Include skin rashes in Covid symptoms, Government urged by scientists

• Oxford scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in their quest for a Covid-19 vaccine after discovering that the jab triggers a response that may offer a "double defence" against the virus

• New rules on face coverings descended into chaos on Wednesday as Downing Street suggested they would not be mandatory in food shops just hours after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock said they would be

• South Asian communities face the biggest risk from coronavirus, a government-backed study has shown, as Blackburn’s public health director warns of a “third stage” in the pandemic

• Boris Johnson will on Friday tell the nation it is time to get back to work after the Governor of the Bank of England said people's "fear" of commuting was "holding back the recovery"

• Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt revealed on Wednesday that he has become the first governor in the US to test positive for the coronavirus, but insisted he does not regret not wearing a mask

• Donald Trump said schools are making a "terrible" decision in not reopening for in-person lessons after some of America's largest school districts rejected his demand

Follow the latest updates in Thursday's live blog

Here's a sneak peek of tomorrow's front page.

Boris Johnson will on Friday tell the nation it is time to get back to work after the Governor of the Bank of England said people's "fear" of commuting was "holding back the recovery".

The Prime Minister is concerned that the economy is recovering more slowly than had been hoped after most lockdown restrictions were lifted and wants people to return to their workplaces wherever it is safe to do so.

His worries were echoed by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, who told Tory MPs on Wednesday that he was shocked by deserted city centres such as London's.

Mr Bailey set out a three-point plan for saving city centre economies, saying ministers must restore confidence in using public transport, lift all remaining restrictions and get people back to work. He warned that, if the Government did not follow his advice, the country will be "in a recession for a long time".

Read the full analysis here. 

It will now be compulsory to wear a face covering in shops from 24 July. 

Already mandatory on public transport, England has followed Scotland’s lead with this move.

But some think that the messaging from the Government has been confusing over face coverings.

The Government previously advised wearing masks in enclosed spaces like shops, but urged the public to use their common sense over them, instead of making it mandatory to use one.

Now the rule will be enforced by the police with penalties of up to £100 if you're caught without a face covering on in shops. 

The actions of some Cabinet ministers have also sowed confusion in recent days. Senior Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove was photographed uncovered in a branch of Pret-A-Manger despite insisting it was "basic good manners" to wear a mask. Minutes earlier, Trade Secretary Liz Truss left the same shop in Westminster wearing a blue covering.

The new rule has also been criticised by some who have cancelled their Conservative memberships over it.

After months of flip-flopping on the issue, will the government be able to inspire confidence in its latest position?

Watch the video to see how the Government’s stance on face coverings has evolved.

More than 600,000 teenagers have been furloughed under the Government's job retention scheme, the latest official figures have shown.

Some 9.4m jobs have been protected so far under the £60bn scheme but 17-year-old girls in the workforce are the most likely group to find themselves furloughed. 

The HMRC data showed 87,200 or 61pc of 142,400 eligible jobs being paid for by the taxpayer as of June 30, the highest of any age or sex category.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown that protecting the environment must go hand in hand with economic recovery, doctors and scientists have urged. 

Some 75 per cent of new human diseases over the past century have originated in animals, including Ebola, Sars and HIV. 

Now as Covid-19 - thought to have emerged from bats - threatens to derail global productivity for decades to come, the case for curbing habitat destruction and tackling climate change head on has never been stronger, experts have said. 

"Everything is at stake, in health terms, if we don’t protect the climate and the environment," Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, coordinator of the climate change and health programme at the WHO, told a virtual briefing today.

Jordan Kelly-Linden has the latest here. 

Inner-city areas of Leicester with high levels of deprivation are the "most significantly" affected by coronavirus and keeping the remaining 90 per cent of the city under lockdown is no longer justified, its mayor has said.

Sir Peter Soulsby said on Wednesday that only 10 per cent of the city was showing higher transmission rates and branded the local lockdown as "unnecessary and unjustified".

His comments come as the Government is preparing to decided on whether to make changes to Leicester's lockdown after examining the latest coronavirus data.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a decision will be made over the next 24 hours but the infection rate in Leicester was still "a lot higher than elsewhere".

In a report Sir Peter posted on social media on Wednesday, he said that new neighbourhood data showed the areas most affected by the virus were those with high levels of deprivation in the inner city.

 "Together with other local authority leaders throughout England, we have been asking for some weeks for neighbourhood data about the coronavirus testing in our areas. We have now received the first set of that data.

"This clearly shows that the areas most significantly affected by the virus are those with high levels of deprivation in the inner city.

"Given what this data shows, it is no longer possible to justify the continuation of the 'lockdown' across the remaining 90 per cent of the Greater Leicester area."

Nicola Sturgeon has hailed "the sweetest reunion of all" in posting a selfie while getting her hair cut.

Scotland's First Minister was among the many across the country to return to a hairdresser as lockdown restrictions were relaxed further.

Starting from today, museums, galleries and restaurants opened their doors to visitors, hairdressing services resumed and the childcare sector was reopened fully. 

Nicola Sturgeon said the latest measures marked "the biggest step so far" in exiting lockdown.

Speaking at the daily briefing in Edinburgh earlier today, the First Minister said that Scotland had not recorded any new coronavirus deaths over the past seven days. A total of 2,490 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive, she said.

Oxford scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in their quest for a Covid-19 vaccine after discovering that the jab triggers a response that may offer a "double defence" against the virus.

Phase I human trials of the world-leading Oxford vaccine have shown that it generates an immune response against the disease, the Telegraph has learned.

Blood samples taken from a group of UK volunteers given a dose of the vaccine showed that it stimulated the body to produce both antibodies and ‘killer T-cells’, a senior source said.

The discovery is promising because separate studies have suggested that antibodies may fade away within months while T-cells can stay in circulation for years.

However the source cautioned that the results, while “extremely promising”, did not yet prove that the Oxford vaccine provides long-lasting immunity against Covid-19.

“I can tell you that we now know the Oxford vaccine covers both bases - it produces both a T cell and an antibody response,” the senior source told the Telegraph.

“It’s the combination of these two that will hopefully keep people safe."

Read the exclusive report here. 

• Related:  Oxford coronavirus vaccine: Does it work? And what happens next?

Good evening,

If you are just joining us, here's what you have missed: 

• A coronavirus outbreak among Hillingdon hospital staff began after an infected nurse unwittingly attended a presentation and passed the virus on to 16 others, an inquiry has found.
• Prince William has called for the illegal wildlife trade to come to an end, arguing that the coronavirus pandemic has helped highlight the dangers it poses to public health.
• The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed that 45,053 people have died from Covid-19 in hospitals, care homes and the wider community -  an increase of 85 from the previous day.
• President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that partial coronavirus restrictions are to be enforced within the Philippines capital for another two weeks. 
• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN Brazil reported on Wednesday
• Ireland is to delay the reopening of all pubs until August 10, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has confirmed.
• Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first US Governor to contract the virus. 
• Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that no deaths among coronavirus patients have been recorded in the space of the last seven days.
• France has recorded a further 91 coronavirus deaths, bringing the total death toll to 30,120, the country’s health department has said. 
• U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that he expected the World Health Organization investigation into the origins of coronavirus in China to be "completely whitewashed."

As uncertainty and the global economic downturn continues, FGM has surged within African countries report Sarah Newey and Will Brown.

Faith* clambered through the forest after her friends, desperate to escape the cloud of stigma that had engulfed her for months. 

All the other girls they knew had undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), or cutting, explains Faith. “We felt left out. They called us names and avoided us. They saw us only as children.”  

So in an attempt to gain acceptance, the six girls traipsed for two hours through the pine and cypress trees to a meeting point near their village in West Pokot County, some 220 miles northwest of Nairobi, Kenya's capital. 

“We met the cutter in the forest and had the procedure in turns,” Faith says. “We went one at a time; I wasn't scared until it was my turn.

