Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden urges people not to watch football matches together
The Premier League returns on Wednesday evening in empty stadiums
A life-saving coronavirus treatment has gone into use across the UK
Dexamethasone is a cheap, widely available steroid that reduces deaths among seriously ill patients
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern orders the military to oversee the country's quarantine and border operations
Any visitors for Russian President Vladimir Putin must pass through a special disinfection tunnel, state media report
Brazil reports almost 35,000 new cases - its highest daily figure
Globally, there have been 8.1m confirmed cases since the outbreak began, and 441,000 deaths
So that's the end of our live page coverage for Wednesday. Thanks for joining us.
Here are the people who contributed to the page today.
Saira Asher, Yvette Tan, Krutika Pathi, Josh Cheetham, Mary O'Connor, Paulin Kola, Patrick Jackson, Gavin Stamp. Paul Seddon, Claire Heald, Gary Kitchener, Georgina Rannard, Martha Buckley, Max Matza and George Bowden
Be sure to join us again tomorrow.
And as we wind down our live page, here’s a round-up of some of the biggest stories in the UK:
We will shortly be pausing our live coverage. Today there were signs of the pandemic worsening in Latin America, and localised infections are causing concern in some countries where the virus is largely considered to be under control. The top stories on Wednesday:
The US opens up
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter two months at home - two months of virtual happy hours, socially distanced hangouts, and learning when to unmute yourself on Zoom - all 50 US states and the District of Columbia have begun the process of reopening.
For some, that means the first face-to-face interactions with friends and family outside of their household in weeks.
But how do you navigate the risks? Is sharing snacks okay? And is the briefest of hugs acceptable? Find out here.
We reported earlier that Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez had announced he and his wife had tested positive for Covid-19.
The president was later taken to hospital and is now being treated for pneumonia, Reuters quotes Francis Contreras, a spokesman for Honduran health agency Sinager, as saying.
He said the president was on an intravenous drip but was generally in good heath.
Mr Hernandez tweeted that he felt good and appreciated all the support he had received.
The Latin American nation has registered just under 10,000 Covid-19 infections and 330 deaths.
The Premier League has finally returned.There were no fans. But then there were no goals either.
Aston Villa and Sheffield United drew 0-0 at Villa Park after a 100-day hiatus.
There was a moment's silence observed to remember all those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, including the father of Villa manager Dean Smith.
The players and match officials also all took a knee to mark the death of African American George Floyd in the US, and the players' names were replaced with the words Black Lives Matter.
Image source, AFP
Image source, Southend University HospitalAn NHS nurse who spent 75 days as a coronavirus patient at the hospital where he works has recovered and left amid clapping from colleagues.
Felix Khor, 68, spent 45 days in the intensive care ward at Southend Hospital in Essex, where he has worked for 15 years, and was put on a ventilator.
He then spent several weeks on a different ward.
He was admitted to hospital in early April and was discharged on Monday.
Image source, Getty ImagesOutbreaks of infection have been recorded at a number of slaughterhouses in Germany and worldwide
Earlier we reported that 400 workers at a slaughterhouse in Gütersloh in western Germany had tested positive since Monday.
Now some 7,000 people have been told to go into quarantine.
Employees' families will have to isolate themselves and schools and nurseries in the area have been closed. The abattoir has also been temporarily shut.
A number of abattoirs in Germany and elsewhere in Europe have been hit by Covid-19. They often rely on migrant labour. Some face allegations that poor working conditions and cramped accommodation facilitate the spread of the virus.
Germany has had nearly 9,000 deaths from Covid-19, which is significantly less than some other western European countries, including the UK, France and Italy.
More than 1,500 UK paediatricians have signed a letter to the prime minister calling for clear plans for getting children back into school.
They say the absence of millions of children from schools "risks scarring the life chances of a generation of young people".
Their concerns centre on the mental and physical health of children who have missed many months of education.
Plans for schools reopening have been published in Scotland and Wales.
The letter from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health , externalcalls on the UK government and the Northern Ireland Executive to follow suit.
Read about what they have to say here.
Image source, Getty Images
A UK health says the country's coronavirus contact tracing app will be now ready "before the winter".
Lord Bethell, the minister for innovation at the Department of Health and Social Care, said he was unable to give a date for its launch - adding that the application was "not a priority".
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said , externalthe comments appeared to contradict statements made by ministers in the recent past.
Read more here.
Image source, Getty ImagesFinancial pressure on the UK government due to the coronavirus outbreak has prompted more speculation over the level of future rises in the state pension.
At the moment, pensioners are guaranteed rising payments through a so-called "triple lock". Pensions rise each year by a rate of inflation, the increase in average wages or 2.5% - whichever is highest.
But with the coronavirus furlough scheme picking up 80% of millions of wages until it ends in October, next year's average wage rise will be as high as 18%.
Will the government scrap the triple lock, will it postpone it, or are pensioners in line for a bumper increase?
Read more here.
Image source, GettyAround 2.8 million pints of out-of-date beer will need to be disposed of from Wales's shut pubs and clubs, the Campaign for Real Ale has estimated.
But "highly polluting" beer "poses a significant environmental risk" according to Natural Resources Wales.
Welsh Water says it will work with businesses "to agree how and when the drinks can be disposed of".
But an opposition politician warned that the company was not used to dealing with such a volume of old beer.
Wales's 3,500 pubs and clubs - along with cafes and restaurants - have been closed since 20 March.
Chile has announced a stricter lockdown in its capital after Covid-19 infections nationwide soared past 200,000.
