Coronavirus news – live: WHO says everyone must wear face masks in public as Matt Hancock urges people not to attend George Floyd protests

More information on the World Health Organisation’s updated guidance on face masks can be found below:

Police use of tear gas could help spread coronavirus, expert warns

An infectious disease specialist has raised serious concerns that police in the US could be helping to spread coronavirus by spraying tear gas at demonstrators.

Dr Jay Varkey, who works at Emory University in Georgia, said mass arrests and confining people in small spaces would dramatically increase the risk of infecting others with Covid-19.

He added that tear gas and other chemical agents would cause people to rub their eyes, putting demonstrators at risk of being infected. 

“When I see the wide use of things like tear gas or pepper bombs that by its nature cause people to immediately rub their eyes, that causes me tremendous consternation in terms of the risk of what that could cause in terms of infection transmission during a pandemic," Dr Varkey said.

“From a public health standpoint, I don't know whether law enforcement is actively looking at agents other than tear gas or pepper bombs.

“As a physician, do I think they should? Yes, absolutely.”

Blood pressure medication linked to lower coronavirus mortality, study finds

Regularly taking drugs to control high blood pressure appears to lower the risk of becoming severely ill or dying from coronavirus for people with hypertension, a new study has found.

Among nearly 2,900 people hospitalised in China with Covid-19, patients with high blood pressure had twice the risk of death and were more likely to need mechanical ventilation than those without hypertension, a known-risk factor for severe coronavirus. 

However, those taking drugs to control their blood pressure had a significantly lower risk of death than those not treated for their hypertension, researchers reported on Thursday in the European Heart Journal. 

This was true even if patients were taking blood pressure drugs known as ACE inhibitors or ARBs. 

Several papers have suggested these drugs might increase Covid-19 susceptibility, but in this study, “the results were in the opposite direction, with a trend in favor of ACE inhibitors and ARBs,” coauthor Fei Li of Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, China, said.

The American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and Heart Failure Society of America have all recommended that patients continue taking hypertension drugs prescribed to them.

Head of NHS Providers raises frustrations over Hancock’s PPE announcement

The head of the membership organisation NHS Providers has raised frustrations from trusts about Matt Hancock’s latest announcement on PPE.

The health secretary announced today that all hospital staff would have to wear surgical masks in England from 15 June.

However, Chris Hopson, the CEO of NHS Providers, wrote on Twitter that trust CEOs were “not amused” by the changes being revealed “without any notice or consultation”.

Black Americans are most interested in Covid-19 news, study says

Black Americans, who have suffered disproportionately from coronavirus, have shown a more intense interest in news about the pandemic compared to whites in the US, a study has said.

A Pew Research Centre survey taken in late April found 26 per cent of black Americans reported discussing the virus “almost all the time” with others, compared to 10 per cent of white Americans who said the same.

Forty-eight per cent of black people told Pew they were closely following news about the local availability of coronavirus tests, compared to 25 per cent of white people. 

Similarly, almost half of black people questioned (47 per cent) said they were following stories about local hospitals closely, while a quarter of whites (24 per cent) said the same thing.

Roughly half of blacks had an intense interest in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, with 34 per cent of whites saying the same.

“The differences in these data are particularly striking,” Amy Mitchell, director of journalism research at Pew, said.

According to current CDC death statistics, 23 per cent of the Americans who have died from Covid-19 have been black, despite black Americans making up only about 13 per cent of the US population.

White House abandons social distancing at Trump briefing 

The White House abandoned social distancing for reporters attending Donald Trump's Rose Garden event on Friday because “it looks better”, according to an aide who ordered the change.

Seats for reporters at White House events had previously been placed six feet apart to protect against the spread of the coronavirus but shortly before Friday's event, Mr Trump’s aides moved the seats closer together so reporters were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.

The decision “needlessly put reporters' health at risk”, according to Jonathan Karl of ABC News, president of the White House Correspondents' Association.

“The health of the press corps should not be put in jeopardy because the White House wants reporters to be a prop for a 'news conference' where the president refused to answer any questions,” Mr Karl said.

Judd Deere, a White House spokesperson, said it was his decision to move the seats closer together.

“It looks better,” Mr Deere said.

“I would remind you that those in the [press] pool are tested, everyone is temperature-checked and asked if they have had symptoms.”

Mr Trump noticed the change when he was at the podium, and seemed happy about the new seating arrangement.

“I noticed you're starting to get much closer together,” the president said. 

“Looks much better, I must say.”

Ireland hopes to restart international travel later this summer

Ireland is hoping it will be able to resume air travel to other European countries later in the summer, the acting prime minister has said.

“The point we'd like to get to later in the year - hopefully later in the summer - is being able to travel point to point from Ireland to other countries where they have successfully suppressed the virus,” Leo Varadkar told Virgin Media TV.

However, he added that these measures were “a bit away yet”.

Tameside Council ‘strongly advises’ schools to delay wider reopening

Tameside Council has “strongly advised” schools in its area to delay a wider reopening until at least 22 June in response to the rise in the R rate in the North West.

Schools in the borough were due to begin reopening from 8 June following the half term holiday, but there are concerns about the rate of infection in the region.

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, Tameside Council’s director of public health, said data which estimated the R value in the North West was now above one had influenced the decision.

“Because of this change in R, and despite the excellent work undertaken, I am therefore strongly advising all schools and childcare settings to delay wider opening until at least 22 June for us to be more assured that the rate of infection is reducing and R is firmly below 1,” she said.

“All settings should continue to remain open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers as they have been since the start of the national lockdown.

“I will continue to monitor what is a fast-evolving situation very closely and keep my advice to you under constant review.”

Trump administration to allow two flights per week for Chinese passenger carriers

The Trump administration will permit Chinese passenger air carriers to operate two flights per week after Beijing said it would ease coronavirus-related restrictions to allow in more foreign carriers.

On Wednesday, the US government said it planned to bar all Chinese passenger airlines from flying to the US by 16 June due to Beijing's curbs on US carriers during the pandemic.

The revised Transportation Department order cuts in half the four weekly round-trip flights Chinese passenger carriers have been flying to the US and takes effect immediately.

The department said if China takes further steps for US carriers it would be “fully prepared to once again revisit the action.” 

"[We are] troubled by China's continued unilateral dictation of the terms of the US-China scheduled passenger air transportation market without respect for the rights of US carriers," the department said.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

China's announcement should allow US carriers to resume once-a-week flights into a city of their choice starting on Monday.

Pennsylvania to allow 12 more counties to enter least-restrictive reopening phase

Pennsylvania’s governor will allow 12 counties, containing 1.3 million residents, to enter the least-restrictive phase of the state’s three-step coronavirus reopening plan from next Friday.

Governor Tom Wolf said the 12 counties could enter the “green” phase of his traffic-light reopening plan next week after sixteen more counties entered the green phase today.

In the green phase, gyms, barbers and hair salons are allowed to reopen along with indoor dining at restaurants and bars.

Overnight camps and organised youth sports can also return and gatherings of up to 250 people are allowed.

Mr Wolf said Pennsylvania’s total count of new coronavirus cases had declined recently, but Erie County in the state’s northwest had seen a rise in cases.