“Peer pressure gives you the courage to endure pain,” the 14-year-old adds. “I had been determined not to have FGM. But I gave in when the pressure became unbearable.”  

Click here to read the full report. 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN Brazil reported on Wednesday.

Since becoming ill with Covid-19, Mr Bolsonaro has said that he remains in good health.

Matt Hancock has hinted that the Government will reverse cuts to pharmacies in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Plans devised by Theresa May’s government to close 3,000 pharmacies in England have always proved controversial - not least in the light of the role played by High Street chemists, which have kept open throughout the pandemic.

Addressing the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) conference on Monday, the Health Secretary said of the cuts: “The day that idea ended was the day I became Secretary of State.”

He added: “I completely understand that if we’re going to ask pharmacies to do more it has to be paid for… we need to make sure we are paying properly for those services to make sure that it works for both sides.”

The industry is currently lobbying the Government for the £370 million in emergency loans it received to cover additional Covid-19 costs to be turned into grants.

Click here to read the full piece.

Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first US Governor to contract the virus. 

"I got tested yesterday for Covid-19 and the results came back positive," Stitt said in a video conference call with reporters. "I feel fine, really, I mean you might say I’m asymptomatic or just slightly kind of a little bit achy."

Oklahoma reported a record case increase for the second day in a row on Wednesday, with 1,075 new cases, bringing its total to 22,813.

Ireland is to delay the reopening of all pubs until August 10, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has confirmed.

Plans to increase the numbers who can gather outdoors and indoors were also postponed amid warnings about clusters of coronavirus infection.

Micheal Martin said: "Pubs, bars, hotel bars, nightclubs and casinos will remain closed until the tenth of August."

"Social visits to people's homes will be limited to a maximum of 10 visitors from no more than four other households."

The wearing of face coverings will be made compulsory in shops and other indoor public spaces. Meanwhile, restrictions on indoor gatherings to 50 and outdoors to 200 will remain until August 10.

France has recorded a further 91 coronavirus deaths, bringing the total death toll to 30,120, the country’s health department has said. 

The Health Ministry said the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 fell to 6,915 from 6,983 on 13 July. 

South Asian communities face the biggest risk from coronavirus, a government-backed study has shown, as Blackburn’s public health director warns of a “third stage” in the pandemic.

A wide-scale testing exercise conducted by Imperial College London in May found prevalence among people from an Asian background was 0.24 per cent, compared to 0.13 per cent among white people and 0.17 among the black community.

The researchers say the study’s Asian participants are “predominantly” of South Asian heritage. The results were published alongside warnings of a “rising tide” of infections among densely populated terraced houses in North West England, which has large South Asian communities.

Dominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn with Darwen Council the borough had recorded 114 new cases in the past fortnight, 97 of those patients form the South Asian population.

It comes after he wrote in the Lancashire Telegraph describing the outbreaks as a new phase in the crisis.

A coronavirus outbreak among Hillingdon hospital staff began after an infected nurse unwittingly attended a presentation and passed the virus on to 16 others, an inquiry has found.

The hospital, located in Boris Johnson’s constituency, closed to emergency admissions on July 3 after the outbreak resulted in 70 staff needing to self-isolate.

Now, an inquiry has revealed one training event held on June 30 was the source of the outbreak which one doctor described as a “super-spreading event”, according to The Guardian.

During the session, at the north-west London hospital, mask wearing or remaining two metres apart was not strictly followed, and social distancing was largely unobserved during the lunch break, hospital sources said.

The nurse in question is believed to have contracted Covid-19 from a patient being treated in the hospital who had recently returned from overseas. 

Lizzie Roberts has the latest here. 

Shoppers at Walmart will have to wear face coverings starting from Monday, the world’s largest retailer has announced. 

Walmart said that 65 per cent of its US stores, including its wholesale Sam’s Club outlets, are located in areas where there is already some form of government mandate on face coverings. 

A memo from executives Dacona Smith and Lance de la Rosa read: "While we're certainly not the first business to require face coverings, we know this is a simple step everyone can take for their safety and the safety of others in our facilities". 

"Because the virus can be spread by people who don't have symptoms and don't know they are infected, it's critically important for everyone to wear a face covering in public and social distance."

Leading chains Best Buy Co and Starbucks have already mandated the wearing of face masks within their US stores. 

Last month, Leicester became the first city to see a local lockdown imposed after public health officials raised alarm over the number of Covid-19 cases in the city.

The city has remained an outlier as it battles to reduce its infection rate, but there have been warnings that repeated, localised lockdowns will become a regular feature of life for the foreseeable future.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has described local lockdowns as a measure of "last resort" and set out "five principal components" for tackling new potential outbreaks – "monitoring, engagement, testing, targeted restrictions" and finally lockdown.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference this month, he warned that local lockdowns would remain a "feature of our lives for some time to come".

To avoid becoming the next place to be put back into lockdown, public health officials in Blackburn this week introduced new measures to slow the virus as cases continue to rise.

To find out whether your local neighbourhood is at risk of being locked down, use our interactive postcode tool below to see whether cases are on the rise in your area. 

Compliance with coronavirus quarantine measures by people travelling in and out of the UK has been "incredibly high", the Home Secretary has said.

Speaking to the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Priti Patel told MPs that 383,000 spot checks were carried out between June 6 and July 12 and the compliance rate was 99 per cent, with the majority of checks carried out at the border.

Shona Dunn, second permanent secretary to the Home Office, added that as of last week around 20 per cent of those were follow-up checks on people who have come into the country which were carried out by Public Health England.

Last week, it emerged not a single person had been fined by police in England and Wales for breaching the quarantine rules after arriving from abroad up until June 22.

• Related:  The 59 countries exempt from England's travel quarantine - full list

The move to make face covering compulsory in shops has caused anger - online, at least. And a YouGov poll suggests that those who oppose the move are more likely to be Conservative voters and Brexiteers. 

In today's episode, the Telegraph’s Parliamentary Sketchwriter, Michael Deacon joins Theodora Louloudis to discuss why the decision goes against Boris Johnson’s own libertarian principles and what leaving the EU might have to do with wearing a face mask.

Click here to listen to the latest episode.

If you have a question you'd like our journalists to answer on the podcast, email coronaviruspodcast@ telegraph. co.uk.

President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that partial coronavirus restrictions are to be enforced within the capital for another two weeks. 

This week, the Philippines recorded Southeast Asia’s biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths and the PM warned that stricter curbs would be reinstated if the rise in new cases and deaths continues. 

"It was clear during our discussion that if the spread of the virus in Manila will not slow, it is possible that stricter quarantine measures would be reimposed after two weeks," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said late on Wednesday.

Under the latest restrictions, schools will remain closed, mass gatherings have been banned while children and the elderly have been urged to stay at home.

The secretive and repressive nation of Turkmenistan continued to report zero cases of coronavirus as the head of a World Health Organization delegation to the country urged officials to act "as if" the virus was circulating.

The Central Asian republic is one of only a handful of nations, including North Korea and some Pacific island states, to have recorded no cases of the disease.

At a joint press conference at the end of a 10-day mission to the country Dr Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer for WHO’s European office, said she was “aware of and concerned by reports of increasing cases of acute respiratory disease or pneumonia” in the country.

She said that while Turkmenistan continued to report zero cases of Covid-19 the country fully recognises the risk currently posed by the virus.

She added: "WHO advises the activation of critical public health measures in Turkmenistan as if Covid-19 was circulating.

"This includes the identification of persons with acute respiratory infections, isolating and testing them early, tracing their contacts and caring for the sick." 

A new appeal to raise funds to fight coronavirus in refugee camps and poor communities in some of the world's most vulnerable countries has raised more than £5 million in a day.

The Disasters Emergency Committee Coronavirus Appeal, involving 14 of Britain's largest aid charities, was launched on Tuesday to raise funds to provide food, water and medical care to people in countries such as Syria, Yemen and South Sudan.

