england sees the biggest easing of the lockdown so far but some warn it's too much, too soon. first day back at school for some primary school children as they try to get used to new social distancing. it's emptier than usual. we're more spaced out whereas we're usually quite close together. it makes me happier because i know i get to see the people i've been with my whole entire life. open air markets and car showrooms welcome their first customers since lockdown. and they're off — horse racing and snooker resume — but no spectators allowed. the lifting of the lockdown relies on contact tracing to locate flare—ups of coronavirus. the government insists it's working well but admits it's not yet fully operational. also tonight...

president trump attacks us governors‘ response to six nights of demonstrations as weak. he tells them they have to get tough and dominate. here, happy reunions for grandparents at last able to see their grandchildren. and it's been a record—breaking spring with the most hours of sunshine in nearly a century. coming up in the sport later in the hour on bbc news, snooker is also back and there's a winning return for the world champion, judd trump. good evening and welcome

to the bbc news at six. england has seen the biggest loosening of the lockdown since it was imposed ten weeks ago with as many as six people allowed to meet outdoors and some aspects of daily life returning to a semblance of normality. in scotland, wales and northern ireland, groups of people are allowed to meet but otherwise many of the restrictions remain in place. in england, some primary school pupils had their first day back at school though not all schools opened and it's not yet known how many parents have chosen to keep their children at home. open air markets and car showrooms have opened for the first time since the lockdown was introduced. the first competitive sport has resumed with horse racing and snooker but neither event was allowed any spectators. it comes as a further 111 deaths were reported in the last 24—hour period. taking the number of people, who have died after testing positive for covid—i9, to 39,016. our education editor branwenjeffreys has our first report tonight.

welcoming them back to school. first to arrive, year 6. for riley and his mum louise, relief that he's back for his last term. like, even though he is going to be back for six, seven weeks tops, and then have another six weeks off, it's still nice for him to go and get a little bit of learning, because we couldn't get a lot done at home! i think i'm going to actually like being with my friends as much as i used to be. all right, then, off we go. this is riley's new, smaller class group. socially distancing from the start of the day. we followed them separately from the rest of the school. into a classroom, each to their own desk. no books or pens shared. from lockdown to a new reality. good morning, everybody! even assembly is now online.

from the head teacher's office, to the classroom. it is so lovely to have you all back in school. what have you been up to? most year six pupils were here today, but some parents of reception or year one children kept them home. they know that school doesn't look normal. i think there's still fear, in terms of the pandemic that we are going through, and i hope the more that we can show that school is successfully open at the moment, and it is safe, then more parents will send their children back. through the day, washing their hands. no noisy playground at break time. just small groups. so, they are back with some of their friends, but having to keep their distance. and they can't mix with any other children in the school. so, although this is a day that many of them will have been looking forward to,

it is not back as normal. it is like, we are more spaced out, whereas we are usually quite close together. it makes me, like, happier because i know i get to see the people i have been with, my whole entire life. in wales, there is no date for schools to open. scotland and northern ireland start their return in august, leaving dads like martin home—schooling his son samuel. we trust the school to give us what we need, and we are following that lead. i think the thing that worries me for samuel is that school is about more than just lessons. he is missing his friends. he is missing the social aspect of school. lessons under the trees, but despite precautions like this, warnings still that england has taken this step too soon.

we are following the scientists who tell us that it's too soon, that contact tracing isn't working and who say that in a fortnight‘s time, contact tracing could be working and the level of infection could be half what it is now. for riley, the end of a tiring but rewarding day. still absorbing how different school looks now. branwen is in tamworth in stafforshire this evening. many pupils back at school but not everyone has been happy to send their children back, any sense yet as to how many parents have kept their children home? we know that in theoryjust over 2 million pupils who were eligible to come back in those year groups to school in england today. but it's almost impossible to get an actual numberfigure almost impossible to get an actual number figure of how many attended. that's partly because some schools are waiting for a week or two before they reopen, they are not yet ready they reopen, they are not yet ready they say to make everything safe for pupils. some schools are doing training with staff today and

