news--2020-06-01--Coronavirus diary - Jeremy Thompson on life under lockdown

Jeremy Thompson is a former Sky News presenter in his 70s .
He is documenting how the coronavirus lockdown is impacting his everyday life in a personal diary .
To catch up , read about what happened during week one , week two , week three , week four , week five , week six and week seven .
There 's a whiff of rebellion in the air .
A sense that some are loosening their lockdown shackles and making a break for freedom .
Friends tell me they 're simply using their common sense , or as one put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another mate sums it up this way : `` It 's like everyone thinks we were well behaved for two months , stopped the NHS from going under , now it 's over and we 're going to drink beer with mates .
And if BJ 's mates do n't care , then why should we ? ''
A sentiment widely echoed .
In fact friends in Asia , Africa , America and Australia have all told me how they 've been watching the Dominic Cummings saga unfold with jaw-dropped fascination .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bad situation a whole lot worse ! ''
says a journo mate in Melbourne .
Back to the lockdown dilemma , plenty of pals admit to feeling caught in limbo land - desperate to get out and get on with their lives , but still fearful at what lies out there .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Then there 's my lot - mature citizens - labelled as vulnerable .
The stats do n't lie .
`` Age is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dying , '' a doctor friend quotes to me .
Nearly 89 % of COVID-19 deaths in the UK have occurred in those aged over 65 .
So caution is the watchword .
I 'll see how the world copes as it emerges from its corona chrysalis .
Then decide on my level of risk aversion .
I call it common sense .
But encouragingly there are age exceptions - like Spain 's oldest woman who survived the virus at the age of 113 .
While a friend 's mum in Yorkshire got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives in a care home and could n't be more vulnerable .
Yet she 's fully recovered and is as right as rain .
Then there 's Jackie 's mum in Cape Town , who 's just decided to go for it .
So armed with a mask , gloves , sanitiser and walking stick she 's carrying on with her life .
`` She 's as vulnerable as hell '' , Jackie tells me .
`` But at 83 she says she does n't have time to subside in a heap in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown ! ''
My granddaughter Bella 's 20th was n't quite the celebration she 'd hoped for .
But she made the best of it .
A picnic lunch in the park , then her dad James cooked a paella big enough to include all the neighbours .
Everyone dined on their front doorsteps and sang Bella `` Happy Birthday '' .
A pandemic party .
A lot of mates are feeling liberated now they 're allowed back on the golf course .
No one more so than Craig , who got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Pike Fold in north Manchester .
Well done Craig .
But he is rather a good golfer .
A few other friends are having to reclaim their territory from the wildlife .
I 've seen foxes on fairways here .
Wild boar have been ploughing up European courses and monkeys are reported having battles in Thailand .
But in South Africa , where the government still has a ban on golf , some members face a walk on the wild side when they do return .
At a course near the Kruger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dogs have taken up permanent residence , while cheetahs are finding fairways are an ideal hunting ground .
There 's an even stranger sight at Simon 's Town where the town 's famous colony of African penguins , who live on Boulders Beach , have become so emboldened by the lack of traffic , they 've taken to roaming the streets .
Wednesday 27 May One thing that 's intriguing me as a veteran newshound is how the public seems to have turned on the media .
One news boss tells me the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue .
`` Like in wartime Britain , a lot of people feel it 's unpatriotic not to support the government in times of crisis . ''
So , in the UK at least , they 've taken against journalists , especially those asking ministers tricky questions .
A few friends tell me they agree .
They think a lot of news is `` biased '' and not sufficiently loyal .
Not surprisingly , as a journalist , I feel it 's the news media 's job to ensure those running our country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions are sometimes uncomfortable .
After all no government can honestly say they 've handled this crisis without errors .
But in the 'post-truth world ' of fake news and weaponised social media , many seem to have passed on impartiality , in favour of hearing an echo of their own views .
: : Listen to Coronavirus : In This Together on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or Spreaker It is hard to imagine how we Britons would react to the more draconian measures adopted in many Asian countries .
As Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay shut until the end of June , which is pretty drastic when 30 % of the GDP comes from tourism .
Thailand has only allowed repatriation flights , with all passengers forced to spend 24 days in government-controlled quarantine centres .
Paul ca n't believe we Brits are still debating whether to wear masks and `` getting your knickers in a twist about a mere 14-day quarantine '' .
Up to now Thailand has fewer than 60 COVID deaths , the UK over 38,000 .
As if the virus was n't bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beijing 's new security law will undermine the city 's freedom and autonomy to such an extent it could do more long term damage than COVID-19 .
Mark , an old cameraman mate who runs a film production company , shows me a video he 's made aimed at sending a positive message about the future to clients and colleagues .
But he admits Beijing 's actions and the street protests do n't bode well .
As he tells me : `` I 'm damned glad I 'm not covering this as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cape is applying his considerable marketing expertise to the coming-out-of-COVID-conundrum and has come up with his `` roller-coaster solution '' .
Most people like a white-knuckle thrill , he says , but there are standard health warnings advising certain people not to take the ride , namely anyone with a heart condition , those recovering from a major operation , pregnant women , the excessively overweight and those with compromising disabilities .
Why not apply the same risk rule to lockdown ?
Mark 's suggestion : `` If your doctor says you ca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay at home .
For everyone else , roll up and enjoy the ride '' .
That 's as long as the ride does n't get too giddy .
From the US , Allen tells me he 's in `` total disbelief , watching people pack pools in the Ozarks and beaches in Maryland .
It 's like they 're saying I 'm not putting up with this BS and I am going to have fun , and not let government rule my life . ''
Then there are the riots that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man at the hands of a police officer .
It may be hard to get America back in its COVID-19 container .
In contrast , the Danes have been the model of good behaviour , I hear .
They were one of the first European countries to close down and shut borders and one of the first to ease the lockdown .
Though my pal Ulrik , who runs a cab company in Copenhagen , says it has n't been easy .
`` My taxis have not been on the streets since mid-March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compensation though - he 's been allowed to play golf for the past two months .
For a tenth week we join neighbours to clap for carers .
But could this be the last hurrah ?
Annemarie , the woman who came up with the whole idea , says that was her final applause .
Time to leave it while it 's still a positive force .
Let 's see if the nation agrees next Thursday .
`` Lucky we 're an island , '' observes AJ in Brisbane , as he points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 deaths .
`` I think the country 's handled the whole thing pretty well . ''
AJ , a cameraman I 've known for 30 years , tells me he needs a permit just to cross the state border from his home in Queensland to see his kids in New South Wales .
`` It 's locked down tight .
They 're not messing about with this thing . ''
But AJ reckons the biggest bonus to come out of it is `` families and friends have really reconnected .
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lasts when this is all over . ''
Further south , Victoria has racked up three times more fines than any other state in Australia for social distancing breaches .
Bob tells me that one local radio jock is suggesting : `` It either means that we 're stupider than everyone else , the police force is more zealous than elsewhere , or we 're a community of dobbers ( Australian slang for informers ) ready to put our neighbours in the frame at the slightest excuse . ''
Bob adds , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But we 've only paid 2 % of the fines - that 's the Victorian spirit , chaps ! ''
South Africa is another country under a strict lockdown , with curfews , army checkpoints and booze bans .
But President Cyril Ramaphosa is under immense pressure to ease the restrictions in a nation of huge inequalities .
Bantu Holomisa , an old friend , who now runs the centre-left United Democratic Movement , says the rules are too tight for a developing country with so many people living in poverty .
Bantu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister , tells me : `` It 's so difficult to enforce the regulations .
Sometimes you find a family of 12 people living in a four-roomed shack . ''
The economy was bad enough before the crisis , he explains , with 30 % unemployed .
Now another seven million have lost their jobs .
`` It 's a time bomb .
Unless government , business , labour and scientists come up with a compromise to kick start the economy , the situation will worsen . ''
On top of that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic is n't likely to spike until August with anything up to 13 million infected .
I look longingly again at our holiday list , now tippexed to extinction .
This week we agree to roll over a safari in South Africa until August 2021 .
That seems an awfully long way off .
Meanwhile , I return to the thankless task of trying to get refunds from airlines .
Some really do n't want to give back your cash , whatever the law says .
Though praise where it 's due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for tickets for Lynn 's Dad , who was going to fly from Leeds to join us in Spain to celebrate his 90th birthday .
Even Jet2 agreed that Nevil is not going to be 90 again , so offering a rebooking was a bit pointless .
And Norwegian refunded our flights without a squeak .
Some other airlines are dragging heels like they 're in reverse thrust .
Sport is back - in Australia at least where mates are already watching rugby league on TV .
Next week Aussie rules footie starts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a fortnight .
Horse racing and golf is on the move - all behind closed doors of course .
Cricket will have to wait until mid-July .
Sadly there 's still no sign of the sport I 'm keenest to see - rugby union .
Mates at my club Harlequins do n't think it 'll happen this season .
As one player tells me the big problem is : `` How can rugby players socially distance ? ''
Good news for those of us about to resume our seats as armchair sports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Twickenham is selling draught beer takeaways .
One of the stranger upshots of the pandemic in South Africa is a run on pineapples .
The government 's ban on alcohol sales has led to a surge in home brew .
Pineapples , which make a much-loved beer , sell out within minutes .
Sales are up 900 % .
Locals refer to a hearty drinking session as getting 'pineapplised ' .
Getting fruited might well be the answer to erasing the more frantic of news headlines .
After a week of venting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I sense even the most splenetic of our pals is starting to experience FF - Fury Fatigue - a well-known condition amongst those who assiduously follow the Downing Street dog and pony show .
Gardening is still one of the hottest topics on our social round .
Graham 's surprise abundance of radishes in Norfolk : `` Maybe I should have read the seed packet . ''
Garden centres with `` queues like Disneyland , '' according to Bruce .
While Dominic reports an unusual shortage - slug pellets .
Another result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new pasta , flour and toilet rolls , he asks - `` the latest object of mass stockpiling ? ''
Either way he 's having to recycle old slug pellets .
One friend in East Anglia tells us he finally has a reason to travel further than the local garden centre .
He 's being called into hospital for a colonoscopy .
`` Oh well , '' he says with a stoic smile `` It 's a day out .
I guess it 's something new to look forward to . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ corona has a silver lining .
This week from today to Thursday , Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic : Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over .
We 'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture , politics , economics , science and technology .
And you can take part too .
If you 'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afterthepandemic @ sky.uk

