today at six — boris johnson apologises amid mounting confusion over the covid rules for northeast england. new rules for the region come into force from midnight — but even the prime minister didn't seem to know exactly what they were. you should follow the guidance of local authorities, but it's six in a home or six in hospitality, but as i understand it, not six outside. no wonder people there are confused — what's the difference between a rule and a ban and is there a difference between advice and guidance? i'm afraid that i'm going to be told, "oh, you're not allowed to be doing that" when i didn't really understand it. it'sjust very confusing about what to do. it's changing every single day. just trying to understand one rule, and then another one comes in. all this as figures show the highest daily number of covid—related deaths
for nearly three months. also on the programme: university students affected by covid outbreaks before christmas can go home, but they'll need to self—isolate. a million coronavirus deaths across the world — and it's hit the richest and poorest countries alike. borisjohnson says people are snooty about vocational qualifications — he pledges new training opportunities. no, it's not science fiction — the great north ambulance service really is testing out a jet—pack rescue kit. and coming up on bbc news, time is ticking for england's lower league sides, with pressure mounting on the premier league and the government to provide financial support.
good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. if the prime minister himself is confused about the coronavirus rules, what hope is there for the rest of us? borisjohnson has apologised after he was unable to clarify new local lockdown restrictions which are being imposed in north—east england. the leader of newcastle council, nick forbes, has accused the government of being shambolic, arguing that the lack of detail has led to "confusion, doubt and uncertainty". these are the areas in the north east where a new law banning households from mixing indoors, including in pubs and restaurants, will come into force from midnight tonight. people who break the rules will be fined. our north of england correspondent, fiona trott, is in newcastle for us. george, how do you enforce regulations you haven't seen? the ca ns
regulations you haven't seen? the cans here says it is still waiting for the full details. it is assumed that things like childcare, for example, will still be exempt. but for this new law to work, you have to rely on the goodwill of people in the city, and you get a sense here that that may be wearing thin. just hours away from enforcing a new law. i see you have got your qr code. 25 council staff patrolling a whole city and trying to advise managers about details they haven't yet seen. it's notjust staff managers about details they haven't yet seen. it's not just staff who have questions, it is customers too. just trying to understand one rule and then another one comes in and your thinking, oh, well. woman is something else, and the next minute, it's different. it's very confusing about what to do —— one minute it is something in the next minute, it's different. they are confused themselves. here is where he thinks politicians are confused. and the
restrictions are indoors? i don't know the answer to that question, but i am sure they can find out the a nswer to but i am sure they can find out the answer to that question, i don't have the details of those seven areas. about four hours later, the prime minister said this. tight measures have been brought in. you should follow the guidance of local authorities, but it is six in a home or six authorities, but it is six in a home orsix in authorities, but it is six in a home or six in hospitality, but as i understand it, not six outside. then, less than two hours later, an apology on social media and an explanation that you can't meet people from different households indoors and should avoid socialising outside. here in newcastle, the council has described today ‘s messaging is shambolic. the main issue has been brought about by the mixed messages given by central government in relation to the outdoor indoor aspect, and what the interpretation is by premises, never mind the public. so we have been trying to go out and give guidance,
which is often difficult when it has yet to be implemented and realised. from tomorrow, if i met friends here that i didn't live with or were not in my super bubble, i would be breaking the law. now, if i came outside and socialised within a group of six, i wouldn't be, but it would be against government advice. it would be illegal to go to a private garden and socialised with other households, but up to six of us other households, but up to six of us could go for a social distance to walk. it's a lot to remember, and there is concern about getting fined for simply getting it wrong. it's making mea for simply getting it wrong. it's making me a bit anxious and worried, because i am worried that i will get told, you're not allowed to be doing that, when i didn't understand it. any information coming from the government, you need to scour it to understand even doing anything, you need to properly think about if it is going to break any rules. even then, you can't be sure. a city preparing for a new way of life, and
knowing that any mistakes could put lives at risk. fiona trott, bbc news, newcastle. meanwhile, in the north—west of england, which has higher infection rates than the north—east, tighter restrictions haven't yet been imposed, but are expected. dominic hughes is in liverpool for us. dominic, are people ready to have their lifestyles curtailed again? george, i think people here in merseyside are braced for much tougher lockdown rules, similar to those we have seen introduced in the north west of england if not tomorrow, then almost certainly before the end of the week. we know health officials are looking carefully at the situation across the north west of england and merseyside is at the centre of that because there has been a rapid and alarming rise in the infection rates here in merseyside. but there is a tension here, particularly in liverpool, a city that depends so much on the leisure industry, an entertainment and tourism, a city that has already seen more than 200
companies go to the wall since this crisis started. there is that tension between protecting health and protecting jobs. so while council leaders here have asked for these tougher lockdown restrictions to be put into place, they have also asked for some sort of local furlough scheme to help companies get through what will be some very tough weeks ahead. dominic, thank you very much. the latest government figures show there were 7,143 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is 6,087. 71 deaths have been reported of people who have died within 28 days ofa people who have died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test.