opening tomorrow or later in the week. or they are only starting with one yeargroup, week. or they are only starting with one year group, for example taking either the younger pupils orjust year six back to start with to see how they go. all that added up together makes it very difficult to getan together makes it very difficult to get an accurate picture, but one head teachers‘ union says they are to estimates that what they are hearing from teachers around england is that anecdotally it is between a0 and 70%. and it‘s more likely to be the year six pupils coming back and pa rents of the year six pupils coming back and parents of younger pupils who are more cautious. branwen jeffreys in tamworth, thank you. it‘s notjust schools in england that‘ve seen more doors opening today — some open air markets and car dealers in england have begun trading again too. new social distancing measures have been put in place, with some car showrooms allowing customers to take test drives by themselves.

all other shops are due to reopen in two weeks‘ time, but no firm dates have been set to open shops in scotland, wales and northern ireland. here‘s our business correspondent emma simpson. they have had a market here in epping for 800 years, and they are taking their time to get this reopening right. just a third of stores today, not their usual setup but traders are adapting, relieved to be back. we have been here 30 yea rs to be back. we have been here 30 years was that we have been through recessions and all sorts of things, but this is another level, it‘s been really difficult, really, really difficult. so we are just pleased that hopefully we are gradually getting back to normality. we are absolutely delighted was not in fa ct, absolutely delighted was not in fact, i absolutely delighted was not in fact, lam absolutely delighted was not in fact, i am so delighted, that's for them. a welcome return. customers are also adjusting to the new rules. they‘ve been very good at keeping their distance. and outdoors is much better than being indoors. it's good for the people. and the public miss

the market. it's a community. normally you would have stalls on both sides here but this town council market has been completely rejigged to give more space. the chancellor was enjoying his trip down the market near westminster too. i am here grabbing my lunch, people are here doing the same, the traders are all back and i hope in the coming days and weeks many more people will do the same and slowly will get lives back to normal but this is the first but very important step. so is getting the car industry on the road. back in essex, emily smith is buying a new car today. she wrote off her old one just before lockdown. new rules here as well. can we take the car for lockdown. new rules here as well. can we take the carfor a lockdown. new rules here as well. can we take the car for a test drive? of course you can, it is unaccompanied and as long as you can fill out the form you can go on your owi'i. fill out the form you can go on your own. this has been the day i have

been waiting for to get a new car and back to work. the boss says there is pent up demand but is worried about future sales. the numbers will be down this year but hopefully we can push back against that and if we have some help, perhaps a simulation package from the government similar to the 2009 scrappage scheme then we could keep the volume similar to before lockdown. getting the wheels of this economy turning is crucial but the pace quickened a little today but it could be a slow, bumpy ride ahead. emma simpson, bbc news, harlow. the success of easing lockdown measures relies on the government‘s ability to identify and tackle flare ups of coronavirus where they occur through a new system of contact tracing. the prime minister promised the system in england would be world beating from today. but there have been complaints that the system isn‘t ready. the government insists it‘s working well but admits it‘s not yet fully operational. our health editor hugh pym has more. enjoying new freedom in england today to meet outdoors in larger groups with social distancing. the rules in wales changed today as well.

scotland and northern ireland have already loosened the guidelines on meeting outdoors, so as the restrictions are eased, how will the authorities monitor the spread of the virus and try to keep it in check? a full testing and contact tracing system is seen as vital. as well as testing people, tracking down the recent contacts of those who test positive is a priority. that way, local infections can be tackled. systems have gone live and contact tracers appointed. but there are concerns one contact tracer who wants to be anonymous told us he‘d been given very little work since the launch last thursday. we have heard reports from some contact tracers that since they started work in england last thursday, they‘ve had very little, if anything, to do.

