Coronavirus updates: US reels from record spike in Covid-19 cases

Rallies are taking place around the world this weekend to replace hundreds of Pride marches that have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In London, former members of the 1970s activist group Gay Liberation Front marked its 50th anniversary by walking the same route as the city’s cancelled Pride parade.

Thousands took part in an anti-homophobia rally in Berlin after the annual Pride parade was cancelled. Those taking part observed coronavirus restrictions, police said, wearing face masks and adhering to social distancing.

Elsewhere:

• New York: Thousands of people are expected to attend a Queer Liberation March on Sunday organised by the Reclaim Pride Coalition
• Taiwan: A small rally is planned for Sunday to show solidarity with LGBT+ communities still living under lockdown. Taiwan hosts East Asia’s largest Pride march every October

An update now on the online coronavirus summit. The head of the European Commmission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is co-hosting the event, pledged a further €4.9bn ($5.5bn) from the EU to help vulnerable countries finance their recovery from the pandemic.

She said that what was needed was a multilateralist approach to the development and distribution of vaccines:

“To think that you can beat this virus by vaccinating only your own people while neglecting the others is just plain wrong. I mean we live in a very connected world.

“No country will be able to go back to normal while others are still fighting the virus. So first we need a vaccine, then we need to make this vaccine affordable and for that I’m trying to convince high-income countries to reserve vaccines not only for themselves but also for low- and middle-income countries and this is what our campaign, Global Goal Unite For our Future, is all about.”

More news now on the string of illegal parties that have taken place recently in the UK.

Police say they broke up an illegal gathering in Cardiff Bay just after midnight on Friday, following reports of anti-social behaviour involving a large number of people drinking alcohol.

The group was dispersed and no arrests were made, South Wales Police said.

It follows several illegal parties in London – where police have been injured in clashes with revellers – while Liverpool’s mayor says people are bringing the city into disrepute by continuing to take part in mass celebrations following Liverpool FC’s Premier League win.

Under coronavirus lockdown rules in Wales any number of people from two households can meet up, while in England up to six people can gather from different households. Read our explainer on the rules here.

Political leaders and celebrities from around the world are taking part in a global online coronavirus summit.

It’s part of the ongoing effort to raise money to develop affordable vaccines, tests and treatments for the virus.

Speakers include the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson are also set to speak at the event.

It will be followed by a concert that will feature performances from the likes of Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Shakira.

You can tune in here.

A Eurotunnel boss says phones have been “ringing off the hook” after the news UK holidaymakers are expected to be allowed to travel to some European countries without having to go into quarantine when they return.

John Keefe, director of public affairs at Eurotunnel, says bookings “exploded” when the news came out last night.

Eurotunnel’s maximum service of four departures an hour at peak times will resume from 6 July, he adds.

“The servers have been really busy with people making bookings for the summer. But actually we started to see an increase in bookings from about three weeks ago. People almost started to discount the quarantine measures for the summer from an early stage,” he says.

Travel firm TUI says the easing of restrictions is a “hugely positive step forward” for the industry.

“Our customers will be ecstatic that their summer is saved,” says Andrew Flintham, managing director at TUI for the UK and Ireland.

Like Eurotunnel, TUI reports a surge in bookings – it says they’ve increased 50% on last week, with Spain and Greece looking like the most popular summer holiday destinations.

Northern Ireland has recorded one further Covid-19-related death since Friday.

There are now no coronavirus patients remaining in intensive care in Northern Ireland; 21 patients with the virus are still in hospital. There have now been 549 deaths in total.

Elsewhere in the UK, Scotland recorded no new deaths, for a second consecutive day. It means the number of deaths in Scotland, of people who tested positive for coronavirus, remains at 2,842.

Public Health Wales has reported five deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours. It brings the total number of deaths in Wales, who tested positive for coronavirus, to 1,502.

And in England, a further 78 people, who tested positive for coronavirus, have died in hospital – bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 28,635.

The total number of deaths in the four nations differs from the UK total, due to be released shortly by the Department for Health, as different methods are used to record the figures.

Egypt is allowing places of worship to reopen from today and lifting a night-time curfew, which has been in force since 25 March.

Gyms, theatres and cafes are also permitted to reopen, albeit with limited capacity, but the easing of restrictions comes as the rate of infections is still rising.

The country has recorded 62,755 Covid-19 infections and 2,620 associated deaths. However, as in other countries, the true numbers are believed to be higher due to limited testing.