Chile is one of the worst affected nations in South America and Santiago has been badly hit.
Residents of Santiago now face what has been termed "maximum" restrictions on movement.
The infection rate nationwide rose to 220,628, the health ministry said, after 31,412 previously unconfirmed cases were added to 4,757 new ones.
Chile has also recorded 3,383 deaths.
In a joint ministerial briefing, officials said residents of Santiago would be granted permission to leave their homes just twice a week instead of five times.
This is despite lockdowns lasting three months having already been in place in some parts of the capital.
Image source, Getty ImagesLockdowns in Santiago have not halted the spread
Image source, Getty ImagesThe return to Premier League football is having a poignant start. When the game began at Villa, players, officials and staff took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
When referee Michael Oliver blew the whistle for kick-off, he and his officials joined all the players in kneeling for around 10 seconds to protest against racial injustice and to stand in support of others after the death of George Floyd in the US.
All players warmed up in Black Lives Matters t-shirts, with their names on the back of the match shirts replaced with the same message.
Games are being played behind closed doors because of the pandemic, with few journalists, officials and ground staff spaced out in the quiet stadium.
Instead of crowd noise there is just the chat and commotion of the players, managers and officials.
At the UK government daily briefing earlier, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden warned fans to watch the game at home, rather than meet up and spread the virus.
Image source, EPAEven the goalposts were disinfected before the match
Image source, AFPSeats remained empty, but shirts were filled with 'Black Lives Matter'
Image source, ReutersOktoberfest - the world's largest beer celebration - is normally held in September and October but this year's festivities were cancelled in April
Germany has extended a ban on large gatherings until at least the end of October, Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced.
The number of new coronavirus infections has stabilised at a low level, she said, but people should continue social distancing and wear masks, report German media.
The ban could affect events including the Frankfurt book fair, which attracts around 300,000 visitors and which organisers had said until now was going ahead, plus of course large sports events.
Rules on gathering size vary across Germany's states. Before the new announcement was made, for example, Berlin's rules allowed up to 200 people to gather for outdoor events until 16 June, increasing to 500 from 16 June and to 1,000 from 30 June.
Schools will also return to normal after the summer holidays, Merkel added, after speaking with the leaders of Germany's 16 states in Berlin on Wednesday.
We reported yesterday on dexamethasone, the cheap and widely available drug that can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus.
Today, the World Health Organization issued some cautions, stressing that the steroid should only be used under medical supervision and that it should be reserved for exceptionally ill patients.
It also cautions there is no evidence it could prevent infection, or treat milder illness.
The head of the WHO's emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, said: "It is exceptionally important in this case, that the drug is reserved for use in severely ill and critical patients who can benefit from this drug clearly."
Some doctors also want to see more data, citing possible side-effects.
A major trial in the UK showed the drug cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth.
Image source, Getty ImagesRead more about dexamethasone here.
Image source, Getty ImagesCampaigners have called on the government to make pet theft a specific offence after instances of the crime "went through the roof" in lockdown.
Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine, told MPs dog prices "went up and up" during lockdown and cases of theft increased.
She joined others to tell MPs tougher penalties were needed to deter thieves.
The government has said it is already an offence under the Theft Act 1968, with a maximum penalty of seven years.
But campaigners complain those who steal animals can currently be punished in the same way as someone who steals a mobile phone or a laptop, as pets are classed simply as "property" under the act.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Eiffel Tower is visited by around seven million people each year
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, one of France’s most visited landmarks, will reopen to visitors next week.
Tourism officials plan to start by limiting the number of visitors to the tower, following its longest closure since World War Two.
Only the first and second floors will be accessible to visitors, and lifts will remain closed in the first stage of reopening.
All surfaces in well-travelled areas will be cleaned every two hours, and all visitors over the age of 11 will be required to wear masks. A full reopening is expected by 25 June.
The tower normally receives around seven million visitors per year, but France's tourism industry has been hit hard after a lockdown was imposed in March.
Image source, Getty ImagesLifts will be closed at first, forcing visitors to hike up the stairs
Reality Check
Earlier, at the UK government briefing, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden was asked about when more public toilets will reopen, to avoid parks and streets turning into “cesspits”.
Management of public toilets is a council issue, meaning local government will decide when the 4,500 plus council-run toilets in the UK can reopen to the public.
Additionally, public toilets run by private companies in places like shopping centres will reopen when those companies think it is safe to do so.
The government has “strongly encouraged” the reopening of toilets with appropriate social distancing measures such as a bigger gap between urinals and electric hand dryers.
A number of popular destinations have already reopened all or some of their toilets including Brighton, North Norfolk, Cornwall and Blackpool. The National Trust and Royal Parks have also reopened some of their toilets.
If you are visiting somewhere and are concerned about access to toilets, local council websites are supplying information on which ones have now reopened.
BBC Monitoring
The world through its media
Image source, EPARussia has the third highest number of confirmed cases in the world
A woman in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg has been fined for writing on Facebook that her local hospital was avoiding diagnosing patients with coronavirus, according to Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
"The hospital is packed, people are dying in their masses, everyone is being diagnosed with 'pneumonia'. They put him in a corridor," Tatiana Znak wrote, describing the death of a family friend.
The court found she has misrepresented the situation and insisted that no-one had died of the disease there.
Znak was fined 15,000 roubles (about $200). Her lawyer says she will appeal against the decision, saying "we will go to the European Court of Human Rights if need be".
Russia has the third-highest number of cases in the world (552,549) and 7,468 deaths, according to official figures.