tonight at ten — learning to live with covid — the prime minister says he hopes to lift almost all of england's restrictions onjuly 19th. wearing face coverings would become voluntary, social distancing would end, nightclubs would reopen — a final decision will be taken next week. if we can't reopen our society in the next few weeks, when we'll be helped by the arrival of summer and the school holidays, then we must ask ourselves, when will we be able to return to normal? lifting all protections in one go, when the infection rate is going up, is reckless. it's predicted there

could be 50,000 new cases a day within a fortnight. more than half of uk adults are now fully vaccinated — but scientists say hospitalisations will continue to rise. the vaccines have weakened the link between cases and hospitalisation, but it's a weakened link, not a completely broken link. empty offices should soon return to life as the work from home instruction is scrapped. and one other headline— the british teenager emma raducanu raducanu's wimbledonjenny ends abruptly as she pulls out injured in the fourth round —— herjourney ends abruptly. coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel, novak djokovic's bid for a record equalling 20th gram subtitle continues as he cruises into the quarterfinals. —— his bid for a record equalling 20th grand slam title continues. good evening.

the prime minister has set out his plans to lift almost all coronavirus restrictions in england from july 19th. a final decision will be made next week. despite predictions that there could be up to 50,000 new cases a day in the uk within a fortnight, mrjohnson said the covid vaccines were breaking the link between infection and death. if the government goes ahead with its plans, social distancing will be scrapped for the first time in 16 months. face coverings will no longer be a legal requirement. limits on socialising will be lifted — bringing an to end to the rule of six indoors. and the advice to work from home will be scrapped. the prime minister said there'd be further details on school bubbles, international travel and self—isolation in the coming days. here's our deputy political editor, vicki young. all around us, the signs of life interrupted by a pandemic. instructions about where we can

go, who we can see, even in our own homes, how far apart we must stand. but in two weeks, things could change. covid hasn't gone, but most restriction in england are likely to disappear. restaurants and pubs can operate normally, theatres and cinemas can fill every seat, large crowds can meet once more, the prime minister putting the emphasis on personal responsibility instead of government orders. i want to stress from the outset that this pandemic is far from over and we must reconcile ourselves, sadly, to more deaths from covid. there's only one reason why we can contemplate going ahead to step four in circumstances where we would normally be locking down further, and that's because of the continuing effectiveness of the vaccine roll—out. and in bristol, people are starting to contemplate life with fewer rules. personally, i think it's better to be safe than sorry, but just like every normal person, i welcome the change. it's the wrong thing,

wrong decision. - why? because the cases are going up. at least give it a go and then, if anything does get worse, go back to it, you can always go back. i think we've just got to live with it and that's that. you can't keep living your life being told what to do. people are now afraid, they're even now afraid to go out. the days of hundreds of pages of rules and regulations to follow will soon be gone. instead, the government is asking us to use our common sense, make personal decisions about how we stay safe. it's a big shift in approach, but it comes at a time when cases are rising. the prime minister has been marking the nhs's birthday, and making sure hospitals can cope has been at the heart of his covid strategy. can you tell us how bad you expect it to get afterjuly and the restrictions being lifted? obviously, we have to be cautious and we will continue to look at all the data as we progress.

if we don't go ahead now, when the summer fire break is coming up, the school holidays, all the advantages that should give us in fighting the virus, the question is, when would we go ahead? what the modelling would imply is that we will reach that peak before we get to the point where we have the kind of pressures we saw in january, for example, of this year. for some, the facemask has become a hated symbol of intrusive government. it will still be recommended in hospitals and crowded indoor public spaces, where mrjohnson said he would still wear one. but the legal requirement for face coverings will go, and the labour leader says that is a mistake. to throw off all protections at the same time, when the infection rate is still going up, is reckless. we need a balanced approach, we need to keep key protections in place, including masks,

including ventilation, and crucially, something we have been asking for throughout the pandemic, proper payments for those that need to self—isolate. for 16 months, we have lived under restrictions we could never have imagined. today borisjohnson signalled that it's time for life to get back to normal. and that applies to other areas too. tomorrow we will hear from the education secretary about rules in schools, where there has been huge disruption, with thousands of people sent home if a classmate test is positive. that could be replaced by daily testing. the question is, could it apply to others too? if you have had double jabs and you are identified as a close contact, you could again test rather than isolate. and of course, there is foreign travel too. later in the week, we will find out what the rules will be on quarantine for those who are still holding out for a holiday in the sun. vicki young in westminster, thank you.

