There’s some reaction around today to the plan – which was
announced yesterday – to stagger the return of pupils to secondary schools in England and
Wales in January.
The UK government says pupils in England who don't have exams next year will start term with
classes online, to give schools time to set up Covid testing
schemes.
But headteachers have complained that the announcement came
too late – right at the end of term - to make the necessary preparations.
Nicola Mason, the head of Chase Terrace Academy in Burntwood
in Staffordshire, told BBC Radio 4 that the government had “broken teachers”.
“We found out through BBC News, we weren’t even told
directly that this was being put into place,” she said. “And frankly I’m staggered.
“We’d already got local authority teams who had already
planned to do testing and then they found out from the news that their testing
procedures and their plans were no longer necessary.
“The government have, at the very last minute again,
literally broken the teachers.
"The guidance is way too late to plan effectively," she added. "All our
staff have planned for face-to-face lessons in the first week back so now have
to spend their Christmas holidays planning for remote learning."
'We rule nothing out,' says UK minister on national lockdown
BBCCopyright: BBC
The government’s schools minister Nick Gibb has been on BBC
Breakfast to talk about the latest on coronavirus – and was asked about whether
the government is planning for another national lockdown in January.
Both Wales and Northern Ireland have already announced
lockdowns to start after Christmas – in NI on 26 December and from 28 December
in Wales.
Asked whether the UK should prepare for a national lockdown,
Mr Gibb defended England’s current system.
“Well we have a very localised approach because we have the
data from the mass testing,” he said. “It means we can identify in particular
local areas where infection rates are rising and then we can apply those
restrictions on an area by area basis through the tier system.
“And when infection rates are rising we will increase the
tier from tier two to tier three, and when they’re falling we will reduce it.”
So, no national lockdown? “Well we think
the tier system is a very effective way of course,” he said.
“We rule nothing out, this government is absolutely determined
to tackle this virus. We are so close, we have the vaccine… we’re the first
country in the world to be rolling out a vaccine, 138,000 people have been
vaccinated so far, but we’re not there yet.
“And that’s why we have to all of us be so careful over the
Christmas period.”
How does a vaccine get approved?
Several countries, including the US and the UK, have started mass vaccination programmes with a jab that protects against Covid-19.
Some people have been surprised to learn how a process that usually takes at least 10 years could have been done in less than one.
What safety checks have been made to get the Covid vaccine to this point?
BBC health correspondent Laura Foster explains in the video below.
Video content
Video caption: Covid vaccine: How does a vaccine get approved?Covid vaccine: How does a vaccine get approved?
US moves closer to approving second vaccine
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
More now on the news that a second coronavirus vaccine is nearing emergency approval in the US.
A panel of experts voted 20-0 with one abstention that the benefits of the Moderna vaccine outweighed the risks for those aged 18 and over.
The same committee last week backed the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which was then authorised for emergency use the following day.
Following the panel's endorsement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Moderna that it would work "rapidly" towards issuing emergency use authorisation.
Regulators reported earlier this week that the Moderna vaccine was safe and 94% effective.
The papers: 'Bleakest midwinter' as Covid tiers extended
BBCCopyright: BBC
Many of the UK’s newspapers feature the coronavirus pandemic
on their front pages – including the news that more areas will join tier three.
But the papers also report that restrictions could be tightened further.
The Daily Telegraph reports that ministers will consider
implementing a third national coronavirus lockdown after Christmas, if the
current surge in cases does not come under control during the festive period.
And the Times says the government is considering tightening restrictions
further in south-east England.
