this is bbc news with the latest headlines. france is added to the uk's quarantine list, along with the netherlands and malta — from this saturday people arriving from those countries will have to self—isolate for m days. travel isn't as reliable as it once was, i'm afraid. the virus, in particular, when it's not in our hands, overseas, is an unpredictable beast. there are half a million people are said to be in france right now, i am in the northern french port of la habre. in calais as well, we will be

looking at those trying to make it back before quarantine kicks in. we'll be putting your questions on the new quarantine rules to travel experts at 9:30. tweet them to me @geetagurumurthy or use the hashtag bbc your questions. lockdown is eased in england with beauticians, theatres, and small weddings all getting the go—ahead from this weekend. anger grows over a—levels as the government faces calls for an urgent review of this year's results. a lot of children who have worked incredibly hard have been devastated bya incredibly hard have been devastated by a system that's been completely flawed. 90 million doses of two more experimental coronavirus vaccines have been secured by the uk government. belarus releases some of the thousands detained in protests against alexander lu kashenko‘s disputed election victory.

good morning. a two week quarantine is being imposed on people arriving in the uk from france and five other countries which have experienced sharp rises in coronavirus cases. the full list of countries is france, netherlands, malta, monaco, and the caribbean countries turks & caicos and aruba. up to half a million uk tourists are thought to be in france at present. the new rules come into force at four o'clock tomorrow morning — and that's expected to induce a rush to ports and airports, with thousands desperate to avoid quarantine. eurotunnel says it doesn't have the capacity to bring everyone home in time. airlines uk described it as "another devastating blow to the travel industry already reeling from the worst crisis in its history". caroline davies reports.

the uk's second most popular holiday destination will, from saturday, become more complicated to visit. france joins the list of countries where any uk visitor must self—isolate for two weeks on their return. as the french prime minister himself said, france is heading in the wrong direction and just a few hours earlier, late yesterday evening, france confirmed the level had effectively reached those numbers i mentioned earlier. so we acted straightaway. and i think people expect us to do that, it's happened elsewhere, it happened in spain. the foreign office is now warning against all but essential travel to france. and that also applies to monaco, malta, the turks and caicos islands and aruba. the new measures kick in from 4am uk time on saturday. if you do decide to travel, you'll face a 14—day quarantine when you return. as for why now, the department

of transport says there's been a 66% increase in newly reported cases per 100,000 people in france since last friday. for the netherlands it was up 52%. france has responded. french junior european affairs minister clement beaune tweeted that there will be a reciprocal measure. these measures are anticipated to hurt the tourism industry on both sides of the channel. those with holidays booked are now weighing up whether to go or cancel, while many visitors in france face a race to get back to the uk. we are really disappointed and really in shock about how little time we were given to make alternate arrangements. being given, really, one day to find alternate arrangements, find flights, many of them £300, £400, was, i think, really disappointing and really frustrating. those that run the eurotunnel have already said they don't have the capacity to bring everyone home in time. we're already pretty much

fully booked tomorrow. this is peak season, summer holidays, people are returning on a friday night to get back home. and so we just haven't got the space to take everybody who might suddenly want to come up to the coast. so what we're saying to people is, amend your booking online, make sure there's space before you travel to the terminal. the foreign office hasn't advised uk visitors to leave immediately. but those who wish to avoid two weeks of self isolation on their return, now have less than 2a hours to get home. caroline davies, bbc news. ben thompson's outside st pancras international station which is home to eurostar. and our europe correspondent gavin lee is in le havre for us. let'sjoin ben let's join ben thompson first. what is the reaction to this latest decision? as you would expect, planes, trains, ferries much busier

this morning, and more expensive as people try to get back in time, less than 2a hours until the quarantine rule comes into force, as you heard there, 4am tomorrow. many will be trying to get back to avoid a 14 day lockdown that they will have to do on the return and remember, the quarantine rules much stricter, tougher, than those of lockdown, very few reaso ns tougher, than those of lockdown, very few reasons you are allowed to leave your home if you are in that self—imposed 14 day quarantine. but asi self—imposed 14 day quarantine. but as i said, expect them to be busy but also more expensive as demand soars, we've seen over but also more expensive as demand soars, we've seen over night ticket prices on airlines, on few remaining seats, increase significantly. a little earlier i spoke to the travel editor of the independent, simon calder and he told me the current state of play, very few tickets available is for planes, trains, ferries, many will find they are very busy and in many cases more expensive. looking at the ferries and eurotunnel, very, very little.

the very last piano ferry from calais to dover with any availability is local time ten past ten, that's about an hour and 15 minutes from now. on top of that, very little on eurotunnel, last departure 12 noon today so if you are not in the calais area that's going to be tricky. airfares, going through the roof. i watched last nightjust before through the roof. i watched last night just before the through the roof. i watched last nightjust before the announcement, you could fly later on today from paris to london for £100 but then, very quickly went up to over £400. simon calder looking at the current state of play, expect that to change throughout the day as more and more people in france are made aware of the rules. that is the state of play for people travelling back from france to the uk. but if you have a booking, you are set to go on holiday there over the next few days 01’ holiday there over the next few days or weeks, it's worth bearing in mind that the foreign office has changed its travel advice, they are advising

