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'Recipe for chaos': union leaders sound warning over return to work Boris Johnson’s call for those who cannot work at home to return to workplace sends ‘mixed messages’ Boris Johnson has been warned by trade unions that ordering many people back to work from as early as Mondayis a “recipe for chaos” in the absence of urgent action to safeguard workers’ health.The prime minister said on Sunday that anyone who cannot work from home should be “actively encouraged” to return to their jobs from Monday. Detailing plans to gradually reopen the British economy after more than a month of tough controls during the health emergency, he said those in manufacturing and construction jobs in particular should be encouraged to return. Continue reading... ...

Johnson address shows he has been swayed by hawks in his cabinet PM attempted to strike a balance, but slogan change and back-to-work pledge will please libertarian rightCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson famously dislikes disappointing the people around him.The result is this weekend’s barrage of confused messaging over whether the lockdown is ending, as he tries to please both sides in the battle raging within the Tory party about how to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Scotland to stick with 'stay home' advice as Johnson due to announce alert system Contact tracing app may not work with Apple and Google phones; only 50% of Britons would download NHS tracing app, says pollSturgeon leads criticism of UK ‘stay alert’ adviceMore people think UK has handled pandemic worse than Spain and ItalyCoronavirus: at a glanceGlobal coronavirus updates - liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.50pm BSTHealth professionals have issued a new legal challenge demanding an urgent inquiry into the government’s failure to provide PPE for frontline workers. A pre-action letter sent by the Doctor’s Association UK (DA) and the Good Law Project (GLP), who responsible for bringing the challenge, provides a list of “recurrent and...

Coronavirus live news: three White House Covid-19 taskforce members go into self-quarantine Anthony Fauci and top advisers from CDC and FDA to work remotely because of potential exposure to Covid-19; global cases pass 4 million; Russia cases approach 200,000. Follow the latest updatesRussia becomes new hotspot as South Korea shuts barsNew York warns of children’s illness linked to Covid-19 Hundreds queue for food parcels in wealthy GenevaCoronavirus at a glanceAustralia – live news 6.49am BSTThree members of the White House coronavirus taskforce have placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. 6.42am BSTNew Zealand police have been busy over the weekend as Kiwis break lockdown in record numbers on the eve of an announcement f...

Johnson to announce coronavirus warning system for England Prime minister expected to outline ‘roadmap’ to new normality in address on Sunday Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson is expected to unveil a coronavirus warning system for England when he outlines his plans to gradually ease the lockdown.The prime minister will drop the “stay home” slogan and instead tell the country to “stay alert, control the virus and save lives” when he outlines his “roadmap” to a new normality during an address to the nation on Sunday. Johnson is planning to tell workers who cannot do their jobs from home to begin returning to their workplaces while following social distancing rules. Continue reading... Go to So...

Trades unions tell Johnson: no return to work until we feel safe Leaders of Unison, Unite, the GMB and Usdaw join TUC in calling for radical overhaul of health and safety in the workplace• Coronavirus – latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageBritain’s biggest trades unions have warned Boris Johnson that they will not recommend a return to work for their three million members until the government and employers agree a nationwide health and safety revolution as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.In a letter to the Observer, leaders of the “big four” – Unison, Unite, the GMB and Usdaw – together with the Trades Union Congress, say many of their members have already lost their lives “transporting people and goods, protecting the pu...

More people think UK has handled coronavirus worse than Spain and Italy, poll shows Only US is judged to have dealt with it worse, after it was reported the UK has the highest death toll of any country in EuropeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore people in this country now believe the UK has performed worse than Italy, Spain and France in the Covid-19 crisis than say it has done better than its European neighbours, according the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.The data shows that only the United States is judged by a majority of people in the UK to have fared worse. While two weeks ago more people thought that the UK had done better than Italy and Spain, now the reverse is the case. Continue reading... Go to Source