Saleh Saeed, DEC chief executive, said: "Here in the UK we have all had to make unprecedented sacrifices to protect each other and save lives, so it is deeply humbling to also see the British public responding so generously to those in the world's most fragile places who desperately need our help.

"I thank too the UK Government which is matching pound for pound the first £5 million donated by the public, as well as our broadcast partners for airing our appeal, reaching millions of viewers and listeners."

Earlier today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed to holding an inquiry into the country’s handling of the coronavirus crisis but said now was not the time as the battle to combat the pandemic was ongoing.

"We will seek to learn the lessons of this pandemic in the future and certainly we will have an independent inquiry into what happened," he told parliament.

Experts have welcomed the announcement but warned that any inquiry should focus on evaluating the evidence behind decisions made rather than criticising outcomes. 

Prof Rowland Kao, Sir Timothy O’Shea Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Edinburgh, said: “The announcement today of an independent inquiry into the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is very welcome. 

"It should be recognised that decisions made in an emergency situation, especially when the evidence is scant will often have less than optimal outcomes."

"Therefore any inquiry should quickly move beyond criticism of the outcome of decisions that have made best use of the evidence available at the time, irrespective of the outcome."

"What is more important is that an inquiry look into how the evidence itself was evaluated, with the aim of improving that use in the future."

"In order to have real benefit, such an inquiry should be sufficiently timely to allow its recommendations to have an impact on our approaches to fighting both future waves of Covid-19 as well as future pandemics due to other pathogens.  As such, it should come soon and be broad in scope."

The PM’s spokesman declined to comment further on the inquiry, but said further details would be set out "in due course". 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that he expected the World Health Organization investigation into the origins of coronavirus in China to be "completely whitewashed."

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said: "This is a regime that failed to disclose the information they had about a virus that has now killed over 100,000 Americans … and now it is allowing the World Health Organization to go in to conduct what I am confident will be a completely, completely whitewashed investigation". 

“I hope I am wrong. I hope it’s a thorough investigation that gets fully to the bottom, but I have watched the Chinese Communist Party’s behavior with respect to the virus that emanated from Wuhan and they have simply refused".

Smoking could be banned outdoors in a "backdoor" attempt to hijack legislation intended to allow cafes, pubs and restaurants to serve more people outside during the coronavirus pandemic.

A cross-party group of peers has tabled an amendment to the Business and Planning Bill, proposing that pavement licences should only be granted to venues by a local authority if smoking is prohibited.

It comes after figures showed that more than a million people in the UK have quit smoking since the start of the pandemic, with 41 per cent saying their decision was in direct response to the Covid-19 crisis.

The emergency legislation is being fast-tracked through Parliament and will be reviewed by MPs next week when it will be decided whether any amendments should be accepted or not. The new law allows venues to extend their seating areas onto pavements and car parks more easily. 

Read the full story here. 

Four Kenyan health workers have died of coronavirus, while a further 450 have been infected,  the health ministry announced on Wednesday.

"Health workers handling patients with confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus disease face an increased risk of exposure to the virus," Rashid Aman, the chief administrative secretary at the ministry of health, told a news briefing.

Within the country, 11,252 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, while 209  people have died from the disease. 

An additional $10 billion is needed “urgently” to prevent millions more people becoming food insecure as a result of Covid-19, according to a new report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Cornell University.

Half of this sum must come from donor governments as aid, the report said, with the rest provided by the developing countries themselves.

The analysis uses data from the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, which forecasts that the pandemic could tip over 130 million more people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020 unless action is taken. 

Modelling conducted by Ceres2030 found that the additional $10 billion must be spent this year to address the hunger and nutrition impacts of the virus on the most vulnerable populations, as the pandemic causes unprecedented disruptions to incomes, economic growth and supply chains.

Without urgent action, the modelling predicts that the number of people in extreme poverty and hunger will increase by 95 million this year, which the report said would reverse decades of progress.

Georgina Hayes has the latest here.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has criticised the suggestion that masks should not be worn when buying takeaway. 

In a tweet posted earlier this afternoon, the Mayor said: "This is frankly ridiculous. The virus doesn’t know if you’re in a take-away or a supermarket. The Government is risking the health of the public to cover the back of a Cabinet Minister."

The Government announced earlier this week that face masks will be compulsory in shops and supermarkets from July 24. Anyone who fails to adhere to the new rules will face a £100 fine.  

Masks have been compulsory on public transport within England and in NHS facilities since 15 June.

Prince William has called for the illegal wildlife trade to come to an end, arguing that the coronavirus pandemic has helped highlight the dangers it poses to public health.

During a virtual webinar for the United for Wildlife Taskforces, The Duke of Cambridge highlighted the public health risks of the illegal trade. He said:

"Never before have the public health risks of the wildlife trade come into such sharp focus."

"Never before has there been greater public awareness about the dangers of zoonotic diseases like Ebola, Sars, Mers and Covid."

"Right now, there is a real chance to ensure that the urgent steps that the world must take to prevent future zoonotic disease pandemics are designed in a way that also helps to eradicate the illegal wildlife trade."

Scientists believe coronavirus may have originated in bats, and was then transmitted through another mammal such as a civet cat or an armadillo-like pangolin before being passed on to people at a fresh food market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

In an effort to block future outbreaks, China has cracked down on the trade in wildlife and closed some wet markets.

Coronavirus cases within South Africa are expected to pass 300,000 later today, Reuters has reported. 

Africa’s most industrialised nation has 298,292 cases at the last count, with positive tests now increasing at a rate of more than 10,000 a day. 

The country is expected to hit the 300,000 mark when the ministry releases its nightly figures this evening. 

The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed that 45,053 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Tuesday - up by 85 from 44,968 the previous day.

The figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 55,500.

The DHSC also said that in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 538 lab-confirmed UK cases. Overall, a total of 291,911 cases have been confirmed.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that "tough choices" lie ahead for the UK when it comes to considering what tax changes to make following the coronavirus pandemic.

When pushed at the Treasury committee having refused to deny that taxes could go up - and after ordering a review of the capital gains tax which could amount to people with more wealth paying more tax - Mr Sunak said:

I say this clearly to any journalist I speak to, any colleague, I'm going to give the same answer which is I'm just not going to comment on future fiscal policy and people should not then infer, 'Ah, you didn't rule this out or you do rule this in'.

We of course look at everything all the time, that's what we do.

In terms of what does that mean for spending and taxes, those are decisions that will have to wait until we get to Budgets but there are tough choices ahead, that is clear.

We have an ambition to deliver upon our priorities and the promises we made, we've been through hopefully this once-in-a-lifetime episode, it has had an enormous impact on our economy, on jobs, our public finances and that means there are tough choices to come.

It is difficult for us to go into more detail than that.

With face coverings now compulsory on most flights, one Canadian tech firm has taken things to the next level by developing a ‘haute hazmat’ suit to be worn in public and on planes, reports Greg Dickinson.

However, the Telegraph has learned that such a suit may not be allowed on board at all.

A Toronto-based company specialising in personal protective gear launched the BioVYZR via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.

Costing $249 (£200), the protective suit resembles the top half of an astronaut suit, fitted with hospital-grade air-purifying technology and anti-fogging windows.

Since lockdown, holidaymakers have become more nervous about flying. A YouGov poll yesterday showed that two thirds (64 per cent) of Britons would not feel safe travelling internationally on a plane, up 40 per cent on last month.

How do you feel about the thought of holidaying abroad? And would you don a hamzat suit for your flight? Let us know in the comments.

Seventy-five countries have submitted expressions of interest to protect their populations and those of other nations through joining the COVAX Facility - a mechanism designed to guarantee rapid and equitable access Covid-19 vaccines worldwide.

The nations would finance the vaccines from their own budgets, and have partnered with up to 90 lower-income countries that could be supported through voluntary donations to Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment.

The cluster of up to 165 countries represents more than 60 per cent of the world’s population. Among the group are representatives from every continent and more than half of the world’s G20 economies.

