and pick up the bill themselves. president biden's new climate envoy says this autumn's summit in glasgow is the world's last opportunity to find a solution. it is the last, best chance the world has to come together in order to do the things we need to do to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. and on holocaust memorial day, we'll be talking to some of the survivors 76 years after auschwitz was liberated. and coming up in sport on bbc news, after one training session, new chelsea manager thomas tuchel has taken a point from his first match, a draw against wolves, following the sacking of frank lampard. good evening. the current lockdown restrictions in england will remain in place until at least the 8th of march, when schools in all parts of england might be allowed to reopen if the conditions are right. the prime minister, borisjohnson, said reopening schools any earlier could result in another surge in covid cases. he said data on hospital admissions and the vaccine roll—out would all need to be carefully studied before any relaxation was possible. by the end of february, the government aims to publish a road map for the gradual easing of restrictions in england. schools could then start to reopen from the 8th of march. once england's schools are back, there will be a gradual unlocking of other restrictions, as long as the data supported that. northern ireland has already extended its lockdown into march, and plans in wales and scotland are set to be reviewed in the coming days. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, has the latest. a sofa will still be part of the crowded classroom for alexa's seven—year—old, six—year—old, and four—year—old twins. they didn't make much of the prime minister on their curriculum today. it will not be possible to open schools immediately after the february half term. she'll still be the teacher, like millions of parents, until at least the start of march. i'm tired. it's been almost a year of my kids being home, a lot, and you're not only being their teacher, but you have to then go be the lunch lady and clean the toilets, you have to make sure everything is printed off. i don't have a teaching assistant to make sure the work is done right or to make sure the toddlers over there are happy while i work with the older ones. he made it official — english schools will still be closed to most, and the lockdown will go on. we hope it will therefore be safe to begin the reopening of schools from monday the 8th of march. i know how frustrating that will be for pupils and teachers who want nothing more than to get back to the classroom. the labour leader, himself isolating at home, wants teachers at the front of the queue for vaccines and is disappointed with more delay. the truth is this was not inevitable. it wasn'tjust bad luck. it's the result of a huge number of mistakes by the prime minister during the course of this pandemic. over the next few weeks, the government will track how the virus is moving among us and the effect the vaccine has. and only then, at the end of february, will the decisions be made. how do you rate the chances of being able to stick to the 8th of march for the beginning of the end of this lockdown? laura, the date of the 8th of march is the earliest that we think it is sensible to set for schools to go back, and obviously we hope that all schools will go back. i'm hopeful, but that's the earliest that we can do it, and it depends on lots of things going right. plans for northern ireland are being reviewed tomorrow, wales on friday, and next tuesday in scotland too. but without dramatic falls in cases, don't expect much to change. with cases so high and hospitals so full, in theory it's not really a surprise that it will still be at least a month before gates open again to all and restrictions could even start to be eased off. but in practice it feels like a big admission that we're heading towards 12 months of coronavirus restrictions, in one way or another. a whole year of families and firms coping with life in and out of lockdown, a year when coronavirus has dominated so much, with such heavy costs. i'm just going to shut the door behind me, because we are now locked down due to national lockdown... shaun built up his gym business in ilfracombe, and even with some financial support from the government, it has proved hard to hold on. he is desperately hoping this extended lockdown will be the last. it has been a little bit more of a struggle. still high bills to pay. i've had to put up more funds of my own, what the business has accrued over the years, back into the business. so now the banking is financially unstable. the risk from the disease means the wait, largely indoors, goes on. for much of the country, a glimpse of the end, but that tonight is marked in pencil, not in ink. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. as we've heard, the prime minister has said most pupils in england won't be returning to school until march 8th at the earliest, meaning many more weeks of remote learning. borisjohnson said he was acutely aware of the pressures on parents and the government had already provided more than 800,000 laptops to help. there was also a promise of more funding to help children catch up on missed learning, and extended support for children on free school meals. branwenjeffreys has been talking to pupils, teachers and parents in warrington. they move the sea creatures inland... only a third of pupils were in today, leaving year 6 spread out in class. their classmates not back for at least a month. we're not really used to having so many people in because of how long it's really been like this. i'm looking forward to having everyone back in school, - because i miss all my friends, and at least i've got- some of my friends here. everyone will definitely be happier, because working from home is a lot harder than working in school, which i do know because last week i think i worked from home for two days. to help kids catch up, a promise today of more money. but for those running schools, some questions are more urgent. two weeks�* warning isn't long to plan for reopening. is it going to be a staggered return? similar to what they expected us to do in september? are we expecting certain year groups to come in? are we starting from day one with everybody in? we need to know those kinds of things. so when will classrooms fill again? well, march 8th is a tentative date, an ambition. so much depends on the pressures on the nhs, the infection rates, the vaccination programme. all that is certain for parents and for children is they're going to have to manage at home for a good few more weeks. the biggest education union said the prime minister couldn't guarantee school return in early march. at the moment over a million people in the uk are infected with covid, and he can't know what the death rate will be, so i think this is premature, and i think it will give parents and children some false hope, and that's the last thing that they need. schools will be the first to open, says the government. no—one, including parents, thinks these decisions are easy. i am quite lucky, because i am a key worker, the girls are at school, but i think, for the kids�* mental health, it is very important for them to be at school. i understand the prime minister has a lot of pressure. i would hate to be in his position to make that decision. it's difficult for the government but, again, like i said, there isjust no light at the end of the tunnel, and we should be a lot further down the road now than we are. i've got some really close friends that are at home with three children of three different ages, and it's not doing very much for their mental health, to be honest. families and schools will have to go on coping, with the promise of a plan by late february. branwen jeffreys, bbc news, warrington. so we know that there'll be at least six more weeks of lockdown restrictions in england, which will have added to the burden of those with limited space at home. alex forsyth has been talking to people in birmingham and coventry living in high—rise flats about their experience of lockdown. living above a city has brought highs and lows to life in lockdown. neighbours nearby, but close quarters means tight spaces, precious little outdoors and, for some, isolation. in birmingham, this tower has been home to mark for more than two decades. but even a familiar four walls can feel lonely when going out is so limited. i've enjoyed living in a tower block, but this year in particular has been...vile. as you can see, the lift is very small. he fears the virus will spread in shared spaces he says aren't always clean. despite council assurances, he's nervous. well, living in a tower block when you are, like, 70 feet, 80 feet in the air, six other flats on the floor, very small spaces to work in, to go out in, you can't really act normally, because you're wondering whether your neighbour could be infected. not the biggest of hallways, but you've got to make the most of the space that you've got. in coventry, susie lives in a two—bedroom maisonette with her husband and two sons, jackson and his older brother. they're learning for school and uni from home. so in that door there is another little bedroom for my 21—year—old. and this is the bedroom for my six—year—old. it might not be huge, but for them it's a happy home. their balcony ready for summer, with grass and fairy lights. it's kind of like having your own little space, but i can imagine for those who live in flats without even this small bit of space, it must be even harder. here, proximity has meant community. a chance for neighbours to chat, while their children play water pistols across the balconies. i've got good neighbours. we get along together very well. michelle does always ring me, don't you, once or twice a week? just to see how i am. so it's good. but for some lockdown, in a tower block has compounded their isolation. high above coventry, karen's bedsit seems smaller now she's so often in. struggling for money and work, she feels unsupported and trapped. the walls are very thin, so you can hear people a lot. i kind of feel we are living on top of each other. i don't want to be in the inner city. and i don't want to be in a high rise. i would love to have walks from the door, not to have to take the dogs everywhere, to be able to just let them off the lead. the fear of being stuck here forever is terrifying. home has rarely mattered so much, now that we are restricted to it. the plan for a way out might be coming, but for many it still feels some way off. alex forsyth, bbc news. the latest government figures show new cases continuing to fall with 25,308 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period — a significant drop when we consider new cases were almost at 70,000 less than three weeks ago. