Doug Faulkner
BBC News Online

Image source, Getty Images

This evening the sound of clapping, cheering and wooden spoons hitting saucepan lids will once again fill the streets in the UK as we celebrate those working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.

But this week may be the last for some time after the founder, Annemarie Plas, said the 10th edition would be a good time to end the weekly display and instead make it an annual event.

She said the public had "shown our appreciation" and it was now up to ministers to "reward" key workers.

However, many will miss the way the clap has brought neighbourhoods together.

Andrea Dawson, who lives on the Lissenden Gardens estate in north London, says: "Even though I have lived here 17 years I have got to know people I never would have met, it has basically brought love which is the key thing to all of our lives."

So why are there calls for it to end?

Read more here.

According to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care, there have been 37,837 coronavirus-related deaths in the UK, with black men and women nearly twice as likely to die with the virus as white people in England and Wales, according to Office of National Statistics figures.

The BBC’s Clive Myrie has been reporting from inside the Royal London Hospital in East London, which serves a large South Asian community.

He met the black and minority ethnic staff on the frontline, and saw the impact the virus is having beyond the hospital ward. You can watch his powerful report above.

Image source, EPA

The coronavirus pandemic has been responsible for around 159,000 excess deaths in Europe since early March, a World Health Organization (WHO) official says.

"What we have seen very clearly is that the peak in excess mortality corresponds in those countries to the peak of the transmission of Covid-19," said WHO emergency official Katie Smallwood.

She said that while the figure for excess deaths takes into account all mortality causes, its timing - recorded as thousands of people were dying in intensive care units in places like northern Italy, France, Spain and the UK - points to the deadly impact of coronavirus.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, these are these are some of Thursday's developments:

• The US has passed 100,000 deaths in the coronavirus outbreak in less than four months, figures from Johns Hopkins University show
• There have been more than 5,925,000 confirmed virus cases worldwide, and 357,000 deaths, external
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says groups of up to six people will be able to meet outside in England from Monday
• Football in England's top-flight is set to restart on 17 June
• France's prime minister has announced the reopening of bars and restaurants nationally
• Ramzan Kadyrov, strongman leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, says he is "healthy" after a Covid-19 scare

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League is set to restart on 17 June with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, subject to government approval.

A full round of fixtures would then be played on the weekend of 19-21 June.

There are 92 matches still to play. All of them will take place behind closed doors and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport or Amazon Prime.

In a statement, the league's chief executive Richard Masters stressed that the 17 June start date was provisional, and would not be confirmed "until we have met all the safety requirements needed".

Reality Check

During the UK's daily coronavirus briefing earlier, Boris Johnson was asked by Carol in Sunderland what protection there would be for people losing their incomes if they had to be returned to a severe form of lockdown - in the case of a localised outbreak, for example.

The prime minister said that they would continue to be able to rely on the measures in place to support such people.

“Where we implement local measures to stop an outbreak we will make sure that we look after local people,” he said.

But some of the measures mentioned have time limits on them.

For example, the PM mentioned the furlough scheme, under which the government pays 80% of an employee’s wages up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.

That scheme currently runs until October, and from August companies are expected to have to start contributing to the cost.

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UN head Antonio Guterres has called for debt relief to be offered to poorer nations as they grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Many developing and even middle-income countries are highly vulnerable and already in debt distress - or will soon become so, due to the global recession,” Mr Guterres told a UN meeting.

"Getting through Covid-19 and recovering better will cost money. But, the alternative will cost far more," he added.

It comes as members of the Group of 20 (G20) offered last month to suspend bilateral debt payments to 77 of the world's poorest countries for the remainder of the year.

World Bank President David Malpass told the meeting that about half of the eligible countries have accepted the offer, but longer-term debt relief was needed.

Image source, Getty Images

Coronavirus restrictions in Wales are likely to be relaxed next week so people from two different households can meet each other outdoors, BBC Wales understands.

They will need to stay in their local area and remain two metres apart.

The changes will not come into force until Monday and further details are expected from First Minister Mark Drakeford on Friday.

Image source, CBS

A 103-year-old nursing home resident in the US state of Massachusetts has marked her recovery from Covid-19 with... a Bud Light beer.

Jennie Stejna was sick for around three weeks, according to her family. She had a low-grade fever, had to be moved to a separate ward and spoke on the phone with her family to say her last goodbyes. But on 13 May, she finally beat the virus.

"This feisty old Polish grandmother of ours officially beat the coronavirus," her family announced on Facebook. They added that when they asked her earlier if she was ready to go to heaven, Stejna responded: "Hell yes."

To celebrate, staff at her nursing home brought her a bottle of Bud Light, which she used to drink while watching Boston Red Sox baseball games.

Cheers!

Image source, PA Media

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the prime minister for stopping his experts answering questions about his chief aide.

During the press conference, a number of journalists posed questions to Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance about Dominic Cummings' trip to Durham during lockdown - but the PM stepped in to stop them from giving their views.

Sir Keir said "of course" he would have let the experts answer, saying: "We want transparency.

"Nobody should be stopped from answering questions from journalists… but it’s the PM here that’s the issue. He’s been too weak throughout.”

He added the Cummings issue had been a "needless distraction... when we should have been focusing on easing of restrictions and doing that safely".

"Instead it’s been wasted because the PM has been frankly too weak to draw a line under this and take the necessary action.”

Reality Check

In today's briefing, Boris Johnson said that “Durham police said they were going to take no action [against his top adviser Dominic Cummings] and that the matter was closed”.