the latest official figures show that in the past 2a hours 9 deaths were reported — and 27,334 new infections were recorded across the uk. on average there've been 25,410 new cases per day in the uk in the past week. more than 77,000 people received a first dose of the vaccine in the latest 24—hour period. almost 45.5 million people have now had their firstjab — that's 86.1% of uk adults. more than 111,000 had their second dose, which means more than 33.7 million people are now fully vaccinated — that's 64% of uk adults. the uk already has the highest number of daily covid cases in europe and new cases are expected to reach levels not seen since january later this month. boris johnson conceded that the pandemic was far from over but he said the link

between infections and deaths has been weakened by the vaccines. here is our health editor, hugh pym. some hospitals say a&e is as busy as ever, reporting rising numbers of patients in recent weeks, including children with a range of different conditions. so there are fears that any new covid surge will intensify existing pressures. 0ne intensive care consultant says covid is not a problem now, but it could be soon, as infections spread in the weeks ahead. whilst it won't be anything like the challenge of the winter waves, it will still be enough to distract us and turn us away from routine health care for cancer, for surgeries, stroke and so on, and mean that we need to focus our energies strategically and on a patient care basis on covid. total covid patient numbers in uk hospitals have been going up, though they are still not back to where they were in early april. it's a varying picture, though, around the country. in the north west of england,

for example, which was hard hit by the early spread of the delta variant, numbers are back where they were three months ago. in the midlands, though, patient numbers have not been rising so rapidly. vaccines are making a difference, reducing the risk of getting seriously ill, and hospital chiefs say most people in hospital with covid have not been fully vaccinated. but the daily case numbers have been rising and there are projections that will continue. the number of cases is increasing, the doubling time is roughly nine days. it's mainly amongst younger people, but spreading up the age groups. shireley�*s experience is a reminder of the sometimes cruel consequences of catching covid. she spent five weeks in intensive care and is now learning to walk again.

she has this message for those still not convinced about the vaccine. it is real, and have yourjab. please have yourjab to stop what i've gone through happening to other people, because i would not want anyone else to go through what i've gone through. a welcome from her grandchildren, and a brighter day, perhaps, than many during this pandemic. hugh pym, bbc news. the governments in scotland, wales and northern ireland will set out their own timetables for lifting restrictions later this month. scotland currently has the highest covid rates in europe, according to the world health organisation, and is expected to loosen some restrictions on the 19th ofjuly. ministers in edinburgh hope the last major legal limits, including social distancing, can be removed on 9th august, but? no decision has yet been taken on whether masks will still be required on public transport and in shops. in wales, the government will review the restrictions and outline any further

lifting next week. the country's health minister said today that wales was going to have to learn to live with coronavirus, and they were weighing up the risks of catching covid against lockdown effects on mental health and the economy. and some restrictions are being eased in northern ireland today with the return of live music and an increase in the number of households able to gather in a private garden. it's understood further relaxations will be discussed by the executive this week. our medical editor, fergus walsh, joins me now. restrictions are being swept away despite rising cases. many will welcome the new freedoms — others will be very nervous. absolutely, sophie. up to now, covid restrictions have only been lifted when cases are going down, when pressure on the nhs is easing. but by the 19th ofjuly, not only will there be more cases, there will be higher numbers of covert patients in hospital and higher numbers of covert deaths. but the argument from

the uk government is that vaccines are making the difference. we have among the highest level of covid immunisation in the world and although delta variant cases are rising, the wall of immunity that has been built up among the vulnerable is for the most part holding firm. if we look at covid—related deaths, there are now averaging about 18 a day across the uk. in mid—december, when we had the same number of daily covid cases, it was more than 400 covid deaths a day. professor chris whitty said there was a mix of scientific opinion on when the remaining restrictions should be eased, but he favoured doing it in the summer because if you wait until more adults are fully immunised, that will be in the autumn, when schools are back, we will be into the flu season and the nhs will be under more pressure. but he also warned that the coming winter will be very

