A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a school teacher.
Caroline Kayll was attacked at an address in Linton, Northumberland, on Sunday evening, along with a 15-year-old boy, Northumbria Police said.
She died in hospital days later.
The teenage boy suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries and was discharged from hospital.
The force said Paul Robson, 49, was detained in Glasgow on Friday.
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Ms Kayll, 47, worked as a teacher at Atkinson House school, which caters for children with social, emotional and mental health issues.
A 58-year-old man, arrested earlier this week on suspicion of assisting an offender, has since been released under investigation, police added.
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Superintendent Paul Milner, of Northumbria Police, said: "In recent days our officers have been carrying out enquiries across the region and north of the border.
"Those enquiries have now led to the arrest of Paul Robson on suspicion of Caroline's murder and the serious assault of a teenage boy.
"We want to reassure the public that this was an isolated incident and at no point were they at risk.
"Enquiries into the circumstances leading up to this attack will continue but we would ask the public to avoid speculation.
"This is a live murder investigation and it is an incredibly difficult time for Caroline's family and the teenage boy injured in the attack.
"They will continue to receive our full support while we would ask anyone who has information that could assist our investigation to get in touch."
Merthyr Tydfil has become the first area in Wales to begin mass coronavirus testing for people who do not have symptoms.
Everyone living or working there can now get a free test.
It follows a similar scheme in Liverpool,andmembers of the Armed Forces are again involved alongside local authorities.
The aim is to identify more positive cases and stop the disease spreading unchecked.
Image:The area had the worst infection rate in the UK at the start of November
Merthyr Tydfil Rhydycar leisure centre opened for testing on Saturday and other sites will come online later this month.
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Lateral flow tests are being used - they give a result in around 20-30 minutes and do not need sending to a lab.
People who test positive will also get a traditional swab test - which has a higher degree of accuracy - and will be asked to return home to self-isolate.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock has offered the rapid tests to every local authority in England, as well as the devolved nations.
Merthyr Tydfil had the worst infection rate in the UK at the start of November but the recent "firebreak" lockdown in Wales appears to have had a significant effect.
Cases in the area have fallen from around 770 per 100,000 people to below 260.
Blaenau Gwent is now Wales's virus hotspot, with more than 350 cases per 100,000.
Overall case numbers in the country dropped over the 10 days leading up to Friday, and there are also signs of a slowdown in hospital admissions.
The country's seven-day incidence rate is now around 160 cases per 100,000 people, according to First Minister Mark Drakeford.
Image:Soldiers helped implement the Liverpool scheme
Despite the success, he said there was "no room" for further relaxation of the rules in Wales.
"We need everyone, every single one of us, to play our part to make sure that we continue to build on the progress of the firebreak, and to keep coronavirus cases falling," Mr Drakeford said on Friday.
He added: "If we do all this together, then we can have a path through to Christmas and will be hoping to see family and friends over that festive period."
Mr Drakeford has said talks on a UK-wide approach to Christmas rules are planned for next week.
Several families ‘will be allowed to get together and form a bubble at Christmas’ (Picture: Getty – PA)
The Government is reportedly set to announce plans to allow ‘several families’ who don’t live together to form a bubble and celebrate Christmas.
Coronavirus rules could be relaxed from December 22 to 28 nationwide but the country may have to live under tough restrictions both before and after the festive period to make this possible.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told yesterday’s Downing Street briefing it was still too early to say what contact people will be able to have over Christmas, but it has been reported Boris Johnson is preparing to announce a plan next week for an easing of rules.
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Citing sources within the Government, The Telegraph reports that the much anticipated ‘winter plan’ could be announced as soon as Monday
It had been thought rules would be relaxed from Christmas Eve and cover only the most important festive dates but Chancellor Rishi Sunak is understood to have been pushing for several days’ worth of freedoms to ensure pubs and restaurants can make enough money.
Along with the bubble announcement, it’s understood the PM – who is currently self-isolating after contact with an infected MP – will outline what the tiered system will look like post lockdown.
The Telegraph reports each tier is likely to be made stricter so measures which previously applied only in the higher tiers – such as a ban on household mixing indoors – will now form part of the base level of restrictions.
It’s thought ministers are working to make the new system ‘more consistent’ with clearer rules attached to each tier.
People enjoy a beer together in a Christmas market pub in the centre of Cardiff where shops are open (Picture: PA)
Decisions on which tier each part of the country will go into will be made by central Government by the end of the week, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper said Mr Johnson will also warn the level of restrictions for the rest of next month would depend on how well the public obeys the current lockdown in England, which is due to end on December 2.
Downing Street declined to comment, but did not deny the report.
Addressing the coronavirus briefing on Friday, Mr Hancock said it would be a ‘boost’ for the UK if a ‘safe, careful and sensible’ set of plans could be agreed between the devolved nations.
Lyndsey McDermott closes her Christmas Shop, Tinsel & Tartan in Stirling as new restictions come into place in Scotland (Picture: PA)
He said: ‘Over Christmas I know how important it is that we have a system in place, a set of rules that both keeps people safe but also allows people to see their loved ones.’
Earlier this week Public Health England said Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) guidance had suggested each day of greater freedom could require five days of tighter measures.
But deputy chief medical officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who also appeared at the briefing, said there is ‘no magic number’ about how many days any easing of the rules might cost.
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The Government said a further 511 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 54,286, while another 20,252 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported.
