BBC Radio 5 Live

As holidays are cancelled and rescheduled due to changing quarantine rules, BBC Radio 5 Live's Your Call asked listeners about how their plans for the summer were being affected.

Pak and his family are going to Brittany in France via the EuroTunnel. He told 5 Live’s Rachel Burden they’re travelling "door to door" to a private holiday home and are being safe at all times.

"EuroTunnel has told us to stay in the car during the journey, so we will.

"We won't be mixing with big crowds when we're in Brittany - we won't be irresponsible. The rules we're following in the UK will be the same ones we follow in France. We're going to be in a tiny rural hamlet, instead of our busy home city of Chelmsford."

Jackie, who runs her own engineering business in Nottingham, previously contracted coronavirus after a trip to Austria earlier this year. This summer she is opting for a holiday in Cornwall.

"I love going abroad every year, but I've made a very conscious decision to help the economy this year because I’m a business owner myself," she said.

"I don't want to risk coming back with the disease again and making my staff more vulnerable."

And international teacher Clair, who is quarantining at her home in Newcastle after returning from Kuwait last week, said it's important to think about whether a holiday is worth the disruption of 14 days' self-isolation.

"I’ve been trying to return since the beginning of June, but flights were all delayed or cancelled. I knew I’d have to quarantine," she said.

"My 13-year-old son is with his grandma so I can stay in his room. I'm not spending time with my husband and other son, and I'm obviously not leaving the house at all."

Grace Tsoi
BBC World Service, Hong Kong

Social media in Hong Kong has been inundated with photos showing cleaners and construction workers having lunch outdoors in the heavy rain, external as new regulations kicked in on Wednesday.

No dining-in is allowed in restaurants for a week as part of new stringent social distancing measures. The city is battling a new wave that has seen more than 100 new cases for eight days in a row. In total, Hong Kong has recorded 3,002 cases with 24 deaths.

There is fresh anger against the government for exempting some 200,000 people, including seafarers and aircrew, from quarantine when they entered the city. Public health experts have said the latest outbreak was likely caused by such imported cases.

Image source, EPA

Hong Kong's public hospitals have been stretched thin and more than 78% of isolation beds are occupied. An exhibition centre is being converted into a temporary hospital for patients with mild symptoms and it will open its doors from this Saturday at the soonest.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us in the UK, here's the latest stories to catch up on over your lunch break:

• Testing at airports is not a "silver bullet" to stop the need for quarantine measures, the culture secretary has said
• A wave of "zombie companies" kept afloat during lockdown are on a cliff-edge going into the autumn, experts say
• Barclays boss Jes Staley has signalled that he wants employees working from home during the pandemic to return to the office "over time"
• The government has signed a fourth coronavirus vaccine deal, securing up to 60 million doses of an experimental treatment being developed by drug giants GSK and Sanofi
• A £500m scheme aimed at kick-starting film and TV production has been announced by the government
• A gig used to trial safety measures for the return of live music "did not succeed" in providing a blueprint for the industry, the manager of the venue that hosted the event has said

A possible cluster of coronavirus cases is being investigated in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Of the 22 new cases that were identified in Scotland on Tuesday, the first minister said provisional information showed that 14 were in that area.

Scotland has now gone 13 days in a row without any new deaths of people who had tested positive for coronavirus.

However, the National Records of Scotland - which includes deaths where coronavirus is suspected or probable - has recorded an increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths registered during the last week.

Between July 20 and 26, there were eight instances when Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, a rise from the six deaths registered in the previous week.

