this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the children's commissioner for england calls for teaching unions and the government to "stop squabbling" over plans for primary school pupils to return to the classroom. i fear that actually, the best interests of children, which is what we are all meant to be looking out for within this debate, are being overlooked. the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk in all settings has risen by 468 in the past 24—hour period. as one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns begins to ease, people in italy will be able to travel both internally and in and out of the country from the beginning ofjune. despite looser travel restrictions in england, a warning to day—trippers not

to visit rural and coastal areas this weekend amid fears the number of infections could rise. the german bundesliga is back — it's the first major european football league to restart, with matches held in empty stadiums. and, could sniffer dogs be trained to detect coronavirus? a new government—backed trial begins in the uk. hello and welcome, you're watching bbc news. i'm rebecca jones with the latest on the coronavirus outbreak in the uk and around the world. the uk government and teachers‘ unions should "stop squabbling"and agree a plan to reopen schools

in england safely. that's the message from the children's commissioner for england, who says disadvantaged children are losing out from schools being closed for so long. teachers‘ leaders met the government's scientific advisers yesterday to seek assurances over safety, but have not yet agreed on how schools should open. the government has set out plans to begin a phased reopening of primary schools in england from the first ofjune. (ani the public is being urged to "think twice" before heading to england's beaches and country parks this weekend, despite the easing of lockdown rules. councils in beauty spots are worried that a surge in visitors could result in a rise in coronavirus infections. meanwhile, in a major step to re—open its economy, italy has announced plans to lift its strict travel restrictions. a forfurther

a for further 468 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus. that takes the total of deaths in the uk up to 35,446. from the 3rd ofjune, travel will be allowed to and from italy as well as between regions. football's officially back — in germany, anyway, where the bundesliga has this afternoon become the first top flight european league to restart since coronavirus forced the suspension of play across the continent. all games are being played behind closed doors. more now on those plans to reopen primary schools in england. here's our political correspondent, jessica parker pupils returning to school in france. in england, a staggered plan to do the same from earlyjune in primary schools — but, amid disagreement, the woman appointed by government

to stand up for children says it's time to stop squabbling. positions have really become entrenched and i fear that the best interests of children, which is what we're all meant to be looking at in this debate, are being overlooked. i've raised the issue of the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children that will be carrying risks out of school. they will not be getting access to education, they may have fragile home environments, and mental health will be suffering. she says opening things up again is sensible, and has called on the unions and government to find a way forward, based on testing and controlling the risk. but parents will also be weighing up the situation. i'm not waving a flag, saying, let's go back to school and put 30 children in a class and have it as a normal school day. i think there needs to be some kind of schooling, in terms of some kind of non—physical contact at school. the government insists it's giving all the guidance schools need. safety measures include staggered

breaks, smaller class sizes, no mixing between groups, but the unions say more information is needed. we are calling on the government to set up a task force with the education unions to plan a safe way of going back to school. we want to get back. we have set out five tests which we think are meetable. the government could meet them. parents will not be fined if they don't send their children back, so what will families decide to do? out of 28 children in my class, we have had ten responses so far saying they will send their children but a lot of those parents still have reservations and queries they want answered before making that choice. the government says its plan is conditional on the scientific data, but it could also be conditional on how unions, teachers, parents and local authorities choose to act. jessica parker, bbc news. drjames williams trains primary school teachers.

