Summary

  • From 6 July those in England most vulnerable to the virus will have more freedom to see other people

  • UK government reviewing whether 2m rule on social distancing in England should be reduced to 1m

  • Greatest threat is not the virus itself but lack of global solidarity and leadership - WHO

  • World Health Organization records highest one-day increase in total cases, with 183,000 added in one day

  • Most came from Brazil, followed by the US and India

  • South Korea is going through a "second wave" of coronavirus, officials say, even though new infections are falling

  • France is re-opening cinemas, swimming pools and holiday centres. All children up to 15 are back at school

  • Globally, there have been almost 9m confirmed cases since the outbreak began, with 467,000 deaths

  1. Latest headlines from the UKpublished at 08:41 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    If you're just joining us this morning, here are the latest coronavirus developments from the UK:

    • PM Boris Johnson will discuss England's approach to the changes with the Covid-19 Strategy Committee on Monday. On Tuesday, he is to announce if the hospitality sector can reopen on 4 July and if the 2m distancing rule in can be relaxed. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will decide on these issues separately.
    • Lower-income households are using savings and borrowing more during the lockdown, while richer families are saving more as eating out and trips abroad are banned, according to research by the Resolution Foundation.
    • The Children's Foundation has warned children are developing serious mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress, because of the pandemic.
    • Face coverings are now compulsory on public transport in Scotland.
    • Non-essential shops are reopening in Wales for the first time since coronavirus restrictions began.
    • A new "no swab" saliva coronavirus test that lets people collect their own sample at home by spitting into a pot is being trialled in the UK. More than 14,000 GP staff and other key workers, along with the people they live with, will take part.
  2. Japan pushes saliva testpublished at 08:25 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Doctor taking nasal swabImage source, AFP

    If you’ve had a coronavirus test done, you might know that the nasal swab is not exactly the most pleasant of things to go through. Although harmless, many people find it very uncomfortable to have a swab going far up their nose.

    A team of researchers in Japan say they have developed a saliva test that can give a result in as little as 25 minutes.

    Medical firm Shionogi said its working with Japanese universities to develop the test and that it would even allow people to take the test at home.

    In the UK, there’s currently a trial for a similar saliva test underway, with more than 14,000 front-line workers taking part.

  3. Yoga, the socially distanced waypublished at 08:04 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Outdoor yoga class by LMNTS Outdoor Studio in Toronto, Canada, on 21 June 2020Image source, Reuters

    A yoga company in Toronto, Canada, has come up with an inventive way to allow people to return to group practice.

    LMNTS Studio has set up a series of bubbles in its outdoor pop-up studio for a few weeks.

    Canada has reported some 100,000 cases of the virus and more than 8,480 deaths.

    Outdoor yoga class by LMNTS Outdoor Studio in Toronto, Canada, on 21 June 2020Image source, Reuters
    Outdoor yoga class by LMNTS Outdoor Studio in Toronto, Canada, on 21 June 2020Image source, Reuters
  4. 'Deadly masks' claims debunkedpublished at 07:53 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Reality Check

    Man wearing a face maskImage source, Nurphoto

    With face masks now mandatory on public transport in England and Scotland, as well as in various other settings around the world, the BBC's anti-disinformation team has investigated misleading claims about masks.

    • There is no evidence of harmful carbon dioxide exposure
    • Masks will not deprive your body of oxygen

    Click here to read our full take on some of the most widely seen examples on social media.

  5. New Zealand extends ban on cruise shipspublished at 07:38 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Cruise ship at seaImage source, AFP

    New Zealand on Monday said it was extending its ban on cruise ships arriving in the country.

    "We are extending the current cruise ship ban which was due to expire on 30 June," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference.

    New Zealand has been one of the world's most successful countries in fighting the coronavirus. It has lifted all internal restrictions but measures at the border remain.

    In the early stages of the pandemic, cruise ships have often been hotbed for the virus spreading and several of them have spent weeks at sea or quarantined in a harbour before passengers were allowed to disembark.