“COVAX is the only truly global solution to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

“For the vast majority of countries, whether they can afford to pay for their own doses or require assistance, it means receiving a guaranteed share of doses and avoiding being pushed to the back of the queue, as we saw during the H1N1 pandemic a decade ago.

“Even for those countries that are able to secure their own agreements with vaccine manufacturers, this mechanism represents, through its world-leading portfolio of vaccine candidates, a means of reducing the risks associated with individual candidates failing to show efficacy or gain licensure.”

Lockdowns are being reimposed in parts of India as the country's case count approaches one million, local governments try to shield the health system from being overwhelmed.

India has today reported nearly 30,000 new cases and 582 more deaths, raising its totals to more than 936,000 cases and at least 24,000 fatalities. Experts believe that the true numbers are far higher.

A two-week lockdown that starts on Thursday has been imposed in Bihar, an eastern state with a population of 128 million and a fragile health system.

More than 1,000 cases a day have been recorded in Bihar since Saturday, despite limited testing practices being in place.

Nearly 2.5 million poor migrant workers who had been stranded during India's initial lockdown of the entire country have returned to the state after losing their jobs in large cities.

A lockdown is also underway in Bangalore, one of the country's previously thriving technology hubs.

Economic indicators including labour participation rates and electricity consumption are down this month on June's figures, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, an independent think-tank. This has sparked concerns over the financial hit India will take because of local lockdowns.

India's minister for small and medium businesses, Nitin Gadkari, last week said experts were predicting a loss of $133.3 billion in the next year.

Rishi Sunak has posted a picture of himself buying food in a Pret A Manger while wearing a face mask.

Mr Sunak said that he was making the most of Pret's price cut in response to the VAT reduction which has taken effect from today for the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The sandwich bar has become something of a battleground for ministers, with Liz Truss also photographed at a Pret wearing a mask, while Michael Gove was seen at the same brnach without one.

The Duchess of Cornwall has today paid tribute to the Chelsea Pensioners who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic on a visit to their London home today.

The Duchess arrived at the Royal Hospital Chelsea to deliver a speech and inspect the 30 pensioners on parade in an event that was held after the annual Founder's Day, which is normally held in June, was cancelled as a consequence of the global health crisis.

The number of people who have died of coronavirus in UK hospitals has risen by 24, which is just over half of the weekly number announced this time last week.

The total includes 22 deaths in England and two in Wales. Scotland has confirmed zero coronavirus fatalities for the seventh day in a row as further lockdown measures are eased, whilst Northern Ireland has also confirmed no further Covid-19 deaths.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing questions from MPs over the impact of Covid-19, with the Labour MP Angela Eagle highlighting aviation as a particularly vulnerable sector.

Mr Sunak said the sector is facing a crisis that is somewhat beyond Government control, pointing to the post-9/11 period as an example of a previous time when air travel fell over a sustained period.

He noted that many companies in the sector can access the support schemes which are already in place.

Welcome to the age of the socially distanced fashion show - the world’s first, to be exact, writes Stephen Doig.

In the gardens of Milan’s Four Seasons Hotel, with the Testori Orchestra playing the works of the recently departed Ennio Morricone, fashion house Etro staged its men’s spring/summer 2021 show in the actual flesh. It would usually have happened in June but 2020 being what it is, that was off the cards. But we're all embracing change, and that wasn’t the only innovation.

For starters, this was a much more civilised affair than your average fashion bunfight. There was no scrum at the door. Jostling for position on a bench heaving with influencers and journalists was out.

That was in part due to the hugely reduced numbers present, with only 100 guests to the usual several hundred. Seats were socially distanced, masked staff took temperatures at the door and face masks were mandatory. In other happy news, Covid-19 has marked the end of the air kiss. 

Read Stephen's full piece here.

A rash could be another symptom of coronavirus, researchers at King's College London have said, advising people to self-isolate and get tested if they notice a new rash.

Researchers said characteristic skin rashes and "Covid fingers and toes" can occur in the absence of any other symptoms, and should thus be considered when diagnosing Covid-19.

A persistent cough, fever and a loss of smell or taste are currently listed by the NHS as the main symptoms of the virus.

Using data from the Covid Symptom Study app from about 336,000 regular UK users, King's College London researchers found that 8.8 per cent of people testing positive for the disease had experienced a skin rash as part of their symptoms.

This compared to 5.4 per cent of people with a negative test result.

The study authors wrote: "This study strongly supports the inclusion of skin rashes in the list of suspicious Covid-19 symptoms.

"Although it is less prevalent than fever, it is more specific of Covid-19 and lasts longer.

"An increased awareness from the public and healthcare professionals regarding Covid-19 skin changes will allow more efficient identification of new and earlier clusters of the disease."

Face coverings will not have to be worn when buying takeaway food in England, Downing Street has suggested.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We will be publishing the full guidance shortly but my understanding is that it wouldn't be mandatory if you went in, for example, to a sandwich shop in order to get a takeaway to wear a face covering.

"It is mandatory... we are talking about supermarkets and other shops, rather than food shops."

The spokesman's comments come after the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove was photographed shopping in Pret A Manger without wearing a mask ahead of the law change.

The UK's aid spending will be "constrained" this year due to Covid-19, international development minister Nigel Adams has said.

His comments came during the final Commons Dfid questions ahead of Government abolition of Dfid as part of its merger with the Foreign Office.

Responding to a question from Conservative MP Richard Graham, Mr Adams said:

There will be constraints on ODA (official development assistance) over the next few months as we respond to Covid-19.

And via the integrated review, we will examine all options for enhancing UK democracy support. The merger (of the Foreign Office and Dfid) provides an exciting opportunity to strengthen the UK's support for democracy, governance and open society.

Shadow international development secretary Preet Kaur Gill queried the "massive consultations" over the scrapping of Dfid, and called for an apology over a move she described as "misguided".

Tourists are being hit with fines for attempting to reserve spaces on Spain’s newly reopened beaches by placing their towels in advantageous spots, reports James Badcock.

With space at a premium as many resorts impose strict capacity limits on beaches for Covid-19 social distancing, several seaside authorities in Spain have launched a crackdown on the owners of unattended parasols, sunbeds and other holiday paraphernalia.

Since beaches reopened in Spain after the country’s three-month state of emergency ended on June 21, authorities have dolled off spaces for users and installed cameras or launched flying drones to help ensure that beaches do not become too crowded.

In some resorts, early birds who try to reserve their place in the sun by laying out their towels before they are ready to lie on them are seeing their sunbeds carted away by police and also face fines if caught, or when they reclaim their possessions.

The shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has said that the Labour Party does not support a hike in capital gains tax as a way of covering public spending on coronavirus, shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has said. 

Ms Dodds told a virtual Institute for Government event that protecting jobs and growth should be an "absolute priority":

Clearly for a very long time, I've been saying that the UK tax system is insufficiently progressive - that needs to be dealt with.

Do I think that tax changes right now are what Government should be focused on? No, I really don't.

They must be focused above all on trying to ensure that growth comes back, that demand is increased and that has surely got to be their absolute priority.

Pret A Manger will pass on the Chancellor’s VAT cut to customers and participate in the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme as it scrambles to revive floundering sales, Hannah Uttley reports.

From today the sandwich chain will cut prices on hot drinks, while reductions on hot food and food eaten on the premises will come into effect from Friday.

Pret said the price cuts would not apply to cold takeaway food such as sandwiches and salads as these items are already zero-rated for VAT purposes.

The chain announced last week announced that it is toclose 30 stores, and could cut more than 1,000 jobs as a consequence.

Read the full story here.

The European Commission has called on EU governments to ensure that coronavirus mobile tracing and warning apps can work across the bloc’s borders, reports Memphis Barker. 

Brussels put forward an implementing decision to support the interoperability of the apps, which have been introduced in some countries, such as Germany, but not in others, such as Belgium. 

Public health bodies should increase testing coverage, contact tracing and surveillance to map infection clusters to contain the spread of new outbreaks and a possible second wave.

