Coronavirus news – live: Government announces £10,000 fine for avoiding self isolation as anti-lockdown protesters clash with police

BMA urges government to introduce stronger social distancing measures

The British Medical Association (BMA) has urged the Government to introduce stronger coronavirus measures in England to avoid another national lockdown and protect the NHS from being "crippled", including toughening up the rule of six.

The organisation said, as it currently stands, the rule makes it possible for members of six households to meet indoors, potentially several times over the course of one day, with doctors suggesting the number of households is reduced.

It is also urging the Government to reverse its stance on getting workers back to the office by encouraging the public to work from home, in order to reduce contact between people including on public transport.

The BMA also suggested a "take out to help out" approach similar to the Chancellor's "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme, to reduce the number of people going to restaurants.

Ireland confirms 274 new cases

A further 274 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Ireland, the National Public Health Emergency Team said.

Of the latest cases, 166 were in Dublin, 21 in Cork, 19 in Donegal, seven in Kildare, seven in Offaly, six in Waterford, six in Wicklow, five in Louth, five in Limerick and five in Meath - while the remaining 27 cases are located across 12 counties.

No further deaths were reported, leaving Ireland's toll at 1,792.

What could a 'circuit-breaker' lockdown look like?

Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that the second wave of coronavirus has arrived in the UK, it is likely that stricter regulations are to be implemented nationwide.

Sage, the government’s scientific advisory body, warned the rate of new cases is now doubling every seven days. In order to curb the spike, Downing Street is reportedly considering “circuit-breaker” measures.  

It is expected that the PM could announce such measures as early as Tuesday, following the limited impact of the “rule of six” enforced last Monday. Speaking in Oxfordshire on Friday, the PM said the government are keeping “everything under review.”

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Trafalgar Square protest brought to a close

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it made 32 arrests during the anti-lockdown demonstration in Trafalgar Square.

The force added the area has now been cleared.

Italy reports 1,638 new cases, 24 deaths

The Italian health ministry has reported another 1,638 new cases and 24 deaths relating to the virus. The deaths bring Italy's official coronavirus toll to 35,692, the second highest in Europe after the UK.

The health ministry said the new cases were based on a record 103,223 tests. While countries such as Germany have been processing more than double that number in recent days, Italy has been limited at around 100,000 tests.

Public health officials said in their weekly monitoring report that Italy's seven-week uptick in cases represented a "slow and progressive worsening of the outbreak."

France reports more than 13,000 cases

French health authorities reported 13,498 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, setting another record in daily additional infections since the disease started to spread in the country.

The number of people in France who have died from Covid-19 infections was up by 26, at 31,274, and the cumulative number of cases now totals 442,194.

Romanians hold anti-lockdown protests in Bucharest

Several hundred Romanians, including many families with young children, protested Saturday in the country's capital against measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, especially social distancing and the mandatory use of masks in schools.

Protesters at Bucharest's University Square chanted against President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and drew parallels between the protective measures against the pandemic and the communist and Nazi regimes. One of the speakers at the rally compared the measures to the torture of dissidents during communism.

A large sign carried by a protester included a recent quote from Iohannis about the safety measures — "Kids easily get used to unpleasant things" — above a photograph of children behind barbed-wire fences at a concentration camp

Like other countries in Europe, the number of new virus cases has spiked in recent days in Romania, with a record 1,713 cases earlier this week and 1,333 more on Saturday. In all, Romania has registered 111,550 cases of Covid-19, with 4,402 confirmed deaths.

Coronavirus ‘furthering cause of Irish reunification’ - Sinn Fein chief

The coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have made Irish unity part of "every day conversation", Sinn Fein’s  Mary-Lou McDonald has said.

"Brexit and Covid-19 have made Irish unity part of every day conversation," she told supporters in an online message.

"Growing our economy, protecting our health service, strengthening our agriculture require an all Ireland approach.

"So now is the time to progress this journey together."

US death toll hits 200,000

The total number of deaths in the US from the coronavirus pandemic passed 200,000 on Saturday, the highest death toll in the world.

There have now been 6,760,654 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the country since the virus was first identified.

The grim milestone was reached on Saturday morning according to data collated by NBC News.

Conspiracy theorists clash with police at anti-lockdown demonstration

Hundreds of conspiracy theorists have gathered in central London to protest against coronavirus restrictions in the UK as infections worsen.

Scuffles broke out as police moved in on demonstrators in Trafalgar Square, who formed human blockades in an attempt to prevent arrests and initially forced officers to move back.

Demonstrators advanced on police while shouting “choose your side” and some were seen throwing objects at officers during a largely peaceful demonstration on Saturday afternoon.

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