CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak will unveil a £2 billion scheme aimed at alleviating youth unemployment by subsidising work placements when he sets out his coronavirus recovery package.

A three-point plan to boost the ailing economy by helping job creation will include a plan to help pay for six-month placements for some young people facing long-term unemployment.

Mr Sunak will set out the measures in his summer economic update in the House of Commons on Thursday, as he faces pressure to assist those who are most at risk from a financial crisis.

Here is an overview of some of the key coronavirus news points from the last 24-hours:

  • There were no further coronavirus patient deaths in the North-East - but one further death in North Yorkshire. Latest figures published on Tuesday afternoon confirmed a total of 1,732 people have now died after testing positive for Covid-19 in the region. It comes as a further 36 people died in hospitals across England with the virus. A spokesperson for NHS England said: "A further 36 people, who tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 28,940. Patients were aged between 53 and 98 years old. Two patients, aged 83 and 85, had no known underlying health conditions. Their families have been informed."
  • The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said 44,391 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday - up by 155 from 44,236 the previous day. The Government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 55,000. The DHSC also said that in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Tuesday, there were 581 positive test results. Overall, a total of 286,349 cases have been confirmed.
  • Three pubs which opted to shut after coronavirus cases were identified among their drinkers on the weekend have come in for praise from the Health Secretary. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Matt Hancock heralded the trio's example as evidence that the test and trace system was working. The Lighthouse in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, the Fox and Hounds in Batley, West Yorkshire, and the Village Home in Gosport, Hampshire, reopened on what was dubbed "super Saturday" but have decided to close again after being notified of punters since testing positive for Covid-19.
  • Former chancellor Philip Hammond has said his successor must be prepared to let some businesses fail. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is due to announce fiscal measures designed to aid the UK's economic recovery after Covid-19 today. Mr Hammond said: "I think it is important to recognise that the Chancellor faces an extraordinarily complex challenge. He'll want to continue to support businesses and people who are affected by regulatory shutdown in what are otherwise viable businesses. But he will also sadly need to facilitate a transition for those businesses and people who are, what they are doing is no longer viable."
  • Downing Street stressed the need for people to wear face coverings properly, covering both the nose and mouth. Asked about scientific reports calling for wider use of masks, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It is something which we always keep under review. We have been very clear about the benefits of people wearing face coverings. Face coverings can help us protect others and reduce the spread of the virus if people are infected but not showing symptoms." People are advised to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where they cannot maintain a physical distance from people they would not normally meet - such as in shops - but No 10 has not made it mandatory in England, except on public transport.
  • Responding to the Office for National Statistics release on deaths involving coronavirus, Jane Murray, adult bereavement services coordinator at end-of-life charity Marie Curie, said: "Many people feel that a loved one of theirs who was living with a terminal illness has died prematurely during the virus' peak. The impact of a death like this on grieving families has been immeasurable - families are feeling levels of sadness and anger at a very different depth than is typical. I am seeing loved ones increasingly frustrated with Covid-19 being listed on the death certificate, as well as families simply unable to believe or process that their relative has died."
  • Downing Street has declined to apologise after Boris Johnson provoked anger when he suggested "too many" care homes did not properly follow procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister's comments were branded a "real slap in the face" for care workers by the Independent Care Group, while another sector leader said they were "clumsy and cowardly". Mr Johnson's official spokesman was asked during a Westminster briefing what the PM had meant by the remarks. He said: "Throughout the pandemic, care homes have done a brilliant job under very difficult circumstances. The Prime Minister was pointing out that nobody knew what the correct procedures were because the extent of asymptomatic transmission was not known at the time."