Coronavirus UK news LIVE: Rishi Sunak says 2m distancing rule ‘under urgent review’ as shops prepare to reopen – The Sun

June 14, 2020

RISHI Sunak has said the two metre social distancing rule is "under comprehensive review".

Speaking on Sophy Ridge on Sunday this morning the Chancellor added the Government is "urgently" looking into ways to slash the distance.

It comes as The Sun on Sunday reports Boris Johnson is set to review the two metre social distancing rule to help save the economy.

The rule could be slashed to just one metre as early as next month, as long as the infection rate continues to fall.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has been pushing for the change in a bid to kick-start the economy, hinted the PM was considering changing the rule.

He told The Sun on Sunday: “The Prime Minister has said that he wants to review the rule and I support that.

“Other countries have shown that it is possible to work with something slightly different — it just depends where you are on the trajectory of the virus.

“We’ve made good progress and the PM is acutely aware of all that.

"He understands absolutely the difference it will make to shops and businesses, small and large, up and down the country.”

It comes as shops prepare to reopen tomorrow after high streets were shuttered for almost three months.

But anyone travelling via public transport will now have to wear a face mask, as the coverings become compulsory from June 15.

Meanwhile, deaths in the UK have continued to fall.

Yesterday's figure of 181 was the lowest total Saturday since before lockdown began with the death toll last week dipping below 100 for the first time since April.

