This is bbc news im ben brown. The headlines at four. Travel company tui launches an investigation into claims that some passengers were ignoring coronavirus guidance on a flight from a greek island linked to 16 covid 19 cases. It was quite scary, to be honest. As soon as we boarded, we realised that many of the passengers hadnt really been educated about the wearing of facemasks. Calls for next summers gcse and a level exams in to be put back to make up for teaching time lost during the lockdown. The governments month long eat out to help out scheme ends today but some Restaurant Owners want it to be extended. The charge on single use carrier
bags is to be extended to all shops in england and the cost is to double to ten pence. And coming up Harry Maguires account of what happened on that night in greece, in his own words the bbcs exclusive interview with the Manchester United captain coming up in half an hour. Good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. The travel company tui has launched an investigation after at least 16 cases of coronavirus were linked to one of its flights from the greek island of zante to cardiff last tuesday. Some passengers have accused cabin crew of failing to challenge those on the plane who were not wearing face coverings. The 193 passengers and crew
on board are now being asked to self isolate for a fortnight. Caroline davies reports. Sunshine getaways to the island of zante, an appealing prospect to many uk holiday makers. But for some, travelling back from holiday to cardif, it wasnt the return they were hoping for. It was quite scary, to be honest. As soon as we boarded, we realised that many of the passengers hadnt really been educated about the wearing of facemasks. Many of them were wearing them around their chins, underneath their noses, they were taking them off to talk to fellow passengers and walking down the aisle with their mask off to speak to others. At least 16 cases of covid 19 have so far been linked to the flight. All passengers on board have been told to self isolate. The airline that ran the flight, tui, have said. But this isnt the first time holiday makers returning from zante to the uk have had symptoms. Last week, local Health Officials in plymouth said a group of 18 and 19 year olds had also tested positive. Zante itself has introduced its own restrictions, including closing restaurants, bars, clubs and cafes at midnight and banning more than four people at restaurant tables, advice shared on the Foreign Office website. It has raised questions about whether there should be localised quarantine for certain high risk regions, rather than entire countries. If there is enough evidence to suggest that it is a hotspot and that the social distancing measures cannot be maintained adequately, then there is a case for people not to mix in those destinations. It is not currently the government policy to enforce quarantine for regions, islands or cities. As uk holiday makers return home, public Health Officials are keeping a close eye on new infections. Caroline davies, bbc news. And we can show you the latest coronavirus figures that are just coming into us for the uk. The number of confirmed cases of covid 19 is 1406, down from 1715. The number of deaths of coronavirus within 28 days of a positive test for covid 19 is to, so to deaths in the last 24 hour period and 1406 cases in the last 24 hours. There is the latest figures just coming into us on the latest figures just coming into us on the virus. And just a reminder. You can stay up to date with the coronavirus epidemic on our live page. There you can check the latest
developments, see reaction as it happens and get instant analysis from our correspondents and experts. You can watch video clips and live coverage of events as they happen. Visit bbc. Co. Uk news or go to the bbc news app. Labour has called for next summers a level and gcse exams in england to be delayed by up to two months, to allow pupils more time to catch up on lost teaching time after schools were closed during the pandemic. The shadow education secretary, kate green, said pupils have a mountain to climb to prepare for exams after months away from the classroom. The uk government has insisted exams will go ahead next year. Tony bonsignore reports. Its only been a few weeks since this years students got theirfinal grades but what to do about next yea rs exams . Its a question that is already testing politicians. Labours answer, delay gcses and a levels in england until at leastjune, to make up for lost teaching time. We really feel its important that we put young people first when planning for next years assessments, and that means giving them as long as possible for teaching and for learning to take place, to make up for the disruption theyve already lets leave that report a bit earlier than expected. Professorjo anne baird is director of the department for education at Oxford University and is a member of 0fquals standards advisory group. Shejoins us from bladon in 0xfordshire. What is your view on this . Clearly children have lost an awful lot of teaching time, months of teaching time, so doesnt it make sense to delay exams . I think this is a very welcome suggestion. Clearly it has been a four months of teaching and learning time lost this year. It is difficult to see how exams could go ahead as normal next year, so one
