Scotland and Wales announce another 21 coronavirus deaths

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Scotland and Wales announce another 21 coronavirus deaths before latest figures for England are released

  • Figures come as Government approval ratings after Boris Johnson’s announcement this week took sharp drop
  • Opinium survey showed disapproval for the PM’s response to the outbreak is higher than approval
  • Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s plans to reopen schools faced harsh critism from unions and councils
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Jemma Carr For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

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Scotland and Wales have announced a further 21 coronavirus deaths today on the first Sunday since the draconian lockdown was eased.

Health authorities in Scotland reported nine further deaths while 12 more people have died in Wales. 

The figures follow a tumultuous week for the Government in which approval ratings took a sharp dip after Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out his strategy for lifting lockdown measures.

A new Opinium survey showed that disapproval for the PM’s response to the outbreak is now higher than approval for the very first time.

Some 39 per cent of the nation are supportive of the Government’s handling of the crisis, down nine points on the 48 per cent recorded last week, while disapproval rose from 36 per cent to 42 per cent.

Yesterday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson outlined the plans for reception, year 1 and 6 to return from June 1.

The plan faced mass criticism from from ministers, unions and local authorities alike with Labour MP Rachel Reeves stating this morning that the government ‘has got a lot more work’ to make sure parents and staff are confident about bringing students back.

Scotland and Wales have announced a further 21 coronavirus deaths today. The figures follow a tumultuous week for the Government in which approval ratings took a sharp dip after Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured) set out his strategy for lifting lockdown measures

Michael Gove today initially guaranteed the safety of returning teachers before then admitting that there will be some 'risk'

Michael Gove today initially guaranteed the safety of returning teachers before then admitting that there will be some ‘risk’

Ms Reeves said the Government has two weeks to put in place the test and trace approach, hold talks with the relevant parties and publish the science before schools are due to welcome more pupils through their gates.

She added: ‘The Government has got a lot more work to do to give that confidence that it’ll be safe to have more children coming into school in two weeks’ time.’

Schools across the UK have now been shut to the vast majority of pupils for more than six weeks

Schools across the UK have now been shut to the vast majority of pupils for more than six weeks

Countries including Denmark (pictured) have already begun reopening schools with social distancing measures in place

Countries including Denmark (pictured) have already begun reopening schools with social distancing measures in place

But Michael Gove – the Minister for the Cabinet Office – today guaranteed that teachers and pupils will be safe when schools are reopened before swiftly backtracking as he said ‘you can never eliminate risk’.

Some teaching unions are blocking the move and have said they will only budge once they are persuaded it is totally safe for teachers and children to go back to the classroom. But others have said they will recommend reopening after talks with Government experts.

Almost a third of negative coronavirus tests could be WRONG, expert warns

By VANESSA CHALMERS HEALTH REPORTER FOR MAILONLINE

Almost a third of negative coronavirus test results could be wrong, scientists say, leaving thousands believing they are virus free.

People who are wrongly told they don’t have the virus when in fact they do – called a ‘false negative’ – could be spreading the disease if they think they are safe to return to work.

False negative results would mainly be the fault of incorrect swabbing, experts say. Health chiefs have also admitted the test itself, called a PCR test, is ‘not perfect’.

Health workers are trained on how to swab a potentially infected person, while home kits come with instructions – but experts say there are bound to be mistakes.

Scientists say it is ‘dangerous’ to rely on test results to solely steer the handling of the pandemic, in which at least 34,466 Britons have died.

They argue symptoms should not be brushed aside just because a person has a negative result and they should be told to self isolate just in case. 

There have been almost 2.5million tests across the UK so far, according to the Department of Health, of which 240,161 have been positive.

Some 40 per cent of tests have been repeat tests to clarify if someone has got rid of the virus, for example when a patient leaves hospital.

Public Health England have not revealed how many test results could be incorrect.

But experts believe false negatives are in the region of 10 to 30 per cent.

 

Meanwhile, a number of local authorities have said they will not comply with Boris Johnson’s lockdown strategy and will exercise caution when it comes to reopening schools.  

Mr Gove today tried to assuage concerns as he insisted it will be safe for teachers and students before then performing a screeching U-turn and admitting there will be at least some level of risk. 

His statements come on the first weekend since lockdown measures were partially lifted, allowing Britons to travel away from their homes to enjoy the outdoors.

Britons woke up bright and early this morning to hit parks and beaches across the country before temperatures soar to 70F in Britain’s first Sunday since lockdown restrictions were eased.

While crowds of people were pictured enjoying Dorset’s picturesque coastline and Londoners took to the city’s green spaces, it appears most are heeding the stark warnings issued by rural country spots this weekend.

In Brighton, Britons were photographed taking a dip in the sea as dozens of others strolled along the clifftop at Beachy Head, near Eastbourne amid climbing temperatures – which are expected to hit 28C on Wednesday.

Several tourist boards have warned that people would be turned away if they became too busy and urged visitors to be careful and respectful of the rules.

Yesterday saw cautious Britons begin to step outside as traffic congestion data across the UK crept up by three per cent. But the predicted stampede of 15million day trippers on the first weekend since lockdown was partially lifted failed to materialise as most decided to enjoy the weather closer to home. 

The lower-than-expected numbers could have been down to ‘coronaphobia’ – the fear of travelling too far during the pandemic. 

It is unclear whether Saturday’s toe-in-the-water attitude will follow through to today, or whether braver Britons will venture further afield.  

The South Downs National Park said people must ‘observe the three Rs by exercising restraint, responsibility and respect’, and urged people to avoid popular areas and keep 2m away.