tricky because of a research and is notjust tricky because of a research and is not just of covid, tricky because of a research and is notjust of covid, but other respiratory infections. in england, we are heading for this shift of emphasis from government control personal responsibility, but boris johnson urged people not to get demob happy — the virus is still here. demob happy - the virus is still here. , ~ . , demob happy - the virus is still here. , ~ ., , ., ~ demob happy - the virus is still here. , ~ . , . ~ i., the advice to work from home when possible is also being scrapped. it means employers and employees in england can start to plan a return to the workplace. but the unite union, which represents thousands of public transport workers, has said ending the legal requirement to wear face coverings on public transport would be "an act of gross negligence". our business editor, simonjack, reports. the office, 2020—21. many workers will not have seen the inside of their own place of work for over a year. the businesses that depend on their passing trade struggling to stay alive. but two weeks from now, the message will be advance to go. it will no longer be

necessary to work from home. there will be no limits on the number of people you can meet. and this means we can start to learn to live with covid. home—working is killing city centre businesses like michael's cafe that has hung in there while many others close by have closed. he told me just how much a return to offices meant to him. very important, because otherwise we can't survive. we can only go so much. we have got to get people back into work, all the offices are empty. and getting people back to work, everything changes. the attitude changes and we get busy, the whole country gets back on its feet. ditching social distancing indoors was also music to the ears of owners of bars, clubs and restaurants who have been hardest hit by outright closure or capacity constraints. july 19 is absolutely mission—critical. i it marks the end of 16 months of trading below profit, - of trading at a loss, i and it is the first point

at which we can look- towards the future and start to rebuild an industry| that is a third the size it was when we went into this pandemic. i obviously not everyone works in cities but millions of people do and with the government rules essentially out and personal choice back in, where will people stand on getting on public transport without masks and without social distancing? and with the working from home where possible guidance changing, there is going to be some interesting conversations between employers and employees that could potentially lead to confusion or even conflict. unions said binning mandatory mask wearing on public transport is grossly negligent and the prime minister said that this was one area where they should but not must be worn. outside the tube station, opinions were mixed. if we take the proper precautions to protect ourselves, i think not wearing a mask isn't really essential any more. i prefer to wear masks until everyone over the age of 18 has had bothjabs. in public transport situations, i'm

going to continue to wear a mask. businesses will welcome these announcements but ultimately, public confidence will decide whetherjuly 19 will be a turning point for the economy. simon jack, bbc news. ryanair, easyjet and jet2 have said that despite today's announcement, all passengers will still be required to wear face masks. the airlines say it's to protect the health of passengers and crew, and will be mandatory regardless of where the flight is to and from. they will continue to be guided by in—house medical advisers and industry regulators. germany has lifted its ban on travellers from the uk entering the country. from wednesday, people who've had both vaccine doses won't have to quarantine. the changes also apply to people travelling from portugal, russia and india. the end of social distancing in england's pubs and restaurants

means a return to drinking at the bar without the requirement for table service. nightclubs will also reopen. the hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic and has welcomed today's announcement, though some staff are worried about working in a crowded environment without face masks. 0ur north of england correspondent danny savage reports. another busy lunchtime at the bull inn in north yorkshire. staff are wearing facemasks, customers have to register, it is table service only and all at a safe social distance. but in two weeks' time, all those restrictions go. a bit scared, really. commercially, fantastic, let's just go back to normal. gill runs the pub but does she trust the public to act responsibly? there is a big section of the community, particularly when they get a few points down them, who don't take that much responsibility for themselves or others. and i don't want to dam people but it's a fact, i've witnessed that. lifting restrictions will potentially see demand soar in hospitality.

you could stand at the bar again, although table service has won a lot of fans. but the big debate will be about facemasks. at the wardrobe bar in leeds today, manager ryan discussed the changes with his staff. no qr codes, no social distance, no masks around at work. how do you feel? what should we be doing? quite excited not to wear a mask in this weather! l i think i'll be happy to get rid of them. it's been so long having them on and it willjust be nice to go back to normal. the easing of the restrictions is great, it quadruples the numbers we can get in, in the barand in the music venue as well and by that perspective, yeah, it's fantastic. downstairs, this venue is currently allowed 70 customers. soon 450 will be allowed back in. professional guitarist jake can finally see some hope arriving. i would say about 90% of my income was live performance and live sessions and due to theatres and venues being closed for that long, it's just not been able to go ahead at all.

