Bryony Hopkins
BBC Ouch

Image source, Bryony Hopkins

For those living with underlying health conditions, the thought of contracting coronavirus can be terrifying. But while the numbers may appear bleak, there are many people considered high risk who are making a full a recovery - as I personally discovered.

I have Crohn's Disease, an autoimmune disease which means my digestive system attacks itself. It's classed as a "serious underlying health condition" at this time.

So when the first coronavirus symptoms arrived, my mind was full of questions and the horror stories I had read about. Would I end up in hospital? Would I need a ventilator? Am I going to die?

But after eight days, my symptoms eased. My suppressed immune system had done a good job.

I am not alone in my story. There are many people, like me, considered high risk who have made a full recovery. You can read our stories here.

Image source, Reuters

England football international Tyrone Mings says the players were the "last people to be consulted" over the Premier League's 'Project Restart'.

The UK government says sport can return behind closed doors from Monday.

With no positive results in the most recent batch of coronavirus tests at Premier League clubs, the English top flight is set to resume on 17 June.

Speaking to the Daily Mail,, external Mings said players were "commodities in the game". The Aston Villa defender added: "The motives are possibly 100% financially driven rather than integrity driven. I think everybody accepts that.

"I am all for playing again because we have no other choice. As players, we were the last people to be consulted about Project Restart and that is because of where we fall in football's order of priority."

Image source, @London999

Hundreds of people were at an unlicensed party in east London breaching lockdown rules on Saturday night.

Met Police officers were called to Springfield Estate in Clapton at about 21:00 BST where a large number of people had gathered.

Footage shows a DJ booth was set up and those who attended were not socially distancing by keeping two metres apart.

A small number of arrests were made for various offences and a Taser was used on one person who was arrested. Offences included assault on an emergency worker and breach of the peace.

Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, since it emerged in China in December last year.

There are now more than six million confirmed cases, across 188 countries, and more than 360,000 people have lost their lives.

The US has by far the largest number of cases, with around one third of the global total, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University, external. And with more than 100,000 fatalities, it also has the world's highest death toll.

While some countries are starting to see confirmed cases and deaths fall following strict lockdown restrictions, others are only now seeing them rise.

The charts below show four countries where deaths are on an upward trajectory - as shown by the red lines.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

The England and Wales Cricket Board is "extremely heartened" by the government's go-ahead for professional sport to return behind closed doors.

The ECB will now study the guidelines to determine how it can help the process of cricket emerging from the lockdown.

A statement read: "We are extremely heartened by Saturday's announcement from the Secretary of State, which will support the return of professional, domestic cricket behind closed doors, and provides a meaningful next step for recreational players to begin playing at their clubs again.

"Over the coming week, we will seek to understand the specific guidance from government's medical teams so that we can provide support for cricket clubs who will be eager to see their communities safely playing in small groups."

County cricket is suspended until August, although it is hoped England can play Tests in July.

Image source, Getty Images

If you've just clicked onto our live coverage, welcome - you're being kept up-to-date by our team in London today.

It's been a busy day so far. To catch up, here are some of the main headlines:

• UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has told the BBC he's confident that now is the right time to ease lockdown restrictions in England, after scientific advisers to the government warned of the risks of doing so too soon

• US President Donald Trump has had to postpone the G7 summit, which he'd planned to hold in person at the White House and Camp David at the end of June. Yesterday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wouldn't be attending because of the ongoing pandemic
• Still in the US, officials in Los Angeles have closed the city's coronavirus testing centres, citing safety concerns as protests over the killing of George Floyd continue across the country. Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed by police officers in Minneapolis on Monday
• Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem has started welcoming worshippers again, after being closed for two months - including during Ramadan and Eid. The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia
• The total number of confirmed cases in Iran has now surpassed 150,000, after the Health Ministry recorded 2,516 new infections
• India says it will further ease its lockdown on 8 June, despite seeing record one-day rises in confirmed cases
• Hundreds of protesters in Argentina have been calling for an end to the country's strict lockdown

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Japan has no plans to place Tokyo and Fukuoka Prefecture under a state of emergency again despite an increase in the number of coronavirus infection cases in those areas, according to the Kyodo news service.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura says he does not expect new infection case numbers to increase rapidly as the country reopens its economy - but the authorities will continue to carefully monitor the situation.

