Here are the latest updates from the last 24 hours

  • FURTHER cases of the Covid-19 have been reported in the region while a further 12 people are reported to have died in the UK. A total of 332,752 people have now tested positive in the UK, the daily figure being 1,108 people with a lab-confirmed positive result. In the North- East and North Yorkshire, another 278 cases have been reported in the last seven days, with County Durham recording the most since last Saturday at 54.
  • The North-East has seen the lowest rate of volunteers signing up to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials. NHS researchers from County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust are urging people from all backgrounds and ages to take part in the trials when they start in the coming months. A number of trials are expected to take place in the search for a vaccine.
  • Police arrested a man in his 70s for breaking newly-introduced coronavirus laws, as hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters descended on Trafalgar Square in central London yesterday. Under new changes to regulations, those attending a gathering of more than 30 people may be committing a criminal offence. Officers from the Metropolitan Police handed out letters explaining the legislation to demonstrators as they marched down Whitehall, and encouraged them to disperse. A spokesperson from the Met later confirmed that a 73-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of breaking the new Health Protection Regulations 2020.
  • The Duchess of Cambridge said she was “overwhelmed” by the response to her photographic lockdown project, as she chose the final images to be featured in a digital exhibition She was joined by a panel of judges to select 100 images from more than 31,000 entries in her Hold Still photography project, which was launched with the National Portrait Gallery in May. Kate invited people of all ages across the UK to submit a photo which they had taken during lockdown, and in the six weeks that the project was open 31,598 images were submitted.
  • An artist has unveiled an NHS-inspired installation made from hospital bed sheets as a memorial to those who have died in the Covid-19 pandemic. In Memorial was created by artist Luke Jerram out of 120 sheets. They have been stitched together to resemble a medical cross logo from the air, and is on display outside the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Woolwich Common in London. It will also be displayed in Norwich, Newbury and Bournemouth.
  • Teaching unions have criticised the Government for releasing guidance on schools in local lockdown areas just days before pupils are set to return to classrooms. The guidance was published on Friday evening and says a “rota system” limiting the number of students attending secondary schools at any one time could be used in areas with a significant rise in Covid-19 cases.
  • Health secretary Matt Hancock says nationwide restrictions cannot be ruled out should England see a spike in coronavirus cases this winter. He also hinted that restrictions may not be eased over Christmas to avoid an “uptick” in the number of Covid-19 cases. Describing the worst-case scenario, he said the UK could be battling bad flu and a growth in coronavirus as people spend more time indoors.