Katy Watson
BBC South America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

On the front page of one of Brazil’s biggest papers, Folha de Sao Paulo, there is a piece of text in large font, taking up much of the page. It describes the trajectory of Covid-19 in the country and along the side of the text is a clock symbol, indicating that it will take 60 seconds to read it.

At the end, in red, the text states that "in the time it’s taken you to read this, another Brazilian has died from coronavirus".

Not only has Brazil surpassed Italy in terms of the death toll, but it’s now second only to the US for the number of infections, with more than 600,000 cases so far.

Janitor Orlando Monteiro, 61, is one of the names behind the statistics. He’s recovering from Covid-19 with the help of physiotherapy after being intubated. He lives in Santos, an area of Sao Paulo state that has seen cases soar in recent weeks.

“It’s not just a little flu,” he says, referring to comments made by President Jair Bolsonaro, who has tried to brush off the severity of the virus. “I was in intensive care for 14 days. People really need to look after themselves.”

It comes at a time when major cities including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are gradually trying to reopen. Orlando has mixed feelings about it.

“There needs to be a happy medium,” he says – between state governors imposing tough quarantine measures and a return to normality, advocated by President Bolsonaro.But these are uncertain times in Brazil, with experts saying the country is still a way from the peak.

People across the UK are being advised to wear face coverings in certain circumstances when out of the house, to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

And from 15 June, wearing one on public transport in England will be compulsory.

But the good news is that while medical face masks and respirators are prioritised for health and care workers, there are a variety of ways to make your own face covering, wherever you live.

Whether you're handy with a sewing machine, like cutting up old t-shirts or just want a quick fix, the principles are the same: the more layers of material the better, and the mask needs to fit snugly around the face, and you should be able to breathe comfortably.

And if you’re not exactly great when it comes to textiles, our guide providing step-by-step instructions on how to make them may come in handy.

Here's one option:

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

The central Chinese city of Wuhan announced on Friday that it had cleared all hospital cases of Covid-19 where patients have exhibited symptoms.

State newspaper Global Times said , external that “the last three Covid-19 patients in Wuhan have recovered and been discharged from hospital” - a development that has been met on Chinese social media with mass praise.

At its peak, there were more than 50,000 confirmed cases in the city, the original epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

However, it is worth noting that China omits from its data any cases where patients have tested positive for Covid-19, but have not exhibited symptoms. It began recording these separately from 1 April.

Over the last couple of weeks, Wuhan carried out an extensive drive to test all 11 million of its citizens so that it could record all such cases. According to the Hubei provincial health commission, 217 people who are asymptomatic are still under medical observation.

Reality Check

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) will be responsible for monitoring local spikes in coronavirus cases - but what is it?

The JBC brings together scientists and government specialists to advise chief medical officers – and through them, ministers - on whether to ease or tighten restrictions in particular areas.

The team will use test and trace, workplace and environmental data to follow developments in the virus across the country.

Its creation was announced on 10 May alongside the new one-to-five coronavirus alert level scale, which it will advise on.

But the organisation is in its infancy. On Monday, the health secretary said it was still “being formulated”. However, parts of it are up and running, the health department says.

Read more about how the alert system works here.

Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris

In its most optimistic pronouncement since the start of the crisis, France’s scientific advisory panel has said the Covid-19 epidemic is now “under control”.

The panel’s president, Jean-François Delfraissy, told France-Inter radio that though the virus was still circulating, it was now doing so “at low speed”.

“We reckon we are now on about 1,000 new cases a day,” he said, comparing this to the high-point of the epidemic when there were “around 80,000 new daily cases”.

Officially there have been, until today, 152,000 confirmed (ie tested) cases of coronavirus in France, and just over 29,000 deaths. The 80,000-a-day figure is an estimate of the real number of cases – including those undetected or with mild symptoms – in early March.

The number of dead from French hospitals on Thursday fell to 44.

Delfraissy said there were still clusters appearing, but these were easily circumscribed, thanks to testing, contact-tracing and self-isolation.

Image source, AFP

An eviction ban has been extended by a further two months, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has said.

A three-month temporary ban was first introduced by the government in March - but was due to end this month.

The extension means that landlords cannot evict tenants until the end of August at the earliest.

