As it happened: New York imposes quarantine on hard-hit US states

1. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to quarantine people coming from hard-hit US states
2. The move comes as half of US states are seeing a surge in new cases
3. The IMF says economic activity in 2020 is likely to decline by almost 5% - almost double the April prediction
4. The UK economy may contract by 10% - but Italy, France and Spain will be worse off
5. Globally there are now 9.2 million cases and almost 477,000 deaths
6. More than 100,000 people have now died in Latin America
7. Health experts are saying infection rates still have not peaked in many countries

We’re pausing our live coverage

That’s it for our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic for today. Thanks for joining us.

We’ll be back on Thursday with more live updates from the UK and around the world.

Today's coverage was brought to you by Hamish Mackay, Claudia Allen, Joshua Nevett, Mal Siret, George Bowden, Victoria Lindrea, Hugo Bachega, Joshua Cheetham, Vanessa Buschschluter, Toby Luckhurst, Krutika Pathi, Yvette Tan and Owen Amos.

In case you missed them, these were some of the biggest developments of the day:

• The US states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced a 14-day quarantine for visitors from Covid-19 hotspots elsewhere in the country
• New Covid-19 cases in the US rose to their highest level in two months, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak
• A human trial of a vaccine against Covid-19 started at Imperial College London in the UK. About 300 people will have the vaccine over the coming weeks
• Russia held a large military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of its victory over the Nazis in World War Two, despite its rising number of coronavirus infections
• This year’s marathons in New York and Berlin were cancelled by organisers over concerns about Covid-19
• The pilots of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight that crashed last month, killing 97 people, were distracted by a conversation about Covid-19, a minister said
• The World Health Organization (WHO) said it expects to see the number of Covid-19 cases reach 10 million within the next week
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said economic activity in 2020 will probably decline by almost 5% - almost double the April prediction

Virus outbreak closes another UK food factory

Google

We reported earlier on the Welsh food factory linked to almost 100 coronavirus cases.

Now a further factory in Cambridgeshire, England, has closed for deep cleaning after 14 positive test results among staff.

Health ministers have said coronaviruses thrive in cold, damp environments and survive for longer indoors and particularly on smooth surfaces - but not food itself.

This is believed to pose a particular challenge to the food manufacturing industry. Outbreaks at food factories and wholesale food markets have also been reported in Germany and China.

Read more here.

Fancy a pint? You might need an app for that

Rory Cellan-Jones

Technology correspondent

BBC

Fancy a pint in the pub? From 4 July, you can have one - or indeed a mojito or an orange juice - in England.

But you probably won't be able to stroll up to the bar and order what you fancy.

In many places, you may find you need an app for that.

The government has published a lengthy document, giving guidance to restaurants, pubs and takeaways on all the measures they will need to take to operate safely.

You can read analysis of those measures here.

Welsh factory linked to 97 virus cases

BBC

A food factory in Wales is linked to nearly 100 cases of coronavirus.

The country's health minister has confirmed that 97 people have now tested positive after staff became ill at Rowan Foods.

One trade union has accused the company of not dealing with health and safety concerns urgently.

Two other food processing plants have had confirmed cases in Wales, with the largest number at 2 Sisters in Anglesey.

Read more here.

Footage of Russia's delayed WW2 parade

Steve Rosenberg

BBC Moscow Correspondent

Crowds gathered to watch a spectacular military display as Russia celebrated the 75th anniversary of its victory over the Nazis in World War Two.

The parade had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but President Vladimir Putin recently declared it safe to go ahead - despite the fact that the virus is still present in Russia.

Watch as thousands of soldiers marched across Red Square in Moscow.

Russia WW2 parade goes ahead despite coronavirus fears

BreakingFrench death toll rises by 11

The number of reported coronavirus deaths in France rose by 11 to 29,731 on Wednesday, down sharply from Tuesday, when the weekly data for nursing homes were included.

It is the lowest increase in Covid-19 fatalities in five days. France's death toll is the fifth-highest in the world.

'All the nurses, thank them all'

A Covid-19 patient who spent two months in intensive care thanks a nurse who helped him recover

A coronavirus patient who spent 63 days in intensive care has thanked the staff who cared for him.

Masood Khan spent weeks on a ventilator in Wakefield's Pinderfields Hospital in England, cared for by ICU nurse Jackie Wright among others, but is now beginning to recover.

"I had a tube in my throat and I couldn't speak for two months," Masood says. "It was very difficult, it was very painful."

"He was probably one of the sickest patients that we've ever had," Jackie reflects.

