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Live Reporting

Edited by Claire Heald, Martha Buckley and Vanessa Barford

All times stated are UK

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  1. The latest headlines

    It's been a busy day of coronavirus news and we're getting ready to head off for the evening.

    Before we do, here's what you need to know:

    • Full vaccination will become a condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather in England. That's once everybody over 18 has had the opportunity to get two jabs, the prime minister said, by the end of September.
    • Children over the age of 12 who are at higher risk of getting ill if they catch Covid will be offered a jab, the vaccines minister has confirmed - as well as some healthy children over 12 who live with other vulnerable people can have the vaccine, as well as those on the cusp of turning 18. Some children at higher risk in Scotland will also get the jabs.
    • Some fully vaccinated people in critical roles, including NHS and care staff, will soon be able to skip self-isolation by taking daily Covid tests if they are contact traced, Zahawi said.
    • Far-right British commentator Katie Hopkins has been sent home from Australia for bragging about flouting hotel quarantine rules.
    • Two vaccination centres have been ransacked in France, as people protested against the introduction of tougher coronavirus rules.
    • Stock markets across the UK, Europe and the US have dropped sharply, with fears that rising numbers of Covid cases will hamper economic recovery.
    • US health authorities have warned against travel to the UK
    • Workers are beginning to return to offices, but video conferencing firm Zoom has struck a multibillion dollar deal to buy a cloud-based call centre operator in a bet on the future of hybrid working.
  2. Government has 'wiped out live gigs for a whole generation'

    The night time industry has been "taken by surprise" by the announcement that it will become a requirement to be fully vaccinated in order to attend clubs and other crowded venues in England, says Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester.

    He says: "I am not a scientist or a doctor, but I am deeply concerned by the discriminatory nature for those who either can't have the vaccine for medical reasons or age, or who do not want to. Surely these answers should have been given at the same time as this announcement."

    He continues: "Where does this leave festivals or live music events catering specifically for teenagers or children who aren't being vaccinated? Does this now mean young people, who have already suffered hugely during this pandemic, now won't be able to experience the thrill of seeing their favourite artist on stage?

    "With this one move, the Government appears to have wiped out live gigs for a whole generation."

    He adds that there are "questions over how these checks will be enforced" and about the financial impact of nightclubs competing with pubs and bars without such restrictions.

    "I have been in the nightlife and events industry for over 25 years, but I cannot see any reason why anyone would now want to enter this sector with such financially damaging restrictions in place," he adds.

  3. Treat small music clubs like small pubs - industry body

    The Deaf Institute in Manchester

    Small music clubs should be treated the same as similar-sized bars and clubs when it comes to the need for Covid vaccine certification, the boss of music industry body Live has said.

    Greg Parmley was reacting to the announcement that people in England will need to be fully vaccinated if they want to go to nightclubs and other venues with large crowds from the end of September.

    "The government has had several different positions on Covid certification in the last six months and we will need to see more detail before we can understand the full impact for the live music industry," he says.

    "Many festivals and large venues are already adopting some level of Covid certification, and as responsible event organisers, will continue to do so."

    But he adds: "What we are absolutely clear about, however, is that venues such as small music clubs should not be treated any differently to other similar-sized hospitality businesses such as bars and restaurants when it comes to the need for Covid vaccine certification."

  4. 'I don't know a single shop that's relaxed its Covid measures'

    Andy Walsh

    It may have been the day that most Covid restrictions were lifted in England, but many people have remained wary.

    Andy Walsh runs a bakery and coffee shop in the Cumbria market town of Cockermouth. He says businesses in the area have been very cautious about lifting remaining restrictions.

    "I don’t know a single shop in Cockermouth that’s relaxed its Covid measures today," he says.

    "We’ll still have screens up, mask wearing, and social distancing in our bakery. We’ve had no negative feedback about it from customers.

    "If the government opens things up, then we all have to take responsibility for ourselves."

    It's been a difficult two weeks for Andy’s business. Half of his staff have been self-isolating at home after they were pinged by the NHS app. The rest of his team have been working extra hours to keep things going.

    It’s a blow for an area that relies on hospitality and tourism.

    Walsh says: "We’re a resilient town and have dealt with massive floods over the past 15 years. But this is incredibly challenging."

    The town has had to cope with floods, most notably in 2009, when unprecedented rainfall devastated the area.

  5. East London market traders on lifting of restrictions

    Tarah Welsh

    BBC London

    Video content

    Video caption: Stratford market traders on lifting of restrictions

    Small businesses were some of the hardest hit by lockdown restrictions, so market traders Russell Cox and Joan Thompson were very happy to see restrictions lifted in the Stratford Centre in east London today.

    Joan, who runs a small jewellery stall, says it's good to see people again but she hopes they will be cautious about gathering in large groups.

  6. Traveller to Sark brings its first case

    Sark

    Sark, one of the smallest of the Channel Islands, has its first known case of coronavirus.

    The person was already in self-isolation before testing positive for Covid-19 over the weekend.