Making the announcement on Twitter, external, Jenrick said: "No-one will be evicted from their home this summer due to coronavirus".

Housing charity Shelter welcomed the move but warned it was "only a stop-gap" while many people were "racking up rent arrears".

"Judges must be given the power to stop people losing their homes because of coronavirus, otherwise the country will face a tidal wave of homelessness after the end of August," chief executive Polly Neate said.

"Sooner or later, the government has to stop kicking the can down the road," she added.

Rachel Schraer
BBC Health Reporter

Two different estimates of the reproduction number - the R number, which tells us if the epidemic is growing or is shrinking - have been published for different English regions today.

They disagree on whether any region is over the crucial figure of 1 - meaning the epidemic is growing - and on how close other regions are to it. One puts the South West at 1 and the rest of England below it, while the other has the North West just over at 1.01.

But these are only two of the many models that feed into the UK government's group of scientific advisers, Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). Each model gives slightly different patterns about where is doing worst.

But the chair of Sage’s pandemic modelling group says there is little evidence of a significant regional variation in R. That’s because differences in overall cases in each region are not big enough to give a clear signal.

And all models agree that everywhere in the country is pretty close - there’s not much wriggle room.

Of course, there is some local variation – driven by outbreaks in care homes or in a hotspot – but regional R numbers need to be treated with care.

Image source, Getty Images

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is now “advising governments” to encourage its citizens to wear fabric face masks in public areas to help stop the spread of virus.

The WHO had previously said there was not enough evidence to support the use of masks by healthy people in public but that medical masks should be worn by those who were sick and those caring for them.

"We have evidence now that if this is done properly it can provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets,” Dr Maria van Kerkhove told Reuters in an interview.

“And we specify a fabric mask - that is, a non-medical mask."

In its new guidance, which has been prompted by studies over recent weeks, the WHO stressed that face masks are just one of a range of tools that can be used to reduce the risk of transmission and that they should not give people a false sense of protection.

Solidarity protests against the death of George Floyd in the US are continuing to take place in the UK.

Thousands attended the biggest march through London on Wednesday, while other large events have taken place in Birmingham and Manchester.

However, a senior Met Police officer says the events are considered unlawful under current lockdown laws, which restrict public gatherings to no more than six people in England.

While Health Secretary, Matt Hancock has pleaded for restraint, saying, “Like so many I am appalled by the death of George Floyd but we are still facing a health crisis.

"Please, for the safety of loved ones, do not attend large gatherings, including demonstrations of more than six people."

Protests began in the US after a video showed Floyd, 46, being arrested on 25 May in Minneapolis and a white police officer continuing to kneel on his neck, even after he pleaded that he could not breathe.

Thirteen people were arrested during Wednesday's march in London, after some scuffles broke out.

Seven men and two women have been released on bail until early July, while four other men have been released under investigation.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed during the daily conference that he had donated blood plasma with coronavirus antibodies on Friday, and pleaded with others to do the same.

The UK is currently conducting clinical trials for the use of plasma from survivors to treat hospital patients who are ill with the disease.

NHS Blood and Transplant is asking some people who have recovered from Covid-19 to donate so they can potentially assess the therapy in trials.

Hancock, who has recovered from the virus, said there are currently 40,000 antibody tests being carried out per day, and added: "If you have had the virus then you can help make a difference. By donating your plasma from blood that has your antibodies in it you can help someone suffering in hospital with coronavirus.

"I did this earlier today. I gave my antibodies. The process is simple and straightforward. Go to the NHS Blood and Transplant website, external where you can find information on how to donate."

Image source, .

Today's government press conference was with Health Secretary Matt Hancock. It was the first time the minister giving the briefing has not been joined by a government scientist.

Here's what he told us:

• People who have had coronavirus can help people currently in hospital by donating their blood plasma, which will contain antibodies. Mr Hancock said he had done so this morning
• From 15 June, all hospital visitors and out-patients will have to wear face coverings (not surgical masks)
• All hospital staff, whether working in a clinical setting or not, will have to wear a type one or two surgical mask
• He implored people not to attend large gatherings, including protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in the US
• The R-number (which measures rate of infection) is higher in the North West and South West of England, but remains below 1. The national R number is between 0.7 and 0.9

The last question is from Ahmed Versi, editor of the Muslim News.

