Sheffield news LIVE: UK records over 5,000 coronavirus cases - highest figure since March

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Welcome to The Star’s live blog on Friday June 4 where you will be able to find a round-up of the latest coronavirus news and the biggest Sheffield news stories of the day.

Sheffield news LIVE

Key Events

  •  Investigation launched after firefighters tackle blaze in Sheffield suburb
  • Professor Fergusoin: Most people in hospital with the virus have not had a vaccine.
  • UK records highest single-day Covid-19 figure since March with 18 fatalities
  • Holiday hopes dashed as 'no countries added to green list' - and Portugal to move to amber

Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency, criticised the decision not to add any more countries to the green travel list: “I think it’s a terrible decision that threatens jobs and recovery in the travel sector.

“It shows little awareness of the safe destinations globally and is at odds with how citizens from other countries such as America are travelling.

“Those British citizens who have been fully jabbed should be given more flexibility to travel to a wider range of green destinations.

“They are basically putting at risk tens of thousands of jobs across aviation and the travel sector, and not showing any signs of helping the sector to recover.

“They seem to want to continue to create an atmosphere of fear among travellers, which is totally at odds with other countries.

“There are several countries which meet the criteria to be on the green list so this is clearly a politically charged decision rather than one based on data.”

The PA news agency understands there will be no new destinations approved today.

There is speculation that Portugal – the only viable major tourist destination currently on the green list – could be moved to the amber tier.

Latest coronavirus rate in Sheffield – and the 213 areas of England where rates are rising

Fears foreign holidays under threat from ‘Nepal variant’ spreading in Europe

No new destinations will be added to the green travel list in the Government’s latest update.

Summer hotspots such as Spanish and Greek islands plus Malta had hoped to be awarded green status on Thursday.

But no additions will be made amid concerns about rising coronavirus case rates in the UK.

 South Yorkshire is getting a share of £18.3 million to make our streets safer.

The Home office Safer streets Fund will help crack down on neighbourhood crimes like burglary, vehicle theft and robbery by increasing street lighting and cctv.

South Yorkshire police and Crime Commisioner is receiving £850,000

Wearing masks and working from home after June 21 not ruled out by Hancock

The Health Secretary has not ruled out keeping guidance on face masks and working from home in place past June 21 in a bid to allow the majority of coronavirus restrictions to be lifted.

Matt Hancock said while the data did not demonstrate “we are definitively off track” with plans to move to the final stage of the unlocking process later this month, he cautioned that it was too early to tell.

Hopes raised that Greek islands and Malta will be added to green list

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said a number of popular holiday destinations “really deserve” to be moved to the low-risk tier.

Holidaymakers returning to the UK from green locations are not required to self-isolate, and only need to take one post-arrival coronavirus test.

Mr Charles told the PA news agency he expects additions to the list to include the Greek islands of Zante, Rhodes and Kos, the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Antigua, plus Malta and Finland.

The transition of those locations to green status would be “a boost” to the struggling travel industry, he said.

“We need to see the Government widening the number of green destinations to help the sector recover and to help protect jobs and livelihoods, which the Prime Minister promised.

“It would be a boost to see those added. I still think we’re going to get the majority of European countries added at the end of June, but it would be an encouraging step forward.”

Assessments are based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Portugal is the only viable major tourist destination currently on the green list.

Mr Charles said he would be “surprised” if Spain’s Balearic Islands – including Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca – are added in Thursday’s update.

“They’re hugely popular and I’m not sure the Government is ready to encourage so much travel at the moment.”

He also warned that Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia could be added to the red list, which means people returning to the UK are required to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel.

“There are clearly signs of increased infection in many parts of Asia at the moment and I think the Government will be keen to clamp down on those as soon as they can,” he said.

Travellers returning to the UK from an amber list location – which includes popular hotspots such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece – must quarantine at home for 10 days and take two post-arrival tests.

The Government has urged people against non-essential travel to amber countries.

Boris Johnson said the Government will “wait and see” what the recommendations of the Joint Biosecurity Centre are before announcing changes to the travel lists.

He went on: “We are going to try and allow people to travel as I know many people want to, but we’ve got to be cautious.

“We’ve got to continue to put countries on the red list, on the amber list, when that is necessary.

“We will have no hesitation in moving countries from the green list to the amber list to the red list if we have to do so.

