Image source, Getty Images

House moves and viewings will be able to resume again in England from tomorrow.

In changes by the Government to lockdown regulations, potential buyers and renters will be able to visit showhomes and view houses which are on the market to let or buy.

Moving home will also be allowed again, as will visiting estate agents and letting agents.

Anyone who has already bought a new home will be able to visit it to prepare it for moving in.

Image source, PA Media

The Queen and senior royals have called healthcare workers around the world to mark International Nurses Day amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess Royal, the Countess of Wessex and Princess Alexandra all took part in the tributes.

Prince Charles thanked nurses for their "diligence" and "courage" while Camilla said: "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary people."

In a video montage released by Kensington Palace on Instagram, external, many nurses were seen wearing face masks as they spoke to the royals about the impact of the virus.

Image source, Getty Images

Vice-President Mike Pence has made a voluntary "personal decision" to "keep his distance for a few days" from President Trump, says White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany.

Pence's spokeswoman, Stephanie Miller, tested positive for coronavirus last week. Since then, Pence has not gone into self-isolation and has been seen working at the White House with no mask on.

McEnany added that it was up to Pence to decide when he would return to business as usual.

During her briefing, McEnany also defended her own lack of mask as she spoke from the podium.

"You'd probably have a hard time hearing from me if I had a mask on," she adds, saying she would be "muffled".

On Monday, Trump ordered anyone entering the White House West Wing to wear a mask.

At a news briefing from the White House, President Trump's spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said states should follow the federal guidelines' "phased approach to reopening".

It came after she was asked about Dr Anthony Fauci's testimony to senators, in which he warned of serious consequences for states that reopen too quickly.

"We do want to reopen this country because there are consequences that run the other way when we stay closed down," McEnany argued.

Calls to one substance abuse hotline spiked by 1,000%, she says, and screenings for cancer are down 90%.

"People are scared to go to their doctor," she continues, adding that Americans need to get back to their lives as normal as soon as possible.

A family separated by the US-Canada border has found a unique way to reunite.

Keely Sprangle, her husband and daughter live in Redford, Michigan near Detroit. Her parents live across the border in Windsor, Ontario.

The family has been separated ever since the border closed on 18 March.

So she had an idea: Her family would visit Belle Isle park, which is located on an island in the middle of the Detroit River on the Michigan side, on Saturday. Just 3km (2 miles) away, on the other side of the river bank in Windsor, would be grandma and grandpa.

It was the closest the family had been in weeks, and everyone was excited.

But a US Coast Guard vessel saw grandparents Lori and Kevin "frantically waving" and shouting on the shore and came close to check on their welfare. After getting a thumbs-up sign, the guard went on their way and the family got back to it.

“We’re going to do it again,” Lori told the Windsor Star, external. “And again. And again until we can get over there.”

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

In Spain, a 113-year-old woman - believed to be the country's oldest - has recovered from Covid-19, officials say.

Maria Branyas has lived for two decades at a care home in the north-eastern city of Olot.

She celebrated her birthday in March - just before the pandemic took hold.

Her family must have thought they would never see her again when she went down with coronavirus.

But after weeks in isolation, she recovered, having suffered only mild symptoms.

Maria was born in the US city of San Francisco in 1907, the year after the great earthquake.

She has survived two world wars, a civil war, and the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918-19.

Asked for the secret of her long life, she simply said she enjoyed good health.

As we head into the evening, here are some key developments from the UK:

• Furloughed workers will have 80% of their wages paid until October, after the government announced an extension to its job retention scheme
• Our head of statistics has explained why the number of people who have died because of Covid-19 is nearly twice as high as the daily figure announced by the government
• Deaths in care homes linked to coronavirus are beginning to decline - there were 2,800 deaths linked to coronavirus in UK care homes in the most recent week recorded, which is down 12% on the week before
• Summer holiday plans have been plunged further into doubt after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was unlikely "big, lavish, international" trips would be possible
• And a runner from Leeds has told us all about running marathons in the middle of the night as the "perfect" way to comply with social distancing guidance

Read more in our evening update here.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

If you're just joining us, a very warm welcome to our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

As we've just been hearing from the UK government, let's recap on major developments elsewhere in the world:

• In the US, top health adviser Dr Anthony Fauci warns against re-opening the country too soon and says the death toll is probably higher than the official figure of 80,000
• Indian PM Narendra Modi unveils a $266bn (£217bn) support package to help the country mitigate the damage caused by the outbreak
• Russia now has the second-highest numbers of confirmed infections after the US, with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman testing positive
• South Korea sees a spike in new cases linked to Seoul's nightclubs
• In Spain, a 113-year-old woman - believed to be the country's oldest - has recovered from Covid-19

The White House has begun testing reporters who are working in the building.

