Coronavirus news you may have missed overnight: Rate of virus transmission is increasing as Boris Johnson urges spirit of ‘greatest generation of Britons’

A total of 206,715 people test positive for Covid-19 in UK, with over 30,600 deaths

The coronavirus crisis is continuing to impact the lives of people all over the world. Britons have been encouraged to keep observing lockdown restrictions as the virus has infected a total of 206,715 people, with 30,615 deaths in the UK.

Here is your daily briefing of coronavirus news you may have missed overnight.

The government’s chief statistician has said the critical ‘R’ rate measuring the spread of coronavirus infections is rising.

Professor Ian Diamond said during the Downing Street press conference the uptick is being “driven by the epidemic in care homes” and said it was “a real challenge”.

The warning came as foreign secretary Dominic Raab said any relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown would be “modest, small and incremental”.

Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans for the lockdown to be eased on Sunday.

A reproduction rate of anything above 1 means each infected person is passing it on to more than one other person on average. Experts agree the rate must stay well below 1 to prevent a second peak of infections.

Prof Diamond said he would begin publishing data twice a week from next Thursday, showing what proportion of the population is estimated to have Covid-19.

The prime minister has urged the public to carry on fighting the coronavirus pandemic with the spirit of the “greatest generation of Britons who ever lived” as the country marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Boris Johnson wrote to veterans thanking them for their “valour, fortitude and quiet yet invincible courage” during the Second World War in Europe.

He said Britain must display the “same spirit of national endeavour” shown by those who fought the Nazis 75 years ago while the country is “engaged in a new struggle against the coronavirus”.

“The truth is that no other generation of Britons can rival your achievement,” Mr Johnson wrote in his tribute.

“Those of us born after 1945 are acutely conscious of the debt we owe. Without your trial and sacrifice, many of us would not be here at all; if we were, we would surely not be free.”

Two minutes of silence will be observed throughout the UK at 11am on Friday as it honours the sacrifices of the Second World War generation.

As many as 15,000 pubs could be forced to shut down for good if the coronavirus lockdown continues until September, an industry chief has said in the latest warning from the hospitality sector.

The government is expected to announce how the country will take its first steps towards a return to normalcy on Sunday, but pubs, restaurants and bars are expected to be among the last to be allowed to operate again.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said pubs need the support of the government or thousands would be forced to shutter.

“I am very, very worried about the sector,” she said. “If you are looking [to reopen pubs] at the end of the summer, it is looking very stark indeed.

“We could be losing 40 per cent of our business if they do not open by the end of September.”

She added that in the future after lockdown, pub staff could offer table service to ensure a limit to the number of people in establishments, while workers could also be required to monitor toilets to ensure people are abiding by social-distancing rules.

Ms McClarkin said: “There are going to be much fewer people inside our pubs and that is part of the reality going forward.”

US president Donald Trump is adamant he will not wear a face mask because he thinks he would look “ridiculous”, according to a report.

The Associated Press reported that Mr Trump told advisors he believed wearing a facial covering would “send the wrong message”, according to one administration and two campaign officials whose identities are hidden.

He reportedly feels it would appear as though he is preoccupied with health instead of focusing on reopening America’s economy, which aides believe is the key to his re-election chances.

Earlier this week, the president made headlines when he visited an Arizona factory that manufactures masks without wearing one.

He later said he wore a mask briefly backstage but took it off because facility personnel told him he didn’t need it. He spoke to journalists, workers and Secret Service agents, all of whom donned the facial coverings.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC: “It’s a vanity thing, I guess, with [Trump]. You’d think, as the president of the United States, you would have the confidence to honour the guidance he’s giving the country.”

Amazon warehouse workers in California have claimed the company refuses to comply with the state’s law guaranteeing paid sick leave for food workers as the coronavirus crisis continues, acorrding to reports.

Governor Gavin Newsom extended the policy to allow two weeks of paid leave for food workers, including “workers at warehouses where food is stored”. It applies to at least 500 workers in the US.

But Amazon told its workers that the executive order does not cover its warehouses, reported The Guardian.

Workers in Inland Empire in southern California, where infections have emerged in six Amazon warehouses, told the newspaper that the policy has forced many workers to choose between putting themselves at risk of infection or losing work.

Amazon also recently ended its unlimited paid time off policy, which allowed workers to leave work to care for a sick family member or for childcare without losing their job.

A series of strikes among retail and warehouse workers have been ongoing over the last few weeks against the company’s controversial policies.

Workers are demanding stronger workplace protections, hazard pay and guaranteed paid leave.