Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

Family doctors were only told about important changes to the shielding advice in England and Wales hours before the measures were made public.

Dr Richard Vautrey, chair of the General Practice Committee at the British Medical Association, said doctors were not given sufficient notice that their most clinically vulnerable patients would soon be advised they could go outdoors again, rather than remain in absolute lockdown.

"Practices received the updated Standard Operation Procedure guidance on Saturday 30 May, which contained detailed advice on the management for shielding patients, and yet only a few hours later the guidance appeared to have changed without warning, and practices still have not received any further clarification," he said.

"It is only right that we, as their family doctors, are properly prepared for any changes to guidance around their care."

The Royal College of GPs advises extreme caution around the easing, which comes into force today, saying it is not a "green light" allowing people to return to everyday life.

Downing Street defended the decision to ease restrictions, saying it had engaged with a number of groups, including the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

The government says relaxing the recommendations is possible because levels of coronavirus transmission have gone down substantially - but a number of charities are asking to see the science behind the decision.

Image source, Getty Images

It's the northernmost point in the UK - a group of islands set apart from the rest of the country, and for a while, it seemed like it might even be out of reach of the virus.

But that didn't last long. Earlier in the outbreak, the Shetland Islands became one of the worst-hit areas of the UK by head of population.

Iain Malcolmson, a 53-year-old architect, and his wife Suzanne became the islands' first confirmed cases in March after spending a long weekend in Naples.

Just four days after their test results, the number of confirmed cases rose from two to six, five days later, to 15 - and by 19 March, to 24 cases.

So how exactly did Shetland stop the virus that had swept across the region so rapidly? Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Stormont's Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, has announced hotels, B&Bs, caravan parks and other tourist accommodation can reopen in Northern Ireland from 20 July, provided the rate of infection remains under control.

Dodds said the tourism industry had faced an "unprecedented challenge" in the face of Covid-19 and she wanted to give the sector "some clarity".

All businesses wishing to reopen must have social distancing arrangements in place.

"I want to build upon the positive progress in managing the spread of the virus and begin to reopen our tourism industry in a safe and managed way," said Dodds.

Holiday and home parks, caravan sites and self-catering properties may reopen at an earlier date "depending on scientific advice", she added.

Janice Gault, of Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, welcomed the "step forward" but said there was "more work to be done" on the detail, adding that the safety of guests and staff remained "paramount".

"Having an agreed date will help us to plan, promote and give businesses the opportunity to assess their viability," she said.

Victoria Derbyshire

Lucille Whiting, a mum of five from Kedington, Suffolk, is reluctant to send daughter Freya back to primary school after her whole family showed symptoms of Covid-19 over a six-week period.

"It feels a lot safer for her to be at home," said mum Lucille - who can only send one of her five children to school under the present measures.

"We've had a terrible fright and we are still experiencing post-viral symptoms," she told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire.

"I think it's more important to be together."

NHS England has announced 108 more people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals in England to 26,722.

A further five people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total there to 1,347.

Public Health Wales said there were another 59 people testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 14,054.

Earlier, Scotland announced just one additional death. Figures for Northern Ireland and a UK-wide total covering deaths in all settings are expected later.

Image source, Getty Images

Snooker is one of the first sports to return in the UK, with the Championship League starting today in Milton Keynes.

But horse racing and greyhound racing is also taking place behind closed doors on Monday as things slowly return to normal.

Zodiakos, trained by Roger Fell and ridden by Jimmy Sullivan, created a little bit of history as the first winner on UK horse racing's resumption after a 76-day break due to the pandemic.

Prior to the meeting in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, greyhound racing resumed in Birmingham with Im Sophie winning the opening race at Perry Barr.

The sporting calendar in the UK and around the globe has been badly affected by the pandemic and you can read more about that here.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria forward Odion Ighalo will be able to finish the current football season with Manchester United after the club extended his contract.

The 30-year-old joined United in January on a loan deal from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua that was expected to finish on 31 May - following the scheduled conclusion of the campaign.

However, there has not been any Premier League football played since 9 March, although it will resume again on 17 June after the shutdown because of coronavirus.

Ighalo will now be at United until January 2021. The club are fifth in the Premier League with nine matches of the 2019-20 season left and are also in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the last 16 of the Europa League.

The South Africa government is urging people to wash their hands frequently and to practise good personal hygiene to keep Covid-19 at bay, but this is a tall order for the thousands of people in rural areas of the KwaZulu-Natal province where water is scarce.