against all but essential travel to the country. so in many cases, that will mean your travel insurance is not valid but, if you have a booking at the hotel, on a plane orferry, if those services are still running, despite this change in the rules, it means you will get very little help from the travel companies themselves. some are offering to reboot but they are under no obligation to give you a refund because their services will be operating but you may be choosing not to use them. 0k, thank you. people are going to be wanting to know clarity on all of that so lets join our europe correspondent, gavin lee who is in le havre for us. france warning of reciprocal measures but have we heard any more on that? it'sjust a straightforward this is going to happen. we know from the europe minister last night ina from the europe minister last night in a tweet who said there is no date at the moment but effectively, british travellers can expect, anyone travelling from the uk in the next few days, there will be a

two—week quarantine in france on arrival. interesting, ithink, iam in the northern french port, one ferry a day here, portsmouth, on friday, usually packed, interesting to see people, deciding whether they wa nt to to see people, deciding whether they want to avoid quarantine, british travellers won't find it easy to get back, they are almost at capacity. the airport as well, we are starting to hear stories of people who are eight hours away by car, in the south of france, trying to get back to wales in the north of england, saying they will drive, one woman says she is on herjourney now, trying to get the six o'clock travelling to the uk, we are starting to hear some more stories like that. a lot of people in france saying is this arbitrary? why does it have to be this 24—hour period to make it before 4am tomorrow, why couldn't it have been sunday to give

people more time? that sense of exasperation we are hearing. fairly calm at the moment, people not necessarily rushing and stampeding to ports but it's clearly going to cost extra concern, people already here, perhaps half through their holiday, and briefly, talking about what's going on in france, there has been this sharp rise in cases, two and a half thousand cases per day over two days this week. four times the number a month ago, francejust starting to open up again after some pretty intense lockdown measures and the french prime minister saying they had been going the wrong way for the past two weeks. britain, the first country in europe to put out, quarantine in place, other countries saying let's put quarantine for certain regions, but the uk says a blanket ban, adding france and the netherlands to the list. thank you, gavin lee, for now.

let's speak to robert griggs from the association of uk airlines. your reaction to this fresh announcement, france, of course, cute destination. another big blow for uk airlines. —— huge destination. the introduction of travel corridors a couple of months ago was a really positive step forward , ago was a really positive step forward, enabling the sector to restart a nd forward, enabling the sector to restart and we lost to spain in terms of quarantine a couple of weeks ago. the most popular destination for uk travellers is now france. huge amount of pressure during the summer season which is a time where usually airlines and tourism make a lot of their revenue so it's another really difficult day for the sector. in terms of people wondering what happens to their booking if they have flights booked, obviously, france is added to the no—go list. the airlines don't have to refund or do they have to refund?

the situation is if carriers cancel the flights as happened over the last few months, yes, people are entitled to a refund but what we are seeing, the majority of carriers are being flexible in terms of picking arrangements and doing everything they can to enable people to be flexible or defer their bookings. it's a really challenging time for passengers and carriers, you will have airlines taking a huge number of calls this morning which they are trying to work through. if people are wanting to switch from these band countries and get last minute flights to italy, greece, one of the country is not on the list, how much flexibility and availability is there? and we have lost your picture i'm so sorry, carry on! carriers are being as flexible as they can. i know that's happened to me with a change of booking so carriers recognise it as a hugely challenging period and they are being as flexible as they cancel one of the

m essa 9 es we flexible as they cancel one of the messages we want to get across is the association is this is a hugely difficult time, stop start situation, people being forced to change their plans last minute, if we can use to something last minute, use the travel corridors which recognises different parts of the country, spain, the canary islands, balearic islands, there was a difference there so if we can do a regional approach, get a better track and trace, testing system, we need to be flexible in how we deal with the new normal. many people advocating a regional approach, if you are on the coast, the countryside, not in a city, you are perhaps less at risk but the worry from governments everywhere, i guess, people can bypass that, if you are in a high number zone but wa nt to you are in a high number zone but want to fly out and avoid quarantine you fly from a low number airport?|j think you fly from a low number airport?” think there is a risk but we've seen with travel corridors, the principle is there and the regional approach would take that a step forward. for

we have data for regions or islands, if you travel, you need to provide certain information, there is a passenger locator for various other things. people can travel between european countries. the regional approach is definitely viable, we have the means to do it properly, that doesn't mean it will apply to every single island, for example in greece but for critical islands like spain, germany, italy, the regional approach is something we need to do to give as much electability as we can and stop this stop start quarantine which causes so much disruption. there is no chance of airlines putting on quick flights between the uk and any of these quarantine countries to try and get people back before 4am tomorrow? it's possible, that would be a question for the carriers, they will do everything they can but i would advise people to get in touch with their airline to see what is possible. robert griggs, thank you.

please send us whatever questions you'd like answered about the quarantine and how it will affect people travelling to france and the five other countries. at 9.30 we'll be gettings answers from which? travel editor, rory boland, and personal finance expert, felicity hannah. use the hashtag bbcyourquestions on social media, or visit bbc.co.uk/news or the bbc news app. there are changes here in england too. casinos, beauticians and soft play centres in england are among the venues being allowed to reopen from tomorrow as the government further eases some of the remaining coronavirus restrictions. indoor theatre, as well as live music and performances, can also resume with socially distanced audiences — but there's a warning of a significant increase in fines for those breaking the rules. jessica parker has more.