• In France, police have evacuated about 1,500 migrants from a makeshift camp which they said posed a high risk of coronavirus infection. The migrants - mostly men from Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa - had been living in tents next to a canal in a north-eastern suburb of Paris. They were given face masks as they boarded buses to be transferred to sports halls, hotels and other shelters

• Poland has reported an increase in coronavirus cases with outbreaks at three Silesian coal mines and in several companies and a care home in the southern Malopolska region. On Wednesday officials reported 512 new infections in the past 24 hours, up from 502 on Tuesday. The number of new cases has been rising since 17 July. In total, the country has seen 44,416 cases and 1,694 deaths
• Several European banks have reported a sharp drop in their financial performance due to the pandemic. Spanish lender Santander has taken the biggest hit, reporting a record net-loss of 11.1bn euros ($13bn; £10bn) in the second quarter of this year. Germany's Deutsche Bank, which also reported a loss in the second quarter, has increased its provisions for bad loans. Many banks have set aside large sums to help cover losses on loans

Image source, Getty Images

Barclays boss Jes Staley has signalled that he wants employees working from home during the pandemic to return to the office "over time".

"It is important to get people back together in physical concentrations," he told Bloomberg TV.

He said 60,000 Barclays staff were working "from their kitchen tables", but stressed that another 20,000 were in offices, branches and call centres.

It marks a change from his comments in April, when Staley said big city offices "may be a thing of the past".

Image source, Reuters

Vietnam's prime minister has warned the entire country to act swiftly after at least 30 new coronavirus cases were reported in the coastal city of Danang and neighbouring provinces.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc warned that every province was now at high risk of infection.

The outbreak in Danang was Vietnam's first local transmission in more than three months. The city is now under lockdown and all transport links to other cities have been cut.

It is not clear where the new infections originated. Few foreign visitors are allowed to enter Vietnam and those who do are subject to strict monitoring.

On Wednesday, new cases were reported in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Image source, EPA

The idea of introducing testing at airports is an attractive idea.

The theory being people could travel where they like and just get tested as they arrive back in the country, negating the need to self-isolate.

But the government is not convinced.

Why? Logistically, testing all the travellers who arrive every week will be difficult.

Testing capacity has increased, but this would stretch the system. Not to mention the practical difficulties of setting up testing facilities in busy airports.

But the other factor, which is perhaps more crucial, is that in the early stages of infection the test may not even pick up the infection.

Instead, officials are much more persuaded by a more intelligent, targeted approach to self-isolation.

That would involve asking only those coming from certain regions in a country - where the infection rates are highest - to self-isolate.

That could then be complemented by then asking them to get tested after a week, meaning that if they test negative, there would be no need for the full 14-day self-isolation.

All this and more is being discussed behind the scenes.

Flora Drury
BBC News

The bars and restaurants which line the square in Villamartin had begun to breathe a sigh of relief.

The coronavirus pandemic which had kept the tourists away for the first part of the summer seemed to be easing, and the - mainly British - visitors were returning to this little spot on Spain's Costa Blanca.

But the feeling of relief was far too short lived: on Saturday, the British government announced it was imposing a two-week quarantine on those returning from Spain amid rising case numbers in Spain.

The calls asking to cancel began to pour in almost immediately - after all, many holidaymakers cannot afford to take another two weeks off, especially with the potential of them being unpaid.

For the businesses around the plaza though, the reality was the rule change was not just ruining their summer holidays. It has the potential to cripple their livelihoods too.

"Everybody here is just panicking - we were just getting back on our feet," Casey Shaddock, president of the Villamartin Plaza, told the BBC. "Normally, this square would be buzzing - we hold 1,400. On summer nights we do live music, we bring a lot of acts across from England.

"Now, it is just the birds chirping."

Read more about the Spanish businesses fearing for their futures.

Image source, PA Media

Folk rocker Frank Turner played one of the UK's first gigs with a socially-distanced audience at London's Clapham Grand last night.

Performing live for the first time in more than four months made for a "strange, emotional evening", the singer said.

But with just 200 people able to attend the 1,250 capacity venue, manager Ally Wolf said it did not make enough money to cover the operating costs, even before paying a fee to the performer.

"It can't be the future for live music, it can't be the future for venues,"he said.

