This was our coronavirus live blog for Friday, May 15, 2020. For Saturday's live blog, see here
A KFC in Cheltenham has reopened for drive-through service and takeways, as has a Burger King in Gloucester.
Nationally, Public Health England has approved a new antibody test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past.
The health officials said the antibody test, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, was a “very positive development” after experts at its Porton Down facility gave it the green light.
In Gloucestershire, according to the latest figures published by Public Health England on Friday there have been 214 deaths of people who had tested positive for coronavirus with no new deaths in the past 48 hours.
Of those who died, 184 were being treated at Gloucestershire Hospitals while 30 were being cared for through Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Gloucestershire remains at 1,334 according to figures released on Friday the same as yesterday.
In the UK, there have been 236,711 positive cases of Covid-19 reported on Friday afternoon. There have been 33,998 have sadly died - an increase of 384 on yesterday.
Updates as they happen in Gloucestershire and the UK in the blog below.
Key Events
Matt Hancock: all care home residents and staff now being tested
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said all care home residents and staff in England are now being tested for coronavirus.
“This is the most intense support and scrutiny that care homes have ever received,” he said.
Latest shopping rules at Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Waitrose, Co-op, Sainsbury's and Iceland
Supermarkets across the UK have updated their rules this week at the same time as new Government changes to lockdown conditions in England.
Morrisons has introduced new rules which make it quicker and easier for people to shop, and Tesco has changed the rules around its Clubcards.
No new deaths and no new cases recorded in Gloucestershire
In Gloucestershire, according to the latest figures published by Public Health England on Friday there have been 214 deaths of people who had tested positive for coronavirus with no new deaths in the past 48 hours.
Of those who died, 184 were being treated at Gloucestershire Hospitals while 30 were being cared for through Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Gloucestershire remains at 1,334 according to figures released on Friday the same as yesterday.
Latest UK figures published
Latest from Department of Health and Social Security
As of 9am 15 May, there have been 2,353,078 tests, with 133,784 tests on 14 May. 1,663,492 people have been tested of which 236,711 tested positive.
As of 5pm on 14 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 33,998 have sadly died - an increase of 384
Police: you could be fined for making non-essential journey to Wales
Gloucestershire police is asking the public to continue to act responsibly this weekend following the easing of Government regulations this week.
Police are urging people to ensure they still follow national guidance as they are allowed to spend much more time outdoors.
Officers have made it clear that they can only enforce the law and not the Government guidance. This means they cannot enforce social distancing, wearing of masks or avoiding public transport.
However, police still have a role where people are gathering in groups with those not in their household, as this is not legally permitted in the regulations.
This also includes dealing with anyone who has left their house for one of the reasons not designated as a reasonable excuse, such as:
- To go on holiday, including to visit and stay overnight at a holiday home or second home;
- To visit the homes of friends and family (exceptions include to protect a vulnerable person, for medical purposes or to escape risk of harm).
As a result of the different restrictions in place across the Welsh border, the public are also being reminded that anyone making a non-essential journey from England into Wales may be fined.
Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said:
I would like to thank all those who have responded to the extraordinary restrictions placed on them as part of the national effort to save lives.
The efforts of the public mean police officers have rarely had to enforce the Government regulations. We are confident the vast majority will continue to do their bit and follow guidance in this next stage.
Police officers have been engaging with the public and explaining that following the regulations helps to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives. We will use common sense and discretion to determine what’s reasonable. Officers will engage, explain, encourage and, only as a last resort, enforce.
Our officers are working hard to keep us all safe from the full range of crimes in what remain challenging circumstances, so we would ask everyone to work with us and remember that, if you need our help, we are here for you.
Aldi warning over 'free £250 voucher' scam designed to steal personal details
Victims were told they could get a ‘free Aldi coupon’ by visiting a seemingly innocent Aldi page, and then providing their personal details.
Aldi told the Mirror it is not currently running a £250 coupon promotion in a warning to shoppers.
An Aldi spokesperson said:
The vouchers being circulated online are fraudulent. We advise customers to ignore these adverts and not to share any personal information.
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Gloucester's Coronavirus mobile testing unit to stay open for another week
Gloucester’s temporary mobile Coronavirus testing unit will remain in place for a further week.
The centre, based at Oxstalls Tennis Centre, in Longlevens, had initially been due to close on Tuesday, May 12, but its stay has been extended twice.
It will now remain in place until the end of Thursday, May 21 – meaning it will have been operational for two weeks.
A high number of Coronavirus tests have been carried out at the site, with 242 undertaken on Thursday, May 14.
For the full story, click here.
William Hill will begin to reopen its UK betting shops in the second half of the year
The betting giant revealed it would start a “staged opening” from July.
Chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson said:
We remain focused on player safety, employing ever more customer protection. We are taking care of our teams, securing as many employment opportunities as possible and we are ready to power up the business as soon as Covid-19 restrictions permit
Fosse Cross household recycling centre in Cirencester to reopen next week
The Household Recycling Centre (HRC) at Fosse Cross, near Cirencester will re-open next week for pre-booked visits only, the county council has said.
It said in a statement:
This week the two largest sites in the county at Hempsted in Gloucester and Wingmoor Farm at Stoke Orchard re-opened for essential visits only with all trips needing to be booked in advance.
Next week, from Monday 18 May, the HRC at Fosse Cross near Cirencester will re-open. Social distancing measures will be in place to help keep visitors and staff safe and crucially anyone with covid-19 symptoms and those in self-isolating households MUST NOT visit.
To limit the number of people on-site at Fosse Cross pre-booking will be required and vehicles should only have drivers wherever possible – a maximum of one passenger is permitted if you need help to unload your waste and recycling.
The booking system has a limited number of timed slots available each day for visitors to select and only a 7 day window will be available to book at any one time. Bookings can only be made online.
Visitors are asked to only bring to site what they can safely unload themselves as site staff need to social distance so will not be able to help with unloading.
The re-use shop is closed and some recycling bins may be unavailable. For an up to date list of materials which can be accepted at the site please refer online to Gloucestershire Recycles.
As part of the phased re-opening of the county’s HRCs, plans for the safe operation of the remaining sites at Oak Quarry near Coleford and Pyke Quarry, Horsley are underway with the aim of re-opening them by the end of May.
Everyone should keep using their kerbside waste collection service, which the local councils are working hard to keep running, for their recycling, garden and food waste and general waste.
Covid-19 mobile testing unit to stay in Gloucester for longer due to high demand
The mobile testing unit for coronavirus at Oxstalls Tennis Centre in Gloucester has been extended to run until Thursday 21 May.
Demand has been high, with 242 tests carried out yesterday.
Coastguard warning
HM Coastguard is asking everyone to take extra care in these extraordinary times and released the following statement this morning:
With significant numbers of people expected to take to the water this weekend in England, HM Coastguard is asking everyone to take extra care in extraordinary times.
Boating, swimming and other sea-based activities are now allowed once again in England under the new Government guidelines, but, now more than ever people need to respect the coastline.
In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales the lockdown remains and people should continue to follow the guidance to stay home.
Swimming in the sea is now allowed as daily exercise in England along with paddle boarding, surfing, windsurfing, rowing, kayaking and canoeing. Sailing and owners of private boats may also go out onto the water.
But while people are allowed to go out on and in the water, they need to make sure they are safe and protected. Those with private boats and yachts should carry out all the usual safety checks and make sure they have a way to contact HM Coastguard if they get into difficulty, as should everyone visiting the coast and beaches.
In addition, the Government guidelines around social distancing should continue to be observed by everyone in the UK.
Claire Hughes, director of HM Coastguard said: ‘In England, now more than ever, people need to respect the sea and the coast. Whether you’re local or not, whatever your ability or experience in your chosen sport or leisure activity, the sea can still catch you out and be unmerciful when it does.’
‘The majority of beaches will not be lifeguarded. If you get into trouble call 999 and ask for the Coastguard and we will come to your aid. But coronavirus hasn’t gone away and we all need to follow the rules. Remember your choices might put people, including yourself and frontline responders, at risk. Take extra care in these extraordinary times.
Dr Hilary: Children less likely to transmit Covid-19 than others
Dr Hilary Jones has said that children are ‘less likely to transmit coronavirus than others’.
The healthcare specialist told Good Morning Britain viewers that there is strong evidence to suggest that children ‘are more resilient to the virus’.
It comes as schools across the UK are set to re-open on June 1 under part of the government’s plan to further ease lockdown restrictions.
Book intercity tickets or risk not boarding train
Rail passengers have been told they may be prevented from boarding intercity trains without a reservation as part of social distancing measures.
Avanti West Coast, which operates Anglo-Scottish services on the West Coast Main Line, said the capacity of its trains will be limited to around a quarter of normal levels.
Phil Whittingham, managing directorof Avanti West Coast, said:
We’re appealing to our valued customers to help us and other passengers by only travelling with a reservation.
If everyone does this, we’ll be able to keep social distancing in place on board, both for our customers and our people.
If customers do turn up without a reservation, we’ll do our best to help but we can’t guarantee they’ll be able to take the train they want.
National Express starts selling tickets
National Express has started selling UK tickets for a “core coach network” and plans to restart services on July 1, it said today.
Education Secretary explains why children are going back to school in England
Education union leaders will today meet with the Chief Medical Officer and other experts to hear reasons for the Government’s push to reopen schools in England from June 1.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has said why he is pushing for children in England to return to school from June 1.
Writing in the Daily Mail, he has offered reasons for the move, and says he has arranged today’s meeting to brief teachers’ representatives on “the scientific advice underpinning our approach”.
“The best place for youngsters to learn is in school and I have wanted to get more children back there as soon as possible,” he wrote, saying while parents had done a good job in helping children learn, “nothing can take the place of a teacher”.
More here
More than a quarter who died in hospital with Covid-19 had diabetes
More than a quarter of NHS patients who died in hospitals in England after contracting coronavirus had diabetes, figures show.
Of the 22,332 patients who have died in England’s hospitals since March 31, when pre-existing conditions began to be recorded, some 5,873 (26%) had diabetes.
Published on Thursday, it is the first time NHS England has included a breakdown of deaths by pre-existing conditions in its statistics.
Key dates for everything reopening in England
The first stage of easing lockdown has begun and there are more key dates when, hopefully, things will start to get a bit more back to normal.
From this week we have been able to take unlimited exercise - including angling, golf and tennis - and meet with friends or relatives in parks if we stay at least two metres apart.
Garden centres have reopened, fast food outlets are opening most of their venues for drive-thru and takeaways.
Childminders and nannies are now back in business.
The rules also now allow for unlimited travel, return to work, sunbathing and even buying a house and moving in, reports PlymouthLive.
Visit here for the key lockdown-easing dates set out by the Government for getting England out of lockdown
Grant Shapps: People have 'civic duty' to avoid public transport during coronavirus pandemic
Grant Shapps said people had a “civic duty” to avoid public transport if at all possible during the coronavirus crisis.
At the Downing Street press conference yesterday, the UK Transport Secretary said the lockdown had been used to carry out a range of maintenance projects on the road and rail networks, and set out plans for nearly £2 billion of extra spending.
Last Saturday, I explained why it’s our civic duty to avoid public transport if at all possible because even when we have 100 per cent of the services up and running, there may only be socially distant space available for one in ten passengers.
He added:
We’re asking the public to help ensure that the transport system does not become significantly overwhelmed by returning commuters.
The guidance makes it clear that if you can’t walk or cycle and you do have access to a car please use it rather than travelling by bus, train or tram, especially where public transport is liable to be overcrowded.
How the coronavirus antibody test works
Roche, the pharmaceutical giant, has developed a test which can tell whether somebody has ever had coronavirus.
The test involves taking a small sample of blood and testing it for antibodies which will indicate exposure to coronavirus.
Public Health England (PHE) has evaluated the new Roche test and has approved it as being safe and reliable for widespread use.
To find out more about how it works, visit here