Pool reporters covering the president received a nasal swab test, which takes about 15 minutes to deliver results. None of them tested positive, said White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien.

Two White House employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. On Monday, Donald Trump ordered anyone in the White House to wear masks when working in the West Wing.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, many senators are wearing face masks at a committee hearing on reopening the US and dealing with the ongoing pandemic.

All of the senators who are in the chamber, rather than speaking via teleconference from home, are removing their masks when it is their turn to speak.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016, has drawn jokes online, with some suggesting that he looks like a poker player in the Old West...

Dominic Casciani
Home Affairs Correspondent

These are the all-important new legal rules, external for the lockdown in England.

They are written in Parliamentary legal language so can be hard to read. But here are the most important parts.

From midnight tonight you can:

• Visit a "public open space" for "open-air recreation to promote physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing"
• That can be done with one member of another household
• A public space includes any open or public land or a "public garden"

The new regulation confirms that garden centres can open - and that people can visit estate agents and view homes they want to buy or rent.

Speaking at a US Senate hearing today, Utah Republican Mitt Romney took aim at the country's testing record, calling it "nothing to celebrate whatsoever".

Members of the White House coronavirus task force have been celebrating surpassing South Korea - heralded for its efficient virus testing - in terms of tests per capita.

But this claim ignores the fact South Korea begun testing early in the outbreak, Romney said, "while we treaded water during February and March".

"So partially as a result of that they have 256 deaths and we have almost 80,000 deaths," he said.

In the video below, look at how slow testing and stay-home orders put the US at a loss in its virus response.

Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

The international death comparison slide was notable by its absence at Tuesday's government briefing.

It has not been seen since Saturday, which may have been its last appearance, having been shown regularly for some weeks.

This is not surprising as the UK recently reached the unenviable milestone of having the highest number of Covid-19 related deaths in Europe.

The black line edged upwards day-by-day, showing starkly how many people had lost their lives to the virus in stark contrast to others including Germany.

Ministers increasingly stressed how problematic the comparison was, heavily caveating the damning statistic.

Downing Street did not confirm that the slide has been abandoned, but a government spokesperson said: "Countries report deaths in different ways so it is not possible to make like-for-like comparisons."

For now at least, the decision seems to have been taken that it is neither helpful or reliable enough to be of use.

Reality Check

Image source, Getty Images

In the UK government briefing earlier, Alok Sharma was asked what will happen to employers who don’t carry out risk assessments or make workplaces safe.

From Wednesday, those unable to work from home are being "actively encouraged to go to work" in England.

The government has issued guidance on how different workplaces should be made safe for staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Several key points must be followed, such as keeping a 2m (6ft) distance wherever possible, cleaning more frequently and carrying out a risk assessment.

We’ve looked at the new guidelines for employers here.

Image source, Getty Images

Organisers of two of the UK's biggest music festivals, Reading and Leeds, say 2021 will be "worth the wait" after confirming this year's events have been cancelled.

The three-day twin festivals were due to take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, with Stormzy, Liam Gallagher and Rage Against The Machine as the headline acts.

They are the latest of many festivals and tours - including Glastonbury - to be called off because of coronavirus.

"We were hopeful we could deliver the ultimate festival to you, something to look forward to in these strange and confusing times," organisers said.

"However, it has become clear that it's just not possible for this year's festival to go ahead."

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter

Image source, Reuters

Anthony Fauci's testimony before a congressional committee started as a genteel affair, with senators treating him as a long-serving public health official whose advice carries considerable authority and expertise.

Then Senator Rand Paul spoke.

When it comes to the coronavirus, the Republican from Kentucky said, public heath experts had made "wrong prediction after wrong prediction after wrong prediction.

"As much as I respect you, Dr Fauci,” he continued, “I don't think you're the end-all, I don't think you're the one person that gets to make a decision.”

Paul went on to assert that "outside of New England," the virus has followed a "relatively benign course".

He told Fauci that schools, which have been closed across the US since mid-March, should be reopened as soon as possible.

Paul was giving voice to a growing sentiment among the conservative base that Fauci did not have the nation’s - or the president’s - best interests in mind.

Crowds of anti-lockdown activists in several states have chanted "fire Fauci", and the director has required special protection after receiving death threats.

The protesters, like Paul, have dismissed the spread of the virus beyond the current coastal hotspots, even though data indicates cases are spiking in some areas in the interior of the US.