Announcing the easing of measures earlier this week, PM Mostafa Madbouly reiterated the government’s message that fighting the outbreak would have to take place alongside efforts to protect the economy.

He said the lifting of restrictions could be reversed if people did not follow the rules still in place.

If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick summary of what’s been going on in the UK so far today.

• There’s been plenty of reaction to the announcement that blanket restrictions on non-essential overseas travel will be relaxed from 6 July
• The Scottish government says it’s “disappointing” there were no talks between the four UK nations before the move – while Portugal continues to fight for a place on the list of countries that UK tourists wil be able to travel to without quarantining
• Elsewhere, Liverpool FC has condemned “wholly unacceptable” behaviour of some fans who gathered in the city to celebrate the Premier League title win, despite lockdown restrictions
• Police say they’re “building relationships” with communities after more illegal street parties were held in London. Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick says her force has a “duty” to stop unlawful music events during lockdown
• And the Red Arrows have performed a flypast over Scarborough to mark Armed Forces Day – while many other celebrations have been moved online due to the pandemic

In the US, a federal judge has ordered 124 migrant children to be released from family immigration detention centres that are infected with the virus.

The three centres are in Kansas, Pennsylvania and Texas.

“The [facilities] are ‘on fire’ and there is no more time for half measures,” Judge Dolly Gee wrote.

She ruled that the children must be released by mid-July and placed into the custody of suitable sponsors. These could include the children’s own detained parents, who could be released with tracking devices if necessary.

Hundreds of people detained in immigration centres have tested positive for Covid-19, according to US media.

James Carter and Heidi Crowter will be among the first couples to take advantage of lockdown easing when they tie the knot next weekend.

The couple have been separated since March, when lockdown saw them confined to their respective homes, in Weymouth and Coventry.

Next Saturday – thanks to government announcements earlier this week – they will be getting married, albeit at a ceremony limited to 30 guests and conforming to social distancing requirements.

Heidi’s mum, Liz, said it had been “very weird” living with the uncertainty of whether the wedding ceremony would be allowed to go ahead.

But bride-to-be Heidi remains upbeat, despite the lockdown disruption: “It’s going to be a very big day and a very special day,” she told BBC News.

“I have been dreaming of this day since I was born.”

• What are the rules on weddings?

As we’ve reported earlier today, the UK government has said blanket restrictions on travel to some European countries will be relaxed from 6 July.

But it’s caused annoyance for some in the Scottish government, who say they had expected talks involving Welsh, Northern Irish and UK ministers first.

“Scottish ministers have long argued for UK-wide public health measures relating to international travel as part of the wider response to this pandemic – to protect people and ensure that we limit the introduction of new chains of transmission of the virus when our own infection rates are falling,” a spokesman said.

“This is a matter for Scottish ministers – who have not yet taken a final decision.”

He added that it was “disappointing” that four-nation discussions about the move haven’t taken place.

Liverpool FC has condemned the behaviour of some football fans who gathered in the city to celebrate the Premier League title win as “wholly unacceptable”.

In a joint statement with the city council and Merseyside Police, LFC said: “Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable.

“The potential danger of a second peak of Covid-19 still exists and we need to work together to make sure we don’t undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown.

“When it is safe to do so, we will all work together to arrange a victory parade when everyone can come together to celebrate.”

Read more

Police are committed to “building relationships” with communities after more illegal street parties were held in London, says the Metropolitan Police.

“We’re not going to arrest our way out of situations like this,” Met Commander Bas Javid told BBC Breakfast.

It comes as officers broke up an event on Harrow Road, Kensal Town, on Friday night. It followed similar events in Notting Hill and Brixton on preceding nights, which saw police injured in clashes with party-goers.

“The first line is engagement and building relationships, and you don’t do that by walking into every situation with riot helmets and shields,” said Mr Javid.

But he stressed that “if these situations do descend into chaos and violence and disorder… we will take a much more thorough and robust position”.

More now on the news that some US states have paused plans to reopen after a spike in confirmed cases across the country.

In Texas, the governor ordered all bars to close by midday on Friday. Officials in Florida told bar owners to stop serving alcohol, while restrictions were also reimposed on restaurants in several states.

But the announcements appear to have taken some by surprise.

Mark Martinez, who owns a bar in Texas, told Reuters news agency that he only learned about the measures when some friends texted him.

