Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Restarting NHS services could take many months, experts say.

Everything from cancer care and routine surgery to district nursing services have been disrupted across the UK by the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of April, ministers said it was time to restore services.

But three think tanks said reorganising services, coupled with the need for more personal protective equipment and extra cleaning, meant it would be some time before the NHS was back fully.

Find out more here.

Building work is under way to turn a former Homebase store in Exeter into an emergency field hospital for coronavirus patients.

The NHS Nightingale hospital is one of seven being built across England and is due to provide for Covid-19 patients from Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.

The NHS facility had originally been slated to be built in the Westpoint exhibition centre, but will now be at the much smaller site because transmission rates are "lower than expected".

Image source, Andrew Segal

After "lengthy consideration" the Mousehole Harbour Christmas lights have been cancelled for 2020.

The decision is based on the uncertainty of the current time, the lockdown restrictions, the safety of volunteers - many of whom are aged over 70 - and of the wider population, said the trustees and committee of Mousehole Harbour Lights.

The lights normally attract about 30,000 visitors to the village over the three weeks they are on display.

"Whilst we regret that local businesses may not receive the benefit of their usual increased trade during the period of the lights, we believe that in view of the general safety considerations, this decision will be welcomed by the wider community of Mousehole," said the statement.

Image source, Andrew Segal

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

The mayor of a tourism and second-home hotspot in Cornwall has said people should not visit during the coronavirus pandemic "unless it is absolutely essential".

In a Facebook post, external, St Ives Mayor Tony Harris said there was "no need for visitors to come to our town during the present crisis".

He said: "We do not want to import more Covid-19 cases, and we do not want visitors to catch anything while they are here."

His concerns relate to a recent relaxation of rules on how far people can travel to get exercise.

However, people have been warned to respect local communities, keep their distance from others and avoid hotspots or busy areas. The government reiterated that staying overnight at a holiday or second home was not allowed.

Mr Harris said local businesses were "concerned that an increase in visitor numbers may actually delay when we can begin to reopen" and that the town's cafes, pubs, shops, accommodation providers, car parks and public toilets are all closed and there was "nowhere to stay".

Image source, Exeter City Council

Two refuse workers have rescued a deer after it got stuck behind a bottle bank in Exeter.

The men attended to the deer on Cowick Lane after a member of the public noticed the animal trapped upside-down.

The young deer was lifted out of the tight space by the two workers, and ran off "seeming non-the-worse", according to Exeter City Council.

The pair were praised for their efforts by the council's director of waste David Bartram and the passer-by, who said they had "jumped to the rescue".

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Tips will reopen to the public in Cornwall next Tuesday – but the days people can go will be determined by their car registration number.

Cornwall Council closed the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) during the coronavirus crisis as it was concerned they could not operate and follow social distancing guidelines.

The centres also attracted large numbers of people at the start of the lockdown as many took advantage of the extra time and good weather to sort gardens and DIY. This led to long queues of traffic at the centres which struggled to cope with extra demand.

Image source, Suez

The council has set up a system that limits when people can visit their local tip.

This is based on car registration numbers – if the last number on a number plate is odd then that driver can only visit on a date which is an odd number and even-numbered registraions can only go on even dates.

The council has said the tips should only be used for "essential" waste, stating that was waste which was at risk of causing injury or fire.

The council has also said that not all HWRCs were to open, with Tintagel, Saltash and Dudnance Lane all remaining closed.

Kerbside rubbish, recycling, garden and bulky waste collection services were all running as normal, the council said, advising people to check first to see if they dispose of their waste by one of these services before going to an HWRC.

BBC Radio Devon

Beach car parks at North Sands in Salcombe, Slapton and Bigbury will open this weekend.

Image source, Creative Commons

South Hams Distruct Council also said it planned to reopen toilets at North Sands, Bigbury and Slapton in time for the next May Bank Holiday.

"We do have many elderly and vulnerable communities in the South Hams who still need to be protected," said councillor Keith Baldry.

"With this in mind we would like to repeat the government’s clarification that 'leaving your home - the place you live - to stay at another home for a holiday or other purpose is not allowed. This includes visiting second homes'."

Laurence Reed
BBC Radio Cornwall

The leader of Cornwall Council, Julian German, talks coronavirus lockdown, why now is "not the appropriate time to visit Cornwall", and why he thought the previous government of slogan of "stay at home" was easier to understand than "stay alert".

BBC Radio Devon

Country Bus Devon says its revenue has plummeted from £7,000 a week to just £250 during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The government has asked anyone in England who could not work from home to go back to work from Wednesday if their workplace was Covid-secure, but people were also asked to reduce travel on public transport.

The government said it would be setting out further guidance for passengers on how to stay safe during journeys later this week.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

People have been out at beaches on the first day of coronavirus lockdown rules being slightly relaxed.

Restrictions have been lifted on how far people can travel to get to the countryside, national parks and beaches in England.

