Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, we brought you the news that people in England can start visiting loved ones in care homes again. (You can read the full story here.)

The government has published new guidance for homes, and advises that visits should be limited to one consistent person per resident, where possible.

Care England, the country's largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, said it was "disappointed" the guidance had come so late.

"This guidance should have been with care providers last month," said its boss Professor Martin Green.

"We are at a loss to understand why the Department of Health and Social Care cannot act quickly in a crisis or why it is deaf to the comments and input from the sector."

He added the guidance does not consider issues around visitors and residents leaving the premises, with many relatives likely to want to take their loved ones out.

Guidance was produced by the Care Provider Alliance, external in mid-June for residential care providers, in the absence of government guidance. The PA news agency says it understands that some care homes have been allowing socially distanced visits in outdoor areas which have been free of coronavirus.

Image source, Reuters

Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, has again tested positive for coronavirus, more than two weeks after he first revealed he had Covid-19 on 7 July.

Bolsonaro has in the past dismissed the risks of the virus and boasted that it would have little effect on him if he got it due to his "athletic past".

An official statement said that despite testing positive for a third time, the president was "still in good condition".

He appeared outside the presidential palace on Sunday, where he greeted his supporters from a distance.

Brazil is the second-worst affected country with more than 2.1 million confirmed cases.

Britain's national tally of cases has risen by 560 since yesterday, bringing the national toll to 296,377, according to official figures, external.

The UK death toll has also risen by 79 to 45,501.

Image source, Getty Images

If you've applied to renew or get a new British passport recently, you might have to wait longer than normal.

Figures show there's a backlog of more than 400,000 passport applications due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Reduced staffing to allow social distancing meant forms were taking longer to process, said Home Office minister Baroness Williams.

She said steps were being taken to increase capacity after travel restrictions were eased.

But those applying may have to wait longer than the usual three weeks.

Asked how long it would take to clear the backlog, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Breakfast he did not know - "it's not quite my area" - adding that the Home Office was working hard to clear it.

The Passport Office is advising that only people going away before September or those travelling on compassionate grounds should apply now for a passport.

Read our full story here.

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scottish businesses that aren't open yet may have to wait a little longer before the coronavirus restrictions affecting them are eased.

The First Minister said the focus of the government was on the reopening of schools and easing of restrictions on those who are shielding.

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White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has been taking questions from reporters. When asked about the message America is sending by shutting down a Chinese consulate in Texas, Mr Conway said President Trump remains unhappy with China over its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

“I think this president has made very clear that he’s unhappy with China - the fact that China virus was unleashed onto this country and around the world with very little information, honesty and transparency from China,” said Conway.

“We’re still not getting information from China. We still don’t know the case numbers, the death numbers, etc.”

The US has ordered Beijing to close its consulate in Houston by Friday. Officials say the decision was taken "in order to protect American intellectual property". Earlier this week US Department of Justice accused China of sponsoring hackers who had been targeting labs developing Covid-19 vaccines.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the closure was "outrageous and unjustified".

Image source, PA Wire

Authorities in Ireland have urged people to “holiday at home”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, said 50,000 people a week are leaving the country.

He said he was obliged to give people guidance on “the risk attached to travel” and the “overall message from the government is that the safest thing to do is stay at home”.

There is a list of 15 countries that people can go to and not self-isolate on their return. Great Britain, the US, France, Spain and Portugal are not on the list.

Read more here.

Image source, Philip Jeffrey

As attractions across the UK begin to open up again, there's one place that won't be restarting business.

Britain's smallest house is staying closed - because it is impossible for people to socially distance within it.

Visitors to the former fisherman's cottage in Conwy can stand outside but not go in for a whistle-stop tour.

The tiny 16th Century house, measuring 10ft by 5.9ft (3m by 1.8m), was declared unfit for habitation in 1900.

It had been the home of 6ft 3ins (1.9m) fisherman Robert Jones, but he was too tall to stand up inside the rooms and the local council forced him to leave.