The lack of taps and clean running water has forced people to share dirty streams with animals.

Coronavirus - and the heightened demand for water that it’s brought - has made matters worse, as you can see in this video.

Image source, Getty Images

If you are just joining us and are wondering what’s been happening around the world, here is some of the latest news:

• In Brazil, the number of confirmed cases has passed half a million, the second highest total in the world
• Metro Manila, the capital region of the Philippines, has finally eased a lockdown that has been in place since mid-March. More people will be allowed to work and shops will reopen - though many restrictions are still in place
• The Chinese city of Wuhan - where the virus first emerged - reported no new asymptomatic cases on Sunday. China recorded 16 new cases on Sunday - all of which were imported - up from just two cases the day before
• China has called the US a "habitual quitter" after President Trump said the US was withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing it of failing to hold Beijing to account over the pandemic
• In South Africa, long queues have formed outside shops selling alcohol, as restrictions on its sale are lifted for the first time in two months
• In Russia’s capital Moscow, people are being allowed outside for walks for the first time in nine weeks, under a rota system
• Primary schools have reopened in Greece, as well as some hotels, open-air cinemas, public swimming pools and golf courses
• Restaurants, cafes and museums have opened in the Netherlands, bars are serving customers again in Norway and the Colosseum in the Italian capital Rome is once again allowing visitors

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Police in England will order people to return home if they’ve gone to someone else’s house, under new guidance. Updated coronavirus laws ban indoor gatherings involving non-household members except for certain reasons, such as work, education or early years childcare. The College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council advises officers to “direct” banned gatherings to disperse, adding that fines and arrests will apply “where appropriate”. The guidance says force may be used to enforce rules outdoors - where gatherings of more than six people are not allowed. The new regulations permit people to leave their home for any reason, except for overnight stays. Unless a person is staying overnight for one of a list of “reasonable excuses”, police have powers to instruct them to go home. But the police guidance says officers in such cases have “no powers” to remove someone or use force, though they may issue a fine or make an arrest.

Image source, Getty Images

Police issued almost 800 dispersal notices on Saturday for lockdown breaches in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, during the Scottish government's daily briefing today.

Ms Sturgeon said it was clear not everyone followed the rules - which allow up to eight people from two households to meet up outdoors, ideally within five miles of home, and always while maintaining social distancing.

The First Minister said laws would be brought in "if there is continued evidence of even a minority not abiding by these guidelines".

"We won't hesitate to do that if we think it's necessary for the collective safety and wellbeing of the population," she said.

"The progress we've made so far in tackling Covid-19 is simply not guaranteed and it is not irreversible."

The number of deaths from coronavirus in Scotland rose by just one in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,363 - but weekend figures are typically lower because of delays in reporting.

Anna Holligan
BBC News Hague correspondent

Image source, AFP

The Netherlands is easing its partial lockdown today.

Museums can admit visitors again - though it's advance bookings only and social distancing rules apply inside.

The Anne Frank House is restricting visitor numbers to 15 rather than the usual 83 guests every 15 minutes.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will allow a fifth of the usual number inside every day. Some of the paintings have been rehung to ensure people can observe social distancing guidelines. Stickers on the floor remind people of the country's 1.5m (5ft) rule.

Image source, EPA

Bars, cafés and restaurants can now serve inside and on terraces. A maximum of 30 customers will be allowed indoors, and there is no limit to outdoor terrace numbers - though people from different households must keep their distance.

Employees must check diners don’t have coronavirus symptoms (it seems at the moment this will just be a case of asking rather than temperature checks).

Cinemas, theatres and concert venues can resume performances for audiences of up to 30.

Teenagers can play team games without keeping 1.5 metres from each other, but competitions are still prohibited.

From today, face masks must be worn on public transport. Passengers have been told to avoid using medical masks to ensure there’s no shortage for health service staff. Fines of €95 (£85) apply for those who fail to comply, but officials have suggested giving out penalties won’t be a priority.

Image source, PA Media

Under new quarantine plans, anyone arriving in the UK from abroad from 8 June will be told to isolate for 14 days.

But now a group of 200 travel companies has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel, making a last-minute appeal for the proposal to be scrapped.

They say that travel should be possible without quarantine if people are moving between destinations "deemed safe from coronavirus".

Among the signatories to the letter are hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, hotels The Ritz, The Connaught and Mandarin Oriental, and upmarket travel agent Kuoni.