bowling alleys, skating rinks, casinos and soft play centres can reopen from tomorrow, as can indoor performance venues where audiences are socially distanced. wedding receptions of up to 30 guests will be permitted, and the piloting of having spectators at a small number of sports events can resume. beauty salons will also be allowed to offer treatments like facials and eyebrow threading, although alongside hairdressers, people providing close contact services are now being told to wear a type two surgical face mask, in addition to a visor. it's after two weeks ago borisjohnson postponed the easing of measures in england for at least a fortnight, because of concerns about infection rates. with those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should now squeeze that brake pedal, in order to keep the virus under control. but the government says the situation appears to have levelled off, although the changes won't apply in areas where local restrictions are in place,

including large parts of the north. meanwhile, fines for people who repeatedly don't wear face coverings in places where they're mandatory, could be doubled for each offence, up to £3,200. and there are new on the spot fines for those hosting illegal gatherings like raves. senior government sources say that penalty could go up to £10,000. jessica parker, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster for us this morning. good morning. 0bviously good morning. obviously we have seen a reasonably steady state of numbers in england, but they are rising gradually, so is it safe to have a further opening up now?” gradually, so is it safe to have a further opening up now? i think that's the question the government is really facing. the argument that's coming from number ten this morning is that a couple of weeks ago, when boris johnson morning is that a couple of weeks ago, when borisjohnson put the food on the break when it came to easing restrictions on england, it was because the number of new cases was

creeping up. they now think of though its higher than it was two or three weeks ago, it's levelled off, basically, it's not continuing to increase at an alarming rate so there is more opportunity to open some of these things up. so basically, yes, they are arguing it is safe but i think that as well as the health consideration, there is an economic one here as well. which is, if you look in some of the venues that are going to be allowed to reopen, for example, theatres, there is huge concern in the industry, but also in government, that if these places don't start to bring in some revenue pretty soon, and start opening their doors, quite frankly, they are going to go bust. so, in the same way we've seen the government over the last few weeks, i think this is a kind of double consideration. they think the health consideration. they think the health consideration is now in a better place, they think the economic situation is getting worse. we did

see professor chris whitty saying we are sort of at the limits of how far the government can't go, the government keeps stressing that opening schools into a three week's time in england, they are already opening in is a main priority. people might be thinking, should we actually perhaps be starting to be a bit more cautious as we head into the start of september? —— can go. it's a question the government is going to face over the next few weeks because the concern that some scientists who are advising the government have is that next month you are going to see when schools go backin you are going to see when schools go back in england, notjust because children are out and about because pa rents a re children are out and about because parents are as well, maybe some are going back to work as a result of not having childcare issues in the same way they have for the last five or six months, that is going to lead toa or six months, that is going to lead to a lot more interaction between people, a lot more opportunity for the virus to spread, potentially, meaning that the r rate of reproduction goes up above one,

potentially quite a bit above one. what we do know is that the prime minister has put his cards on the table, has made a choice, if things have to close again to keep the virus under control, he would rather see shops and restaurants and bars close in local lockdown than schools. they would only be a last ditch effort to control the virus if they absolutely have to be closed but there is this question of, at the moment, the government seems to be being less cautious than it was a couple of weeks ago and some people, i'm sure, will want to know more about exactly why. nick eardley in westminster, lots of questions ahead, thank you for now. people in wales will be able to join together with four additional households to form one larger social bubble from next weekend. the move, announced by the first minister, coincides with plans to allow up to 30 people to attend a meal following a wedding or a funeral indoors, if social distancing can be maintained.

pressure is increasing on the government to review the a levels appeals system, after thousands of pupils in england wales and northern ireland were downgraded after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus. nearly 40% of grades in england, estimated by teachers, were adjusted down by one grade or more — that's around 280,000 entires. the proportion of students who had their a levels downgraded was largest among those from the most deprived backgrounds. school leaders have warned of volatile grades, which are impacting students' abilities to go to the universities of their choice. here's what transport secretary grant shapps had to say this morning. it clearly has been a very, very difficult year. coronavirus is a reality, a fact, people haven't been able to take those exams and as i say, i have a couple of gcse twins in this house who are exactly in that position, nervously waiting so

i totally get why it's concerning time for students but, the system has actually enabled more people to get university places accepted and, there is this a triple lock enabling people to go back to their marks or even people to go back to their marks or eve n reta ke, people to go back to their marks or even retake, or rather take the a—level exams in early september so the system is being put in place to try and make this as fair as it possibly can be for everybody. the deputy leader of the labour party angela rayner said people had been devastated by the system. we believe the only option the government has now is to go back to the teacher awarded grades, they made such a fiasco. look at what happened over the last 24 hours, a lot of children who have worked incredibly hard have been devastated by a system that's been devastated by a system that's been completely floored and has taken into been completely floored and has ta ken into account been completely floored and has taken into account the school ‘s previous history rather than what the child has been able to achieve this year. i think that's