Jet2 and Eurostar cut summer flights and trains

SOPA Images

Demand for transport of all kinds has dropped to historic lows during the coronavirus pandemic.

In response to this dip in demand, airline Jet2 and rail firm Eurostar have said they will scale back their flights and trains this summer.

Eurostar said its train timetable would focus on routes between major cities such as London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, where demand was highest.

Eurostar's direct summer services to Lyon, Avignon and Marseilles, which were meant to start in May, will no longer run at all in 2020 or 2021.

Jet2 said it would be reducing its flying programme for 2020 and 2021, citing "complicated" challenges relating to the coronavirus crisis and "changes on an almost daily basis".

"Sadly, the overall effect of these reductions has been the need to propose a number of colleague redundancies across our business,” the airline said.

The airline is proposing to cut 102 pilot jobs, the pilots' union Balpa said on Wednesday.

Britons enjoy hottest day of the year on packed beaches

PA Media

Bournemouth beach was especially busy on Wednesday evening

People in the UK are enjoying the country's warmest day of the year so far by flocking to beaches on the south coast of England.

Pictures show busy beaches in Brighton and Bournemouth, where thousands of sun and sea enthusiasts are enjoying the exceptionally hot weather.

PA Media

Temperatures hit a high of 28C in Bournemouth - but it was hotter still in other parts of England

People in England have been able to travel across the country to spend time outdoors since last month as part of a gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Reuters

A beach in Brighton on England's south coast

Virus exploits poor government, says WHO emergency chief

Imogen Foulkes

BBC News, Geneva

The outbreak in the Americas has not yet peaked, with an increase in cases of between 25% and 50% in the last week, the head of health emergencies for the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Mike Ryan, has said.

Dr Ryan said the virus exploited "weak health systems" and "poor government", and said that for governments to understand how to tackle the outbreak, they needed to look at the actions of countries which had succeeded in suppressing transmission.

WHO emergency chief praises UK over phased easing

AFP

Dr Mike Ryan, the head of emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO), has praised the UK for the way it is easing restrictions.

He said there had been a "steady, slow and step-wise exit from lockdown conditions" in the country.

Dr Ryan said the government had communicated the changes to the population at large and to the WHO – with a consistent dialogue between the four nations of the UK over regional differences.

He said testing in the UK had now increased and the "surveillance system is capable of understand where the disease is".

His comments came after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the next level of lockdown easing would take place on 4 July, when businesses such as pubs and restaurants can reopen under government guidelines.

• Does the UK have the pandemic under control?

US states impose 14-day quarantine for visitors

The US states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will require visitors from Covid-19 hotspots elsewhere in the country to quarantine for 14 days, officials have said.

The governors of the three north-eastern states - once coronavirus hotspots themselves - announced the joint travel advisory today.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he did not want visitors from other states bringing Covid-19 in with them, because "we worked very hard to get the viral transmission down".

The quarantine rule will apply to visitors from states where 10% of the population is infected with Covid-19 on a seven-day rolling average, Mr Cuomo said.

Nine states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas, currently meet that high infection rate threshold.

The quarantine will come into effect on Thursday.

With more than 31,000 deaths and 412,000 cases to date, New York was the epicentre of the pandemic at one stage, but now other southern and western states are seeing a rise in infections.

A brief look back at Downing Street virus briefings

Covid-19: A brief look back at the government briefings

The daily Downing Street news conferences became a fixture of the UK's coronavirus coverage - and on previous days, we would have just finished one at about this time.

But now that they have been scrapped, here's a look back at the last three months' briefings.

New addition to cancelled events list: Berlin Marathon 2020

Getty Images

Around 45,000 runners usually take part in the marathon every year

Another major event has been cancelled because of the pandemic: this year's Berlin Marathon in Germany.

Organisers say the event - originally scheduled to take place on 26-27 September - will not go ahead citing Covid-19 restrictions and health concerns.

They say holding the marathon was not possible given the German government's social-distancing rules. And, following a review, they decided the event could not be held at a later date this year either.

"As hard as we have tried, it is currently not possible to organise the BMW Berlin-Marathon with its usual Berlin charm," the organisers said.

"Your health, as well as all of our health, is our first priority."

Around 45,000 runners usually take part in the marathon every year in the German capital.

Earlier, we reported that this year's marathon in New York had been scrapped also because of the pandemic.

Why vaccine trials are sensitive in Africa

Coronavirus vaccine trials in Africa: What you need to know

Scientists are scrambling to develop an effective vaccine against Covid-19, with trials taking place worldwide.

One of those trials is being carried out in South Africa, where a vaccine made by Oxford University is being tested.

