For the first time, people in England are being advised towear face coverings, external in enclosed spaces where they come into contact with other people – including on public transport.

The guidance emphasises that people should use home-made coverings, not the specialist masks used by healthcare workers, for example.

Until now, the advice has been that only those working in health or care settings needed to cover their faces. The government had said there was little evidence that masks helped to stop the spread of the virus among the general public.

But this had been controversial, as other countries had already recommended the use of face coverings.

So Step One starts on Wednesday - but when will the next begin?

The government has stressed changes are dependent on the rate of infection staying down. But as it stands, here is the timetable.

In Step Two, which will begin no earlier than 1 June, nurseries and primary schools will begin a phased return.

At first this will only involve early years, reception, and years 1 and 6.

But the government’s ambition is that all primary school children in England should return to school for a month before the summer.

Also in the same phase, some businesses will be able to re-open and sporting events will be able to take place behind closed doors – but hairdressers and beauty salons will not open.

The government is seeking advice on allowing people to expand their household group and examining how small weddings can be better facilitated.

In Step Three, which will start no earlier than 4 July, more businesses will be able to open – although some, which are crowded by design, will not be able to open.

Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be told to continue to shield beyond June.

Image source, AFP

Image source, aFP

The government document emphasises that all planned dates for easing restrictions could be delayed, external if insufficient progress is made in tackling the virus.

It also says restrictions could be re-imposed if there were a further spike in infections – possibly in specific geographical areas.

The government will also introduce a quarantine system for international arrivals, starting as soon as possible.

Most people arriving will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival to the UK. This does not apply to France or the common travel area however.

Image source, AFP

The document sets out details of the government's three step plan - as announced by Boris Johnson on Sunday.

• In Step One, starting on Wednesday 13 May, workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open
• Sectors of the economy that are allowed to be open should be open
• Workplaces should follow new “COVID-19 Secure” guidelines
• The government is also urging more vulnerable children, who are already able to attend school, to do so
• And for the first time, people in England are being advised to wear face-coverings in enclosed spaces where they come into contact with other people – including on public transport or in shops

The UK government has now published its 50-page guidance document , externalwith detail on how England will begin easing lockdown measures.

We'll bring you more shortly.

Image source, Reuters

Two hotels in Nigeria have been demolished after allegedly violating lockdown rules. The managers of the hotels in the southern Rivers State were arrested. The brother of one of the managers told the BBC they had followed the rules. Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said the decision had been made due to concerns about infections inside the buildings.

In other news from Africa:

• Zambia has closed its border with Tanzania at Nakonde following the discovery of 85 new coronavirus cases in the area. Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said the temporary closure of the border was to allow time to retrain health personnel and conduct more tests
• Tunisia has recorded no new cases for the first time since early March, health authorities said. The government announced it would relax restrictions on movement and businesses. The country has reported 1,032 cases and 45 deaths

• Burundi has told the regional bloc East African Community (EAC) that any observers sent to monitor its general elections will have to be quarantined for 14 days on arrival. The elections are only nine days away
• People in South Africa have been told to prepare to live with the threat of coronavirus for a year or even more. President Cyril Ramaphosa said people would still be expected to follow social-distancing rules, wear masks and wash their hands for a while

Image source, EPA

Passengers travelling on public transport in London are being told to wear face coverings, such as a scarf, piece of cloth or mask.

The announcement from Transport for London (TfL) also says:

• The requirement to maintain 2m (6ft) social distancing wherever possible means that TfL will only be able to carry around 13-15% of the normal number of passengers on the Tube and bus networks even when 100% of services are operating once again
• It is working to gradually build up its services and London Underground is aiming to restore the Circle Line and to re-open some of the 37 stations that have been closed for several weeks
• Everyone is asked to consider if their journey is necessary before travelling, and to think about the times, routes and ways they travel
• People should walk and cycle if they can and new walking and cycling space is being created through the London Streetspace programme
• Passengers should carry a hand sanitizer and wash their hands before and after they travel

Marianna Spring
Specialist disinformation and social media reporter

Image source, Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Anti-lockdown protests of varying sizes took place across the world over the weekend. Here in the UK a number of arrests were made at a small demonstration in central London, whilst thousands took to the streets in Germany.

Whilst some may have legitimate concerns about lockdown, protesters also promoted widely debunked conspiracy theories. These include false claims that 5G is linked to coronavirus and that Bill Gates created Covid-19.