He asks about a PHE report earlier this week which found that people from ethnic minorities were disproportionately more likely to catch Covid-19 and die from the disease than the population in general.

He suggests Hancock's colleague, Michael Gove, had promised the report would look at whether structural issues and discrimination had played a part in the higher death rates but it had failed to address this.

His newspaper's readers believed this showed the government did not care about BAME communities' welfare.

Hancock says the suggestion "pains" him because the government is determined to "get to the bottom" to why certain ethnic groups are more pre-disposed to become infected.

He says the high proportion of BAME people working in the NHS and public transport is "likely" to have been a major factor, and the introduction of face masks will make a difference.

But he concedes there are other factors and the government, when taking forward the findings of the report, will consider issues such as economic deprivation and poor housing.

The i paper asks whether it is an unrealistic expectation that hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions will be able to reopen in the next phase of lockdown easing given the rate of infection.

Hancock is also asked whether police will be expected to break up anti-racism protests this weekend sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an African-American man who died after a US police officer in Minneapolis kneeled on his neck.

The health secretary says the overall view of the government's science experts is that the R number is between 0.7 and 0.9.

"We are seeking to take a more local approach to tackling outbreaks," he says.

In regards to the weekend's protests, he says it is a matter for police.

The Daily Telegraph's Gordon Rayner asks why the requirement for face masks in hospitals was not introduced sooner, given that it seems like a common sense idea.

Was this because there was not enough protective equipment available earlier to do it, he asks.

Hancock says with the general rate of infection coming down, the need to reduce hospital-based infections becomes even more crucial.

And in response to a second question, Hancock says the R number in the community is not significantly different from that in hospitals and care homes.

ITV News asks about regional lockdowns and the R number - what will a regional lockdown look like? And what can mayors and local authorities do to protect their local populations?

Hancock says as part of the test and trace programme they have engaged with local authorities in England.

"It's an incredibly important system, it's already working, but we are continuing to strengthen the data feeds so we can get more localised information," he says.

Next up is Sky's Sam Coates, who suggests Hancock is "cherry-picking the most positive advice" and that the R number, according to a PHE report, is actually 1 or above in a number of areas.

Given this, shouldn't people be exercising extra caution this weekend, he asks?

Hancock agrees with the latter point and concedes that the infection rate is not uniform and is higher in the North West and South West of England than other regions.

However, he says all studies about the infection rate "need to be taken in the round" and that Sage's overall conclusion at the moment is that the UK rate is between 0.7 and 0.9.

In response to a follow-up question, Hancock says the infrastructure is in place to impose local lockdowns if necessary.

BBC health editor Hugh Pym asks about the UK death toll, which is now more than 40,000. He also asks about regional variations in the R number - the rate of infection - in the South West and North West and whether that is a concern?

Hancock says the day the number of deaths has gone over 40,000 is "a time of sorrow".

"My heart goes out to them all," he says.

"It makes me redouble my determination to deal with this virus."

He says the regional data is "getting better" and the R number is closer to 1 in the south-west and north-west of England.

But the advice is that the R number is still below 1 in regions, he says, and the government will look at "local lockdowns" to address flare-ups in regional areas.

Read more: What is the R number and how is it calculated?

Image source, Getty Images

Hancock continues: "Like so many I am appalled by the death of George Floyd... but we are still facing a health crisis."

He says it is "vital" those considering going to protests "stick to the rules this weekend" to protect people and families.

"Please, for the safety of loved ones, do not attend large gatherings including demonstrations of more than six people."

His remarks come after thousands across the UK joined mass protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police in the US city of Minneapolis.

As some of you already know, wearing face coverings on public transport in England will be mandatory from 15 June.

This includes buses, trains, aircraft and ferries - all to stop coronavirus from spreading. However, some people will be exempt.

Watch the guide on how to cover your face correctly.

Hancock says as the NHS reopens right across England it is "critically important" to stop the spread among staff and hospital visitors.

All hospital visitors and out patients in England will need to wear face coverings from 15 June, he says.

All hospital staff will also be required to wear type one or type two surgical masks, Hancock adds.