Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 29 May 2020

1. Boris Johnson announces further easing of the lockdown

Britons will be able to see family and friends in groups of six, after Boris Johnson further eased lockdown rules. Claiming that all five tests to relax the lockdown are being met, the prime minister said people would be allowed to meet in gardens and other private outdoor spaces from Monday. The government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said the crisis is far from over.

2. Government planned Covid-19 care home discharge in March

The government planned to discharge at least 1,800 Covid-19 patients from hospital into care homes from the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Data revealed by ITV News shows how the NHS and councils block booked beds in care homes to ensure they were ready to deal with a surge in patients coming from hospital. The revelation contradicts previous claims from ministers on the issue.

3. Donald Trump signs executive order targeting social media

Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at removing some of the legal protections given to social media platforms. The US president’s order hands regulators the power to pursue legal actions against firms such as Facebook and Twitter for the way they police content on their platforms. The move comes days after Twitter added fact-check links to two of Trump’s tweets.

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4. Rishi Sunak to tell employers to pay a quarter of furlough wages

The chancellor is expected to announce that employers will need to pay a quarter of the wages of their furloughed staff from August. Setting out a path for the economy to get going after the lockdown, Rishi Sunak will reveal details of how people will be able to start to work part-time while still having their wages partly paid by the Job Retention Scheme.

5. US National Guard deployed in Minneapolis amid unrest

The US National Guard has been sent to Minneapolis amid unrest following the death of an unarmed black man in police custody. Anger has been rising since the death of George Floyd on Monday, with a widely shared video showing him gasping for breath as a white policeman knelt on his neck. There have also been protests in Chicago, Los Angeles and Memphis.

6. Study finds majority of those with coronavirus are asymptomatic

Seven in 10 of those who tested positive for coronavirus had no symptoms, according to the first nationally representative sample. The same study also found that only one in 15 people had antibodies, denting hopes that herd immunity would halt the epidemic without the need for a vaccine or treatments. Weekly figures from the Office for National Statistics show that just under 8,000 people a day are becoming infected with coronavirus.

7. Beijing vows to support Hong Kong police

China has promised to “guide and support” police in Hong Kong after Beijing approved a decision to impose a new national security law on the semi-autonomous territory. China’s parliament has voted to proceed with a contentious national security law, outlawing subversion and foreign interference in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government has warned the US to stay out of internal affairs.

8. Lion mauls a zookeeper in Australia

A zookeeper has been critically injured in a lion attack in Australia. The woman suffered injuries to the face and neck on Tuesday at Shoalhaven Zoo, south of Sydney. NSW Ambulance duty operations manager inspector Faye Stockmen, who attended the incident, said: “I have never come across a job like this in my career. It was absolutely harrowing.”

9. Man dies after rocks are thrown at castle in Kent

A man, believed to be in his 70s, has died after reports of a disturbance and rocks being thrown in the grounds of a castle in Kent. Local police said officers were called to the grounds of Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford yesterday. The force added: “A man later died at the scene and officers from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate are investigating.”

10. Premier League to start up again on 17 June

The Premier League is set to restart on 17 June with Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United and Manchester City vs. Arsenal. A full round of fixtures would follow on the weekend of 19 to 21 June. All the games will be contested behind closed doors and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport or Amazon Prime. The Premier League was suspended on 13 March due to the coronavirus pandemic.