Here is a round-up of some of the top coronavirus stories from around the world on Friday:
A second vaccine is nearing emergency approval in the US after it was endorsed by a panel of experts. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to authorise the use of the Moderna vaccine later today, allowing the company to begin shipping millions of doses. Another vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech was approved nearly a week ago
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has brought forward its decision on approving the Moderna vaccine from 12 January to 6 January. EU countries are awaiting the agency's decision on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, due on Monday, before rolling it out across the bloc
French President Emmanuel Macron is isolating at his official residence at La Lanterne in Versailles after testing positive for Covid. His office says he is suffering from a fever, a cough and fatigue. His wife, Brigitte, has tested negative and isn't joining him
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised the country's Supreme Court for ruling that those who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 should be subject to restrictive measures. The court said people would not be physically compelled to receive the vaccination, but could be banned from some public activities and spaces if they refused. Bolsonaro has said that he won't be vaccinated and that no-one else should be forced to
An outbreak of cases in the Australian city of Sydney has risen to 28. The New South Wales government has placed the Northern Beaches region on "high alert" and urged a quarter of a million residents to stay at home for at least the next three days. It comes after months of relative calm and low case numbers in the country
What’s happening in the UK this morning?
EPACopyright: EPA
For millions of people in
east and south-east England, today is the last day until they move into tier three – the top level of coronavirus rules. Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire,
Berkshire and Hertfordshire will move up a tier, as will parts of Surrey, East
Sussex, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire. By Saturday, more than two thirds of
England’s population (or 38 million people) will be living under tier three
Meanwhile in Northern
Ireland, a new six-week lockdown will be brought in from Boxing Day, the
executive has announced. Non-essential shops will shut, along with pubs and
restaurants except for takeaway. Close contact services such as hair salons will
also shut
The pandemic has exposed biggaps in the UK’s oversight of national security, a report by a committee of MPs
has found. The report said that since 2010, a pandemic was categorised as among
the highest security risks for the UK – but there was only one major planning
exercise for it and it left some critical areas untested
Good morning
Welcome to our live page coverage this Friday morning. We’ll
be bringing you updates on the coronavirus pandemic from the UK and around the
world throughout the day.
Live Reporting
Edited by Jasmine Taylor-Coleman and Chris Clayton
All times stated are UK
Get involved
AFPCopyright: AFP 
BBCCopyright: BBC Video caption: Covid vaccine: How does a vaccine get approved?Covid vaccine: How does a vaccine get approved? 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters - How good is the Moderna vaccine?
BBCCopyright: BBC -
A second vaccine is nearing emergency approval in the US after it was endorsed by a panel of experts. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to authorise the use of the Moderna vaccine later today, allowing the company to begin shipping millions of doses. Another vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech was approved nearly a week ago
-
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has brought forward its decision on approving the Moderna vaccine from 12 January to 6 January. EU countries are awaiting the agency's decision on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, due on Monday, before rolling it out across the bloc
-
French President Emmanuel Macron is isolating at his official residence at La Lanterne in Versailles after testing positive for Covid. His office says he is suffering from a fever, a cough and fatigue. His wife, Brigitte, has tested negative and isn't joining him
-
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised the country's Supreme Court for ruling that those who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 should be subject to restrictive measures. The court said people would not be physically compelled to receive the vaccination, but could be banned from some public activities and spaces if they refused. Bolsonaro has said that he won't be vaccinated and that no-one else should be forced to
-
An outbreak of cases in the Australian city of Sydney has risen to 28. The New South Wales government has placed the Northern Beaches region on "high alert" and urged a quarter of a million residents to stay at home for at least the next three days. It comes after months of relative calm and low case numbers in the country
EPACopyright: EPA -
For millions of people in
east and south-east England, today is the last day until they move into tier three – the top level of coronavirus rules. Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire,
Berkshire and Hertfordshire will move up a tier, as will parts of Surrey, East
Sussex, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire. By Saturday, more than two thirds of
England’s population (or 38 million people) will be living under tier three
-
Meanwhile in Northern
Ireland, a new six-week lockdown will be brought in from Boxing Day, the
executive has announced. Non-essential shops will shut, along with pubs and
restaurants except for takeaway. Close contact services such as hair salons will
also shut
-
Doctors are being told to offer patients in hospital with coronavirus a follow-up appointment six weeks
later to check for “long Covid” symptoms. The National Institute for Health and
Care Excellence says the long-term effects can be significant
-
The pandemic has exposed biggaps in the UK’s oversight of national security, a report by a committee of MPs
has found. The report said that since 2010, a pandemic was categorised as among
the highest security risks for the UK – but there was only one major planning
exercise for it and it left some critical areas untested
Latest Post'The government have broken teachers'
There’s some reaction around today to the plan – which was announced yesterday – to stagger the return of pupils to secondary schools in England and Wales in January.
