Royal Mail has unveiled five special postboxes across the UK that have been painted blue in support of NHS staff during the coronavirus crisis.

They are located close to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, St Thomas' Hospital in London, Trafford General Hospital in Manchester, Royal Edinburgh Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Image source, Getty Images

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said it will take up to six months to refund passengers for flights cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He told the BBC the airline was struggling to process a backlog of 25 million refunds with reduced staff.

However, he pledged: "If you want a cash refund, you will receive a cash refund."

Osian was born on 24 March - his mother, Claire, having gone into labour as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was delivering his speech to announce the lockdown.

His father Matthew Guy, of Nottingham but originally from Deiniolen in Gwynedd, said the period had been a challenge due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

"We can't have the midwife round and health visitors," said Matthew.

"The health visitor came and left the scales outside. I had to go and get them and then we weighed him ourselves."

And friends and family have unable to visit properly, with some having to make do with meeting the new addition through the window or on FaceTime.

But it's not all bad.

"I've been spending some valuable time with him because I've been furloughed, so I guess it's quite nice for me," he added.

A nurse who has helped train extra staff to work on the front line of the fight against coronavirus says working in intensive care can be "very frightening".

Bangor University lecturer Naomi Jenkins has trained 170 nurses from across the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to double critical care staffing numbers during the pandemic.

The course was set up in response to an appeal from the chief executive of NHS Wales, Andrew Goodall, for extra personnel to be trained to support intensive care units across Wales.

Ms Jenkins, who worked as an intensive care nurse for almost 10 years, said working in critical care could be "very frightening" as things change quickly and you had "someone’s life in your hands".

“There’s a lot of equipment to get used to and a lot of drugs and you have to be able to get up to speed very quickly when you’re in there so I’ve got huge respect for the staff who have stepped forward.“

The staff all worked in roles with similar skills and are set to start at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, after finishing the three-day course.

Image source, Bangor University

The Financial Conduct Authority is planning to take some insurers to court because they have not paid claims from businesses affected by the coronavirus.

It follows calls from firms, some of which say they could go under, because insurers have refused to pay losses related to the lockdown.

But the financial watchdog says some of those policies may cover losses from the pandemic.

There have been plenty of memorable charity fundraisers during the lockdown - but one steam railway lover is taking it to a whole new level.

Ellis Morey is going to do 77 laps - 26 miles, or 41km - around a miniature railway on an hand-cranked train.

His challenge is to raise funds for heritage steam railways, as some fear closure due to the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis.

The 25-year-old's "uncomfortable yet unique" challenge will take nine hours.

Over 300 patients across Wales have signed up for the biggest clinical trial for Covid-19.

The Recovery trials are led by Oxford University and involve steroids, antibiotics and drugs typically used against HIV and malaria.

Sixteen hospitals in Wales now give patients a chance to take part.

Another trial, focused on acutely ill patients, is also being trialled by four health boards.

Both trials are being undertaken at the North Wales Clinical Research Centre adjacent to Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

"This is the biggest challenge I've seen in the 30 years of my medical career," said David Southern, who is leading the project there.

"It's the biggest challenge for our community since the second world war. It's the biggest infection that's been for 100 years. The expression is worn out but this is an unprecedented situation in our lifetime."

Image source, Getty Images

All shops and leisure centres will need new rules in place once the restrictions are eased to make people feel safe to use them, the first minister has said.

Last week Mark Drakeford said coronavirus restrictions could be gradually eased at the end of the current three-week lockdown period, if backed by medical and scientific advice.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was no point in lifting social-distancing measures if people were afraid to leave their homes.

"You can open up anything you like but if people don’t think it’s safe, they won’t come," he said.

Mr Drakeford said that there would be new rules for using facilities, such as libraries and gyms, to make people feel "safe to use" them again.

"We need a conversation with the public about what they want to see to make them feel confident to take up," he said.

He added: "We need to work with people who run these facilities and people who use them. Anything that opens up will need a new set of rules, a protocol to reassure people."

Social-distancing restrictions should not be lifted in parts of the UK until each nation is ready, the first minister has said.

Mark Drakeford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the administrations in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland should all agree when lockdown measures should be eased.

"We went into lockdown together on the same terms, on the same day. I'd like to see us come out of lockdown on the same basis," Mr Drakeford said.

"In order to do that we need a proper conversation. A plan like Moses coming down from the mountain won’t work.

"We need to be involved in the plan for it to be effective and people need to see it so they can be confident that it will work for them."

Yesterday Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK was "past the peak" of the virus outbreak, and a plan on how to ease the lockdown would be set out next week.