hejoins me via webcam from brighton. we from brighton. are gratefulfor your time. i just we are grateful for your time. i just wondered where you stand on schools reopening in june. just wondered where you stand on schools reopening in junelj just wondered where you stand on schools reopening in june. i am very, very hesitant. i don't think that the government has given clear enough advice, and i think often their advice is contradictory. if you take, for example, myself, and although i contribute to the training of teachers in primary and secondary, i hold qualified teachers status. the government would be happy to put me in a classroom with 15 children, some of whom possibly could not understand the concept of social distancing. they are happy for me to do that, however they would not be happy for me to see my seven grandchildren in an open park, where i could easily enforce a two metre distance between all of them. so it's incredibly contradictory. why is one setting safe, and the other not safe? nonetheless, the

children's commissioner has said that she thinks the government ‘s plans are sensible for a phased reopening of schools at the beginning ofjune, and the heads of four school chains back the government as well, don't they? yes, they do, but let's examine the sense. reduced class sizes, absolutely fine. let's go to a class size of 15. when the primary class size of 15. when the primary class size on average is 30. immediately, you have double the number of people that need to be employed to teach those children. immediately, you have doubled the space requirements. the guidance also states for head teachers that they should not be thinking about having children in on a rotor. well, i can't see where that space unaware are those classrooms going to come from that these teachers and other adults are going to be teaching in? and then you have got the added problem of pick—up and drop—off. you have got the added problems of the washing of hands, the cleaning of equipment,

the cleaning of desks. all of this is going to take time, and you won't be able to pack that into a five—hour teaching day. be able to pack that into a five-hour teaching day. you make some interesting points. i suppose the other argument is that this is ultimately a new disease, and we may not be able to get hold of all the evidence we need to do everything safely, so it becomes a case, doesn't it, of managing risk because you can't ultimately eradicate it? no, it is impossible to eradicate all risk, but we do know that schools are hotbeds for the transmission of all sorts of diseases. there is nothing in the evidence at the moment to say that children cannot pass on the disease. there have been a few studies that say that it is possibly a low rate of transmission between young children, but even the chief scientists themselves are saying that they have low confidence because it is such a new disease, we haven't got a very large scale robust studies that tell us exactly

what is going on here. so the scientific evidence, and i think the unions are right here, and the bma are also right, the scientific evidence is inconclusive. we know that perhaps children don't suffer the effects of covid—i9, but it is not just the the effects of covid—i9, but it is notjust the children. you have lots of people working in schools, lots of people working in schools, lots of adults, lots of older people. you have office staff, teaching assista nts have office staff, teaching assistants and so on. schools have stayed open, for example in denmark, so stayed open, for example in denmark, so why have there been no reports of any large—scale infections so why have there been no reports of any la rge—scale infections there? you have to remember that it is different in different european countries. they are talking about reception and year one children going back to school, so we are talking about children around the ages of four orfive. talking about children around the ages of four or five. they don't start school until the age of six in denmark. they have a much lower population and much larger schools. if you look at the building plans

for our schools, even brand—new schools, they allow something in the region of 2.5 square metres per child. that is not enough for distancing, full social distancing. you need at least four square metres if you are going to iceland, for example, they have six metres. six square metres per child. 0ur schools are not built around the notion of social distancing, and i think you will find in some european countries, the schools themselves, the physical premises and classrooms are larger. we must leave it there, good to hear your thoughts. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. i want to bring you the latest figures that have come into us from the government about the number of people who have died from the coronavirus in the united kingdom. it is now a total of 34,466. they

had tested positive for coronavirus and have now died in the united kingdom. that is a rise of 468 in a 24—hour period. these figures coming from the department of health. the figures are, as of yesterday afternoon, and they do include deaths due to suspected cases. it does mean that the death toll in britain is now more than 40,000. 468 people have died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours. that is in the united kingdom. italy has said people can travel in and out of the country from 3rd june. it's a significant change in a nation that imposed one of the world's most rigid coronavirus lockdowns, and suffered significant loss of life. more than 31,000 italians have died of covid—i9 since late february, but the infection rate has fallen quickly.