"We have not come to a stage of reinstating a state of emergency," he is reported as stating.

The city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka had no confirmed coronavirus infections from 30 April to 22 May but began to see double-digit daily growth in cases at medical institutions.

And in Tokyo, the number of new daily cases had fallen to single digits earlier in the month after peaking at over 200 in mid-April. But new cases started to creep up from Tuesday, the day after the government fully lifted the state of emergency.

As of Saturday, 5,231 cases have been confirmed in Tokyo and 741 in Fukuoka.

Image source, AFP

Iran has confirmed 2,516 new cases, taking the country's official total to 151,466.

Over the past 24 hours, 63 coronavirus patients have died, making the total death toll 7,797.

In a news conference broadcast by the IRINN news channel, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said that the number of those who have recovered had reached 118,848, but 2,527 patients were in a critical condition across Iran.

Last week Iran allowed Shia muslim shrines to reopen - with social distancing measures.

Image source, PA

As the UK starts to relax its coronavirus lockdown rules, here's a reminder of how to socialise within the new guidelines from Monday.

• In England: People can meet in groups of up to six people in outdoor spaces like parks or private gardens - as long as you remain two metres (six feet) apart
• In Scotland: Members of two different households - up to eight people - can meet outdoors if they maintain social distancing
• In Wales: People from two different households can meet each other outdoors while maintaining social distancing
• In Northern Ireland: Groups of up to six people who are not in the same household can meet outdoors if they stay two metres apart

Read more here

A group of performers were halfway across the Pacific Ocean in a 75ft sailing boat when the coronavirus pandemic erupted - now they have nowhere to come ashore.

The crew of the Arka Kinari left Mexico on 21 February, like many others, unaware of the virus. Then suddenly countries began closing their sea borders.

The vessel now has no guarantee of a safe haven before the start of the typhoon season.

The crew, including Briton Sarah Louise Payne, say it was as they approached Hawaii six weeks into their voyage, that they picked up a radio signal announcing Pacific islands were all shutting their borders.

Read more here

Radio 4's Broadcasting House

Image source, PA Media

Pupils across England are preparing to return to school tomorrow, if they are in reception, year one or year six.

Children's Minister Vicky Ford told Radio 4's Broadcasting House the government was using a very phased "one-step-at-a-time" approach.

That was the way to "keep the R factor down whilst also having a small amount of social contact for these children".

Asked "yes or no" by host Paddy O'Connell if we should expect a rise in cases with children back at school Ms Ford said: "Obviously there are a number of steps being taken across the country but the advice we have on the phased reopening of schools is that in itself will not have a significant impact and cause a rise - a significant rise in the spread of the virus."

Image source, AFP

We reported yesterday that two charter flights are taking about 400 German expats and their families back to China. The first took off from Frankfurt on Friday night and landed in Tianjin yesterday.

Tianjin officials have now said one of the people on that flight has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The 34-year-old engineer had a regular temperature, and reported having no symptoms. He's now been taken to a local hospital for observation.

All passengers are required to quarantine for two weeks and have a coronavirus test.

The second charter flight is due to leave Frankfurt for Shanghai this Wednesday.

Read a fascinating piece on asymptomatic coronavirus carriers by our science editor, David Shukman, here.

Image source, Reuters

Afghanistan's public health ministry is warning of an impending catastrophe in the country as the confirmed number of coronavirus cases passed 15,000.

More than half the samples tested for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours came back positive, according to the ministry.

Over half of those are in the capital Kabul - the country's worst affected area.

Deputy Health Minister Wahid Majroh has called for the return of strict lockdown measures.

Afghanistan had imposed a strict lockdown but measures were eased for the Muslim Eid festival a week ago.

Mr Majroh says the virus is spreading because social distancing rules, which are still in place, are being openly flouted.

If you are just joining us in the UK you have missed UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds doing doing the rounds on the Sunday programmes.

