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Monday briefing: 1m children will stay at home as lockdown eases

<span>Photograph: Maureen McLean/REX/Shutterstock</span>
Photograph: Maureen McLean/REX/Shutterstock

Top story: Ministers are jumping the gun on lockdown – experts

Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this Monday morning.

Around 1 million children in England are expected to stay at home today rather than go back to school because many parents councils and teachers remain fearful about coronavirus despite the government’s attempts to push back to normality. Children from reception, year 1 and year 6 are able to return to classrooms today but just under half of them won’t do so, according to a survey by the National Foundation for Educational Research. Another survey reveals today that half of parents will not take up places for their children at nurseries, preschool or childminders, triggering concerns that the sector could collapse. Gavin Williamson, education secretary, tried to reassure families that schools would be safe but he did so in the face of more warnings that the government was rushing out of lockdown. The Association of Directors of Public Health said new rules coming into force today, including allowing groups of up to six people to meet outdoors and in private gardens, were “not supported by the science” and that the country was not prepared for a second wave of infections.

Attempts to maintain social distancing could be complicated by the prospect of more fine weather on the way for the UK this week. Vulnerable people in England who have been shielded from the virus will be allowed to go outside from today but many of them fear it is still unsafe. Dominic Raab, foreign secretary, said on BBC TV that localised lockdowns could be used to contain any surge in coronavirus cases as rules are eased.

You can catch up with all the latest developments at our live blog or read the key points at a glance.

There’s more in our Coronavirus Extra section further down … and here’s where you can find all our coverage of the outbreak – from breaking news to factchecks and advice.

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US protests rage – America has been rocked by another night of unrest as thousands of protesters defied curfews in dozens of cities to express their anger at the death of unarmed black man George Floyd when he was being arrested by police in Minneapolis last week. Demonstrations were seen from New York right across the country to Los Angeles, with police firing teargas on crowds in Detroit, San Diego and Philadelphia. Governors in six states called in the national guard, including in Minnesota where a large truck carrying fuel was driven into a throng of protesters on a bridge in Minneapolis. The driver was dragged from the cab, beaten and arrested.

In Washington, where multiple fires were lit on Sunday night, it emerged that Donald Trump took shelter in the White House bunker as protesters gathered outside the presidential mansion on Friday. He said on Sunday that the unrest “dishonoured” Floyd’s memory, but he again appeared to fuel the fire by labelling the protesters “anarchists”. He was also criticised by Floyd’s brother for not allowing him to speak during a telephone call between the pair. Our Washington correspondent looks at how the crisis has exposed his presidency again. The basketball legend Michael Jordan made a rare foray into politics by releasing a statement in which he condemned the “ingrained racism” of the US. Lewis Hamilton accused his fellow Formula One drivers of ignoring the issue but thousands of people marched in Manchester, London and Cardiff to voice support. Here is how the US papers have covered the story and how the Chinese media has goaded Trump.

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Hong Kong call – Seven former foreign secretaries have written to Dominic Raab urging him to take the lead in coordinating the international response to attempts by China to impose draconian laws on Hong Kong. Amid concern that the response is being left to the US, the group, including Tories William Hague, Malcolm Rifkind and Jeremy Hunt, said Britain “must be seen to be leading and coordinating the international response to this crisis and ensuring the integrity of the … one country, two systems” deal signed by the UK on the handover in 1997.

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Christo poses in front of the Wrapped Reichstag in June 1995.
Christo poses in front of the Wrapped Reichstag in June 1995. Photograph: Lutz Schmidt/Reuters

Cover star dies – Christo, the artist best known for wrapping buildings such as the Reichstag in Berlin, has died aged 84 at his home in New York. The Bulgarian pioneer also swaddled areas of coast and entire islands in fabric in a career marked by large-scale public projects. Born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria, he studied in Sofia and then defected to the west in 1957, stowing away on a train from Prague to Vienna. Check out his life in pictures.

Coronavirus Extra

Britain is joining many other countries around the world in trying to move out of lockdown mode but in Spain the government is seeking a 15-day extension to the lockdown to “finish with the pandemic once and for all”. The country’s death toll rose by just two yesterday with 96 new cases compared with Britain’s almost 2,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. India is also extending its lockdown for “high-risk zones” amid a wider easing and Bangladesh has lifted its rules, triggering a return to work for millions of people. The situation in Brazil continues to worsen as the country’s tally of cases passed 500,000 yesterday. President Jair Bolsonaro also faces a new cross-party movement aimed at “protecting democracy” amid his increasingly authoritarian outbursts and shambolic handling of the pandemic crisis.

And, in case you missed it, here’s our in-depth investigation into how a decade of privatisation and austerity-driven cuts left England hopelessly prepared for the pandemic.

Today in Focus podcast

As Britain faced an unprecedented lockdown, the situation for the country’s 80,000 prisoners was even more stringent. David Adams was recently released from jail and describes how inmates were confined to their tiny cells for more than 23 hours a day.

Lunchtime read: Jeremy Vine on broadcasting and keeping it real

The ubiquitous broadcaster Jeremy Vine talks to Stephen Moss about where he finds the drive to host two two-hour news programmes a day (Channel 5 and Radio 2), why he was shocked by Britain’s strict compliance with lockdown laws, and how he found the secret to being a successful broadcaster in “real and being yourself”.

Sport

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Thuram sent out a powerful message of solidarity towards those protesting against the killing of George Floyd by American police, after scoring in their respective Bundesliga games on Sunday. The EFL has announced the Championship season is set to resume on 20 June and will end “on or around 30 July” with the play-off final. Barcelona will resume their bid to defend the Spanish title on Saturday 13 June with a trip to Real Mallorca. And the return of horse racing at Newcastle today, conducted under strict protocols, is an experiment with significance for other major sports too.

Business

Britain’s manufacturing industry has called on the government to give the sector an emergency bailout as firms struggle to stay afloat because of the forced closure of factories. Make UK says thousands of skilled jobs are at risk without state support. The turmoil in the United States has weakened the dollar and sent the pound higher to $1.241 and €1.114. The FTSE100 is on course to rise a healthy 1.3% this morning.

The papers

The Guardian leads with “One million children set to stay off school today amid safety fears”, as does the Mirror with the headline “Point of no return”. The Sun has a more optimistic take on the relaxing of crisis measures, saying “We’ll meat again” ahead of an expected £1bn-splurge by Britons on beer and barbecue food.

The FT says “Banks fear up to half of £18.5bn ‘bounce back’ loans will default” and the Times also has a business take, reporting “Quarantine will destroy travel firms, bosses warn”. The Mail highlights a potential problem in the making for the NHS with “2.4m caught in Covid cancer backlog” and the Scotsman is on the same theme: “Cancer services to restart as NHS begins its long recovery”. The Express has a familiar-sounding lead: “Boris to defy EU Brexit bullies”.

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