The venue had to be reconfigured, with temperature checks on the door, tables and seats brought in and drinks ordered to the table.

Andrew Harding
BBC Africa correspondent

Seven babies have died in one night in a crowded maternity hospital in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, because of staffing issues related to Covid-19.

Two doctors with direct knowledge of the maternity ward, speaking anonymously, confirmed the deaths to the BBC. They said the babies - delivered stillborn by caesarean section on Monday - died because the maternity wards were overwhelmed. Both described it as "the tip of the iceberg".

The babies died because their mothers - two with ruptured uteruses - were left unattended for days in a hospital where nurses are on strike; medicine and personal protective equipment are in desperately short supply, and doctors are overwhelmed.

Many smaller clinics have closed in Harare because of concerns about Covid-19, a lack of safety equipment, and the broader effects of hyperinflation and an economic crisis.

That has forced pregnant women to crowd into the city’s larger state hospitals which are unable to cope. It is a dire situation, one doctor told me. Another said Monday's deaths were not isolated incidents.

Zimbabwe has confirmed around 2,800 coronavirus cases and 40 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Image source, PA Media

A UK government website offering a £50 voucher to repair bikes crashed due to "extreme volumes of traffic" shortly after launch last night.

The vouchers were introduced as part of a government strategy to encourage exercise and healthy eating, amid growing evidence that obesity can increase the risk from Covid-19.

But with bikes in high demand as commuters seek an alternative to public transport, the Fix Your Bike website was quickly overwhelmed and the vouchers were no longer available by 09:00.

The Department for Transport said vouchers were being "released gradually" to reflect the capacity of repairers signed up to the scheme, but it promised more would be available soon.

One Twitter user joked that "cyclists finally know how it feels to be held up by too much traffic".

Image source, EPA

The UK's largest tour operator, Tui, has said it is extending its suspension of holidays to the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands until 4 August.

The decision comes after the Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to Spain and its islands, amid rising coronavirus cases and the reintroduction of a 14-day quarantine requirement on return to the UK.

Tui had previously cancelled trips to the Spanish islands up to and including Friday, while holidays to mainland Spain remain cancelled until 10 August.

The tour operator is increasing its flights to Greece and Turkey this weekend, to enable more customers to switch destinations.

Image source, EPA

Back now to the situation in Europe. Weeks after lockdowns began being eased across the continent, governments are urging greater caution and taking extra measures as infections start to rise again in some areas.

On Tuesday, the Italian Senate voted to extend a state of emergency. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said infections were rising in nearby countries - including France, Spain and the Balkans - and called for extra vigilance to prevent the virus making a comeback.

The head of Germany's public health agency has also said he is "very concerned" by rising infections. Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), told reporters on Tuesday that Germans had become "negligent" and urged people to wear face masks and respect social distancing and hygiene rules.

Germany weathered the initial outbreak well but in the past week it has recorded 3,611 new infections.

Greece - which also coped well in the early months of the pandemic - has said it is making masks compulsory again in shops and public services after a recent rise in infections.

As we reported earlier, French Health Minister Olivier Véran said he wanted to avoid another lockdown and called on people to "not let down our guard".

And in the UK, the government's sudden decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on travellers arriving from Spain threw the holiday plans of thousands of people into confusion. Spain has criticised the move as "unjust" saying that an increase in new infections there is largely confined to only two regions.

Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent

More than half the residents of slums in three areas in India's commercial capital, Mumbai, tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus, a new survey has found.

Only 16% of people living outside slums in the same areas were found to be exposed to the infection.

The results are from a random testing of some 7,000 people in three densely packed areas in early July.

Mumbai has reported more than 110,000 cases and 6,187 deaths as of 28 July.

The survey was carried out by the city's municipality, the government think-tank Niti Aayog and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

It found that 57% of the people tested in slum areas of Chembur, Matunga and Dahisar had been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

Scientists involved with the study told the BBC that the results pointed to a number of things about the prevalence of the infection in one of India's worst-hit cities.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Madonna's Instagram account has been flagged for spreading false conspiracy theories about coronavirus.

