“In the past week, the number of positive cases in Preston has increased significantly and it is extremely important that we act now to prevent the situation from getting any worse.
“The evidence is clear, we all need to take extra precautions to protect our loved ones. Coronavirus affects all of communities and we all need to do our part to prevent the spread from continuing rise.
“I also want to be clear that this is affecting people from both south Asian and white ethnic backgrounds, particularly those living in poor socio-economic conditions in our city. We need to avoid mixing between households and to maintain two metre social distancing particularly in pubs and clubs.”
“The number of cases in Preston have increased rapidly in recent days leading to Government categorising the city as an area of intervention. It is also alarming to see that the under-30s are contracting it at a significant rate.
“It is clear that coronavirus is still here and we all need to work together to keep ourselves, our friends, families and communities safe from this virus.
“While some wards have recorded a higher level of cases, this remains a city-wide issue and it’s essential that we all do our part to fight the virus.
“We’re urging everyone to be diligent and follow the restrictions, in order to protect all of our residents, communities and businesses.”
“The governments of all four nations have agreed to these changes based on a shared understanding of the data.
“This is another important step in our efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, and adhering to the quarantine is a vital aspect of this.
“Imposing quarantine requirements on those arriving from another country is not a decision made lightly – but suppressing the virus and protecting public health remains our priority.”
“I want to acknowledge that the hospitality sector have been working very hard with us, they have been in partnership with us right throughout this issue and this is not a reflection on the hospitality sector, rather it’s a reflection on the fact that the R rate has risen, there is a rise in community transmission and we always said there is a need to work together to try and push that down.
“We have decided to make face masks mandatory in enclosed spaces where you can’t social distance, from Monday.
“Retail workers will not have to wear masks, it’s those people coming in to the shops that we are asking to wear masks.
“It’s about trying to give confidence to people who feel vulnerable and maybe have been shielding and we are asking the public to work with us and listen to what we are asking them to do.”
Households mixing in pubs and houses has been blamed for a rise in coronavirus cases in Preston as the city became the latest area to have local lockdown restrictions imposed.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced on Friday that households in the city will be banned from mixing indoors or in gardens.
It comes a week after the same measures were brought in for residents in Greater Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire, as well as Leicester.
Meanwhile, new rules for wearing face masks in public have come into force in England. See the full list of places you must wear one here.
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Protesters made their way along Whitehall towards Downing Street.
A blue banner reading “End NHS pay inequality, together we win” led the march.
Many were carrying placards, including one which said: “Boris remember my neighbour Lewis, what about his payrise?
“He saved your life now reward us.”
Hundreds of people have converged on central London to march for fair pay for NHS staff and recognition of their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Crowds gathered on Horse Guards Parade ahead of the protest as a samba band led people in chants of “one two three four five, keep our NHS alive”.
The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t growing overall despite a number of towns experiencing significant outbreaks.
Last month, a resurgence in Covid-19 cases saw swathes of the North West and Yorkshire put back into semi-lockdown over fears the pandemic could begin to grow out of control.
Blackburn and Darwen now has the highest rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 people according to testing carried out in the week up to August 3, followed by Oldham.
In the midlands, Leicester – which was the first place to be subject to a local lockdown – also continues to be an area of concern, although cases are declining.
Full story here.
Dorothy Kinder, 54, said residents in Preston would have to “go with the flow” where the new restrictions were concerned.
She said: “We’re in a day and age where it is about the economy and people have to go back to work.
“I wouldn’t particularly say I agree with it but we just have to go along with what we are told.”
Hannah Heaton, 28, said she thought the new restrictions brought into force in Preston were confusing.
She said: “It doesn’t make sense that you can’t go to houses but you can meet people outside or go to pubs.
“My grandparents rely on me to help them and now going to see them has been taken away from me.
“There’s nothing I can do about it.
“I think certain people haven’t been taking it seriously because they don’t think it will affect them.”
Preston residents Venkata Reddy Nallamilli, 59, and wife Padma, 48, said they did not think people had been following social distancing advice since lockdown restrictions had been eased.
Mr Nallamilli said: “After lockdown people have not been maintaining social distancing or wearing masks.
“When I go to Sainsbury’s I see people not wearing masks and the staff aren’t enforcing it.
“Some people are not taking it seriously.”
He said he used to go to the pub on a Saturday but had not been since the pandemic.
He said: “I look after my health, I don’t want to go.
“When you go to pubs, we are all together.”
Looking for a summer getaway without having to jump through hoops or potentially get in trouble with your employer when you return home? Look no further.
Below is a list of 24 countries you can visit without the need to quarantine either on arrival at your destination or when you return to England.
Thousands of Brits in Spain were dealt a huge blow when the Government announced the country was no longer exempt from quarantine measures less than five hours before they were imposed.
Then just this week, the Government announced that all holidaymakers arriving from Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas – previously given the green light for travel – must quarantine for 14 days from August 8.
Full story here.
The Philippines’ health ministry on Saturday reported 4,226 new coronavirus infections and 41 additional deaths.
In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed infections have risen to 126,885 while deaths have reached 2,209, with the bulk of cases and casualties reported in the capital.
The Philippines, with a population of 107 million, leads Southeast Asian nations in the most number of cases and is second to Indonesia in deaths.
Charlene Gardner, 38, was in Preston city centre to buy school shoes for her two children.
She said: “I was happy the restrictions were brought in because I think we do need the police to get involved.
“The pubs around us were still 30 or 40 deep outside last night.
“It won’t mean any changes for us because we haven’t been seeing family anyway but I saw some reaction online last night and I think a lot of people aren’t going to listen to it.”
In Preston on Saturday morning, many people on shopping street Fishergate were wearing masks.
One man with a stand selling face masks, who did not want to be named, said the city was less busy than the previous weekend.
But he said he did not think people were taking restrictions seriously.
He said: “You see the older people wearing masks but the younger ones don’t.
“The problem is in the pubs and they don’t wear masks there.”
The Tyne and Wear Metro has been given another £8.5 million from the government to keep trains running as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit passenger numbers.
The cash, a third round of support confirmed by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, is expected to prop up the struggling network until the end of October.
However, the 12-week grant is not the guaranteed long-term package of funding that North East transport chiefs were hopeful of securing just last week.
At the height of the coronavirus lockdown, Metro was losing around £1 million a week as passenger numbers plummeted by up to 95%.
Full story here.
People must wear face masks in even more places after the Government expanded its list of places where face coverings are mandatory.
Shoppers faced hefty fines from July 24 if they didn’t wear them inside stores and supermarkets, while they already had to be worn on public transport.
The coverings were made compulsory – unless their was a medical exemption – in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus.
But now the list has been expanded to include more places.
View the list here.
The North East is just a small step away from a serious new outbreak of Covid-19, Newcastle’s public health chief has warned.
Prof Eugene Milne has urged people not to become complacent in combating the virus, after figures were revealed showing our region is thought to have the lowest R rate of infection in the country.
The public health expert has reiterated that “we are by no means in the clear” of the pandemic crisis and that the prospect remains of local councils having to re-impose strict lockdown measures.
Tougher restrictions were brought in for people in Greater Manchester, as well as parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire, last week after a spike in coronavirus cases.
Full story here.
The chief executive of Preston City Council has deployed a “don’t kill granny” message to young people to slow the spread of coronavirus after the area had lockdown restrictions reimposed.
Adrian Phillips told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I know our director of public health has said ‘don’t kill granny’ to young people to try and focus the message.
“Young people are inevitably among the brave and the bold, they want to be adventurous and out and about but we know that they have the virus, are more likely to at the moment, they often have less symptoms but they do take it back to their household and the community spread we are seeing we believe in many cases are young people taking it home and catching the virus.
“We’re going to have to repeat it and whether Radio 4 is the correct channel for that I’m not quite sure but we’re using multiple channels and we’re working with community groups who are doing peer to peer comms around.
“It’s just trying so many different ways to get the message to all communities, to all areas of our city that the virus is still something to be really wary of.”
He also backed the Local Government Association’s call for councils to have greater powers to close pubs to slow the spread of the pandemic.
“You need responsive powers,” he said. “It is useful to have something that can move quickly and we can make it entirely clear to the licensee or the operator what the consequences are.”
Here is a round-up of today’s stories:
Check the coronavirus picture near you by entering your postcode below
The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t growing overall despite a number of towns experiencing significant outbreaks.
Last month, a resurgence in Covid-19 cases saw swathes of the North West and Yorkshire put back into semi-lockdown over fears the pandemic could begin to grow out of control.
Blackburn and Darwen now has the highest rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 people according to testing carried out in the week up to August 3, followed by Oldham.
In the midlands, Leicester – which was the first place to be subject to a local lockdown – also continues to be an area of concern, although cases are declining.
But, according to new reproduction (R) rate estimates published by the Government, the pandemic is thought to be between 0.8 and 1.
Full story here.
The GAA has suspended all activity in counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly from midnight tonight in line with new restrictions announced by Government to stem the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement, the GAA said the suspension on activities covers all collective training, matches, in-person meetings and camps.
“GAA grounds and facilities in the affected counties should remain closed until further notice,” it said.
“The position will be reviewed by our Gaelic games Covid-19 advisory group next Monday, after which further advice will be issued to clubs in the affected counties.
“The GAA, An Cumann Camogiochta and LGFA encourages all members nationwide to continue to follow public health advice, and in counties where activity is still permitted, to follow Gaelic games return-to-play protocols.”
The upcoming series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! will be filmed in the UK instead of Australia and will be broadcast live every night from a ruined castle in the countryside, ITV has confirmed.
Ant and Dec will host the series as celebrities undertake gruelling trials and challenges to win food and treats in the lead-up to one of them being crowned King or Queen of the Castle, rather than of the jungle.
Kevin Lygo, ITV’s director of television, said: “We announced last week that we were doing all we could to make the series and I’m thrilled that we can bring the show to viewers, albeit not in the jungle.
Full story here.
This is what going to a gig will look like in the ‘new normal’.
The world’s first socially distanced gig venue is currently being constructed in Gosforth Park.
Across August and September, huge names such as The Libertines, Maximo Park and music legend Van Morrison will play to crowds of up to 2,500 fans at what has been christened the Virgin Money Unity Arena.
But in the era of Covid-19, there will certainly be no mosh pits as fans are socially distanced on metal platforms.
Full story here.
With live comedy making a return to Newcastle, fans – long overdue a chance to chill out, watch a show and have a laugh – will be keen to know how it will work.
So, ahead of a big comedy session, The Stand in Newcastle has shown them just that in a video tour through the club which is set to take the edge off any concerns.
And, with social distancing high on the bill, the club is all set to have a laugh again this weekend with comic Carl Hutchinson who is performing a whopping six shows over two days.
Full story here.
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The Prime Minister is facing calls to “set the record straight” over Dominic Cummings did not make a second trip to Durham during lockdown.
Boris Johnson’s influential advisor admitted travelling to his family home in Barnard Castle, seemingly against Government advice.
Now Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has called on Downing Street to publish the evidence the adviser says he has to show he did not make the additional journey during the peak of the coronavirus crisis.
Dave and Clare Edwards, a couple who say they saw Mr Cummings walking in Houghall Woods on April 19, the weekend after he had returned to work in London, have criticised Durham police’s investigation into the adviser.
Full story here.
The French government says it has recorded 2,288 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours which is up 684 cases from yesterday.