Police said that there might have been a breach of the law when Cummings travelled from his father’s farm to Barnard Castle, a trip which he said was to see if his eyesight was up to a long drive.

But they said it was “minor” because he socially distanced and stayed 2m away from people.

They are not taking retrospective action against him because they haven’t done so with anyone else. They say doing so would be treating him differently to other members of the public.

If they had stopped him at the time they would have told him to go home and if he had complied, as with anybody else, there would have been no fine.

Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent

There was a different tone, I thought, between what the prime minister was saying and what the chief scientific adviser and the chief medical adviser were saying.

The PM stressed that the five tests have been met thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication sticking to the rules.

We then heard from Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, that the R rate was between 0.7 and 0.9 and the number of new cases - around 8,000 per day - was not a low number.

So I did detect, not necessarily a nervousness, but a willingness from the chief scientific adviser and the chief medical adviser to stress that this is not necessarily a permanent change and it is one that the government has decided to take cautiously.

Image source, Getty Images

Away from the UK, New York City may enter its first phase of reopening by early June, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio, making it the last region of the state to begin reopening.

The mayor predicted that at least 200,000 people will return to work when construction and wholesale businesses reopen in the city, and that trains and buses will begin to ramp up services before then. Furniture and clothing stores will also be allowed to reopen for kerbside pickup in the first phase, he said.

All businesses will be required to provide to staff PPE and face masks, de Blasio says, outlining for the first time the city's requirements for reopening. Occupancy will be limited to 50% capacity, and any meetings must be limited in size and take place in well-ventilated areas, he continues, adding that bars and restaurants will be among the last businesses to reopen.

Meanwhile, some business owners in the city say they will flout the law and reopen despite continuing lockdown orders.

"We're being punished for trying to put food on our table," Staten Island tanning salon owner Bobby Catone told CBS.

And speaking in Brooklyn on Thursday, Gov Andrew Cuomo said he had signed an executive order allowing businesses to refuse service to anyone not wearing a mask.

New York continues to be the worst-affected state, with New York City being the epicentre. There were 74 deaths in New York on Thursday, Cuomo says - the same number as on Wednesday.

Tom Edgington
BBC Reality Check

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Dental practices in England have just been told they can reopen from 8 June, if they put in place appropriate measures.

In a letter to all practices, NHS England's chief dental officer, Sara Hurley, said that "today, we are asking that all dental practices commence opening from Monday 8 June for all face-to-face care, where practices assess that they have the necessary IPC and PPE requirements in place".

It is the first time that practices have been given a reopening date since all routine dental care in England was suspended on 25 March.

The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed the news, but has cautioned that practices will need to move at different rates depending on availability and fitting of PPE as well as their ability to enact ongoing social distancing measures.

You can read the full story here.

In case you're just joining us, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that from 1 June, six people will be able to meet in public spaces and private outdoor spaces, such as gardens, as long as those from different households stay two metres apart.

Click above to listen to his announcement at Thursday's Downing Street press conference.

The daily press conference was led by the prime minister, Boris Johnson. He was joined by Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser.

Here's what they told us:

• The government has decided that its tests (protecting the NHS, consistent falls in death rates, consistent falls in the infection rates, solving operational problems, and avoiding a second peak) for lifting lockdown restrictions have been met
• On Monday, schools will re-open for children in receptions, year one and year six. From 15 June, years 10 and 12 will start to receive some face-to-face teaching
• From Monday, some non-essential retail will open, with more to come on 15 June, depending on the infection rate
• From Monday, six people will be able to meet, so long as they keep to social distancing rules (staying 2m from people from outside your household) and remain outside. People will be able to meet in private outdoor spaces. The public is advised to avoid mixing with multiple different households in quick succession to avoid quick transmission of the virus
• The rate of infection is still near to one (between 0.7 and 0.9), meaning lifting measures has to be done very carefully. People who are classed as extremely clinically vulnerable must remain shielded. However if the absolute number of infections falls, some lifting of shielding may be possible

The prime minister has now finished his press briefing. We'll bring you a round-up and analysis from our correspondents soon, so stay with us.

The panel is asked about the latest estimates for the R infection number in Northern Ireland, and whether Mr Cummings' behaviour will affect compliance with the rules.

Sir Patrick says there may be areas where the R is "close to 1" and this is therefore a "time to go very cautiously".

"We are at a fragile state," he adds.

Mr Johnson adds that he does not think people will "respond differently" to advice, and that they will "respond very carefully" to advice.

A reporter from the New Scientist says other research shows the UK has 9,000 new cases a day - four times higher than the government statistic, so asks if the government's test and trace system has enough capacity.

Sir Patrick confirms the number of new cases is "closer to that figure" and says he has always made it clear that government slides are "not the whole number, [with] people not being picked up".

He adds: "You are quite right the system is under much more pressure the higher the numbers.

"It is going to be more difficult at the beginning and as numbers come down it will be easier."

Asked about why there are only three symptoms listed for the virus, while other countries have up to 17, Prof Whitty says their research found if people had any other symptoms, they also had one of the main three - fever, cough or change to smell and taste.

There's a question about how long people will be able to stay outside in their groups of six, and whether they will be able to "nip inside to use the loo".

Mr Johnson says the government doesn't want people to stay overnight, although people can have socially-distanced barbecues if they "exercise common sense".

Prof Whitty says during a barbecue people should also make sure they wash their hands so as not to transmit the virus.

A second question to the experts on whether it is appropriate for someone to drive to test their eyesight - as Mr Cummings says he did during his lockdown trip - goes unanswered.