The house has become a popular attraction, with £1 tours of the premises on offer until the coronavirus lockdown in March.

Read more on this story here.

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

As US President Donald Trump resumed hosting coronavirus briefings yesterday, state media in China have leapt on the opportunity to highlight US failings at controlling the outbreak.

China’s official Xinhua says the president was shown “admitting the situation will ‘get worse’,” and highlights a damning article in US paper The Washington Post’ saying that “the nation has failed spectacularly”. The official People’s Daily has also picked up on papers’ - including the New York Times’ - assessment that data from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention indicates the number of infections in the US is “far higher” than officially recorded.

It’s no secret that tensions between China and the US are at an all-time high, and China’s media have long been critical of the Trump administration’s comments on China in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak.

There is genuine frustration in China that the country – which has managed to control a number of localised Covid-19 outbreaks and provide aid to other countries – is being painted as the bad guy.

So China's media are keen to highlight where more and more powerful Americans and media organisations are attacking the president.

Image source, Getty Images

US health officials have signed a contract with pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and biotech firm BioNtech to buy 100 million doses of their Covid-19 vaccine once it's approved for use.

Health Secretary Alex Azar said that production would start in December and that the country could acquire a further 500 million doses. The vaccine will be free to all US residents, although their insurance may be charged, said the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In clinical trials, Pfizer and BioNTech have been testing vaccines that require two injections, so a supply of 100m doses would likely vaccinate 50 million Americans.

In May, the US pledged $1.2bn (£940m) to secure 300 million doses of another AstraZeneca vaccine being developed by Oxford University.

Neither vaccine has yet been approved for use but both have produced positive data in clinical trials.

Thirteen nuns at a Roman Catholic convent in the US have died of coronavirus since the country's outbreak began, according to a spokesperson for the Felician Sisters of North America.

The group - aged between 60 and 99 - account for around a third of all those living in the religious community in Livonia, Michigan. A further 17 nuns at the convent have recovered after contracting the virus.

Catholic news outlet Global Sisters Report said the deaths "may be the worst loss of life to a community of women religious since the 1918 influenza pandemic."

"I first heard two aides had contracted the virus," Sister Andrew told Global Sisters Report. "We don't know who they are, and we don't want to know. Then it hit sisters on the second floor, and it went through like wildfire."

"The gut reaction to no shows is sort of in the pit of my stomach," says restaurant owner Crispin Somerville.

Since restaurants were allowed to reopen in the UK, new social distancing regulations to make them safe mean there are fewer tables for customers, which in turn means less income.

But restaurateurs say many people who make reservations are simply not showing up, which is threatening their survival.

And it's not just restaurants. Gardens in London have also complained of no-shows, with the National Trust, Kew Gardens and the Royal Horticultural Society saying people were booking slots to visit and then cancelling or not turning up.

Restaurant owners and workers in South Africa's tourist areas including Cape Town are holding peaceful protests against the government's reimposed curfew and a ban on sale of alcoholic drinks.

Pictures and videos shared online from Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape province show them holding banners warning of job losses if the government does not reverse the restrictions.

They also put out empty seats to show how badly their businesses had been hit by restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Image source, Owen Mathias Photography

There are still months to go - but for some, thoughts are already turning to Christmas.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised the hopes of normality returning by Christmas during his speech on coronavirus restrictions last week.

"It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest - possibly in time for Christmas," he said.

But some scientists have seemed to reject the suggestion, with Prof Sir Jeremy Farrar - who sits on the government's scientific advisory group - saying that "things will not be done by Christmas".

In Wales, some annual Christmas events are already being cancelled.

One chain of garden centres say its annual Santa experience won't go ahead, while one town council say there will no festive light switch on. Read more.

The individual nations of the UK have been easing lockdown at different paces, and today sees tattoo parlours, nail salons and beauticians reopen in Scotland.

