THE region's cases continue to rise, with a further 452 people testing positive for Covid in the North-East and North Yorkshire as on Sunday. Here's what else you missed in the last 24-hours.

  • A further 452 people have tested positive for Covid in the North-East and North Yorkshire. The Government said that as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 3,899 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. Overall, 394,257 cases have been confirmed. It also said a further 18 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday. This brings the UK total to 41,777.
  • People across England who refuse an order to self-isolate will be fined up to £10,000, the Government has warned. The move comes amid deepening concern at the sharp upsurge in coronavirus infections nationwide. In a significant toughening up of the regulations, ministers will impose a new legal duty on people to self-isolate if they test positive for the disease or are told to do so by NHS Test and Trace after coming into contact with someone with the virus.
  • It is “too early” for a second national lockdown and there is currently no evidence of a “what’s called a second wave of coronavirus”, a health expert has claimed. Professor Carl Heneghan, director of Oxford University’s centre for evidence-based medicine, said the country “can’t afford to go now with harsh measures”, saying there will be an inevitable resurgence in cases.
  • A drugs giant has signed an agreement with the European Commission (EC) for the supply of up to 300 million doses of a Covid vaccine, once the drug is approved. The vaccine candidate is based on technology used by pharmaceutical company Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine, and adjuvant technology, used by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which has a factory on Harmire Road, in Barnard Castle.
  • Outdoor markets across parts of the North-East have been temporarily stopped due to tightened Covid restrictions, but an organisation representing the food and drink sector is calling for a sensible approach to the outdoor economy – which is a lifeline for hospitality. Food and Drink North East (FADNE) director Jessie Joe Jacobs, who is also running for Tees Valley mayor, says councils and local leaders should be looking to how an outdoor economy can offer a lifeline to the food, drink and hospitality sectors.