0ur reporter freya cole has more. italy has said people can travel in and out of the country from 3rd june. preparations are under way to welcome people back to the mediterranean for the start of the european summer. but there is still a lot of uncertainty. translation: with the measures that will be imposed, according to rumours, because we still do not know what they will be, we risk having 30—35% fewer umbrellas. tourist operators are planning as much as they can. everything could change if there is a second wave of infection. but from june 3rd, the government plans to reinstate free movement around the country. holidays will be allowed, and encouraged. translation: in two months, we have only had two overnight stays. this gives you an idea of the situation. the newly published government decree also reveals plans

to open italy's borders. but it is unclear what restrictions will be put on international travellers. already at airports in rome, thorough cleaning is taking place, as well as temperature checks at customs. it is a gradual process. from monday, beauty salons, shops and restaurants are allowed to open, but business looks very different. tables must be two metres apart, and there is more cleaning than ever before. translation: the challenge is huge, so big it is hard to quantify, and most of all, there is uncertainty. but we are used to working hard, rolling up our sleeves, and providing the best for oui’ customers. italians have waited more than two months to share their love of food with others, but the new era will come with new traditions.

after weeks of misery for fans, top—level football has returned in europe with the resumption of the german bundesliga. the games are being played in empty stadiums, with modest goal celebrations and players not shaking hands after the final whistle. officials from other european countries are watching closely to see if things go smoothly. the bundesliga had been mothballed for 2 months. at the time of its suspension bayern munich lead the league by four points. resuming the english premier league has been fraught with disagreement. particularly over the idea of neutral stadiums and whether relegation should be abolished. a resumption next month seems likely though. spain's la liga could also restart next month. league officials are waiting for guidance from the government. italy's top flight, serie a, was suspended with juventus leading by a single point. clubs have agreed they want

the league to resume on i3thjune. it's the first weekend since some lockdown restrictions were eased in england, with members of the public now allowed out for unlimited exercise. local councils are warning people to stay away from beauty spots and beaches, over concerns that a surge of visitors will lead to an increase in infection. helena wilkinson reports. the beauty and tranquillity of places like the peak district will be a temptation for people in england to head to. this, the first weekend since the easing of lockdown restrictions. as long as they don't travel to wales, scotland or northern ireland, they are free to go as far as they like, to enjoy the outdoors, but many councils and tourism bosses have a different message. if you do go out this weekend, stay local. after seven weeks of lockdown,

people want to turn to the sanctuary of our great national parks and a connection with nature, which is why i am asking people to consider keeping it local and, if you do come here, be self—reliant. facilities are not around. be flexible. if a car park is full, don't park in the villages or on the roadside verges, because that has an impact on the local communities and emergency services. there is particular concern in cumbria and the lake district, where infection rates are amongst the highest in england. the message to day—trippers wanting to head there is, stay away for now to protect the local community. other parts of england are also warning visitors away. in cornwall and devon, they are asking people to avoid their beaches and beauty spots. it's a similar message from blackpool, and there won't be any lifeguards on any beaches across the country. in london, the police are reminding people that gatherings

are still not permitted. make sure you only meet up with one other person from another household and certainly not to gather in groups of more than two people. we will have police officers out and about and we will be engaging with people throughout the day, but please be sensible and stay safe. as people enjoy the relaxation of rules in england this weekend, they have been reminded to use common sense, to maintain social distancing, and to think twice before heading out on long journeys. helena wilkinson, bbc news. it's time for your questions answered, and we've been asking young people to send in their questions about the impact coronavirus has had on the events industry. with me is events reporter for campaign magazine, fayola douglas, and also i'm joined by maxwell fellows,

founder of elevate mentoring, which supports people working in the events industry. great to have you both with us and we have got a lot of questions. james asks, what will the future be four major music and arts festivals and he cites glastonbury. it is obviously impossible to social distance at a music festival. i suppose that is the question. distance at a music festival. i suppose that is the questionm distance at a music festival. i suppose that is the question. is it? i think with glastonbury, because it has such a long running festival, and it does have fallow years where it takes a year off, it's highly likely glastonbury will return better than ever, may be in 2021, that's what they are hoping, and we just have to wait and see what happens from july, when smaller events happens from july, when smaller eve nts ca n happens from july, when smaller events can start to open up, and how that progresses. james is saying, could tracing apps be used for seven