    The individual, who travelled to Sark, has had no contact with others and poses a minimal risk to the island, officials say.

    A States of Guernsey statement reads: "The person was a traveller and tested negative on arrival.

    "They later developed symptoms while in self-isolation and subsequently tested positive.

    "Initial contact tracing has established that the individual has no contacts and no other individuals are being required to self-isolate as a result of this case."

    You can read the full story here.

  7. How have travel rules changed today?

    Adults who have been fully vaccinated through the NHS now don't need to self-isolate when they return from most amber-list countries. Children also don't have to quarantine.

    But each country has its own rules to follow - both at the border and once you make it to your hotel, villa or campsite.

    Some of the key rules in place in seven destinations popular with UK holidaymakers are set out here.

    And you can read more broadly about the rules for travelling to green, amber and red list countries here.

    But remember, rules can change quickly, so it's important to check the Foreign Office guidance and government and tourist websites for your destination.

    Travel rules graphic
  8. New rules 'a hammer blow' for nightclubs

    UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls says Covid passports are a "hammer blow on a day when nightclubs, a sector that has been closed by the government for 16 months, were finally given hope that they could start to trade viably and make progress towards rebuilding and paying off accrued debts".

    She says the proof of vaccination is "a costly burden that runs the risk of creating flashpoints between staff and customers, as well as raising potential issues with equalities legislation and the handling of customer data".

    She says ministers asked the sector just last week to work with them on a voluntary scheme, so this new policy is "devastating and risks hitting these fragile businesses and derailing their recovery and costing thousands of jobs".

  9. Covid patients urge public to be careful as restrictions ease

    Most legal restrictions on social contact have been lifted in England. There are no longer limits on how many people can meet indoors and nightclubs have reopened.

    The lifting of restrictions comes as cases and hospitalisations due to Covid are rising.

    Patients at a hospital in Nottingham have urged the public to "be careful" as the changes come into place.

    Video content

    Video caption: Covid patients urge public to "be careful" as restrictions ease
  10. South Sudan closes Covid vaccination centres

    Nichola Mandil

    Juba

    A healthcare worker prepares a dose of a Covid vaccine in Juba, South Sudan

    The health authorities in South Sudan say they have closed all Covid-19 vaccination centres after running out of jabs.

    The country received 132,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through the Covax delivery scheme but 72,000 were donated to neighbouring Kenya over concerns they would expire before use.

    South Sudan had a slow vaccination rollout and the ministry says the doses that remained were used to vaccinate more than 50,000 people with a first dose and 4,000 with a second dose.

    "We have deployed successfully 95% of the 60,000 doses that remained with us, with a wastage of about 4%, and this is within acceptable range," Dr John Rumunu Pasquale, a director-general in the health ministry said.

    "Now all our centres have closed," he added.

    He said that three Covid-19 variants of concern were circulating in South Sudan – the Alpha, Delta and Beta variants.

  11. David Davis: Wrong to coerce people into having vaccines

    Conservative backbencher, David Davis, is making his feelings clear about the new rules for nightclubs and crowded venues from September.

    Writing on Twitter, he says it is "difficult to see how the government has properly tested the science or practicality of this", adding, "It is astonishing they are excluding test status."

    He adds, "Vaccination is sensible. But is entirely wrong to force and coerce people in to having them."

  12. Nightclub owner: We've spent a lot of money on Covid precautions

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    View more on twitter

    Louise Holly owns nightclub Mash in Cambridge and is a director of Chalk in Brighton. Both venues are opening tonight for the first time and have sold out.

    Speaking before the government's surprise announcement about clubs needing to ask customers for Covid passports from the end of September, Louise said she was "really excited" to be reopening after 16 months of closure.

    "We will be trying to be extra-vigilant. We've spent an awful lot of money on our air conditioning, we've got hand sanitising points in the venue. We're just really looking forward to it."

    Louise said her father was in intensive care for a month with coronavirus so she was "really mindful of the risks".

    "It's going to be a really interesting night from all perspectives to see how it goes."

  13. England effectively moving to compulsory vaccination - Harper

    The MP Mark Harper, who chairs the Covid Recovery Group of Conservative backbenchers, is critical of the plan to bring in proof of vaccination for nightclubs and other crowded venues from the end of September.

    Speaking in the Commons he says it is effectively moving to a situation of compulsory vaccination.

    He's calling on ministers to bring forward the evidence for the policy ahead of any vote because he says he does not think the evidence from pilot schemes supports the idea.

  14. The latest UK figures

    The latest UK Covid data came through not long before the briefing and our Visual and Data Journalism Team have been busy updating our graphics.

    A further 39,950 cases have been reported, and another 19 people have died within 28 days of a positive test.

    The average number of confirmed cases over the past seven days is 46,024.

    Graphic showing coronavirus data
    Number of new cases rising - chart

    According to the government's coronavirus dashboard, 87.9% of adults have had their first dose of a vaccine and 68.5% have had two doses.

    Fewer people are being admitted to hospital than last autumn but that number is rising.