and our health editor hugh pym is here. over 7000 new cases, the highest so far. how do we interpret these cases? it is a curious set of figures, a big increase in the number of daily reported cases, the highest on record. but bear in mind that earlier in the pandemic, there was a lot less testing going on. capacity has greatly increased. it could be a curious increase because one set of tests was held up for a day. we will have to wait a bit longer to see what the trend is. the number of reported deaths, 71 in the uk, is the highest sincejune. that is obviously a matter of concern, but we are waiting to see how that develops in the weeks ahead. what is also interesting is the number of hospital admissions in england. that has fallen for four days on the trot. what it all adds up to is that
people are looking carefully to see whether the rule of six being applied a couple of weeks ago has had an impact. we will have to wait a little longer to come to a conclusion on that. let me take you back to those lockdowns and all the confusion. messaging is key, isn't it? yes, we have seen complete confusion today from the government at westminster on how it is going to be applied in the north—east. there is obviously concerned there. as we have heard from dominic, it is likely that this will be extended to areas of the north west of england. so in some parts of england, you won't be able to go to a pub to meet up won't be able to go to a pub to meet up with friends. down the road, it will be possible. in wales, the sort of measure has already been applied in the most affected areas in south wales and there hasn't been any confusion. the prime minister will tomorrow be giving a press conference with chris whitty and patrick vallance, the key advisers. i think there will be cause for further clarity at the event. few, thank you very much. latest estimates show more than 50 universities have had confirmed cases of coronavirus.
as we've been reporting, it's led to hundreds of first—time students being told to isolate in their new accommodation. there was even the possibility they might not be allowed to go home for christmas, but after discussions between university staff and ministers in england, a family christmas should now be possible. here's dan johnson. lockdown students have been waiting for the way out of isolation. but today, they heard there is more of it to come. there may be a requirement for some students to self—isolate at the end of term, and we will be working with the sector to ensure that this will be possible, including ending in person learning early. elizabeth and her manchester flatmates haven't been out now for ten days. i don't think he meant anything clearerfor us. we just want some clarity, because we are being penalised massively for just trying to get an education.-
the university of central lancashire, campus life has restarted to some degree. numbers are limited here to 30%. but there is still some teaching in classrooms. getting a lot of face—to—face, so it's not too bad. i know some other people don't get any at all, they are all online. if that we re at all, they are all online. if that were the case, i would have stayed at home. this was a big draw, to be living here. but some have opted to avoid halls of residence like rees, who is instead commuting an hour each way. ifi who is instead commuting an hour each way. if i was at home online co nsta ntly, each way. if i was at home online constantly, i wouldn't get the experience i should be getting. i don't want to pay £9,500 if i was just online all the time. cases have been limited here so far, but they are braced for more. i think semester two is where we are now looking, and that looks like being difficult as well. these are definitely challenging circumstances. the only way you can deal with it is working closely with local experts in public health bodies, working with the student community and at the heart of this is as much communication as you can