what do you think is actually happening with the system? we have hired, as you know, 25,000 people to work as contact tracers, and the level of incidence of disease has come down, so actually, we have more capacity than we need. this is a good thing. then there is the r. that is the virus reproduction number. it shows how fast the virus is spreading. anything above one is when an individual is infecting more than one other person. the aim is to keep it below that, which means the virus is receding. the latest official estimate is a range between 0.7 and 0.9, which doesn‘t leave much headroom. data on infections and deaths will be closely scrutinised. the daily number of cases has been falling, the line shows the rolling average, that‘s the trend, though, this doesn‘t include people who haven‘t been tested —

that‘s thousands more. the figure for reported deaths has also been coming down steadily, but the rolling average has stalled in the last few days. in the last week or two, we have seen a relatively persistent steadying of the death numbers, and a very long tail, if you like, of this epidemic curve. so we will be watching very closely to see if that's maintained, and very persistent, or if that increases in coming weeks. one health reader has said with restrictions eased, this was a dangerous moment, and scientists would be watching development very closely. hugh pym, bbc news. in scotland, the first minister nicola sturgeon has warned that she won‘t hesitate to put into law restrictions on how many people can gather and how far they can travel after big increases in traffic and crowds over the weekend. let‘s talk to our scotland editor sarah smith in glasgow. so some alarm, then, from the first minister about how people have reacted to the small easing of the lockdown there. yes, a minority, nicola sturgeon says, one that obviously has got her deeply worried. the first

significant easing of lockdown in scotla nd significant easing of lockdown in scotland coincided with the hottest and sunniest weekend of the year and people were for the first time allowed outdoors to sit and sunbathe oi’ allowed outdoors to sit and sunbathe or have a picnic and meet up with people from one of the household in groups of no more than eight. clearly not everyone stuck to the rules because police had to disperse nearly 800 groups of people. we were also asked to travel not more than five miles or so for recreation but beauty spots like loch lomond and ben lomond were choked with traffic, three times as much as last weekend. nicola sturgeon is deeply frustrated about this and says if a minority persist in britain rules were put into law new restrictions so it to meet in groups of more than eight or travel more than five miles, which will make it easier for the police at the moment because new guidelines are not law they have to try to persuade. sarah smith in glasgow, thank you.

president trump has rounded on america‘s state governors over what he called their "weak" response to the violent protests that have erupted since the death of george floyd — a black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck a week ago. a sixth night of protests has taken place in more than 75 cities but mr trump has blamed the trouble on the radical left who he said were making the governors look like a "bunch ofjerks". curfews in a0 cities, including los angeles, philadelphia and chicago, have largely been ignored by protesters. troops from the national guard — the country‘s reserve military force for domestic emergencies — have been mobilized in 15 states as well as the capital washington, from where our correspondent aleem maqbool sent this report. it contains images you might find distressing. nojustice, no peace! these were protests against the killing of george floyd. but, given the location, they were also a message to one person in particular. he needs to grow up.

he needs to be a man, he needs to stop with the childish acts, the childish tweets. he needs to be a man. as night fell, the mood got angrier. outside the white house, for the most part, it has been a peaceful protest. but fires have been lit now, and the police keep firing gas onto the crowds. and they fired other projectiles, too. in defence of the home of the president. and they were clearly on edge. they also did little to dispel the impression that the police use unnecessary levels of force. at one point, charging our own cameraman. in the streets surrounding the white house, no sense of any attempt at de—escalation. there was anarchy, with shops and vehicles vandalised at will.

loud bang all right, here we go. hard to imagine that these were scenes playing out in the american capital. we‘ve got every right to burn it down. this is pain, right here. this is pain. this is the only way we can get it to him. they are not hearing us. when we just talk. it is just words to them. they don't feel anything. and this is the horrific incident one week ago in minneapolis that sparked all this. george floyd, suspected of perhaps having tried to use a forged $20 note, and playing with his life. —— paying with. in the midwestern city itself, there were moments that showed police could take the heat out of the tensions, and even empathise with the communities they serve. but it didn‘t stay like that. not in minneapolis or boston, where they were running battles between police and demonstrators. or san diego, where tear gas was fired, as it was in dozens

of cities across the country. there have been moments during these protests when the president was taken to the white house bunker for his safety. our correspondent barbara plett—usher is in minneapolis where they‘re marking a week since george floyd‘s death. these strong comments from the president that have emerged in the last hour, what can you tell us about them? very strong comments, incendiary comments, and it is important to minneapolis because it is when we ago that george floyd was killed at this area, and this is where our memorial has been set up and people have been coming to reflect on that and also need to match burgess week since pat mrtrump and also need to match burgess week since pat mr trump is not doing any

