Portugal off green list and 50% of UK adults fully vaccinated

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday evening. We’ll have another update for you on Friday morning.

Portugal will be taken off the UK’s travel “green” list and relegated to “amber” from 04:00 BST Tuesday – meaning that people can only travel there for essential reasons and have to quarantine upon their return. The government says it follows “increased concern” over the spread of coronavirus variants, including a mutation of the so-called Indian variant, now called Delta. Meanwhile, seven countries – Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad & Tobago – have been added to the “red” list, meaning these destinations should not be visited “except in the most extreme of circumstances”. Here is a reminder of the travel rules.

The UK government is “open-minded” on SNP calls to extend furlough, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants the job support scheme extended “for as long as it is needed”. The call came ahead of a virtual meeting between Boris Johnson and the three devolved administrations on how to emerge from the Covid pandemic.

Before the pandemic, Madam Tess Tickle performed at The New Foresters, in Nottingham, but now she patrols the outdoor marquee and warns revellers against moving tables. Landlady Debbie Law says she decided to train the drag queen in enforcing coronavirus rules after realising she did not have enough money to pay for extra door staff. Madam Tess, who has a Covid-19 test before each shift, says: “It’s literally a case of make everybody feel safe and secure but still have a good time.”

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