The UK government says pupils in England who don't have exams next year will start term with classes online, to give schools time to set up Covid testing schemes.
But headteachers have complained that the announcement came too late – right at the end of term - to make the necessary preparations.
Nicola Mason, the head of Chase Terrace Academy in Burntwood in Staffordshire, told BBC Radio 4 that the government had “broken teachers”.
“We found out through BBC News, we weren’t even told directly that this was being put into place,” she said. “And frankly I’m staggered.
“We’d already got local authority teams who had already planned to do testing and then they found out from the news that their testing procedures and their plans were no longer necessary.
“The government have, at the very last minute again, literally broken the teachers.
"The guidance is way too late to plan effectively," she added. "All our staff have planned for face-to-face lessons in the first week back so now have to spend their Christmas holidays planning for remote learning."
'We rule nothing out,' says UK minister on national lockdown
The government’s schools minister Nick Gibb has been on BBC Breakfast to talk about the latest on coronavirus – and was asked about whether the government is planning for another national lockdown in January.
Both Wales and Northern Ireland have already announced lockdowns to start after Christmas – in NI on 26 December and from 28 December in Wales.
Asked whether the UK should prepare for a national lockdown, Mr Gibb defended England’s current system.
“Well we have a very localised approach because we have the data from the mass testing,” he said. “It means we can identify in particular local areas where infection rates are rising and then we can apply those restrictions on an area by area basis through the tier system.
“And when infection rates are rising we will increase the tier from tier two to tier three, and when they’re falling we will reduce it.”
So, no national lockdown? “Well we think the tier system is a very effective way of course,” he said.
“We rule nothing out, this government is absolutely determined to tackle this virus. We are so close, we have the vaccine… we’re the first country in the world to be rolling out a vaccine, 138,000 people have been vaccinated so far, but we’re not there yet.
“And that’s why we have to all of us be so careful over the Christmas period.”
How does a vaccine get approved?
Several countries, including the US and the UK, have started mass vaccination programmes with a jab that protects against Covid-19.
Some people have been surprised to learn how a process that usually takes at least 10 years could have been done in less than one.
What safety checks have been made to get the Covid vaccine to this point?
BBC health correspondent Laura Foster explains in the video below.
Video content
US moves closer to approving second vaccine
More now on the news that a second coronavirus vaccine is nearing emergency approval in the US.
A panel of experts voted 20-0 with one abstention that the benefits of the Moderna vaccine outweighed the risks for those aged 18 and over.
The same committee last week backed the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which was then authorised for emergency use the following day.
Following the panel's endorsement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Moderna that it would work "rapidly" towards issuing emergency use authorisation.
Regulators reported earlier this week that the Moderna vaccine was safe and 94% effective.
You can read more on this story here.
The papers: 'Bleakest midwinter' as Covid tiers extended
Many of the UK’s newspapers feature the coronavirus pandemic on their front pages – including the news that more areas will join tier three. But the papers also report that restrictions could be tightened further.
The Daily Telegraph reports that ministers will consider implementing a third national coronavirus lockdown after Christmas, if the current surge in cases does not come under control during the festive period. And the Times says the government is considering tightening restrictions further in south-east England.
Read the full paper review here.
What's making international headlines?
Here is a round-up of some of the top coronavirus stories from around the world on Friday:
What’s happening in the UK this morning?
Good morning
Welcome to our live page coverage this Friday morning. We’ll be bringing you updates on the coronavirus pandemic from the UK and around the world throughout the day.