The highly transmissible India variant of coronavirus has been found in 86 districts across the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, as he urged the public to stay cautious when meeting friends indoors.
Authorities identified 2,323 cases of the variant as of Monday, with cases doubling in the past week in Bolton and Blackburn in north-west England, Mr Hancock told the House of Commons on Monday.
With 86 local authorities confirmed to have found five or more cases of the India variant, Mr Hancock said it was vital that people be vaccinated.
He said most people with the strain known as B16172 in areas around Bolton had not received a shot and early evidence suggested vaccines still worked against this variant.
“The vaccination programme can give us confidence but we must be alert to new variants that can jeopardise the advances that we’ve made,” Mr Hancock said.
“We must proceed with caution and care, and bear down on the virus in whatever form it attacks us.”
An English ban on households mixing indoors was relaxed on Monday, and bars, restaurants and cafes were allowed to open to customers inside for the first time in months.
The vaccine programme is being altered to give over-50s and the most vulnerable their second dose more quickly to ensure they are protected as soon as possible.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the final stage of lifting restrictions, due on June 21, might be delayed amid rising concerns over the new variant.
Mr Hancock faced repeated questions in Parliament over reopening international travel, given that many variants have been brought into Britain from overseas.
From Monday, Britons are able to travel to countries on the "green list", including Portugal and Israel, with no need for quarantine on return.
But there are concerns over a lack of clarity about the “amber list” of countries, including France and Spain, which people are legally allowed to visit but have been told by ministers not to.
Jeremy Hunt, a Conservative member of Parliament and former health secretary, called for “absolute clarity” on the rules.
Mr Hancock said the government advice was “very clear”.
“People should not travel to amber list countries for a holiday,” he said.
Mr Hancock came under fire for the timing of the decision to ban travel from India, amid concern from opposition politicians that a delay in April had opened the doors to thousands of people who could have been infected with the variant.
He insisted that the right decisions had been made at the time, saying Pakistan and Bangladesh were put on the red list two weeks earlier because the people arriving from these countries had higher infection rates than passengers from India.
Mr Hancock denied claims from several members of Parliament that the real reason was because Mr Johnson did not want to offend Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before a planned trade visit.
That trip was eventually cancelled on April 19, the same day that India was put on the red list.
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Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Bullet%20Train
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Monday, UAE won by three wickets
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)