    Fewer people being admitted to hospital than last autumn
  15. Covid passports for nightclubs "an absolute shambles"

    Nightclub owners are reacting angrily to news that Covid passports will be made mandatory in their venues from the end of September.

    Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, says so-called "freedom day" for night clubs "lasted around 17 hours" and the situation is "an absolute shambles".

    He said only a week ago Health Secretary Sajid Javid said vaccine passports would not be compulsory.

    And he says night clubs that have been planning for reopening for months will now have to make more changes to the way they operate.

    80% of nightclubs have said they do not want to implement Covid passports, he adds, because they are worrying it will be hard to enforce and put customers off going clubbing spontaneously.

    The new rules put them "at a competitive disadvantage with pubs and bars that aren’t subject to the same restrictions and yet provide similar environments" he adds.

    “The government’s own report into vaccine passports found they were more trouble than they’re worth – so what could possibly explain the about-turn, just as millions across the UK experience their first taste of a night out in a year and a half…?”

  16. Mixed feelings in Newquay as restrictions ease

    Amy Gladwell

    BBC News Online

    Nick Hayman, partner at the Fistral Beach Bar

    Thousands of holidaymakers are in Newquay on the north coast of Cornwall - one of the county’s busiest resorts.

    Louis Gardner, mayor of Newquay, says many businesses are desperate to reopen fully, but there is a "completely opposing section" of the town that is "very nervous".

    Nick Hayman, partner at the Fistral Beach Bar overlooking the town’s biggest beach, says they are braced for a busy day.

    He says almost a third of the bar's 60-strong workforce are off at any one time having been "pinged" by the NHS Test and Trace service.

    "It's really frustrating as we've got customers down here and we can't give them proper service," he says.

    Danny Mayer and Heather Wright with Jacob

    Danny Mayer, 41, and Heather Wright, 29, are on holiday with their son Jacob, eight, from Dundee, Scotland.

    They say they are "laid back" about Covid as they are fully vaccinated and are already enjoying not wearing masks.

    Leonard and Doreen Cross

    But Leonard and Doreen Cross, both in their late 80s, say the government has been “too hasty” in ditching restrictions.

    Leonard Cross, who lives in Newquay with his wife, says: “Because the Delta variant is so prevalent I think it is premature. If another variant comes along, goodness knows where we go from there.”

  17. Not quite the message many were expecting on nightclubs

    Analysis

    Helen Catt

    Political correspondent

    This was quite a news-packed briefing.

    There was a pretty bullish defence of the decision to lift restrictions in England at this point from both the prime minister and Jonathan Van Tam, who talked about this as being the "sweet spot".

    Boris Johnson also, as expected, stressed the importance of self-isolation with a statistic that I'm not sure we've heard before about close contacts being five times more likely to be infected.

    But less than 24 hours after restrictions lifted there was also a threat of a return of more rules with a "plan" to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded spaces from the end of September.

    That's likely to cause a lot more discussion and is not quite the message that perhaps many were expecting today.

  18. Israel infection surge shows need for caution - doctor

    A sharp rise in Covid Delta variant cases in Israel shows the need for caution when ending restrictions, says Dr Asher Salmon, deputy director general of the country's health ministry.

    Israel had led the way with its vaccine programme and was able to lift many restrictions but there is now a surge in new cases.

    Dr Salmon told BBC World News that Israel was now considering what to do next. He thought it was better to take slower action rather than having to suddenly lift and then impose restrictions.

    "Our main lesson is first be humble and then be very cautious," he said.

    Video content

    Video caption: Covid: Israel infection surge shows need for caution, doctor says
  19. NI's deputy FM 'disturbed' by scenes in England

    Michelle O'Neill

    Northern Ireland's deputy First Minister says she is "quite disturbed" by some of the scenes in England following a relaxation of coronavirus regulations.

    Michelle O'Neill says Prime Minister Boris Johnson's approach to lifting all legal restrictions is "reckless".

    She says: "This isn't England, we have always set our own path throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so.

    "I would be quite disturbed by some of the imagery which I've witnessed in the last 24 hours - that includes people getting together whenever cases are clearly on the rise."

    O'Neill says she expects to receive advice from the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser on whether some restrictions can be lifted on 26 July and says any decisions will be ratified at Thursdays' Executive.

    "I am yet to see that information so I can't say definitively around what will happen next," she says.

    "It's very clear, and people are alarmed again. People are worried about the rising cases so need to be very careful to mind themselves and mind others around them."

  20. Global shares slide amid Covid economic recovery fears

    Stock market trader. File photo

    Stock markets across the UK, Europe and the US have dropped sharply amid fears that rising numbers of Covid cases will hamper economic recovery.

    London's FTSE 100 fell 2.6% to below the 7,000 level, led by broadcaster ITV and British Airways-owner IAG.

    In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled by more than 2% while major share indexes in France and Germany also fell.

    In England, most remaining Covid restrictions were lifted on Monday.

    However, new cases are continuing to rise in several countries fuelled by the Delta variant of the virus.

    Read our full story