provide. the nus says students should be able to back out without paying fees and there are worries about potential disruption and isolation. you need to understand the best ways we can support them. stu d e nts the best ways we can support them. students are reporting other students' mental health concerns, so we are seeing that students are looking out for each other, which is really positive. so what about christmas? harrison and hannah will spend it here together if needed. christmas? harrison and hannah will spend it here together if neededlj think spend it here together if needed.” think we were to stay here, because we can make the most of a bad situation and i feel like we can do christmas on a budget and still have a good time. it must be thought about, because it will be such a big movement of people going home for christmas. it would be fab to go home for christmas. that is one conundrum, but there is so much more to work through first. danjohnson, bbc news, preston. just under one in six secondary schools in england have been forced to send at least some pupils home with covid—19 symptoms. according to a department
of education survey, some 16% of secondaries were affected with partial closures in the week ending 2a september — double the rate the previous week. by contrast, only 5% of primary schools reported sending pupils home to limit the spread of the disease. in northern ireland, the devolved government has announced a curfew for pubs and restaurants. they'll be banned from serving customers after 10.30 in the evening and will have to close their doors by 11. the curfew will come into force from midnight on wednesday. borisjohnson says he wants to end what he called the snooty distinction between academic and vocational qualifications. speaking in exeter, he said the pandemic had already exposed the shortcomings in the labour market. the government is promising a "lifetime skills guarantee" with radical changes to adult education in england, aimed at preparing workers for a post—covid economy. here's our chief political
correspondent vicki young. getting ready for a new challenge. things haven't always been smooth for the government and that is pandemic and there are long—term issues too. the shortcomings of our labour market and our educational system has been painfully apparent. in areas like retail, jobs are going and may never return. workers will need different skills and the government wants a more flexible system, especially for those who don't go to university. we have got to end the pointless, nonsensical golf that has been fixed for generations, more than 100 years, between the so—called academic and the so—called practical varieties of education. further education colleges like this one in exeter will get more funding, and it's not just about school leavers. retraining could be needed at any time. paul lost hisjob a retraining could be needed at any time. paul lost his job a few months ago, but took a course and now works
ina ago, but took a course and now works in a school. i think if prior to having the qualification, i would have felt like i didn't have the right skill set for that job. but because i have been able to say that i have used my spare time to try and improve myself, it's a good way of putting your best foot forward in an interview. from april in england, adults who don't have an eye level or equivalent will be offered a free couege or equivalent will be offered a free college course. —— those who don't have an eye level or equivalent. many need help now. why are you telling them they have to wait until next april? this is about a package to support lifelong learning to deal with basic problems that the uk economy has had for a long time. labour has welcomed the plan, but says it follows years of cuts to further education. we have seen a massive reduction in the number of foundation degrees, the number of people doing hmcs, the funding for further education. so this is about
taking a step back up the mountain. the government have failed to mount over the course of the last ten yea rs. over the course of the last ten years. today was a rare chance for borisjohnson to talk about his policy agenda, something more positive than the day—to—day battle with coronavirus. but there is no escaping its impact. the shake—up of aduu escaping its impact. the shake—up of adult education and training is going to be needed far more urgently than ever because of the prospect of rising unemployment. many will have to adapt to new ways of working far more quickly than anyone expected. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. fresh evidence today of shortages in the labour market. the migration advisory committee, which works with the home office, says bricklayers, welders and butchers are in such short supply that businesses should be able to recruit them from abroad. the committee says senior care workers and nursing assistants should also be added to the list of occupations under which migrants can work in britain more easily.
