The boss of a company making personal protective equipment in Coventry says he feels the government's been "a bit slow" to take up offers of making personal protective equipment (PPE).

Image source, PA Media

Ian Jamie runs Staeger Clear Packaging in Holbrooks but instead of making visors for the NHS he told BBC CWR they're now making them for the Belgian and Irish governments.

"So we've got some quite big, potential orders on the go from other governments rather than ours," he added.

A spokesman for Downing Street said they were "working as hard as we can" to get hold of PPE and said safety and quality standards have to be met.

The chips are truly down for Belgium's potato growers, now lacking customers.

Concerns over the quality of 10,000 face masks purchased to protect police officers and staff dealing with the Covid-19 crisis have been raised.

There are concerns over certificates and effectiveness of three orders of protective equipment sourced by two UK police forces.

At least 2,700 face masks that had already been sent out to police stations for use have had to be recalled.

Three orders of personal protective equipment (PPE) sourced by Surrey Police and Sussex Police were affected.

Among the items were PPE with "invalid" certificates and masks whose effectiveness were questioned, Sussex Police said.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "Officer and staff safety is paramount and since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak both Surrey Police and Sussex Police have worked hard to ensure that there is a ready source of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

"We can confirm that three orders of PPE that we've received have either been accompanied by invalid certificates or the quality of some of the masks has raised concerns with regard to the equipment's effectiveness.

"In particular, this included a consignment of 10,000 masks, of which 2,700 were initially distributed to police station stock rooms.

"As soon as we identified the issue, and in consultation with health and safety officers, we moved quickly to recall the masks in question and we believe that they are all accounted for.

"We have updated both organisations, and wider policing colleagues both regionally and nationally, and we have directed officers to use alternative supplies.

"There are currently investigations ongoing into these orders and so we cannot go into further details at this time."

Allen Cook
BBC News

Thousands of plants are going to be donated to a hospital to brighten up its grounds, external for staff and patients.

Image source, Halesowen In Bloom

Halesowen in Bloom had ordered 2,000 plants for the town's floral displays but the pandemic's forced many of their volunteers into self-isolation.

With the plants already in greenhouses, the group said they decided to donated them to Russells Hall Hospital and they'll be delivered in the first week of June.

DUP leader rejects claims by Sinn Féin that the virus is a greater catalyst for Irish unity than Brexit.

Chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady says furloughed workers may not have jobs to go back to.

A cat interrupted the start of Michael Gove's reply to a question about the timing of UK-EU trade talks.

Sir Keir Starmer says he is not asking to lift restrictions now, or for a timeline, but there is a need for an “exit strategy”.

Youngsters in Northamptonshire having to stay indoors due to the coronavirus restrictions have been treated to visits from two dinosaurs.

Image source, Tris Dawson

Charlotte Wallace and Tris Dawson both happen to own dinosaur costumes and have been using them to entertain children on the Monksmoor estate in Daventry.

Charlotte said they asked children to draw pictures of dinosaurs and display them on their windows because "that's what attracts the dinosaurs", then watch out for the dinosaurs passing by.

"[My dinosaur] was really good at getting people interested and we had such a great response. Everybody loved it so much," she said.

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, AFP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says his country is doing more than any other to support the global fight against coronavirus.

In a telephone briefing with journalists in Africa, he rejected criticism of President Donald Trump describing it as the result of misinformation.

He said that the US would likely spend more money than ever on global health, despite withdrawing funding from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The US's top diplomat said no other country ever had, or ever would, do more to fight for global health.

Mr Pompeo added that the US was committed to spending over $170m (£137m) in Africa alone, to help contain the coronavirus.

He bristled at my suggestion that America’s image abroad had been damaged by President Trump’s recent comments about treating the virus with disinfectant, and that African governments were now looking to China, the WHO and even Cuba for support.

Mr Pompeo said foreign governments and media were spreading false information. And he was critical of China, saying it was trapping African nations in deep debt, while giving relatively little away in aid.

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

The university-run Hertfordshire Law Clinic, external is offering free advice to tenants on housing issues during the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, University of Hertfordshire

The clinic, which already gives free legal advice in areas such as family and employment law, said that while the government has introduced emergency measures intended to protect tenants from eviction at a time when people should be staying at home, there is confusion about their rights.

The University of Hertfordshire has teamed up with housing solicitors, including Cheryl Gaunt from Just for Kids Law and Ruth Camp from Shelter to advise people on areas such as difficulty paying rent or students in rented accommodation who have returned home.

Appointments will be conducted via video-conferencing.

Ms Gaunt said "this service will offer essential advice and support".

It was hoped the housing clinic could become a permanent service.

"We have to really think about this year as the year we learned to live differently."

That's according to Dr Margaret Harris from the World Health Organization (WHO).

She told BBC Wales Today all the measures that stop Covid-19 from spreading should continue till a medical answer can be found.

"We do not have a vaccine and we do not have specific treatments, so if there's infection anywhere it's everywhere - it's going to come back," she said.

Dr Harris said it was extremely important that all normal health services continued during the pandemic.

"We're very concerned about the drop off in vaccincation [of babies] for instance," she added.

Dr Harris again reiterated the WHO's call for testing as much as possible in as many place as possible.

Speaking about the global picture, she said: "Some areas are less affected than others, so the crucial thing is knowing where your transmission is because that's where you need to focus your energy on separating the infected people from the healthy people.

"You want to be ready to do a lot of testing in a lot of places."

The health crisis and the economics crisis are inextricably linked for the government.

Firms will be able to borrow up to £50,000, which will be interest free for the first year.

Tourists normally flock to Indonesia's most beautiful landscapes. But while they are kept away by the coronavirus outbreak, locals like mountain guide Mr T have to find creative ways to make a living.

(Image: Mr T on a mountain top in East Java. Credit: trisjavarasa)

The minister says the early release scheme has been "slow" but other measures have helped contain the virus in prisons.

A group of social-distancing musicians from Northampton have come together to record a charity song, with money raised going to the NHS.

The Old Five Bells, external All Stars' sang their online version of John Denver's classic song Country Roads in what they described as a "lockdown hoedown".

You can watch the collaboration:

Nelson Nelson also hit a police dog with a plank of wood when asked if his travel was essential.

Scientists say the economic impact of the virus gives a window for action to cut emissions.

Guernsey has recorded no new cases of coronavirus since Sunday and 11 more people are now classified as having recovered, the States has revealed.

The total number of cases remains at 247 from 2,998 conducted tests, according to government figures, external.

The number of recoveries has risen to 182, meaning there are now 51 patients in Guernsey still suffering from the virus.