reflection. he is speaking very blu ntly. reflection. he is speaking very bluntly. he told governors that they we re bluntly. he told governors that they were wea k bluntly. he told governors that they were weak because they have not more forcefully a nd were weak because they have not more forcefully and aggressively put a law and order at the weekend. he said that they needed to dominate otherwise the protesters would run all over them and make them look like a bunch of marketing, and he said washington would see an intensification of security purses over the coming days, they are going to clamp down very strongly, and this is, you know, a president under siege. he was apparently west to the bunker at the white house at the weekend. where he led incendiary tweets, so we are not getting any words of reconciliation from him, fiona. protests have spread from the united states across the world, including here in the united kingdom. our correspondent shamaan freeman—powell has been hearing from black british people about how the events in the us are affecting them. i don't like someone had personally

attack me or done something to hurt me personally. a white male police officer kneeling on a black man's neck... has lit an eternal fire within me that starts to burn like a furnace, and i get angry, within me that starts to burn like a furnace, and i getangry, i within me that starts to burn like a furnace, and i get angry, i get mad, andi furnace, and i get angry, i get mad, and i want to do something about it. it may have happened thousands of miles away, but the death of george floyd has ignited anger across the globe, including here in the uk.” was disgusted. i still have not been able to watch the full nine minutes. between the police and african americans has gone viral on social media. and viewing these graphic images can take its toll. sometimes,

even as black people, even though we are shocked, we are so desensitised to it. if you couldn‘t even be able to it. if you couldn‘t even be able to watch all of that video. there was a period when i was people dying every week and it was don't shut, i can't breathe, doing something really innocuous and four or five incidents in the space of three months and at the end of that the person that i started to become was just angry. remember i feel emotionally and physically hurt that it happened to someone across on the other side of the world. this is not just a debate about the death of george floyd. it has sparked a conversation about institutional racism globally. how you would best describe it is as a system of oppression, something that happens over time, and it has this chokehold over time, and it has this chokehold over people. in the uk, it almost

feels like racism and the idea of seeing black people as a less than, been crossed under the carpet. seeing black people as a less than, been crossed under the carpetm the uk, the statistics in regard to being workers on the front line, from bame backgrounds... we have not been able to have the position to feel comfortable, and to say, we feel comfortable, and to say, we feel like nothing will change. that was sefas finishing that report from our correspondent shamaan freeman—powell. liverpool players have been among those expressing their support for the protesters. 29 of them took the knee around the semi—circle at anfield during training. this picture of them was posted with the caption "unity is strength. black lives matter". if you‘ve been out enjoying the sunshine today and over the last few weeks, you‘ll know it‘s been unusually warm this spring.

well, it‘s officially been by far the sunniest spring since records began nearly 100 years ago. on average the uk gets a36 hours of spring sunshine. this year we‘ve enjoyed 626 hours, with england recording nearly 700 hours. our chief environment correspondent justin rowlatt takes a look at what‘s behind the record rise. we say it‘s wonderful weather, but it doesn‘t look so wonderful up here. darwen moorjust north of manchester was tinder dry after this unprecedented sunny spell. so the helicopter now has been working for two days, just collecting water from the reservoirs, dropping in on the fire. at the peak, this was more than one square mile of burning moorland, more than a hundred people fighting the fire. jack bradshaw was on the scene in minutes after the fire started. you know, in terms of wind direction and the elements that are you battling with it shows that no matter what resources that you can get in the speed that you can get there,

that you are always fighting with the elements, and the reality is that sometimes you just can‘t contain a fire if it spreads as fast as this. and there have been two other large fires here in lancashire in the last two days. so what‘s been happening? the met office says it‘s down to changes in the jet stream. the strong wind high in the atmosphere — it has kept a stable high—pressure system over the uk, bringing this extraordinary sunny weather. and steering away the low—pressure systems associated with rain. that is what dominated this winter, remember that? britain experienced the wettest february ever recorded. weather experts are astonished by the sudden switch. to see that transition from a very wet winter into an exceptionally dry spring, that is unprecedented. if we look at climate predictions going forward, then these are the kind of scenarios that we expect to see on more and more occasions. so warmer, wetter winters, and then the hotter dryer summers. so moving from the one extreme into the other,