  6. UK PM to announce on Tuesday if pubs can reopenpublished at 07:18 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    A woman walks past a temporarily closed pub on June 19, 2020 in London, England.Image source, Getty Images

    British PM Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Tuesday whether the hospitality sector - including pubs, restaurants and hotels - can reopen on 4 July and if the two-metre (6.5ft) distancing rule in England can be relaxed.

    Mr Johnson has commissioned a review into social distancing guidelines that require people to remain two metres apart.

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said England is "clearly on track" to further ease lockdown restrictions. But No 10 warned the moves would be reversed if they led to a virus surge.

    Businesses and many MPs from Mr Johnson's own party have warned that large parts of the hospitality industry won't be viable unless the rule is changed.

    They're calling for the distance to be reduced to one metre, in line with World Health Organization advice and countries including France and Denmark.

    Read more here.

  7. French schooling now compulsorypublished at 07:00 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Middle-school pupil returns to school in Nantes, western France,  on 20 May 2020Image source, Reuters

    In France, going to school is now compulsory from Monday for everyone up to the age of 15.

    Only lycées – or high schools, which cover the last three years of school education – are not affected.

    Schools have been open for several weeks, but only on a voluntary basis.

    Read more on how France and other European countries are easing their way out of lockdown.

  8. Deaths down, but cases stubbornly high in USpublished at 06:50 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    These two charts show the number of confirmed cases and deaths in the US since February.

    While deaths are decreasing, the number of cases shows a slight increase.

    These two charts show the number of confirmed cases and deaths in the US.
  9. Why are more women dying of Covid-19 in India?published at 06:40 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Soutik Biswas
    India Correspondent

    Worldwide, more men are dying from Covid-19 than women.

    In Italy, China and US, for example, more men have been infected, external, and a higher proportion of men have died.

    Sabra Klein, a scientist who studies sex differences in viral infections at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says "being male is as much a risk factor for the coronavirus as being old, external".

    But something puzzling is happening in India.

    New research by a group of scientists in India and US shows that although men make up the majority of infections, women face a higher risk of dying than men.

    An Indian woman being tested for Covid-19Image source, Getty Images
  10. Face masks now compulsory on Scottish public transportpublished at 06:30 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Passengers wear face masks on buses in Princess Street on 18 June 2020 in Edinburgh, ScotlandImage source, Getty Images

    In Scotland, face masks become compulsory on public transport from Monday as the country continues to ease its way out of lockdown.

    The new rule covers buses, trains, the Glasgow Subway, Edinburgh trams, aircraft, enclosed areas onboard ferries, taxis and private hire cabs.

    The Scottish government is also urging people to continue to limit travel.

    Last week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said face coverings could "help to reduce the risk of transmission", but stressed that physical distancing, hand washing and "good hygiene" were still necessary to prevent infection.

    The same rule was imposed in England a week ago, but they are not mandatory on Welsh , externalor Northern Irish, external public transport.

  11. Where cases have been rising quickestpublished at 06:20 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Latin America is the current pandemic hotspot, but confirmed cases have also been rising in India and Pakistan.

    Here are four graphs to illustrate the increases, showing the number of cases per day - each country on a separate scale though.

    Cases by country
  12. Beijing infections drop after 'market spike'published at 06:10 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Chinese policemen wearing face masksImage source, Getty Images

    China has reported nine new cases in Beijing over the past 24 hours.

    That’s down from 22 the previous day, and the first time it has been in single figures for more than ten days.

    More than 230 cases have been recorded in the recent Beijing "spike". The outbreak was linked to a large food market, and triggered lockdowns and travel bans in neighbourhoods across the city.

  13. Stricter measures reimposed in South Korean citypublished at 06:00 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Laura Bicker
    BBC News, Seoul

    Pupils in Daejeon, South Korea, pictured in class last monthImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Pupils in Daejeon, South Korea, pictured in class last month - schools will remain open despite the new, stricter guidelines

    South Korea’s fifth largest city, Daejeon, is going back to stricter social distancing measures after clusters of coronavirus cases.