There were also misleading claims made by demonstrators about vaccinations. One was that recent changes introduced in UK law give the government the power to enforce vaccinations as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Under current UK law, however, this is not the case - vaccines are not compulsory.

Reality Check has looked at these false claims and where they came from.

The UK government will soon publish a 50-page guidance document with detail on how England will begin lifting lockdown measures.

It will include more detail on what Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned in his televised address on Sunday night, such as:

• The launch of a five-tier system to measure the threat level of coronavirus
• How social distancing measures can be taken in workplaces and across public transport - after the PM urged those who cannot work from home to return to work
• Spending more time outdoors - Johnson said people in England would be allowed to leave the house to exercise as much as they like, from Wednesday
• And although Johnson did not mention rules allowing us to meet up with friends and family, a government official has told the BBC the new guidance will say you can meet one person from outside your own household in a park, if you stay 2m (6ft) apart
• People will also be allowed to drive to parks and beaches in England as long as they observe social distancing while there, according to the official

After the document is published Johnson is set to give a statement in the House of Commons.

In that statement he is expected to tell MPs more about the Covid-19 alert system, the use of face masks, and the return of professional football.

Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News

Image source, Cassandra Snowden

Last week we brought you the story of cruise ship entertainer Cassandra Snowden who said she was “mentally exhausted” after being out at sea for two months, long after passengers from her ship had disembarked.

In better news we can report that she and around 200 others from the Royal Caribbean ship Voyager of the Seas flew to London Heathrow at the weekend on a special charter flight.

However, thousands of others like Cassandra remain in quarantine on 18 ships in Manila Bay.

The bay has become busy recently because of the large numbers of returning Filipinos who work in the cruise ship industry.

Today I’ve been speaking with workers on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth. They say Filipino staff have been in self-isolation in cabins for 23 days, nine days longer than the 14-day period enforced by the Philippine authorities.

A well-placed source believes the delays are being caused by the sheer number of Covid-19 swab-tests the authorities are processing.

There’s also frustration among staff about lack of news regarding repatriation flights. A Cunard spokesman told me: "We have been in discussion with the Philippine authorities for a number of weeks. We have complied with all measures… our priority is for our crew members to get to their loved ones as soon as possible."

Image source, Cassandra Snowden

As we have just said, the prime minister will be taking questions later on Monday. You can follow live coverage here with us, and across the BBC.

Below is a chart explaining the government's plans to ease the coronavirus lockdown in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking different steps to lift their restrictions.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a news conference at 19:00 BST, following the announcement of his "conditional plan" for lifting England's lockdown on Sunday.

Johnson will take questions from the media and the public.

The government is also due to publish a 50-page lockdown guidance document.

Image source, Getty Images

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

The majority of new Covid-19 infections in Poland are among the country's coal miners and their families, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said.

Poland is the largest producer of hard coal in the EU and the country generates about 70% of its electricity from hard coal and brown coal, known as lignite.

Testing for the infection among miners in Poland’s Silesian collieries, has been increased markedly in the last four days, with drive-through testing centres set up outside collieries.

Poland has tested 23,400 people in the previous 24 hours, a record high. About 5,000 miners from the state-owned coal miner PGG were tested by Sunday and around 500 miners tested positive.

Image source, Getty Images

Szumowski said 97% of infected miners are not showing symptoms, which increases the risk of them infecting others. Hot and humid conditions deep underground are good conditions for spreading the virus. Miners also cannot wear face masks due to the nature of their work.

On Monday, Poland recorded 210 new infections, and three new virus-related deaths, raising the totals to 16,206 infections and 803 deaths.

Poland was quick to introduce a lockdown, which it is now in the process of gradually lifting, opening shopping centres - although not food courts nor cinemas - and pre-schools and nurseries last week. However, on Sunday it extended a ban on international air travel until 23 May.

Image source, Getty Images

Huawei and some older mobile phones cannot run the NHS contact-tracing app being trialled on the Isle of Wight, according to NHSX, the health service's digital innovation unit.

Dr Geraint Lewis, who is in charge of the development of the NHS Covid-19 app, said the new tool would only work with newer operating systems on Apple and Samsung phones.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, he said phones needed to have the capability of running Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and to be running either Apple ios 11 upwards or Android 8 upwards.