days before a big music or arts festival, to determine whether attendees have been near someone that has been affected. would that be one possible option?|j that has been affected. would that be one possible option? i think there's going to be many different ways in which to help bring back what will be the live events as we know it before, track and trace will be one of the key ones. the biggest challenge is going to be with events like glastonbury, or any sort of irina event, and that the sheer social distancing aspect. to bring those back to life, and with at the energy and excitement and the atmosphere that people go to these live events for, it is not going to be like that for at least the next year or so, be like that for at least the next year or so, with live events looking to come back may be in 21, but is likely to be on a smaller scale to start with. you are nodding, fayola, you are agreeing that max is not being unduly pessimistic. i have to say to you, it is all very well for

a huge festival like glastonbury, but there are a lot of smaller festivals, and indeed events going on indoors, aren't there?|j festivals, and indeed events going on indoors, aren't there? ithink with some of these events, it's not going to be possible to social distance at them, so they will not return until we can be close to each other. with some smaller events, you can limit the capacity and make sure that people stay apart. i don't think that would be feasible for something like glastonbury. question from russell in manchester. is it likely the government will carry on supporting staff working at venues, you know, concert arenas, theatres, if they don't return until 2021? russell theatres, if they don't return until 2021 ? russell makes theatres, if they don't return until 2021? russell makes the point that the theatre and live music industry, imean the theatre and live music industry, i mean the creative industries as a whole, contribute millions and millions to the uk economy, don't they? billions, in fact. that's one of the biggest and gravest threats at the moment to the events industry

asa at the moment to the events industry as a whole, and that includes hospitality, the fact that we have i'iow hospitality, the fact that we have now had furlough extended to october, and knowing the industry and taking polls and things like that, we know that up to 70% don't believe until 2021 will be see some proper return to events. so there will be a real gap where post—october, there is going to be potentially redundancies, and it is a grim and probably pessimistic outlook, but unless the government, or unless there are greater initiatives taken, that may well be the case. of course, so many different industries, and so many different industries, and so many different sectors of the economy are making a call on the public purse, aren't they? bridget asks, and i'm not quite sure which one of you is best placed to answer this question, so best placed to answer this question, so do dive in, it is quite specific. scotla nd so do dive in, it is quite specific. scotland was due to host the world tea m scotland was due to host the world team mounted games competition this august. this is a horse riding

competition, and they expected teams with horses to come for a week in the scottish borders, around 500 participants, and support staying in their own lorries, caravans and tents. what do you feel about the likelihood of that event being held in august? max? ithink likelihood of that event being held in august? max? i think many events, asa in august? max? i think many events, as a global nation we want to get back, and i know myself personally, wanting to see sport and competition resume as quickly as possible. we have now seen golf coming back, cricket, rugby and football, but all behind closed doors. it is possible perhaps with caution to play and have these exports resume, but the biggest factor is that the audience and those participants are not going to be able to participate. in terms of games and equestrian, horse riding is quite an isolated sport

anyway, so i don't see really, with proper precautions and necessary ca re proper precautions and necessary care taken, why that could not be brought back. perhaps in terms of the accommodation and the arrangements around the fringes of the event might change, but the actual event itself might well be possible under due care and attention. some possible good news for bridget there. fayola, this is from rob in london, who wants to know whether you think a lot of our smaller music venues will survive coronavirus. i think this is something we have been talking about for the past few years. a lot of smaller venues have been struggling, and the fact that they had to be closed, and closed over the summer, their busiest time when they make a lot of their money that ties over through the year, it doesn't look positive unless the government can offer them some support. really? you ee, offer them some support. really? you agree, do you, max? ithink what offer them some support. really? you agree, do you, max? i think what we are going to see, many big concerts