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 29,900. hospital numbers remain very high. there were more than 37,500 people in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to 25th january. and another very high daily death number. 1,725 deaths were reported. that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. the second highest figure so far since the pandemic struck. on average in the past week, 1,228 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 101,887. the uk's vaccination programme continues apace. 311,060 people have had theirfirst dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24—hour period, taking the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to more than 7.1 million. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is here. when ministers are looking at the various factors involved in any decision to relax restrictions, take us through some of those factors. we learnt us through some of those factors. - learnt a bit more today about the criteria they will look at in the middle of next month, as they carry out this review which could lead to the opening of schools in england and the easing of some restrictions, and the easing of some restrictions, and they will look specifically at the impact of the vaccination programme, to what extent it's affected cases and lower hospital admissions and even deaths, and there are a team of health officials at public health england even now looking at groups of people who have had the vaccine, looking at how they have been affected, compared with who haven't, and that will be into as for numbers now, as we have been they are down 30% week on beefing? the); ere eewn. 3q3§ week, en but heeriflg. the); ere gem 3q°é week, en but they only heeriflg; the); ere gem 3q24; week, en but they only people tests with have come forward for tests with 12; is have come forward for tests with is; is a have come forward for tests with iee is a large group who symptoms. there is a large group who have symptoms and don�*t ' have = _= have the virus, and so if they have the virus, and so patrick vallance put a number of more than a million in the uk currently infected according to surveys, and he was quite cautious about how rapidly infections really are falling. we have had this latest daily reported death total, more than 1700, with chris whitty telling us only yesterday he thought the death numbers will be plateauing but would be quite slow to come down. anyone arriving in the uk from covid hotspots like southern africa, portugal and much of south america will have to quarantine in hotels for ten days and pick up the bill themselves. the policy is to try to protect the uk from new variants of the virus. the home secretary, priti patel, also said it was illegal to leave the uk for a holiday and people would now have to explain why they are travelling abroad. 0ur transport correspondent, caroline davies, reports. the uk's borders are not closed. this was heathrow airport last friday. travellers are still permitted for some reasons, like essential work, education and medical treatment. after weeks of increasing travel restrictions, the government has announced it will bring in quarantining in hotels for some. we will introduce a new managed isolation process in hotels for those who cannot be refused entry, including those arriving home from countries where we have already imposed international travel bans. they will be required to isolate for ten days, without exception. the policy will include those travelling from high—risk countries including portugal, all of south america, and many countries in africa. existing restrictions mean that only uk and irish nationals and those with residency in the uk can travel from those countries at the moment. they'll be taken directly from the airport to government—provided accommodation, and quarantine will last ten days. passengers will need to pay the cost themselves. scotland and wales have already said they follow it but they want the government to go further. while the scottish government will initially emulate the uk government's steps on enhancing quarantine arrangements, we will be seeking urgently to persuade them to go much further, and indeed to move to a comprehensive system of supervised quarantine. the home secretary also announced that anyone leaving the uk in the future will need to provide a declaration of the reason they're travelling. introducing hotel quarantine is a logistical challenge. thousands of people are still coming into the country every day, and airport hotels like this one imagine they'll be some of the first to offer quarantine measures. but they still have plenty of questions for the government about how it will work. arora hotels have thousands of rooms next to major uk airports. we've looked at the guidance in new zealand, australia and hong kong, and they have different nuances on what is required, and different levels of government involvement, so really we need to get to the detail. in terms of rooms availability, we have them straightaway. for those still in the countries on the list, the announcement is worrying. carolina went to visit her family in brazil in november, and she's worried about getting home. i wouldn't be able to afford to stay in a hotel for ten days, it would be too much, so i'm still very lost. there's no date from the government on when this policy will come in or how long it could last, leaving the travel industry and potential travellers wondering about the summer, and weighing up the cost of being shut in a hotel room. caroline davies, bbc news. the european union says the drug company astrazeneca should honour a contract to supply vaccines by using its british factories to make up a shortfall. the european commission is angry that the company might provide the eu with millions fewer doses than it had initially promised. 