Jeremy Thompson is a former Sky News presenter in his 70s. He is documenting how the coronavirus lockdown is impacting his everyday life in a personal diary.
To catch up, read about what happened during week one, week two, week three, week four, week five, week six and week seven.
Monday 25 May
There's a whiff of rebellion in the air.
A sense that some are loosening their lockdown shackles and making a break for freedom.
Testing their 'social bubble' to bursting point.
Friends tell me they're simply using their common sense, or as one put it, "Cummings sense".
Another mate sums it up this way: "It's like everyone thinks we were well behaved for two months, stopped the NHS from going under, now it's over and we're going to drink beer with mates. And if BJ's mates don't care, then why should we?"
A sentiment widely echoed. In fact friends in Asia, Africa, America and Australia have all told me how they've been watching the Dominic Cummings saga unfold with jaw-dropped fascination.
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"A classic case of how to make a bad situation a whole lot worse!" says a journo mate in Melbourne.
Back to the lockdown dilemma, plenty of pals admit to feeling caught in limbo land - desperate to get out and get on with their lives, but still fearful at what lies out there.
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Then there's my lot - mature citizens - labelled as vulnerable. The stats don't lie. "Age is the dominant factor in the risk of those dying," a doctor friend quotes to me.
Nearly 89% of COVID-19 deaths in the UK have occurred in those aged over 65. So caution is the watchword. I'll see how the world copes as it emerges from its corona chrysalis.
Then decide on my level of risk aversion. I call it common sense.
But encouragingly there are age exceptions - like Spain's oldest woman who survived the virus at the age of 113. While a friend's mum in Yorkshire got the virus. She's 86, lives in a care home and couldn't be more vulnerable.
Yet she's fully recovered and is as right as rain. Then there's Jackie's mum in Cape Town, who's just decided to go for it.
So armed with a mask, gloves, sanitiser and walking stick she's carrying on with her life. "She's as vulnerable as hell", Jackie tells me. "But at 83 she says she doesn't have time to subside in a heap in her house. She's so over lockdown!"
Image: Jeremy is telling his lockdown story
Tuesday 26 May
My granddaughter Bella's 20th wasn't quite the celebration she'd hoped for. But she made the best of it.
A picnic lunch in the park, then her dad James cooked a paella big enough to include all the neighbours. Everyone dined on their front doorsteps and sang Bella "Happy Birthday". A pandemic party.
A lot of mates are feeling liberated now they're allowed back on the golf course. No one more so than Craig, who got a hole in one on his first outing at Pike Fold in north Manchester.
Well done Craig. But he is rather a good golfer.
A few other friends are having to reclaim their territory from the wildlife. I've seen foxes on fairways here.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 4:07 Britons think life will change after COVID-19
Wild boar have been ploughing up European courses and monkeys are reported having battles in Thailand. But in South Africa, where the government still has a ban on golf, some members face a walk on the wild side when they do return. At a course near the Kruger Park, lions, hyenas and wild dogs have taken up permanent residence, while cheetahs are finding fairways are an ideal hunting ground.
There's an even stranger sight at Simon's Town where the town's famous colony of African penguins, who live on Boulders Beach, have become so emboldened by the lack of traffic, they've taken to roaming the streets.
Image: African Penguins in Simon's Town, South Africa. File pic
Wednesday 27 May
One thing that's intriguing me as a veteran newshound is how the public seems to have turned on the media. One news boss tells me the antipathy of the public is a real issue.
"Like in wartime Britain, a lot of people feel it's unpatriotic not to support the government in times of crisis." So, in the UK at least, they've taken against journalists, especially those asking ministers tricky questions.
A few friends tell me they agree. They think a lot of news is "biased" and not sufficiently loyal.
Not surprisingly, as a journalist, I feel it's the news media's job to ensure those running our country are held accountable, even if the questions are sometimes uncomfortable.
After all no government can honestly say they've handled this crisis without errors. But in the 'post-truth world' of fake news and weaponised social media, many seem to have passed on impartiality, in favour of hearing an echo of their own views.
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:: Listen to Coronavirus: In This Together on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Spreaker
It is hard to imagine how we Britons would react to the more draconian measures adopted in many Asian countries. As Paul reminds me, in Thailand airports will stay shut until the end of June, which is pretty drastic when 30% of the GDP comes from tourism.
Thailand has only allowed repatriation flights, with all passengers forced to spend 24 days in government-controlled quarantine centres.
Paul can't believe we Brits are still debating whether to wear masks and "getting your knickers in a twist about a mere 14-day quarantine".
Up to now Thailand has fewer than 60 COVID deaths, the UK over 38,000. As if the virus wasn't bad enough, friends in Hong Kong fear Beijing's new security law will undermine the city's freedom and autonomy to such an extent it could do more long term damage than COVID-19.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:53 'It's the start of our high street coming back'
Mark, an old cameraman mate who runs a film production company, shows me a video he's made aimed at sending a positive message about the future to clients and colleagues. But he admits Beijing's actions and the street protests don't bode well.
As he tells me: "I'm damned glad I'm not covering this as a news story!"
Thursday 28 May
Mark in the Cape is applying his considerable marketing expertise to the coming-out-of-COVID-conundrum and has come up with his "roller-coaster solution".
Most people like a white-knuckle thrill, he says, but there are standard health warnings advising certain people not to take the ride, namely anyone with a heart condition, those recovering from a major operation, pregnant women, the excessively overweight and those with compromising disabilities.
Why not apply the same risk rule to lockdown? Mark's suggestion: "If your doctor says you can't go on a roller coaster, stay at home. For everyone else, roll up and enjoy the ride".
That's as long as the ride doesn't get too giddy. From the US, Allen tells me he's in "total disbelief, watching people pack pools in the Ozarks and beaches in Maryland. It's like they're saying I'm not putting up with this BS and I am going to have fun, and not let government rule my life."
Then there are the riots that have followed the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of a police officer. It may be hard to get America back in its COVID-19 container.
In contrast, the Danes have been the model of good behaviour, I hear. They were one of the first European countries to close down and shut borders and one of the first to ease the lockdown.
Though my pal Ulrik, who runs a cab company in Copenhagen, says it hasn't been easy. "My taxis have not been on the streets since mid-March. That's tough."
One compensation though - he's been allowed to play golf for the past two months. For a tenth week we join neighbours to clap for carers. But could this be the last hurrah?
Annemarie, the woman who came up with the whole idea, says that was her final applause. Time to leave it while it's still a positive force. Let's see if the nation agrees next Thursday.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 7:42 After The Pandemic: Global voices
Friday 29 May
"Lucky we're an island," observes AJ in Brisbane, as he points out that Australia has only had 103 COVID-19 deaths.
"I think the country's handled the whole thing pretty well." AJ, a cameraman I've known for 30 years, tells me he needs a permit just to cross the state border from his home in Queensland to see his kids in New South Wales. "It's locked down tight. They're not messing about with this thing."
But AJ reckons the biggest bonus to come out of it is "families and friends have really reconnected. It's great to see. I hope it lasts when this is all over."
Further south, Victoria has racked up three times more fines than any other state in Australia for social distancing breaches.
Bob tells me that one local radio jock is suggesting: "It either means that we're stupider than everyone else, the police force is more zealous than elsewhere, or we're a community of dobbers (Australian slang for informers) ready to put our neighbours in the frame at the slightest excuse."
Bob adds, with maybe a hint of pride: "But we've only paid 2% of the fines - that's the Victorian spirit, chaps!"
South Africa is another country under a strict lockdown, with curfews, army checkpoints and booze bans. But President Cyril Ramaphosa is under immense pressure to ease the restrictions in a nation of huge inequalities.
Bantu Holomisa, an old friend, who now runs the centre-left United Democratic Movement, says the rules are too tight for a developing country with so many people living in poverty.
Bantu, a former army general and government minister, tells me: "It's so difficult to enforce the regulations. Sometimes you find a family of 12 people living in a four-roomed shack." The economy was bad enough before the crisis, he explains, with 30% unemployed.
Now another seven million have lost their jobs. "It's a time bomb. Unless government, business, labour and scientists come up with a compromise to kick start the economy, the situation will worsen."
On top of that, my medical mates in SA warn that the pandemic isn't likely to spike until August with anything up to 13 million infected.
Saturday 30 May
I look longingly again at our holiday list, now tippexed to extinction.
This week we agree to roll over a safari in South Africa until August 2021.
That seems an awfully long way off.
Meanwhile, I return to the thankless task of trying to get refunds from airlines. Some really don't want to give back your cash, whatever the law says.
Though praise where it's due for two airlines.
Jet2 coughed up for tickets for Lynn's Dad, who was going to fly from Leeds to join us in Spain to celebrate his 90th birthday. Even Jet2 agreed that Nevil is not going to be 90 again, so offering a rebooking was a bit pointless. And Norwegian refunded our flights without a squeak.
Some other airlines are dragging heels like they're in reverse thrust.
Sport is back - in Australia at least where mates are already watching rugby league on TV.
Next week Aussie rules footie starts. Here the Premier League will kick-off in a fortnight.
Horse racing and golf is on the move - all behind closed doors of course. Cricket will have to wait until mid-July.
Sadly there's still no sign of the sport I'm keenest to see - rugby union.
Mates at my club Harlequins don't think it'll happen this season. As one player tells me the big problem is: "How can rugby players socially distance?"
Good news for those of us about to resume our seats as armchair sports fans - one of my rugby locals in Twickenham is selling draught beer takeaways.
Sunday 31 May
One of the stranger upshots of the pandemic in South Africa is a run on pineapples.
The government's ban on alcohol sales has led to a surge in home brew. Pineapples, which make a much-loved beer, sell out within minutes.
Sales are up 900%. Locals refer to a hearty drinking session as getting 'pineapplised'. Getting fruited might well be the answer to erasing the more frantic of news headlines.
After a week of venting about the political Cummings and goings, I sense even the most splenetic of our pals is starting to experience FF - Fury Fatigue - a well-known condition amongst those who assiduously follow the Downing Street dog and pony show.
Gardening is still one of the hottest topics on our social round. Graham's surprise abundance of radishes in Norfolk: "Maybe I should have read the seed packet."
Garden centres with "queues like Disneyland," according to Bruce.
While Dominic reports an unusual shortage - slug pellets. Another result of the gardening bonanza. Are slug pellets the new pasta, flour and toilet rolls, he asks - "the latest object of mass stockpiling?"
Either way he's having to recycle old slug pellets. One friend in East Anglia tells us he finally has a reason to travel further than the local garden centre. He's being called into hospital for a colonoscopy.
"Oh well," he says with a stoic smile "It's a day out. I guess it's something new to look forward to."
As I've suggested before, every corona has a silver lining.
This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.
We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.
If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk


news--2020-06-01--Coronavirus: Extra 445 deaths added to UK's COVID-19 total

An extra 445 deaths have been added to the UK 's total coronavirus fatalities , it has been revealed .
Speaking at the daily COVID-19 briefing , Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a total of 39,045 people have died in all settings after testing positive for the coronavirus .
This is 556 higher than the equivalent total announced yesterday , although the government reported the day-on-day change as 111 .
The difference in the two figures is down to how deaths are being incorporated into historic data retrospectively .
The cumulative total announced by the Department of Health on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today 's cumulative total of 39,045 .
But since then , 445 deaths have been added to the historic data .
According to Public Health England `` nearly all '' of the deaths , which date back to 26 April , were care home residents .
They were previously categorised as `` probable '' COVID-19 cases but have now been redefined as `` confirmed '' cases .
PHE added that they occurred over a month-long period and are not evidence of a new `` surge '' in the number of deaths .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been identified through testing undertaken by commercial partners , rather than in NHS and Public Health England laboratories .
But instead of including these extra deaths in Monday 's increase , the Department of Health has incorporated them within the previous cumulative total , to create a notional total for Sunday of 38,934 ( 38,489 + 445 ) .
The difference between this total and Sunday 's total is 111 - with this the one being reported by the government .
PHE said gathering data from the various sources was `` technically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not possible to get daily death counts from every care home and residence .
It comes after it was announced that there had been just one recorded death of a person with coronavirus in Scotland in the last 24 hours - but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned progress made against COVID-19 was `` not irreversible '' .
Speaking at the Scottish government 's daily coronavirus briefing , Ms Sturgeon said the latest figures showed `` real progress '' in stopping the spread of the disease .
A total of 2,363 patients have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , up by one from 2,362 on Sunday .
The number of people who have tested positive in Scotland rose by 18 to 15,418 .
Elsewhere in the UK : • NHS England announced 108 new deaths of people who had tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,722 .
• Public Health Wales said a further five people had died after testing positive for coronavirus , taking the total number of deaths in Wales to 1,347 .
• Northern Ireland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had tested positive , taking its total to 524 .
Despite the relatively small increases in deaths and new cases , Ms Sturgeon warned : `` The virus has been suppressed , but it has not gone away and it is still extremely dangerous . ''
Since Friday , people in Scotland from two households have been able to gather outdoors in groups of up to eight , as long as they maintain social distancing .
Sitting and sunbathing in local parks is now also allowed but , while no legal limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be allowed to travel for recreation , the Scottish government 's `` strong advice '' is to stay within five miles .
The measures form phase one of the Scottish government 's four-step plan for easing the lockdown .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker On Monday , Ms Sturgeon thanked the `` vast majority '' of people for following the new measures , but said there were instances of people breaking the rules as she warned lockdown restrictions could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police Scotland on Saturday alone , five times higher than the figure from the previous Saturday .
Traffic statistics reported at the briefing were also a `` cause for concern '' , the first minister added , with road use on Sunday up by 70 % on the previous Sunday and a 60 % increase on Saturday from the week before .
Traffic on the A82 near Loch Lomond and on the roads around Glencoe was three times higher on Saturday than it had been the previous Saturday .
`` Let me be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to see how all of that could have been caused by local residents or by people travelling a reasonable distance to meet loved ones , '' Ms Sturgeon said .
She added : `` It 's worth being clear , in fact I have a duty to be clear with you , that if there is continued evidence of even a minority not abiding by these guidelines and travelling unnecessarily , if people meet up in larger groups or if they 're making journeys which risk spreading this virus , we will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size and travel distance into law .
`` We wo n't hesitate to do that if we think it 's necessary for the collective safety and wellbeing of the population . ''
Ms Sturgeon said it was `` not because I want to be imposing these restrictions , but it is because the progress we 've made so far in tackling COVID-19 is simply not guaranteed and it is not irreversible '' .
This week from today to Thursday , Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After The Pandemic : Our New World - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what our world will be like once the pandemic is over .
We 'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture , politics , economics , science and technology .
And you can take part too .
If you 'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts , email afterthepandemic @ sky.uk