devastating and its blatant inequality in what's happened so the government have to act quickly. there's a lot of young people out there, their life chances are determined by whether or not they are able to get on and get into the university or onto the course of the apprenticeship scheme that they want, based on these grades and the government has made an absolute mess of it and they've known for months now this was coming down the track soi now this was coming down the track so i believe the only thing they can do now is go back to what the teacher awarded grades are but this is an absolute mess that the government is making. 0ur news correspondent danjohnson is in hull with the latest. i think you are at the university there, what level of interest is there, what level of interest is there, i guess lots of calls coming in? absolutely, they started taking calls early yesterday morning and the lines opened again at 8am, thousands of calls coming in from stu d e nts thousands of calls coming in from students who were disappointed yesterday and have to reassess their options. some may have done better—than—expected yesterday and can use this as a chance to up skill their options, may be to something

different or change the place they are going to come up loads of options for students this year, choices to make and lots of places available so this is a big game of hungry hippos, it's been described as, universities trying to grab students, students trying to grab places, pretty frantic couple of days with people trying to work this out. the criticism that there are more students facing those sorts of decisions because of the way the grades were worked out yesterday. the government saying the system is as fairas it the government saying the system is as fair as it can be and it hasn't disadvantaged any students. here they say there are places available and they are willing to be flexible with admissions so even if students missed out, if they are planning to appeal, there is still help, get in touch, get on the phone, ask what is available and see what is being offered and what they are willing to accept and the message is you should be all right, you should be able to find a place. there is time to work this out even if students are planning to appeal. they reckon about 80,000 students get a place through clearing this year, that is

a big increase in the last couple of yea rs a big increase in the last couple of years but it shows there is more of this trading activity going on with people trying to find out what the right next movie is at a time when there is so much uncertainty about exactly what university will even look like in the new term. this is a socially distanced call centre, they are having to space out to make sure everybody is safe and of course, the big questions about campus life, when it comes to september. for the moment, this is the focus of the activity, trying to work out what stu d e nts activity, trying to work out what students will do in terms of their next moves. dan johnson, thank you. joining me now is the conservative mp robert halfon, who is chair of the education committee in the house of commons thank you forjoining us. this is a real mess and it's going to affect so many young people is immediate future. what should the government do now? can ijust say i wish every student who has had the results, every good luck and success in their

future and thank the teachers and the support staff for all the work they have done. i think three things need to be done. firstly, the education exam bodies to battery, needs to be clear how the standardisation model has worked, we made it clear in a report published in earlyjuly, that would have published that, it could have been subject to proper scrutiny, that did not happen, they need to go through it now line by line and explain to schools and colleges how it has worked and whether or not it has this advantage students at it appears to have done for some, not all. secondly, the appeals system must be widened, every student who feels they have got unfair grades should be able to appeal subject to it being signed off by their head teacher and that appeal should be turned around rapidly. i did speak to the secretary of state yesterday and he made it clear those who were

appealing on the basis of marks would have a super fast turnaround that appeal process needs to be widened and thirdly, the government needs to make it clear to universities and colleges and also to employers, where possible, they must be flexible and understanding because many students will appeal. and this is an unprecedented circumstance. there's been a lot of concern that the most disadvantaged stu d e nts concern that the most disadvantaged students from the most deprived areas are the ones most heavily penalised, more than those for example in the private schools. would you accept that, that is a huge failure of this government that promised to level up? well, it does appear in some disadvantaged stu d e nts appear in some disadvantaged students seem to have been penalised and i'm also worried about colleges because it isn't just and i'm also worried about colleges because it isn'tjust about a—levels, it's about btec as well and we have to make sure the system is fairfor everyone. i do believe there should be a role for the

regulator, there does need to be checks and balances, there does need to bea checks and balances, there does need to be a national standard, 0fqual have got to explain properly how their model has worked and whether or not it has been fair to students across the country. what about the equality and human rights commission, some suggesting they should investigate this and exactly how that algorithm has worked and how that algorithm has worked and how things can be quickly corrected? this is why 0fqual need to be very clear and explain through the equalities rights commission, they need to explain to schools what on earth has gone on. they should have published their standardisation model weeks ago because then it could have been subject to scrutiny and changes could have been made if necessary. and i don't know why that did not happen but it should have happened. the most important thing, andi happened. the most important thing, and i go back to this, is that we have a wider and fairer appeals system that has a very fast turnaround so every pupil can feel that they get the grades they

deserve and i think if the appeals system is widened and fair and quick, some of these problems can be resolved. you said you spoke to the secretary of state yesterday on that and you said if the appeals are done on the basis of marks, the results would be fast, but did he say how fast? he just would be fast, but did he say how fast? hejust said it would be fast, but did he say how fast? he just said it would be done very quickly and that is incredibly important so i welcome the changes that were made a few days ago in terms of mock exams but i do think that every single student who feels that every single student who feels that it that every single student who feels thatitis that every single student who feels that it is unfair should be able to appeal via their head teacher, the head teacher should sign it off, there should be no cost as well because we are in very unusual times. but we need to have a fair appeals system which will, in my view, resolve a lot of the problems we have seen in the past 24 hours. do you have confidence in gavin williamson, the education department, this is a fiasco and it affects people's daily lives, it isn't just politics, affects people's daily lives, it isn'tjust politics, it's incredibly crucial for people's future. it is

very easy to look back with hindsight and say x and y should have been done and it is a very tough time for our country. so i recognise that there are difficulties, i wish that there had been a wider appeals system from the beginning, i wish 0fqual had published the standardisation model weeks and weeks in advance, as well as sorryto weeks and weeks in advance, as well as sorry to interrupt, i'm so sorry, the labour party suggesting teacher assessments should not be used, the whole scottish system, i note the government has said they don't want to do that but are they going to have to look at that?” don't think that is the right answer to this, i don't think we face a scottish situation. i don't think it is as bad as scotland. i think the way to resolve this is through widening the appeals and making sure every student feels that they get the grades that they are justified and they feel they have a fair crack at the web. we also need to make

