Covid-19: Care home residents can go outdoors and calls for lockdown in India

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday evening. We'll have another update for you on Wednesday morning.

1. Care home residents can go on outdoor trips without isolating

Care home residents in England can now go on low-risk trips - such as to relatives' gardens or a local park - without having to self-isolate for 14 days on their return. The change comes after some families criticised "restrictive" visits. Jenny Morrison, co-founder of campaign group Rights for Residents, told the BBC her mother had not been outdoors for more than 12 months. "It will be amazing for us to wheel Mum down to the seafront and have a picnic," she said.

2. Calls grow for national lockdown in India

There is growing pressure on India's government to impose a national lockdown after the country recorded more than 20 million Covid infections - but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is resisting the move due to economic concerns. The government says cases are "slowing down" - but testing numbers have also dipped, meaning the true number of cases could be far higher than official figures suggest. Meanwhile, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been suspended after an increase in cases among players.

3. Odeon to reopen most UK cinemas on 17 May

Odeon has said it will reopen the "vast majority" of its cinemas on 17 May following months of lockdown closures. The UK's largest cinema chain has been hit hard by Covid and its owner, AMC, warned last month it was running out of cash. It follows a similar announcement from Cineworld.

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4. Royal Albert Hall to host full-capacity concerts

Good news for James Blunt fans - the singer's concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 6 July will be the London venue's first full-house event. The venue will reopen from 29 May with a series of limited-capacity shows before returning to full-capacity concerts this summer. Like many other venues, the pandemic has hit the hall hard. Last year it reported a loss of £18m, plus £6.5m in refunded ticket sales.

5. The rise of India's 'Covid quack'

BBC Trending has taken an in-depth look at a charismatic anti-vaccination campaigner in India, who has gained popularity by claiming that medical science's approach to the pandemic is entirely wrong. Critics say Biswaroop Roy Chowdhury is endangering lives by falsely claiming he can cure Covid-19 through diet alone. BBC Trending also has a new series, The Anti-Vax Files, on the World Service weekly from 05:30 GMT Saturday. Download the podcast or listen online .

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And don't forget...

Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

And as people take their first steps towards normality after the latest lockdown, the BBC has been speaking to some who say they've felt lost and lonely over recent months.

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May 05, 2021 at 04:56AM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56986787