this is bbc news, i'm annita mcveigh, the latest headlines at nine: thousands of trucks stranded in kent are beginning to move again, after france lifts a ban imposed over a new strain of covid—19. but there are warnings the disruption won't end here. in the contest of brexit, and what is coming from the 1st of january, this is the start of a very, very serious supply chain disruption. more parts of england could be moved up to the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions, possibly as early as boxing day. we want to hear your thoughts on the latest lockdown plans and the possibility of more restrictions. do you support them? what effect will they have on you? do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions,

and i'll try to read out some of your comments. breaking her own rules — scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she made a "stupid mistake", after she was pictured taking off her face covering while at a funeral wake. president trump refuses to sign a $900 million coronavirus relief package agreed by the us congress, describing it as a disgrace. # have yourselves a merry little christmas now.# and coming up this hour: after a year of many sacrifices, we meet the care home relatives singing for residents and staff.

good morning and welcome to bbc news. rail, air and sea services between britain and france have restarted, after the french government agreed to ease its ban on people entering the country from the uk. almost 3000 lorry drivers stranded at dover, will be offered rapid lateral flow tests, after many spent a third night in their vehicles. under the new travel agreement between the uk and france, french citizens, british nationals living in france and hauliers will be among those who can now travel, if they've tested negative for covid—19. in other developments, more areas of england could be moved into tier 4 restrictions from boxing day, to slow the spread of coronavirus, with an announcement expected later today. the former prime minister tony blair has called for the uk's current vaccination plan to be "radically accelerated". along with the former director of immunisations at the department

of health, david salisbury, he's called for single doses of the pfizer vaccine to be given to a greater number of people. we'll have more on all these stories this hour. but first, this report on the situation in dover from our correspondent, jon donnison. after days of gridlock, finally, some movement. france reopened its border overnight and the port of dover says services are resuming today. but anyone travelling to france from the uk will have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test in the previous 72 hours, and shifting thousands of lorries won't happen quickly. obviously, there is a physical issue of providing the test, getting the results. a negative test allows you to leave. but all of that requires operationalising and that can't happen in an instant. so this will take 2—3 days for things to be cleared. at manston airport, where more than 2,000 lorries are parked up,

the military will be brought in to assist mobile nhs test and trace services. drivers should be able to get test results within half an hour. but the food and drink federation, worried about supply chains, says it could take more than a week to shift the backlog. for many european drivers, getting home for christmas still seems unlikely. we are tired, we are disappointed and we are afraid we will miss our christmas with families. we don't know what to do. i have called everywhere to ask if they can help us, and no answer. nobody knows. we have to wait. last night in dover, frustrations boiled over, with some drivers blocking the roads. no food, no nothing. and what happens — it's delivered for tomorrow and, after tomorrow, one week more? we are here 48 hours, nearly. it's normal, no? we want to go home. and some are warning

it won't end here. this is of a different order of magnitude, and in the context of brexit and what is coming from the 1st of january, this is the start of a very serious supply chain disruption of the like that we probably have never experienced. and while eurostar and eurotunnel train services, as well as flights to france, should also resume today, travel bans imposed on the uk by as many as 50 other countries in response to the surge in coronavirus cases here have not yet been lifted. jon donnison, bbc news. simonjones is in manston, near dover, where more than 2000 lorries are parked up. good morning. just looking at your twitter account, you tweeted in the last few moments that eurotunnel says around 150 passenger vehicles crossed the channel overnight,

carrying people with negative tests. no freight yet fell. has testing actually started for the lorry drivers, and has anybody done the maths as to how long it may take to clear the backlog? well, the warning from the government is this is going to ta ke from the government is this is going to take several days to clear. as well as testing taking place here at the manston site, we are told they will be several other testing sites too. we understand that people will be going along the lines of lorries on the 20 and offering tests that way. a number of options available. we have seen available this morning nhs test and trace. they are going to be supported by the military on the site, with the idea of testing as many people as possible. they are going to get lateralflow as many people as possible. they are going to get lateral flow tests, tests where you get a result within about 30 minutes. you take the test, then you get a text message telling you hopefully you have got a negative result. and if that is the case, then in theory the lorry drivers will be allowed to leave

this site, head down to the port of dover or eurotunnel, show that negative test result and then, hopefully, for them be able to get home in time for christmas. what happens if somebody tests positive? well, what we understand is if they get a positive test they will then be offered a second test, a pcr test. these are the more reliable tests. the results take a day or two to come back because the samples have to go to the laboratory. the government says it is likely over those two days the lorry driver will be asked to self—isolate within their cap. not a particularly pleasa nt their cap. not a particularly pleasant expense. if the test come back positive, they will be asked to go to back positive, they will be asked to gotoa back positive, they will be asked to go to a nearby hotel which will be a coronavirus safe environment. it is not clear ultimately how many people that will apply to. the theory is with lorry drivers, they don'tjust sit in theircabs, with lorry drivers, they don'tjust sit in their cabs, there is not a great deal of mixing. that was the

