A shopkeeper who has moved 12,000 plants through her two-bedroom bungalow since lockdown began has said her online business is blooming.

Image source, PA Media

Kerri Notman, 29, decided to close the doors at her plant and gift shop in Norwich a day before the coronavirus lockdown was formally announced.

She said she felt it was safer for customers and her family to run a delivery operation from her home near Mattishall in Norfolk, and that since doing so her online orders have tripled.

"We're doing 200 to 300 plants easily per day. I think everyone's just sitting at home bored and they want to buy more stuff, they want to make their houses look good and with all the shops closed they're spending their money online," she said.

Despite the government lifting restrictions on people going to public spaces, Norwich city centre remained quiet, as captured in these images by Imogen Baker.

Image source, Imogen Baker

Image source, Imogen Baker

She took these pictures a few hours ago on a trip to the bank.

A woman makes a social media video highlighting issues deaf people face when people wear masks.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Earlier we told you about calls from scientists for Norwich's population to carry out mass anti-body testing for coronavirus, now that a more reliable test has been found.

Image source, Getty Images

Prof Neil Hall, from the Earlham Institute, a Norwich based research centre, would like to run a pilot of some 10,000 residents first.

"One of the reasons why this virus has been so difficult to control is that you have asymptomatic carriage of the virus in the population, people who don't know that they're ill, and this is why it's moved so rapidly around the world," he said.

He added that by knowing more about where the "key points of transmission are" in Norwich, the knowledge would help the rest of the country know where to relax restrictions and where to keep them in place.

"The way we'd envisage doing it is we'd post out test kits to people, they would be barcoded, they'd self-swab and then someone would come round once a week to pick up the tests," said Prof Hall.

Earlham Institute board member, the former North Norfolk MP and health minister, Sir Norman Lamb said he had been in talks with the Department of Health about funding the mass test programme, which would cost in the region of £5m.

A government spokesman said: "We continually consider options to extend testing, but have no immediate plans for city-wide testing."

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Scientists in Norwich are working on a plan to test the city's population for Covid-19.

Image source, Geograph\Evelyn Simak

The Earlham Institute , externalin Norwich says the city centre, which has about about 140,000 people, is ideal to see if mass testing would be more effective in stopping the virus spreading.

A range of tests which the public could easily administer are being looked at including swabs and simple spit tests.

Professor Neil Hall, director of the Earlham Institute, admitted some people may not carry out the tests correctly but said testing on such a scale would still have some "positive impact" in helping the economy resume and public health.

Image source, University of East Anglia

An international student from China has used his own money to buy face masks for his local community.

Songze Chang, 24, from Shanxi, began distributing them around Norfolk.

The University of East Anglia student was inspired to do it after he was stopped while wearing one in the supermarket by an elderly man who had been looking to buy them in shops.

"I bought 100 face masks from China online and packed them up including some positive messages and an image of my national flag,” he said.

Image source, University of East Anglia

After posting his actions online he has received 8,000 masks from Chinese people who were inspired by his actions.

They have so far been donated to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Earlham Police station and local care homes.

"We are so proud of him and his friends for their selfless efforts", the university said.

Engineers have invented a device that beeps when wearers break the two-metre social distancing rule.

Image source, PATHFINDR

The portable "Safe Distancing Assistant" was developed in three weeks by the Norwich firm Pathfindr and uses "ultra-wideband" radio frequencies to operate.

The size of a pack of cards, the machine works by "speaking to" another unit in close proximity - and is designed for the workplace.

Some employees who cannot work from home are returning to their workplaces, after the government announced the easing of lockdown measures.

Image source, PATHFINDR

Managing director Matt Isherwood said. "Even being distracted by getting something off a supermarket shelf, we can forget you need to keep two metres apart and it's the same in the workplace where you're focused on a task in hand."

An independent report makes 12 recommendations including improvements to mental health training.

A Broads nature haven has reopened its gardens and car park to provide the public with a place for exercise as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased.

Image source, How Hill Trust

How Hill , externalnear Ludham in Norfolk will be asking for donations after its core work as a residential nature studies centre for schools has dried up for the summer.

Director Simon Partridge said people were already starting to park in the narrow local lanes as they sought new locations for their daily walks – so it made sense to reopen the centre’s car park to ease congestion and help the public explore the gardens.

It has been a study centre since 1968, and hosting some 3,000 children on residential and day trips each year.

Jon Welch
BBC News

Golfers will be rejoicing today after lockdown restrictions were loosened, making it possible for them to enjoy a round once more, albeit with some restrictions.

Some say golf is "a good walk spoiled", and many would agree.