it would mean a lot. many people in hospitality will still wear facemasks — they feel safer doing so — but will customers match them? danny savage, bbc news, leeds. the duchess of cambridge is self—isolating after coming into contact with someone who later tested positive for coronavirus. kensington palace says she's not experiencing any symptoms. but it meant she missed a service of thanksgiving at st paul's cathedral in london this morning which marked the founding of the nhs and the contributions made by its staff during the pandemic. the queen has awarded the nhs the george cross for bravery on behalf of what she called "a grateful nation". the government has introduced legislation that it says will make homes safer in the wake of the grenfell tower fire. the building safety bill will mean a new buildings regulator to oversee all new developments — especially tower blocks.

if it becomes law in england and wales, it will give leaseholders the right to sue developers for faults and safety defects up to 15 years after construction. our business correspondent sarah corker is in salford for us. sarah. these are major changes. this new regulator will have powers to prosecute developers who do not meet standards and this comes after the grenfell tower tragedy exposed decades of regulatory failures including dangerous cladding and as you said, under the proposals, leaseholders will have 15 years to sue developers for shoddy workmanship. at the moment they have six years but cladding campaigners say they don't have the time or the money to put together these complex legal cases, proving liability can also be difficult. in fact, a report published last year by the national audit office, the spending watchdog,

concluded that only in the minority of cases would it ever be cost effective to try to recoup money through the courts, describing legal action as too time—consuming and too costly in this case. in the meantime, leaseholders, people are facing these huge bills to fix these faults and legislation does point out published today that building owners should only pass on costs to leaseholders when they have explored all other options for paying for the work and across the uk, an estimated 700,000 people are still living in flats wrapped in flammable materials. flats wrapped in flammable materials-— flats wrapped in flammable materials. ., ., ~ there was a sad and abupt end at wimbledon tonight for the british teenager emma raducanu, who was forced to pull out in the middle of her fourth—round match for medical reasons. the 18—year—old was a set down to australian ajla tomljanovic when she appeared to be suffering from breathing difficulties, asjoe wilson reports.

emma raducanu's first lesson in when the second week was how to wait the practice courts in the afternoon, show court finally at 7:52pm and what we saw it looked like another example of remarkable composure. her opponent, top of the screen from australian ajla tomljanovic, is over a decade into her professional career. but look who was embracing the occasion. you could see how closely matched the players were from every rally feeling tense. imagine being emma's mum. a 50 minute first set was settled like this. sixth —— 6—4 to tomljanovic put in the second is at the tennis remained intense under the roof, requiring energy, demand concentration, everything. rodic on it was trying to keep up with the pace but between points she was taking every second she could, frequently going to hotel —— raducanu was trying to keep up. it

became clear she was battling more than the score, medical timeout. nice deep breaths.— than the score, medical timeout. nice deep breaths. remember, this is an 18-year-old — nice deep breaths. remember, this is an 18-year-old in _ nice deep breaths. remember, this is an 18-year-old in her _ nice deep breaths. remember, this is an 18-year-old in her first _ nice deep breaths. remember, this is an 18-year-old in her first major - an 18—year—old in herfirst major tournament. for whatever reason it was certainly too much and what can be feel but sympathy? the match was over. . , . be feel but sympathy? the match was over, ., , ., ., over. ladies and gentlemen, due to medical reasons, _ over. ladies and gentlemen, due to medical reasons, miss _ over. ladies and gentlemen, due to medical reasons, miss raducanu . over. ladies and gentlemen, due to medical reasons, miss raducanu is| medical reasons, miss raducanu is not able _ medical reasons, miss raducanu is not able to— medical reasons, miss raducanu is not able to continue the match. emma must be really — not able to continue the match. emma must be really hurt _ not able to continue the match. emma must be really hurt if _ not able to continue the match. emma must be really hurt if she _ not able to continue the match. emma must be really hurt if she came - not able to continue the match. emma must be really hurt if she came to - must be really hurt if she came to the decision— must be really hurt if she came to the decision to _ must be really hurt if she came to the decision to retire, _ must be really hurt if she came to the decision to retire, to - must be really hurt if she came to the decision to retire, to play- must be really hurt if she came to the decision to retire, to play as. must be really hurt if she came to the decision to retire, to play as a brit at _ the decision to retire, to play as a brit at home — the decision to retire, to play as a brit at home is— the decision to retire, to play as a brit at home is unbelievable - the decision to retire, to play as a brit at home is unbelievable so i the decision to retire, to play as al brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really— brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really sorry — brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really sorry for _ brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really sorry for her— brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really sorry for her because - brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really sorry for her because i - brit at home is unbelievable so i'm really sorry for her because i wishl really sorry for her because i wish we could — really sorry for her because i wish we could have _ really sorry for her because i wish we could have finished _ really sorry for her because i wish we could have finished it. - really sorry for her because i wish we could have finished it. but - really sorry for her because i wish we could have finished it. but it. really sorry for her because i wishj we could have finished it. but it is a sport. _ we could have finished it. but it is a sport. it — we could have finished it. but it is a sport, it happens _ we could have finished it. but it is a sport, it happens so _ we could have finished it. but it is a sport, it happens so i _ we could have finished it. but it is a sport, it happens so i wish - we could have finished it. but it is a sport, it happens so i wish her. a sport, it happens so i wish her all the _ a sport, it happens so i wish her all the best _ a sport, it happens so i wish her all the best-— a sport, it happens so i wish her all the best. standing here in the early evening _ all the best. standing here in the early evening drizzle, _ all the best. standing here in the early evening drizzle, it - all the best. standing here in the early evening drizzle, it was - all the best. standing here in the early evening drizzle, it was not. early evening drizzle, it was not the way we wanted to finish but we must remember and hope that for all emma raducanu has achieved at these championships, for her this isjust the start. joel wilson, bbc news, wimbledon. the england manager, gareth southgate, says he wants