argument put forward by the british government to the french, which is why france has accepted having these lateral flow tests as the first negative test result, but even though the lateral flow tests are not as reliable as the samples that go to lapse. as we saw in that report, clearly, understandably, there is a lot of frustration at there, simon? a lot of frustration. this morning we have been hearing the lorry drivers sounding their horns. i think probably what we have heard from people above all is the lack of information, the weighting, the not knowing what is going to happen. interestingly, this morning a lot of people have been turning up on spy, people from romania and bulgaria, who are in the vans are hoping they might be able to get a test. they have been saying, what do we need to do, where do we go? they have been told they have to join the back of the queue on the 20, or potentially, if they are a lorry, being allowed onto the site. they

have been scuffles in dover this morning were lorry drivers, like we saw last night, i was so frustrated they have been gathering near the entrance to the port, they want to be allowed to go home. but if they are simply parked up illegally in dover or in lay—bys or verge two, they will not be the number one priority for getting a test. some have been asking where they can get a private test, potentially an option for them. people desperate to get that negative result, to get that text message, that they can show at the port of dover or eurotunnel, that will finally give them passage to cross from the uk to france. simon, thank you. simon jones. rod mckenzie is the managing director of policy & public affairs at the road haulage association. rod, good morning. iwould be grateful if you would bring us up to date with what your latest assessment is from the scene there in dover? good morning. chaos, in one word. the government has said

the borders are open, but actually they are not. unfortunately, that message, having gone out, a lot of lorry drivers have started heading for the ports again. in fact, as your correspondent has just been saying, the testing regime has not started yet. without that starting, the borders can't effectively open for traffic heading back to france. what we have got this morning is very, very angry truckers in dover, some of them, i suppose, we know have been involved in shouting with police and a few scuffles. they are tired, frustrated, desperately want to get home for christmas. very, very inadequate food provision for them. in fact, the best food provision they have had has been from a group of seek restaurant tours, who provided them with curry last night. we have not had enough food, information. most of them are eastern european and do not speak

english. so on the ground the information has been extremely poor. we were told they were welfare facilities at manston. i appreciate not all the lorry drivers are there. but at manston itself, are the facilities decent? , while the reports we have had from them is that they are not adequate. there are not enough toilets and there are not enough toilets on any of the motorway places. so around about 4000 trucks parked at manston, it is certainly full. and we can imagine that with that number of lorry drivers, toilet facilities, washing facilities, wherever they are, will be pretty overstretched and frankly, inadequate. do you think this is going to have a knock—on effect into the new year period? and i'm talking, of course, of the end of the transition. we don't know yet if there is going to be a deal. whether there is going to be a deal. whether there is going to be a deal. whether there is or not, clearly one would

expect some teething issues, perhaps. this is a massive problem. and very much the shape of things to come, ifear. what we have got, obviously, is a backlog which will ta ke obviously, is a backlog which will take days to clear, which the government itself admits. that takes us government itself admits. that takes us up to the new year period. that ta kes us up to the new year period. that takes us to the end of transition. the point at which new red tape and border arrangements will apply. deal 01’ no border arrangements will apply. deal or no deal, that will create a new world of border disruption. and the disruption to the important supply chain on which we all depend. 0k, rod mckenzie, managing director of policy and public affairs at the road haulage association, thank you very much. joining me now as lord adonis, andrew adonis, former transport secretary. thank you for your time. what do you make of the situation in kent this morning? eurotunnel moving, but a freight drivers, it seems, they are still waiting to get that testing up and

running properly? it sounds like sheer unbelievable incompetence on the part of the government, to be frank. the crisis that we have got here, of course, is a public health emergency, so here, of course, is a public health emergency, so it's perfectly understandable that in response to what appeared to be a new strain of the covid virus, the french government decided to close links with france two days ago. but when it comes to the pile—ups on the motorway, and giving proper messages to truck drivers and making proper provision for them, we have been told the last 18 months the government has been providing for essentially this eventuality in respect of a possible no deal, including the use of manston, including the use of manston, including providing proper lose and food facilities and all of that for trucks piling up. none of it appears to be in operation. we were told last night the testing regime would be ready to start immediately. that hasn't happened. test and trace

officials are there, our correspondent says, they are going to be backed up by the army. granted we have heard that there are facilities at manston, but it seems they are under pressure? the truth is that they are not adequate. there has been months to prepare for precisely this eventuality. what we need now is for the government to get a need now is for the government to geta grip need now is for the government to get a grip on the situation. they should be literally hour by hour action on the part of the prime minister and cobra to see that actions are taken that clearly have not been taken. you say track and trace is now operating. that is not the message the truck drivers have got. proper facilities the message the truck drivers have got. properfacilities need to be put in by the motorway, proper information provided to truck drivers because large numbers of new trucks are converging on dover because of the message that went out last night the port would be open. the other big issue behind this is that given the experience we have had in the last 48 hours, it is utterly unthinkable the government

