Reality Check

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has been talking about the return of Premier League football this evening.

He described it as an “important step forward” on the path to normality.

Premier League players are being tested for coronavirus twice a week and only those who have had a negative test in the past five days will be allowed onto the pitch or into the changing rooms.

They will have a clinical passport - a bar code either printed out or on their mobile phones - which they will have to show before they are allowed into the stadium.

Anyone testing positive will have to self-isolate for seven days and their households would have to isolate for 14 days.

The Premier League says that in line with advice from Public Health England, other players would only have to self-isolate if they have been in sustained contact with the infected person for more than 15 minutes.

The Premier League’s research found that during the course of a normal game, 98% of players are in close contact for less than five minutes.

To get into other parts of the stadium, such as the stands or interview areas, people have to complete a medical questionnaire and have their temperature taken on arrival.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, has asked congressional committee chairmen and women to bar entry to lawmakers who refuse to wear masks during meetings.

Some Republican lawmakers have refused to do so in the Capitol building. On Monday, South Carolina Congressman Tom Rice, who was seen not wearing a mask in Congress on 28 May, announced that he and his family had tested positive.

On Tuesday, Capitol physician Dr Brian Monahan issued a memo requiring masks for lawmakers meeting "in a limited enclosed space, such as a committee hearing room, for greater than 15 minutes".

An aide to Pelosi told US media the Sergeant at Arms would be tasked with removing disobedient lawmakers, who will be permitted to participate via teleconferencing from nearby offices.

Several mask holdouts, including Congressmen Jim Jordan, Louie Gohmert and Andy Biggs are due to meet in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Wearing face coverings has become a political issue, with President Donald Trump refusing to don one on official events.

Benefits claims in the UK are continuing to rise steadily but remain relatively low when compared with other major economies, a new analysis of Department for Work and Pensions data suggests.

The Institute for Government (IfG) finds, external around 14% of the UK's labour force, or some 4.8m people, are claiming benefits through universal credit, which brings multiple support claims together into a single payment.

Close to a million of those are still in employment, the IfG says.

In the US, by comparison, around 25% of the workforce have made claims for unemployment support since mid-March.

Image source, Institute for Government

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of workers on UK payrolls dived more than 600,000 between March and May.

But overall unemployment remained steady due to the impact of the coronavirus job retention furlough scheme, the ONS said.

Image source, Getty Images

This season's Champions League and Europa League competitions will be completed in August with "final eight" tournaments in Lisbon, Portugal, and in cities across Germany.

The Champions League will resume with the second-leg of the remaining last 16 games played on 7 and 8 August, before the single-game knockout competition starting on 12 August in Lisbon with the final on 23 August.

The Europa League will resume from 10 August. The remaining last 16 games will be played on 5 and 6 August. The knockout will be across Germany with the final on 21 August.

As it stands no fans will be allowed to watch in stadiums.

The Women's Champions League will also be a knockout tournament, in northern Spain between 21 and 30 August.

Ready more:

Champions League & Europa League: Tournaments to be completed in 'final eight' format

More than 2,200 residents of Loznica, in western Serbia, were forced to spend nearly a month in self-isolation after they crossed the border to buy petrol in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to local outlet Balkan Insight.

Since March, Serbia has required all residents re-entering to undergo 14 or 28 days of self-isolation, depending on where they've come from.

It is common for residents of Loznica to travel across the Drina river to Bosnia, where petrol is cheaper to buy.

Residents said they had not been adequately informed of the rules.

According to data compiled by Balkan Insight, at the end of March Loznica had the second-highest number of people in Serbia who were living in self-isolation, behind the capital Belgrade.

We're just minutes away from a moment of sheer delight for football fans - Aston Villa v Sheffield United, and the return of Premier League football for the first time since March.

Later on, Manchester City host Arsenal.

The whole thing will take place in front of almost empty stadiums. The scenes are of football reporters sitting well-spaced apart, firing up their laptops, and the commentators report an eerie atmosphere, as players warm up amid silence.

You can follow live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live or here on our BBC Sport live page.

Image source, PA

Image source, Getty Images

Amazon says it is introducing new technology to keep its staff safe from coronavirus in its factories.

It includes the testing of a wearable device that alerts people if they get too close to others, a memo obtained by US outlet CNBC says.

Some staff have indicated they are unimpressed. One comment on a private online forum for Amazon warehouse employees read: "They would probably have a lot of people quit if they do make this a mandatory thing."

The company is facing lawsuits in France and the US over claims it has not done enough to prevent the spread of infection in its warehouses. Amazon says it has invested billions in Covid-19 initiatives.

Huge increases in online ordering during lockdowns have generated massive profits for Amazon.

Read more about the story here.

