Coronavirus news – live: UK adds more countries to 'no-go' list as Covid cases increase 17% over last week in England

UK to remove Belgium from safe travel list

The UK will remove Belgium from its safe travel list imminently, according to a tweet by ITV political correspondent Carl Dinnen.

It means new arrivals into the UK from Belgium will need to quarantine for 14 days.

France and Malta are expected to remain on the safe list, while Portugal is expected to be added to the safe list in the coming weeks.

Northern Ireland delays pubs reopening and makes masks mandatory

Wearing face masks in retail shops and enclosed spaces will become mandatory in Northern Ireland from Monday.

The reopening of pubs in Northern Ireland will also be delayed until next month.

First minister Arlene Foster said the decision was taken because of the concern around the level of community transmission and the prioritisation of the reopening of schools.

She added: "We have decided to make face masks mandatory in enclosed spaces where you can't social distance, from Monday.

"Retail workers will not have to wear masks, it's those people coming in to the shops that we are asking to wear masks.

"It's about trying to give confidence to people who feel vulnerable and maybe have been shielding and we are asking the public to work with us and listen to what we are asking them to do."

Nigeria to reopen for international air travel in weeks

Nigeria will reopen for international air travel in a matter of weeks, the aviation minister has said, without giving a specific date for the resumption after months of closure due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

"It will be in weeks rather than in months," Hadi Sirika told a regular briefing in the capital Abuja on coronavirus.

Nigeria began to close its airports in March, a month after Africa's most populous country confirmed its first coronavirus case. Domestic air travel restarted last month.

The country has 44,890 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 900 deaths, figures from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control show.

Dutch PM says no second lockdown needed despite rising cases

The prime minister of The Netherlands has said the country does not need to be placed in a second lockdown despite a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases.

"The virus is making a dangerous advance and we're at risk of losing the gains we've made together in the past month," Mark Rutte said after an abrupt return from summer vacation.

"We don't want a second lockdown and we don't have to have one, but that won't happen by itself," he said, asking tourists to avoid busy parts of Amsterdam and the country's youth to obey social distancing rules.

The Netherlands' National Institute for Health reported 601 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, up from 426 a day earlier.

Belgium has become the latest European country to be added to the UK government’s “no-go” list because of a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.

Almost 10,000 people have died from the virus, a per-capita rate higher than any other major country.

Belgium was exempted from the Foreign Office’s general advice against non-essential international travel on 4 July, and quarantine for arrivals from the country ended on 10 July.

Five new Irish fatalities as cases rise by 69

Another five people with coronavirus in Ireland have died, according to the National Public Health Emergency Team, bringing the national total at 1,768.

In addition, 69 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been notified, bringing the total number of Irish infections to 26,372.

Of these new cases, 65 per cent are aged under 45, and 39 are associated with existing outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case, the agency added.

Northern Ireland - Face coverings to be compulsory in all public enclosed spaces

Face coverings will be mandatory in all public enclosed spaces from Monday, the Northern Ireland Executive has agreed.

Stormont ministers also decided that all children should be back at school by September, but to delay the reopening of pubs with a focus on drink as opposed to food.

First Minister Arlene Foster said decisions at the Executive had been taken mindful of the fact that the R number pertaining to the transmission rate of the coronavirus has risen to an estimated 1.3.

"Because of the concern around the level of community transmission and the desire prioritise the reopening of our schools, we have decided that it is prudent to pause the reopening of our public houses and we have set a new indicative date of September 1," she said.

France cases rise by more than 1,600 for second day running

France's new Covid-19 infections has risen by more than 1,600 over 24 hours for the second day running, putting the country at levels not seen since late May, while the number of affected patients in intensive care units has also risen.

At 1,604, the daily tally of new cases is lower than Wednesday's 1,695, but still not far from the May, 30 figure of 1,828 cases. The total number of cases has reached 195,633.

The seven-day moving average of new cases, now standing at 1,351, has risen on all but one day over the last 11 days, spiking by almost 50% over that period.

The 1,351 figure is five times higher than a low point of 272 seen on May 27 but also more than three times less than an April 1 peak of 4,537.

Belgium, Andorra and Bahamas quarantine to apply from 4am Saturday

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said arrivals from Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas will have to quarantine from 4am on Saturday.

In a tweet he said: "Data shows we need to remove Andorra, Belgium and The Bahamas from our list of coronavirus Travel Corridors in order to keep infection rates DOWN.

"If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days."

Netherlands PM tells tourists to stay away from busy parts of Amsterdam

The Netherlands' Prime Minister has called on tourists to avoid busy parts of Amsterdam, following a sharp acceleration in the number of coronavirus cases in the Netherlands.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut short his summer vacation after the National Institute for Health (RIVM) reported 601 new cases on Thursday, from 426 a day earlier, following weeks of gradual increases.

"Very specifically for the city of Amsterdam, I say to tourists foreign and domestic, and partly on behalf of the mayor: avoid the busy parts of the city," Rutte told reporters in The Hague.

It comes as nations like Norway begin to apply quarantine rules on those returning from the Netherlands.