Follow for all the latest coronavirus news and updates below…

KATE GARRAWAY ‘DOESN’T KNOW IF HUSBAND WILL EVER COME HOME’
Piers Morgan has said Kate Garraway doesn’t know if her husband will ever come home.
Derek Draper is battling the after-affects of coronavirus in intensive care and has spent months in a coma.
Writing in his Mail column, he explained: “Now, agonisingly, Kate doesn’t even know if she will ever get Derek home again, let alone to renew those vows.
“It’s unbearably, gut-wrenchingly sad.”
Piers also spoke about the advice he gave his friend – to “treat what was happening like a massive breaking news story and behave accordingly”.
RISHI SUNAK SAYS 2M SOCIAL DISTANCING 'URGENTLY' UNDER REVIEW
The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the 2m social distancing rule is under review.
He added the government is looking into this “urgently”.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS CAN FULLY REOPEN WITH REDUCED CLASS SIZES
Primary schools are expected to be told they can fully reopen if they can maintain a 15-pupil limit on classes sizes
Ministers are expected to make the announcement in the next week.
It could mean kids getting back to the classroom before summer break.
But teaching unions have warned that a 15-pupil cap on class sizes would be “logistically impossible”, reports the Telegraph.
They argue that schools would need “double the classrooms and double the teachers” if all pupils returned before the summer break.
POSH LONDON SEX CLUB RECEIVES £32K VIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE
A posh London sex club used by celebs and socialites has bagged a £320,000 official virus rescue package.
Killing Kittens hosts swingers’ parties at posh London venues but was hit hard b the pandemic with social distancing and a ban on gatherings making group romps impossible.
Founded by Kate Middleton’s school pal Emma Sayle, 42, it is staying afloat on taxpayers’ cash via the coronavirus business support scheme.
The Government scheme matches funds raised through an online investment drive.
MORE THAN HALF OF BRITS WON’T HIT SHOPS TOMORROW
A poll carried out by The Sun on Sunday has revealed more than 50 per cent of Brits have said they won’t be hitting the high street when shops reopen tomorrow.
Some 44 per cent think the lockdown strangling British business is being eased too quickly.
Only 18 per cent think it is too slow and 30 per cent say it is at the right pace.
LOCKDOWN WON’T BE A ‘PAID HOLIDAY’ FOREVER, TORY MP WARNS
A Tory MP has warned once the economy collapses, lockdown could turn into a nightmare for some.
He said: “They may feel safe being feather-bedded by the Government, but when the economy collapses it will cease to be a paid holiday and will become a nightmare for many.”
An exclusive poll for The Sun on Sunday was carried out hours before official figures revealed the economy shrank by more than a fifth during the first full month of lockdown — the biggest fall on record.
The survey shows that, despite risks dwindling, most Brits aremore afraid of catching coronavirus than losing their jo
SOMERSET HOSPITAL MISTAKENLY TELLS 27 PATIENTS THEY HAVE COVID-19
Staff at a Somerset hospital wrongly told 27 patients they had coronavirus.
Another 147 are being contacted over the error that emerged after lab staff noticed a testing machine was giving a high number of positive results.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Daniel Meron, said: “On Thursday June 4th one of our managers noticed an unusual increase in the number of positive test results recorded by one of the laboratory's machines.
“We moved quickly to retest those swabs on a second machine. This showed that the analyser had reported some false positive results.
“We are now in the process of contacting all those patients who were diagnosed to explain to them what has happened and that it is possible they may have been incorrectly diagnosed.
“We want to understand the impact this may have had on them, to offer them subsequent testing and to say how sorry we are.
“Out heartfelt apologies go to all patients and their families who have been affected.”
GATWICK TRAVELERS WILL NOW HAVE TO WEAR A MASK, STAY 2M APART AND WASH THEIR HANDS
The Sun has had a look inside the eerie new world of air travel to experience Gatwick’s “new normal”.
Face masks are now compulsory, and the empty airport is littered with signs urging you to sit 2m apart.
Sixteen extra cleaners have been added to the usual 50-strong squad to help with regular sanitising of lift buttons, handrails, door handles and seats.
They will also regularly “mist” the departure halls with a hydrogen-peroxide disinfectant sprayed from backpacks.
There are also one-way systems, special antibacterial gel on security trays and you will not be able to stock up at Duty Free, which remains closed until passenger numbers climb back up.
R RATE ABOVE 1 IN SOUTH WEST
The R infection rate yesterday rose to 1.1 in the South West.
The government has said we need to keep the R rate below one before more lockdown restrictions can be eased.
Meanwhile, in England overall the rate is between 0.8 and 1.
BRAZILDEATH TOLL OVERTAKES UK TO BECOME 2ND HIGHEST
Brazil’s death toll has become the second-highest in the world.
The country overtook the UK’s grim toll with over 830,000 confirmed cases and at least 41,952 people known to have died.
Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro, who previously dismissed coronavirus as “a little flu”, has come under increasing pressure over his handling of the pandemic.
BACK TO SCHOOL
The Government is set to mount a fresh push to have more primary school children back into the classroom ahead of the summer break.
With most children in England set to remain at home until September, ministers have been accused of putting retail before pupils' education.
A No 10 source said Boris Johnson was “acutely aware” of the impact the extended closure was having on pupils and was working with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson on a major “catch-up” plan.
Currently primary schools in England – which closed following the coronavirus lockdown in March – are opening to pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
However, ministers will this week reaffirm schools can take children from other year groups provided they have the capacity to do so safely.
It means limiting class sizes to just 15 while ensuring protective measures are in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
A No 10 source said: “The PM is acutely aware that school closures will have a disproportionate impact on all children, and particularly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.
“He appreciates the consequences of months out of school, and this package will be focused on providing extended support for children.”
TWO-METRE RULE COULD BE SCRAPPED
Boris Johnson has ordered a comprehensive review of the two-metre social-distancing rule amid calls it should be scrapped.
Easing the restriction is seen as vital if businesses such a restaurants and pubs are to be able to re-open sustainably.
