Covid-19: 'Stay local' advice over variant and tourism takes a hit

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.

People are advised not to travel into and out of areas hardest hit by the Indian variant of Covid-19 unless necessary, it has emerged. Health officials say it's spreading fastest in Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside. But local politicians say constituents were not informed when the guidance was updated on Friday. "Such an important announcement and they don't even have the decency to tell us," complains Labour's Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi.

Tourism is set for a slow recovery from the pandemic, with spending by holidaymakers this year expected to be just half the level of 2019. Forecasts by the VisitBritain agency suggest domestic tourism will be worth £51.4bn in 2021, down from £91.6bn two years ago, while spending by foreign tourists is expected to fall from £28.4bn to £6.2bn.

Cabinet ministers have written to all councils in England, urging them to allow Parkrun events - the free, weekly, timed 5k runs - to resume, saying exercise is "vital" for mental and physical health. The Parkrun organisation delayed plans to reopen on 5 June, saying permission had been granted for the resumption at fewer than half of its venues - including many on local authority land.

A campaigner is calling for more research into clear masks to stop deaf people feeling isolated. The government is due to review requirements around face coverings before 21 June but Melissa Julings, 35, says more work is needed to find better clear masks to help those who lip read.

They've had to wait a bit longer than the rest of the UK but people across Northern Ireland have been celebrating the return of many freedoms as lockdown eases. We caught up with the reaction at venues such as zoos, hotels and an ice rink.

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You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

Here's what we know about the variant first identified in India, which is causing the majority of infections in some areas.

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