will not be feasible. artists are going to want to be earning a certain amount of money, and i think they are going to see a really interesting shift from that bigger arena style concert and events, to much smaller, perhaps localised, and from a cultural perspective i know that younger age groups are dying to get back into it, whereas the middle—aged and perhaps slightly older are middle—aged and perhaps slightly olderare being middle—aged and perhaps slightly older are being more cautious. middle—aged and perhaps slightly olderare being more cautious. i think the first to come back will be those smaller, more boutique type music venues. it might be that we see some of the bigger artists performing in those spaces as well. this is a question from rebecca from the bbc, me! what happens if you have already got tickets for an event, perhaps over the summer, and you know it has been cancelled? from my experience, it seems that

everything is different. one event is giving you your money back, one event is giving you the chance to book your tickets again, one event is saying we will give you your money back but you can still have your tickets if it goes ahead next year. it seems confusing to me. what is your experience, fayola?‘ year. it seems confusing to me. what is your experience, fayola? a lot of the festivals i have seen that they are offering money back, or they can have a ticket for next year. because there is so much uncertainty, people might choose to take their money back and they can simply rebook when it comes to 2021, but if you are not able to get your money back, and you can only go next year, i don't really think that is fair. if you book using your credit card, maybe thatis book using your credit card, maybe that is a good way for you to get your money back. max, briefly,? just to quickly add to that, where there are events where it has been postponed and there is an alternative date, it has been shown that around 95% of people are happy to hold onto that, showing both commitment and loyalty to that

event. those that don't or can't make that alternative date is around 596. make that alternative date is around 5%. unfortunately, those thatjust cancel without sight of one that is next going to happen, so people are ina limbo next going to happen, so people are in a limbo where they want a refund but the organisers are saying something is coming but not telling them when, then absolutely they are due their refund if they are not able to have an alternative date. i am in the same position as you that i have got money tied up in events without having received a refund yet. maybe the government will have to get involved to make sure from a consumer protect the macro perspective that our rights are upheld. we have to say goodbye now to viewers on bbc world, but do stay with us if you are still watching in the uk. we still have fayola and maxwell with us, answering your questions about events and

festivals. a question again about sporting events. chris asks, when do you think mass participation running events will be given the go—ahead? i suspect what chris is talking about there is perhaps marathons, half marathons, the great north run. yes, i know we have seen that the london marathon has been postponed, and so they are hoping that will take place in october, but it could look very different from the normal marathon. one of the things we also need to think about is how the emergency services support these events, and if that means they will be put under strain by supporting these events, then thousands of runners, there is usually around 75,000 people who will watch the races, and that is not necessarily going to be able to happen, even in october. max,

roxanne wants to know what will happen with the exhibition industry, which relies on large indoor gatherings. i suppose we might be talking about big christmas fairs, or wedding talking about big christmas fairs, orwedding fairs, talking about big christmas fairs, or wedding fairs, for example. she says, all of the uk halls are currently being used for temporary hospitals. how and when will it ever return to normal? i think it will be one of the first large—scale events to return to normal. we have seen with nhs nightingale that it is now being put into a phase of standby, almost into decommissioning and it has not been fully utilised. we have got these spaces becoming available, provided that everyone adheres to the guidelines and the virus to stop spreading. but given the way in which we can manage that, and it has been seen almost similar to the shopping aspect, with one—way systems, that it is one of those environments that can be regulated and controlled and it would be one of those where we may see it back

sooner of those where we may see it back sooner than some of the other mass participation events. let's talk a little bit about sport. graham wants to know how can sporting events, he mentions football, but i guess you could argue tennis or any other spectator sport, how can these events observe social distancing, events observe social distancing, evenif events observe social distancing, even if they are being played behind closed doors? is there anything that you have thought about, fayola? specifically, we have already seen in germany that football is getting back under way, and players are not touching each other where they can help, so no handshake after a goal. but people are obviously going to be in close proximity. not having a cloud there is good for social distancing, but players on the pitch, that's just not nor necessarily possible. for other sports like golf, it will be a lot easier. what about rugby? you can't

