Coronavirus: Obama pays tribute to pandemic graduating class

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One of the world’s most renowned gardening events, the Chelsea Flower Show, returns next week.

The full-scale outdoors event in west London has been cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. But the 2020 show will take place virtually.

It will feature daily tips from leading experts, while gardening personality will provide a tour of their own private gardens.

“School gardening clubs” will also take place to provide activities for families to garden together.

The charity said it hoped it would “inspire more people to get growing” during lockdown.

Sophie Raworth and Joe Swift will lead the BBC’s build-up and coverage, which begins later today and runs until 24 May.

Garden centres are some of the very few stores to have reopened in England and Wales since lockdown began – here’s why.

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The eyes of the football world have been trained on Germany this weekend as the first major European league resumes under new protocols.

So how has it changed?

• Goals were celebrated with elbow bumps
• Players arrived in several buses to maintain social distancing
• Footballs were disinfected by ball boys during the game
• Substitutes and coaches wore masks and sat apart on the bench
• Teams were allowed to use five substitutes in a game

A small number of people were allowed to attend, including journalists.

German football expert Constantin Eckner watched Eintracht Frankfurt’s 3-1 defeat by Borussia Monchengladbach for BBC Sport, describing the atmosphere as “bizarre” and “chastened”.

“As sophisticated as the Bundesliga’s hygiene protocol might be, it still has its weak points because some precautions are seemingly only for show,” he added.

We’ve got more on the new reality of professional football.

A few minutes ago we gave you a round-up of the latest news in the UK. Now here’s a look at what’s been happening around the world:

• Spain, one of the countries worst hit by coronavirus, recorded 87 deaths in the past 24 hours – the first drop under 100 since the lockdown began there in mid-March
• Worshippers in some countries, including Greece and Australia, have been able to attend church services for the first time in weeks
• The chief executive of London’s Heathrow Airport has called on the British government to ease restrictions on civil aviation in order to rebuild the economy after the lockdown
• Germany’s Bundesliga resumed on Saturday, becoming the first major European league to return to action since lockdown restrictions began

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Filming has been paused on TV programmes around the world due to the coronavirus crisis.

But the cast of BBC police drama Line of Duty has been back in character this week – shooting a short promotional video for charity while properly observing social distancing.

Actor Vicky McClure and writer Jed Mercurio have told us how that came about and commented on what’s next for the show as lockdown continues.

Good afternoon if you’re joining us in the UK!

It’s meant to be a nice day out there – we hope you’re making the most of it as we continue to bring you the latest news on the pandemic.

This is what’s been happening so far:

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged frustration over the “complex” easing of England’s lockdown, writing in the Mail on Sunday that more complicated messages were needed during the next phase
• Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said he was confident children and teachers would be safe when schools return in England – but any reopening would be “staged and careful”
• The World Health Organization’s chief scientist said children didn’t seem to be getting severely ill from Covid-19, but there was less data on how effectively they spread the virus to others
• A business lobby group has expressed concerns about potential plans to bring in a 14-day quarantine for those arriving in the UK via air
• The UK economy is now over “the worst” of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and is entering a recovery phase as restrictions are loosened, the head of the Office for Budget Responsibility has said

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Author Neil Gaiman has admitted breaking Scotland’s lockdown rules by travelling 12,000 miles (19,000km) from New Zealand to his holiday home on Skye.

The Good Omens and American Gods writer said he left his wife and four-year-old son in Auckland so he could “isolate” at his Scottish island retreat.

He wrote on his blog that until two weeks ago he had been living in New Zealand with his family but the couple agreed “that we needed to give each other some space”.

The science fiction and fantasy author has since been criticised for “endangering local people” and for heading to Skye from overseas when tourists and second-home owners were being urged to stay away.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who is the MP for the island, said: “What is it about people, when they know we are in the middle of lockdown that they think they can come here from the other side of the planet, in turn endangering local people from exposure to this infection that they could have picked up at any step of the way?”

Professional football clubs in England may not be able to take to the pitch at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped them making a difference off it.

Many have taken to calling vulnerable or elderly supporters to check on them during lockdown.