The commission communication called for better sharing of information about preventative measures and care for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly. 

It called for increased vaccination to reduce the burden of seasonal flu and joint procurement and stockpiling of medical equipment, as well as cash to deploy emergency medical teams around the EU. 

A coronavirus resurgence in Israel and divisions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have sidelined plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, officials said.

Although the conservative Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz, his centrist coalition partner, agreed the government could begin moving on annexation as of July 1, there has been "close to zero" cabinet-level discussion on the issue, a senior minister told the Reuters news agency.

Gantz's Blue and White party has openly opposed Netanyahu's annexation plan, meaning that it is harder to persuade Washington that the plans enjoy unanimous support in Israel.

Palestine has rejected the Trump plan for the Middle East, whilst European and Arab powers have warned that there could be diplomatic consequences if Israel unilaterally annexes land Palestinians seek for a state.

Aides believe that a spike in coronavirus cases could lead to renewed lockdowns and unemployment has hit a record 21 per cent, whilst protests against the government have turned increasingly violent.

A poll by the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute on Tuesday found only 29.5 per cent of the public trust Netanyahu's handling of the coronavirus crisis, which Gantz yesterday predicted could last until  late 2021.

The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have warned of an "alarming" decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world which started before - and has been worsened by - the coronavirus pandemic.

New joint vaccine coverage estimates for 2019 show that vaccine coverage has stalled at 85 per cent for nearly a decade, with 14 million unvaccinated infants every year.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, at least 30 measles vaccination campaigns were or are at risk of being cancelled, which could result in further outbreaks in 2020 and beyond.

Three quarters of the 82 countries that responded to a new survey have reported Covid-19 related disruptions in their immunisation programmes as of May 2020.

It is also thought from preliminary data that there may be a substantial decline in the numbers of children completing three doses of the DTP3 vaccine - a marker for immunisation progress more widely.

Lovelorn Dutch people in long-distance relationships have demanded the creation of a “sweetheart visa” so couples can reunite in the Netherlands, despite the country’s coronavirus travel restrictions, writes Memphis Barker. 

The Netherlands is participating in the EU’s coronavirus travel ban, which allows for married people to travel into the bloc from non-EU countries but not unmarried couples. 

Hundreds of people have called on the Dutch government to allow entry to partners in serious relationships if they take agree to be tested for coronavirus or submit to quarantine 

They wrote to Dutch justice minister Ferd Grapperhuis, who told parliamentarians that there was no need to relax the policy. 

Maud van Leeuwen, a 23-year-old law student at Leiden University, in love with American Kevin Hoogenboom told the Dutch News website, “Some women here are pregnant, one couple was due to get married next week, and my partner wanted to ask my dad’s blessing for us to get married.”

Banksy artwork spray-painted on the inside of a London Underground train carriage has been removed by Transport for London (TFL) as it contravened its “strict-anti graffiti” policy, writes Katie O'Neill. 

The street artist adorned a Circle Line train with messages about the spread of coronavirus, featuring his famous rats. 

But TFL said that while it “appreciated the sentiment of encouraging people to wear face masks, "the work has been removed”. The transport authority invited Banksy to paint a new version “in a suitable location”

The street artist uploaded a 59-second video captioned “If you don’t mask – you don’t get” to his Instagram and YouTube pages on Tuesday.

Read Katie's full piece here.

Stocks and shares have been boosted today after promising developments relating to clinical trials in the search for a Covid-19 vaccine.

Across the pond, Goldman Sachs trading has beaten estimates in its second quarter, echoing similarly strong performances by JP Morgan and Citigroup - and the British Government is looking to create a new investment bank.

• British green investment bank expected 'in the not too distant future'
• Live business news: Follow it all here through the Telegraph Business team

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that no deaths among coronavirus patients have been recorded in the space of the last seven days.

Ms Sturgeon confirmed the statistic at today's Scottish Government Covid-19 daily briefing, announcing a further five cases of coronavirus in Scotland.

There is a total of 611 people in hospital either with coronavirus or virus symptoms in Scotland. Of those, just two patients are in intensive care.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the Jacobite Steam Train returned to service today as a whole range of Covid-19 restrictions were lifted across the country.

Blackburn is facing a "rising tide" of coronavirus cases, centred on its large Asian community, as extra restrictions have been brought in to try to stem the outbreak, reports John Fitzpatrick.

The rate of confirmed cases in the Lancashire town and surrounding area has gone up to 47 per 100,000, up from 31.6 cases in the seven days to July 4. There have been 114 cases in the last two weeks.

 The new localised measures introduced in Blackburn are:

• Household visits reduced to one household plus two members from another household
• Face masks worn in all public spaces
• Inspections on small corner shops
• Asking people not to hug or shake hands on greeting
• Increased testing with mobile testing units and targeted testing units

Read John's full report here.

The French tourist industry received a fresh boost on Wednesday with the partial reopening of Disneyland Paris and the opening up of the top floor of the Eiffel Tower, writes Henry Samuel.

Disneyland Paris, Europe's most frequented theme park resort, is partially re-opening to the public, four months after it closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The park in Marne-la-Vallee, to the east of the French capital, is opening its doors in a phased way starting Wednesday with Disneyland Parks and the Walt Disney Studios.

It will feature enhanced safety measures including managed attendance, reduced capacity to support social distancing, and bolstered cleaning and disinfection of rides and spaces.

Also on Wednesday, the top floor of Paris' Eiffel Tower re-opened. 

A number of the clinical trials set up to find a treatment for Covid-19 are both too small to show definitive results and end up politicised, an expert scientific adviser to the Government warned today.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said that the clinical community needs to take "a harsh look at ourselves" - with more than a third of trials enrolling fewer than 100 patients.

His comments at a weekly briefing, reported by the PA agency, lauded some trials as impressive, but Sir Jeremy said that many others are too small - and untrue statements by politicians had "delayed and slowed down" progress.

Sir Jeremy said: "I think there are 1,200 clinical trials currently in place around the world, of which 16% are looking at chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. That doesn't make any organised sense."

Last month, Oxford University's Recovery trial stopped enrolling participants to its hydroxychloroquine arm, having reached the conclusion that it showed no clinical benefit.

Last month, Leicester became the first city to see a local lockdown imposed after public health officials raised alarm over the number of Covid-19 cases in the city.

On June 29, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that non-essential shops and schools would close in Leicester, which has remained an outlier as it battles to reduce its infection rate.

To avoid becoming the next city to be put back into lockdown, public health officials in Blackburn this week introduced new measures to slow the virus as cases continue to rise.

Our data specialists Dominic Gilbert, Bruno Riddy and Oliver Edgington have all the information you need on the risk of local lockdowns - and the latest on coronavirus cases in your area.

Asked by Sir Keir Starmer about British Airways rehiring employees on "worse terms and conditions", Boris Johnson said that he could not "wave a magic wand" to restore every job that existed before the coronavirus lockdown.

He says that Sir Keir should "build up the confidence of people in this country... instead of endlessly knocking their confidence in Test and Trace, in schools and our transport network", but Sir Keir said that describing the test-and-trace measures as a stunning success "is kidding no one".

Asked by Sir Keir whether he has actually read a report into the reasonable worst-case scenario for a second spike of coronavirus, the Prime Minister says that he is "aware of it".

"We will do everything in our power to prevent a second spike in this epidemic," he says.

Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons that Labour has supported many economic decisions made during the pandemic, but challenged Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the choice to not provide more support for the aviation sector.

Boris Johnson says "no one should underestimate the scale of the challenge" posed by the pandemic and that there are a range of support packages.

Mr Johnson tells Sir Keir to decide whether he will support or oppose the programme, to which Sir Keir replies that the Prime Minister should focus on those who have lost their jobs, rather than "rhetorical nonsense".

• Live politics news: All the latest from PMQs

Thailand's Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana and economic policy guru and Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak are planning to resign their posts, local media reported on Wednesday

Changes to the top economic team could rattle Southeast Asia's worst performing economy, which is struggling with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with billions of dollars of stimulus measures being rolled out and big ticket investment projects already slow.

