Covid News Live: Only Complete Lockdown Can Stop Coronavirus, Says Sage Member

Greece Records Highest Daily Infections As Education Minister Tests Positive

Some 1,259 coronavirus infections have been identified in Greece, its highest daily total so far.

Education and Religious Affairs Minister Niki Kerameos said she tested positive Tuesday after her spouse showed symptoms.

Infections have risen steadily until October and night curfews were imposed in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Italy also posted its biggest daily rise today, as the WHO director-general warned that Europe is “far behind” in the fight against coronavirus and is once again becoming an epicenter of the pandemic.

Voices: The ‘Northern Research Group’ pledges to hold Boris Johnson accountable. He clearly hasn’t spent a lot of time looking at it

With a dispute over the size of financial aid for heavily restricted northern cities, here is our political sketch writer Tom peck The takeover of the conservative party’s internal attempt to force Boris Johnson to fulfill his electoral promise to “level”.

He writes that Johnson’s former ally Jake Berry “Now he says that Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus crisis threatens the prime minister’s promise, made in the general election, to ‘level up’ the country and that his new de facto union of conservative parliamentarians from the north will ensure they are kept their promises.

“To which we can only say, ‘oh, please. Come on, friend ‘. Are you absolutely sure you need to start your own investigation group to find out that the current occupant of 10 Downing Street might be a little less than good at his word?

Mayor of Mexico City tests positive for coronavirus

Claudia Sheinbaum, a close ally of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has announced that she has tested positive but has not developed symptoms and that she would continue her duties remotely.

Unlike the president, Ms. Sheinbaum has regularly appeared in public wearing a face mask. She has gone out of her way to show that the city government is taking the pandemic seriously.

Political analysts see the 58-year-old scientist as one of the main contenders to succeed López Obrador in 2024.

Andy Burnham wants to close Tesco stores for not enforcing mask rules

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more information on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s request for powers to shut down branches of Tesco supermarkets that do not abide by the mask rules.

UK coronavirus deaths see biggest daily rise since May

The UK has recorded 367 more deaths over the last 24-hour period, the highest daily increase since the end of May.

Follow our breaking story here:

Italy records a record number of positive tests

The Italian Health Ministry has identified a record 21,994 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours.

It comes hours after German economy minister Peter Altmaier warned that the country could also exceed 20,000 cases in a few days amid an “exponential increase.”

Andy Burnham accuses Tesco of ‘Covid-safe’ flaws

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has accused Tesco of not being “safe for Covid” in wearing masks, accusing the supermarket giant of failing to adopt a “responsible attitude”.

He told Lords’ economic affairs committee that local leaders had asked the government to give powers to take specific enforcement actions against companies that fail to protect staff and customers.

“We requested summary shutdown powers for all facilities that were deemed unsafe for Covid,” Burnham said.

“I’m not just talking about pubs and restaurants. There are large supermarkets in Greater Manchester that, in my opinion, have not properly implemented the requirements related to face coverings. And I will name a chain: Tesco.

“I do not think they have taken a responsible attitude towards this issue, they have said that it is not for them to enforce it. Well, I think it is for those organizations to enforce it.

“We have requested specific summary closure powers to be able to temporarily close places that we believe are not adequately adhering to protocols.

“We think it would be a better approach than general restrictions that may or may not have the impact that the government wants on the virus.”

Nottinghamshire councilor sheds light on negotiations with ministers

In shedding some light on the week of negotiations between councils and ministers for South Nottinghamshire’s Tier 3 measures, Councilor John Clarke, head of Gedling City Council, said that local authorities had acted as a “united front”.

He said that by Monday, councils had convinced government gyms, hair and hair salons, cinemas and theaters to stay open.

He added that councils “were not quite successful” in securing an allowance for visiting hairdressers, but there was an agreement that the salon-based facilities “remain open.”

The municipalities had also been interested in defining “an exit strategy”, securing a 28-day review date.

Mr. Clarke added, “I’m hoping everyone will come together, get on the right end of the rope, throw it out, and we’ll fix this in 28 days.

“Otherwise, dozens of companies will go bankrupt.”

Monitor people in self-isolation ‘every day’, WHO tells Boris Johnson

Self-isolating people must be monitored “every day” if Covid-19 is to be tamed, says the World Health Organization, urging Boris Johnson to be much tougher.

Another lockdown could be avoided, a spokeswoman said, but only if the UK and other European countries provide much more help to those affected and make sure they comply.

Deputy Political Writer Rob merrick has more:

Over 207 hospital deaths from coronavirus recorded in England

Another 207 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died at a hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 32,117, NHS England said.

The patients were between 36 and 101 years old. All but six, aged between 60 and 93, had known underlying diseases.

The deaths occurred between September 24 and October 26, with the majority occurring on or after October 20.

Fourteen other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.