BBC OS

Today marks six months since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic.

BBC OS on World Service radio has been paying tribute to the lives lost.

Today, the programme is hearing about those who died in war zones - in countries where coronavirus is one of many threats to people's lives.

Zabel Hamalian lived in Aleppo, Syria. She died on 18 August 2020, aged 78.

Her nephew, Hrag Vartanian, remembers her.

"It's funny what we remember about the people that we love.

"I remember Zabel as the highly coiffed and very independent, intelligent aunt who loved to look chic - and she always did.

"My mom remembers a younger sister who ate only fried eggs for years, and how the two of them would compete to read the newspaper every day so that when their father came home they could discuss the day's news as a family.

"Many will also remember my aunt Zabel as a beloved teacher to generations of children in Aleppo.

"As soon as I found out aunt Zabel was ill, I called her. But by then she was already having trouble hearing.

"It reminded me how difficult it is to connect with loved ones when they're so far away, often leaving us frustrated for the storybook ending we hoped for.

"Goodbye Zabel. It's a cruel reality that you survived a war and have been taken from us now. I love you."

Listen to "Remembering those lost to Covid-19" on BBC OS here at 17:00 BST

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

Trump campaign officials are planning rallies in Nevada this weekend.

But state authorities have been trying to stop them.

The state has a directive that allows gatherings of up to 50 people, and the president’s rallies would exceed that.

It is the latest conflict between the president and state officials who are trying to contain the spread of the virus.

Earlier this week a Republican chairman of a county board in North Carolina said that the president should wear a mask when he visited their state, following a directive ordered by the governor.

I travelled with the president to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this week and I never saw him with a facial covering.

Instead he stood mask-less before a crowd of about 15,000 (the number of people at the rally was confirmed by a senior White House official).

His fans were packed together; some wore masks, but many did not. Regardless of what they wore, they cheered as loudly as they could.

The president has upset some state officials. But a lot of people who live in North Carolina and in Nevada, too, adore him.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, here's a look at some of today's stories from around the world:

• The reproduction number - or R value - of coronavirus transmission across the UK has risen above 1, and new restrictions are being introduced in the city of Birmingham and surrounding areas amid a surge in cases

• Officials are meeting in France to discuss new measures after the country reported its highest number of cases in a single day on Thursday
• India has recorded the world's highest-ever daily number of cases, with more than 96,000 reported on Friday

• In Belgium, football fans are set to return to stadiums for top league matches, though numbers will be strictly limited with social distancing
• The top infectious disease expert in the US has told Americans they will need to “hunker down” through autumn and winter months
• A new Covid-19 contact-tracing app is being launched across England and Wales on 24 September
• It is six months since the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a pandemic. More than 28 million coronavirus cases and 910,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

The UK is entering a new stage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since lockdown we have been deciding how to react to falling cases. But now the R number has gone above the crucial level of 1 for the first time since March and is backed up by reams of data showing cases are growing again.

This is not just contained to hotspots like Bolton; one government adviser told me the rise was widespread across the country.

They said today was a “wake-up call” for the nation. There are already some signs that the number of people being admitted to hospital is starting to rise.

But this is not a repeat of the build up to lockdown. Cases are at a much lower level and they are growing more slowly.

Pre-lockdown, the R number was around three and cases were doubling every three to four days. It is around half that now.

Coronavirus is going to be a major challenge until we have a vaccine.

So the defining question as we head into a potentially difficult winter is how to balance keeping the virus in check with getting on with our lives

Here's a bit more on those new rules for Birmingham and two neighbouring areas.

BBC correspondent Phil Mackie says the new rules also mean if you live in Birmingham, you now can't visit another household outside of the city either. There are exemptions in place for those in established support bubbles.

A number of new testing sites have opened and more will do shortly, said our correspondent. Door-to-door testing has started too - but only in a limited way so far, he added.

Read more about it here.

A further nine people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,648, NHS England said on Friday.

Patients were aged between 79 and 88 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.

The dates of the deaths were between 8 and 10 September and seven occurred in the North West region.

No new deaths were recorded in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Image source, AFP

The Senegalese army says about 100 of its soldiers from a peacekeeping mission in The Gambia have tested positive for coronavirus.

The military contingent composed of 600 soldiers was returning home.

They have been quarantined in Toubacouta, on Senegalese territory near the border with The Gambia, as a precautionary measure.

Those who tested positive are asymptomatic. More tests are being done.

The peacekeeping mission in The Gambia, deployed by regional bloc Ecowas in 2012, mainly consists of Senegalese soldiers.

