With another 65 centres opening across england, as more over 70s start to receive theirjabs. The education secretary says schools will be given a two week notice period before they reopen to pupils. And if you want to get in touch about any of the stories we are covering you can contact me on twitter, Annita Mcveigh and use the hashtag bbcyourquestions. We the hashtag bbcyourquestions. Will try to read 0 comments. Nearly 200 flood warnings are in place across Greater Manchester and north wales. Thousands were asked to evauate their homes. And coming up this hour, advantage united paul pogba helps Manchester United leapfrog Manchester City back to the top of the premier league. Hello and good morning to you and welcome to bbc news. There is no time to waste, those were the words ofjoe biden as he made his way to the white house for the first time, following his inauguration to become the 46th president of the United States. The work to undo some of Donald Trumps key policies began soon after he arrived in the oval office. In total, mr biden signed 15 executive orders these are written orders to the federal government, which do not require congressional approval. On coronavirus, the president is setting up a new office to respond to the pandemic. And hes also halting the process to withdraw from the world health organization, something started by donald trump. The us will also rejoin the paris climate agreement from which President Trump withdrew last year. Other trump policies being reversed include ending the travel ban on some majority muslim countries and stopping funding for the mexico border wall. Kamala harris� first job as Vice President was in the senate, where she swore in the new democrat senators, which give her party the slimmest possible majority in the Upper Chamber of congress. All of this came before a star studded celebration in washington where mr biden said he had never been more optimistic about the future of america. Our washington correspondent, nomia iqbal, reports. There was no traditional ball for President Biden and Vice President harris but they got Bruce Springsteen and tom hanks. Now, it is my honour to introduce the president of the United States, joseph r bidenjr. This is a great nation, were a good people. And to overcome the challenges in front of us requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy, unity. Hours earlier, the new leaders of america were sworn in on capitol hill. So help me god. Congratulations, mr president. Soon, President Biden headed into his new office and started signing away Donald Trumps legacy with a pen. He green lighted 15 executive orders, some of them included calling for a nationwide facemask mandate and rejoining both the paris climate agreement and the world health organization. Mr biden did receive a letter from his predecessor, though, which is a tradition. The president wrote a very generous letter. Because it was private, i will not talk about it until i talk to him. But, you know, it was generous. That was the only tradition mr trump upheld on the day, though. He didnt attend the inauguration. Instead, he flew home to florida with his wife, melania trump, who looked like she was ready for a holiday. Fireworks come on, show them what youre worth this Administration Says it wants to set a unifying and optimistic tone for america. We are bold, fearless, and ambitious. We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome, that we will rise up. But this new start comes just a few weeks after Donald Trumps loyal supporters stormed the capital. The stakes for what President Biden does the next few years couldnt be higher. Nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. And we can speak to nomia in washington now. Hello. Lets talk about President Biden getting straight to work, and doing some of President Trumps key policies, the executive orders. It has to be said those policies were very popular with some americans. When President Biden talks about reuniting the country, is he going to cause difficulties for himself . Its going to be a tricky one, i have to say. Because, as you say, the policies were popular with americans. Ive met a lot of Donald Trumps supporters, not all of them liked mrtrump as trumps supporters, not all of them liked mr trump as style of being a president , but they did like a lot of his policies such as the border war with mexico, the tough stance on immigration and standing up to lots of big establishments the border wall. President biden is on a mission to dismantle Donald Trumps legacy as quickly as possible but he was to unite people behind him. He constantly uses the words unify and unite. He knows this country is very politically divided. To be fair, it always has been but it has really become divided under donald trump. It will be interesting to see how many people he can get onto his side while, at the same time, removing a lot of the policies that made mr trump popular in the first place. 0k, trump popular in the first place. Ok, nomia, thank you very much, in washington. Scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in england say infection levels in the community did not fall and may have even risen at the start of the latest lockdown. The past few days have seen a slowdown in the number of Lab Confirmed cases reported daily by the government but the Imperial College london researchers say their data is more up to date. Swab tests ta ken from 143,000 volunteers as part of the react study suggest that between the 6th and 15th of january, 1. 58 had covid i9 or one in every 63 people. The highest level was in london where 2. 