socially distance playing rugby, can you? unfortunate not, and i am a by you? unfortunate not, and i am a rugby man as well, and i can't wait to get it back having seen the last series cut short. it is going to be around testing, precautions like blood tests where necessary, but in terms of track and trace and also seeing where there has been previous contact with things like that, it is going to be really slow progress and it will have to almost be drip fed back in. it is through testing and taking precautions that we can minimise it, and it is a moral obligation from clubs and where they feel whether they should be bringing people back as well. rugby is probably the most contact sport, and that may be the last to come back. i don't think there is a single fix at the moment. what about off the field? a viewer has said they watch non—league

football where there could be 100, 1000, very small crowds watching the games, the point is made at most grounds there would be space for social distancing, what is the prospect for games going ahead with spectators attending next season?m terms of when that there actually happen, the latter part of this year, i think it is viable. i think there will be an increase in staff, sanitisation, it will be staggered, there will be testing, increased security. again with that is cost. a lot of these clubs are going to be looking at a cost of opening up verses actually playing behind closed doors where you are probably talking 20% capacity utilised by fans, then, again, it could be done, provided all the precautionary measures are taken. i think that adds to queueing time, adds to the

costs to the clubs, food and beverages, will almost be eradicated, that is possible earnings to clubs which will be gone. it will be interesting seeing that weight up. a final question for you. this is quite a specific question but i think it has got wider implications. gary organises an event which takes place annually in edinburgh in october and he wants to know when events festivals will be allowed. he makes the point that the prime minister did not include large gatherings, and events are not able to plan accordingly, quite a few indications in that question, we know the edinburgh festival in august has been cancelled and there are different august has been cancelled and there a re different rules august has been cancelled and there are different rules around lockdown in england and scotland. but broadly speaking can you give gary any

reassurance? i think there are a number of things to be considered if the events are to be largely indoor or outdoor, i think this will be one of the biggest things to consider in terms of numbers. but i think that these larger scale events, if it is going to be more than 500 people i do not think it is likely until 2021. i do not know how many visitors his event is likely to be drawing in that it might not be happening, but it is difficult for himi happening, but it is difficult for him i guess when he is starting to think about calculations because he might not want to do that until we find out more at the beginning of july. unfortunately we have to leave it there. gary says his event a tt ra cts it there. gary says his event attracts 20,000 people over seven days. great to talk to you both. thank you for taking the time to a nswer thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions. you are welcome. thank you. let as catch up with all of the weather

now. it has been fairly pleasant for most of as. there has been a little more cloud across northern areas, scotla nd cloud across northern areas, scotland and northern ireland, the chance here of some rain through the course of saturday. to the south and east of the weather is better and by the end of the afternoon or early evening temperatures will still be around 16 degrees in england and the midlands but cooler in glasgow because of cloud cover. through tonight south—westerly winds will push in more cloud and there bilby damp weather in belfast and it western isles of scotland but much of england is particularly south—east will be dry. it mild night. tomorrow they cloud used weather in scotland and northern ireland. at times there will be some rain. east and south it is looking good. temperatures are on the rise.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the children's commissioner for england calls for teaching unions and the government to stop squabbling over plans for primary school pupils to return to the classroom. the number of coronavirus deaths in the uk in all settings has risen by 468 in the past 24—hour period. despite looser travel restrictions in england — a warning to day—trippers not to visit rural and coastal areas this weekend amid fears the number of infections could rise. and top flight football is back in germany — the bundesliga is the first major european football league to restart during the pandemic — with matches taking place in empty stadiums. more now on the discussions

