Monday evening news briefing: The places at risk of local lockdowns

Signs in the centre of Leicester welcoming people back to the city - Joe Giddens/PA
Signs in the centre of Leicester welcoming people back to the city – Joe Giddens/PA

Johnson ‘concerned about Leicester’ as cases surge

Boris Johnson has admitted that the Government is “concerned about Leicester”, where there has been a surge in Covid-19 cases. Current lockdown restrictions could remain in place in the city for two weeks past July 4 to control the outbreak, according to Leicester’s mayor. It would mean bars, pubs and restaurants in the city do not open in line with the rest of England on Saturday. Yet Leicester is by no means an isolated case, with 36 cities or counties across England now seeing a fresh surge in cases. Some, such as Doncaster, have seen a larger week-on week increase in new cases, and many of the areas seeing new upticks in Covid-19 are those in urban, densely populated areas. View the places at risk of a local lockdown – and search the number of cases where you live. It is little surprise, then, that Nicola Sturgeon has warned she will consider introducing quarantine for English visitors to Scotland if the number of coronavirus cases south of the Border rises quickly.

Meanwhile, the “new normal” for getting married has emerged – and it seems couples will be able to have but not to hold. Fathers may not be able to walk their daughters down the aisle under the Government guidance and couples will need to wash their hands before and after the exchanging of rings. The new guidelines also state only one person is permitted to sing during the ceremony and they should do so from behind a perspex screen. Read on for a full guide to the new rules.

PM rules out return to austerity for Covid-19 recovery

The Prime Minister has said the UK will need an economic approach like the one enacted by former US president Franklin D Roosevelt in his ‘New Deal’ out of the US’s Great Depression. Boris Johnson said it would be a “mistake” to return to austerity following the Covid-19 crisis. It comes as a former senior official has warned Mr Johnson’s move to oust Sir Mark Sedwill and replace him with a Brexiteer could create a civil service filled with “yes men” who fail to “speak truth to power”. The UK’s most senior civil servant will have his role as national security adviser taken up by David Frost, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator. Yet European Union diplomats have criticised Mr Frost for taking the job. Here is why.

Death of the waiter: Restaurants to use Deliveroo app

Restaurants will be able to reopen for business this weekend but there might be a fall in demand for waiters. Deliveroo has unveiled a ‘Table Service’ tool that will allow diners to order and pay for food through its app while eating-in at select restaurants. The company said it hopes the tool, which will be available on July 15 for the 35,000 restaurants on its app, will make it easier for restaurants to maintain social distancing guidelines. It comes as a new report finds the death of cash is being accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, with contactless and digital-only payment methods poised to surge. Read on for details.

At a glance: Latest coronavirus headlines

Also in the news: Today’s other headlines

Reading stabbings | The 25-year-old Libyan man accused of killing three people in a Reading park shouted “Allahu Akbar” moments before the attack, a court has heard. Khairi Saadallah, who was living in the Berkshire town, is charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Read on for details from court.

Around the world: Poland’s populism put to the test

The political future of Poland’s populist Right-wing president is under threat after he looked set to secure a fragile victory over the main opposition candidate in the first round of the country’s presidential election. Andrzej Duda, who has the backing of the governing Law and Justice party, won 43.7pc of the vote, meaning Poles will vote again on the top two candidates on July 12. Read this by Matthew Day in Warsaw.

Monday interview

Denise Welch on her struggle with depression: ‘I feel grateful that I’m still standing’

Denise Welch
Denise Welch

Upon release of her new memoir, actress and presenter Denise Welch talks to Judith Woods about learning to live with clinical depression

Read the full interview

Comment and analysis

Editor’s choice: Features and arts

  1. Corona fatigue | What you need to know about lingering tiredness that may last months

  2. Sorry, woke mob | China Girl does not make David Bowie a racist

  3. Algorithm problem | ‘Biased’ code used by British banks may be changing your life

Business and money briefing

BP’s $5bn sale | BP has announced plans to sell its global petrochemicals business to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos for $5bn (£4bn). BP chief executive Bernard Looney said the disposal was a significant step in reinventing the oil giant, as it delivers plans to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

Sport briefing

End of the knuckleball free-kick | It has been popularised by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Yet the “knuckleball” free-kick could become a thing of the past as top leagues prepare to use a new ball that supposedly does not wobble in the air. Read on for details of the new Nikes ball set to be used in the Premier League from next season.

Tonight’s TV  

Italy’s Front-Line: A Doctor’s Diary, BBC Two, 9pm | Parallels with the UK abound in this powerful and almost painfully pertinent documentary about a hard-hit hospital in Cremona, Italy. Read on for more.

And finally… for this evening’s downtime

Marriage Diaries | Our anonymous author reveals she has dreams of living a village life, but laments that her husband will not even consider leaving London. Read how the coronavirus lockdown has transformed her view, but her spouse is not for moving.

source: yahoo.com