sure those students who opt for exams in the autumn or properly resourced and looked after and taught and i welcome the 30 million government has announced but we have to make sure teacher resources are given to those students. thank you very much, we appreciate your time. the government's signed deals to buy another 90 million doses of experimental coronavirus vaccines. it means the uk now has six different experimental vaccines on order. if they are all proved safe and effective, the government will have stockpiles of 340 million doses. the cost of the latest deals hasn't been revealed. we can speak now to nicholas grassly who's professor of infectious disease & vaccine epidemiology at imperial college london — he's also a member of the sage working group on covid—19 vaccines. thanks forjoining us. the government seem to be buying a lot of vaccines, spending a lot of

money. is that the right approach, given that we don't know if any of them are going to wear?” given that we don't know if any of them are going to wear? i think it absolutely is the right approach. vaccines are the only tool that is going to get us back to normal, and mitigate the impact of the covid pandemic on our economy. we have seen that the uk economy has shrunk by 20%, and rishi sunak has invested about £180 billion in a stimulus package to the economy. this represents less than £1 billion of that £180 billion. so this is a really good investment. ifeel we should be investing more in purchasing vaccines. how much more do you think we should be doing, and how confident are you that any of them are going to work? so, this is an unprecedented situation where we are going from the first discovery of this virus, the generation of its

sequencing in january, of this virus, the generation of its sequencing injanuary, two testing of vaccines and on the cusp of having results to look at the effectiveness of those vaccines in just over six months. this process normally takes a decade. to accelerate the develop into vaccines, we can't cut corners on safety, but we can speed things up by, for example, purchasing vaccines, enabling the manufacture of large quantities of doses, in advance of knowing whether those doses will be affected. how confident are you, though, that any of these vaccines are going to be safe to use, and how quickly, at this year, next year, or is that impossible to call? it's difficult to call, but the expectation is that we will have results for some of the leading candidates by the end of this year, on the effectiveness. and we have already seen quite a bit of safety data emerging from the earlier phase to study. but we really need those later phase three

trials, thousands of participants, to know for sure that the vaccines are safe and effective. will you ta ke are safe and effective. will you take one of the first vaccines that come out on offer, or would you want to wait a few months? absolutely, all these trials are conducted according to really rigorous safety measures, and monitoring, and the platforms that they are based upon have been used for other licensed vaccines. so i would be absolutely confident in receiving one of those doses. side effects can take awhile to show up, can't they? obviously we also need to know how long any immunity would last, whether it is a few weeks, a few months or longer? absolutely. so, the trial will establish the safety. as to the longer term impact of the vaccines, we will have to wait and see. 0k, professor, many thanks indeed for your time today, much appreciated.

n belarus, the authorities have begun to release demonstrators arrested in protests about sunday s disputed election. many of those freed spoke of beatings and abuse. the release of all those detained was promised by the deputy interior minister overnight. more than 6,000 people have been arrested in days of protests — following the disputed election victory of president alexander lukashenko. there were more demonstrations in the capital minsk on thursday night. these are the latest pictures of prisoners being freed. some of those detained have alleged mistreatment, including beatings. amnesty international says the accounts suggest ‘widespread torture'. 0ne protester told the bbc what he had seen and experienced first hand. translation: they beat people ferociously with impunity and they arrest anyone. the cells are overcrowded. we were forced to stand in the yard overnight. we could hear women being beaten. i don't understand such cruelty. you're watching bbc news....

france has led to the uk quarantine list, along with the netherlands and malta. from this saturday, people arriving from those countries will have to self—isolate for 14 days. lockdown is eased in england, with beauticians, theatres and small weddings getting the go—ahead from this weekend. anger grows over a levels as the government back calls foran levels as the government back calls for an urgent review of this year's results. —— as the government faces calls. it's time now for your questions answered, where we'll be answering your questions and discussing the options available to you with new quarantine restrictions in place. with me is rory boland, travel editor of which. also i'm joined by felicity hannah, who's a personal finance expert, and radio 4 money box reporter.

thanks very much indeed to both of you forjoining us. lots of questions, as you can imagine, coming in. cherrie 0'kane asks, we are due to holiday in italy and had planned to drive through france. will we be required to self—isolate on return? rory? so, the crucial phrase being used here is transit stops. you are allowed to travel through france nonstop, what nonstop means is that you can't get out and pop into a petrol station or pick up some food. if you are able to get all the way from the italian border to the uk border and not to stop and not mixed with anybody else, then, yes, you are allowed. 0f with anybody else, then, yes, you are allowed. of course, many other countries, italy aside, spain, belgium, holland, that border france, they also have restrictions on them as well. so for people that are in spain, thinking about getting home, or people in belgium or holland, i'm afraid that route is likely to prove impossible, because you are almost certainly going to