An extra 445 deaths have been added to the UK's total coronavirus fatalities, it has been revealed.
Speaking at the daily COVID-19 briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a total of 39,045 people have died in all settings after testing positive for the coronavirus.
This is 556 higher than the equivalent total announced yesterday, although the government reported the day-on-day change as 111.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:43 Lockdown is being eased cautiously, says Hancock
The difference in the two figures is down to how deaths are being incorporated into historic data retrospectively.
The cumulative total announced by the Department of Health on Sunday was 38,489, which is 556 below today's cumulative total of 39,045.
But since then, 445 deaths have been added to the historic data.
According to Public Health England "nearly all" of the deaths, which date back to 26 April, were care home residents.
They were previously categorised as "probable" COVID-19 cases but have now been redefined as "confirmed" cases.
PHE added that they occurred over a month-long period and are not evidence of a new "surge" in the number of deaths.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:34 Schools reopen, but many children stay home
The extra deaths are linked to cases that have been identified through testing undertaken by commercial partners, rather than in NHS and Public Health England laboratories.
But instead of including these extra deaths in Monday's increase, the Department of Health has incorporated them within the previous cumulative total, to create a notional total for Sunday of 38,934 (38,489 + 445).
The difference between this total and Sunday's total is 111 - with this the one being reported by the government.
PHE said gathering data from the various sources was "technically difficult and challenging" and added it was not possible to get daily death counts from every care home and residence.
It comes after it was announced that there had been just one recorded death of a person with coronavirus in Scotland in the last 24 hours - but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned progress made against COVID-19 was "not irreversible".
Image: Nicola Sturgeon has warned that the virus has not been completely eliminated
Speaking at the Scottish government's daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said the latest figures showed "real progress" in stopping the spread of the disease.
A total of 2,363 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for COVID-19, up by one from 2,362 on Sunday.
The number of people who have tested positive in Scotland rose by 18 to 15,418.
Elsewhere in the UK:
NHS England announced 108 new deaths of people who had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,722.
Public Health Wales said a further five people had died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths in Wales to 1,347.
Northern Ireland recorded one more death of a person who had tested positive, taking its total to 524.
Despite the relatively small increases in deaths and new cases, Ms Sturgeon warned: "The virus has been suppressed, but it has not gone away and it is still extremely dangerous."
Since Friday, people in Scotland from two households have been able to gather outdoors in groups of up to eight, as long as they maintain social distancing.
Sitting and sunbathing in local parks is now also allowed but, while no legal limit has been placed on how far people will be allowed to travel for recreation, the Scottish government's "strong advice" is to stay within five miles.
The measures form phase one of the Scottish government's four-step plan for easing the lockdown.
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On Monday, Ms Sturgeon thanked the "vast majority" of people for following the new measures, but said there were instances of people breaking the rules as she warned lockdown restrictions could be toughened.
There were 797 dispersals by Police Scotland on Saturday alone, five times higher than the figure from the previous Saturday.
Traffic statistics reported at the briefing were also a "cause for concern", the first minister added, with road use on Sunday up by 70% on the previous Sunday and a 60% increase on Saturday from the week before.
Traffic on the A82 near Loch Lomond and on the roads around Glencoe was three times higher on Saturday than it had been the previous Saturday.
"Let me be very blunt here - it's very hard to see how all of that could have been caused by local residents or by people travelling a reasonable distance to meet loved ones," Ms Sturgeon said.
She added: "It's worth being clear, in fact I have a duty to be clear with you, that if there is continued evidence of even a minority not abiding by these guidelines and travelling unnecessarily, if people meet up in larger groups or if they're making journeys which risk spreading this virus, we will have to put these restrictions on group size and travel distance into law.
"We won't hesitate to do that if we think it's necessary for the collective safety and wellbeing of the population."
Ms Sturgeon said it was "not because I want to be imposing these restrictions, but it is because the progress we've made so far in tackling COVID-19 is simply not guaranteed and it is not irreversible".
This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After The Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.
We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.
If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk


news--2020-06-01--Coronavirus: Insurers to test whether they should pay out to businesses

Eight insurers will go to court in a test case to decide whether their policies should pay out to businesses hit by the coronavirus crisis .
The case aims to clarify whether the wording of some insurance policies should provide cover for businesses during the pandemic .
The case is expected to begin in the second half of July and last for up to 10 days .
Many British businesses have sought compensation for having to close as a result of government efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus .
The Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA ) has chosen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 16 insurers , eight of which are taking part in the case .
They are Lloyd 's of London , Hiscox , Arch , Argenta and MS Amlin , as well as RSA , QBE , Zurich , and Ecclesiastical .
Hiscox said it had agreed to be part of the case to provide certainty for businesses and brokers as quickly as possible , while RSA said it expected its reinsurance programme to provide most of the cover for potential claims .
The FCA said : `` We expect the test case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many other business insurance policies that are not in the representative sample .
`` In early July , we expect to publish a comprehensive list of other insurers and many other ( business interruption ) policies in the market that we expect the test case to affect , based on firm submissions . ''
The FCA said insurers can continue with any plans for voluntary settlement of cases but all insurers should check their policies against those to be tested in court to see if they could be affected by the case 's @ @

Eight insurers will go to court in a test case to decide whether their policies should pay out to businesses hit by the coronavirus crisis.
The case aims to clarify whether the wording of some insurance policies should provide cover for businesses during the pandemic.
The case is expected to begin in the second half of July and last for up to 10 days.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:08 No return to business as usual for retail
Many British businesses have sought compensation for having to close as a result of government efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has chosen 17 examples from business interruption policies used by 16 insurers, eight of which are taking part in the case.
They are Lloyd's of London, Hiscox, Arch, Argenta and MS Amlin, as well as RSA, QBE, Zurich, and Ecclesiastical.
Hiscox said it had agreed to be part of the case to provide certainty for businesses and brokers as quickly as possible, while RSA said it expected its reinsurance programme to provide most of the cover for potential claims.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:55 'There's always an opportunity in a crisis'
The FCA said: "We expect the test case to provide guidance for the interpretation of many other business insurance policies that are not in the representative sample.
"In early July, we expect to publish a comprehensive list of other insurers and many other (business interruption) policies in the market that we expect the test case to affect, based on firm submissions."
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The FCA said insurers can continue with any plans for voluntary settlement of cases but all insurers should check their policies against those to be tested in court to see if they could be affected by the case's outcome.


news--2020-05-31--Coronavirus: The return of sport during this nightmare will bring some good

Football phone-ins about no football , Formula One drivers racing via computer consoles and cricketers reliving their finest hours but not playing cricket - such has been sporting life in lockdown UK .
From this month , normality will start to return .
Or will it ?
We 're about to find out .
Monday 's 1pm race at Newcastle , the Betway Welcome Back British Racing Handicap , featuring some pretty ordinary horses , launches the return of professional competition .
However , it received the government go-ahead with less than 48 hours to go - reflecting national nervousness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( in England but not Scotland ) , Formula One , and then golf , tennis and cricket , millions of TV screens will be retuned to half-forgotten channels .
There are good arguments in favour of bringing sport back to our screens now .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Barry Hearn , promoter of a snooker event starting at a bio-secure venue in Milton Keynes two hours after the Newcastle racing , spoke of sport `` uniting a nation ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .
And live action should help inspire the young to become more active again , addressing a major lockdown concern .
All that being so , it arguably follows that there is merit in resuming sport in order to fulfil broadcasting contracts , thereby funding ( in many cases ) the continued existence of clubs , competitions , motor manufacturers and racing stables .
As jockeys at Newcastle will discover , fundamental changes have been made to keep sportspeople safe .
`` Jockeys are encouraged , '' says a 33-page document from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be especially mindful of continuing pressures on medical and health services , and to avoid taking unnecessary or avoidable risks '' .
Does that compromise the integrity of the contest ?
Yes , potentially , and so does the absence of football fans ( a paltry eight home wins from 35 matches in the restarted German League ) , but integrity comes second to safety right now .
Some footballers were fearful of returning even to training .
`` We all thought it was going to be a nightmare , '' said Wolves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's been absolutely fine '' .
Sheffield United 's Oliver Norwood added : `` There 's nothing more that could be done for us . ''
Is it all worth it ?
Does it avoid a risk to the rest of us ?
Yes , says England 's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam , on the basis that the group of elite competitors is too `` tiny '' for a coronavirus outbreak among them to affect the R rate .
The broadcast product will feel starkly different .
No fans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thousands of life-size fan cut-outs ( Moenchengladbach ) , giant video screens of supporters cheering from home ( Denmark ) or artificial crowd noise ( Australian rugby league ) help only a little .
There will be pluses though .
Football clubs may allow us extras like half-time player interviews , and golfers look set to wear microphones when the European Tour resumes next month with the British Masters .
Innovations like these - along with some of the health-driven rule changes to scrums and tackling proposed by rugby 's world governing body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good emerging from the coronavirus nightmare .
And we could all do with a bit of that .
This week from today to Thursday , Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic : Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over .
We 'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture , politics , economics , science and technology .
And you can take part too .
If you 'd like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your own home - and put questions to the experts , email afterthepandemic @ sky.uk