0ur europe correspondent, nick beake, is in brussels. what is the latest stage of this row? . ., , what is the latest stage of this row? . . , what is the latest stage of this row? . ., , �* , row? the eu certainly thinks it's in a very strong _ row? the eu certainly thinks it's in a very strong legal— row? the eu certainly thinks it's in a very strong legal position - row? the eu certainly thinks it's in a very strong legal position and . a very strong legal position and it's asking astrazeneca to publish the contract that was agreed, but this row is escalated very publicly today. at its heart, the eu believes astrazeneca is favouring the uk over european countries. astrazeneca says that isn't the case, it's sticking to the terms of its agreement, and it's pointed out the eu side its contract three months after the uk. that prompted a senior european commission figure today to say the idea of first—come, first—served is all well and that if you are popping to the local butcher, but not if you have signed a contract for millions of life—saving vaccines. it's also prompted the likes of germany to call for restrictions or even a ban on eu made vaccines going to other countries, including the uk. the commission is downplaying that idea. i can tell you has been a meeting tonight between the two sides, both using the word constructive, but still the eu is saying that, even though it has not yet approved this vaccine, it wants all of the jabs it ordered to be delivered and to be delivered on time.— ordered to be delivered and to be delivered on time. thank you for the latest on that _ delivered on time. thank you for the latest on that from _ delivered on time. thank you for the latest on that from brussels. - south africa has called for a fairer global distribution of covid—19 vaccines, telling the bbc that britain and other wealthier nations won't be safe until everyone is safe. britain has moved to restrict travellers from south africa, because of an aggressive new mutation of the virus there. but one of south africa's top scientists has described the move as silly. 0ur africa correspondent andrew harding reports from johannesburg. live samples of covid—19, handled in a secure south african laboratory. scientists here are racing to understand more about a sudden surge of mutations. the virus has already become far more infectious. there are signs it may also have at least some resistance to current vaccines. when we look at the 501y.v2 variant... but south africa's leading covid expert told me his biggest concern was that the virus is clearly mutating so fast. we are going to see this recurring much more commonly. i think that's the message. and, if it's going to occur more commonly, we are going to have to ensure that our vaccines are able to neutralise them because, if they are not, that means we are back to square one. right now, south african hospitals are battling a huge second wave of infections, a wave driven by the new mutations. but scientists here have criticised today's move by britain, to restrict travellers from south africa, saying there's no point in singling out countries or even regions. i find it almost quite silly, this trying to block a country, because we know how fast this virus has spread and how many places. so, by the time you try to block visitors from one country, it's too late. that's what the pandemic shows. and there is another key point that south africa is making today, about the roll—out of vaccines, urging richer nations not to be selfish, not to hoard supplies because, if that happens, then the virus will remain free to keep circulating and mutating and threatening all of us. so, fundamentally, there is a mistaken belief by some countries that they can vaccinate their populations and that they will be safe. it simply is not true. in this world that we live in, with this coronavirus, no one is safe until everyone is safe. can the world show that kind of unity? here in south africa, more than 100,000 deaths are now being linked to the pandemic — a fast—mutating virus requires an aggressive and collective global response. andrew harding, bbc news, johannesburg. president biden has signed a range of orders to deal with what the white house described as the "existential threat" posed by climate change. tonight, the president's new climate envoy, john kerry, told the bbc that this autumn's international climate summit in glasgow represented the world's "last, best chance to come together" to deal with the crisis. he was speaking to our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt. if ever america needed a warning of what climate change could mean for the country, it got it last year, with record wildfires and an unprecedented series of hurricanes. there is no time to waste, president biden said today. we can't wait any longer. we see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bones, and it's