The ministers could not be reached for comment by the Reuters news agency and the government spokeswoman did not answer its phone calls.

Thailand has so far confirmed 3,232 cases of coronavirus, with 58 deaths. 

In the next 10 minutes Boris Johnson will take to the despatch box in the House of Commons to field questions at Prime Minister's Questions from opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer and other MPs.

This afternoon the Chancellor Rishi Sunak will appear before the Commons Treasury committee, while Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is expected to provide updates on the situation in Blackburn at a press conference at around 1pm.

Home rental firm Airbnb Inc has said that its guests have booked more than one million nights globally on July 8, which offers an early hint of recovery following a slowdown in reservations during the pandemic.

The majority of bookings are for trips that will start on or before August 7, the company said, adding it reached the one million mark for the first time since the start of March.

Airbnb said that the figures can at least partly be explained by pent-up demand, and that for the foreseeable future customers are looking to book in more affordable destinations that are closer to them geographically.

European Council officials have introduced unprecedented measures to ensure EU leaders can meet in person for a summit the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, reports James Crisp. 

Heads of state and government will meet in Brussels on Friday for two days of tough talks over a 750 billion euro coronavirus recovery plan, and a bolstered 1.1 trillion euro budget for the next seven years. Usually EU summits are packed full of officials, diplomats and journalists.

The meeting room, called EBS5, for leaders on the fifth floor will ensure they are far apart and the meeting room will only use filtered fresh air rather than recycled. 

European Council president has asked leaders to wear masks at the beginning of the meeting when social distancing can’t be respected, and if anyone feels ill they should report to the council which has a doctor on site.

The size of each national delegation has been slimmed down from 19 officials to six, while smaller meeting rooms have been shut and larger rooms have been set up to ensure 1.5 metre social distancing - with masks mandatory where social distancing cannot be respected. 

Photographers, security, protocol and catering staff must wear masks, while no journalists are allowed to attend summit as usual, although there will be some virtual press conferences.

Greece, Malta and Norway have reopened to UK holidaymakers, writes Oliver Smith, taking the number of countries Britons can visit without significant restrictions to 26.

While Greece rebooted its vital tourism industry on July 1, a ban on direct flights from Britain was extended due to the UK's relatively high infection rate. Flights can resume from today. 

Among the first airlines to return will be BA, which has availability on its 11.50 departure to Athens tomorrow, and Wizz, which is offering flights to Athens and Crete from Thursday.

Arrivals in Greece must complete an online form. They may also be asked to undergo testing for coronavirus, but this is unlikely.

• Travel latest: Greece, Malta, Norway reopen for summer holidays
• The countries you can actually visit without restrictions

The coronavirus case count in South Africa has surpassed the UK's coronavirus case numbers, with 298,292 people having now tested positive for the virus in South Africa.

As of 9am yesterday, the UK had recorded 291,373 lab-confirmed cases.

The country's president Cyril Ramaphosa warned that "the gravest crisis in the history of our democracy" had been brought about by the virus, amid a collapsing health system in Johannesburg - where hospitals ran out of oxygen - and criticisms of the Government's response as "shambolic".

Coronavirus will hit Europe with a worse recession than was previously thought, according to a new forecast by the European Commission.

“The economic impact of the lockdown is more severe than we initially expected," commission executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said. "We continue to navigate in stormy waters and face many risks, including another major wave of infections.”

The EU is forecast to slump 8.3 per cent overall this year, with the economy of Ireland set to shrink by 8.5 per cent.

Sage member Sir Jeremy Farrar has welcomed the introduction of mandatory face masks in shops as a "good decision" - although said he "would have liked to see [it] implemented sooner".

Professor Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at Edinburgh University medical school, said that Sir Jeremy is one of the most "brilliant minds" on pandemic matters, and notes his stance that the summer months could be used to push for "elimination" of coronavirus in the UK.

Philip Johnston questions the wisdom of making face coverings compulsory now - at a time when "they are as likely to destroy confidence as boost it".

Why now? Or rather why July 24, which in itself is a baffling delay? If it is crucial to wear masks then surely they should be mandatory from today. In fact, on that basis they should have been a legal requirement during the height of the pandemic in April and May.

Matt Hancock told the Commons that one reason was to protect shop workers who were disproportionately affected by Covid. Why, then, were masks not made compulsory when they were more likely to meet someone with the disease than they are now?

Yet now that the number of infections has subsided to a trickle, with only 500 new cases nationwide each day, the Government decides that wearing masks should be obligatory in shops, having recently insisted they must be worn on public transport.

Michael Deacon's latest sketch notes that only one MP spoke out against face masks - and he was furious.

To judge from his expression, Sir Desmond was neither persuaded nor amused. He was smouldering like a dragon’s nostril.

Personally, I’m surprised Mr Hancock didn’t thank him. After all, if Sir Desmond won’t wear a mask while shopping, then refusing to go shopping in the first place is the most responsible thing he can do, and it was good of him to offer the public this assurance. 

For his part, Mr Hancock will no doubt comfort himself with the knowledge that he is not the first minister lambasted for attempting to protect public health by curbing individual liberties. The same happened in 1967, when Barbara Castle introduced breathalyser tests for drunk drivers.

And Allison Pearson writes that "masks suppress human interaction, but their ability to suppress Covid is less clear". Read her full column here.

When countries rushed into coronavirus lockdowns, they forgot about the needs of the most vulnerable, writes Jordan Kelly-Linden:

Globally more than 50 million people have dementia and one new case is diagnosed every three seconds. While it is those with the disease that arguably suffer the most, families and carers do not emerge unscathed, and the pandemic has only made life more complicated.

When Spain declared a state of emergency in mid-March more than 300 dementia associations were forced to cease their specialised services and support.

As partial lockdown hit Australia, Dementia Australia soon found that social isolation brought on by coronavirus restrictions only exacerbated feelings of anxiety and loneliness among sufferers. 

While in India, where an estimated 90 per cent of dementia cases already go undiagnosed, one of the world’s strictest lockdowns coupled with inadequate healthcare saw many older people left hung out to dry.

Read Jordan's full piece here.

People will be able to enjoy a drink in a pub and enjoy a meal inside a restaurant for the first time in months as restrictions ease in Scotland.

Restaurants, bars, cafes, hairdressers and barbers are all able to reopen from today, in addition to museums, galleries, cinemas, monuments and libraries in a wide-ranging extension of freedoms.

It comes ahead of a move in Scottish schools to 'blended learning' from next Wednesday, which will mix time spent in the classroom with home learning for pupils. The beauty industry and tailors in Scotland are also slated to reopen this time next week.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday confirmed that Scotland had gone a sixth day without any coronavirus deaths, but warned that the reopening of services brings the "highest risk changes" to date as Scotland exits its Covid-19 lockdown.

Business owners could pocket all the gains from the Government’s VAT cut by keeping prices stable, defying the Chancellor’s aim to boost spending, Jessica Beard reports.

The tax that you pay in restaurants, hotels and attractions will be cut from 20 per cent to five per cent, which will last six months until January 12. 

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that VAT would be charged at a quarter of its usual rate in a bid to boost confidence in the hospitality and leisure sector.

Meanwhile the Chancellor has also surprised backbench Conservative MPs by ordering a wide-ranging review of the capital gains tax, which analysts say could open the door to higher taxes on the wealthy throughout the rest of the current Parliament.

• VAT tax cut: Read Jessica's full report here
• Russell Lynch: Sunak can only cut debt by punishing savers

Blackburn is facing a "rising tide" of coronavirus cases and has two weeks to get the numbers down before lockdown measures are reversed, the public health director of the area has warned.

The Lancashire town introduced extra restrictions yesterday and Professor Dominic Harrison, the local authority's director of public health, said the borough of 148,000 people was facing a "rising tide" of cases.