those projections would indicate that that's the likelihood of what the future looks like in the uk. but while you are enjoying the sunshine, do reflect on what it is likely to mean about how our world is changing. justin rowlatt, bbc news. the easing of lockdown restrictions means groups are able to meet outdoors. for many it‘s been a day of family reunions, with some grandparents able to see their grandchildren for the first time in ten weeks — as our special correspondent lucy manning reports. i think we will take this as well. to be a grandparent, to love, to spoil, to hug. but that bond has been stretched. denied. allowed only through a screen. because we are going to come over fiow, to see you. it has been hard, because i can't give her a cuddle, i can't see her. i can see her on facebook. hopefully this is the beginning of the end.

we look forward to seeing her. in durham, christine and david are finally on their way to meet their new granddaughter, now six weeks old. oh, isn‘t she lovely? mari! hello! oh, she‘s gorgeous. ijust want to give her a hug. you can't touch. i know. mari is one of their two grandchildren born during lockdown. it has been fantastic. it is not the same as actually being able to have and to hold her, but it is a start. it is better than looking at images on a screen. it has been really good. she is only six weeks old. but i think she recognises your voice, because every time she hears your voice... she cries! many grandparents have not been interested in when the shops

are reopening or the football restarting, because the cruelty of covid is that not only has it separated people in death, it has kept apart those from family life. and there are still new grandsons unmet, reunions incomplete. patricia in belfast must wait to see robbie in london. her other son has special needs and is shielding. it is so sad, because you want to cradle them, cuddle them, kiss them, cutie—coo you know? but all that has been stolen away. to be a grandparent, i feel as though it‘s yet to come. in theory, i am, but not in the heart. grandchildren will look back at these lockdown pictures at this time, in amazement. today, still no hugs, but all over the country, a sense of partial normality.

some grandparents finally seeing those they hold most precious. to mari! lucy manning, bbc news. after more than two months on hold, elite sport began to get back underway today — but without any spectators. horseracing has been the first to return — with a meeting at newcastle. our correspondent katie gornall is there. it must have felt very different without the crowds there, katie. it did indeed. it is horse racing with many of the familiar features he‘s associated with it missing. no spectators, no bookmakers, no owners allowed in, this barrier keeping out allowed in, this barrier keeping out all but essential staff. it is part ofa all but essential staff. it is part of a raft of social distancing and hygiene measures that is allowing sport to take its first, tentative steps towards recovery. after nearly three months on hold, and an instant, racing was back. good luck, everyone. as the first major professional sport to resume in britain since the lockdown, all eyes were on

the opening race at newcastle, and what a race it was. the 22—i shot zodiac edging home and into the history books. fans would‘ve loved it had they been there to see it. a closer look would tell you this was not business as usual. jockeys wore masks and kept their distance, their victories greeted with an eerie silence. we‘ve lost as an industry tens of millions of pounds of attendance income over the summer because that‘s been people — that‘s when people come out. if it happened january to february, march, it would‘ve been much less of an impact, but it‘s been an incredible impact throughout the summer, but we will get through it. government approval was only granted on saturday, but racing has been preparing for weeks, putting in place social distancing and hygiene measures and strictly limiting numbers. the great thing about racing is all the proper participants, the horses, are rock— hard fit. they've not been sat in their stable block for the last two months watching videos,

they been out on the gallops every morning. now, usually, a big race meeting here at newcastle could attract up to 20,000 people, but it will be a long time before we get crowds here like that. instead today was about getting an industry that‘s facing a £50 million hole in its finances back on its feet. horse racing wasn‘t the only sport to resume today. some of the biggest names in snooker including world championjudd trump were back on the table in milton keynes. all players have been tested for coronavirus and isolated before given the all clear. snooker is only sort of one—on—one, you've got the referee and maybe 1—2 cameramen in the arena. so it's one of the few sports where you can play with a very small amount of people and sort of get back up and running ahead of everyone else. for the moment, snooker and horse racing have the stage to themselves, and an opportunity to inject some momentum into their delayed and disrupted seasons. so,