Image source, Getty Images

The airline says it may shed staff as it restructures to cope with the pandemic.

It said the posts under threat were mainly pilot and cabin crew jobs.

There were likely to be pay cuts of up to 20% for remaining staff, the airline added.

Meanwhile, London's Heathrow airport, normally the busiest in Europe, has said it expects passenger numbers to have fallen 97% in April as demand slumped amid the coronavirus pandemic.

People from around Wales paid tribute to NHS staff and key workers in the sixth weekly "clap for carers" on Thursday.

From brass bands to bagpipes and from applause to a giant steel tribute, they made their appreciation known for all those helping fight the pandemic.

Brian Meechan
BBC Wales business correspondent

Wales is in “great danger” of losing most of its manufacturing sector, according to a trade union leader.

Peter Hughes, Unite’s regional secretary in Wales, issued the stark warning to the assembly’s economy committee as it took evidence on the impact of coronavirus on businesses.

Half of the workers at Airbus in Broughton have been furloughed, and production at Ford in Bridgend remains halted, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Unite represents staff at both companies.

Mr Hughes said the manufacturing sector would survive if large and medium-sized businesses were supported, including through planning and training

“We are a highly skilled workforce in Wales. Unfortunately we have Ford closing at the end of the year. There is not going to be that many jobs if we are not careful,” said Mr Hughes.

“We need to make sure that Wales looks the most attractive place and we have the best highly skilled workforce in Europe… making sure we are singing that loud and proud. Because if we are not doing that there won’t be any manufacturing jobs for our kids and our kids' kids if we are not careful.”

Image source, Getty Images

An MP has called for police to have greater powers after a pharmacist was asked by a GP in England to deliver medication to patient in a second home in Gwynedd.

The pharmacist gave out the medication but then called North Wales Police for advice.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts told BBC Radio Wales that police had no powers to act because the person was already in their second home.

But she said that powers to stop people travelling to rural and seaside areas were still not strong enough to stop the local health service being overwhelmed during the pandemic.

Last week revised lockdown regulations were issued, which made it clear people cannot remain away from the place they live.

With the bank holiday weekend approaching Ms Saville-Roberts said she had written to Health Minister Vaughan Gething urging the Welsh Government to give police more powers.

"This is a huge rural area, bear in mind that key workers have to go all the way to Llandudno for testing, people are really anxious about people coming here to self-isolate," she said.

Image source, Getty Images

The number of people known to have had the virus and recovered has passed a milestone, researchers say.

More than 1,014,000 people are now known to have had the virus and recovered, Johns Hopkins University in the United States says.

It remains unclear how many people who were not tested have also made a recovery.

Image source, Family photo

The mother of a Welsh prison officer who died after contracting coronavirus has criticised the lack of personal protective equipment for key workers.

Rachael Yates, 33, an asthmatic, had worked at Usk Prison in Monmouthshire for about 18 months when she died on 21 April.

Her mother Julie Jacques said the family's "light has been taken away".

Prison officers will form a guard of honour at Usk Prison for Rachael's coffin before her funeral later.

The Prison Service said its deepest sympathies were with her loved ones and colleagues.

The Ministry of Justice said there were "robust and flexible" plans in place to protect staff, with prisons working with public health and NHS services.

"Personal protective equipment is being provided to officers and all prisons have the soap and cleaning materials they need," a spokesman said.

A Flintshire mother has said lockdown is badly affecting her teenage daughter - who has severe autism - and putting a heavy strain on her family.

Kathryn Elsmore, of Broughton, has been told her daughter Cerys,13, is a priority for a lockdown school hub but she remains at home.

She said she felt "semi-abandoned".

Flintshire council said it had to consider whether it could "safely offer suitable provision" for children on an individual basis.

Ms Elsmore, a mother-of-three who is also trying to home-school Cerys' younger brother, said: "She has no sense of danger which is probably our biggest problem at the moment."

Before Covid-19, she would be picked up at 08:00 from Monday to Friday, and then returned home from her school after 16:00.

She said Cerys did not understand why the family were indoors and she "doesn't respond well" to the kind of activities available in the house.

"She's much more an outdoor person, going on activities. She swims three times a week. She sometimes goes horse riding or ice skating," said Ms Elsmore.

Good morning and welcome to Friday's live coverage from Wales.

We will be bringing you all the news and updates on the coronavirus pandemic, with First Minister Mark Drakeford due to address the Welsh Government's daily press conference at around 12:30 this afternoon.

Thank you for joining us.