In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. In a rare address to the nation taking place Sunday, the queen plans to exhort Britons to rise to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
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Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
Queen Elizabeth II will address the United Kingdom Sunday in a rare speech, urging self-discipline and resolve in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and thank health workers on the front-lines of the crisis. The queen, 93, will acknowledge the grief and financial pain Britons are enduring and thank health workers on the frontlines of the crisis.
"I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge," the queen will say, according to a transcript, "and those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any."
The line is a clear reference to Britain's World War II generation that endured the Blitz and battled the Nazis to help free Europe from fascism. A single cameraman wearing protective gear shot video of the queen's speech at her weekend home, Windsor Castle, outside of London, while all other technical staff remained in another room, according to the BBC.
The U.K. is now on a soft-lockdown. People are only allowed to venture out of their homes for grocery shopping, medical reasons and exercise. But the government has warned that outdoor exercise could be banned if people continue to crowd parks and fail to social distance on this sunny weekend where the temperatures in greater London have risen to 70 degrees.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 while Carrie Symonds — his pregnant fiancée — has COVID-19 symptoms, but says she's now doing better.
Speaking in a pre-recorded video shot at Windsor Castle, the Queen will thank frontline staff at the UK's National Health Service, carers and others carrying out essential roles.
"I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all," she will say, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
"I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humored resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterize this country."
She will also show recognition of the pain already felt by families and thank people who are following official guidance to stay at home to protect the vulnerable, the statement says.
The Queen rarely makes national addresses, typically speaking to the country only at Christmas time and when a new Parliament is installed.
Her address comes as authorities issue warnings to people to stay at home over the weekend, as the country emerges from winter and temperatures begin climbing above 20 degrees. On Sunday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged people in the UK not to sunbathe. Parks in central London have become inundated as shops and other attractions across the country close.
The UK has reported more than 4,000 coronavirus-related deaths, the fourth-highest recorded in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The country is carrying out social distancing measures, closing schools and nurseries to most children, and all non-essential businesses.
After initially deciding not to carry out widespread testing, the UK government has reversed its policy and will aim to test 100,000 people a day.
The decision appeared to have been made as 8% of NHS staff were unable to work due to illness or to take periods of self-isolation.
The decision also comes as evidence grows that people can carry the virus and show no symptoms at all.
Hancock said on Friday that the deadliest peak of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK could hit on Easter Sunday.
Leading UK epidemiologist, Neil Ferguson, told the BBC on Saturday that social distancing rules could be relaxed in weeks if there are signs the coronavirus spread is slowing, but also hinted that special measures could be needed until the end of May.
Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the throne, tested positive for Covid-19 recently and underwent a period of self-isolation. On Friday, the Prince of Wales opened the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital at a London convention center via videolink, saying that he considered himself "lucky" to have only experienced mild symptoms.
A five-year-old child with underlying health conditions is among those with coronavirus whose deaths were reported in the past day, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has said.
The latest figures show 4,313 people with the virus have now died in the UK - up by 708 on Friday's figure.
Mr Gove said hundreds of ventilators were being manufactured every day and more had been sourced from abroad.
People have been warned to stay at home despite the warm weather this weekend.
Speaking alongside Mr Gove at the government's daily briefing, NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said: "The sun might be out, but that does not mean you should be out."
He said there is some evidence that social distancing measures are reducing transmission, and that the latest figures suggested new cases had begun to "stabilise".
However, he stressed that there was "no room for complacency".
During the briefing, Mr Gove paid tribute to one of the youngest victims of the outbreak.
"Our thoughts today are also with the family of the five-year-old with underlying health conditions who has tragically died," he said.
Analysis
By Robert Cuffe, BBC News Head of Statistics
The recent trends in deaths (doubling roughly every 3.5 days) would have predicted about 800 deaths today.
Remember that doubling every few days means that we should expect to see record new highs regularly.
Scientists remind us to look for evidence that the growth is slowing down - the first step on the journey to falling numbers of deaths.
So, compared to that projection, there is a potential silver lining to these figures - if the pattern continues.
But one day of below-trend growth is far too soon to know for sure.
It takes over three weeks from infection to death to being reported in these figures.
So while we can hope to see the effects of pre-lockdown social distancing soon, it will take longer for the effect of the lockdown, announced on 23 March, to become apparent.
There are now 41,903 confirmed cases in the UK, the Department of Health said.
Mr Gove said seven healthcare professionals have now died.
Prof Powis said people were adhering to social distancing measures, and that public transport use remains "extremely low".
School attendance was down as low as 2%, Mr Gove added.
However, Prof Powis added that people must "resist the temptation" to go out in the warm weather. Brighton and Hove City Council tweeted on Saturday that too many people were meeting up with friends on the seafront, making social distancing "impossible".