They already opened in England and Northern Ireland earlier this month, while in Wales they're due to open on 27 July.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Long periods of isolation and lockdown have escalated the exploitation of children in South and Southeast Asia, particularly girls, according to a report by two human rights organisations.

Plan International and Save the Children say that nearly 10 million children may never return to school even after the pandemic is over. They also say most girls are afraid of being forced into child marriages.

Save the Children’s David Bloomer told the BBC that, in times of crisis, “girls are often the first to bear the brunt of negative coping mechanisms when making difficult decisions”.

“Although some incredible progress has been made in the region when it comes to violence against children and women, we want to ensure the rights of girls are placed at the centre of all Covid response strategies.”

18-year-old Huu from Vietnam told the two aid agencies: “I know two girls who have just gotten married during this pandemic. I truly think that education offers us a chance to a brighter future. However, due to the current pandemic, many girls are giving up their learning opportunities for marriage to alleviate the new economic hardship.”

According to the UN, an extra 15 million gender-based violence cases are expected for every three months the lockdown continues globally. The UN also estimates that Covid-19 could result in an additional 13 million child marriages worldwide over the next ten years.

Image source, Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been updated MPs on the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic during PMQs.

In case you missed it, here's a quick summary of the key points:

• Mr Johnson said he will be "very happy to look" at what a group, leading a "cross-party rapid inquiry to learn the lessons of Covid before a second wave" comes up with. Liberal Democrat leadership contender Layla Moran, who is leading the group, said it has already had 900 submissions, including from bereaved families and professional bodies
• The PM said the government will bring forward a strategy to address obesity in response to a question from Caroline Nokes, the chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, who said the virus has had an "unequal impact on the BAME community, the elderly, men and the overweight".

• Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake asked about VAT on face coverings as they become mandatory on public transport in Wales, and in shops in England on Friday. He said there is already zero VAT on all other PPE, but asked whether the PM would extend that, so that members of the public, including those on low incomes, are not unfairly penalised for following the rules. Mr Johnson said he would need to talk to the relevant minister about what could be done, and he will come back to the MP.

Image source, Reuters

Deaths linked to coronavirus in Scotland have fallen to the lowest level since the start of the pandemic, with just six registered last week.

New figures from the National Records of Scotland showed the number of deaths falling for the twelfth week in a row.

In the week to Sunday 19 July, the virus was mentioned on six death certificates.

At the peak of the outbreak in April, more than 600 deaths with links to Covid-19 were being logged each week.

The latest report said the virus had been registered as a confirmed or suspected cause on 4,193 death certificates.

At her daily coronavirus briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the weekly total of deaths was "the lowest we have seen since we started to record them".

You can read more here.

Image source, AFP

Nepal has officially ended its lockdown as of midnight on Wednesday - but schools and cinemas will remain closed.

The lockdown was imposed in March after the country recorded two cases.

More than 17,994 cases have been recorded and 40 people have died in the country since the pandemic began.

While most of the lockdown restrictions have been removed, schools and cinemas will remain closed and large gatherings remain banned.

International and domestic flights will resume from 17 August.

All international passengers, both arriving and departing, will need to have a certificate saying they are not infected.

Image source, Reuters

People in England will be able to visit loved ones living in care homes again, the UK government has confirmed.

Until now, visits were limited and dependent on local infection rates and the individual care home.

Care homes have been badly affected by the virus - with at least 20,000 care home residents in England and Wales dying with Covid-19 since the start of the outbreak.

Visits will now resume in specific care homes once local directors of public health and local authorities decide it is safe to do so, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Face coverings will have to be worn and social distancing followed during visits.

"I know how painful it has been for those in care homes not being able to receive visits from their loved ones throughout this period," said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

"We are now able to carefully and safely allow visits to care homes, which will be based on local knowledge and circumstances for each care home.

"It is really important that we don't undo all of the hard work of care homes over the last few months while ensuring families and friends can be safely reunited, so we have put in place guidance that protects everyone."

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, some care homes have reopened already.

Read our full story here.