could voluntarily impose this on the contrary next week with a no—deal brexit. i thinkjust to go back to the test and trace, what our correspondence that was there are people there from test and trace. i don't think the testing has started. just to clarify that point. would you say this will be a taste of things to come once the brexit transition ends. what more do you think needs to be done in this very short window, whether we have a deal 01’ no short window, whether we have a deal or no deal, to improve the situation there on the border? it is obvious what needs to happen. a deal. given the complete chaos, indeed close to pandemonium, that we are seeing in dover at the moment, which won't even be properly cleared by next week at this rate, from the current emergency, which is a public health emergency, which is a public health emergency, so as i emergency, which is a public health emergency, so as i say we completely understand what has happened and we need to make the best of it, the government has not had in place the preparations it should have had in

place, but given that we now know what the impact is going to be on trade, and disruption and the pressure this will cause at the ports, it is utterly unthinkable the government should resile from agreeing a deal with the european union and the next 48 hours. are things moving in the right direction? are things moving in the direction? are things moving in the direction of a deal? i am not, alas, the government. we are told there are last remaining issues to do with fisheries to be resolved. but the government is still upping the ante in terms of rhetoric. it is using absurd churchillian language. what the last 48 hours have shown is that the last 48 hours have shown is that the only people who suffer if we go it alone are the british people. and for the british government to be inflicting a state of chaos on the british people is utterly unthinkable. lord adonis, thank you very much for your time. andrew adonis, former transport secretary. we heard

from simon at manston. he was telling us a few minutes ago about scuffles involved, involving lorry drivers. they feel incredibly frustrated. some scuffles with police, as we can see from these still images arriving into us in the last couple of moments. a huge amount of frustration and there, i think, from the drivers about a lack of information, frustration at not being able to get home in time for christmas. but clearly, very disturbing scenes there as these scuffles emerged between the drivers and police officers. just another piece of breaking news to bring you. nowhere has extended its suspension of flights from britain by a further three days, according to the news agency mtv. let's pick up on the subject of

travel. the netherlands has lifted its ban on travel from the uk. all passengers will need to show a negative test, carried out within 72 hours of arrival, and those who do make the trip will still be asked to quarantine for ten days. meanwhile, overnight the philippines, japan and south korea have become the latest countries to restrict british people from entering because of a new variant of coronavirus. more areas of england could be moved into tier 4 — the country's highest level of coronavirus restrictions — as soon as boxing day, which is before the next formal review date on 30th december. ministers and health experts met yesterday, amid growing concern about the spread of the new variant of covid—19. 0ur political correspondent, helen catt, reports. we are already heading for a much restricted christmas. wales went into lockdown on sunday, so, too, did london and large parts of the south and east of england. on monday, one of the government's most senior advisers suggested tighter restrictions were inevitable elsewhere, too. it is likely that this will grow in numbers of the variant

across the country and i think it's likely, therefore, that measures need to be increased in some places in due course, not reduced. it is understood that some tier 2 areas close to those in the newly created tier 4 are being considered for a move up tojoin them in the highest level of restrictions. that would mainly, but not exclusively, affect more parts of southern england. some other tier 2 areas may be in line for a shift up one level to tier 3. it comes after a meeting of public health officials, ministers and scientists yesterday, and in the face of rising case numbers and hospital admissions. several sources have suggested any changes could take effect in england from boxing day. that's when a national lockdown comes into force in northern ireland, and the whole of mainland scotland moves to its strictest level of rules, too. any changes to the tiers in england will need to be approved by senior ministers. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. 0ur political correspondent

iain watsonjoins me now. good morning. interesting to see robertjenrick, who was doing the amount of running —— round of morning interviews for the government, allude a couple of times to the fact the tier system, as it stands, was created before the government knew the details about this new variant of coronavirus. so hence there perhaps that of the tier system might not be enough, or the lower tier 2 might be enough to cope with this? that's right. i think what is going on at the moment is that ministers are going to be discussing what came out of the meeting last night with the scientists, health officials and some health ministers. i think we are going to see a two pronged approach. one is an extension of the tier 4 areas, the areas under the highest restrictions in england. as you are suggesting, the next official review date of the tiers should have been december the 30th, but it looks as though fears about

