Summary

  • Leaked report says racism, stigma and social inequality may exacerbate Covid-19 risk to UK minorities

  • This may mean BAME individuals are less likely to seek care, the draft Public Health England report says

  • A virus outbreak in a wholesale market in Beijing leads to fears of a second wave in the Chinese capital

  • Brazil's death toll becomes second highest in the world, surpassing the UK's with more than 41,000 victims

  • Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro continues to play down the virus, focusing on the economic damage to Brazil

  • From today, people living alone in England and Northern Ireland can form a support bubble with another household

Live Reporting

Edited by Suzanne Leigh

  1. Date looms for EU nations to open their internal borders

    Travelers wearing protective face masks drop of their luggageGetty

    In line with European Union plans for its members to open their internal borders by mid-June, from Monday Belgium, France and Greece will be lifting restrictions on most travel within Europe.

    As part of its move, France is asking countries for reciprocity. Travellers from the UK, for example, have been asked to go into a voluntary 14-day quarantine due to Britain's imposition of a quarantine on most foreign arrivals, including from France.

    But border openings have not been seamlessly co-ordinated throughout the bloc.

    Many European countries - like Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary - have already reopened their borders, but are excluding nations deemed unsafe due to infection levels. In several cases, the UK and Sweden are among the banned countries.

    Elsewhere, Spain plans to lift its travel restrictions only from 1 July. Portugal says it will open their shared border on the same day.

  2. How will shopping change on Monday?

    Staff member cleaning a tillJohn Lewis

    Non-essential shops in England will be able to reopen on Monday for the first time since lockdown started on 23 March.

    For many people stuck indoors for weeks, and hoping for some retail therapy, it will be a welcome change of scene. But how will it compare to before the pandemic?

    • Shops will look different - social distancing measures will be in place and there will be hand sanitiser gel points around shops
    • Shopping will be a solo sport - advice is for people to shop alone where possible
    • Don't touch what you can't afford - shoppers are being advised to only touch what they plan to buy
    • Be prepared to wait - as with supermarkets there are likely to be queues to allow for social distancing

    Shops in Northern Ireland have already reopened, while no date has been set for non-essential retailers to open their doors in Scotland and Wales.

    Read more on how shops are changing the way they operate.

  3. Decisions, decisions... Who to 'bubble' with?

    Cartoon of a man and his parents in a bubble

    As we mentioned earlier, from today single people in England and Northern Ireland can form a social bubble with one other household.

    But how do you decide who to link up with?

    Do you keep it in the family and stay with your parents? Or do you meet up with your best friend and their sports channel subscription? If you decide now, could it stop a pandemic romance blossoming when you meet the one in a few weeks' time?

    BBC News's John Hand shares his thinking here.

  4. Overwhelmed Indian hospitals turn Covid patients away

    Coronavirus: India hospitals struggle to cope

    India has continued to see record daily rises in Covid-19 cases after easing its strict lockdown this week.

    The capital, Delhi, could have more than half a million coronavirus cases by the end of July, according to officials.

    Meanwhile, the number of cases in the worst-affected city, Mumbai, has surpassed the total in Wuhan, China, where the virus first appeared.

    Indian hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of patients they’re getting. Many are dying without getting the treatment they need.

  5. BA's treatment of workers a 'national disgrace'

    A woman bikes past the BA fleetGetty Images

    British Airways' treatment of staff during the coronavirus crisis has been labelled "a national disgrace" by MPs.

    A Transport Select Committee report accuses the airline of a "calculated attempt to take advantage" of the pandemic by cutting up to 12,000 jobs and downgrading terms and conditions.

    BA said it was doing all it could to keep "the maximum number of jobs".

    But the MPs said the airline's actions fell "well below the standards we would expect from any employer".

    The aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit since the pandemic forced countries into lockdown, with airlines including EasyJet, Ryanair, and Virgin Atlantic, and suppliers Rolls-Royce and Airbus, announcing thousands of job cuts.

  6. Protests held in Australia despite restrictions

    Thousands of people have gathered in cities across Australia, rallying in support of refugee rights and Black Lives Matter.

    The demonstrations have been held despite bans on mass gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.

    A woman holds up a placard during a pro-refugee rights protest in MelbourneGetty Images

    A group of protesters gathered in Melbourne while practicing social distancing

    Protesters in Perth, AustraliaGetty Images

    Meanwhile large crowds held rallies in Perth to support Black Lives Matter and protest against aboriginal deaths in police custody

    Protestors attend the rally on Langley Park on June 13, 2020 in Perth, AustraliaGetty Images

    Images show some demonstrators in Perth maintaining a distance, but many were crowded together

  7. Those who live alone able to see loved ones in England and NI

    A man hugs a boyGetty Images

    Today is be the first day in months that many people who live alone can spend time with loved ones as new “social bubble" rules come into force in England and Northern Ireland.

    Adults who live alone are allowed to visit one other household and are even allowed to stay overnight. In England the same goes for single parents of under-18s.

    The new measures open up the possibility for grandparents who live alone to visit and hug their grandchildren for the first time since lockdown began in March. Couples who live apart will also be able to be close to each other again.

    Nicola Ellen told BBC Breakfast that a support bubble was the best present for her and her daughter's upcoming birthdays.

    She said: "I have got one daughter, Ellie, she is so close to her grandparents and she is just desperate for a hug. There could possibly be some tears, I don’t know if they will let go."

