A second lockdown would coincide with the October half-term to create minimal disruption to schools, experts on the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-m) have proposed.

One SAGE scientist said that if the R number continues at the same rate, it would “break the NHS”, the Financial Times reports…

Coronavirus cases have been doubling every seven to eight days in England, according to a study by Imperial College London and Ipsos Mori.