Prof Harrison told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:

We have what we call a rising tide event rather than an outbreak, and by that we mean that we've got a number of cases rising in specific areas across a significant community, but not a single big outbreak like Kirklees or other areas that had a workplace outbreak.

It can have the same effect because it can drive up the cases, but what we are seeing from looking at the postcode data of those cases is, in the last couple of weeks, is that what we are seeing is a single case being infected, then going back to a household and all that household becoming infected.

And when we look at the data what we can see is clusters in a part of the town, but the clusters are household clusters, so a number of those are causing the rising tide event and we know that they are in mainly south-Asian areas, and they are in areas with high number of terraced houses with high numbers of occupants in the house, so four or more, five or more people in the household.

The local authority is third on the list of highest weekly rates - behind Leicester, which has a rate of 118.2 cases per 100,000 and is subject to a local lockdown, and nearby Pendle, with a rate of 76.6.

More than four months into the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has concluded that actually it would be a good idea to make mandatory the wearing of facial coverings in shops, writes Rosa Silverman.

But what type should you wear, what can you do about your glasses steaming up while wearing a mask, and when is it OK to not wear a mask?

Read Rosa's full piece for all the answers.

The FTSE 100 index and European stocks opened firmly in the green this morning following renewed optimism surrounding the development of a coronavirus vaccine.

It follows an announcement by the drugmaker Moderna that its Covid-19 vaccine produced antibodies in all patients tested in an initial safety trial.

• Business news live: All the latest UK business news plus world updates
• How far away is a Covid vaccine?

Face coverings could soon be recommended in all public places including offices and other workplaces in the wake of the decision by ministers to introduce new laws forcing people to wear them in shops, the Telegraph has learnt.

Officials have begun private talks with groups representing major employers amid growing fears within Government over the prospect of a second wave of Covid-19 infections in the autumn.

The talks came as a council in Lancashire became the first to order face coverings to be worn in all workplaces and enclosed public spaces in a bid to stem a rise in infections and avoid a Leicester-style local lockdown.

Harry Yorke and Gordon Rayner have the full story.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that he is "not frankly interested" in senior Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove being pictured in a shop without wearing a mask.

He said: "Those photographs were taken before I announced the change in policy to the House of Commons yesterday afternoon.

"And it's absolutely straightforward that from July 24 we're making it mandatory to wear a face covering in a shop in the same way it's mandatory on public transport and in the NHS."

Mr Hancock said he was "not frankly interested" when asked if Mr Gove - who was photographed outside a branch of Pret a Manger - does not know what the rules are, or if he wanted to send a signal that he did not agree with them.

"What I'm interested in is controlling the virus and we've got a very clear, straightforward policy that has been very widely communicated and successfully communicated over the past 24 hours."

• Face masks in all public places under consideration
• Politics live: Huawei 5G banned - but 'nothing to do' with President Donald Trump

An outbreak that shut an A&E unit last week after 70 staff had to go into quarantine may have been caused by nurses not wearing face masks or staying two metres apart during a training session, it has been claimed.

According to the Guardian, an investigation by Hillingdon hospital in north-west London has learned that a nurse who had coronavirus may have unknowingly infected 16 others during a training session they all attended on June 30.

Hospital sources have reportedly claimed that not everyone who attended wore a mask or stayed two metres apart, and that social distancing may have broken down to a significant extent during the lunch break.

In a statement, the hospital said: “There is an ongoing investigation into the outbreak of Covid-19 at Hillingdon hospital.

"Our priority is to maintain safe and high quality care, and the trust is taking appropriate actions to reduce transmission in line with Public Health England guidance.”

While the coronavirus pandemic is ravaging the world, some of Norway's funeral homes have found themselves without work and have turned to the state for aid.

For the Lande family, who have made caring for the dead their livelihood for three generations, this has never happened before.

Usually the firm handles around 30 funeral arrangements a month, but after the introduction of Norway's semi-lockdown in March, that fell to less than 10 in following weeks, with not a single one from Covid-19.

"When the measures against the coronavirus were imposed, it turned out that it not only broke the back of the coronavirus but other viruses too," Erik Lande, now head of the family business in the south of the country, said.

"So much so that some of the old and sick people who would have died in normal circumstances are still around."

To cover fixed costs such as rent and insurance, Landes Begravelsesbyra (Lande's funeral home), has received almost 32,000 Norwegian kroner (£2718) of economic aid.

READ MORE: Norway's coronavirus success a nail in the coffin for funeral homes with no work

The rate of coronavirus infection in England was significantly reduced in the month before lockdown restrictions were lifted, a study has found.

According to Imperial College London, the rate of infection throughout the country was halving every eight to nine days during May.

There were on average 13 positive cases for every 10,000 people, with an overall reproduction number of 0.57 - lower than previously reported.

For the study, researchers tested more than 120,000 volunteers aged over five across the country for Covid-19.

About 69 per cent of those who tested positive reported no symptoms on the day of the test or the previous week, though they may have developed symptoms later.

Beyond the diminished rate of infection, the research found young adults aged 18 to 24 were more likely to test positive than other age groups and people of Asian ethnicity were also more likely to test positive than those of white ethnicity.

The report also showed anyone who had recent contact with a known Covid-19 case was 24 times more likely to test positive than those with no such contact, emphasising the importance of contact tracing in keeping the spread of the virus under control.

READ MORE: England's coronavirus infection was significantly reduced before lockdown eased, study finds

People feeling stressed by lockdown are being invited to let off steam by having their screams played over a loudspeaker in a remote part of Iceland.

The offer comes from the Scandinavian nation's tourist board, which has set up a website allowing people to record themselves venting their frustration.

The results will then be played from one of seven speakers set up around the sparsely populated country.

Visit Iceland's campaign is inspired by scream therapy, or primal therapy, which was popular in the 1970s in an attempt to tap into repressed issues and relieve stress and anxiety.

Participants can choose where their scream will be played, with locations including the peak of Festarfjall in Reykjanes Peninsula and Skogarfoss waterfall in the south of the country.

Iceland has seen relatively few coronavirus cases - only 10 confirmed deaths - on the back of measures including high-volume testing and the quarantining of at-risk people.

TRAVEL: Inside Europe's Covid-free land of adventure

Renewed restrictions took effect in Hong Kong on Wednesday, with restaurants limited to takeaway after 6pm, as the Asian financial centre battles a resurgence of coronavirus.

Wearing masks is now compulsory on public transport for the first time, with fines of up to HK$5,000 (£513).

Public gatherings are once again restricted to four people, after the limit was eased last month to allow up to 50.

The semi-autonomous Chinese territory has seen a return of locally transmitted cases in the past 10 days after a long spell without them.

About 300 new cases have been reported since July 6, including more than 220 non-imported cases.

Thousands of people who were incorrectly told to remain completely indoors to protect them from coronavirus have received a written apology from the Scottish NHS. 

The Scottish Government has admitted that over the course of the pandemic, 9,221 people were sent letters advising them that it had not been necessary for them to "shield" from the virus, despite initially being told that it was.

Around 180,000 people have been shielding in Scotland, due to their increased risk of developing serious health problems if they come down with Covid-19.

READ MORE: Thousands receive apology after being incorrectly told to stay indoors

A barber in East Renfrewshire opened his doors at midnight to thank loyal customers who supported him through the coronavirus lockdown.

Tony Mann in Giffnock decided to start cutting hair as soon as he was allowed to on the first day of hairdressers and other establishments reopening in Scotland.

His barber shop will be open for 24 hours on Wednesday with the 24-year-old also fully booked with appointments for the following fortnight.

Both he and Margaret McGillivray were on hand to welcome Sean Munro and Mitchell Wildman as their first customers - and among the first people in Scotland to have an official haircut - in nearly four months.

Hairdressers and barbers are among the latest premises opening in Scotland on Wednesday, along with indoor pubs and restaurants, as further coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, has offered encouragement - tinged by first-hand experience - to young people on doing their part in separating politics from science as they navigate life in the age of coronavirus.