8 of people had the virus. Ministers say the study does not yet reflect the impact of the National Lockdown in england. Lets speak now to professor paul elliot, director of the react programme. A professor at Imperial College london. Very good to have you with us, professor. Is the takeaway from this that your data is the more up to date data in contrast to what the government says . It is saying that your study doesnt give the full picture and the very latest findings. Full picture and the very latest findinus. ~. , full picture and the very latest findinus. ~ ~. , full picture and the very latest findinus. ~. , ~. , findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to look findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to look at findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to look at our findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to look at our study findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to look at our study in findings. Well, certainly, you know, we have to look at our study in the l we have to look at our study in the context of all the data streams. Clearly, there is the symptomatic testing, which has been coming down up testing, which has been coming down up until now. And there are other surveys. We are just one piece of the puzzle if you like. As you said in your introduction, we send out swabs to over 140,000 people. Those people randomly selected in the population. So, some of them will have symptoms but many of them will not have symptoms and will not know that they are carrying the virus. We are picking up the early symptoms. Some may get tested later. You think that is a more some may get tested later. You think that is a more realistic some may get tested later. You think that is a more realistic picture, that is a more realistic picture, that is a more realistic picture, thatis that is a more realistic picture, that is basically what you are saying . That is basically what you are sa in . ~ ~ , that is basically what you are sa in . ~ ~ ,. , saying . We think we may need ust a little bit ahead saying . We think we may need ust a little bit ahead offi saying . We think we may need ust a little bit ahead of the i saying . We think we may need ust a little bit ahead of the signal. H saying . We think we may need ust a little bit ahead of the signal. I h little bit ahead of the signal. I should say that there was a very, very high prevalence earlier, before we came back into the field. We were last in the field in the beginning of december, where we saw that upturn at the end of lockdown two, which turned out to be, actually, this new, more highly transmissible variant. Clearly, rates got extremely high. The r rate now is high but not quite as high as they were a week or so ago when we werent in the field but as reported from the office for national statistics. I think its quite a complex picture. We saw a bit of a dip at the beginning of lockdown but now we see, essentially, a level. Level with an r of around one. But we are not seen that fall that we really need to see from these very high prevalence levels. Just really need to see from these very high prevalence levels. High prevalence levels. Just to be clear, or high prevalence levels. Just to be clear. Or as high prevalence levels. Just to be clear, or as clear high prevalence levels. Just to be clear, or as clear as high prevalence levels. Just to be clear, or as clear as we high prevalence levels. Just to be clear, or as clear as we can high prevalence levels. Just to be clear, or as clear as we can with i clear, or as clear as we can with this, do you think in the latest data, we are seeing the impact of people mixing over christmas . Combined with this new transmissible, more transmissible, variant . I transmissible, more transmissible, variant . ~ � ,. , transmissible, more transmissible, variant . ~ � ,. ,. ,. , variant . I think its a combination of factors variant . I think its a combination of factors. Actually, variant . I think its a combination of factors. Actually, over of factors. Actually, over christmas, people. Did Pay Attention to the rules. And, actually, from the mobility data that one can look at, there was a big fall at the end of december. And then quite a big rise again at the beginning ofjanuary as people then quite a big rise again at the beginning of january as people went back to work. We think we are seeing those patterns reflected in our data. The initialfall at the those patterns reflected in our data. The initial fall at the end those patterns reflected in our data. The initialfall at the end of december was feeding into the fall in the testing rates and now this increase in mobility has now fed back into the numbers that we are seeing. But youre right, there is this highly transmissible variant of this highly transmissible variant of this virus, which is now the predominant strain. Certainly, we see, for example, in larger households, we see that the rates are higher. There is transmission going on in the household as well as through social mixing outside the household. � ,. ,. , ~ through social mixing outside the household. � ,. ,. , through social mixing outside the household. � ,. ,. ,. , household. Lets look at a couple of other areas household. Lets look at a couple of other areas of household. Lets look at a couple of other areas of the household. Lets look at a couple of other areas of the data. Household. Lets look at a couple of other areas of the data. One household. Lets look at a couple of other areas of the data. One on other areas of the data. One on regional variations. According to what ive seen, it looks as though parts of the north of england, where there have been tighter restrictions for longer, there are signs of infection rates going down as opposed to the opposite in the south and around london with those tighter restrictions coming in later. Yes. Restrictions coming in later. Yes, the upsurge restrictions coming in later. Yes, the upsurge in restrictions coming in later. Yes, the upsurge in infections restrictions coming in later. Lei the upsurge in infections that happened at the beginning of december, as i said, we detected it early on in the beginning of december, that was really driven from the south, southeast, london and the adjacent areas in essex and kent. It has moved forward from there. A lot of that probably was down to the new