prospect is to actually delay them which i think would be a really viable option. There are some downsides to that that have to be considered and i think other options should be looked at. Its not the case that you can just deliver millions of exam results in exactly the same way with a six week delay, so the same way with a six week delay, so it would have a knock on effect when the exam results could be given to pupils and equally i think we would had to look at the admissions systems to universities to adapt, to delaying the examinations themselves. Surely that wouldnt be a huge problem for the University Admission system is to be more flexible. What are the other downside is you are talking about . Will it be difficult for examiners of . De exam system is really conducted under huge pressure every year which does result in some errors, so
year which does result in some errors, so i think we had to look at ways to try and alleviate that. 0ther ways to try and alleviate that. Other options that could be looked at are to have fewer examinations in the summer, perhaps only in the core subjects, particularly at gcse. 0ther commentators have suggested we could have some modular exams, exams based throughout the year and i think that is another possibility that should be looked at and may again not be in every subject. The one thing i think is crucial is to have a fallback plan if we cant have a fallback plan if we cant have exams at all. You Just Announced the statistics for covid deaths now. It is easy to forget just how many there were going back to april and may and june this year. We dont know where we will be next summer, we dont know where we will be next summer, so we dont know where we will be next summer, so right from the beginning we ought to have a plan for teacher assessments that could be used and thatis assessments that could be used and that is more rigorous in the process than this year, that could be used
if we are in a dire situation with the pandemic. We all know what a fiasco it has been in terms of exams and grading this summer and in order to avoid more uncertainty for young people, isnt it important to make a decision on this, on when these exams are going to be pretty soon . I hear what you say about we need a little time to work it out, but pupils need to know quite soon, they need a bit of clarity. They do need to know what they are going to be learning and they do need to know how they are going to be assessed. Those are absolutely key. I dont deny that, but i would also question whether russia policy is ever good policy. We do need to give some thought to this and if you remember that we have a new chief regulator who started workjust this week, so shes going to need some time just to get across the ground in this. Some time but what is the cut off point, what is the latest we could
leave it to make a decision when a levels and gcses will take place . In my view we can take decisions that will be a plan aid but we are going to need several options that we can fall back on, so i think decisions could be taken fairly readily but they will have to be options in case there are Major National lockdown is which could happen in the summit next year. We need a view on what will do with local lockdown switch are increasingly happening and look increasingly happening and look increasingly likely to happen over coming year. Enqueue. Thank you. The government is expected to announce tomorrow that simon case will be the new cabinet secretary. Mr case is the current downing street permenant secretary, and previouly the duke of cambridges private secretary. He replaces sir mark sedwill, who is due to step down as head of the Civil Service next month. 0ur political correspondent, nick eardley told us more about simon case. Number ten isnt officially commentating on this but sources have confirmed there will be a meeting tomorrow where Boris Johnson will reveal the name but we widely expected to be simon case, someone fairly young for the job. He is 41, has been a Civil Servant since 2006. He worked for the duke of cambridge and was made permanent secretary in may. The wider context for this is a fairly radical shake up going on at the moment of the Civil Service. In the moment of the Civil Service. In the last few weeks we have had a number of senior people in various departments, the old cabinet secretary sir mark said well announcing unexpectedly they would stand down and now borisjohnson has got someone who he is very close to. The charge on single use carrier
bags in england is to double from sp to 10p from next april, and all shops will have to charge for them. The government says its part of a renewed drive to be greener, and cut unnecessary waste. 0ur chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt has the details. At the moment, the 5p levy only applies to single use carrier bags in large stores, those employing more than 250 people. But, from next april, the charge will double and will apply in all shops. The government says the Initiative Aims to protect Sea Creatures by reducing plastic pollution in the ocean. It claims that since the charge was introduced in 2015, there has been a 95 reduction in plastic bag sales in major supermarkets. You know, not long ago the supermarkets were issuing around 7 billion carrier bags a year. That has now been reduced by 95 . Now we want to extend this approach to other retailers as well, who between them probably
issue at the moment over 3 billion bags a year. We think we can have a similar impact to reduce further the issuing of plastic bags and extend what has actually been a very successful policy, supported by the public. But Environmental Campaigners dispute that. They say were just buying billions of thicker so called bags for life instead. The Environmental CampaignGroup Greenpeace says the government should go further and set targets for reducing all single use