which are continuing about how and when children in england — and indeed in many other countries — return to school. ed vainker is co—founder and executive principal of the reach academy in feltham in west london — it's part of the reach foundation. hejoins me now. we are very grateful for your time. thank you forjoining as. should pupils be going back to school in june? the first thing it is important to say is that pupils are already in school. my school caters for pupils from nursery up to age 18, we caterfor for pupils from nursery up to age 18, we cater for the children of key workers. we have been anticipating numbers would increase and they have started increasing. there is an

assumption in the system, it is important that teachers and head teachers have been working throughout this period, we anticipated that pupils would start coming back to school in greater numbers as we got towards the summer. numbers as we got towards the summer. you will be aware that trade unions are worried. notjust the trade unions, the british medical association has said that the trade unions are right to resist reopening until we can be certain that it is safe. what do you say to them? one of the things about this entire period is that it things about this entire period is thatitis things about this entire period is that it is scary and it is unknown and is not something we have gone through before, so i think everyone, i include myself, is anxious, and is not quite sure how this is going to unfold. one of the things that is important to recognise for the trade unions and for the government is that they are trying to provide guidance and support for 26,000 schools across the country. and schools across the country. and schools are in different positions, they serve different communities, their buildings look and feel different, they have different

capacity to do the kind of things that have been recommended. and their staff have different profiles and different kind of age ridges and underlying conditions. i recognise it is difficult at top level to provide clarity and guidance that is needed. i think it gets easier at a school level and at a community level because we understand our pupils, we understand ourfamilies, we are talking to them and to our staff all the time. one of the arguments has been in favour of reopening schools that they have been open in a country like denmark and there has not been a rapid rise of infection rates as they are, but we we re of infection rates as they are, but we were talking to a university academic a little earlier who was making the point that schools in denmark are much larger than they are in england, for example, so it is much easier to keep pupils apart, the same in luxembourg. what about that argument that our school buildings arejust too that argument that our school buildings are just too cramped to be able to have the kind of social

distancing that is needed? ido distancing that is needed? i do not think you can generalise. i think schools look different in different places, in different parts of the country. classrooms are different sizes and so on. one of the things for as it is important as we start to think about bringing our pupils back as we think it is very difficult with younger pupils to enforce difficult with younger pupils to e nfo rce a ny difficult with younger pupils to enforce any kind of social distancing. for as the priority is going to be keeping groups of pupils apart from each other and minimising the number of adults that those pupils come into contact with. one thing i would say is that i think for me the argument about coming back, i am opposite not a scientist, not an epidemiologist, what i do know is that 42% of our families here have suffered financially through this period, and some very seriously. we are next to heathrow and a huge number of businesses are not working, that is a huge concern to those families and two hours.

also, for all pupils, regardless of their background and where they are from, this has been an unsettling time. some of those other risks associated with not being in school, they are less easy to get our arms around as the pandemic, but they are still there and they are still important and they are still things we should be aware of. thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. we are grateful. thank you. a leading medical expert has told the bbc that nearly a third of patients who are severely ill with coronavirus are also developing dangerous blood clots. scientists believe the clots — which lead to more heart attacks and strokes — are contributing significantly to the number of people dying, as our health correspondent, richard galpin reports. here in the laboratories of king's college hospital in london, staff test blood samples

from patients with coronavirus to see how the virus is changing their blood. and in particular, how sticky it has become, because sticky blood means a risk of blood clots, also known as thrombosis. i was taken around the laboratory by professor roopen arya, a specialist in the field. and also, the airways are a bit squiggly... he showed me a scan of the lungs of a patient seriously ill with pneumonia due to coronavirus. highlighted on the second screen, blood clots. the result of severe inflammation in the lungs activating blood clotting, or fragments of clots getting into the lungs from other parts of the body. thrombosis is a major problem, but clearly, in severely affected covid patients in critical care where some of the most recent studies show that almost half the patients have pulmonary embolism

or blood clot on the lungs. 71—year—old artist brian mcclure was rushed to hospital last month with coronavirus. now recovering back home, he told me how doctors had discovered he had medical problem. i went for a lung screening, and that showed i had blood clots in the lungs, and that that was very, very dangerous, and that is when i really started to get worried, because i wasn't improving. beverly hunt, medical director of the charity thrombosis uk, says the sticky blood which coronavirus patients are developing is notjust causing blood clots. we also have higher rates of heart attacks and strokes when you have got such sticky blood as you have with covid, so, yes, the sticky blood is contributing to a higher mortality with covid.