variant of the virus which started in the south. And youre right, rates did come down in the north. But what we are now seeing in the regional pattern in our most recent data is that pretty much everywhere we see the same pattern of either level. Plateau or a slight rise except in the south west, where actually there is good evidence that there has been a decline. , good evidence that there has been a decline. , ~ decline. Really interesting. And away from decline. Really interesting. And away from that decline. Really interesting. And away from that discussion decline. Really interesting. And away from that discussion of. Away from that discussion of regional variation, away from that discussion of regionalvariation, is away from that discussion of regional variation, is there anything notable when you look at this data about cases by age . Yes. Particularly this data about cases by age . Yes. Particularly in this data about cases by age . Yes. Particularly in london, this data about cases by age . Jazz particularly in london, we are seeing that the rates are really high right across the age range. And highest in the 18 24 year olds in london. One in 25 people, 4 , had detectable virus in our study in that age. But it was around 2 in the older people over the age of 55. Thats quite worrying because, clearly, above the age of 55 and above the age of 65, these people are more vulnerable to the infection and they are going to put more pressure on the health services. The bottom line. Pressure on the health services. The bottom line, briefly and finally, is that people need to stick with the advice. Do you believe that the lockdown ofs, the restrictions, need to continue . For lockdown ofs, the restrictions, need to continue . To continue . For the time being, weve really to continue . For the time being, weve really got to continue . For the time being, weve really got to to continue . For the time being, weve really got to get to continue . For the time being, weve really got to get these to continue . For the time being, | weve really got to get these high rates down because there is tremendous pressure on the health service, as you know, in terms of numbers of hospital admissions, people being admitted to intensive care. And, sadly, the numbers of deaths. So we have really got to get the numbers down and absolutely, we need to Pay Attention to the lockdown rules. I would stress that if people can work from home, they should work from home. Because that is feeding into the mobility data. We know how this virus is transmitted. It is transmitted through social contact. Professor paul through social contact. Professor paul. Really through social contact. Professor paul, really good through social contact. Professor paul, really good to through social contact. Professor paul, really good to have through social contact. Professor paul, really good to have you through social contact. Professorl paul, really good to have you with us today, director of the react programme. The education secretary Gavin Williamson says he cant guarantee when schools in england will re open to all pupils. He did say however that schools will get two weeks notice before reopening. Well, were in a position where we had to close schools very much as a national decision, very much in the national interest, to relieve pressure on the nhs, reduce movement, as part of the actions of the National Lockdown. As you and so many of your viewers will be wanting to see schools opening at the very earliest opportunity. But we had to do that on the basis of the very best scientific and health advice. Were not in a position to be able to say exactly when that date is, but what i can reassure you and your viewers is that we will give, you know, notjust schools and teachers time to be able to prepare but also, you know, were giving children the time to get ready and parents enough notice to be able to get everything ready. So we will be hoping to give everyone two weeks notice in order for them to be ready to return back to school. The education secretary. Our chief political correspondent, adam fleming, is in westminster. Interesting Gavin Williamson is talking about two weeks notice given he has been criticised for some 11th hour decisions on education. Hour decisions on education. Yeah, if ou aet hour decisions on education. Yeah, if you get your hour decisions on education. Yeah, if you get your phone hour decisions on education. Yeah, if you get your phone calendar hour decisions on education. Yeah, if you get your phone calendar out, the english half term holidays are supposed to end on the 22nd. The 19th, with schools going back on the 22nd if this was the normal world. Counting back two weeks from that, that takes you to the week of the eighth for a decision to be made to reopen in about two and a half weeks. Fairly soon. Gavin williamson is spelling out a personal aspiration. This is notjust a decision for him, there are other departments involved, the prime minister, scientists, head teachers of schools and the virus. What will the pandemic looked like in two and a half weeks time . That combination will define when schools are opened. In terms of vaccinations for teachers, there is a campaign going, a petition going, for this, teachers and other school staff, tas and so on, did he have anything to say . He sa s on, did he have anything to say . He says he would like school staff, teachers and support staff to be considered in the next set of prioritisation is for who gets the vaccine. That is a bit of a way off at the moment because what is happening at the moment is that the jcvi, thejoint committee on vaccination and immunisation, a group of scientific experts, has come up with that list of nine priority groups for phase one who should be getting it. At the moment, it is only the top half of that nine so people in care homes, care home workers, front line nhs staff, the over 80s and over 70s. The discussions amongst the scientists about who should be in phase two after all