Goodbye and thanks for joining our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic today. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more updates. As ever, any major developments will be covered on our main pages, here.

Today's posts were written by Alexandra Fouche, Emma Harrison, Becky Morton and Katie Wright. The page was edited by James Clarke and Emma Owen.

Image source, EPA

And here is a round-up of what's been going on around the world:

• China is now urging people not to travel unless necessary after a Covid outbreak in the city of Nanjing has spread to other cities. Officials in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where coronavirus was first detected, are to test all 11 million residents
• Germany says it will begin offering booster jabs to elderly and at-risk groups in an effort to increase immunity to more infectious mutations of the virus
• Spain welcomed 10 times more tourists in June than in the same month last year, according to official figures. Some 2.2 million tourists entered Spain in June this year, nearly a quarter of them from Germany, although the total is a quarter of the visitors before the pandemic
• Qantas says it will stand down 2,500 staff as a lockdown in Sydney impacts air travel across Australia
• Nigeria has received a donation of four million doses of vaccine from the US government - it has so far vaccinated just about 1% of its 200 million people
• Tanzania has begun its first mass vaccination campaign, as it faces a third wave of the pandemic. It has received a million doses of the single-jab Johnson and Johnson vaccine as part of the global Covax scheme
• And Morocco is introducing new coronavirus restrictions, including a night curfew, as infection rates rise

Image source, Getty Images

We'll be bringing our live coverage to a close shortly so here's a recap of the main developments in the UK today:

• The UK has reported 21,691 new Covid cases - the lowest daily figure since late June
• Almost all of Scotland's remaining restrictions are to end from 9 August, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed
• Social distancing will be dropped in most settings, meaning venues and large events can increase their capacity. However, face coverings will remain mandatory in some public places, including shops and public transport
• The travel industry has reacted with relief after a proposal to create an "amber watchlist" was abandoned. The new category would have warned people when a destination was at risk of a sudden shift to the red list, where arrivals are required to quarantine in a hotel
• The number of deaths involving Covid in the UK rose 46% in the week ending 23 July, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics

Adam Fleming
Chief political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

For five days the government mulled the idea of an "amber watchlist" to warn travellers that the country they intended to visit could imminently turn from amber to red on the traffic light system for international travel.

That would mean an 11-night stay in a hotel and a £1,750 bill when they returned to the UK.

The policy-making process played out in a very public way.

The concept of the amber watchlist - which would have added a sixth category to the original three in the traffic light scheme - was proposed to the government's Covid Operations Committee last week by officials from the Joint Biosecurity Centre. It was supported by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Then the idea leaked and the backlash began.

There was criticism from the travel industry but also from anonymous government sources, quoted in the newspapers. These sources were alleged to include Shapps.

"Interesting that the transport secretary briefed against his own policy," a senior Whitehall source observed as they explained the prime minister's decision to "kill" the amber watchlist on Monday.

Read more from Adam here.

Aboubakar Famau
BBC News, Dodoma

Tanzanians have today been arriving at one of its 550 vaccination centres to receive their jabs as a nationwide campaign begins.

The country, which is facing a third wave of the pandemic, has received a million doses of the single-jab Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the US under the Covax scheme.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who got her injection last week, said Tanzania has placed another order for the vaccine through the African Union as part of its plan to initially target more than 60% of the population.

The start of this campaign comes at a time when public opinion is divided over the safety of the vaccines.

The president, who has shifted the country away from the Covid scepticism of her predecessor, has urged Tanzania to come out and get the jab.

The country was one of the last on the continent to receive any vaccines.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, EPA

China is now urging people not to travel unless necessary,, external after an outbreak of Covid-19 in the city of Nanjing has spread to other cities.

Cases of Covid-19 were first identified among workers at an international airport in Nanjing on 20 July.

Since then, official media have confirmed cases have been detected in 15 provincial-level regions, many of which are the Delta variant. There are 31 provincial-level regions in mainland China.