Read the full story

Image source, Reuters

Iran’s government has warned of a second, stronger wave in the Middle East’s biggest coronavirus outbreak, after reporting its highest daily number of cases in the past two months.

The health ministry said on Monday that 2,979 new infections had been recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 154,445. There were also 81 deaths, raising the overall toll to 7,878.

"People seem to think the coronavirus is over,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki told a news conference. "The outbreak is not over yet and at any moment it may come back stronger than before.”

"If our people fail to respect the health protocols... we must prepare ourselves for the worst situation."

Since early April, the government has been trying as much as it can to reopen businesses, schools and mosques.

But Mr Namaki said there had now been surges of infections in the western province of Kermanshah and the south-eastern provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan.

He lamented that people had ignored official pleas not to hold weddings or funerals.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton and Hove City Council has called for enhanced lockdown powers, after huge crowds descended on beaches in the area over the weekend.

Council Leader Nancy Platts said visitors had been "overdoing it" with alcohol on the seafront, adding that behaviour "has become unpleasant and dangerous".

Local people have complained of feeling "unsafe".

Platts said the impact of lockdown easing on popular tourist destinations, such as Brighton, had not been "thought through".

Under current measures, people in England can travel unlimited distances for fresh air and exercise, as long as they remain 2m (6ft) apart.

The unusually long spell of hot weather has drawn many to the coast.

In Brighton this weekend, stewards patrolled the seafront to manage the numbers of people accessing the beaches, but Platts warned the resources of the council and police were limited.

"We need to hear from government on this as a matter of urgency."

Image source, Eddie Mitchell

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us this lunchtime, here's a round-up of the day's events so far:

• Primary schools in England welcomed back students in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 - but up to half of eligible students may have stayed home, surveys suggest
• As England's lockdown measures started to ease, car showrooms and open-air markets were also allowed to reopen
• Ikea reopened 19 of its stores in England and Northern Ireland, with customers forming huge queues
• Clothing retailer Primark, which is due to open all its English branches in two weeks' time, warned customers not to expect "special discounts" despite a build-up of stock
• Wales has launched its test and trace system, as it relaxes its lockdown to allow two households to meet at a distance outside
• And Coronation Street is to start filming again next week, meaning the ITV soap will be able to broadcast without any interruption

Image source, PA Media

Image source, AFP

Plans to make UK MPs vote in person in Westminster as the coronavirus crisis continues are "a real threat for democratic representation and political equality", an electoral reform group says.

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg is due to put forward a motion later today preventing virtual voting - as used by MPs since lockdown began - from continuing.

If the motion passes, MPs may have to form kilometre-long queues to maintain social distancing if a majority of them want to vote in the traditional division lobbies.

The Electoral Reform Society says it is "beyond a farce" and unacceptable when virtual voting is a proven alternative. It called the plans "a real threat" where MPs have medical conditions requiring them to stay away from work during the pandemic.

Jack McCullough first started feeling ill in March.

He spent the next 10 days isolating in his home office, separate from his wife, mother-in-law and three young sons.

But things quickly took a turn for the worse and he fell unconscious - and the next thing he knew, he woke up in the City Hospital in Belfast.

What he didn't know was that he had spent the last three weeks across three different hospitals in Northern Ireland.

Today, Jack has been discharged - but still remembers little about his experience.

"At the time in ICU while I was unconscious, I have memories," he explains. "My memory was: 'I need to get home; I just need to get home.'"

Read more about his story here.

Image source, JACK MCCULLOUGH

Sudoku is one of the most popular puzzle games of all time.

The brain game was popularised by newspapers decades ago, and isn't a bad way to fill time if you are on a long train journey or have a spare moment at lunch.

But now it's taken on the role of a sleeping aid, with two UK men becoming YouTube stars through videos where they solve sudoku puzzles.

Their number of views has rocketed since the coronovirus lockdown.

Mark Goodliffe and Simon Anthony say people are flocking to their channel for entertainment and in a bid to doze off.

When lockdown began in the UK, nine-year-old Tobias Weller - who has cerebral palsy - was managing to walk about 50m a day with the help of a frame.

But now, inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore, he has walked a marathon - 26.2 miles (42km) - over 70 days on the street outside his home in Sheffield.

He finished the challenge surrounded by cheering supporters, and said: "I can't believe I completed a marathon. It's just awesome."

Ruth Garbutt, his mum, said she was "bursting with pride for my little boy".

Tobias - or Captain Tobias to his supporters - has raised £46,000 for the charity supporting his local children's hospital and a special school.

Read the full story