Covid-19: England's schools closed until March, and EU demands vaccine from UK plants
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday evening. We'll have another update for you on Thursday morning.
1. England's schools won't reopen before March
The prime minister says 8 March is the "earliest" that schools in England could begin to reopen to all pupils. Speaking at a Downing Street briefing, Boris Johnson said he wanted a "cautious" approach to relaxing restrictions to ensure there would be no accompanying "surge" in coronavirus infections. He said he hoped other lockdown restrictions could begin to be gradually eased after schools reopened, adding that he intended to set out his "roadmap" in the final week of February which would allow people to "steadily reclaim our lives". Read about the plans for schools in the rest of the UK here.
2. Travellers 'must prove they're not going on holiday'
People wishing to travel abroad from the UK will be required to fill in a form explaining why their trip is necessary, the home secretary has said, with enforcement stepped up at airports to prevent people going on holiday. Priti Patel also confirmed British residents arriving in England from Covid hotspots will have to quarantine in hotels for 10 days, at their own expense. The measures will apply to people coming from most of South America, southern Africa and Portugal, amid concern over new variants of the virus. The Scottish and Welsh governments have said they are concerned the rules don't go far enough.
3. EU demands UK-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses
The latest twist in the row between the EU and pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca over shortages has seen the EU urge the vaccine maker to supply it with more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine from UK plants. The bloc said UK factories, which have not experienced production problems, were part of AstraZeneca's deal to deliver 300 million doses. The company reportedly said last week the EU would get 60% fewer doses than promised in the first quarter of 2021, citing production issues at a Belgian plant.
4. Some symptoms 'more common' with UK variant
A cough, fatigue, a sore throat and muscle pain may be more common in people who test positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus. The findings come from a study by the Office for National Statistics based on positive tests from a random sample of 6,000 people in England. It also suggests that loss of taste and smell may be slightly less likely to affect those with the new form of the virus - although it is still one of the three main symptoms of the virus.
5. Patient discharged after 306 days in hospital
Geoff Woolf, 74, is settling back into life at his home in north London after 10 months - or 306 days - in hospital. He is believed to have spent one of the longest periods in hospital of any coronavirus patient before being discharged. Read about how Geoff, despite his three sons being called into the hospital to say goodbye, defied the odds to return home.
Nicky WoolfAnd don't forget...
You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
A growing number of people in the UK have received a Covid vaccination, we take a look at whether those who have had the jab still need to follow the rules.
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