The daily Downing Street press conference has just finished. Here’s what happened:

• Oliver Dowden said he hoped football clubs would be able to welcome “some fans” back to grounds by the start of next season
• The culture secretary however appealed for fans not to congregate outside stadiums after the Premier League season resumes from this evening
• He confirmed non-professional sport would not resume until the start of July “at the very earliest”
• He said theatre figures and medical experts would meet over the next week to look at “innovative ideas” to permit socially-distanced live performances
• But he said it would still be “immensely challenging” for theatres to reopen whilst social distancing rules are still in place

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden brings today's No 10 briefing to a close.

We'll bring you a summary of what we learned from the session in a few moments.

Dowden is asked by the Hull Daily Mail's Anna Riley about the plight of a mother who felt forced to sell her son's games console to feed her family - and of a widow who has lost a loved one to the virus in the city.

Dowden says he has profound sympathies for all those who have been bereaved during the crisis.

And he highlights measures including the coronavirus job retention furlough scheme, which he says has helped 31,900 in Hull alone.

"Sadly we can't support everyone," he adds, saying universal credit has been expanded to help those who lose work.

Asked about the government's biggest mistake so far, Dowden says it is "too early" to make international comparisons and he hopes the public appreciate the focus is on controlling the virus.

Dowden is now asked about whether people will be able to start going on holiday within the UK at the start of July in line with aspirations set out in the government's recovery "road map" set out last month.

The culture secretary says he is a "huge fan" of the British holiday, saying he has taken breaks in the Lake District, the West Country and Norfolk, among others places, in recent years.

He says he wants to give families certainty about their plans but this can only be done when the conditions allow it.

In response to a second question about the opening of public toilets, he says councils have been given guidance that public facilities should be available and he hopes they will adhere to that.

Asked about the 2m distancing rule and whether it could be reduced to speed up the return of indoor cinema and theatre performances, Dowden says a review into the distancing measures is still ongoing.

He adds reducing it to 1m would help cinemas, but would still not be enough to help theatres to reopen for some time.

He says he's spoken to producers, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, to see what he has done for his productions in South Korea.

"I do have to say that it is going to be very challenging," he says.

Another question on football's return, from a Talk Radio journalist, who asks about the risk of fans gathering outside grounds if they are not allowed inside to watch - and suggests neutral venues could be used to stop this from happening.

Dowden says "there is nothing to be gained" from fans turning up at games since this will put their health at risk and they can watch matches safely at home.

He says he trusts the good sense of fans but adds that the police have "appropriate powers" to take action if the rules are flouted.

On a separate question about the contribution of Marcus Rashford, he says he has been "impressed by his lobbying skills" - but turns down the invitation to speculate on whether he will get a knighthood.

Asked by ITV's Robert Peston about the future of live theatre, Dowden says he hopes to see the return of performances - but that there are greater risks involved with indoor venues than outdoor stadia, for example.

He theatres would only be able to reopen without social distancing if it was safe for public health.

He refers to the announcement of redundancies by a leading West End producer and says he is very familiar with the challenges facing the sector.

Now we are on to questions from journalists, starting with the BBC's Hugh Pym.

He has two questions, one on the impact on children's mental health of schools remaining shut and the other on whether ministers regret criticising the actions of professional footballers at the start of the outbreak - when there was a row over the deferral of wages.

Dowden says his son has returned to school and he welcomes the fact that thousands of others have been able to do so.

He takes a pop at Labour, suggesting it is "rather a shame" that they have been overly influenced by the trade unions on the issue.

On top-flight footballers, he again praises their contribution during the crisis and also commends the input of medical professionals in helping games to be staged.

And he holds out hope that spectators will be able to return to stadia next season - although he says this can only happen when it is safe for them to do so and it is not sure when this will happen.

The first question, from Laura from Eastbourne, is also about the tough time that theatres are facing.

She asks how the sector can start contributing to the wages of its staff as part of the furlough scheme when venues are shut and they are not bringing in any income.

Dowden says he hopes he has addressed some of these issues already and accepts it will be "extremely challenging" for venues to re-open at the start of July.

Mr Dowden says the government has made "a lot of progress" on helping the hard-hit cultural sector.

He says it is clear there is a need for greater flexibility to overcome specific and practical obstacles for live performances to return.

He says there will be work over the next week to explore how live performances can be made safe during the pandemic.

It comes as a leading West End producer said big shows like Hamilton will not return until 2021.

Mr Dowden says the government is working closely with the sector to get grassroots and community sport back up and running, with the aim of restarting activities in July at the earliest.

He says sport can play a part in improving children's physical and mental health as the UK emerges from lockdown.

Mr Dowden singles out Manchester United player Marcus Rashford as being among the athletes setting "incredible examples" across the UK.

He says Rashford has "made the front and the back pages for the very best of reasons, highlighting the struggles facing many families during this difficult time".

He adds the player has also helped to feed millions of children in partnership with the Fareshare charity.

The sport secretary says the "world will be watching" the restart of Premier League football games tonight.

Aston Villa and Sheffield United kick off at 18:00 BST while Man City and Arsenal play at 20:15.

He urges football fans in the UK to watch the games tonight at home and not to gather with friends.

You can follow the action live here.