On Friday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there were ‘substantial differences’ in Covid-19 infection rates across England, with rates continuing to increase in London, the east of England and the South East, but decreasing in the North West and the East Midlands.
The Health Secretary suggested even if the strict coronavirus rules are relaxed for the period, Brits will still be expected to social distance.
It will come as a blow to families looking forward to a more "normal" end to December, and to being able to be closer then they have for the past few months.
Multiple households are expected to be able to mingle - but not hug - for a few days surrounding the festive period.
The Government is keeping a tight lid on exactly what the plans will be, but it seems certain the strict rules will be relaxed for a short amount of time.
Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast there is a need to "respect the fact that we mustn't spread the virus further but also respect the fact that Christmas is a special time where people get together, especially with their families".
One chap had a party hat on as he tucked into a late night snackCredit: Huw Evans Picture Agency
People happily posed for the camera in Cardiff last nightCredit: Huw Evans Picture Agency
Swansea decked out in Christmas lightsCredit: Athena Picture Agency
Boozy revellers hit the bars in Wales after Covid firebreak lockdown lifts – and England still has nearly 3 weeks to go
Credit: Athena Picture Agency
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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a schoolteacher.
Caroline Kayll, 47, died in hospital after she was attacked at an address in the village of Linton, Northumberland, on Sunday evening. A 15-year-old boy was also assaulted.
The relaxation will only be in place for roughly a week – between December 22 and December 28. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing an announcement where he will outline the Christmas rules early next week, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.
The PM has previously indicated England will return to a tiered system on December 2.
However, he is now due to say the strength of the December restrictions will depend on how successful the current lockdown period is.
It comes as the NHS prepares itself for the rollout of the UK’s first coronavirus vaccinations.
Sir John Bell, who is involved in the production of the UK’s Oxford vaccine, had previously said it “sounds a bit unlikely” that the Pfizer jab would be available through local GP surgeries due to the difficulty of storing and delivering it.
The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at temperatures as low as -80 degrees Celsius.
Last week the company, along with its German partner BioNTech, said its jab had proved 90 percent effective in preventing illness following phase 3 trials.
Mr Hancock has said he expects the UK to be ready to start using the vaccine by next month, as long as regulators approve it.
He added the “bulk” of the vaccine rollout would take place next year.
A draft rollout plan put together by NHS England shows the health service is planning for every adult in the country to be vaccinated by April.
Older people and care workers will be prioritised, but adults between the ages of 18 and 50 could begin receiving jabs as soon as January, the provisional timetable shows. The NHS plans were leaked to the Health Service Journal.
The Health Secretary said yesterday he has asked UK regulators to begin assessing the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
He stated: “This is another important step forward in tackling this pandemic.”
The government has also ordered 100 million jabs of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Speaking at No10's covid press conference, he added: “These figures are promising and they show the second peak is flattening.
These figures are promising and they show the second peak is flattening.
Matt Hancock
"We are clearly near the peak of this second increase and the second wave."
The Health Secretary also revealed that vaccinations will start next month if Pfizer's vaccine is cleared by the safety regulator.
Mr Hancock said: "If the regulator approves a vaccine we will be ready to start the vaccination next month with the bulk of the rollout next year."
The Health Secretary said data is already being supplied by Pfizer, with full data in the coming days and described the progress as "another important step forward.”
He added: "We're heading in the right direction but there is still a long way to go."
XMAS CHEER
Ministers are due to announce a new system of regional restrictions next week for the period after December 2.
Government scientists are pushing for the three-tier systemto be strengthened in the run-up to Christmas to prevent an upsurge in infections.
But the PM wants to relax Covid rules over Christmas to allow families to come together "at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year".
However, at Friday's press conference Mr Hancock stopped short of revealing whether the lockdown could be extended after the original end date of December 2.
He said that ministers have not yet made a decision on Christmas - but all four UK nations are working together on the issue.
Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van Tamm added: "The government clearly wants to give us a break to some extent at Christmas, we as citizens want a break.
“But there are no magic numbers about on days of Christmas and days of payback in terms of lockdown."
Groups of up to three or four households could be allowed to meet up – provided they meet with no one else during the festive period.
But it's not yet clear whether there would be an upper limit on the number allowed to gather in one place during the festivities.
With Christmas Eve falling on a Thursday and a planned Bank Holiday for Monday December 28, ministers are targeting the six-day weekend to ease restrictions.
Young children could also be exempt from any numerical restrictions during the Christmas period.
Dr Thomas House, a member of a Sage sub-group, said: "We saw how quickly the virus exploded when students returned to university, so want to avoid that.
"But everything has risk, and seeing family over Christmas may be seen as an acceptable risk."
Dr Susan Hopkins, a director at Public Health England, also said: "We are very keen that we have a Christmas as close to normal as possible.
"That requires all of us to make every effort over this national restriction period and even in early December to get the cases as low as possible and to reduce the risk of transmission within households and between families.
"A final decision will rest with the Government."
Addressing the Government's plans for Christmas, Dame Angela McLean said: "We did send some advice in over the weekend.
"But we genuinely don't know what decisions have been made."
UK Covid cases fall for second week in a row with 19,609 infections and 529 deaths as Christmas hopes grow
The graph above shows that the number of people testing positive in England is growing - but at a slower rate than in October
A 25-day lockdown in January looms as Brits could have five days of 'freedom' in December
Dr Susan Hopkins said she wants to see a Christmas as close to normal as possible
