Here are the key coronavirus updates from the last 24-hours

  • A further two people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 29,458. 

    The patients were aged between 89 and 91 and both had known underlying health conditions. One death has been reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

  • The Government said in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 1,040 lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Overall, a total of 318,484 cases have been confirmed.
  • The Government also said 41,366 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, as of Sunday. This is up by five from the day before.
  • Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 56,800 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
  • There have been no further coronavirus patient deaths in hospitals in the North-East and North Yorkshire.
  • In Wales, another two people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,589.
  • The UK’s first socially distanced gig venue in the North-East has “set the standard” for festivals across the world to follow. The 2,500-capacity Virgin Money Unity Arena at Gosforth Park saw local lad Sam Fender playing to two sell-out crowds last week in the first live music events of their kind since the coronavirus lockdown began in March. Covid-19 has wiped beloved festivals like Glastonbury, Leeds, and Reading off the schedule this year, but it is hoped that the example set at the pop-up Newcastle Racecourse arena so far can show event organisers the way forward as the pandemic goes on.
  • Nearly 300 workers at a UK factory which makes sandwiches for supermarket chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) have tested positive for coronavirus. About 300 workers at the facility in Northampton have tested positive for coronavirus following an outbreak. The Greencore factory makes sandwiches for M&S.
  • High street fashion retailer River Island is to axe 350 jobs as part of a major store management shake-up. The company told staff it intends to slash store management and senior sales roles as part of a restructure of its retail team. The move comes just a month after it had already said it would cut 250 head office staff as part of cost-cutting measures. River Island has seen revenues and profitability hit by a slump in store footfall after reopening sites following the coronavirus lockdown.
  • An Edinburgh bar has temporarily closed after a customer tested positive for Covid-19. The owners of Victoria Bar, in Leith, told customers that it would be temporarily closed while awaiting further guidance from the Government. The customer, a regular at the bar, informed the owners that they had tested positive following a recent holiday in Malta. Edinburgh bar group Boda Bars, which owns and operates seven bars in the city, said Victoria Bar will be closed until August 21 and all staff that were on duty when the customer visited will self-quarantine for the next 14 days.