have to stop for petrol or for some food at some stage. if i can bring in one question that somebody has tweeted, picking up on the idea of driving through, so i can go to trafford, manchester, leicester, to work, drink and play without isolating, but if i drive through france to catch a ferry, i have to shut myself away for a fortnight? what science is this based on? it is a difficult one, felicity? it is really difficult, but i think what is important to understand is that the government is trying to balance risks, while allowing people as much freedom as possible. sometimes, the rules sound really counterintuitive. you can see your gran in a pub, but can't meet up indoors with her if you are in a lockdown area. that can seem incredibly frustrating. i think it's important to understand that we are gradually, slowly crawling our way back to normality, and sometimes thatis way back to normality, and sometimes that is going to mean that the rules don't seem to quite make sense with each other because the government is trying very hard to manage that

risk. if i can trying very hard to manage that risk. ifi can stay trying very hard to manage that risk. if i can stay with you, another question from paula, who says what is the government back are going to do about the eye airlines that are not issuing refunds? this has been a problem from the very beginning of this crisis. so many people are having such a frustrating time. the government, specifically, isn't likely to do anything. but it does have organisation set up that should help people. the civil aviation authority, that took the step last month of naming and shaming some airlines that have been particularly bad at processing refunds. it says it is going to continue monitoring the situation and watching to see how consumers are being treated. also, the competition and markets authority is getting tens of thousands of complaints. it is also monitoring the situation. if you are having a really frustrating time, you can report your problem to them, on their website, that will help the

organisations keep up the pressure on airlines. but airlines are also under incredible pressure. these are very unusual times. nobody could have predicted that they would have to make refunds on this scale. i think that airlines are going to get away with as much as they can. but you can help by reporting when you are having a particularly bad experience. obviously frustrating if you have cash tied up in flights and you have cash tied up in flights and you might want to go somewhere in the uk, but you don't use the money until you have had your refund. rory, a question from julie davies, who says, how are foreign lorry drivers entering the uk or returning affected, with the new travel rules on france? lorry drivers on commercial goods are exempt from these rules and will continue to be exempt. they will need to fill out a passenger locator forms and prove that their travel is essential, and what their work is for. for the most case, they will be exempt. there are a number of key worker exemptions. lorry drivers will fit into that, because so much of our food, as we

found out at the start of this crisis, comes from the continent. they will be able to continue travelling and using the ports. ok. let me bring in a question from joanna, who says, how can we get information from the airlines? there is no information on the websites or at the airport. this is really frustrating. in fact, before this conversation this morning i went on some of the airline websites, the main uk airlines, and i could not find any clear information, sign posted on their main pages, but what is going on in france and what might change. that is partly because a lot of the airlines are continuing to fly to the countries that are now affected by this quarantine rule. some people will still be happy to go on holiday, and the airlines, as long as they are able to get flights, if there is demand for the flights, if there is demand for the flights, they will carry on carrying them out. therefore, they might not be providing information because, as faras be providing information because, as far as they are concerned, nothing has changed. if you need to talk to

a human being, it can take a long time to get through on the helpline. butjust time to get through on the helpline. but just persevere. you time to get through on the helpline. butjust persevere. you can also try contacting them through social media. sometimes, if you approach them on social media, because it is more of a public forum, you can get a quicker response. but i completely ee, a quicker response. but i completely agree, it is particularly frustrating this morning not to see more information been put out there by providers. ok, thank you. sam smith says, if i can't get back to the uk by saturday, we know that might be difficult for some people, cani might be difficult for some people, can i leave france via another country, by the time of the ban, and then travel back to the uk without quarantine? the simple answer is no. you have to list all the countries you have been in for the last 14 days on saturday, and one of those countries will be france, which means you would have to want to quarantine. there isn't really a way around it. to be honest, we really shouldn't be looking for a way around it. as frustrating as it is for holiday—makers, there is a reason the government has brought this rule in, because of the spike

in coronavirus cases in france. and it is important for us to self quarantine when we return from those holidays. ok, thank you very much. felicity, a question from martin burbage. i went to spain whilst on holiday the quarantine was imposed, my employer is making me use annual leave to cover the isolation period. a lot of people will be worrying about this if they are in france or planning to go? it is a worry. i don't have good news for you, your employer can ask you to use your annual leave to cover the quarantine period. there is no legal right to statutory sick pay if you are forced to quarantine on return from a foreign country. so it is really a question of liaising with your employer. a lot of bosses will do what they can, they might help you work from home, for example, for the two week period. but they don't have to do. and they don't have to pay you statutory sick pay, although some are. i'm very sorry for your situation. i think the really important message for all of the

viewers is if you are planning to book a holiday and go overseas, even toa book a holiday and go overseas, even to a country that is currently quarantine exempt, talk to your employer before you go, find out what would happen if the circumstances change and if you are forced to quarantine on the way back. have the conversations before you are out there, that is so important. keep chatting to your boss. let me move on to rory, a question from emma mason, she says, will there be an impact on british nationals who live in france on top plans to travel to visit family, friends orfor work? plans to travel to visit family, friends or for work? yes, very difficult situation for them, important to wash what the french government does now as well. late last night, a french minister suggested that france would introduce reciprocal quarantine rules for uk travellers, which would mean if we travel to france, we would have to quarantine for 14 days. if that does come in, it is not the first time the french have mentioned it, they have said