doctors are treating covid patients who have blood clots with blood thinners. but it doesn't always work, and high doses can lead to patients bleeding. global trials are now taking place to find the best way of treating this latest medical condition caused by the virus. people have lined the streets for the funeral of a nurse and his parents who died within weeks of each other after contracting coronavirus. nhs staff, well—wishers and fire crews paid tribute to the family outside south tyneside district hospital. keith dunnington, a nurse for more than 30 years, died at his parents' house in south shields last month. his mother lillian died at the beginning of may and her husband maurice died days later. several hundred people are protesting against the coronavirus lockdown in hyde park in central

london. police have made a handful of arrests after trying to disperse groups. the protestors say they object to their rights of movement and free speech being restricted by the government's measures to limit the spread of the pandemic. today's protest was one of a number across the country after flyers were shared on social media. as we've been reporting, it's the first weekend since some lockdown restrictions were eased in england — with members of the public now allowed out for unlimited exercise. local councils are warning people to stay away from beauty spots and beaches. our correspondent andy gill is in grassington in north yorkshire and told us it hasn't been as busy today locals had feared. there has been a steady increase in visitors here throughout this morning and the afternoon. the car park perhaps not as busy as some of the local people had feared it might be. we have been speaking to some of

the locals. some people say visitors should not be coming. another person said they have to come some time. one family had travelled here from harry gates, 20 miles away, they came because they think it is safe. the local authority said they would have preferred... you were worried that a lot more people might come. definitely worried more would come. there could be a risk of attracting a lot of people here. you wanted the lockdown to be another fortnight, why did you want that delay?m lockdown to be another fortnight, why did you want that delay? it is just getting ready. making sure public toilets are available, these sort of things that have been closed, that we can get back open and ready to go. i am not a scientist but that science was sort

of saying we are ready to go, so opened the car parks and the to i lets. opened the car parks and the toilets. the car parks are open so that people do not park in the centre of the village because you do not want people to mix, visitors and locals together and stop not really that but there is a car park year, and people parking outside people's housesis and people parking outside people's houses is never a useful thing. it is important that eventually for the economy here that you do get people coming back? very much so. we rely on the tourist industry. as soon as we can get the tourists back safely and businesses back open, the better. what are local businesses saying about the practical effect thatis saying about the practical effect that is having on them and whether they can survive or not? they really need some summit this year. if they

have to go through another winter i think we will lose quite a few businesses. the government health scheme is massive, it has got them through to this point, it will take them a bit further, but that will not take them through another winter. scientists in britain have began a trial of sniffer dogs to see if they can be trained to detect the presence of coronavirus before symptoms appear. the clinical trial is being boosted by investment from the uk governments with the hope that if the scheme works each dog would be able to screen around 250 people per hour. the dogs are already to sniff out diseases such as cancer, malaria. what we know about other respiratory diseases and lots of other diseases, we have known that diseases create changes in our body odour. we think the same thing is happening with

covid—19, if it does change, we are confident that these dogs can detect that.

we will be bringing you the latest coronavirus briefing from the government shortly. it will be led by gavin williamson, the education secretary. first, the headlines, the children's commissioner for england calls for teaching unions and the government to stop squabbling over plans for primary school pupils to return to the classroom. the best thing for the children which is what we are supposed to be looking at are being overlooked. that number of coronavirus deaths in the uk in all settings has risen by 468 in the past 24—hour period. despite looser travel restrictions in england, a warning to day—trippers not to visit rural and coastal areas this weekend amid

fears