UK to relax travel quarantine from 10 July – as it happened

Hi, Helen Sullivan here – we’ve launched a new global coronavirus blog at the link below, where I’ll be taking you through the latest for the next few hours:

The quarantine policy for passengers arriving in England from “lower risk countries” such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany will be lifted, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

A full list of countries from which arrivals will not need to self-isolate for 14 days will be published later on Friday. The new measures come into force from July 10.

All passengers except for those in certain categories will continue to be required to provide contact information on arrival.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will set out a number of destinations which will be exempt from its policy of advising against all non-essential overseas travel.

That change will come into effect on Saturday, allowing people to take holidays overseas with regular travel insurance policies.

The DfT said the devolved administrations “will set out their own approach”, which means passengers arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland “should ensure they follow the laws and guidance which applies there”.

The quarantine policy for passengers arriving in England from “lower risk countries” such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany will be lifted, according to Sky News.

A full list of countries from which arrivals will not need to self-isolate for 14 days will be published later on Friday.

The new measures are expected to come into force from July 10.

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has told parliament of his decision to extend the deployment of 20,000 soldiers, a drop from 76,000, until September 30 to help enforce Covid-19 restrictions as the country reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases.

Ramaphosa first deployed 2,820 members of the South African National Defence Force a few days before enforcing a nationwide lockdown in late March. The number was increased to 76,000 in April as the health threat grew.

The money that will be spent on this extension is 1.5 billion rand ($88.35 million), Ramaphosa told the speaker of parliament.

At the end of March, Ramaphosa announced one of the toughest lockdowns anywhere in the world, banning anyone but essential workers from leaving home except to buy food or medicine, and prohibiting alcohol sales, when South Africa had 400 cases.

The country started slowly reopening parts of the economy from May and again in June but infection have started to spike again.

On Thursday, South Africa reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases, adding 8,728 confirmed infections and taking the total count to 168,061, according to health ministry data. Deaths rose by 95 to 2,844.

The number of deaths from coronavirus worldwide currently stands at 519,818, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The US has 128,574 fatalities, the highest of any country, followed by 61,884 in Brazil and 43,995 in the UK.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson will urge the public not to overdo it when pubs and restaurants reopen in a warning that the health of the economy “is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly”.

He will lead a press conference ahead of the easing of the lockdown in England on Saturday.

Johnson is expected to urge people to act safely or run the risk of the Government “putting on the brakes” and bringing back severe restrictions, as has been witnessed in Leicester.

He is expected to paint the easing in England as a means of supporting the livelihoods of bosses and their employees but warn “we are not out of the woods yet”.

“They are our local restaurants, hairdressers, libraries, museums, cinemas, and yes, pubs. They are also hotels, B&Bs, indeed much of our tourism industry,” he will say, according to an extract released to the media.

“All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening, to work out a way to trade in a way that keeps their customers safe.

“But the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly. We must not let them down.

“The virus is still with us and the spike in Leicester has shown that. If it starts running out of control again the Government will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and re-imposing restrictions.

“Anyone who flouts social distancing and Covid-secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal.”

Asked if Mr Johnson would be visiting a pub or restaurant on Saturday, Johnson’s spokesman said: “He’s talked about his enthusiasm for a haircut and pint previously but I don’t know exactly what he’s doing on Saturday yet.”

As Americans head into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the number of coronavirus cases is rising in 40 out of 50 states, the Associated Press reports:

An alarming 36 states are seeing an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus.

“What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a livestream with the American Medical Association.

The surge has been blamed in part on Americans not covering their faces or following other social distancing rules as states lifted their lockdowns over the past few weeks. Fauci warned that if people don’t start complying, “we’re going to be in some serious difficulty.”

The death toll in Brazil has reached 61,884, up from 60,632 yesterday, according to the country’s health ministry. That is a daily increase of 1,252.

Brazil has 1,496,858 confirmed cases of the virus, up from 1,448,753 yesterday.

Hungary will not comply with an EU recommendation to lift coronavirus travel restrictions for more countries outside the bloc, prime minister Viktor Orban said, citing a risk to health.

The 27-member EU finalised on Tuesday the list of countries where coronavirus infections were seen to be low enough to allow their citizens to enter the bloc starting on Wednesday.

“We cannot currently implement the EU’s request to allow in citizens from non-EU countries, with the exception of Serbia,” Orban said in a Facebook video message.

Hungary reopened the border with neighbouring Serbia, which has a large ethnic-Hungarian population, in May.

But lifting travel restrictions to more nations outside the EU “would go against the healthcare interests of the Hungarian people,” Orban said.

The countries that made it onto the EU list are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Japan, Georgia, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay, as well as China if it reciprocates.

A doctors’ organisation in Sierra Leone has called on medics to launch an indefinite strike in coronavirus patient care in protest at the non-payment of promised compensation and lack of resources.

The Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association, which has around 350 members, said the industrial action would be launched within 24 hours.

In a letter addressed to the government, association president Delwin Findlay also protested that authorities had bought around 30 4x4 vehicles for managers from money intended for the fight against the virus rather than drugs and equipment.

The body has proposed that doctors continue to provide care to non-Covid-19 patients during the strike.

Sierra Leone has recorded nearly 1,500 coronavirus cases with 60 deaths.

The UK government has announced that 43,995 have now died from coronavirus in hospitals, care homes and the wider community, up from 43,906 yesterday.

And 283,757 people have tested positive for Covid-19.

The leaders of some of the nation’s major business organizations have signed a letter urging the White House and the National Governors Association to establish mandatory mask guidelines.

Meanwhile, Texas governor Greg Abbott today issued an executive order requiring all Texans to wear a face mask in public spaces. Here’s the announcement from Abbott’s office:

AUSTIN - Governor Greg Abbott today issued an Executive Order requiring all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions. The Governor also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people, and making it mandatory that, with certain exceptions, people cannot be in groups larger than ten and must maintain six feet of social distancing from others.

“Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Abbott. “We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another—and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces. Likewise, large gatherings are a clear contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases. Restricting the size of groups gatherings will strengthen Texas’ ability to corral this virus and keep Texans safe. We all have a responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our communities safe. If Texans commit to wearing face coverings in public spaces and follow the best health and safety practices, we can both slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Texas open for business. I urge all Texans to wear a face covering in public, not just for their own health, but for the health of their families, friends, and for all our fellow Texans.”