the spread of the virus, the new variant, is such that measures will be taken in some areas more quickly than that, perhaps on boxing day. then there's this other question which they are addressing, whether the tiered system is robust enough. sure, we can potentially some areas lea p sure, we can potentially some areas leap from tier to tier 4 in the near future, but equally, there is some discussion about whether tier 4 and if the restrictions currently in place there, almost a lockdown, whether those restrictions are even strong enough to get out of the virus, get on top of the virus. when asked about the prospect of a further national lockdown on bbc brea kfast further national lockdown on bbc breakfast this morning, this is what robertjenrick said. we will be looking at the number of cases in all parts of the country and in particular what the variant is doing. we know it is very concentrated in london and the south—east. but it's also now prevalent to a lesser extent in other parts of the country as well. and so judgment needs other parts of the country as well. and sojudgment needs to be made as to whether the tiered system is

strong enough or whether at some point in the future we need to take further action. robertjenrick will be in a covid operational meeting with senior ministers and the prime minister this morning to discuss this. my understanding at the moment is that they are reluctant to move to a national lockdown in england, but there is likely to be some discussion about what further measures you can discussion about what further measures you can take in terms of restrictions. this is purely speculative. but if they're running out of options and they want to keep schools open, perhaps a delayed return or more online learning in further and higher education, for example. those discussions could be taking place. at the short term i think we will be seeing an extension of the receipts —— existing restrictions. if you look outside a tier 4 area at the moment, robert jenrick pretty clear that the government will not be introducing

new restrictions on or before christmas day. if you have a christmas day. if you have a christmas bauble, you can have your phone on christmas day, but you may face quite a hangover on boxing day when some further, for example nonessential leisure and hospitality may end up being closed sooner than you might otherwise have thought. carefully thought out phone, i think. definitely still the watchwords for christmas day. thank you. ian watson in westminster. at 9.30, i'll be putting your questions on various aspects of the pandemic to a couple of experts. so do get in touch if you have anything to ask. you can contact us on twitter using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions, and you can email us on yourquestions@bbc.co.uk. i'll be joined by the lancaster university virologist, dr muhammad munir, and dr deepti gurdasani, who is a clinical epidemiologist at queen mary university of london. tony blair is urging the government to consider giving as many people as possible

an initial dose of a coronavirus vaccine, rather than preserving stocks so there's enough for second jabs. both the pfizer biontech and oxford university astrazeneca vaccines require two doses to be fully effective. but the former prime minister said his idea would speed up the vaccination programme so the uk could come out of lockdown sooner. it's a thought echoed by the former director of immunisation for the department of health, professor david salisbury. if you look at the new england journal of medicine paper about the pfizer vaccine, you give one dosing to get 91% protection. you give two doses and you get 95%. so you're only gaining 4% for giving the second dose. with the current circumstances i would strongly urge that you should use as many first doses as you possibly can for risk groups, and only after you've done all of that comeback with second

doses. professor david salisbury. we will have more on that story coming up. stay with for that. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she made a "stupid mistake", after she was pictured breaking coronavirus rules by taking off her face covering while at a funeral wake. a photograph, published by the scottish sun, shows ms sturgeon chatting to three women while standing at a social distance, but not wearing a mask. face coverings are mandatory in scottish hospitality venues except when seated. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, says she made "a stupid mistake" by briefly removing her face covering while at a funeral wake, in breach of her own government's coronavirus rules. 0ur scotland reporter, alexandra mackenzie, joins us from glasgow. good morning. she says she is kicking herself for this and has no excuses to offer. what exactly is the political and the public reaction to all of this? well, this is very embarrassing for the first minister. we understand that she is

furious with herself. we also understand that she was leaving the venue to go outside, so had removed herfacemaskjust to venue to go outside, so had removed her facemask just to leave venue to go outside, so had removed her facemaskjust to leave the venue. but then had been called back inside, but had forgotten to put her face covering back on. the picture that was published in the sun newspaper late last night shows nicola sturgeon standing at one table socially distance with the people that she is talking to. but she is standing up and, crucially, she is standing up and, crucially, she is standing up and, crucially, she is not wearing a face covering. now it is mandatory and hospitality settings in scotland to be wearing a facemask if you are standing up, and not sitting down. so she did breach her own government rules. now we have had reaction from the scottish conservative party. they have said the first minister has made a blunder. they said she should have known better. and they have accused her of undermining the public health

message. and for not setting a proper public example. they have also said there can't be one rule for nicola sturgeon and one rule for everybody else. there has also been a mixed public reaction. some people have said that this was such a small breach, a mistake, that it should not be an issue. 0thers breach, a mistake, that it should not be an issue. others have said that yes, it is significant, it is an issue. the first minister will appear at first minister's questions later on this afternoon. that could be somewhat uncomfortable. the first minister herself has apologised. she said, "i was wrong." she said she took a mask off briefly, she says she is kicking herself and she is sorry. alexander mackenzie in glasgow. and there'll be live coverage of nicola sturgeon's appearance at first minister's questions at 12.20 here on bbc news.

