Coronavirus news: First UK local lockdown imposed in Leicester as WHO chief warns pandemic ‘not even close to being over’

Republican lawmakers are making a public push for face coverings, splitting with mask-averse US President Donald Trump on the issue as Covid-19 cases surge in some Republican-leaning states.

The top Republican in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, said on Monday every American has a responsibility to follow recommendations to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

"They should wear a mask," McCarthy told CNBC after his home state of California began to roll back efforts to reopen the economy. "If you cannot social distance, you need to be wearing a mask and you need to be respectful to one another."

Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, where cases are spiking, posted a similar message on Twitter.

"I am encouraging everyone to WEAR YOUR MASKS!" he said.

The Covid-19 pandemic is not even close to being over, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing on Monday.

"We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is that this is not even close to being over. Although many countries have made some progress globally, the pandemic is actually speeding up," Mr Tedros said.

The global body was planning to convene a meeting this week to assess progress in research towards fighting the disease.

President Donald Trump believes the decision to wear a mask to help prevent spreading the deadly coronavirus, currently infecting record numbers of people in many places in the United States, is personal, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Monday.

"Its his choice to wear a mask. It's the personal choice of any individual as to whether to wear a mask or not," Ms McEnany said, when asked about a new mandate to wear masks in Jacksonville, Florida, where part of the Republican nominating convention will be held.

"He encourages people to make whatever decision is best for their safety. But he did say to me he has no problem with masks and to do whatever your local jurisdiction requests."

'PM's isolationism is hindering coronavirus recovery'

Boris Johnson's "go it alone bravado" on Brexit will make it harder for the UK to rebuild its economy after the coronavirus pandemic, Labour has said.

The opposition party has criticised government's decision to leave Eurofound, a respected EU employment agency that is studying the impact of coronavirus on jobs and the economy.

Cases on rise in Ireland as pubs reopen

The number of reported cases of Covid-19 in Ireland has begun to increase, the chief medical officer has warned, as pubs served pints indoors for the first time in three months.

Dr Tony Holohan said: "We are starting to see a worrying trend, with the number of reported cases increasing, and some new clusters."

Bars, hairdressers, gyms, pools, cinemas and churches were also able to welcome people as the government eased restrictions on Monday.

There were queues outside several salons and barbers first thing as people finally got the chance to get their lockdown growth cut.

Pints are served at Murray's Bar in Dublin (AFP)

'Mega bubbles' plan for UK secondary schools

Whole year groups are to be banned from mixing under plans for enormous ‘mega bubbles’ containing hundreds of pupils expected to be announced later this week.

Entire secondary school years would be separated, with different start and finish times and no contact in the playground, under the guidance designed to allow schools re-open fully in September.

Iran records highest daily death toll

Iran has reported 162 deaths from coronavirus, its highest figure for a 24-hour period.

Today's figure exceeds the previous record on 4 April, when the health ministry reported 158 deaths in a day.

The number of new daily infections and deaths has increased sharply in the last week following the gradual lifting of restrictions that began in mid-April.

The Islamic Republic recorded a total of 10,670 deaths and 225,205 infections from the novel coronavirus.

Yesterday Iranian president Hassan Rouhani announced that masks will become mandatory in some gathering places from 5 July.

Landlords call for end to ban on evictions

Landlord groups are calling for an end to a ban on evictions brought in to stop people being made homeless during the coronavirus pandemic.

'Outrageous price' for coronavirus drug

Pharmaceutical company Gilead Science Inc has set a price of $2,340 (£1,900) for a course of the antiviral drug remdesivir, which helps to shorten hospital recovery times for Covid-19.

Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day said the price is well below the value it provides given that early hospital discharges could save around $12,000 per patient in the United States.

However Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat from Texas, said it was "an outrageous price for a very modest drug, which taxpayer funding saved from a scrap heap of failures."