    The country has actually just reported its lowest number of new infections in nearly a month, with 17 cases reported in the past 24 hours, six of them from overseas.

    But officials are still concerned about sporadic outbreaks, particularly in the city of Daejeon, around 50 miles south of Seoul.

    All gatherings in public spaces such as museums, sports halls and libraries have been banned. Twenty-two churches used by the Christian sect, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, have also been closed.

    The church was at the centre of the country’s biggest outbreak in February when over 6,000 members were infected.

    The Seoul city mayor said he was also making preparations in case there was a second wave of the virus.

    Officials are recruiting more contact tracers and securing more hospital beds in case the infection takes hold in the capital.

  14. India cases cross 400,000published at 05:53 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Infections in India increased to 410,461 on Sunday, after it added more than 15,000 new cases - the highest daily spike yet, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The country has reported 13,254 deaths so far.

    India has the fourth-highest caseload in the world, after the US, Brazil and Russia.

    It's been two weeks since the country eased out of its lockdown, and cases have only been rising. Some experts estimate that the virus will peak in the monsoon season, which is between July and September.

    But in cities like Delhi and Mumbai, the impact of rising cases have stretched an already fragmented healthcare system.

    Reports of scarce hospital beds - and patients being turned away - have been making the rounds for weeks, prompting outrage and concern.

  15. How cases and deaths increasedpublished at 05:40 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    This chart shows how the number of confirmed cases climbed to almost nine million worldwide, with Covid-19 linked deaths approaching half a million.

    For confirmed cases, the growth also reflects a big increase in testing in many parts of the world.

    Chart showing increase in cases and deaths since outbreak began
  16. Australian 'setbacks' cause concernpublished at 05:30 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    A padlock seals a gate at AFL club Essendon's training oval in MelbourneImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    One Australian Football League player was confirmed to have the virus, prompting a game to be postponed

    Australia has been among the most successful places to tackle the virus – some states have gone weeks without a new case.

    But a spike in infections in Victoria is providing the country's biggest concern for some time.

    The south-eastern state has recorded more than 100 cases in the past week, mostly in Melbourne. Twelve of the 16 detected today were transmitted inside Australia, unlike many recently which have been infected overseas.

    Victoria has extended a state of emergency declaration, re-imposed some lockdown measures, and issued warnings for six virus "hotspots".

    "This is part of living with Covid-19," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters today.

    "There will be setbacks from time to time, but we have systems to deal with the setbacks."

  17. WHO records highest global cases in 24 hourspublished at 05:20 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    WHO signImage source, EPA

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded the biggest one-day increase in coronavirus cases, with the Americas responsible for most of the new infections.

    The WHO said more than 183,000 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours.

    Most - more than 50,000 - came from Brazil, followed by the US and India.

    The number of confirmed cases is partly a reflection of increased testing around the world.

  18. Brazil deaths rise above 50,000published at 05:10 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Funeral in BrazilImage source, Reuters

    Brazil has become the second country, after the US, to register more than 50,000 deaths linked to Covid-19.

    The grim milestone comes amid growing political unrest, and days after the country confirmed more than one million coronavirus infections.

    Experts warn that the peak of the outbreak in Brazil is still weeks away.

    On Sunday, the ministry announced that 641 more deaths had been registered in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 50,617.

    Only the US has fared worse, with 2.2 million cases and nearly 120,000 deaths.

  19. Welcome to our coveragepublished at 05:09 British Summer Time 22 June 2020

    Welcome back to our rolling coverage where we keep you posted on all things coronavirus from around the globe.

    Here’s what you need to know this morning.

    • The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded the biggest global daily rise in infections, with the Americas accounting for most of the new cases
    • Brazil’s death toll has risen above 50,000 - which is second only to the 120,000 fatalities in the US
    • The number of confirmed infections in Mexico has risen beyond 180,000
    • In China, fears of a new wave have eased with only nine new cases recorded in Beijing
    • In the UK, the government is looking at reducing the "two-metre distance" rule as it moves out of lockdown