England’s chief medical officer to warn of a ‘very challenging winter’; more than one in five Covid-19 deaths globally is in US; Lebanon sees record case rise. Follow the latest updates
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Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for the Guardian:
Australians and New Zealanders have long pinned their hopes on an eventual trans-Tasman bubble that would allow travel between the two countries to resume without a fortnight in government-run quarantine at either end.
But the chief executive of Air New Zealand has told an Australian newspaper he doesn’t expect the “bubble” to be in place for at least six more months.
Greg Foran, who heads New Zealand’s flag carrier airline, made the comments to the Sydney Morning Herald, adding that he “certainly do[es] not believe we will see anything across the Tasman this calendar year.”
“It’s hard to believe it would be before March next year and could well be longer,” he said.
The prime ministers of both countries have frequently been asked about the proposed “bubble” since the idea was first floated, but neither would commit to a timeline before the coronavirus is brought under control.
There are 909 active cases of the virus in Australia and Melbourne remains in lockdown. New Zealand has 71 active cases.
Heather Stewart and Josh Halliday report:
Britain’s most senior government scientists will make a direct appeal to the public on Monday, warning that the coronavirus trend is “heading in the wrong direction” and “a critical point has been reached”.
Related: UK at ‘critical point’ over Covid-19, top scientists to tell public