previously, we anticipate they will ta ke previously, we anticipate they will take that action. that would put an end to any holidays. the you face 40 days warranty and in the country. i suppose if you are a resident there, or taking suppose if you are a resident there, ortaking a suppose if you are a resident there, or taking a longer holiday, that might be ok, you might be able to spend 14 days in a house. if you have a campsite booked, don't many people want to spend 14 days in a tent, and that is what would be required of you. and then you would face 40 days quarantine when you return to the uk as well. i would expect, if france introduces that rule, that the rule stays in place for as long as our quarantine rule stays in place. as we know for the countries that have been on the quarantine list, that could be several months until the cases in france go down. picking up on another tweet that has come into me, assuming france issues reciprocal measures, what is the impact of your travelling through france onto another country. would there be an impact of that? i would imagine, i have looked at the french transit rules, you are allowed to transit

through france. so, it's probably going to be similar to the rules for the uk. you will be able to go border to border, as long as you don't stop, don't get out and mix with people, it should be allowed. lot of people keep asking this question, another question for you, felicity. if i test negative on my return from france, do i need to quarantine for 14 days? the answer is yes? the answer is yes, it must feel incredibly frustrating. there isa feel incredibly frustrating. there is a lot of pressure from consumer groups and airlines for more testing to be rolled out instead of quarantine measures that people perhaps get tested as they leave the country and tested as they return. at the moment, we don't have that set up at airports, we don't have routine testing. if people test negative once they return to the country, they will still have to quarantine because it can take a numberof quarantine because it can take a number of days for this illness to gestate, and actually become symptomatic. therefore, you might test negative on arrival, but then

ten days later you might be showing symptoms and you might be able to spread it. so it's very frustrating. i completely sympathise. but at the moment, a negative test will not rule out quarantine. ok, we know that there are fines in place for those that break it. of course, this is about everybody just accepting the public health message, for eve ryo ne the public health message, for everyone concerned , the public health message, for everyone concerned, everyone's protection, and we should stick to the quarantine rules. felicity and rory, thanks for your time. a leading perinatal mental health charity has exclusively told bbc news that since the start of lockdown, they have seen a significant rise of new fathers coming to them with symptoms or a diagnosis of depression after the birth of their child. panda s charity says they have seen a 10% rise in men contacting them compared to the period before march. ellie costello reports.

# baa baa black sheep...# this is dave. he's a dad to four daughters, and suffered with postnatal depression since the birth of his fourth child. his newest baby, elsie, is 14 weeks old — born at the height of lockdown. it made it a million times amplified. a million times worse than what it should have been. because it's all right having a support structure, but if you can't access them because you can't speak them, or see them, you know, you can't use them. the perinatal mental health charity pandas has seen a significant increase in men coming forward with postnatal depression symptoms in lockdown. annie belasco is their ceo and founder. through our helpline, we've seen a rise of 10% of men coming through and fathers, and through our social media channels and our closed facebook group community, we have seen an additional 250 new users.

it's estimated that one in ten new dads will experience some of postnatal depression. that can vary from low mood and anxiety to feelings of worthlessness and a complete loss of identity. there is no six—week checkup for dads, no—one is checking in from a health and community aspect saying, actually, how are you as a father? lee is a father of two, with another on the way in september. for me, it manifested in, i was working on a large office, and i would go into the toilets and i would sit in the toilet and just cry. just this overwhelming sense of needing to cry. which one? this one, here. lee has since sought support from his gp, and has founded dad af, a digital support network for dads all around the world. he says fathers struggle with postnatal depression in a different way to mothers.

i felt like i needed to be there to protect her, and to help her, to provide for her. and i couldn't do that. i couldn't do that. and it gave me a huge sense of failure, and it made me feel like i was not good enough in any sense. you know, really trying time. you're scared of people saying, "that's a bit odd. why are you sad? what have you done?" you know, so there's guilt, fear of other people's reactions, the worst part is feeling like you're not a man. both lee and dave say that talking to someone is key for any father struggling with his new role. don't be ashamed. speak to your wife or your partner first, because, believe it or not, even though you don't think they will understand, they do. they get it. and there's nothing better than them putting their arms around you,

telling you it's going to be ok. and that is the first step to recover, it really is. i can now speak to annie belasco who you saw in that report — she's the founder and ceo of pandas charity. also i'm joined by glenn thrower, who has suffered with postnatal depression. glen, cani glen, can i start with you, what did you experience and when was it? for me, it really happened about two weeks after the birth of my little girl. 0bviously weeks after the birth of my little girl. obviously in the height of lockdown, like the report says, there was no antenatal classes. the biggest part of having a child is meeting those people who are going to be parents at the same time. for me, there was no support network, obviously there was my family, but they weren't experiencing the same asi they weren't experiencing the same as i was. so i noticed behaviour changes, and coming from someone

like myself, with no previous mental illness, i was getting very irritated, very frustrated, and had a huge heightened anxiety. it was ha rd to a huge heightened anxiety. it was hard to tell the difference between what was postnatal depression and what was postnatal depression and what was postnatal depression and what was just being a new dad, to be honest. i was going to say, i have to confess, i had not heard of this before, one associates postnatal depression with a hormonal or biological response, but obviously thatis biological response, but obviously that is not the same thing that a man is going through. so, was it perhaps just man is going through. so, was it perhapsjust huge man is going through. so, was it perhaps just huge anxiety in an already stressful time? yeah, definitely. the only difference for me was my mood completely changed. asi me was my mood completely changed. as i said, just being very irritated and frustrated. it was very out of character for and frustrated. it was very out of characterfor me. for and frustrated. it was very out of character for me. for anyone suffering with it, those with the first signs i noticed, all people around me started to notice as well.