However, anyone out must respect social distancing, and people have been warned to respect local communities, keep their distance from others and avoid hotspots or busy areas.

The government has also reiterated that staying overnight at a holiday or second home was not allowed.

In Cornwall, we can see here people out at Perranporth beach.

Jack Murley
BBC Radio Cornwall

Despite the coronaviorus lockdown, work is still being carried out at Cornwall's Eden Project by a small and dedicated team to keep the plants in trim and its famous biomes in top shape.

Julie Kendall is taking care of the outdoor areas, and has been reporting on the project's website what it’s like gardening behind closed doors, external.

We caught up with her for a chat.

Naomi Kennedy
BBC Radio Cornwall

Image source, Mullion Golf Club

A man who was in hospital with coronavirus has got into the swing of his recovery by being the first person to take to the fairway at Cornwall's Mullion Golf Club as it reopened to the public.

Alan Nicholls was seriously ill in intensive care at the Royal Cornwall Hospital near Truro for six days in March.

He was asked to celebrate his recovery by being the first person to tee off at 08:00 on Wednesday after being chosen by the club's captain, which he said was "amazing, an honour and privilege".

Of his time in hospital, he said: "I was lucky because I didn't really realise how ill I was at the time. The staff were amazing.

"When you hear that so many people are not making it, it makes it all the more real."

BBC Radio Cornwall

The leader of Cornwall Council is justified to say that the county is not open to visitors, the local head of public health has said.

Leader Julian German said in a briefing to councillors that he was "hugely disappointed" about the government's new guidance on driving to exercise and "our message will continue to be 'come back later'."

Cornwall public health boss Dr Ruth Goldstein said that the idea that the county was not open to tourism was "absolutely right".

Naomi Kennedy
BBC Radio Cornwall

The leader of Cornwall Council says he's "hugely disappointed" about the government's new guidance on driving to exercise "without consultation with the regions".

In a briefing to councillors, Julian German said that, as far as he was concerned, Cornwall was not open to visitors and "like many of you" he was "left concerned over a lack of clarity with the new messaging from Westminster regarding the lockdown".

He said the latest guidance "leads people to believe they are now allowed to drive as far as they wish to go for a walk, or to go sunbathing".

Mr German said the "risk for us is that people will see this as a green light for visitors to head to Cornwall, and that we will now see a large influx of tourists heading over the [River] Tamar [border with Devon]".

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Roadworks are back at Marsh Mills in Plymouth after being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Contractor SWH Ltd suspended work in April on two major highways projects because of safety concerns due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But work resumed on Monday on the Eastern Corridor Junction Improvement Scheme.

The contractor was back on a section of Plymouth Road at Marsh Mills before moving on to Larkham Lane. The next phase of widening at Cot Hill is expected to start in June.

Work is due to restart on the Southway Drive Walking and Cycling Improvements Scheme on Wednesday.

The projects have resumed following a review of work practices and updates to guidance from the government, Public Health England and the industry.

A statement from the city council said residents and businesses in the area of both schemes had been written to directly.

The work on the scheme for the B3416 Plymouth Road from Plympton to the A38 was due to finish in summer 2020 but is now expected to take longer due to the new ways of working.

The overall scheme is designed to reduce congestion and improve journey times on one of Plymouth’s busiest routes, improve safety by upgrading signals and crossings, and provide cycle facilities.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Plymouth's Chelson Meadow recycling centre is reopening on Wednesday as some coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted, but people should not visit "unless you really have to", the city council has said.

The authority said special arrangements would be in place to control vehicle access and the site would be working at "around half its normal capacity", with the number of cars allowed in "significantly reduced".

Anyone intending to use it has been warned "to expect long waiting times" with the queuing system for cars.

"If the queue is full you will be turned away and asked to come back another time," the council said.

Twitter

Torbay Council has tweeted that although some lockdown rules are being relaxed, its "playgrounds, skateparks and outdoor gyms should still not be visited".

A museum in Cornwall has unearthed a handwritten letter from Florence Nightingale in its archive.

Bodmin Keep Army Museum made the discovery on International Nurses Day.

The museum’s Collections Manager Verity Anthony said: "It’s amazing to hold something like this in your hand and we’re delighted to have rediscovered it this year, the 200th anniversary of her birth."

On Tuesday patients and their families paid tribute to the efforts being made by nurses to combat coronavirus.

BBC Radio Devon

Politicians from across Devon have renewed their appeal to holidaymakers and second home-owners to stay away, despite the easing of lockdown restrictions.

From Wednesday, people are able to make day trips and travel as far as they want to outdoor open spaces. But going to a holiday home or second home was not allowed, the government reiterated.

Devon County Council Leader John Hart said visitors needed to stay away and come back later. County tourism bosses made the same plea on Tuesday.

East Devon MP Simon Jupp and North Devon MP Selaine Saxby also reminded people that second-home owners were still not allowed to come to the county.