Nicola Sturgeon has said the latest scientific estimates are the R rate, the rate at which Covid-19 infections are spreading in the community, has fallen in Scotland to between 0.6 to 0.8, confirming a steep decline in the number of people in hospital and deaths.
The first minister told the daily coronavirus briefing that “under that estimate we expect that the virus will continue to decline”. She cautioned that there was still a risk of a resurgence in infections, but added: “We should continue to celebrate the progress.”
As a result, she announced that workers would be allowed now to return to construction sites, while observing social distancing, but added that “we still have some way to go” before seeing building at full capacity.
In her daily summary, she announced there were five deaths of those with confirmed Covid-19, with 909 people in hospital, 78 fewer than on Wednesday. Many of the key data have fallen in Scotland to the levels of mid- to late-March, leading Sturgeon to confirm the lockdown may be eased in Scotland more quickly.
The R number in Scotland had been between 0.7 and 0.9.
And the number of infected people in Scotland last week is judged to have been 4,500.
A total of 2,439 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by five from 2,434 on Wednesday, Nicola Sturgeon has said at the Scottish government’s daily briefing.
The first minister said 15,682 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 17 from 15,665 the previous day.
There are 909 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, a fall of 78 in 24 hours.
Of these patients, 21 were in intensive care, up three.
Labour’s Steve Reed said that it was “astonishing” that two weeks after Jenrick took a decision that potentially saved Richard Desmond millions of pounds, Desmond donated £12,000 to the Conservative party. Reed went on:
This sequence of events raises grave concerns about cash for favours.
If he wants to restore trust, the secretary of state must immediately publish all documents and all correspondence related to this decision.
The public needs reassurance that the integrity of the planning process cannot be auctioned off at Conservative party fundraising dinners.
Pincher said Jenrick acted “properly and with propriety” in relation to this decision. Referring to the donation to the Conservative party, Pincher said:
The applicant, I think, has paid for tickets to a Conservative party event, that is apparently where the funds came from. Ministers have no knowledge of funds which are provided to political parties through donations or through payment for tickets - these are spendings made by donors which go to parties of all persuasions. They are declared in the proper and usual way.
None of this is known to ministers, none of it is discussed by ministers, it certainly wasn’t discussed on this occasion.
Scottish government says universal basic income 'desirable' - but only possible with UK government's support
As our colleague John Harris explained in a column last month, the coronavirus crisis has renewed interest in the merits of introducing a universal basis income. The SNP has actively been exploring the idea - Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister recently described it as an idea whose time has come - and the Scottish government had funded a modest pilot to examine the feasibility of the idea.
Its final report is now out. And the Scottish government has concluded that, although the idea is “desirable”, it would be impossible to introduce one without the support of the UK government because of the way so much welfare and tax policy is still decided in London.
Aileen Campbell, the Scottish government’s communities secretary, said:
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has exposed the shortcomings of the UK social security system and strengthened calls to further explore how a universal basic income could provide support to people and reduce poverty. We now have the perfect opportunity to take that forward.
The Scottish government agree with the report’s conclusion that while introducing a basic income pilot is desirable, it can only be done with the full cooperation and collaboration of all relevant parties, particularly the UK government. That is why I have written to UK ministers urging them to engage constructively with us on this matter and discuss next steps towards a universal basic income pilot.
This is now the time to seriously consider a basic income pilot as part of a UK-wide Covid-19 programme of support to ensure a strong and fair economic and social recovery.
The SNP’s appeal to the UK government for help implementing a universal basic income is almost certainly doomed to failure. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has repeatedly said he is not in favour (eg here).
After Boris Johnson yesterday said that all pupils would return to school in England after the summer holidays, one of the UK’s main teachers’ unions has issued what it calls a “national education recovery plan”.
The prime minister said that Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, will next week issue details of what he called “a huge amount of catch-up for pupils over the summer months”. But the National Education Union (NEU) has quickly issued its own version that looks beyond summer and the effects on English schools when the restart in September.
