The Spectator

The concept of the state tracking our every movement is anathema to this magazine and, we assume, to its liberal former editor now resident in Downing Street. Nevertheless, such is the impasse over coronavirus that it is right the government should attempt to exit lockdown via the application of a voluntary ‘track and trace’ on mobile phones, trials of which began on the Isle of Wight this week. Track and trace appears to have worked for Asia so, given what’s at stake, it’s reasonable to try it here. South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam — the countries which employed tracking and tracing from an early date — appear to have dealt with Covid-19 the most effectively, minimising the impact on their economics and societies.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer faced off for the first time at PMQs today. James Forsyth has the details on Coffee House.Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing to roll back the furlough scheme in July, with Matt Hancock admitting yesterday: ‘We’ve got to wean off it.’ Kate Andrews provides analysis below.Imperial College London’s Neil Ferguson has stepped down from Sage after it emerged that he had broken lockdown rules to meet with his married lover.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  New ONS figures take the UK’s Covid death toll to 32,375 – currently the highest number in Europe. There were 7,713 Covid-19 deaths outside of hospitals in England and Wales to 24 April.The first key workers on the Isle of Wight will trial the new contact tracing app today. However, the app has failed all its safety and cybersecurity tests.Matt Hancock has defended the app, arguing that personal data needs to be shared centrally so that the government can know where flare-ups of infection are occurring in the country.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  Face scans are being considered by ministers to create ‘immunity passports’, where those proven to have acquired Covid-19 can be released from lockdown. Kate Andrews argues against the idea onCoffee House.The Chinese government destroyed evidence that coronavirus escaped a lab in Wuhan, according to a leaked dossier by the Western intelligence-sharing group Five Eyes.The NHS will trial a tracing app on the Isle of Wight this week. Freddy Gray wishes them luck, given the quality of the island’s internet coverage.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  The 277 South Korean Covid-19 ‘reinfection cases’ that originally prompted fears over multiple infections were in fact false positives, according to researchers at Seoul University. Ross Clark has the details below.We are past the peak according to Boris Johnson in his first coronavirus briefing since falling ill. The PM says he will release a road map next week for easing lockdown.The NHS will get ‘first dibs’ on any Covid-19 drug produced by Oxford university and AstraZeneca.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis The UK is to adopt a South Korean model for exiting the lockdown, and ONS data will be vital to the strategy. James Forsyth has the details below.UK anxiety levels over Covid-19 are falling, says the ONS.Boris Johnson will lead his first coronavirus briefing today since contracting the disease.NHS England has set out its plan to restart non-Covid-19 services.Child abuse calls to the NSPCC have risen almost 20% since the start of lockdown.No child has yet transmitted Covid-19 to an adult, a review in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatricians has found.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have announced the arrival of a baby boy, born this morning in a London hospital. James Forsyth has the details below.Cancer operations will take place at new ‘Covid-19-free’ hubs. The collapse in cancer care since the lockdown could lead to 18,000 more cancer deaths, according to new research. Analysis below.Millions more people can now apply for a coronavirus test. The government loosened rules to include over-65s, essential workers and care home residents.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis Covid-19 related deaths as of 17 April in England and Wales were 35% higher than the government’s hospital death figure. Details below.The Scottish government has recommended that people cover their faces with cloth garments when in public spaces. Dr John Lee weighs up the benefits of masks on Coffee House.A minute’s silence for key workers who have died during the Covid-19 outbreak was held this morning at 11 a.m.The families of NHS staff who have died of coronavirus will be given £60,000.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis Boris Johnson has asked the public to ‘contain [their] impatience’ to exit the lockdown, in his first live public address since his battle with Covid-19. Katy Balls has the details below.Professor Neil Ferguson, the scientist behind the influential Imperial College London model, has said that lifting the lockdown could risk an additional 100,000 deaths by the end of the year.Schools in Northern Ireland will stay closed until after the summer holidays, with officials estimating 90% of parents would not send children even if classes reopened.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  The much-anticipated shipment of personal protective equipment from Turkey contained 32,000 gowns vs the expected 400,000 units.Meanwhile, 42% of NHS beds lie empty, as do two-thirds of mechanical ventilation units.Boris Johnson could return to No. 10 as early as Monday, according to the Telegraph.Ten million key workers and their households can now book a Covid-19 test online. The 5,000 that were made available this morning ran out in just two minutes.Rishi Sunak is considering 100% government-backed Covid-19 loans of up to £25,000 to small businesses.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad: News and analysis  Manchester and Liverpool are now seeing the most Covid-19 cases, according to the Health Service Journal.Social restrictions are to remain in place for at least the rest of the year, says chief medical officer Chris Whitty. Details below.Human trials begin today for vaccines in Germany and the UK. Matt Ridley weighs up the likelihood of Covid-19 treatments in the 10,000th issue of The Spectator magazine. More analysis below.