Back to work: 'capacity of transport network will be down by 90%' Transport secretary announces £2bn package to get UK walking and cycling insteadCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe enormity of the challenge of getting the UK back to work was laid bare on Saturday, as the government acknowledged that the capacity of Britain’s transport network will be reduced by 90%.The transport minister, Grant Shapps, said at the daily Downing Street press briefing that even if a full public transport service is restored, the government’s two-metre physical distancing rule will mean 10% of the usual number of passengers will be able to travel. Continue reading... Go to Source

Global report: Russia becomes new hotspot as South Korea shuts bars Belarus defies coronavirus concerns with VE Day parade, mayor of Milan issues warning, while football returns ... in the Faroe IslandsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs coronavirus infections approached 4 million worldwide, and Russia became a new hotspot for the outbreak, Belarus defied worries to hold a parade marking the 75th anniversary of victory over the Nazis, with thousands of people in attendance including elderly veterans.South Korea, which is trying to relax physical distancing regulations, on Saturday shut down more than 2,100 clubs and bars in the capital after a new cluster of cases emerged, apparently linked to a single individual who had gone out while infected. Continue...

UK coastguard urges people to stay home after increase in calls Meanwhile police in London say they’re ‘losing the battle’ as people gather in parks despite coronavirus lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coastguard has urged the public not to ignore the government’s stay-at-home message after recording its highest number of distress calls in a single day since the lockdown began.The rescue service said it dealt with 97 incidents on Friday, more than one and a half times the daily average over the previous month. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: ministers plan 14-day quarantine for arrivals as garden centres set to reopen- latest updates Travellers into UK will be quarantined for two weeks when they arrive as part of measures to prevent a second peak, Boris Johnson is expected to say. Follow the latest updatesCoronavirus – latest global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUK arrivals will be required to self-isolate for two weeks 12.23pm BSTResponding to Labour’s proposal for an extension to the evictions ban, and for renters to be given two years to pay back rent arrears, Amina Gichinga from the London Renters Union said this did not go far enough and rents had to be suspended altogether to protect renters:Deferring rent just means renters will get into enormous debts - or be made homeless....

Global report: Trump says Covid-19 will 'go away without vaccine', expects US death toll to top 95,000 Mike Pence’s press secretary tests positive to coronavirus; China reports one new case; Russia reports 10,000 new cases for sixth day in a rowCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDonald Trump has said coronavirus will “go away without a vaccine” and is expecting 95,000 or more deaths in the US, as Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for coronavirus.The president’s comments, at an event with Republican lawmakers, capped a horror week in the US, in which it was revealed unemployment had risen to 14.7%, up from 3.5% in February, with 20 million people losing their jobs in April. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: thousands turn out for Belarus VE Day parade, as Russia infections near 200,000 Belarus leader holds parade prompting safety concerns as other nations curb WW2 events; Russia records 10,000 new Covid-19 cases; Spain’s daily death toll continues to fall. Follow the latest updatesGlobal report: Trump says Covid-19 will ‘go away without vaccine’ Mike Pence press secretary tests positive to Covid-19Brazil’s Bolsonaro must ‘drastically change course’, says The LancetCoronavirus at a glanceAustralia – live news 12.51pm BSTIn Beijing, welcome news for fitness fanatics as some of the city’s gyms reopen after being closed for nearly three months amid the Covid-19 shutdown in the country.“After coming back to the gym I&r...

Visitors and Britons returning from abroad will be required to self-isolate for two weeks Stringent quarantine measures to be announced to prevent second wave of coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTravellers into the UK will be quarantined for two weeks when they arrive as part of measures to prevent a second peak of the coronavirus pandemic, Boris Johnson is expected to say on Sunday.In his address to the nation, when he will present his roadmap out of the lockdown, he will announce the introduction of quarantine measures for people who arrive at airports, ports and Eurostar train stations, including for Britons returning from abroad. Continue reading... Go to Source

Plan to open schools on 1 June in doubt as unions air safety fears Joint statement insists return will not happen until stringent ‘test and trace’ regime in placeMinisters’ plans to reopen schools as early as 1 June are in serious doubt after unions representing teachers and school staff insisted that they would not consider a return without a stringent coronavirus “test and trace” regime.In an unusual joint statement, which one senior union official said indicated that an early return to a normal school timetable was “off the menu”, the Trades Union Congress said that there should be “no increase in pupil numbers until full rollout of a national test and trace scheme”, and called for the establishment of a Covid-19 taskforce with go...