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, and big Baggies fan, Adrian Chiles has shared his experiences of calling West Brom supporters, while the likes of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen have also surprised fans with phone calls.

Most Premier League clubs have set up community initiatives at what is a difficult time for a lot of their followers, with Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Norwich City and Wolves among those to get in touch with elderly fans.

Find out what every Premier League team is doing.

Hello hello!

HussainCopyright: Hussain

In March, before the UK lockdown began, the Hussain family held a big funeral in Bradford’s central mosque.

Tragically, many mourners fell ill with Covid-19, including the dead man’s son, Mohammed. But while three family members died, Mohammed eventually pulled through.

Prof John Wright, at doctor at the Bradford Royal Infirmary who has been keeping a diary for the BBC during the pandemic, has written about Mohammed’s experience in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Sarah Rainsford

BBC Moscow Correspondent

The health minister of Dagestan has revealed
that 40 frontline healthcare workers have died in the Russian
republic since the start of the outbreak, which he called a tragedy.

Officially, just 27 people have died of
the virus there, but Dzhamaludin Gadzhiibragimov told an independent
blogger 657 patients had died of community-acquired
pneumonia in the same period. They had symptoms of Covid-19, but no
positive test result.

The interview comes amid concerns that Russia
as a whole has been playing down the true impact of coronavirus, which
officials in Moscow have denied.

Earlier this month, a group of doctors wrote to
President Vladimir Putin warning that the under-reporting of the epidemic was angering
people in Dagestan. They complained that officials were more concerned about
looking good to Moscow than working to protect lives.

Civil society groups
also warned that people were dying in their villages without making it to
hospital, and so going undiagnosed.

The health minister offered few explanations
for the scale of the crisis. But he insisted that hospitals in Dagestan now
have personal protective equipment and spare beds, and that there were some signs the
situation was stabilising.

There is a great
deal of clinical evidence that shows children tend not to become
severely ill from Covid-19.

A few days ago, the Office for National Statistics published the first results of a survey of coronavirus tests on a
representative sample of the population in England.

It showed that children are
just as likely to get the virus as any other age group.

The critical question,
therefore, is how likely are they to spread it – and so far scientists simply
don’t know.

The very early data from countries which have reopened schools to a
degree indicate that they haven’t become infection hotspots. But it’s early
days and the data is currently too scant to give definitive
reassurances that children don’t pass on the infection.

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Face masks have become a necessity during the coronavirus outbreak and now the fashion world is ensuring that they become trendy.

With masks advised for the foreseeable future, people are finding ways to incorporate them into their outfits.

“Everyone is on it right now including designers. It’s a necessary fashion statement right now,” says Angel Obasi who runs the Instagram account Styleconnaisseur.

High-profile figures, like the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova have also started to match their masks to their outfits.

With the trend rising, many fashion designers are taking note and now creating their own matching outfits.

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Popping to the nearby osteria or trattoria is a way of life for many Italians. Sitting on a table tightly packed next to another, eating local dishes and watching the world go by.

Since lockdown, Italians – and the millions of tourists who usually flock to the Mediterranean country – have not been able to enjoy that pleasure.

But from Monday, they will be able to visit restaurants again – albeit in a very different way.

Restaurants will only be able to host reduced numbers, with tables forced to be further apart and plastic shields needed to separate customers.

Sipping an espresso on a pavement is also confined to the past for now. Cafes are also having to use plexiglass separators to provide a takeaway service.

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Lockdown measures have been eased across England after more than seven weeks of restrictions – but how could everyday life change?

Two people from different households in England can now meet in outdoor settings, such as parks, as long as they stay more than two metres (six feet) apart.

People can also spend unlimited time outdoors “for leisure purposes”, including sunbathing and exercise.

Read more about the lockdown restrictions in England.

We’ve also got guides on the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Because Covid-19 is a new respiratory virus, scientists and governments all around the world are trying to work out the best way to fight it. Vaccine development is underway but for now they say the best protection is thought to be regular and thorough handwashing.

You should also:

• Avoid contact with people who are unwell
• Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissue
• Throw away any used tissues and wash your hands
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

Many places are also recommending and implementing social-distancing measures.