It’s evidence of a growing political divide within the nation over how to respond to the virus and how, and when, to begin easing from existing state-ordered mitigation efforts.

Fauci, for his part, responded coolly. "I have never made myself out to be the end-all and only voice of this" he told Paul.

"I'm a scientist, a physician, and a public health official."

He added that there was still much that was not known about the virus, and warned not to be "cavalier" about the threat to children, given new evidence that they may not be "completely immune to the deleterious effects" of the virus.

Paul, a practicing physician, was himself diagnosed with the coronavirus last month and received significant criticism for continuing to work in the Senate after being exposed - but before he received his positive diagnosis.

Image source, Reuters

We've just been hearing from the UK government at today's Downing Street briefing.

It was chaired by Business Secretary Alok Sharma, who was joined by NHS England medical director Stephen Powis and Sarah Albon, the chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Here's what we learned:

• The UK's death toll has risen by 627, taking the total to 32,692
• The government has again missed its target of carrying out 100,000 tests a day, with 85,293 tests on Monday

• Business Secretary Alok Sharma said England will only take "careful steps" in lifting lockdown measures
• He urged employers to use the government's new safety guidelines for workplaces during the crisis
• He told workers who have concerns that they should talk to their employer and - if they don't get "any traction" - should contact the Health and Safety Executive, or their local authorities

• The HSE is prepared to use its enforcement powers when necessary and will also consider criminal prosecutions, its chief executive Sarah Albon said
• Up to £14m extra funding has been made available to the watchdog for extra call centre staff, inspectors and kit, Sharma said

• Prof Powis said that the number of people in hospitals with Covid-19 is falling but that it was "critical" people maintained social-distancing

• But while numbers in hospital are continuing to fall in London and several other regions, there appears to have been a slight uptick in the North-East of England and the East of England

Image source, Getty Images

Away from the UK now, and New York City's Broadway theatres will remain closed until at least September.

The Broadway League says customers holding tickets through until 6 September have been offered refunds or exchanges, though no date has been set for when shows can resume.

“While all Broadway shows would love to resume performances as soon as possible, we need to ensure the health and well-being of everyone who comes to the theatre - behind the curtain and in front of it - before shows can return,” said Charlotte St Martin, President of the Broadway League.

Broadway performances have been suspended since 12 March, when 31 productions were running and another eight were in rehearsals and preparing to open in the spring.

The Broadway League says it will continue to work with city and state officials to determine an appropriate date for performances to resume.

Hugh Pym
BBC News Health Editor

Image source, PA Media

The head of NHS England, Sir Simon Stevens, says there has been a surge in interest from people thinking of a career in nursing.

The number clicking on the nursing pages of the NHS careers website has more than tripled.

Sir Simon, speaking in an interview to mark International Nurses Day, said: "The coronavirus emergency, obviously a terrible, tragic, once-in-a-century event, has put a huge spotlight on the brilliance of nursing - and what we are seeing is a great uptick in interest in nursing as a career, recognising it is one of the most stimulating, flexible and dedicated ways people can make a contribution to the country as a whole."

He said the crisis had given people "an insight into the commitment and care and leadership nurses in the NHS provide".

"We're seeing a surge in interest ....and we know that we are going to need many more nurses for the NHS of the future".

Sir Simon called for nursing degree courses to be expanded to capitalise on this interest.

The final question in today's government briefing comes from a reporter on Lincolnshire Live and is about the harsh impact of the lockdown on the tourism and hospitality industry.

He says there is a risk that the modest relaxation of the rules could see an influx of people travelling to coastal areas, risking a rise in infections, while bringing "minimal economic benefit" to those areas.

The business secretary says the last two months have been really hard for the tourism and hospitality sectors.

He says the new rules coming into force do allow people to travel more but do not permit overnight stays.

Asked when tourism firms may be allowed to re-open, he stresses the importance of avoiding a second peak and suggests that only when ministers are sure this has been avoided, then it can look to allow people to go on breaks and holidays across the UK.

He promises "baby steps not giant strides".

Asked more on the enforcement actions open to authorities, Sarah Albon from the Health and Safety Executive says there is a range of different penalties it can use.

Inspectors can require businesses to take particular kinds of action, she says.

In "extreme circumstances" if there is risk of serious injury they can issue a notice that prohibits certain activities – she says it would be a criminal offence to breach this and can trigger prosecution.

The questioner, Bloomberg's Alex Morales, asks about the government working with the unions and claims the Conservatives committed in their manifesto to restrict the actions of unions.

Sharma says the government wants to work with unions to provide the right support.