“I spent thousands of dollars… getting ready [to reopen] this weekend,” he said. “I could have really used that for my rent.”

Restaurants in Texas will be allowed to stay open, but with scaled-down capacity of 50%, as opposed the 75% they had been permitted recently.

One restaurant owner in Lubbock, Texas, said that further restrictions would hit her business financially.

“Taking us back down to 50% capacity means we won’t have enough business to pay staff, let alone the bills,” Tish Keller told Reuters.

The Red Arrows have performed a flypast in Scarborough for Armed Forces Day.

The Hawk jets took to the skies above the coastal town in North Yorkshire, which had planned to host an event that was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more

Most other Armed Forces Day celebrations have moved online this year, as a result of lockdown. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, has spoken to serving military personnel via video call.

Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than nine million confirmed cases in 188 countries. Nearly 500,000 people have lost their lives.

Take a look at our maps and charts tracking the pandemic.

Peru has announced an end to its nationwide lockdown, which has been one of the world’s longest and strictest. However, they have said they will keep the restrictions in the worst-affected regions.

Those under 14 or over 65 will remain under stay-at-home orders across the country until 31 July. However, children will be permitted to be outdoors for one hour a day, with an adult, as opposed to the current 30-minute limit.

The region around the capital, Lima, is among the areas that will see restrictions lifted from 1 July, as cases there are falling, according to the government. Seven regions – Arequipa, Ica, Junín, Huánuco, San Martín, Madre de Dios and Áncash – will stay fully locked down.

A nightime curfew will remain across the country and the national state of emergency has been extended until the end of July.

Peru’s lockdown measures were introduced on 16 March, before the UK and some other European countries.

However, it has still had difficulty keeping its numbers down. With almost 9,000 registered deaths, Peru has the third highest toll in Latin America, behind Brazil and Mexico.

Read more in our Reality Check explainer here.

For months, hydroxychloroquine has been at the centre of much interest as potential preventative measure and for treating patients with Covid-19.

The anti-malarial drug has been promoted by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and by his US counterpart Donald Trump who even claims to have taken it himself for a while to ward off infection.

The ongoing interest in the drug has led to shortages and rising prices which directly impacted those taking the drug already for autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

While recent large-scale trials have shown that hydroxychloroquine is not effective as a treatment some countries have continued to promote its use within their healthcare systems.

With so many twist and turns, the question is where do we stand now with hydroxychloroquine?

Reaction is coming in on the news that blanket restrictions on overseas travel will be relaxed in the UK from 6 July.

Jonathan Smith, from travel agency association ABTA, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the industry expected “a surge in bookings”, but he predicted that more travel companies were likely to go bust before a full recovery was felt.

He said people should expect holidays to look different – not just at airports and on aircraft, but in terms of social activities, such as eating out.

Meanwhile, Patricia Payne from tourism agency VisitBritain says public confidence in having a holiday anywhere is low, and the tourist industry needs to show it’s safe.

“We’ve seen a real nervousness about travelling domestically through the summer. We’ve got a whole new audience, which probably hasn’t had a domestic holiday for some years.”

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has condemned “a tiny minority” of football fans who “brought Liverpool football club and the city of Liverpool into disrepute” following a second night of celebrations in Liverpool’s city centre.

Police and politicians had urged fans to stay at home after Liverpool FC were named Premier League Champions on Thursday – the club’s first title win in 30 years.

Mayor Anderson said he was “angry and upset” by scenes of fans who gathered en masse drinking and setting off flares on Friday.

Merseyside Police eventually issued a section 34 dispersal order for the city centre – allowing officers to break up groups of more than two people – until Sunday.

But Anderson said the police should have acted earlier, arguing that it was apparent by yesterday afternoon that a “pre-meditated” gathering was under way.

“Bottom line is, I have serious questions to ask as to why no planning was put in place,” he told BBC Radio Merseyside.

He acknowledged it was a “difficult set of circumstances”, adding that “drink played a major part” in the chaos.

But he said it was “absolutely clear” that the behaviour seen on Friday was “no longer acceptable”.

“I’m expecting
Merseyside Police to come down really heavy now. The gloves are off here, it’s
about public safety.”

“Please, please, celebrate at home and stay safe,” he urged fans.

Mersey Police, Liverpool FC, Liverpool County Council issued a joint statement on Saturday morning.

“Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable,” it said.

“We need to work together to make sure we don’t undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown.”