You can read the latest UK advice here. And click here to find out more about the symptoms and how to protect yourself.

@telfordcopsCopyright: @telfordcops

A group of about 70 people gathered in a park in England for a “rave” on Saturday – flouting lockdown rules and telling police they were “sick of self-isolation”.

West Mercia Police said a DJ had set up for the party at Granville Country Park in Telford, Shropshire. The group were dispersed by officers.

“We’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much and this group decide it doesn’t apply,” one officer said.

Although lockdown restrictions have been eased slightly in England, people are still not allowed to gather in groups of more than two, except with members of their household.

Reopening schools and the economic impact of the pandemic were among the issues discussed on the UK’s political programmes this morning.

Here’s a quick recap of the key points covered:

• Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said he was confident children and teachers would be safe when schools return in England – but any reopening would be “staged and careful”
• Gove also defended the government’s record on care homes, saying it had “significantly” increased testing
• Meanwhile, Labour’s Rachel Reeves called on the government to work with teachers, parents and unions to reopen schools safely
• The World Health Organization’s chief scientist said children didn’t seem to be getting severely ill from Covid-19, but there was less data on how effectively they spread the virus to others
• The UK is now over the worst of the economic impact of the pandemic, according to the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility. But he warned a key issue would be whether the economy is “permanently scarred”
• The head of the CBI said businesses were “really worried” about plans to bring in a 14-day quarantine for those arriving in the UK by air and the government should think “very carefully” about how this might be introduced
• The chief executive of London’s Heathrow Airport has also raised concerns, saying the measure can’t be in place for long if the UK is going to get its economy moving again

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Government draft plans for relaxing lockdown restrictions in South Africa would allow the alcohol trade to operate from Monday to Wednesday between 08:00 and 12:00.

However, the Liquor Traders’ Association of South Africa, expecting a boom in demand, has expressed concerns that it will be difficult to maintain social distancing in stores with such a limited schedule.

It suggests extending opening hours from Monday to Saturday and also a system based on customers’ surnames, with the first letter dictating on which days of the week they are allowed to buy alcohol.

Under its recommendations, anyone whose surname starts with a letter between A and M could buy alcohol on Mondays and Wednesdays and people whose surnames begin with letters N to Z could do so on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

There would be no restrictions on Fridays and Saturdays. All customers would have to show identification to prove they meet the criteria.

But no decision has been made yet.

Cheers!

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Plans are being made for how schools in England will start to reopen next month.

However, there is disagreement over whether children will be returning too soon and how schools can be made safe.

From smaller class sizes to staggered break times our education team has looked at how children could return to classrooms.

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Worshippers in Greece have been able to attend church services for the first time in weeks as a ban on mass gatherings has been eased. On Sunday, some churches replaced pews with chairs spaced two metres (six feet) apart.

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Religious services have also resumed in parts of Australia. In New South Wales, up to 10 people are now allowed to worship. But the live streaming of religious services continues as many churches as well as synagogues and mosques have decided to stay closed.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

And in France, if you can’t go to Mass you can at least drive to it. What is believed to be the first ever drive-in Mass has been held in Châlons-en-Champagne in the north-east of the country.

Donna DuffyCopyright: Donna Duffy

Donna Duffy’s father John turned 70 last November. He has had dementia for 16 years and for the past two has been a resident at Brooklands Care Home in West Belfast.

Between Donna and her sister and mother, someone would visit John every day, sometimes twice a day, but that all stopped on 12 March.

On that day, the Department of Health published guidance saying there was not a blanket ban on visiting, because of the important role it plays in mental health for all concerned, but people should follow localised guidelines.

The owners of Brooklands Care Home, Conway Group Healthcare, said “the decision to suspend visiting, was certainly not a decision that was taken lightly” but “one of many necessary actions to attempt to prevent the spread of the virus”.

John doesn’t understand why his family is not coming in anymore, and Donna says tears have trailed down his face when they’re video-calling him.

“He has dementia, so he couldn’t understand what was happening on the outside, he doesn’t have the cognitive ability,” she said.

“We as a family knew the home would be closing, but we just would have liked time to prepare daddy.”

Read more of Donna and John’s story here.