it also wants those working in care to be paid more. police and the operator of the manchester arena have admitted that mistakes were made on the night of the terrorist attack at the venue in may 2017. 22 people were killed when salman abedi detonated a home—made device at the end of a music concert. the public inquiry into the attack has been hearing opening statements from key organisations which were involved. 0ur north of england correspondent judith moritz reports. this footage shows salman abedi scoping out the city room at manchester arena. he walks past people queueing at the box office on the entrance doors. four days later, he returned to the same spot and exploded his bomb. ever since the attack, questions have been asked about who was in charge of security in that particular part of the building. the arena's operator, smg, says it was a shared responsibility. because the city room, in contrast
to the arena itself, was a public spaceit to the arena itself, was a public space it was not controlled by a century. we do not accept that smg had sole responsibility for security there. the police also had such responsibilities. when the bomb exploded there were no officers in the city room and afterwards the first emergency help came from british transport police who were next door at victoria station. some of the bereaved families have accused those responsible for security here at manchester arena of starting a carousel of blame. today lawyers for british transport police said they did not want to get on board that carousel but said that the security firm who employs stewards here had already started spinning. meanwhile they said they hope their staff would not be treated as scapegoats. the arena operator argues that they were responsible for providing counterterrorism advice. the company says it was not and that its stewards were not ex military. instead, as you should understand, typical amongst the groups, it
offered part—time work to would—be stu d e nts offered part—time work to would—be students and others who were seeking to supplement their income. those who worked for showsec were people who worked for showsec were people who would not have policing experience. john atkinson was not treated by paramedics for nearly 50 minutes. the enquiry will establish whether a quicker response could have saved him. 22 people were killed in the bombing. today the north west ambulance service accepted it had made mistakes but said its inadequacies had not contributed to any individual death. the time is 6:19pm. our top story this evening. new coronavirus restrictions come into force in the north east from midnight, but the prime minister has had to apologise amid mounting confusion over the rules. and coming up. making space. could social distancing measures keep some roads closed to cars permanently? coming up on bbc news, britain's
involvement in the french open singles is over as heather watson becomes the sixth british player to crash out of the tournament in the first round. the number of people worldwide who have died with covid—19 has passed one million. that comes from johns hopkins university in america which has been keeping a tally of covid numbers. deaths in the us, brazil and india make up nearly half that total. the un secretary—general called it a "mind—numbing" figure. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. every grave marks a life cut short, a mother, father, brother, sister lost to covid—19. this is indonesia, but the impact of coronavirus since it emerged in china late last year has been truly global. these are the five countries which have recorded the most deaths with covid—19. the united states is top, with more than 200,000, followed by brazil, india,
mexico and the united kingdom. many of those deaths, especially among the frail elderly, will have been at least partly due to other underlying health problems. 33 million cases of coronavirus have been recorded, and we know the pandemic is accelerating, with 2 million new cases every week. but that is a gross underestimate, because so many cases are simply never registered, in part because so many people have no symptoms. and that makes it really difficult to work out an accurate mortality rate for this disease. coronavirus can also leave people with chronic health problems, what has been dubbed long covid, affecting regions like the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain and nervous system. humanity is actually going in quite a dark zone right now. i mean, wejust have to look around the world.
the virus is coming back with a vengeance into europe. it's still very active in the americas. it's also very active in the indian subcontinent. it's picking up again in russia, in indonesia. this is a global, serious situation. every year, around 57 million people die globally from all causes. if we look at three other infectious diseases, tuberculosis, tb, a bacterial infection, it's largely a disease of poverty and is curable with antibiotics, and yet it kills around 1.5 million people a year. many of those are co—infected with hiv. flu, seasonal influenza, kills up to 650,000 people in a bad year despite there being a vaccine. and measles, a highly contagious viral infection was that it causes 140,000 deaths a year, most of them young children, yet it is entirely
preventable by a vaccine. scientists are working flat out on coronavirus vaccines, but the world health organization has warned that the covid death toll could hit 2 million before one is widely available. fergus walsh, bbc news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the duchess of sussex has lost the latest ruling on her high court action against the publisher of the mail on sunday over its decision to print a letter sent to her estranged father. meghan claims the publication last year of parts of the handwritten letter to thomas markle was a misuse of her private information and breached the data protection act. but the latest ruling means the mail on sunday will be able to use a recent biography of the duke and duchess of sussex in its defence. the public prosecution service of northern ireland has stuck to its original decision and announced there won't be any further prosecutions of former soldiers over their actions on bloody sunday. it follows a review
of the cases of 15 veterans. one man, soldier f, remains the only former serviceman to face legal action. 13 people were killed and 15 others wounded when the army opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in londonderry injanuary, 1972. bbc director general tim davie has said he would be prepared to sack presenters who make major breaches of impartiality guidelines on social media. his comments come after criticism of stars such as gary lineker, who has courted controversy in the past for sharing his political views on twitter. responding to mr davie's comments, mr lineker said: "i think only twitter can take people off twitter." will covid change our towns and cities forever? during lockdown and with all the social distancing rules, many councils introduced restrictions on how we move around in cars. now, across the country, there are plans to make some of the changes permanent.