do you know why you felt those things? 0bviously i'm sure you were overjoyed and in love with your baby, as all parents are? yeah, i didn't have any idea why i was feeling that. you can speak to most people around me, i was really looking forward to the birth of my little girl, and it was after the birth, andi little girl, and it was after the birth, and i was still really excited. and as most people do when you get home, you have the realisation you got to look after this baby. the first couple of weeks we re this baby. the first couple of weeks were fine. i think it started to break you down very slowly, and before you really knew it, you had these kind of symptoms of postnatal depression. thank you for that, we will come back to you in a minute. annie, is postnatal depression the right term for this? because, as said, it is normally associated with women and a specific biological response. is this notjust a form of anxiety and stress, a change in your

family situation? thank you for having me on. just to quickly correct you, i'm not the founder, but i am the head of the charity. that's fine. i think perinatal mental illness is absolutely real, and it is absolutely a diagnosis to be had that is completely inclusive of men and women. the challenge we haveis of men and women. the challenge we have is that, because mental health and perinatal mental illness is so stigmatised, even now, we are only starting to come out the woodwork in terms of diagnosis, and about it, and action in on it. so, when fathers are talking about their mental illness, there is a lot of noise, saying we didn't know about this, which is great, because it shows this, which is great, because it shows awareness this, which is great, because it shows awareness and education, but it doesn't necessarily mean something is being done about it. so there is a difference. with a woman, we know that after giving birth there are physical changes to the body, they may have had a traumatic

birth, those physical symptoms can sometimes override the mental symptoms. with a man, it is much more difficult, much more subtle, because there are those physical symptoms to compare to. but it is an absolutely real problem. symptoms to compare to. but it is an absolutely real problemm symptoms to compare to. but it is an absolutely real problem. if i can come back to you, i know for a lot of new dads, they watch the very close bonding between the mud and the baby, they think, 0k, close bonding between the mud and the baby, they think, ok, i'm slightly outside of that. is there anything in this that is about perhaps being edged out, the relationship with the mother of your child has totally changed, you have massive new responsibility. are those any of the sources for this, do you think? yes, definitely. one of the main sentence i had was just feeling guilty a lot of the time. 0bviously feeling guilty a lot of the time. obviously the mother is breast—feeding, and being around the newborn all the time, and they know the signs a lot better than the dad does. and i thinkjust the feeling of not being able to help as much as you could before with anything is

definitely a big sign of it as well. because of that, having a consistently low mood is another high symptom, mainly because of the guilt that he might be having. very quickly, how did you get out of it? for me, groups like pandas, on facebook, just seeing other people sharing the same story as myself, it made you feel connected and not alone. as your report said, speaking to people is the best thing to do. looking after yourself first can really help you look after your family, the end of the day. annie, what do you do to help, very quickly? in really practical terms, if people are feeling a bit overwhelmed because it's an incredibly difficult time generally? we work with parents that experience low mood and anxiety, right through to parents detained under the mental health act. we don't undermine

anybody's mental illness, we don't agree with the term baby blues, because we feel it can be something much more sinister. we are the only peer to peer support network available for every parent on their network, businesses and organisations that want to understand perinatal mental illness and offer support. we offer advice and offer support. we offer advice and knowledge, but also a closed dad and knowledge, but also a closed dad a support group on facebook, which you can find on the website. we have a free helpline which is available 11 hours a day, and also e—mail support. it is brilliant that glenn, dave and lee are talking about their experiences, because that's the first step for man not knowing, and not respecting their own mental illness, because they don't understand it, going forward and being able to get a support that they need. as i say, this is a real crisis. ok. many thanks indeed. glenn, it is great to see you, i

hope you carry on enjoying your family out much as all new parents do. thank you very much indeed. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas the heat and humidity of the past week or so will be starting to ease over the next couple of days. there is going to be a north — south split. in the south, still quite humid with further showers and thunderstorms at times, whereas further north of the weather should stay largely dry. there will be some mist and low cloud lingering over the next couple of days, especially around north—eastern england, eastern scotland as well. tending to burn back towards the coast through the day. further south, sunny spells but scattered, heavy showers developing for southern england and south wales. temperatures towards the south—east up to about 25 degrees, typically the low to mid 20s, but cooler around the north—east coast. 0vernight we keep the chance of showers and thunderstorms across southern england, south wales. there could be flash flooding and hail, if you catch one of the heavy showers. still quite warm and muggy, temperatures holding in the mid to

high teens. through the day tomorrow, similar to today. further heavy showers and thunderstorms. hit and miss across southern england, england and wales. dry in the north, highs of 16 — 24.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. france is added to the uk's quarantine list, along with the netherlands and malta — from this saturday people arriving from those countries will have to self—isolate for 14 days. travel isn't as reliable as it once was, i'm afraid. the virus, in particular, when it's not in our hands, overseas, is an unpredictable beast. if you're trying to get back to the uk before the measures come into force, we'd like to hear from you. tweet me @geetagurumurthy. lockdown is eased in england with beauticians, theatres, and small weddings all getting the go—ahead from this weekend. anger grows over a—levels as the uk government faces calls