The pop star shared a conspiracy video which had also been promoted by US President Donald Trump. She claimed in a post that a vaccine for Covid-19 had already been found but was being hidden to "let the rich get richer".

Instagram blurred out the video, added a caption saying "false information" and directed users to a page debunking the video's claims, which noted that there is currently no vaccine.

The video was later deleted from Madonna's Instagram page, but not before followers protested at her spreading misinformation.

Among them was the singer Annie Lennox, who said: "This is utter madness!!! I can't believe that you are endorsing this dangerous quackery.

"Hopefully your site has been hacked and you're just about to explain it."

Image source, EPA

France's health minister has insisted that the country is not experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections but urged people to comply with social distancing guidelines to avoid another lockdown.

Olivier Véran said the government was trying to protect the most vulnerable, break the chain of infection "and once again explain to the French that the battle is not over".

"We aren't in a second wave of the coronavirus," he told LCI television. "Some people do not respect the rules. We must not let down our guard. People must understand that we're going to live with this virus for a fairly long time."

French authorities reported 14 more virus-related deaths on Tuesday, a steep rise from the daily average over the previous week. More than 30,223 people have died from Covid-19 in France. The country made the wearing of face masks in enclosed public spaces mandatory on 20 July.

Image source, Getty Images

Authorities in Romania plan to make masks compulsory in crowded outdoor places and to close bars by 23:00 local time in a bid to tackle a spike in infections.

In total the country has recorded 47,053 cases and 2,239 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. But numbers have been soaring recently, with the number of new confirmed cases rising by more than 1,000 every day for the past week.

Until July, the government hospitalised infected people by decree, and ordered those exposed to stay at home. But at the start of the month the Constitutional Court ruled this was not legal - meaning 972 positive patients were let out of hospital against medical advice, and some 3,680 infected people were not treated in hospital at all.

Since then a new law has been passed to allow the government to enforce isolation and hospitalisations. Health Minister Nelu Tataru warned however that their release could lead to a spike in new cases.

Officials also say people have not complied with hygiene and distancing rules, including an order to wear masks on public transport.

Image source, EPA

Dr Hans Kluge, Europe regional director for the World Health Organization (WHO), says increasing infections among young people could be driving recent spikes in cases across the continent.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that authorities needed to communicate better with younger members of society.

"An increasing number of countries are experiencing localised outbreaks and a resurge in cases. What we do know, is that it's a consequence of change in human behaviour," he said.

"We're receiving reports from several health authorities of a higher proportion of new infections among young people. So for me, the call is loud enough to rethink how to better involve young people."

Dr Kluge said that as a father of two daughters he understood that young people "do not want to miss the summer".

But he added: "They have a responsibility towards themselves, their parents, grandparents and their communities and we do know, now, how to adopt good healthy behaviours so let's take advantage of the knowledge."

Scammers are exploiting the pandemic to trick people out of their cash, UK banks have warned. Here is their list of some of the fraudulent schemes to watch out for:

1. Fake government emails offering grants of up to £7,500. Clicking on the links allows scammers to steal personal and financial information

2. Scam emails offering access to "Covid-19 relief funds"

3. Official-looking emails offering a "council tax reduction"

4. Benefit recipients are offered help in applying for universal credit, but fraudsters grab some of the payment as an advance for their "services"

5. Phishing emails claiming that the recipient has been in contact with someone diagnosed with Covid-19

6. Fake adverts for non-existent coronavirus-related products

7. Fake emails and texts claiming to be from TV Licensing, offering six months free but asking people to update their payment information

8. Emails asking people to update their TV subscription services payment details by clicking on a link

9. Fake profiles on social media sites are used to manipulate victims into handing over their money

10. Fake investment opportunities are advertised on social media sites, encouraging victims to "take advantage of the financial downturn"