He said there were three reasons why a phone would not run the app. Either the development team had not got around to supporting that particular phone; the phone itself does not have BLE, or the operating system is not supported.

Five more coronavirus deaths have been registered among hospital patients who have tested positive in Scotland, taking the country's total to 1,862.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said numbers were usually lower at weekends. She says 13,627 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, a rise of 141 from 13,486 the day before.

There are 1,453 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, down 31 from the previous day, Sturgeon added. Of these patients, 80 are in intensive care, a fall of two.

Image source, NHS Grampian

The chief executive of NHS Scotland has resigned on health grounds after less than a year in the post.

Malcolm Wright, who was also director general of health and social care, was appointed in June last year.

The Scottish government said he had tendered his resignation because of an "underlying health condition".

John Connaghan has taken over as the interim chief executive until August, when a recruitment process will be opened.

Connaghan is currently chief performance officer at NHS Scotland.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

The government's plan for some children to go back to school in England from June has been described as "nothing short of reckless" by the National Education Union.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the phased reopening for primary school pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 will only go ahead if the coronavirus threat level is low enough to allow it.

It will be a judgement, guided by the available scientific evidence. But that evidence is patchy and there are some big unknowns about this new disease.

Children rarely get very ill with coronavirus, which is reassuring, but we still do not know how much they might carry and spread the virus to others. Young children are super spreaders of other diseases, such as flu.

Coronavirus is transmitted in a similar way to the flu virus - through coughing or touching contaminated objects, such as pens and door handles.

Keeping 2m (6ft) away from other people at all times and washing your hands before touching your face or eating food help stop the spread of coronavirus.

But these preventive measures are challenging even for adults to maintain. Now imagine achieving it for a classroom of five- and six-year-olds.

Perhaps that is part of the point of starting with the youngest first. If that tough nut can be safely cracked then maybe getting older children back into schools in September will be a lesser mountain to climb.

Both keeping schools closed and reopening them carry degrees of risk. It is weighing them that is tricky.

Image source, International Maritime Organization

Seafarers around the world are feeling the strain from Covid-19.

Travel restrictions currently in place mean that many cannot leave their ships, be repatriated home or receive medical assistance.

Others claim their contracts have been terminated and some have been quarantined on board ships for more than 14 days without being paid, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said.

One example of the complexities involved is the case of a 45-year-old seafarer on a cargo ship who showed signs of having a stroke.

The captain was informed and sent out a request for help. But the ship was more than 220km (118 nautical miles) from the nearest port. The request for medical assistance was denied by port authorities due to coronavirus restrictions, despite calls for help from the seafarer’s trade union and the captain.

It was later confirmed that a medical transfer would be allowed to take place but was cancelled six hours before it was due to take place. The captain was told to head for a different country 600km away.

The IMO and the International Labour Organisation were forced to intervene and the medical evacuation was authorised.

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim has called for seafarers to be designated key workers during the pandemic and for severe restrictions not to be applied.

"Seafarers’ own health and welfare are as important as those of anyone else," he said.

Image source, EPA

In the French capital, metro and bus services are operating, though only every second seat can be used and masks are compulsory. The public transport network is less crowded than feared as commuter traffic has remained light.

Car traffic is much less dense than in normal times, and with bars and cafés shut - and no tourists to speak of - the city still feels unusually quiet, says the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris.

On the metro and suburban commuter lines, passengers need an authorisation from their employer if they travel during rush hour - and in general, it has been possible to maintain social distancing.

The head of the Paris public transport operator RATP, Catherine Guillouard, noted people were mostly wearing masks around the network - which "even goes beyond 95% in some places".

But on some parts of the system, there have been incidents of commuters struggling to maintain social distancing.

There was some congestion first thing this morning on line 13 of the metro network after water leaks at two stations caused traffic delays, leading to carriages being overcrowded.

And at some RER stations, commuters were also unable to observe social-distancing rules.

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

People working in social care have seen roughly twice the rate of death from coronavirus compared to the population at large.

The rate of death involving Covid-19 is 9.9 per 100,000 men and 5.2/100,000 women overall.

For people working in social care, the rates are 23.4/100,000 men and 9.6/100,000 women.

The analysis of 2,494 deaths in England and Wales among 20-64 year olds takes account of age, but not of wealth, underlying health or ethnicity.

The risks among healthcare workers (including doctors/nurses) were not significantly different to the population at large.

Find out more about the Office for National Statistics' data.