As we mentioned briefly, coronavirus cases in England were doubling every seven to eight days at the beginning of September, new data suggests.

It is estimated that between 22 August and 7 September, 13 people per 10,000 were infected, compared with four people per 10,000 between 24 July and 11 August.

The study was carried out by Imperial College London on more than 150,000 people.

It also suggested Covid-19 cases are shown as no longer clustering in healthcare or care home settings, as seen in May and June.

This suggests the virus is now spread more widely in the community, experts say.

Professor Paul Elliott, director of the programme at Imperial, said: "I think the really important thing here is that this system was set up as an early warning system. And I think it has picked up the signal early. And that's being fed in to government."

Image source, PA Media

There is to be a ban on households mixing in Birmingham and the nearby areas of Solihull and Sandwell, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has announced. It comes into force on Tuesday.

Birmingham now has the second highest coronavirus rate in the country, at 85.4 cases per 100,000 people, as of 7 September.

It was initially not placed into a tightened lockdown a few weeks ago, external after a rise in cases, but was given "enhanced support" by the government.

Over the last seven days, Birmingham was home to six of the top 10 neighbourhoods with the highest number of cases in England. Springfield and Hall Green West, in the south-east of the city, had the most with 39 positive cases.

Image source, Reuters

Austria has expanded its rules on face masks in a bid to tackle an increase in coronavirus infections.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said people will be required to wear face masks in all shops and public buildings from Monday. Under the new rules, face masks will be mandatory in school corridors, but not in classrooms.

They were already compulsory on public transport and in "essential" shops, such as supermarkets and post offices.

Mr Kurz also announced new rules on public gatherings. Events without assigned seating, including private parties, will now be limited to 50 people indoors and 100 outdoors.

The limit for spectator events with assigned seating has been reduced to 1,500 people indoors and 3,000 outdoors.

"It is getting serious again. The numbers have kept rising in recent weeks," the chancellor told a press conference.

Austria has reported almost 32,000 coronavirus cases and 750 deaths so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken of his ambition to test millions of people every day for coronavirus, using tests that can produce results in as little as 20 minutes.

He said they "would allow people to lead more normal lives" by giving them the all-clear to go to the theatre or a football match after a negative on-the-day test result.

It would also raise the prospect of people who are virus-free being able to mix freely together without the need for social distancing.

Here we explore how realistic these plans are and what some of the obstacles will be.

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Wherever you look, cases of Covid are on the up.

As we have reported, four key details have been published today:

• The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies says the R number for the UK has gone above 1.0, so cases are increasing again
• The Office for National Statistics study, which tests a random sample of homes, suggests there are currently 39,700 people infected with coronavirus in England. Last week the estimate was 27,100.
• Meanwhile, The Covid Symptom Study app – in which nearly 4 million people regularly track their health – estimates 35,000 people in the UK have Covid symptoms. That’s a rise of more than 10,000 in the past week
• A study on more than 150,000 people by Imperial College London suggests cases are doubling every seven to eight days

The UK is now entering a new stage in the pandemic after consistent falls in coronavirus levels since lockdown.

However, it is important to remember that cases are nowhere near the level they were at the peak.

And, back at the start of the pandemic, cases were doubling every three to four days, but the growth is much slower now.

The situation is changing, but we are not facing an imminent repeat of the events that led to lockdown.

The reproduction number - or R value - of coronavirus transmission across the UK has risen above 1.

Data just released from the government shows it's now estimated to be between 1.0 and 1.2.

The reproduction number is a way of rating coronavirus or any disease's ability to spread.

It's the number of people that one infected person will pass a virus on to, on average.

And the growth rate of coronavirus transmission, which reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, has increased slightly. It's now between minus 1% and plus 3% per day, a slight change from between minus 1% and plus 2% last week.

If you're just joining us, here's what is happening in the UK today.

• Birmingham is bracing itself for the possible introduction of further restrictions. The most recent data for the seven days to 7 September showed Birmingham had the second highest rate of new cases in the country at 85.4 per 100,000 people and 975 new cases
• It comes as new estimates indicate coronavirus infections have increased in recent weeks in England, especially in young people
• People in Wales must wear face masks in shops and other indoor public spaces from Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford says. And indoor meetings of more than six from an extended household will be illegal from Monday
• A new Covid-19 contact-tracing app is being launched across England and Wales on 24 September. It will let people scan barcode-like QR codes to register visits to hospitality venues and will implement Apple and Google's method of detecting other smartphones
• The UK economy grew by 6.6% in July, according to official figures, but remains far below pre-pandemic levels. It is the third month in a row that the economy has expanded
• A major research project to track coronavirus infections in schools and help head teachers prevent disruption is being piloted in Bristol
• Some Tory MPs have criticised England's latest coronavirus rules that legally ban gatherings of more than six people. MP Desmond Swayne said it was "outrageous" not to have a Parliamentary debate

Image source, Getty Images

There has been a "marked increase" in coronavirus infections in England in recent weeks, according to new estimates.

Tests in thousands of households by the Office for National Statistics , externalfound a rise in positive tests among young people, but not in those over 50.

Estimates suggest there were 3,200 new cases a day during the first week of September, compared to 2,000 the week before.

People are tested whether they have symptoms or not.

The study does not cover people staying in hospitals or care homes - only in the community.

Figures from the Covid symptom study app , externalalso suggest a growth in new cases since the end of August - the first time since mid-June there has been a significant rise in numbers.

Katherine Kent, co-head of analysis for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “These findings highlight how important it is that we continue to monitor Covid-19 infections in the country."

In Wales, the ONS estimates there was no increase in cases during the first week of September.

But in England, it estimates that 39,700 people had the virus between 30 August and 5 September - 11,000 more than the previous week's estimate.

Image source, PA Media

The Liverpool city region has been added to the government's coronavirus watch list due to a rising number of cases, metropolitan mayor Steve Rotheram has said.

Mr Rotheram said there had been a "rapid increase" in cases in the area over the past week.

If the region continued on the same trajectory, it would become "a case of when, not if" more restrictions are imposed there, he warned.

He added: "There is still time to stop that happening - but doing so depends on us and what we choose to do."

If infection rates rise in an area, the government is likely to put it in one of three groups on its weekly watch list: areas of "concern", "enhanced support" or "intervention" - the highest level.

Councils in these categories get extra help from the government, such as enhanced testing facilities, depending on their needs.

Areas of intervention are also likely to face stricter measures around households mixing, among other restrictions.

If infection rates go down, the government can reclassify an area and restrictions are eased.

Bruno Boelpaep
Brussels

Image source, Getty Images

Belgian football fans are set to return to stadiums for top league matches, though numbers will be strictly limited with social distancing.

It will be the fifth game of the new season for these clubs. The action starts tonight in Eupen, a town near the German border, with the local stadium welcoming up to 1,600 fans. Matches have been behind closed doors since the March lockdown.

“Bring the passion back,” says a Flemish football website headline.

On Sunday, more than 6,000 will be allowed into Anderlecht’s stadium - way below its maximum capacity of 22,000.

Fans are urged to keep one metre apart, separated by empty seats, and they must wear masks all the time.

Clubs hope gradually to increase the crowd numbers.

Anderlecht CEO Karel Van Eetvelt says a closed-door match loses the club around €650,000 (£600,000). “This time, with about a third of our fans, we hope to limit the loss to €350,000 to €400,000.”

Next week some German Bundesliga clubs will allow fans back into stadiums, with strict rules as in Belgium.

A total of 175 more people have tested positive for coronavirus across Scotland in the past 24 hours, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said in her daily briefing.

It means 22,214 people have now tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up from 22,039 on Thursday.

These cases are 2.7% of people newly tested, up from 1.9% the previous day.

Of the new cases, provisional figures indicate 80 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 39 in Lanarkshire and 24 in Lothian.

Ms Sturgeon said the situation in Lanarkshire was "causing particular concern" and consideration was being given to whether additional restrictions may have to applied.

No new deaths of people confirmed to have had the virus have been recorded in the past 24 hours, with the toll remaining at 2,499.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Reuters

Earlier today, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, answered questions from BBC Radio 5 Live listeners in a special Your Call programme.

Topics included: What happens if a vaccine can't be found? What impact will rapid testing have? And are face masks or visors better? And how can I avoid catching coronavirus when I get to university?

Click here to listen again on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Best of Suffolk

New rules that will ban social gatherings of more than six people in England, Scotland and Wales will be a "hammer blow" to holiday cottages, according to a group that represents holiday rental owners.

Self-catering rentals across the UK had experienced a boom in business since lockdown rules were intially eased.

But the industry is now concerned about cancellations among groups or larger families.

Alistair Handyside, who chairs the Professional Association of Self-Caterers, says after what has already been a difficult year, the new rules will bring yet more upheaval that could leave larger properties standing empty.

The new restrictions come into effect on Monday.

Read more