rapid covid—19 tests for people without symptoms are being rolled out across more of england. seventeen additional areas will be offered lateral flow tests in a bid to stem rising infection rates. the tests provide results in around half an hour, but there are concerns about their accuracy. the government says they help identify cases quickly and prevent further transmissions. police have released body cam footage of the moment they broke up a party of more than 60 people at a house in leicester. two people have been fined more than £10,000 after the gathering on 12th december. in the last two weeks, the leicestershire force has handed out 37 fines, and they're now reminding others to follow the rules. three police officers have been shot dead after responding to a report of domestic violence. a fourth officer was wounded. they were trying to rescue a woman, who was trapped on the roof of a house in the village of san joost

in central france. the french interior ministry says the suspected gunman has also been found dead. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. if you are in scotland or northern ireland today, the weather is fairly quiet. a lot of dry conditions, some sunshine and a few showers. some will be wintry in the hills. in england and wales there is a lot of cloud, heavy and persistent rain falling on saturated ground, that could lead to issues with localised flooding. gusty winds along the coast of wales and south—west england, as well as the english channel. still mild in the south, colder in the north. this evening and overnight we say goodbye to that rain. a northerly wind across the whole of the uk blowing in showers down the east coast, also across the highlands. some will be wintry in the hills. cold enough for a touch of frost and the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. tomorrow we

continue with the northerly wind. it will feel cold on christmas eve. further showers down the east coast, further showers in the east coast of scotland. wintry on higher ground. showers in the west. much colder in the south and it has been. hello this is bbc news with annita mcveigh. the headlines: thousands of trucks stranded in kent are beginning to move again — after france lifts a ban imposed over a new strain of covid—19. if you are caught with covid, you ain't leaving. you need to book a covid test. tempers flare as drivers are told they cannot travel unless they are tested negative —— tested negative for coronavirus. more parts of england could be

moved up to the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions — tier 4 — possibly as early as boxing day. breaking her own rules — scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she made a "stupid mistake", after she was pictured taking off her face covering while at a funeral wake. president trump refuses to sign a $900 billion coronavirus relief package agreed by the us congress, describing it as "a disgrace". sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. arsenal were beaten 4—1 by manchester city in the quarter—finals of the league cup. that's eight domestic games without a win now for arsenal, and despite his determination to carry on, the pressure is building on manager mikel arteta. craig templeton reports. is time running out for this man? mikel arteta's watch had onlyjust hit the two—minute mark when his side fell behind, an early gift forjesus. next, there was a hand and a face involved. not those of a watch,

but of fernandinho and ceballos. the brazilian was lucky that there is no var. as the clock ticked on, arsenal started to click. and when lacazette leapt, they had their equaliser. concentrate, was the message. but runarsson can't have been listening. his mistake handing the lead back to city. this time, they wouldn't let it go. because foden had the game in his grasp. first he flicked it over runarsson's head, then provided the kind of cross that you just can't miss from. city were slick, but arsenal haven't won domestically since early november. the kind of run that has you looking over your shoulder. craig templeton, bbc news. there was a great story in the evening's other cup game — as brentford reached a major semi—final for the first time in their history. josh dasilva scored the only goal — as newcastle became the fourth premier league team brentford have knocked out of this year's competition. the manager of league one club ipswich town paul lambert says

the lack of testing support lower down the football pyramid is putting people's lives at risk. the efl say they're reviewing and strengthening coronavirus protocols over christmas. lambert is currently in isolation having tested positive for the virus, along with six of his players. i think we've been left out there to fend for ourselves. i think if you have a protocol for the premier league and the championship, everyone else should follow suit. it's one governing body. they're putting peoples lives at risk if they're not getting tested regularly. regardless what team it is, liverpool to ipswich town, it doesn't really matter. it's the same virus everybody is having to fight here. we deserved to be treated the same with the testing, because if you don't, things like this are going coronavirus has claimed its first rugby premiership fixture this season, with leicester tigers‘ boxing day match at newcastle called off. an outbreak in the tigers squad is to blame, with a number of positive tests and even more players having to self—isolate.

now, is andy murray getting back to his best atjust the right time, ahead of the new tennis season? after a win against the british number one dan evans on monday, he's now beaten number three cameron norrie at the battle of the brits event in roehampton, and both in straight sets. murray hadn't played since october before this week. anthonyjoshua says he is "certain" that the dream fight with tyson fury will happen next year. the two britons currently hold all four of the world heavyweight titles between them and all the talk has been about a unification contest, afterjoshua knocked out kubrat pulev earlier this month. it's about me challenging myself and getting my hands on the wbc belt. because i want to be an undisputed heavyweight champion. that's the legacy. and also, touching on this subject again, it brings the attention to boxing. i think me and tyson fury, aside from the trash talk and the hype of the fight, we can do a greatjob of bringing attention to boxing.

saying, guys, look, this is the biggest fight in history. and lionel messi has another record to his name. he's now scored more goals than pele at a single club. last night he scored his 644th goal for barcelona — one more than pele managed in his career at santos in brazil. that's all the sport for now, but there's more on the bbc sport website — including defeats for former champions rob cross and adrian lewis at the world darts championship. now on bbc news, it's time for your questions answered.