“The priority is to continue the vaccine rollout to protect the people of this country.”

Holidaymakers are bracing themselves for changes to the Government’s travel list, amid concerns over the impact of Covid-19 variants on summer plans.

Ministers are predicted to update the traffic light destination system on Thursday, which could see countries moving between the green, amber and red lists.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson warned the Government will have “no hesitation” over moving countries off the green list if necessary, and said it will “wait and see” what the recommendations of the Joint Biosecurity Centre are before announcing changes to the travel lists.

People returning to the UK from green locations are not required to self-isolate, and only need to take one post-arrival coronavirus test.

Travellers returning from amber list locations – which includes popular hotspots such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece – must quarantine at home for 10 days and take two post-arrival tests, while there is a travel ban to red list countries.

The Prime Minister said: “We are going to try and allow people to travel as I know many people want to, but we’ve got to be cautious.

“We’ve got to continue to put countries on the red list, on the amber list, when that is necessary.

“We will have no hesitation in moving countries from the green list to the amber list to the red list if we have to do so.

“The priority is to continue the vaccine rollout to protect the people of this country.”

Mr Johnson has insisted there is “nothing in the data at the moment” to prevent ending domestic Covid-19 restrictions on June 21, although he and his ministerial colleagues have urged caution.

Debate is continuing over whether the final stages of unlocking restrictions in England can go ahead on June 21, due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus variant first identified in India.

The Daily Mail reported ministers also have been alerted to a variant first thought to have originated in Nepal, suggesting this could have an impact on holidays.

Ahead of any announcements, one industry expert said several Greek islands, Malta and parts of the Caribbean could be added to the green travel list on Thursday.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said a number of popular holiday destinations “really deserve” to be moved to the low-risk tier.

Mr Charles told the PA news agency he expects additions to the list to include the Greek islands of Zante, Rhodes and Kos, the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Antigua, plus Malta and Finland.

The transition of those locations to green status would be “a boost” to the struggling travel industry, he said.

Assessments are based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Portugal is the only viable major tourist destination currently on the green list, but there have been reports that it could be downgraded in the future.

Mr Charles said he would be “surprised” if Spain’s Balearic Islands – including Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca – are added in Thursday’s update.

“They’re hugely popular and I’m not sure the Government is ready to encourage so much travel at the moment.”

The vaccination programme is seen as key in the bid to reopen the country and beyond.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that 75% of UK adults across the UK had now had their first coronavirus jab, and 50% of adults in England had received both doses.

The UK could hit another major milestone on Thursday, passing the point of half of all UK adults receiving both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

Latest figures suggest 49.5% of the UK population aged 18 and over have had two jabs.

Government figures, based on people who died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, said a further 12 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 127,794.

The Government also said that, as of 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 4,330 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

It comes after zero Covid-19 deaths were reported in the UK on Tuesday.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, pressed about the dropping of domestic restrictions on June 21, told ITV’s Peston: “At the moment there’s nothing in the data to suggest that we need to move the road map.

“We’ve been straight with people, as both the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary have said, on June 14 we will share with the nation all the data that we’d have gathered.

“The next 12 days are going to be really important to see what the virus is doing. We’ve got a very large-scale surveillance infrastructure in place in terms of waste water surveillance and large-scale testing.”

Elsewhere, health ministers from the G7 nations will meet in Oxford on Thursday in a bid to reach agreement to help reduce the risk of global pandemics and emerging health threats.

They are expected to agree to share information on how to detect such threats and the causes.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there is still “nothing in the data at the moment that means we cannot go ahead with Step 4” of lifting coronavirus restrictions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there is still “nothing in the data at the moment that means we cannot go ahead with Step 4” of lifting coronavirus restrictions.

“But we’ve got to be so cautious,” he added, as he said infection rates were increasing.

“We always knew that was going to happen,” the Prime Minister said, adding: “What we need to work out is to what extent the vaccination programme has protected enough of us, particularly the elderly and vulnerable, against a new surge, and there I’m afraid the data is still ambiguous.

“The best the scientists can say at the moment is we just need to give it a little bit longer.”

A total of 107 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending May 21 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – the lowest number since the week ending September 11 2020.

A total of 107 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending May 21 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – the lowest number since the week ending September 11 2020.

The figure is down 29% on the previous week.

Around one in 91 (1.1%) deaths registered in the week to May 21 mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate.

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