Covid: UK cases continue to rise and Lloyd Webber rejects PM's offer
- Published
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow morning.
1. UK cases continue to rise
UK coronavirus infections rose slightly in the last week, with an estimated 119,000 people testing positive for the virus, up from 110,000. The Office for National Statistics said about one in every 540 people was estimated to be infected with Covid in the week up to 12 June. It comes as new Public Health England data suggests a single vaccine dose reduces a person's chances of catching coronavirus and needing hospital treatment by about 75%, even with the Delta variant circulating in the UK.
2. Italy to impose quarantine on UK travellers
Italy is to introduce a five-day quarantine for travellers from the UK from Saturday amid growing concern about the spread of the Delta variant. Visitors from the UK will also be required to have mandatory Covid tests, the Italian government said. The new measures could affect Welsh football fans making a last-minute trip to Rome to watch Wales play Italy in Euro 2020 on Sunday. Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford and the Welsh FA have advised fans not to travel to Italy for the game.
3. Wales at start of third wave - first minister
It comes as Mr Drakeford warned a third wave of the pandemic was now under way in Wales. The first minister confirmed his decision to pause major relaxations to coronavirus rules for four weeks, explaining that the country may be two or three weeks behind England and Scotland in rising case numbers. The government had been considering allowing more people to meet indoors in private homes before the delay was decided. Officials plan to use the delay to offer a further 500,000 jabs, which will largely be second doses.
4. Book firm staff must be vaccinated before office return
Staff at publishers Bloomsbury who return to the office when it reopens will be required to be vaccinated, the firm has said. The company told The Bookseller magazine, which first reported the story, that it had taken both "medical and scientific advice". "The simple fact is that this virus is still extremely dangerous," the publisher said. It comes as many firms weigh up the necessity of workforce vaccinations. The government has announced that care home workers in England will be required to have a vaccination or risk losing their jobs.
5. Lloyd Webber rejects PM's full-capacity offer
Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has rejected the prime minister's offer to add his new musical to a pilot scheme for full-capacity live events. Boris Johnson this week said he was in talks with the theatre impresario about including his production of Cinderella in the scheme. But on Friday Lord Lloyd Webber declined the offer, saying the theatre industry had been treated as "an afterthought and undervalued". However, he rowed back on his threat to open his show to a full house on 25 June, even if he risked being arrested. Instead, he confirmed the show would go ahead at 50% capacity, the current legal limit.
And don't forget...
These are the rules on gatherings if you're planning to meet up with mates to watch the England-Scotland match later.
You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
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