• Ministers are pushing on with a major easing of restrictions on Monday despite concerns over the Indian variant of coronavirus, as they were criticised for allowing the strain’s import. Boris Johnson was sticking by plans to allow mixing indoors and greater physical contact in England as scientists warned the strain could be 50 per cent more transmissible than the Kent variety.
  • Hundreds of thousands of vaccine appointments were booked in the 48 hours after the programme opened to people aged in their late 30s. Some 611,863 appointments for first and second doses were made in the period after 38 and 39-year-olds became eligible to arrange their jabs from Thursday. NHS England said younger people in their thirties are expected to be invited over the next few days and weeks.
  • The Government said a further seven people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday, bringing the UK total to 127,675.
  • The Government also said that, as of 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 2,027 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. There were a further 105 more cases in the North-East and North Yorkshire.
  •  Portugal’s secretary of state for tourism Rita Marques has said “everything is open” in her country. Portugal confirmed this week it will reopen its borders to UK tourists from Monday.
  • The deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has defended the approach of bringing forward second jabs rather than speeding up the rollout to younger people. Professor Anthony Harnden told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that targeting more vulnerable people with full immunity is a “better strategy”.
  • Hospitals in County Durham and Darlington are set to allow visitors again from tomorrow. Patients are allowed one visitor a day, for up to an hour, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said.
  • Two new testing sites are opening in Darlington as part of its community programme. From Monday, people will be able to book click and collect tests at two new sites - the Eastbourne Sports Complex and Darlington Hippodrome. Tests can also be picked up from the Dolphin Centre, Firthmoor Community Centre and The Head of Steam Museum. Government data up to May 14 shows that of the 56,018,988 Covid vaccine jabs given in the UK so far, 36,320,867 were first doses – a rise of 204,912 on the previous day. Some 19,698,121 were second doses, an increase of 379,111.
  • Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has warned the live events industry that the country is entering a “period of heightened vigilance” due to the Indian variant of coronavirus. He said on Twitter: “The crucial road map date for theatres, music venues and sports has always been step 4, so I understand this is an anxious time as we assess the situation over the next couple of weeks. We continue to make good progress with the vaccine rollout and with testing the safe return of audiences through the Events Research Programme, but must accept we enter a period of heightened vigilance with the new fast-moving variant.”