"Do your thing, and don't get involved in any of the political nonsense, that's a waste of time, and a distraction," Dr Fauci advised students during a virtual forum on Tuesday, hosted by Georgetown University's Global Health Initiative.

Dr Fauci has been increasingly sidelined by the White House as he sounds alarms about the virus, a message that White House officials have become hostile to as President Donald Trump focuses on pushing an economic rebound.

Asked by students how to separate politics from the science, Dr Fauci said it was very tough for young people to have an impact on depoliticisation of the virus "except by not being part of the politicisation".

He added it was important that young people remind each other that in protecting oneself from the virus that "it doesn't matter who you are, what you are - you're Republican, Democrat, anybody else".

Mothers can pass coronavirus to their babies in the womb and the virus may cause brain inflammation in newborns, a new study has suggested.

Although there have been several cases of babies contracting coronavirus, it was not known whether they were picking it up while inside the womb or catching it from close contact after birth. 

Read the full story by The Telegraph's Science Editor, Sarah Knapton, here.

• France will make it compulsory for people to wear masks in shops and other enclosed public spaces from next month.
• Spain's populous Catalonia region made a fresh attempt to put an area of 160,000 people under lockdown to stem the latest local coronavirus surge.
• Australian states tightened restrictions on movement as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak of Covid-19 in the country's south east.
• China reported on Tuesday three new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 13, compared with eight cases a day earlier, the health authority said. All of the new infections were imported cases.
• Brazil recorded 41,857 new cases in 24 hours and 1,300 additional deaths, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The nation has now registered 1,926,824 confirmed cases and 74,133 deaths.
• Mexico proposed to the United States an extension to a ban on non-essential travel by land over their shared border for another 30 days.
• Belgium, which has reined in coronavirus after becoming the worst-hit mid-sized country in the world, reported no new deaths in 24 hours for the first time since March 10.
• Indian drugmaker Lupin has shut one of its manufacturing plants in the Gujarat state after employees at the site tested positive for Covid.
• Egypt has started offering reusable cotton face masks at around 50 cents each alongside the food items provided in its state subsidy programme.
• Afghanistan faces a "catastrophe" as growing Covid-19 cases stretch a health infrastructure already severely weakened by decades of war, the Afghan Red Crescent Society said.

Texas voters have returned to the polls as the state reports a record number of confirmed new coronavirus cases in a single day.

The short ballot of primary run-off elections on Tuesday included a big race to determine Texas' Democratic nominee for the US Senate.

In San Antonio, elections officials said they were unable to staff a handful of polling locations because some poll workers feared getting the virus.

Texas reported nearly 10,800 new cases and 87 new deaths.

Primary run-off elections typically have a low turnout in Texas.

Election officials in many of the state's big cities reported short lines, and some equipped polling places with social-distancing measures and disposable gloves for voters to use.

New Zealand must prepare for new coronavirus outbreaks as the pandemic spreads globally.

But the country would not drop its elimination strategy if community transmission was discovered, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday.

Ms Ardern said the epidemic was now "exploding" outside New Zealand and countries that had been models in the fight against Covid-19 had now experienced further community outbreaks.

The government released a new framework on how it intended to fight the virus in the event of new cases, with elimination still the central strategy.

"No system is 100 per cent fool-proof and around the world we are seeing even the most rigorous measures being tested by the virus," she said.

The South Pacific nation last reported a case of community transmission two-and-a-half months ago.

It has recorded 22 deaths from nearly 1,200 confirmed cases as of Wednesday.

New Zealand had vowed to eliminate - not merely contain - the virus, which meant stopping transmission for two weeks after the last known case was cleared.

Tokyo will lift its alert level for coronavirus infections to the highest of four levels on Wednesday, the Asahi newspaper reported, after a recent spike in cases to record levels in the Japanese capital.

Daily coronavirus cases exceeded 200 in four of the past six days, reaching an all-time high of 243 cases last Friday as testing among workers in the metropolis' red-light districts turned up infections among young people in their 20s and 30s.

The highest alert level suggests that "coronavirus infections are likely spreading", the Asahi said.

Donald Trump said California's two largest school districts were making a "terrible mistake" by making students stay home for the upcoming term in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The US President, in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, said it was a mistake for Los Angeles and San Diego school districts to provide only online education for the academic year beginning in August.

"I would tell parents and teachers that you should find yourself a new person, whoever's in charge of that decision, because it's a terrible decision," Mr Trump said.

"Because children and parents are dying from that trauma too. They're dying because they can't do what they're doing.

"Mothers can't go to work because all of a sudden they have to stay home and watch their child, and fathers."

The United States has recorded 63,262 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday.

The total number of cases recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic now exceeds 3.42 million.

Covid-19 also claimed 850 new victims in the US, bringing the total death toll to 136,432.

The world's wealthiest country has in recent weeks seen a surge in infections, mainly in its south and west, which have kept it by far the most affected nation.

In Florida, which was one of the first states to lift lockdown restrictions, for example, officials reported 132 deaths on Tuesday - a new daily record for the state - while more than 9,000 new cases of the virus were detected there in the past 24 hours.

Faced with this trend, some states have reversed the opening of shops and services, such as California, and many of them have made masks compulsory in public places.

A Michigan sheriff's deputy on Tuesday fatally shot a man suspected of stabbing another man who had challenged him about not wearing a mask at a store, police in the United States said.

Police said a sheriff's deputy spotted the man's vehicle in a residential neighbourhood and shot him when he got out of his car and tried to attack her while holding a screwdriver and knives.

The 43-year-old man, who worked at the Michigan Department of Transportation, died in hospital.

He was suspected of stabbing a 77-year-old man inside the store when he was confronted about not wearing a mask.

Read the full story here.

It is important to make use of the museums, galleries and sites available in the UK in order to protect them in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions director Bernard Donoghue says.

His message follows the release of figures that show the British Museum has regained its crown as Britain's best-loved visitor attraction thanks to its Japanese Manga exhibition.

Meanwhile, the Victoria and Albert, Science, and Natural History museums could offer longer exhibitions to boost revenues with dwindling numbers of returning visitors.

Bosses of the three South Kensington institutions have announced doors will reopen to those craving culture in August, but capacity will be reduced by around 80 per cent.

In light of visitors numbers and revenues being slashed due to coronavirus, V&A director Tristram Hunt has suggested future shows could last longer and give the public more time to attend.

READ MORE: Covid-19 could lead to longer exhibitions in British museums

Thousands of heart attack patients missed out on life-saving treatment while the UK was in lockdown and may have died or been left with serious disabilities, research has found.

By the end of May, there had been 5,000 fewer admissions to hospitals than would be expected of people suffering heart attacks, suggesting many patients had stayed away despite being in desperate need.

READ MORE: Heart attack victims missing vital treatment because of coronavirus fears

California is dramatically rolling back its reopening plans as it struggles to contain a resurgence of coronavirus, with Los Angeles' mayor threatening to impose a full shutdown if the situation does not improve. 

America's most populous state has reached more than 7,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

On Monday it recorded almost 8,400 new cases of the virus within a 24-hour period. 

Read the latest details from The Telegraph's ROZINA SABUR here.

• Face coverings could soon be recommended in all public places including offices and other workplaces after ministers introduced new laws forcing people to wear them in shops, The Telegraph has learnt
• Mothers can pass coronavirus to their babies in the womb and the virus may cause brain inflammation in newborns, a new study has suggested
• An experimental Covid-19 vaccine that is being developed by a US biotech firm induced antibody responses against coronavirus in all 45 participants of a human trial
• The pandemic will not ease global warming, Stanford University warns, with farming causing methane levels to reach a new record
• Thousands of people who were incorrectly told to remain completely indoors to protect them from coronavirus have received a written apology from the Scottish NHS
• There is confusion over the new face mask rule, as businesses could not confirm if it would apply to them and police have warned it could be impossible to enforce.