to give the latest generation of england fans memories they'll never forget and lead his team to the euro 2020 final. he's been speaking to our sports editor, dan roan, about the impact an england win against denmark on wednesday can have on the nation. he's already had much to celebrate this summer, but gareth southgate now finds himself on the brink of footballing history. 25 years ago, he suffered the pain of losing a euros semifinal, but today he told me such experience has helped make him the coach he's become. there's no question that the things that you go through in life shape your character and the way that you want to deal with people. i think if you're a coach, it's a bit like being a parent. you've gone past the moment where it's about you and it's about what you pass on to others. england have certainly come a long way since the last euros five years ago, when they were knocked out by minnows iceland, one

of the team's lowest ever moments. what would you say is the most important thing you've done to bring about that transformation? i think there's a lot of work that's gone on here at st george's, especially, behind the scenes to understand what has brought success to other nations, what we needed to do with ourjunior teams, what we needed to do off the pitch. and then we're also blessed with a generation of players that are coming through that can play in a different way. england's revival under southgate began at the last world cup, where they exceeded expectations by reaching the last four. england win a world cup penalty shoot—out for the first time ever! this relaxed and spirited squad have now matched that achievement at the euros, confident that this time, they can beat denmark and go all the way.

we are better prepared for this semifinal in that we've lived it before. for example, after the game in rome, the celebrations were at a certain level. everybody was quite calm about what was going on and we knew that we hadn't achieved what we want to achieve yet. if you can do it on wednesday night, how does it make you feel to know that you'll be putting a huge smile on the nation's face, given what everyone's gone through? england matches bring families together and communities together. and they're matches that you remember where you were. it's also lovely that a certain generation of fans are seeing england for the first time, and these are their formative memories. bless them, they think it's always like this! maybe over a period of time, they'll know different! we wish you all the very best this week. thank you. our sports editor, dan roan, speaking to gareth southgate. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night.

i'm riz lateef. as we've been hearing, the prime minister has set out plans the other skies to the north of that, to the south, blustery winds and sharp showers from the word go. on tuesday, our weather front that the cross northern england and pushes into scotland, sharp showers being driven behind by a south westerly wind. a disappointing field, particularly if you get caught in those showers. the lowest slowly drifting away, but that means the drift of —— risk of

some shower on wednesday.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: fears are rising in afghanistan about the deteriorating security situation as nato's withdrawal nears completion. local troops are now guarding bagram air base, but reports of taliban advances have heightened concern about an afghan military collapse. russia, iran and turkey have suspended work at their consulates in the afghan city of mazar—i—sharif as the taliban make advances across the region. over a thousand afghan soldiers have been forced to flee across the border into tajikistan. gunmen in nigeria have kidnapped at least 140 schoolchildren in the north—west of the country. nurses and babies have also been abducted from a hospital in kaduna state. the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, has confirmed that virtually all coronavirus restrictions, including mask—wearing and social distancing, will end in two weeks' time.