Britain was led by Churchill then – it’s led by a Churchill tribute act now With coronavirus lockdown subduing VE Day, contrasts with 75 years ago were many and variedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSomehow the quiet made it louder. By rights, marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day in the midst of a pandemic that has confined us to our homes – forcing us to keep our distance from one another, denying us the right to gather in crowds – should have muffled this commemoration. A celebration in private would surely feel like no celebration at all. Katherine Jenkins singing to an empty Albert Hall, streets with no street parties and the pubs all shut: how could that add up to anything other than a damp squib?And yet Friday’s marking of the ...

Coronavirus live news: Donald Trump says virus will 'go away without a vaccine' 20m Americans lost their jobs in April; WHO conditionally backs Covid-19 vaccine trials that infect peopleGlobal report: Madrid told not to ease lockdownUS unemployment surges to 14.7% as record 20m lose jobs in AprilCoronavirus latest: at a glanceUS coronavirus updates – liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.48am BSTRussia has registered more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases for the sixth day in a row, after emerging as a new hotspot of the pandemic.A government tally on Friday showed 10,669 new cases over the last 24 hours, fewer than Thursday’s record of 11,231, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 187,859. 12.36am BSTHello, Rebecca Ratcliffe here in Bangkok, taking over fro...

Paths out of lockdown: questions Boris Johnson must answer Clarity on lifting Covid-19 rules needed, from increasing time outdoors to schools returningCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson will address the nation on Sunday to set out a road map for how England might leave the Covid-19 lockdown. Any immediate changes have been billed as modest and incremental, but people are expecting more details on how life could differ over the next few weeks. Here are the questions the prime minister needs to answer: Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: no 'dramatic change' in lockdown says George Eustice as death toll rises by 626 VE Day 75th anniversary marked with pared-down events, ahead of Boris Johnson’s Sunday ‘roadmap’ to ease lockdown restrictionsSix-week-old baby believed to be England’s youngest victimExclusive: UK scientists’ fury over attempt to censor Covid-19 adviceVE Day 75th anniversary – live updatesCoronavirus – latest global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 6.46pm BST“Any premature loosening of the lockdown will only prolong the crisis,” the Guardian warns in an editorial.A successful exit will require a much sharper drop in infections, and better preparation, than we have so far seen. Immense issues remain with testing. Tracing is not...

UK scientists furious over attempt to censor Covid-19 advice Exclusive: report criticising government lockdown proposals heavily redacted before release Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGovernment scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal.The report was one of a series of documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: WHO says 190,000 could die in Africa as UN chief warns of 'tsunami' of hate worldwide Trump buries CDC guidelines for reopening businesses; Russian cases overtake Germany and France; international tourism to plunge by 80%Global report: virus has unleashed a ‘tsunami of hate’, says UNOne of Trump’s personal valets tests positive for virusCoronavirus latest: at a glanceUK coronavirus updates – liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.20pm BSTThe Foreign Office has paid tribute to the British Gurkhas who rescued 109 UK nationals and 28 other nationals stranded in remote parts of Nepal.Disclosing details of the mission, which took place last month, the government said they travelled more than 4,000 miles through the Himalayas to 13 different di...