Here is what they have been talking about:

• Raab has defended the government's strategy for easing the lockdown and says that if there is an uptick in cases in certain areas then restrictions can be put in place locally
• He was unable to say how many coronavirus cases had been tracked since the test and trace system came into action on Thursday
• Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said 30 cases a day were being tracked in her nation, and the system could be in place for up to two years
• Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will continue with a "slow and steady" approach as she warned the virus could "run out of control again"
• The UK government has also announced that people in the shielded group - those who have been told to stay home due to their vulnerability - will be able to leave the house for the first time in 10 weeks from Monday

Image source, AFP

Hong Kong has recorded its first local infection since 14 May, sources have told the South China Morning Post., external

A 34-year-old woman is on a ventilator at the intensive care unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin. Investigators are looking into whether she caught the virus at work in an imported food warehouse, the newspaper says.

Her husband, 56, reportedly developed a fever on Saturday and was sent to the hospital where he also tested 'preliminarily positive'.

Hong Kong has recorded a number of imported infections since 14 May, mostly residents returning from Pakistan, but the couple in the newest case have no recent travel history.

So far Hong Kong has recorded a total of 1,082 cases, with four deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University., external

Alan Johnston
BBC Middle East analyst

Image source, AFP

There was much emotion as the gates swung open, and hundreds of worshippers could at last make their way into the compound that surrounds the al-Aqsa mosque – the third holiest site in Islam.

The many weeks of closure had meant that the whole, sacred month of Ramadan passed without believers being able to hold the usual daily prayers at al-Aqsa.

But the site has re-opened in the lingering shadow of the threat from the virus. Worshippers were told to wear face masks and bring their own prayer mats.

The authorities in Saudi Arabia had issued similar instructions ahead of today’s re-opening of mosques across the kingdom.

Millions of believers were sent text messages urging them to pray two-metres apart, and to refrain from greeting each other with hugs or handshakes. People were told to carry out their usual washing ritual at home, because washrooms at mosques would remain closed.

Sermons and prayers are to last no more than 15 minutes. And the Grand Mosque in Mecca will stay shut.

From candles which smell like your local pub to going on a dinner date in a bubble - here are some of the quirkier stories about life during the coronavirus pandemic that you may have missed this week.

Northern Ireland could have contact tracing for "quite some time, possibly even up to two years", says First Minister Arlene Foster.

Northern Ireland was the first of the four UK administrations to roll out a contact tracing programme, as part of its plans to tackle coronavirus.

She told the BBC's Andrew Marr Programme this morning that contact tracing was vital to "make sure that we know where the virus is in our community".

It is forming the cornerstone moves towards coming out of lockdown and being able to relax "very draconian" regulations, she added.

Read more here

Image source, Getty Images

People who have been shielding due to their potential vulnerability to coronavirus in England will be able to go outside from Monday, the government has said.

Those with families will be able to go out once a day with members of their household, while people living alone can meet one other person from another household while maintaining social distancing.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is due to give a full announcement later today.

The Welsh government has also announced that shielded people can meet with a person from another household and take unlimited exercise providing social distancing remains in place.

Prof Peter Openshaw, who sits on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group (NERVTAG) said: "I think we're going to be able to fine-tune the advice now and actually reassure some people who we feared might be susceptible, that in fact they're not as vulnerable as we thought. So that's really good news."

For 10 weeks people in the shielded category have been advised to stay at home and not leave for any reason or have face-to-face contact with people.

The government has said emergency support, such as delivering of supplies, to the vulnerable will continue.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the government's decision to ease lockdown on the Andrew Marr Show earlier.

Several scientists who sit on the government's advisory board Sage have warned it is too early to ease lockdown.

Raab said it was a "delicate and dangerous moment" but that the testing and tracing mechanism which was in place would keep the pressure down on the virus.

He said it had been operational since Thursday with 25,000 tracers and the ability to track 10,000 cases a day.

Andrew Marr pointed out to him that there were more than 8,000 new cases a day currently, which meant this was "on the edge".

Raab was not able to give a figure for the number of people traced so far.

"We have got the ability for 10,000 cases to track all the contacts they have had and that system is up and running."