The number of coronavirus cases in the North-East and North Yorkshire continue to rise sharply with a further 843 people testing positive for the virus. Here are some of the other developments over the last 24 hours.

  • A further 44 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 29,962, NHS England said on Tuesday. Patients were aged between 47 and 99 and all had known underlying health conditions. The deaths were between September 23 and September 28.
  • Nearly 57,900 deaths involving Covid-19 have now been registered in the UK. Figures published on Tuesday by the ONS show that 52,717 deaths involving Covid-19 had occurred in England and Wales up to September 18, and had been registered by September 26. Figures published last week by the National Records for Scotland showed that 4,247 deaths involving Covid-19 had been registered in Scotland up to September 20, while 896 deaths had occurred in Northern Ireland up to September 18 (and had been registered up to September 23), according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Together, these figures mean that so far 57,860 deaths have been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, including suspected cases.
  • Registered deaths involving Covid-19 increased in six of the nine English regions in the week ending September 18, according to the ONS.The six regions were: north-west England (39, up nine on the previous week’s total); the West Midlands (15, up eight); London (13, u p seven); Yorkshire & the Humber (21, up seven); North-East England (eight, up five); and the East Midlands (14, up four). The number fell in two regions: south-east England (11, down one on the previous week’s total) and south-west England (five, down two). It was unchanged in Eastern England on eight deaths.
  • The University of Sunderland has confirmed that 40 students and four members of staff have tested positive for Covid-19. A spokesperson for the University of Sunderland said: "As of Monday, September 28, a number of people in the University of Sunderland community have tested positive for Covid-19, this includes 40 students and four staff. All of those affected are receiving university support and cases are being managed according to public health requirements."
  • Middlesbrough Council will today ask the government to place a restriction on people from different households socialising inside homes in response to rocketing Covid-19 rates. A further 38 positive cases were confirmed yesterday, giving the town an infection rate of around 122 per 100,000 of population. Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said it was time to act to halt the spread of the virus and protect people's wellbeing and jobs. The Council is concerned that in the absence of a local proposal, the government will impose harsher restrictions that would lead to increased isolation and loneliness, particularly for those living alone, and cause long-lasting damage to the town's economy.
  • Hartlepool Borough Council has formally applied to the Government for tighter restrictions on households mixing with each other in response to a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. The authority which is also seeking more resources to support its fight against the virus, sent its request to Public Health England yesterday morning and it will subsequently go to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Prime Minister Boris Johnson for approval. As a result, it is likely that the Borough will be designated an Area of Intervention later this week.
  • Boris Johnson has been urged by a senior committee of MPs to explain his comments that testing and tracing has “little or nothing” to do with the spread of coronavirus. Senior Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, writing in his capacity as chair of the liaison committee, also asked the Prime Minister how the Government would achieve his “moonshot” mass testing programme, considering the “widespread concern” over testing so far. The committee of MPs also called on Mr Johnson to bow to pressure from the Conservative backbenches to allow the Commons a vote on coronavirus legislation. “The majority of us support this principle and expect that the Government will also wish to accept it,” Sir Bernard wrote. “The idea that such restrictions can be applied without express parliamentary approval, except in dire emergency, is not widely acceptable and indeed may be challenged in law.”
  • Downing Street was unable to clarify whether households could mix in pub and restaurant gardens under new regulations due to be imposed on large parts of the North-East. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Department of Health are setting out the full details of the steps they announced last night later on today.” Pressed about the confusion, the spokesman said: “It is the case that events are moving at speed and it’s right that we can move quickly in relation to localised outbreaks working with local leaders to ensure that we have steps in place to help to slow the spread of the virus.” Local leaders however have criticised the Government for not giving sufficient advance notice of the restrictions.