Football phone-ins about no football, Formula One drivers racing via computer consoles and cricketers reliving their finest hours but not playing cricket - such has been sporting life in lockdown UK.
From this month, normality will start to return. Or will it? We're about to find out.
Monday's 1pm race at Newcastle, the Betway Welcome Back British Racing Handicap, featuring some pretty ordinary horses, launches the return of professional competition.
"A significant moment for British sport," said Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.
However, it received the government go-ahead with less than 48 hours to go - reflecting national nervousness.
With Premier League football to follow (in England but not Scotland), Formula One, and then golf, tennis and cricket, millions of TV screens will be retuned to half-forgotten channels.
There are good arguments in favour of bringing sport back to our screens now.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it a "much-needed boost to national morale".
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Barry Hearn, promoter of a snooker event starting at a bio-secure venue in Milton Keynes two hours after the Newcastle racing, spoke of sport "uniting a nation... a crucial factor in its mental health".
And live action should help inspire the young to become more active again, addressing a major lockdown concern.
All that being so, it arguably follows that there is merit in resuming sport in order to fulfil broadcasting contracts, thereby funding (in many cases) the continued existence of clubs, competitions, motor manufacturers and racing stables.
As jockeys at Newcastle will discover, fundamental changes have been made to keep sportspeople safe.
"Jockeys are encouraged," says a 33-page document from the British Horseracing Authority, "to be especially mindful of continuing pressures on medical and health services, and to avoid taking unnecessary or avoidable risks".
Does that compromise the integrity of the contest?
Yes, potentially, and so does the absence of football fans (a paltry eight home wins from 35 matches in the restarted German League), but integrity comes second to safety right now.
Image: Wolves captain Conor Coady in action during the UEFA Europa League
Some footballers were fearful of returning even to training.
"We all thought it was going to be a nightmare," said Wolves captain Conor Coady, "but honestly it's been absolutely fine".
Sheffield United's Oliver Norwood added: "There's nothing more that could be done for us."
Image: Fans were streamed live on the sidelines when AGF and Randers FC met in Aarhus, Denmark
Is it all worth it? Does it avoid a risk to the rest of us?
Yes, says England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, on the basis that the group of elite competitors is too "tiny" for a coronavirus outbreak among them to affect the R rate.
The broadcast product will feel starkly different. No fans, no celebrations, precious little passion.
Image: Cardboard cut-out fans could become common sights for months if not years
Thousands of life-size fan cut-outs (Moenchengladbach), giant video screens of supporters cheering from home (Denmark) or artificial crowd noise (Australian rugby league) help only a little.
There will be pluses though. Football clubs may allow us extras like half-time player interviews, and golfers look set to wear microphones when the European Tour resumes next month with the British Masters.
Innovations like these - along with some of the health-driven rule changes to scrums and tackling proposed by rugby's world governing body - might be adopted permanently.
Some good emerging from the coronavirus nightmare. And we could all do with a bit of that.
This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.
We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.
If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk


news--2020-06-01--Ebola: Congo hit by second outbreak as country faces coronavirus and measles crises

A second Ebola outbreak has hit Congo as the country struggles to cope with coronavirus and the world 's largest measles outbreak , health officials have announced .
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had not yet declared an official end to Ebola in its troubled east , where at least 2,243 people have died since an epidemic began there in August 2018 .
But the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) says authorities in the country have now identified six cases , including four deaths in the north near Mbandaka .
`` This is a reminder that COVID-19 is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement .
Unicef said four other people were being held in isolation at a hospital in Mbandaka , The victims died on 18 May but test results confirming Ebola only came back over the weekend , Congolese health minister Eteni Longondo said .
The WHO said it already had teams on the ground in the country .
It is the 11th time Ebola has hit the province since the virus was first discovered in Congo in 1976 .
An outbreak killed 33 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was brought under control in a matter of months .
The latest cases appeared in Wangata health zone near the port city of Mbandaka , which is home to 1.2 million people .
Health officials in the east are still waiting to declare an official end to the epidemic after nearly two years .
The last known patient in the region was released in mid-May but the country must go around another month without any new cases before a declaration can be made .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spreaker Coronavirus has also been detected in seven of Congo 's 25 provinces .
More than 3,000 confirmed cases and 72 deaths have been recorded .
However , like many African countries , its testing has been extremely limited and it is feared the true toll is much higher .
And while COVID-19 and Ebola have received far more attention , measles has killed more Congolese than those diseases combined .
The WHO said there had been 369,520 measles cases and 6,779 deaths since 2019 .
`` This quadruple threat could prove lethal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Anne-Marie Connor , national director in Congo for the aid organisation World Vision .

A second Ebola outbreak has hit Congo as the country struggles to cope with coronavirus and the world's largest measles outbreak, health officials have announced.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had not yet declared an official end to Ebola in its troubled east, where at least 2,243 people have died since an epidemic began there in August 2018.
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) says authorities in the country have now identified six cases, including four deaths in the north near Mbandaka.
"This is a reminder that COVID-19 is not the only health threat people face," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Unicef said four other people were being held in isolation at a hospital in Mbandaka,
The victims died on 18 May but test results confirming Ebola only came back over the weekend, Congolese health minister Eteni Longondo said.
The WHO said it already had teams on the ground in the country.
It is the 11th time Ebola has hit the province since the virus was first discovered in Congo in 1976.
An outbreak killed 33 people two years ago, before the disease was brought under control in a matter of months.
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The latest cases appeared in Wangata health zone near the port city of Mbandaka, which is home to 1.2 million people.
Health officials in the east are still waiting to declare an official end to the epidemic after nearly two years.
The last known patient in the region was released in mid-May but the country must go around another month without any new cases before a declaration can be made.
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:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Coronavirus has also been detected in seven of Congo's 25 provinces.
More than 3,000 confirmed cases and 72 deaths have been recorded. However, like many African countries, its testing has been extremely limited and it is feared the true toll is much higher.
And while COVID-19 and Ebola have received far more attention, measles has killed more Congolese than those diseases combined.
The WHO said there had been 369,520 measles cases and 6,779 deaths since 2019.
"This quadruple threat could prove lethal for millions of children and their families," said Anne-Marie Connor, national director in Congo for the aid organisation World Vision.


news--2020-06-01--Coronavirus: No figures yet but Matt Hancock claims test and trace system has been 'successful'

The government 's coronavirus test and trace scheme is `` up and running '' and `` successful '' , the health secretary has declared .
Matt Hancock told the daily COVID-19 briefing that the `` vast majority '' of new cases of the coronavirus have been contacted since the system was launched last week - but he could not give a specific figure .
`` I 'm very glad to report that those who are asked to isolate by the contact tracers are expressing the willingness to do so and we track that very carefully , '' the health secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of incidence of disease has come down and so actually we have more capacity than we need , this is a good thing . ''
Mr Hancock continued : `` I think to err on the side of having too many contact tracers is the right side to err on .
`` I 'd rather have too many people trained and ready to go . ''
The health secretary also told the briefing that a total of 39,045 people have now died in all settings after testing positive for the virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ total announced yesterday , although the government reported the day-on-day change as 111 .
The difference in the two figures is down to how deaths are being incorporated into historic data retrospectively .
As the lockdown in England continues to be eased , which includes a phased reopening of schools and groups of up to six people now being permitted to meet outside at a distance , the test and trace system is seen as key to doing this safely and keeping COVID-19 under control .
A total of 25,000 contact tracers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sees people who test positive for the coronavirus provide details of their close contacts .
They are then told to self-isolate in order to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others .
An accompanying app , which is being piloted on the Isle of Wight , is also expected to launch in the coming weeks .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Testing tsar Professor John Newton told the briefing : `` The numbers of tests feeding through and contacts being identified are high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the level of completeness .
`` It 's operating pretty much as we had hoped .
`` Of course , of the numbers of new cases , not all of them need to go into the contact tracing process - so if it 's a case in a care home of somebody who is already part of a known outbreak or if the case is already known to the public health service then they do n't need to be contact traced . ''
Professor Newton said the number of contacts have been lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar to the levels seen on the Isle of Wight .
In response to a question from Sky 's deputy political editor Sam Coates , Mr Hancock said the test and trace system was an `` important '' part of moving from `` national , blanket measures '' to a `` more targeted approach '' .
But he said that lockdown measures could be reimposed on a national scale if necessary .
At a local level , the health secretary said there were a range of options to tackle local outbreaks .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital if there is an outbreak there , Mr Hancock said .
He added that the powers available were as broad as the `` legal toolkit '' that was used for the national lockdown .
Giving his verdict after the briefing , Coates said : `` The good news is it 's a success , according to Matt Hancock and John Newton .
`` The puzzling news is they ca n't give any evidence to back that up .
`` What you saw was successive journalists trying to ask them to justify the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` This comes down to data . ''
Labour 's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said `` transparency is crucial to building public confidence '' .
`` A successful functioning test , trace and isolate regime is vital for safe easing of lockdown , '' he said .
`` But the health secretary failed yet again to reveal the numbers of people actually tested nor could he tell us how many contacts have been traced so far despite boasting that the test and trace system was now 'up and running ' and 'successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Thursday , Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After The Pandemic : Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over .
We 'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture , politics , economics , science and technology .
And you can take part too .
If you 'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts , email afterthepandemic @ sky.uk