with me to answer your coronavirus questions are dr muhammad munir, a virologist at lancaster university and dr deepti gurdasani, who is a clinical epidemiologist at queen mary university of london. you are both very welcome, thank you for your time and answering viewers' questions. this first one is from wayne on twitter, who asks, in light of the increased transmissibility of the new variant of the virus, why hasn't mask wearing been made mandatory, and if people cannot wear one, shouldn't they have to wear a face shield? the high transmissibility of this virus is certainly a concern. it is true we might need stronger more restrictive control measures to reduce transmission so need more widespread mask wearing. regarding face shields, we know they are not as effective as masks, but if you cannot wear a mask a face shield may offer some protection so i agree that we certainly need more

widespread culture of mask wearing. countries that have done better in getting a grip of this virus, they tend to have had a culture of mask wearing when there are outbreaks of respiratory illnesses. absolutely. we have seen this in south—east asia who have been far more effective in controlling the virus, and we know this is transmitted through droplets and in aerosol transmission, and to reduce transmission in this context, with masks. the next question is from vivienne, and she says if you have antibodies from previous rains, do they protect you from the new variant? the short answer is yes they do, and the extended answer is that when somebody is infected with any virus, not only the antibodies, but they have an immune response thatis

but they have an immune response that is raised, t cell response and other components of the immune systems are even if the antibodies are having a weaker responses against the new variant, other components of the immune system would act and would neutralise the virus. we don't yet know how long that immunity lasts. we have been hearing that. absolutely, that is something that we do not know precisely, but based on experience with other coronaviruses, the likelihood is that the antibodies are the, they would remain for at least 18 months. the next question is from charles. he says as the virus particles are heavier than air, they will inevitably end up on the ground and end up indoors, then get blown around by vacuum cleaners and heaters and particularly hand dryers and public buildings. should we not be doing more to sterilise the streets as they did in china?

the mode of transmission is primarily aerosol and droplet. the question of contaminated surfaces, as well. whilst we don't know much about transmission from surfaces, the cdc recommends sterilisation or disinfection of indoor areas that are frequently visited. in terms of fa ns are frequently visited. in terms of fans and dryers and vacuum cleaners, yes, they can create circulation of airand lead to yes, they can create circulation of air and lead to the virus being transmitted over longer distances, so the cdc recommends those devices are not used indoors, and that vacuuming is done when there is nobody indoors, and with the protective equipment needed. in terms of street disinfection, we don't actually know what the

effectiveness of intervention like thatis, effectiveness of intervention like that is, and between this as there will be spread of aerosols on the streets and outdoors, it is complex and hard to do and may not be as effective. it is much better to take hygiene measures for oneself, and to wear masks to prevent transmission. evenif wear masks to prevent transmission. even if the streets were cleaned, presumably, that would only last for seconds, potentially, because more people come along, potentially, carrying the virus, and therefore the whole exercise of cleaning the streets in the first place is a pretty pointless one, one might argue. i don't know what you would say on that. exactly, that has been argued. that is why, if is something that has not been widely practised here because it is unlikely to be effective for longer than a few minutes because people will keep coming in. and we don't know how

effective it is in terms of disinfection outside because there is lots of dust and inorganic particles in sun light which interferes with this infection so it is better to take personal precautions rather than having to disinfect entire streets. mohammed, this question from craig. he asks, we have a new variant of covid—19 that has been discovered, why has this been called a variant of covid—19 and not covid 20, how much does the virus have to mutate before it isa does the virus have to mutate before it is a different virus? an interesting question, this virus is big. it has 30,000 nucleotides making up the genetic material of this virus and we have only noticed 4007% of mutation so the vast majority of the virus is still the same, and variant means that it is

different than the regular strain, but not everything is identical, so this means that if this new variant if it is causing more transmissibility of the disease, it is not causing impact on the vaccine efficacy. so this would still remain within the same group of viruses evenif within the same group of viruses even if it it is slightly changed. coming back with a point of how much viruses have to change before being called a new disease or virus, viruses have to mutate significantly before they become at the stage where we class them as a new virus or intoa where we class them as a new virus or into a new family of viruses, which is really happening, so even if it mutated any further it would still retain into the same family, the same virus, it would still be called coronavirus. just to reiterate, this particular variant is essentially very similar to the original virus, that is why we believe, we certainly hope that

vaccines will still be as effective on it as well. that is absolutely right, because it is a very tiny difference compared to the full length of the virus. that is good to know. a question from mags who says do we know how many of yesterday's 37,000 new cases contained the new variant? i don't know that, how we pick this up is two ways, one way is genomic surveillance, where we can sequence these particular mutations to see if they exist or not, and the other way we are able to pick this up other way we are able to pick this up is through a phenomena with regular testing which is called spike dropouts, so with the routine tests, the pcr test, the readout is slightly different with this virus because of certain mutations in a particular protein in the virus and just with regular tests, the frequency of that change, that spike