The Mail on Sunday reported the review would effectively take control of social-distancing guidelines out of the hands of the Government's scientific advisers, who have been deeply reluctant to relax the rules.
The move comes as thousands of non-essential shops in England are set to re-open on Monday for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March.
BEIJING IN 'WARTIME EMERGENCY MODE' AFTER NEW CASES
Beijing has gone into 'wartime emergency mode' after 45 workers at the city's largest food market tested positive for coronavirus.
The comments were made by an official overseeing the lockdown of eleven neighbourhoods surrounding the Xinfadi market in the southwestern Fengtai district.
The new cases were diagnosed after swabs were taken from 517 people at the market, which has a total of 4,000 tenants.
A sign outside the market building on Friday read: “This building is urgently closed”.
INDIA CASES PASS 320,000 AFTER SPIKE
India now has a total of 321,626 cases of coronavirus and is currently seeing at least 11,000 people diagnosed each day.
Saturday saw the country's tally increase by 12,023 after similar jumps over the weekend.
India is now beginning to ease its lockdown, previously one of the strictest in the world, and has now passed Britain to become the country with the fourth-most cases in the world.
It has so far recorded only 9,199 deaths.
PROTESTS IN LEBANON AMID LOCKDOWN TURMOIL
Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Lebanon to protest an economic downturn that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus lockdown.
Pictures showed demonstrators occupying roads and staging sit-ins before clashes began with riot police.
The protests followed similar rallies in recent days.
The unrest comes after a months-long fall in the value of the local currency, the economic impact of which has been compounded by weeks of lockdown.
EGYPT RECORDS HIGHEST DAILY RISE IN CASES
Egypt has recorded its highest daily rise in coronavirus cases so far in the pandemic.
The country's health ministry confirmed that 1,677 people tested positive on Friday.
The figure exceeded the 1,577 cases confirmed on Friday and that 1,536 confirmed on May 31.
With a population of over 98million, Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world, and in total has recorded 42,980 cases of covid-19.
FRANCE HAS 20MILLION UNSOLD FACE MASKS AS LOCKDOWN LIFTS
France has around 20million face masks as the country's coronavirus outbreak subsides and it begins the process of easing its lockdown.
As the pandemic got underway, and at the government's request, hundreds of clothing and textile manufacturers shifted production lines help turn out masks amid fears of shortage.
But the companies now say they have been left with a surplus, and are appealing to the government to help them find buyers.
MORE TRAVELLERS TO BE ALLOWED TO ENTER DENMARK
Travellers from a number of new countries are to be allowed to enter Denmark again.
People coming from Germany, Iceland, and Norway are to be granted entry from Monday, but must arrange at least six nights' accommodation in advance.
The country closed all but three of its border crossings in mid-March.
Monday will also see France reopen its borders to travellers from across the EU, though arrivals from the UK and Spain will be subject to a two-week quarantine period.
UK SEWAGE SYSTEMS TO BE MONITORED FOR NEW OUTBREAKS
The UK's sewage systems are to be monitored for new outbreaks of coronavirus, the government has announced.
Officials said the strategy was informed by recent findings that traces of the virus could be identified in waste water.
It is thought the technique will be able to detect asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases as well as symptomatic ones.
Government officials said the process of monitoring would begin soon.
WIFE OF BANGLADESH HEALTH SECRETARY DIES FROM VIRUS
The wife of a Bangladesh's health secretary has died from coronavirus, a government spokesperson confirmed.
Kamrun Nahar, wife of health ministry secretary Md Abdul Mannan, died on Saturday night, the Anadolu Agency reported.
She was being treated at the Combined Military Hospital in capital city Dhaka at the time.
She had been transferred from a different hospital in the city earlier in the day because her condition was deteriorating, the spokesperson said.
PREMIER LEAGUE CONFIRMS TWO NEW CASES
The Premier League has confirmed that two people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in its latest round of testing.
Each round sees 1,200 players and members of clubs' staff tested.
The latest results were from the eighth round of testing the league has conducted.
The two people diagnosed are understood to be from two different clubs.
A total of 14 people were diagnosed with the virus in the first seven rounds.
SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19'NOT INEVITABLE', SAYS DR FAUCI
A second wave of Covid-19 is not inevitable, top White House medical official Dr Anthony Fauci has said.
Fauci was speaking after multiple states began to see the number of cases being confirmed each day creeping back up.
'When you start to see increases in hospitalization, that's a surefire situation that you've got to pay close attention to,' he told CNN.
'It is not inevitable that you will have a so-called second wave in the fall or even a massive increase if you approach it in the proper way.'
He said the best way to contain the virus was for members of the public to continue to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear masks in public.
JOE BIDEN CRITICISES TRUMP OVER CAMPAIGN RALLY
Joe Biden has criticised Donald Trump over a decision to hold a campaign rally during the coronavirus lockdown.
The president is set to hold his first event since the pandemic go underway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Friday.
Attendees are being asked to sign a disclaimer waiving their right to take legal action if they contract coronavirus at the event.
“All the people coming to the rally have to sign a piece of paper that if they get COVID in this, they will not sue the campaign,” Biden said.
“I mean come on, man. I get angry about it.”
LONDON MARCHES IN 'BREACH OF GUIDELINES', SAYS PM
Marches in London today 'breached current guidelines', the prime minister has said.
Today saw hundreds protesting the defacement of statues by anti-racism protesters in recent weeks.
The demonstrations produced numerous reports of violence and clashes with police.
Taking to twitter this evening Boris Johnson wrote: 'Racist thuggery has no place on our streets.
'Anyone attacking the police will be met with full force of the law.
'These marches & protests have been subverted by violence and breach current guidelines.'
FRENCH COURT BLOCKS BAN ON PROTESTS
France's highest administrative court has blocked a ban on demonstrations during the coronavirus lockdown.
The Council of State ruled that protests could continue provided the proper health precautions were taken to avoid the spread of virus.
The court said that the freedom to protest was a 'fundamental' right and that a ban was 'not justified by the current health situation'.

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