Scientists say that it is vital for Africans to take part in these trials, arguing that not doing so could jeopardise efforts to find a vaccine that works across the globe.

But critics cite a history of Western exploitation of Africa and unethical drug trials in the past as a reason not to participate.

Why are vaccine trials such a sensitive issue in Africa? BBC Africa's Joice Etutu explains in the video above.

US 'working with EU' to reopen travel amid ban reports

Reuters

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was "confident" that an arrangement could be reached

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he is "confident" the US and the EU will be able to agree arrangements for the resumption of international travel.

There have been reports that the European Union could block Americans from resuming travel to EU countries because of the prevalence of coronavirus in the US.

Pompeo told reporters: "I'm confident that we'll find a set of conditions that create sufficient health and safety protection.

"We're working on finding the right way to do that, the right timing to do it, the right tactics to have in place. We certainly don't want to cause problems any place else."

We have more on the EU discussions here.

Human trial of new vaccine begins in UK

Imperial College

Volunteers have begun being immunised with a new UK coronavirus vaccine.

About 300 people will have the vaccine over the coming weeks, as part of a trial led by Prof Robin Shattock and his colleagues, at Imperial College London.

Tests on animals suggest the vaccine is safe and triggers an effective immune response.

Many traditional vaccines are based on a weakened or modified form of virus, but the Imperial vaccine is based on a new approach, using synthetic strands of genetic code, called RNA, which mimic the virus.

There are more than 120 coronavirus vaccines in early development across the world. A further 13 are now in clinical trials: five in China, three in the United States, two in the UK, one in Australia, Germany and Russia.

Vaccine teams are keen to stress that they are not in a race against each other, but against the virus.

If there are to be enough doses to protect the world, several vaccine approaches will need to be successful, writes the BBC's medical correspondent Fergus Walsh.

Coronavirus cases 'to reach 10 million' next week

Reuters

Dr Tedros said rising case numbers were a "sober reminder" of our responsibilities

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it expects to see the number of cases of Covid-19 reach 10 million within the next week.

"More than 9.1 million cases of Covid-19 have now been reported to the WHO, and more than 470,000 deaths," the health body chief, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in Geneva.

"In the first month of this outbreak, less than 10,000 cases were reported. In the last month, almost four million cases have been reported.

"We expect to reach a total of 10 million cases within the next week."

He called it a "sober reminder" of our "urgent responsibility to do everything we can... to suppress transmission and save lives".

The Americas have become the epicentre of the pandemic. Find out more about where cases are still rising.

How the pandemic is mopping up the cleaning business

Vivienne Nunis

Business reporter, BBC News

Louise Parkinson

Louise Parkinson runs a cleaning business in Chippenham, Wiltshire

Cleaners across England are facing huge financial challenges as a result of the pandemic

Since the lockdown, lots of people have stopped using cleaning services. Some simply can't afford the additional cost, while others find it too much of a disruption to have people cleaning the house while they're working and educating children from home.

And some clients are shielding or worried about the risk of catching Covid-19 from workers entering their properties.

Where the work has continued, many businesses have been left to come up with their own safety protocols.

Husband-and-wife team Liam and Louise Parkinson, who are based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, say their customer base has been reduced "from 30 customers down to one or two" becuase of the pandemic.

Cleaning staff are permitted to work in people's homes, but industry leaders say there hasn't been clear guidance from the government advising cleaners how to keep themselves and their clients safe.

"There's nothing that we can adhere to, we've just got to decide for ourselves what's appropriate," says Stephen Munton, director of the trade body the Domestic Cleaning Alliance.

"It's a huge worry."

Read more.

Indian state extends lockdown until 31 July

Getty Images

West Bengal was going to ease its lockdown on 30 June

The Indian state of West Bengal has extended its lockdown until 31 July to stem the spread of Covid-19 after a spike in infections nationwide.

The lockdown in the eastern state was supposed to expire on 30 June.

But as new infections continue to rise across the country, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, said it was necessary to keep restrictions in place to "help the entire nation".

Schools, colleges and universities would remain shut as part of the continued curbs, but some relaxations would go ahead, the minister said.

India's infections jumped by almost 16,000 to more than 456,000 on Wednesday, the highest daily rise in the country. The death toll stands at more than 14,000.

There have been 14,728 confirmed cases and 580 deaths in West Bengal.

In the capital Delhi, which reported a record daily increase on Wednesday with 3,788 new cases, soldiers have been deployed to assist medics in treating Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, our India correspondent Soutik Biswas has looked into how Asia's biggest slum contained the coronavirus.