Coronavirus: Morning update as £1bn pledged to help pupils catch up
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Friday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.
1. £1bn fund to help pupils catch up The prime minister has pledged £1bn to help schoolchildren in England affected by the coronavirus lockdown. Schools have been closed to nearly all pupils since before the Easter break - and it is thought unlikely that most will return until after the summer holidays. The funding will mean the most disadvantaged pupils can get access to tutors while primary and secondary schools have been allocated money to pay for one-to-one or group tuition. 2. South Asian people 'most likely to die with Covid-19 in hospital' A study involving universities and health bodies across the UK has found that people with South Asian backgrounds are the most likely to die from Covid-19 after they have been admitted to hospital. The research looked at almost 35,000 patients at 260 hospitals in Great Britain and found that people of South Asian ethnicity were 20% more likely to die than white people. The study suggest that one of the reasons for this is the high levels of diabetes among people from that ethnic group. 3. DIY goods help boost UK retail sales There was a partial recovery for UK retail sales in May, despite lockdown measures being in place. Sales were boosted by a 42% rise at household goods stores as DIY shops and garden centres were allowed to reopen. There was a 12% increase in the amount of goods sold in May, compared with record falls seen in April, the Office for National Statistics said. Sales were still down by 13.1% on February, before the scale of the impact from the coronavirus pandemic was clear, however. Separately, the Office for National Statistics said government borrowing hit a record monthly high of £55.2bn in May. 4. Return to 'the Wuhan of the West' The BBC's Rome correspondent, Mark Lowen, has been back to Lombardy, the Italian region which has borne the brunt of the country's coronavirus outbreak. The area has been dubbed "the Wuhan of the West" after the Chinese city where the virus originated. 5. Daughter volunteers at care home to see her dad Nina Ambrose, from Writtle in Essex, usually works at a cosmetics company but after she was furloughed from her job she began volunteering at the care home where her father lives. She was unable to see her dad Roger, 76, for the first five weeks of lockdown after moved into a care home in January. She has since been visiting the home three or four times a week to organise activities. Get a longer coronavirus briefing from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning, by signing up here. And don't forget... ...you can find out how many coronavirus cases there are in your area by clicking here. There's more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page and you can get the latest updates on our live page. What questions do you have about coronavirus? In some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy. Use this form to ask your question: Your contact info I am over 16 years old I accept the Terms of Service The BBC retains the right to select from these contributions based on editorial requirements and subject to online terms and conditions and BBC editorial guidelines. For more information about how the BBC handles your personal data, see here. If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.