Over the past few weeks, golfers' loss has been walkers' gain, with many clubs turning their courses over to local people for them to exercise on.

That's come to an end at Eaton Golf Club in Norwich, which posted this notice informing neighbours that access was being withdrawn.

"We would like to thank you for looking after our course so well in the lockdown period and hope that you have enjoyed it as much as we do," it reads.

Norwich say relegation from the Premier League should be scrapped if the top flight completes its season but the Championship does not.

A consultant virologist and Cambridge University lecturer says the reintroduction of some children into schools is a "sensible" approach.

Dr Chris Smith, a BBC radio representer on the Naked Scientists show, said it would see children "benefit enormously from the socialistation".

The government has announced plans that would see some reception, year one and year six pupils return to school from June.

Dr Smith, who lives in Essex, said: "I think it's a very sensible approach. It's a staged approach."

Dan Roan
BBC Sports editor

Measures to allow safe training for Premier League football teams, like Watford and Norwich City, have been revealed.

Image source, Getty Images

Tackling will be banned, pitches disinfected and players restricted to groups of five when the Premier League starts a first phase of team training.

Official protocols sent to players and managers on Tuesday and obtained by the BBC reveal that social distancing must be "strictly observed".

The BBC understands the Professional Footballers' Association has heard from a number of players, including those who have underlying health conditions like asthma or who are from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, that they have real concerns about returning to playing.

According to the Office for National Statistics, BAME people are twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as white people, and a group of public figures and the Labour Party have both called for a public inquiry to find out why.

Some buskers in Norwich say they have found new ways to play their music and earn money.

The judge praises the victim's "inner strength" in reporting the crimes which happened in January.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

The co-owner of a popular Norwich city centre fish and chip shop, which had to close due to the coronavirus lockdown, has said he has been inundated since re-opening for deliveries yesterday.

By mid-afternoon on Monday, the Grosvenor Fish Bar on Pottergate had taken 400 orders in about five hours, and had to stop taking any more.

Duane Dibartolomeo (pictured below), co-owner, said: "After six weeks of being bored - well, we steam-cleaned the place and things like that - it's been an amazing few days.

"It was a lot of fun getting back into it. Athough with doing deliveries for the first time it has been a steep learning curve.

"We had to stop at 16:00 because we'd had so many people ordering food."

A glimpse back at bygone times has been revealed by a museum in Norfolk - a fitting tribute on International Nurses' Day.

Norwich Castle has tweeted photos of a uniform worn on the wards at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in the early 1900s.

Its then-owner Alice Ottaway joined the procession at the funeral of Edith Cavell - the British nurse who worked with prisoners of war in World War One and was executed by the Germans.

• BBC Bitesize: Edith Cavell

Nic Rigby
BBC News

West Norfolk has seen the highest rate of Covid-19 infections in the East of England with 420 cases per 100,000 of the population.

Image source, Rob Noble/Geograph

The figures are for the King's Lynn (pictured) and West Norfolk Council area which has had 638 people infected, according to statistics released by the government.

The whole of Norfolk has had 1,913 cases of people being infected. The rate of infection is 211 across the county is 100,000 of population.

It compares to Norwich where there were 143 infections per 100,000 of the population.

In the East of England the second highest is Hertsmere where there were 359 infection per 100,000 of population.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

Railway company Greater Anglia, external is to change its reduced emergency timetable and increase train services after the government announced a slight easing of the lockdown.

From Monday, it will run an amended timetable on weekdays with a "Saturday service" number of trains.

It will see increased frequency of services on the Great Eastern Main Line from Colchester, Clacton and Southend to London and the West Anglia Main Line from Cambridge to Liverpool Street.

Image source, Getty Images

Regional lines will remain as they are, but the hourly Norwich to Cambridge service will now run as a direct through service to Stansted Airport again.

The Norwich-London intercity service, will continue to run once an hour, but during peak periods will not call at Colchester or Chelmsford as it runs non-stop between Manningtree and Stratford.

Passengers at Colchester will be served by three trains per hour and at Chelmsford by four trains per hour on the Great Eastern Main Line.

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: "Government advice is still to avoid public transport, so please only travel with us if your journey is absolutely essential.

"We have marked up our trains and stations to help customers to socially distance."

An expert in infectious diseases has backed government guidelines that facemasks should be worn on public transport and in shops, when social distancing is not always possible, to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Prof Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, said the evidence was still "quite murky", but safety should come first.

Prof Hunter was concerned people wearing facemasks might stop thinking about social distancing and that could make matters worse.

"But if people stick to the rules on those occasions when they can't avoid being out in public and wear them [facemasks] then that is certainly appropriate," he said.