The government's coronavirus test and trace scheme is "up and running" and "successful", the health secretary has declared.
Matt Hancock told the daily COVID-19 briefing that the "vast majority" of new cases of the coronavirus have been contacted since the system was launched last week - but he could not give a specific figure.
"I'm very glad to report that those who are asked to isolate by the contact tracers are expressing the willingness to do so and we track that very carefully," the health secretary said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:43 Lockdown is being eased cautiously, says Hancock
He added: "The level of incidence of disease has come down and so actually we have more capacity than we need, this is a good thing."
Mr Hancock continued: "I think to err on the side of having too many contact tracers is the right side to err on.
"I'd rather have too many people trained and ready to go."
The health secretary also told the briefing that a total of 39,045 people have now died in all settings after testing positive for the virus.
This is 556 higher than the equivalent total announced yesterday, although the government reported the day-on-day change as 111.
The difference in the two figures is down to how deaths are being incorporated into historic data retrospectively.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 6:33 Lowest number of new deaths since 23 March
As the lockdown in England continues to be eased, which includes a phased reopening of schools and groups of up to six people now being permitted to meet outside at a distance, the test and trace system is seen as key to doing this safely and keeping COVID-19 under control.
A total of 25,000 contact tracers have been recruited for the programme, which sees people who test positive for the coronavirus provide details of their close contacts.
They are then told to self-isolate in order to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others.
An accompanying app, which is being piloted on the Isle of Wight, is also expected to launch in the coming weeks.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Testing tsar Professor John Newton told the briefing: "The numbers of tests feeding through and contacts being identified are high, so we are very pleased with the level of completeness.
"It's operating pretty much as we had hoped.
"Of course, of the numbers of new cases, not all of them need to go into the contact tracing process - so if it's a case in a care home of somebody who is already part of a known outbreak or if the case is already known to the public health service then they don't need to be contact traced."
Professor Newton said the number of contacts have been lower than modellers have forecast, but were similar to the levels seen on the Isle of Wight.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:37 Many choosing to stay home as schools reopen
In response to a question from Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates, Mr Hancock said the test and trace system was an "important" part of moving from "national, blanket measures" to a "more targeted approach".
But he said that lockdown measures could be reimposed on a national scale if necessary.
At a local level, the health secretary said there were a range of options to tackle local outbreaks.
This could include restricting new admissions to a hospital if there is an outbreak there, Mr Hancock said.
He added that the powers available were as broad as the "legal toolkit" that was used for the national lockdown.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 8:20 After The Pandemic: Will working life change?
Giving his verdict after the briefing, Coates said: "The good news is it's a success, according to Matt Hancock and John Newton.
"The puzzling news is they can't give any evidence to back that up.
"What you saw was successive journalists trying to ask them to justify the claim that it's going well.
"This comes down to data."
Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said "transparency is crucial to building public confidence".
"A successful functioning test, trace and isolate regime is vital for safe easing of lockdown," he said.
"But the health secretary failed yet again to reveal the numbers of people actually tested nor could he tell us how many contacts have been traced so far despite boasting that the test and trace system was now 'up and running' and 'successful'."
This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After The Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.
We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.
If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk


news--2020-05-31--After The Pandemic: UK to 'rethink China policy' as coronavirus risks 'fracturing world into spheres

After The Pandemic: UK to 'rethink China policy' as coronavirus risks 'fracturing world into spheres of influence'

Britain is set to rethink its policy on China as views within government appear to harden in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic , according to Whitehall sources .
It comes as former leading British diplomats warn that the coronavirus pandemic could have a lasting impact on the world order .
The crisis has already accentuated existing tensions between the two largest powers - the United States and China - they said .
It has also intensified a struggle for relevancy between global institutions like the United Nations and a trend towards nationalism , including among some liberal democracies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ watershed moments - a bit like after the Second World War , '' said Lord Ricketts , a former national security adviser and former ambassador to France .
`` What we risk is a world fractured into spheres of influence again .
Clearly a Chinese sphere , an American sphere , a European sphere perhaps - rather weaker , '' he said .
`` That is not a comfortable place for the democracies of the world who need rules of the road to trade and to operate safely from the big powers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker In the UK , there is a desire to reduce reliance on Chinese products , such as personal protective equipment , which has been in high demand during the crisis , a Whitehall source said .
This is not just about diversifying the UK supply chain .
It could also help London to call out Beijing without worrying about a Chinese product line perhaps being switched off in return .
`` The thinking is that we are going to have a much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we should lessen our dependence , '' the source said .
The Spectator magazine reported last week that government work on British-Chinese relations has been brought forward as a matter of urgency , even as the rest of a foreign policy-led review of defence , security and other aspects of government business was delayed .
A second Whitehall source signalled that the article was accurate .
Asked to comment on the prospect of a China policy rethink , a government spokesperson said : `` The UK 's approach to China remains clear-eyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interests .
`` It 's always been the case that where we have concerns we raise them , and where we need to intervene we will . ''
The Spectator quoted an individual involved in the development of the new policy as saying the plan is to move the UK `` off the trajectory of ever-increasing dependence '' on China .
Another source was quoted as saying a keystone of the new approach is that we are `` prepared to take economic pain to reduce dependence on China '' .
The relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world 's largest economy this decade - remains of huge importance to the UK as it seeks new trading partners post-Brexit .
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson 's government has already demonstrated a willingness to stand up to the Communist Party more forcefully than was the case under Theresa May .
Dominic Raab , the foreign secretary , on Thursday offered to extend the visa privileges of Hong Kong residents to live and work in the UK unless China backtracks on a plan to impose a new national security law on the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei access to the UK 's 5G network is also being revisited .
Officials from the National Cyber Security Centre , a branch of GCHQ , are reviewing the impact on the plan of new US sanctions against the Chinese company .
But this technical reassessment could potentially be used as a reason to change course .
It is something that would be applauded by the US which has piled pressure on the UK to reject Huawei , but would cause significant damage to ties with Beijing .
President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the coronavirus pandemic , accusing it of cover up and delay after the first cases were identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan .
But the ruling Communist Party insists it has been open and transparent , accusing US politicians of a smear campaign .
Foreign Minister Wang Yi even said political forces in the US were trying to push the two countries into a `` new Cold War '' .
Lord Patten , the last governor of Hong Kong , and Lord Ricketts do not see China as the victim .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ global distraction of coronavirus to push forward its agenda overseas , including with the security legislation in Hong Kong .
For Joshua Wong , a pro-democracy activist in the territory , he claims the erosion of his freedoms is a sign of what liberal democracies will face from a rising China .
`` We might recognise Hong Kong as kind of a new Berlin , but whether Hong Kong is West or East Berlin is hard to say or guarantee , '' he said .
`` It really depends on how we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A former senior Western diplomat who served during the original Cold War says it is wrong to liken that period to today 's contest between the US and China .
Unlike Beijing , the former Soviet Union was behind the US on almost everything other than nuclear weapons .
It was also not integrated into the global system .
That makes any standoff with China a different scale of challenge , the former diplomat said .
Another dilemma accentuated by the pandemic is the tussle between international co-operation - such as the UN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the European Union - and nationalism , with the dominance of great powers .
The instinct of all countries to turn inwards rather than work together when the pandemic first erupted was notable , according to Lord Ricketts .
`` I think we face three to five years of a very turbulent , difficult period , where the nationalist instincts in many countries are going to be to the fore , '' he said .
`` But I hope people will draw a lesson that that 's not a good place to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get back to the kind of free movement of ideas , technology , research , of people , that has given us 70 years of growth and stability since 1945 .
`` That 's a hard lesson to learn .
But I think we 've got to learn it again . ''
This week from today to Thursday , Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After The Pandemic : Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biggest names from the worlds of culture , politics , economics , science and technology .
And you can take part too .
If you 'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts , email afterthepandemic @ sky.uk