dropouts, we can estimate what the frequency of this mutation may be. based on publicly available data, it appears that south—east england, about 60—70% of mutations, sorry, of infections, will be attributed to this virus, but this is an active sample that was sequence. in terms of spiked dropout i don't think daily data is being released, so at the moment, i couldn't tell you how many cases are exactly attributed to this particular virus strain. question from shazza who says if antibodies protect people widely vaccinate those already have them as should the vaccination early be given to people who don't have antibodies? that is a very interesting question. when we are infected with the virus, there are antibody responses against it. we don't really know whether those are sufficient enough to neutralise the

virus through the natural course of infection, so therefore it is important, even people who are initially effected and recovered to be vaccinated because the vaccine creates a profound immune response and with the logistical challenges, someone would need to be screened, so we someone would need to be screened, so we have 70 million people in the uk, everybody had to be screened for the antibodies and determine whether they are good enough to protect against infection, that is probably impossible and the simple and cheap option is to vaccinate everybody, and that is the current recommendation by the government, that even people who are infected before and recovered, they still need to be vaccinated. we have a minute and a half left, i will squeeze in two more questions. brief a nswe rs , squeeze in two more questions. brief answers, please, adam asks, we have heard that the vaccine will protect against the new variant but will there be any impact on the accuracy of testing? with the pcr test used

to confirm infection we see a difference in readout but we are able to confirm infection so it does not affect accuracy, but with the lateral flow tests, we don't know, thatis lateral flow tests, we don't know, that is an active area of investigation. mohammed, from cathy, we are being told this mutation is more transmissible but we have not heard how it does this, is it capable of surviving longer on surfaces? winner of the smack of the mutations that are very important and those are at the side that allows the virus to enter into the body so it is more transmissible because it enters into the body more frequently, therefore more able to replicate, and based on those mutations, the structure is not change that it makes the virus more sta ble change that it makes the virus more stable on surfaces, so all of the disinfectant processes we are using now would be applicable after the new variant. thank you for your expertise in answering those

questions, thank you both very much, and thanks to you for sending in your questions. donald trump has blocked a $900 billion coronavirus relief package, which was agreed by the us congress this week after months of wrangling. in a video released on twitter, mr trump denounced the bill as a disgrace and demanded changes to the payments americans are due to receive, to help them through the pandemic. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes reports. x without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. they thought it was a done deal. after months of wrangling, democrats and republicans in congress finally agreed to a $900 billion package of measures to help americans through the pandemic. all it needed was the signature of donald trump, but not so fast.

the president doesn't like the bill, he says a lump sum payment that most americans would receive isn't enough. i'm asking congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple. i'm also asking congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package, and maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done. if he refuses to sign the bill, the us government will shut down next week and the emergency economic aid will be put on hold. even the president's most loyal supporters say it is a bad move. senator lindsey graham tweeted:

democrats say they wanted americans to receive bigger lump sum payments all along. nancy pelosi tweeted. .. it is far from clear whether a christmas eve session in the house of representatives will resolve the matter. president trump, who has less than a month remaining in office, wasn't involved in negotiations over the bill. his last—minute objections have stunned washington and leave the country in limbo. with many americans preparing for a bleak holiday period, broke and unable to see their families because of the coronavirus, it simply means more uncertainty. peter bowes, bbc news los angeles. we've all had to make sacrifices this year to keep our loved ones safe,

including staff at a care home in somerset who locked themselves inside for more than three months to protect their residents. now the families of those who live there want to thank them in time for christmas. fiona lamdin reports. # through the years we all will be together #. happy christmas. and a huge, huge hug. hello, mum. hiya. and hi, just to wish you a very happy christmas, mum. these are just some of the families who won't be together this christmas. i miss you loads, all right? and i really, really would like to see you this christmas, but, unfortunately, due to the covid rules, i am not able to. christmas is a time to say thank you, and for those at this care home, their thanks are more heartfelt than most. as the pandemic began, staff at court house in somerset moved in to keep covid out. 84 days away from their families, to keep the people who lived here safe.

for chris, that meant being separated from his wife and four—year—old daughter. happy good morning, daddy, i miss you so much. for tina, it meant sleeping in the stockroom. we have no washing facilities, we've just got a ladies down the corridor, which is our bathroom and our toilet. so we have a little wash in the sink. come with me, come with me, keep your eyes closed. injuly, staff were reunited with theirfamilies. and, since then, while residents have been able to see their families, with a vaccination on the horizon, they say they will wait for a hug until they think it's safe. you're going to be filming yourself on one device. instead, they are showing their love and paying thanks through the magic of music. so if we get that nice brightness. # have yourself a merry little christmas #.