time to act. and by appointing one of the country's most senior politicians, john kerry, as his climate envoy, joe biden is demonstrating once more that tackling climate change will be at the heart of his presidency. it is clearly one of his very top priorities. it's why he rejoined the paris agreement within hours of being sworn in as president. it's why today he's issued executive orders, mobilising every department, every agency of the united states government to focus on climate. california has experienced record droughts, as well as record fires, in recent years, evidence that even one of the richest states in the richest nation on earth can't immunise itself against the kind of weather climate change is expected to bring. heat, cold, all of thesej weather patterns aren't in and of themselves that strange. it's the frequency with i which they're happening, and how unpredictable everything is, and it's very difficult _ for a farmer. john kerry was instrumental in negotiating the landmark global climate accord in paris in 2015, when he was president 0bama's secretary of state. he says a key objective now is to try and persuade other nations to raise their carbon—cutting game in the run—up to the big global summit glasgow will be hosting in november. glasgow will be extremely important. in fact, i would say in myjudgment it is the last best chance the world has to come together in order to do the things we need to do to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. the uk government, as host of the glasgow conference, will be hoping mr kerry's efforts pay off. in his first interview since becoming full—time president of the summit, alok sharma says having a us administration that's really engaged on the climate issue is good news indeed. i think it's great to have the us administration back at that table on the global fight against climate change. i think what's incredibly encouraging is that, within hours of the inauguration being completed, president biden, one of the first executive orders he signed was to rejoin the paris agreement. it is only a week since the new administration took power, and it has already taken big steps to reverse trump's policies on climate, but the agenda is ambitious, and bothjoe biden and john kerry know their efforts will have to overcome opposition from within the us. justin rowlatt, bbc news. a coroner has found that numerous errors in the processing of a benefits claim led to a woman from nottingham taking her own life. philippa day died in 2019, after mistakes in her application for the main disability benefit left her in debt and fearing for her future. the errors, said the coroner, were the predominant factor in her decision to take an overdose. 0ur social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan, reports this has been six months. i'm in so much debt, i have nothing to eat. i can't. philippa day, one of many phone calls she made to the department for work and pensions telling them they were failing her. the young mum, who suffered from mental health problems, confided in her sister daily the stress she was under. imogen day says philippa's welfare payments were severely cut when problems arose during her move from one benefit — disability living allowance — to personal independence payments, a new disability payment. she felt like it was personal. i tried to reassure her that it wasn't personal but, no, it really affected her confidence and her self esteem, and the way she viewed herself. she felt she was just a national insurance number, and not a person any more. today, a coroner in nottingham found 28 problems in the way the department for work and pensions and its partner, capita, handled philippa day's benefit application. he concluded that the impact of the errors was the predominant factor behind the 27—year—old's decision to take an overdose. she was very scared that this was going to take her life. she was unable to provide for herself, she was unable to provide for her son. and... and it stripped away her identity. the department for work and pensions say they sent their condolences to philippa's family, as did capita, who also apologised for their mistakes. philippa day spent two months in a coma before she died. as she lay in hospital, she was awarded the very benefit payment that had driven her to kill herself. michael buchanan, bbc news. if you are feeling affected by the issues in that report and would like details of organisations which offer advice and support, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline. across the uk, landmarks have been lit up to mark holocaust memorial day. it's 76 years since the liberation of the auschwitz—birkenau death camp in poland, and at a time when survivors are unable to come together due to lockdown, this year's theme asks people to �*be the light in the darkness'. fergal keane has been speaking to three survivors of the holocaust. auschwitz today. no rituals of remembrance in the time of the pandemic. violin plays. but for the survivors, a dwindling generation, commemoration is taking place in small groups. here, at a london retirement home run by the charityjewish care. behold, god of abraham, god of mercy. open your eyes, as you have opened mine. open your eyes and see what i've seen. singing. memory does not live within the boundaries of a single day. my father, who was not a religious man, he took me by the hands —