The NEU’s 10-point plan recommends:
Local authorities organising summer schools for pupils, with places for those eligible for free school meals paid for by the government;
Next year’s GCSE and A-level exam content should be reduced and more teacher assessment used to account for the amount of time lost by pupils this year;
A plan for “blended learning” - combining face to face and online teaching - should be developed for next year, along the lines of that proposed in Scotland;
Children and young people living in poverty and low- income homes must be given the resources they need to learn at home.
Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretaries of the NEU said in a statement:
Schools and pupils have had to adapt quickly to extraordinary circumstances. They have done this remarkably well, often with little or unclear guidance from government. This cannot happen again.
We need a clear national plan. The government must demonstrate leadership and the capacity to work with local authorities and education unions so that plans are implemented in all the regions. The NEUs 10-point plan addresses significant issues that have to be considered. These issues will need funding and planning.
We look forward to speaking to government alongside other education unions and education professionals about how we get this right, and in good time, for both the summer holidays and September. Government cannot let schools struggle through this on their own.
Airline passengers are being “strongly encouraged” not to take any hand luggage on flights as part of measures to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Travellers should check in all baggage before boarding flights, according to new Department for Transport (DfT) guidance published today.
The government urged airlines - which generally charge additional fees for putting luggage in the hold - to use “incentive policies” to minimise hand baggage.
The DfT guidance states:
You are strongly encouraged to check in baggage to the aircraft hold and minimise any hand baggage.
This will speed up boarding and disembarking, and minimise the risk of transmission.
Other advice for passengers includes wearing face coverings in airports and remaining seated as much as possible during flights.
Airlines are being encouraged to extensively clean aircraft, increase the availability of hand-washing and hand sanitiser, and reduce face-to-face interactions between staff and passengers.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said:
The government’s advice currently remains to avoid all non-essential travel, but today we are taking the necessary steps to ensure a framework is in place for the aviation industry to bounce back when it is safe for restrictions on travel to be lifted.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, which represents UK-registered carriers, said its members welcomed the new guidelines. He said:
The guidelines pave the way for the introduction of air bridges, and there is no reason we shouldn’t be getting clarity from government on when and how these will be established over the coming days.
Tim Hawkins, chief strategy officer at Manchester Airports Group, which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said:
With similar protocols being adopted in other countries, and a targeted approach to reopening travel to low-risk countries, we will have the elements in place to get our economy moving again and protect jobs throughout the whole aviation supply chain.
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, has suggested that the CBI is backing the government’s decision not to ask for an extension to the transition period.
Answering questions on Brexit talks in the House of Commons, Gove said:
I know that businesses … want uncertainty to be removed. That’s why we’re clear that we will end the transition period on the 31st of December, and it is a position that I also understand now the CBI or in favour of.
His remarks come just hours after the outgoing CBI boss Carolyn Fairbairn, whose relations with the government were severely tested over Brexit, warned that British firms could not cope with a no deal Brexit.
“The resilience of British business is absolutely on the floor,” because of Covid she told the BBC’s Simon Jack.
Explaining why the CBI has not called for an extension of the transition period, Fairbairn said on BBC’s Newsnight last week that ”business does not have any interest in delaying that because that is uncertainty magnified”.
Data from the Covid Symptom Tracker app suggests the number of new coronavirus cases in Britain has halved in a week, with fewer than 5,000 people being infected each day.
Last week, the estimate was 9,400 new infections per day, but this has been revised by scientists at King’s College London in light of the new data.
However, the data does not include figures from Northern Ireland or care homes, where the virus is still thought to be spreading, so the true rate is likely much higher.
The figures were based on close to 13,000 swabs taken between 26 May and 6 June and then extrapolated to the wider population.
Good morning. I’m Lucy Campbell, joining the blog for the rest of the day. Please feel free to get in touch to share news tips and stories we should be covering. Your thoughts are always welcome.
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