Also in the briefing, Mr Gove said that ventilators - in addition to those being made in the UK - had been sourced from abroad, including 300 that arrived from China on Saturday.
He branded conspiracy theories spread on social media blaming new 5G masts for the spread of Covid-19 "dangerous nonsense".
In other developments:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who remains in self-isolation in Downing Street after testing positive for coronavirus, has written to opposition party leaders inviting them to a briefing next week
A British actor known for playing Jesus in various films has the coronavirus and is extremely upset his country's quarantining rules are putting people at extreme risk.
Adam Bond is in a Malaysian hospital ... he's been there for weeks. Adam was filming his 7th movie in which he plays Jesus.
He must have felt something, because last month he asked to be tested, but he was refused. Adam persisted, and he says producers paid for a private test that came back positive. He was hospitalized, and he's going on 20-days in the facility.
Adam is clear ... he says if he didn't get tested he would have interacted with scores of people while shooting the movie, flown home and possibly infected people on the plane, and then, scariest of all, he has a flatmate with cancer and believes they would have died.
But Adam is most upset with the UK's policy of quarantining for 7 days. He's been in the hospital for 19 days with no clear end in sight.
Malaysia has the most COVID cases in Southeast Asia. Bond says that 2/3 of the cases came from a religious event held at Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. There were over 16,000 attendees at the four-day event, during which people shared food, prayed together, and lived in close proximity.
Starmer, 57 will replace Jeremy Corbyn, who announced he would step down after a bitter defeat at the last election that saw sweeping gains for the ruling Conservatives.
The change in leadership comes as the country battles its own coronavirus crisis and amid calls to improve public services, such as the National Health Service currently under strain.
Starmer is a former crown prosecutor who has promised to pursue policies aimed at improving social equality, including an increase to the top tax rate and a boost to social services, as well as take stronger action on climate change.
In a video posted to his Twitter account, Starmer said he would work with the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tackle the coronavirus crisis, while also pointing out "mistakes or faltering government."
"In times like this, we need good government. A government that saves lives and protects our country," he said.
"It's a huge responsibility. And whether we voted for this government or not, we all rely on it to get this right," he said.
Starmer rose to prominence as a young activist lawyer before his career in politics. He more recently raised his public profile as Labour's shadow Brexit spokesperson. In the UK, the main opposition party has "shadow" ministers who hold political portfolios.
Starmer won more than 56% of the party vote, beating fellow MPs Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey in one round.
The new leader has pitched himself as a unity candidate amid continued divisions in the Labour Party.
The Labour Party has been mired in criticism over anti-Semtic remarks by several MPs in the past. Corbyn was widely criticized for his lax response to the problem within the party.
Starmer said in his video that the party needs to face up to the issue with honesty and apologized to Jewish communities.
"On behalf of the Labour Party, I am sorry.
"And I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us."
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Is the coronavirus lockdown nearing its end in the United Kingdom?
A scientist who is been advising Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British government revealed Saturday that the country could start easing some restrictions by the end of May if the number of cases decline.
“We want to move to a situation where at least by the end of May that we’re able to substitute some less intensive measures, more based on technology and testing, for the complete lockdown we have now,” Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson told the BBC.
Ferguson stressed that life would not return to normal, but rather be "more relaxed in terms of social distancing and the economy.”
The U.K. has been in an effective lockdown since March 23, with schools, bars, many shops and gathering places shut, and people told to go out only for essentials or exercise.
As of Saturday, the U.K. had 38,697 confirmed coronavirus cases and 3,611 deaths, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
Britain's opposition Labour Party Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer leaves the BBC headquarters after appearing on The Andrew Marr Show in London, Britain January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson - RC2N9E96NFF6
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s main opposition Labour Party named Keir Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions who opposed the country’s exit from the European Union, as its leader on Saturday.
Starmer, who has tried to carry the socialist supporters of outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn while also keeping more centrist Labour members on board, beat Rebecca Long-Bailey, an ally of Corbyn, and Lisa Nandy in the contest.
He won with 56.2% of the vote by party members and supporters.
“It’s the honor and privilege of my life to be elected as leader of the Labour Party. It comes at a moment like no other in our lifetime,” he said in a pre-recorded statement, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Under my leadership we will engage constructively with the government, not opposition for opposition’s sake. Not scoring party political points or making impossible demands. But with the courage to support where that’s the right thing to do.
“But we will test the arguments that are put forward. We will shine a torch on critical issues and where we see mistakes or faltering government or things not happening as quickly as they should, we’ll challenge that and call that out.”
The leadership contest, under way since Corbyn led Labour to a crushing defeat in the December election, has been overshadowed by the coronavirus outbreak, which all but silenced the three candidates’ campaigns.
Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Mark Heinrich