Global report: virus has unleashed a 'tsunami of hate' across world, says UN chief António Guterres pleads for an end to ‘hate speech’; Beijing says it will cooperate with WHO on Covid-19 origin; global deaths near 270,000Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUnited Nations chief António Guterres has said the coronavirus pandemic has unleashed a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering”, and appealed for an all-out effort “to end hate speech globally.”The UN secretary-general said anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and on the streets, and highlighted the spread of antisemitic conspiracy theories and Covid-19-related anti-Muslim attacks. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus PPE: confusion grows over huge order of NHS gowns from Turkey Some were passed for use in health service but 170,000 await tests in TurkeyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTurkish officials and the company at the centre of the decision by the NHS to impound hundreds of thousands of protective gowns have claimed they are yet to receive a demand for a refund from the health service at the end of a day of confusion about an ill-fated order of 400,000 of the badly needed items of kit.Their statements contradicted assurances made by Downing Street at lunchtime on Thursday that the UK was in negotiations to obtain refunds or replacements – and it gradually emerged that a majority of the gowns were still in process of being tested after some ha...

How Covid-19 contact tracing can help beat the pandemic If the UK government wants to start easing the country's lockdown restrictions, it needs to get contact tracing right. But what does that mean? What would successful contact tracing even look like? Josh Toussaint-Strauss tries to find out with a little help from Christophe Fraser, an Oxford professor and infectious disease epidemiologist, and Alex Hern, the Guardian's UK technology editor Continue reading... Go to Source

No 10 battles to regain control of lockdown messaging amid fierce criticism PM’s roadmap announcement thrown into chaos by newspaper headlines heralding significant easing Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government was on Thursday evening urgently trying to regain control of the next phase of the pandemic crisis as it faced fierce criticism and warnings that mixed messaging was priming the public to give up on the lockdown. Related: PM will announce modest changes to UK lockdown, says Raab Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: US death toll passes 75,000 Madrid health official resigns over plans to ease lockdown and Russia overtakes Germany and France after record rise in casesCovid-19 puts Putin’s power plans on hold and economy in perilOne of Trump’s personal valets tests positive for virusCoronavirus latest: at a glanceUS coronavirus updates - liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.56am BSTWe’ve launched a new blog at the link below – head there for the latest live developments: Related: Coronavirus live news: WHO says 190,000 could die in Africa as Trump blocks CDC guidance 12.29am BST“Something happened, the US president told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the theory that the coronavirus was released from the Wuhan Institute of Virolo...

Confusion grows over huge order of NHS gowns from Turkey Some were passed for use in health service but 170,000 await tests in TurkeyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTurkish officials and the company at the centre of the decision by the NHS to impound hundreds of thousands of protective gowns have claimed they are yet to receive a demand for a refund from the health service at the end of a day of confusion about an ill-fated order of 400,000 of the badly needed items of kit.Their statements contradicted assurances made by Downing Street at lunchtime on Thursday that the UK was in negotiations to obtain refunds or replacements – and it gradually emerged that a majority of the gowns were still in process of being tested after some had failed UK safet...

Families sue UK government over 'little or no education' for their children DfE failed to ensure access to online learning by providing laptops and wifi, lawyers sayFour families who say their children have received “little or no” education since schools in England were closed to most pupils have started legal action against the government.Lawyers acting for the families say their intention is to sue the government over its failure to ensure access to the online learning that has largely replaced classroom teaching since March, because the four are unable to afford laptops or internet connections. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Complete anarchy': frontline NHS staff on the coronavirus peak Medics reflect on the stress and strain they have been under, and what might happen nextCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore people have died of coronavirus in the UK than in any other country in Europe, and details about the true scale of the pandemic continue to emerge as the extreme pressure on the NHS begins to ease.We have been speaking to frontline workers since the crisis began about how they are coping. They have told us how they were resigned to contracting Covid-19 because of shortages of protective equipment and a lack of testing as hospitals were inundated with coronavirus patients. Here, they recall the pandemic reaching its peak and begin to make plans for where the health ser...

PM will announce modest changes to UK lockdown, says Raab Foreign secretary urges people to follow social distancing guidance over bank holiday weekendThe UK should expect only modest changes to the lockdown restrictions when the Boris Johnson addresses the nation on Sunday, Dominic Raab has said.The foreign secretary told the public at the daily press conference in Downing Street that while the government is in the position to think about the next phase of its pandemic response, people should continue to follow social distancing guidelines over the bank holiday weekend. Continue reading... Go to Source