Britain is set to rethink its policy on China as views within government appear to harden in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Whitehall sources.
It comes as former leading British diplomats warn that the coronavirus pandemic could have a lasting impact on the world order.
The crisis has already accentuated existing tensions between the two largest powers - the United States and China - they said.
It has also intensified a struggle for relevancy between global institutions like the United Nations and a trend towards nationalism, including among some liberal democracies.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 7:32 After The Pandemic: 'The world takes life way, way more seriously'
"We are at one of those watershed moments - a bit like after the Second World War," said Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser and former ambassador to France.
"What we risk is a world fractured into spheres of influence again. Clearly a Chinese sphere, an American sphere, a European sphere perhaps - rather weaker," he said.
"That is not a comfortable place for the democracies of the world who need rules of the road to trade and to operate safely from the big powers."
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:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
In the UK, there is a desire to reduce reliance on Chinese products, such as personal protective equipment, which has been in high demand during the crisis, a Whitehall source said.
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This is not just about diversifying the UK supply chain. It could also help London to call out Beijing without worrying about a Chinese product line perhaps being switched off in return.
"The thinking is that we are going to have a much more difficult relationship [with China] and we should lessen our dependence," the source said.
Image: Chinese President Xi Jinping
The Spectator magazine reported last week that government work on British-Chinese relations has been brought forward as a matter of urgency, even as the rest of a foreign policy-led review of defence, security and other aspects of government business was delayed.
A second Whitehall source signalled that the article was accurate.
Asked to comment on the prospect of a China policy rethink, a government spokesperson said: "The UK's approach to China remains clear-eyed and rooted in our values and our interests.
"It's always been the case that where we have concerns we raise them, and where we need to intervene we will."
The Spectator quoted an individual involved in the development of the new policy as saying the plan is to move the UK "off the trajectory of ever-increasing dependence" on China.
Another source was quoted as saying a keystone of the new approach is that we are "prepared to take economic pain to reduce dependence on China".
The relationship with China - on course to become the world's largest economy this decade - remains of huge importance to the UK as it seeks new trading partners post-Brexit.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has already demonstrated a willingness to stand up to the Communist Party more forcefully than was the case under Theresa May.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:03 Raab: 'We are greatly troubled'
Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, on Thursday offered to extend the visa privileges of Hong Kong residents to live and work in the UK unless China backtracks on a plan to impose a new national security law on the former British territory.
A decision to grant the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei access to the UK's 5G network is also being revisited.
Officials from the National Cyber Security Centre, a branch of GCHQ, are reviewing the impact on the plan of new US sanctions against the Chinese company.
But this technical reassessment could potentially be used as a reason to change course.
It is something that would be applauded by the US which has piled pressure on the UK to reject Huawei, but would cause significant damage to ties with Beijing.
President Donald Trump has lashed out at China over the coronavirus pandemic, accusing it of cover up and delay after the first cases were identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:54 Trump blames China for outbreak
But the ruling Communist Party insists it has been open and transparent, accusing US politicians of a smear campaign.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi even said political forces in the US were trying to push the two countries into a "new Cold War".
Lord Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, and Lord Ricketts do not see China as the victim.
Image: Anti-government demonstrators scuffle with riot police in Hong Kong
They suspect the government of using the global distraction of coronavirus to push forward its agenda overseas, including with the security legislation in Hong Kong.
For Joshua Wong, a pro-democracy activist in the territory, he claims the erosion of his freedoms is a sign of what liberal democracies will face from a rising China.
"We might recognise Hong Kong as kind of a new Berlin, but whether Hong Kong is West or East Berlin is hard to say or guarantee," he said.
"It really depends on how we can stand up and fight back."
Image: Joshua Wong is a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong
A former senior Western diplomat who served during the original Cold War says it is wrong to liken that period to today's contest between the US and China.
Unlike Beijing, the former Soviet Union was behind the US on almost everything other than nuclear weapons. It was also not integrated into the global system.
That makes any standoff with China a different scale of challenge, the former diplomat said.
Another dilemma accentuated by the pandemic is the tussle between international co-operation - such as the UN's World Health Organisation, NATO, and the European Union - and nationalism, with the dominance of great powers.
The instinct of all countries to turn inwards rather than work together when the pandemic first erupted was notable, according to Lord Ricketts.
"I think we face three to five years of a very turbulent, difficult period, where the nationalist instincts in many countries are going to be to the fore," he said.
"A lot of blame game, a lot of rivalry.
"But I hope people will draw a lesson that that's not a good place to be. And actually we do need to get back to the kind of free movement of ideas, technology, research, of people, that has given us 70 years of growth and stability since 1945.
"That's a hard lesson to learn. But I think we've got to learn it again."
Image: After The Pandemic
This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After The Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.
We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.
If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk


news--2020-06-01--Coronavirus: 'Highly variable' attendance at schools - as UK warned 'disease is not done yet'

Many parents are choosing to keep their children at home after the easing of lockdown measures - as the health secretary insists the UK is `` winning the battle against coronavirus '' .
On the day many classrooms re-opened in England , Matt Hancock said that the falling death rates mean the government has been able to make some `` cautious changes to the lockdown rules , safely and carefully '' .
He said : `` The data show that we are winning the battle against coronavirus . ''
But at the same time , he also warned : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease is not done yet . ''
Mr Hancock announced that 39,045 people had died in hospitals , care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Sunday .
It comes after Geoff Barton , general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders , said headteachers reported attendance ranges between 40 % to 70 % of eligible children on Monday .
He added that the early signs were that the picture on the wider opening of primary schools across England was `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Mr Barton said : `` School leaders are also reporting that they are seeing an increase in the number of key worker children who are attending across all year groups .
`` Schools have remained open to vulnerable and key worker children throughout the lockdown period , and as the lockdown eases , it is likely this will lead to greater demand for places .
`` This will be extremely challenging for primary schools to accommodate , particularly small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the eligible year groups . ''
School classrooms have remained quiet and shoppers are yet to return to markets as the UK takes `` tentative steps '' out of the relaxed lockdown measures .
Sky News correspondent Ashna Hurynag has visited Handcross Primary School near Haywards Heath , West Sussex , where pupils have been reunited with friends they have n't seen in 10 weeks .
She said : `` The classrooms are eerily quiet and corridors are void of hustle and bustle .
`` No such business is allowed - as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the playground to the toilets .
`` Friends that have n't seen each other in 10 weeks ca n't give each other a hug .
Play areas are cut off with tape , safety is paramount . ''
She also said there are only individual desks and separate supplies for each pupil with no sharing allowed .
Tape on the floor marks the two-metre `` safe '' route to the sink for hand-washing .
Pupils have also been sat at individual desks at Hiltingbury Infant School in Chandler 's Ford , Hampshire .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tubb visited Kirkgate market in Leeds , where the council has waived stall holder fees .
He said : `` It 's still early but there are no customers .
`` In the first hour and a half of trading after 10 weeks of lockdown , Akbar Balkhi sold just one pair of socks for £2 . ''
Ikea homeware stores have reopened in England today , with a long queue seen outside an outlet in Lakeside , Thurrock .
Protective checkout screens and sanitiser are available in stores and all payments must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and playgrounds in the chain 's outlets remain closed .
Wardens are patrolling stores and the number of customers is limited .
Speaking about the easing of the lockdown measures , Chancellor Rishi Sunak told Sky News on Monday : `` We 've got a very clear plan that we 've been sticking through throughout this whole process , and we 're now at the stage of that plan where we can get our lives a little bit more back to normal .
`` But that is n't an overnight big bang thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we are doing it in a safe and responsible way . ''
The restrictions have been relaxed as NHS England revealed the number of coronavirus-related deaths in English hospitals rose by 108 on Tuesday , with the highest number in the North East and Yorkshire where 30 deaths were recorded .
There were no deaths confirmed in the South West of the country .
There has been one more coronavirus-related death recorded in Northern Ireland since Friday , the Department of Health said , bringing the total to 524 .
Public Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing the country 's total to five .
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland has recorded one more coronavirus death , bringing its total to 2,363. Business Secretary Alok Sharma told Sky News on Monday that the lockdown in England is being eased in a `` phased manner '' .
He added : `` This is not a dash ... these are very cautious , tentative steps that we are taking .
`` The one thing that no one wants to see is a second spike . ''
The Association of Directors of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts have been `` increasingly concerned '' ministers are making the wrong decision by easing restrictions too quickly .
Parents seemingly share their concerns , with a survey suggesting 46 % of families were expected to keep pupils at home as classes open to children in reception , year one and year six in England .
ADPH president Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy said public health directors are concerned people are `` not keeping to social distancing as it was '' , with pictures emerging of crowded beaches and beauty spots over the weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are now permitted to meet outside at a distance in England , and outdoor markets and car showrooms are reopening .
Socially-distanced outdoor meetings of the same size could already take place in Northern Ireland , while in Scotland individuals can meet those from one other household in groups of up to eight .
Wales has not set a size restriction , but groups meeting outside must only be comprised of individuals from two different households .
This week from today to Thursday , Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over .
We 'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture , politics , economics , science and technology .
And you can take part too .
If you 'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts , email afterthepandemic @ sky.uk

