need to look at every practicality to make sure that we can get students back safely and make sure that we can continue to prioritise education."

And she told Times Radio: "We don't want to go back to a situation where large parts of education were closed to many young people and children, and a key part of doing that is having that double-vaccinated population.

"So I think we need to continue to encourage our young people to step forward, have the vaccination, and that is the way that they can have that freedom and confidence that they'll be able to have that full university life."

The Times reported that the Prime Minister made the suggestion, subject to medical exemptions, during a virtual meeting from his isolation at Chequers.

It comes after England manager Gareth Southgate was recruited to help push up vaccination rates among young people.

Image source, Getty Images

A union which represents transport workers says there is “utter confusion” about whether the exemption from self-isolation would be applied to all or only a limited number of his members.

RMT Union's general secretary Mick Lynch told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What we’re concerned about is that there will be people that are receiving these people into the workplace that should be isolating under the government’s guidance.

"If you’re working on board a train or working in a control room and you are supposed to be isolating, you are enhancing the risk to the other people working around you, whether they’re passengers or colleagues.

"And there’s very little said about protecting the people that are not isolating, that are working normally, with people who should be isolating.”

Read more: Which workers are exempt from self-isolation?

Many of this morning's newspaper front pages are leading with coronavirus stories. The Times, external has headlined on the fall in cases but claims Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "raging" about the relatively low uptake of the vaccination among young people.

About a third of all 18 to 29-year-olds are yet to have a first dose.

The Daily Telegraph, external reports that unions will fight plans to end the "pingdemic" in England with daily testing for essential workers.

"Why should our people be infected with Covid?" is the view of the RMT union, which represents transport staff.

The ISU union, whose members include Border Force officials, believes the plan is "unworkable" because managers cannot compel staff to get tested.

The union has also warned that its members work four shifts in a 10-day period, and so would refuse to travel to testing sites on their days off unless they were getting paid.

You can see a review of the day's front pages here.