Cases linked to Nanjing have been identified in major cities such as Chengdu and Beijing, and have led to local lockdowns.

New cases have now been detected in the city of Wuhan, the original Covid-19 epicentre, for the first time since June 2020. There are also cases in Zhengzhou, a city that has experienced devastating floods in recent weeks.

China has not seen a widespread outbreak like this since the beginning of the year, when an outbreak in the north-east city of Shijiazhuang spread to multiple eastern provinces.

The official Nanjing Daily has today confirmed a special quarantine base with 2,000 rooms will now be built to treat patients in the city., external

Transport links in and out of Nanjing have largely been suspended, and residents are currently undergoing a fourth round of Covid-19 tests. Nanjing has a population of 9.2 million people.

Image source, Reuters

Morocco is introducing new coronavirus restrictions, including a night curfew, as infection rates rise.

The prime minister's office tweeted, external that the curfew would begin on Tuesday night and would last from 21:00 (20:00 GMT) until 05:00.

The statement also said travel to and from Marrakesh, Casablanca and Agadir would be banned except for those with a vaccination passport or for medical emergencies.

Morocco - along with other countries in north Africa - has seen an alarming rise in infections, mainly from the Delta variant, in the past few weeks.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Nicola Sturgeon is desperate not to call it “freedom” day or to declare “victory” over the virus but it is a big moment in the pandemic.

From next Monday most Covid restrictions will end in Scotland - almost 17 months after the initial lockdown.

That includes lifting (except in schools) the one metre social distancing rule that limits capacity in restaurants and on ferries and prevents the operation of nightclubs.

This is possible, we’re told, because the rate of new infections and hospital admissions is starting to decline and the vaccination rate is rising.

The big difference with England is the measures that will remain in force.

Mask wearing will continue to be a requirement on public transport and in shops and for at least the next six weeks in Scottish schools.

The Conservatives say ongoing restrictions will “hold Scotland back” but the first minister insists continued caution will ultimately help economic recovery.

Image source, Getty Images

From 9 August, most rules on social distancing and limits to the size of gatherings will be lifted in Scotland.

However, face coverings will continue to be mandatory in most public indoor settings.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this would be kept under review, but was likely to continue "for some time to come".

The law does not require people keep a certain distance from each other in most public places.

But advice remains to keep a safe distance from those in other households - especially indoors - and to avoid crowded places.

In schools - for up to six weeks next term - staff will still be required to keep at least 1m from each other and from children.

Head here to find out the social distancing rules in the rest of the UK.

Some 73% of the UK’s adult population is now fully vaccinated, according to the latest government figures., external

More than 38.5 million people have received two doses of a Covid vaccine – up 126,307 from the previous day.

Another 26,114 received a first dose of a vaccine, meaning 46.9 million people have had a first jab – 88.7% of the UK adult population.

The UK has reported another 21,691 daily Covid cases – the fewest since late June.

The last time case numbers were lower was on 29 June, when 20,479 were reported.

There were also a further 138 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive test, which is the highest since 17 March.

University lecturer Jason Lim is suffering from the effects of long Covid.

He has been unable to return to work because of the persistent brain fog, which causes him to lose track in the middle of sentences and makes it hard to process large amounts of information.

He is one of a number of patients who will be taking part in a long-term study of the illness.

Reality Check

The US has now given one dose of vaccine to 70% of all adults, external – a target originally set for 4 July by President Joe Biden.

After being one of the top nations for its vaccine rollout earlier in the year, the US is now behind neighbouring Canada in terms of doses administered as a share of population.

And it’s also behind the UK, Italy and Germany.

It's still ahead of some major economies, such as Japan, but the US vaccination rate has dropped off more significantly than in other developed countries.

In the middle of April, the US was giving out more than three million doses a day, but it is now down to about 650,000 a day - although this is a slight increase on mid-July levels.

BBC Reality Check has looked into where vaccinations are lagging in the US, and why, here.

