Covid-19: Whitty warns against unlocking restrictions too early
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow morning.
1. Don't think pandemic is over, Whitty warns Unlocking too quickly would lead to a substantial surge in Covid infections, the UK's chief medical adviser has said. "It is very easy to forget how quickly things can turn bad," Professor Chris Whitty told the Science and Technology Select Committee. It takes about three weeks to build up immunity following the first dose of the vaccine, so currently only the first four priority groups will have developed significant protection at the moment. But nearly half of hospital admissions have been seen in the under-70s. The comments come amid pressure from backbench Tories to ease lockdown more quickly, but Prof Whitty said the step-by-step roadmap was necessary because "you want to be absolutely confident it is safe". Read more from our health correspondent Nick Triggle. 2. Scotland eases rules on people meeting outdoors Up to four adults from two different households will be able to meet outdoors in Scotland from Friday of this week. Restrictions on young people will also be eased, with four people aged between 12-17 able to meet, even if they are all from different households. Outdoor, non-contact group sports for adults will also restart on Friday. And from 26 March, people will be able to gather for communal worship, provided there are no more than 50 gathered and social distancing is observed. However, the overall requirement to stay at home will remain in place, with Nicola Sturgeon cautioning that hospital admissions and deaths from the virus were "still higher than we would want". Read more on what Scotland's First Minister had to say here. 3. Nurses 'are well-paid for the job' A health minister has defended the proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff in England, saying "nurses are well-paid for the job". Lord Bethell praised the "heroics" of health workers during the pandemic, but said they had secure jobs that many people would "envy". He was responding to opposition calls for the government to rethink its "miserly" 1% pay offer. Nurses have described the offer as "insulting", with unions threatening strike action. Labour peer Lord McNicol said it was a "kick in the teeth" for NHS workers, while Lib Dem peer Lord Willis said it amounted to a pay cut. Ministers will take a decision on NHS pay for 2021/22 in May, after an independent panel makes it final recommendation. 4. Paris cuts non-Covid treatment amid intensive care surge Hospitals in and around Paris have been told to reduce non-Covid treatments by 40%, with just 83 beds currently available in intensive care units in what is France's most populous region. It follows a net increase into intensive care of 35 patients per day over the past two weeks. France has tried to speed up its slow vaccination campaign, but remains dogged by high infection rates. Health director Jérôme Salomon said a major lockdown would only be considered "as a last resort measure... if we were under the impression the hospital system could not cope". 5. Lockdown pet boom 'causing food pouch shortages' UK supermarkets have warned of a shortage of some dog and cat food products following an "unprecedented" rise in pet ownership during lockdown. Sainsbury's has apologised after running out of dog and cat food pouches due to a "national shortage", although tinned and dry food are unaffected. Morrisons also said it was seeing an "increase in demand". Pet food maker Purina said the UK market had "changed significantly" during the pandemic and it was producing "more pet food... than ever before". Even before another surge during November's second lockdown more than two million Britons had taken on new pets. Get a longer daily news briefing from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning, by signing up here. And don't forget... You can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page. Or why not read about the secondary school teacher who met her pupils face-to-face for the first time this week, as pupils in England returned to school. 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. Coronavirus: Evening update 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.