breakfast introduced them to expert choirmaster daniel mchyer. and together with care home co—owner chris, they've formed this secret choir. # here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore #. staff and residents' families singing side by side. she's 4ft11, but she's a pocket rocket, you know. she a strong lady and i really admire her, she's done marvellous. how hard has it been keeping this choir a surprise from her? oh, my god. yesterday, i was with her all day. and i was getting messages from you guys and she's so nosy, my mum. and she knows everything. and if my phone goes off, she is onto it. so i was hiding all day. my phone was in my pocket, it was on silent. residents have just been watching

the staff christmas panto and they have no idea that we are in here. we've put up these screens and we are so excited to show them the court house christmas choir. and with covid—secu re remote—controlled cameras inside the care home, we are about to see the reaction to their very first performance. # have yourself a merry little christmas # let your heart be light...# very happy christmas to my mother lal, who we love very much, from all the family in dubai and somerset. all the residents, i love you very much and i wish you a merry christmas. # have yourself a merry little christmas # make the yuletide gay

# from now on our troubles will be miles away merry christmas, nana. love you. keeping very healthy and well. thanks to the staff and the very friendly approach of all of them. so many thanks to them and happy christmas to everyone. thanks very much for all the help and all the work that you've done. happy christmas, mum. merry christmas, pat. # through the years we all will be together # if the fates allow # hang a shining star upon the highest bough

# and have yourself a merry little christmas now.# that was lovely. i thought it was wonderful. absolutely wonderful. it really touched the hearts, doing this. it brought tears to our eyes. and that applies easily to me because my son would say to me, "0h, turn the waterworks off, mother." this really made me cry and made me realise, actually, just how different this year is. it really hit home to me. yeah, you know, just not having... as much as we've done everything we can, it's not the same not having ourfamilies in and just

having that christmas atmosphere. yes, touched. he's in switzerland and he has been all this year. he's come over for two weeks this entire year, with my youngest, andy, on holiday. and then he went back and i haven't seen him since. i love you loads and i hope we can see each other soon. all right, so hi from me and andy in switzerland. bye. i'm just going to replay that moment, because it meant so much to me and it willjust keep in my mind that one day i will see him again. # and have yourself a merry little christmas now #. what amazing staff and families. wishing them a really good christmas

in the circumstances. just before we go, there's time for these christmas creatures. rangers at an australian zoo have dressed up the newest additions in their best festive finery. all the baby animals who are seeing their first christmas, got presents with some in matching outfits. a baby koala. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again, the weather across england and wales is going to be pretty wet. we have some heavy rain and it will continue through the course of the day. this area of low pressure has come in from the south—west, and it is bringing all this rain wrapping in bands around it. as you can see from the squeeze on the isobars it will be when they cross the coast of wales, south—west england and the english channel, gusting up to 55 mph. from this rain

we could see 20—40 millimetres plus a little bit more, falling on already saturated ground giving the disc of localised flooding. for northern ireland and scotland, dry with some showers, some of them wintry on the hills, with some snow on the hills of northern england as well. 0vernight, that the pressure pulls away taking the rain with it. we have a northerly flow, so it'll bea we have a northerly flow, so it'll be a cold night and we will see some snow showers, mostly in the hills in scotland. with temperatures this now, we are looking at frost and ice on entry —— on untreated surfaces. 0n on entry —— on untreated surfaces. on thursday, christmas eve, high pressure builds in, but more will be exposed to the northerly wind, so it will feel colder across the board, and it will be pretty windy down the east coast. here, a plethora of showers, some of those wintry again mostly in the hills, and the odd shower coming in along the west coast as well. in land, lots of dry weather, and still, showers in the

highlands likely to be wintry, mostly highlands likely to be wintry, m ostly o n highlands likely to be wintry, mostly on higher ground. temperatures between 3—7, much colder in southern england than it has been. moving from christmas eve into christmas day, high pressure still ensconced across our shows, a cold start on christmas morning, also some frost around, and a lot of dry weather with sunshine for england and wales but for scotland and northern ireland and then later, western parts, we will see cloud building ahead of a weather front coming our way, which will introduce some rain. the wind from the west will change to a westerly, so not feeling quite as cold. for boxing day into sunday, the weather remains u nsettled, day into sunday, the weather remains unsettled, and on boxing day, wet and very windy.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. if you get positive covid, you ain't leaving! you need to book a covid test before you leave or they won't let you leave. lorry drivers are told they can travel again, if they test negative for coronavirus — that's after france lifted a ban imposed over covid fears. but this morning, tempers flare as drivers, many of whom spent a third night in their vehicles, clash with police in dover. more parts of england could be moved up to the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions — tier 4 — possibly as early as boxing day. we want to hear your thoughts on the latest lockdown plans and the possibility of more restrictions. do you support them? what effect will they have on you? do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh