No 10 says priority is avoiding second peak of infections when it considers easing lockdown

Some social distancing measures to stay 'for some time to come', says Sturgeon

At her daily news conference Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, said that the Scottish government would set out “towards the end of this week” a framework which will guide its lifting of lockdown measures. But she stressed that it would not amount to a firm timetable. She said:

I want to be clear, however, that the initial version of this work will not set out what measures will be lifted and when. We are simply not yet in the position to take those decisions in a properly informed way.

Sturgeon also stressed that she would not rush to remove lockdown as this could risk a resurgence of the virus, overwhelming the NHS and putting many more lives at risk. She added:

It will also be clear in the work we set out later in the week that living with this virus, as we will need to learn to do, is likely to mean some restrictions on everyday life in the form of social distancing for some time to come.

Coronavirus lockdown fines have been issued after a police helicopter was scrambled to deal with submerged boaters, the Press Association reports. Hinckley police in Leicestershire said officers were called to reports of a break-in at a boat house at 9.30pm on Saturday. The force said it found no signs of a break-in at Thornton Reservoir but spotted two men making their way across the water in a boat without a paddle. In a Facebook post, police said a helicopter was scrambled and spotted the men completely submerged in the water. After the helicopter guided officers to where the men were hidden, an ambulance was sent to the scene to “help warm the two individuals up”. The pair were subsequently issued fixed penalty notices for breaching coronavirus legislation, PA reports.

Students could be hired to help coronavirus contact tracing in Wales, says first minister

University students could be recruited to help carry out Covid-19 surveillance in Wales once the lockdown is lifted, the Welsh first minister has said.

Mark Drakeford said that after the lockdown ends it is inevitable there will be flare-ups of the virus and plans are being drawn up to carry out surveillance in the community.

Drakeford said public health officials and council officers would be used but it was clear it would need to recruit people such as students to help out.

He confirmed the Welsh government will not meet the target it has set of carrying out 9,000 tests by the end of the month, blaming in part deliveries of equipment and reagents from abroad. He said no new target would be set but military planners were now helping streamline the system.

The first minister has written to Michael Gove asking for a regular cycle of meetings between the UK government and the devolved administrations between now and the end of the current lockdown period. He said:

What I don’t want is us meeting the day before the three weeks are up ... because I think those decisions are going to be more complicated and more contentious than simply a decision to extend the lockdown.

The first minister is keen on a four nation plan on the next phase.

My own view is that moving together across the UK is the best way of doing things for Wales. If we can’t secure it and we need to make decisions for ourselves, that is what we will do.

He also suggested that the lockdown restrictions around second homes may be tightened later this week.

An “extremely well-liked and valued” NHS nurse has died after contracting Covid-19, the Press Association reports. The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) said Patrick McManus worked as a nurse for over 40 years in Staffordshire. The 60-year-old, described as “an exceptional leader” and a “loveable character”, had worked at both Staffordshire Royal Infirmary and, most recently, the County Hospital in Stafford. Paying tribute to McManus, Tracy Bullock, UHNM chief executive said:

We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of staff has passed away due to Covid-19. Patrick McManus was an extremely well-liked and valued member of the nursing team at County Hospital, Stafford ... Our deepest sympathies are with his family at this very sad time.

Downing Street lobby briefing - Summary

Here is a summary of the main points from the Downing Street lobby briefing.

The prime minister’s spokesman said that avoiding a second peak of infections was the “big concern” as ministers approached the decision about easing the lockdown. (See 12.58pm.)

The spokesman said that Boris Johnson is getting daily written updates on coronavirus policy as he recuperates at Chequers, but that he was not engaged in government work. The spokesman said:

The prime minister is continuing his recovery at Chequers. He isn’t doing government work. He has been receiving updates on the coronavirus response, and he has spoken with the first secretary of state [Dominic Raab], as well as senior members of his Number 10 team.

The spokesman said the PM would be “guided by the advice of his medical team” as to when to return to work and that Raab was deputising in his absence. Asked about the PM’s meeting with Raab and others on Friday, the spokesman said that this was a chance to update the PM, and not a decision-making meeting.

The spokesman refused to elaborate on what options for the easing of the lockdown were being considered, or over what timescale they might be implemented.

The spokesman said the government now has the capacity to carry out 36,000 coronavirus tests per day. But the latest daily figure for the number of tests carried out, in the 24 hours up to 9am yesterday, was just 21,626. More than 16,000 of those tests were carried out in NHS laboratories, and the rest by commercial partners in drive-through centres. More than 88,000 NHS and social care staff and their relatives have now been tested, the spokesman said, up from 66,000 at the end of last week.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, will hold this afternoon’s press conference, the spokesman said. Prof Dame Angela McLean, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, will also be attending.

Downing Street supports the idea of a minute’s silence for NHS workers who have died from coronavirus, the spokesman said.

The spokesman confirmed that Dominic Raab is due to deputise for Johnson at PMQs this week. But the exact details of how PMQs will work remain to be decided, he said.

The spokesman said there had been no change from last week when ministers were saying they had no plans to follow their New Zealand counterparts, who have taken a 20% pay cut.

No 10 says priority is avoiding second peak of infections when it considers easing lockdown

The daily Downing Street lobby briefing has just finished. And while the prime minister’s spokesman claimed (not entirely convincingly) that Boris Johnson is not doing any government work while he continues to recuperate at Chequers, he confirmed that the government’s priority is now to avoid a second peak - a line that Johnson reportedly stressed when he discussed the coronavirus crisis with Dominic Raab and his closest aides at the end of last week. (See 9.07am.) The spokesman said:

The big concern is a second peak. That is what ultimately will do the most damage to health and the most damage to the economy. If you move too quickly, then the virus could begin to spread exponentially again. The public will expect us to do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus and protect life.

The spokesman also reminded journalists that Raab, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, said last week that a second peak of infections would be damaging not just for people’s health, but for the economy too.

For an illustration as to what a second peak might look like, here is a graph from a paper (pdf) produced by Sage, the scientific advisory group for emergencies, for the government last month.

I will post more from the briefing shortly.