Many parents are choosing to keep their children at home after the easing of lockdown measures - as the health secretary insists the UK is "winning the battle against coronavirus".
On the day many classrooms re-opened in England, Matt Hancock said that the falling death rates mean the government has been able to make some "cautious changes to the lockdown rules, safely and carefully".
He said: "The data show that we are winning the battle against coronavirus."
But at the same time, he also warned: "Do not step too far... the disease is not done yet."
Image: Signs are in place at Handcross Primary School to remind pupils about social distancing
Mr Hancock announced that 39,045 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Sunday.
It comes after Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said headteachers reported attendance ranges between 40% to 70% of eligible children on Monday.
He added that the early signs were that the picture on the wider opening of primary schools across England was "very mixed".
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
Mr Barton said: "School leaders are also reporting that they are seeing an increase in the number of key worker children who are attending across all year groups.
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"Schools have remained open to vulnerable and key worker children throughout the lockdown period, and as the lockdown eases, it is likely this will lead to greater demand for places.
"This will be extremely challenging for primary schools to accommodate, particularly small primary schools, in addition to bringing in the eligible year groups."
School classrooms have remained quiet and shoppers are yet to return to markets as the UK takes "tentative steps" out of the relaxed lockdown measures.
Sky News correspondent Ashna Hurynag has visited Handcross Primary School near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, where pupils have been reunited with friends they haven't seen in 10 weeks.
She said: "The classrooms are eerily quiet and corridors are void of hustle and bustle.
"No such business is allowed - as the two-metre distancing is enforced everywhere from the playground to the toilets.
"Friends that haven't seen each other in 10 weeks can't give each other a hug. Play areas are cut off with tape, safety is paramount."
Image: Parts of Handcross Primary School have been taped off as part of the measures
She also said there are only individual desks and separate supplies for each pupil with no sharing allowed.
Tape on the floor marks the two-metre "safe" route to the sink for hand-washing.
Pupils have also been sat at individual desks at Hiltingbury Infant School in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire.
Image: Pupils sit at separate desks at Hiltingbury Infant School in Hampshire
Sky's North of England correspondent Gerard Tubb visited Kirkgate market in Leeds, where the council has waived stall holder fees.
He said: "It's still early but there are no customers.
"In the first hour and a half of trading after 10 weeks of lockdown, Akbar Balkhi sold just one pair of socks for £2."
Image: Akbar Balkhi had only sold a £2 pair of socks before 10am on Monday
Ikea homeware stores have reopened in England today, with a long queue seen outside an outlet in Lakeside, Thurrock.
Protective checkout screens and sanitiser are available in stores and all payments must be made by card.
The restaurants and playgrounds in the chain's outlets remain closed.
Wardens are patrolling stores and the number of customers is limited.
Speaking about the easing of the lockdown measures, Chancellor Rishi Sunak told Sky News on Monday: "We've got a very clear plan that we've been sticking through throughout this whole process, and we're now at the stage of that plan where we can get our lives a little bit more back to normal.
"But that isn't an overnight big bang thing, its measured, its progressive, and we are doing it in a safe and responsible way."
The restrictions have been relaxed as NHS England revealed the number of coronavirus-related deaths in English hospitals rose by 108 on Tuesday, with the highest number in the North East and Yorkshire where 30 deaths were recorded.
There were no deaths confirmed in the South West of the country.
There has been one more coronavirus-related death recorded in Northern Ireland since Friday, the Department of Health said, bringing the total to 524.
Public Health Wales confirmed another five deaths on Monday bringing the country's total to five.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland has recorded one more coronavirus death, bringing its total to 2,363.
Image: A long queue formed outside Ikea in Thurrock
Business Secretary Alok Sharma told Sky News on Monday that the lockdown in England is being eased in a "phased manner".
He added: "This is not a dash... these are very cautious, tentative steps that we are taking.
"The one thing that no one wants to see is a second spike."
The Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) has warned experts have been "increasingly concerned" ministers are making the wrong decision by easing restrictions too quickly.
Parents seemingly share their concerns, with a survey suggesting 46% of families were expected to keep pupils at home as classes open to children in reception, year one and year six in England.
ADPH president Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy said public health directors are concerned people are "not keeping to social distancing as it was", with pictures emerging of crowded beaches and beauty spots over the weekend.
Groups of up to six people are now permitted to meet outside at a distance in England, and outdoor markets and car showrooms are reopening.
Socially-distanced outdoor meetings of the same size could already take place in Northern Ireland, while in Scotland individuals can meet those from one other household in groups of up to eight.
Wales has not set a size restriction, but groups meeting outside must only be comprised of individuals from two different households.
This week from today to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.
We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.
If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk


news--2020-06-01--Coronavirus: Millions of sub-standard face masks seized at Heathrow since outbreak

Millions of sub-standard face masks and thousands of fake hand sanitisers have been seized at Heathrow since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic .
Trading standards officials said there had been `` a surge in firms attempting to import sub-standard face masks '' into the UK .
At Britain 's busiest airport , a total of 2.25 million confiscated masks failed to comply with legal safety standards while 4.25 million had to undergo label amendments to rectify false details before they were released .
A further 1.5 million masks were examined , but no issues were found .
Stephen Knight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Standards ( LTS ) , said : `` There has been a surge in firms attempting to import sub-standard face masks , many with false labelling or faked safety certificates .
`` Trading standards teams are being pragmatic in seeking to let these important goods through , once misleading labelling is removed and the necessary safety compliance can be shown .
`` However , we will continue to protect consumers from unsafe goods . ''
A total of 8,000 hand sanitisers carrying the Andrex and Comfort brand names were seized after suspicions surrounding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LTS also confiscated another 4,500 hand sanitisers carrying false details .
The work by trading standards officers comes amid ongoing concern over the sale of unsafe UK-made hand sanitisers across the country following huge demand during the coronavirus pandemic .
In Ealing , 3,390 sanitisers were seized due to the absence of legally required information - while nearly 455,000 face masks with fake safety certification were confiscated .
Another 60,000 face masks were also found in Ealing to lack full safety compliance information , including from where the goods had been imported .

Millions of sub-standard face masks and thousands of fake hand sanitisers have been seized at Heathrow since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trading standards officials said there had been "a surge in firms attempting to import sub-standard face masks" into the UK.
Image: False labelling and fake safety certificates were found on items being imported into the UK
At Britain's busiest airport, a total of 2.25 million confiscated masks failed to comply with legal safety standards while 4.25 million had to undergo label amendments to rectify false details before they were released.
A further 1.5 million masks were examined, but no issues were found.
Stephen Knight, the operations director at London Trading Standards (LTS), said: "There has been a surge in firms attempting to import sub-standard face masks, many with false labelling or faked safety certificates.
"Trading standards teams are being pragmatic in seeking to let these important goods through, once misleading labelling is removed and the necessary safety compliance can be shown.
"However, we will continue to protect consumers from unsafe goods."
A total of 8,000 hand sanitisers carrying the Andrex and Comfort brand names were seized after suspicions surrounding identical packaging and labelling.
Teams from LTS also confiscated another 4,500 hand sanitisers carrying false details.
Advertisement
Image: Counterfeit hand sanitisers were seized by trading standards officials
The work by trading standards officers comes amid ongoing concern over the sale of unsafe UK-made hand sanitisers across the country following huge demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
In Ealing, 3,390 sanitisers were seized due to the absence of legally required information - while nearly 455,000 face masks with fake safety certification were confiscated.
Another 60,000 face masks were also found in Ealing to lack full safety compliance information, including from where the goods had been imported.