  8. Dalai Lama: Seven billion people 'need a sense of oneness'

    'Compassion and humanity important during coronavirus pandemic,' says the Dalai Lama

    The leader of Tibetan Buddhism sees reasons for optimism even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

    People are helping one another, the Dalai Lama told the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. And if seven billion people on Earth develop "a sense of oneness", he said, they may also unite to solve the problem of climate change.

    The important thing, the spiritual leader says, is to recognise that we are not individuals alone, we depend on the community we are a part of.

    "In the past there was too much emphasis on my continent, my nation, my religion. Now that thinking is out of date."

  9. Ethnic minority doctors 'feel let down'

    BAME coronavirus deaths: What's the risk for ethnic minorities?

    Ethnic minority doctors in the NHS feel "let down" by delays in work to ensure they are protected from coronavirus, the British Medical Association says.

    The doctors' union warns many have not had promised risk assessments and redeployment opportunities.

    Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council chairman, said it was "critical" action was taken to protect Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) doctors.

    The NHS said BAME staff should get risk assessments at their place of work.

    But BBC research has found that hundreds of doctors still have not had a risk assessment.

    Read more here.

  10. Beijing district on 'wartime' footing

    Two women wear protective suits as they walk on a street near the closed Xinfadi market in BeijingGetty Images

    Two women wear protective suits as they walk on a street near the closed wholesale market in Beijing

    An official in the Chinese capital Beijing says the city's Fengtai district is on a "wartime emergency footing" as lockdowns are enforced in 11 neighbourhoods over fears of a renewed coronavirus outbreak.

    District official Chu Junwei confirmed there had been 45 new positive cases at Xinfadi market in the south-east of Beijing – though none showed symptoms of Covid-19. The market supplies 80% of Beijing's meat and vegetables, and authorities say traces of coronavirus were found on a chopping block used for imported salmon.

    The surge in cases has led city authorities to ban sports fixtures and tourism from other regions, amid fears of a second wave of the coronavirus. More than 10,000 staff at Xinfadi market are also being tested for the virus.

    Until recently, Beijing has gone for more than 50 days without a new case. The influence of markets on the pandemic is a sensitive issue in China - the first cases of the global pandemic were detected at a market in the city of Wuhan.

  11. Trooping the Colour cancelled for second time in Queen's reign

    The Royal family at Buckingham Palace watch the fly pastPA Media

    Trooping the Colour, the traditional celebration of the monarch's official birthday, will not take place for only the second time during the Queen's 68-year reign.

    Normally the event sees the Queen inspect the Horse Guards at Whitehall before being escorted by the Household Cavalry back to Buckingham Palace where she takes a salute before an RAF flypast.

    It has only been cancelled once before during the Queen's reign - in 1955 during a national rail strike. But restrictions during lockdown have prevented the celebration from taking place in 2020 in its regular form.

    Instead, the Queen, who has been staying at Windsor with the Duke of Edinburgh for the past 12 weeks, is taking two royal salutes at the castle from the Welsh Guards - under social-distancing rules and with no spectators.

    The parade in 2008PA Media

  12. The famous chef feeding Covid-hit neighbourhoods

    Celebrity chef José Andrés: 'We are a food planet'

    Chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés has been delivering meals to food-insecure areas of the US that have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19.

    Mr Andrés says that there are about 40 million Americans who don't know where their next meal is coming from.

    More than 20 million people lost their jobs in March and April. Earlier this week, the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the US had entered an economic recession.

  13. What's happening in the UK?

    Protesters in Trafalgar Square on FridayAFP

    Once again, eyes will be on cities across the country as more anti-racism protests are expected today. There have been warnings from the prime minister and others for people to stay home both due to the coronavirus pandemic and fears of violence.

    The Metropolitan Police has put restrictions in place on several groups across London, with right-wing counter protesters also expected to be out in numbers.

    All events will have to end by 17:00 BST following violent scenes last weekend.

    In other news:

  14. The picture in Brazil

    A woman passes by a graffitiGetty Images

    The Americas now account for about half of total confirmed coronavirus cases globally, with Brazil the epicentre of the epicentre.

    The largest country in Latin America, it has 828,810 confirmed cases - the highest in the world behind the US. It also has the second-highest death toll in the world (nearly 42,000), having overtaken the UK.

    But the numbers are thought to be much higher because of insufficient testing. It's also believed that the country is still weeks away from reaching the "peak".

  15. Welcome to our coverage

    Police in BeijingGetty Images

    A small cluster of new infections has emerged in Beijing

    Welcome to today's rolling coronavirus coverage. It's a sunny Saturday here in London.

    If you’re joining us in the UK, Africa and Europe - good morning, and good afternoon if you’re in Asia or Australia.

    Here are some of the latest headlines from around the world:

    • Over 7.6 million cases have been reported worldwide, along with 425,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University
    • Brazil has overtaken the UK to become the nation with the second-highest number of deaths from coronavirus. More than 900 people have died during the last 24 hours, bringing the total to almost 42,000
    • India and Armenia have both reported their biggest daily jump in new infections - 11,458 and 723 respectively. India currently has the fourth-highest number of cases worldwide
    • Eleven residential estates in south Beijing have been locked down and a wholesale market closed due to a fresh cluster of infections. Over 40 new cases have been reported in the Chinese capital during the last few days
    • Meanwhile New Zealand has reported no new infections for 22 consecutive days. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that nearly all the country’s lockdown restrictions were being lifted