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Two weeks after lifting restrictions in England, the predicted spike of 100,000 new cases a day has not materialised.

That bodes well for Scotland to follow suit. Scotland was the first part of the UK to see a big surge in cases at the start of July but since then, the data has been positive and even the more cautious scientists say it looks good to proceed.

Some experts believe one thing that has helped is that behaviour has not significantly changed. We are not in contact with as many people, and many have continued to keep a distance. With vaccines doing such an amazing job, could small efforts like this be enough to keep the virus at bay?

What is around the corner is a bit tricky to predict.

We will see a return to schools and universities in the next few weeks, coupled with the end of the holiday season and cooler weather on the horizon. That’s why things like the wearing of face coverings and an encouragement to work from home will continue for now.

The hope is the worst is behind us, but Covid has taken us by surprise before - it still could now.

Image source, Oliver Mills/Geograph

A Covid-19 infection spike in Lincoln has been pinpointed to a nightclub in the city, health bosses have said.

New cases increased by 83% to 649 in the week to 29 July, giving the area England's highest infection rate of 654 per 100,000 people.

The Wharf and University district, a popular destination for bars, clubs and restaurants, recorded a rate of 1,140.

Natalie Liddle, from Public Health Lincolnshire, said the majority of cases were in people aged under 30.

"We are currently managing a cluster of outbreaks in and around Lincoln - and we've seen a particular increase in cases linked to the night-time economy," she said.

"We are particularly dealing with one large outbreak at the moment, [and] that has impacted a large number of people." She declined to name the venue involved.

Read the full story.

Guidance for universities and colleges in Scotland on operating beyond level zero has now been published, Nicola Sturgeon confirms.

Students will be asked to take a PCR test before moving to student accommodation and then asked to test twice a week thereafter.

The first minister is now taking questions from MSPs - you can follow the latest on our Scotland live page.

Image source, Reuters

Spain welcomed 10 times more tourists in June than in the same month last year at the height of the pandemic.

Some 2.2 million tourists entered Spain in June this year, nearly a quarter of them from Germany, the country's official statistical agency, INE, said, external.

But the total is still only a quarter of the visitors before the coronavirus crisis.

Spain's economy contracted sharply by 10.8% in 2020, one of the worst results in the eurozone, the AFP news agency reports. But it is now forecast to grow again this year, external.

Image source, Getty Images

Here's a recap of the changes Nicola Sturgeon has just announced for Scotland from 9 August:

• Almost all of Scotland's remaining Covid-19 restrictions are to end
• Social distancing will be dropped in most settings, meaning more capacity in pubs and restaurants and larger crowds at sporting events and concerts
• Close contacts of those who test positive for Covid will no longer have to self-isolate - as long as they are fully vaccinated
• The wearing of face coverings in some public spaces will continue - including for pupils over 12
• The possible limited use of Covid status certification for higher-risk venues is being considered

Read further detail on the changes in our story here.

Ms Sturgeon urges the public to "continue to be careful, cautious, and sensible even as legal restrictions are lifted".

"We all hope that the restrictions we lift next Monday will never have to be reimposed, but no one can guarantee that," she says.

In winter the virus “may well pose challenges for us again”.

She urges people to get the vaccine, test regularly and stick to the rules that remain in place, such as on face coverings.

Meet outdoors as much as possible, she says, and ventilate the space if you are meeting indoors.

Even if it is no longer legally mandated these measures are "still sensible precautions”, she says.

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon now sets out changes to guidance for schools.

She says blanket isolation of whole classes will no longer be routine and instead there will be a more targeted approach, with fewer young people asked to self-isolate.

However, most other mitigations will remain for the first six weeks of the new academic term, the first minister says.

This includes one metre social distancing between staff and pupils and face coverings for staff and children aged 12 and over.

Sturgeon says these measures will be kept under review.

All secondary pupils and staff will also be asked to take a lateral flow test before returning after the holidays and twice a week after that.