mark easton reports. in the south of norfolk, there is a power struggle going on. amid the strangeness of the pandemic, the motorcar is having its dominance challenged. so what's the situation here? they pedestrianised the road due to the virus. the thoroughfare of the ancient market town of harleston has provided almost free access to wheeled vehicles for over 1,000 years. what now? the need for social distancing has seen the council divert all but essential traffic around the high street, giving control of the public realm to pedestrians. i'm not anti—car or anti—trader. footfall is up. two new shops have opened in the last month. something is working here, but this isn't about extreme positions for or against the car, this is about everyone compromising and having market towns that are fit for the future not stuck in the past. it's a scene repeated in high streets across the country.
communities divided over whether emergency traffic restrictions to combat coronavirus should now become the new normal. no, i'm not happy. it's caused such upset in this town. people row on the streets about it. it's horrible. very happy about this. i really am, lam really, really positive about it and we are just getting busier. in london, fears that the virus will see people switch to cars rather than risk public transport has seen councils now actively discourage driving. boroughs are also deterring car use by blocking scores of residential roads, creating what are called low traffic neighbourhoods, or ltns, with fines for anyone who defies the new rules. give us back our streets! we've seen protests like this for a number of weeks now, a sign of the passions that lie behind an issue that some see almost as a culture war,
the fight to be king of the road. if you want to drive car, you should be allowed to choose if you want to drive a car. that's what roads are built for. side streets, everywhere you are going, there is a trafficjam. everywhere in hackney, there is traffic. people are very angry. people are angry, but there's a lot of people who are very pleased as well, so it has split opinion. what always happens with these things... he's just gone straight through, this guy. well, he will get a fine and hopefully he won't do it again. introduced without consultation during lockdown, the controls are a deliberate shock tactic, forcing people to rethink old habits. reaction has been impassioned. a0 minutes extra means that i can do less work in the day. have you driven recently? in rush hour? it's gridlock. the virus is changing the way we live our lives. old certainties are certain no longer. so it is that after a century of urban pre—eminence, the car finds itself
at a crossroads. mark easton, bbc news. it looks like the future, but soon it could be a flying parademic who comes to the rescue. the great north air ambulance service say this groundbreaking kit could help medics fly to patients trapped on the mountains in 90 seconds rather than taking the long journey by foot. sharon barbour reports from the lake district. it may look like science fiction, but this is real. it's the test flight in the lake district that proved to the great north air ambulance that they could fly their paramedics up mountains to reach critically ill patients. nobody in the world would expect that as an air ambulance, we could get to someone in a jet suit in a matter of minutes and get them some pain relief or ultimately, in the worst cases, save their life, but it's actually possible now. this flight simulated a rescue which on foot would have taken 25 minutes to get up the mountain, but in a jet suit, it tookjust 90 seconds.
this is obviously a real kind of sea change in potentially how we deliver remote medicine. and the ability to get someone in a matter of minutes in an environment where it might normally take an hour is huge. the flight was the culmination of a year of talks with the jet suit maker, who's showing the paramedics what it can do. they work by using micro jet engines, so pretty much the same things you have on a jet aircraft or a jetliner. there's two on each arm, one on the back. if you point them increasingly downwards, you go up and as you flare them out, you come down again. it is very safe. we only go to a height where if you still fell, you would be able to recover, it wouldn't be a terrible injury. the great north air ambulance service described the test flight as "awesome", and they're now in talks with gravity industries in the hope of flying to treat their first patients by next summer. sharon barbour, bbc news.
time for a look at the weather. here's susan powell. good evening to you. a good—looking day for much of the uk and many ended with scenes like this of some late sunshine, but a bit more stubborn cloud across eastern england. but for all of us more cloud is waiting in the wind to coming through the west overnight, and low pressure takes hold from the atlantic, picking up the wins and ushering the rain into the rest of the uk by the end of the night, but a mild night because of the strengthening wind and temperatures at the high—end of single figures. brighter and drier to start tomorrow across eastern england but rain moves across eastern england but rain m oves a cross across eastern england but rain moves across from the west as the day pans out and there will be heavy bursts coming from the south in the afternoon. it does look like it should get brighter for wales and northern england, but look out for sharper bursts of rain across scotla nd sharper bursts of rain across scotland and northern ireland and a cooler feel as the weather system pulls east. there is a little bump
to the south of