Community Impact

Covid passport pilot plan and pandemic Easter messages

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Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Sunday. We’ll have another update for you on Monday morning.

1. Covid passport trials

Ministers hope Covid certification will allow sports matches, conferences and night clubs to safely resume in England – but first they need to pilot the scheme. This is what the government will be doing in April and May. Passes would show whether a person has been vaccinated, had a recent negative test, or has natural immunity determined by a recent positive test. Read more about what you might need a vaccine passport for.

Getty Images Bar owner in mask putting up reopening signGetty Images
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2. Johnson and Starmer recall pandemic in Easter messages

For some churches, Easter Sunday will be the first time they have opened in months. The occasion brings “the promise of brighter days ahead”, Boris Johnson has said. Both he and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have paid tribute to the Christian community for its work in the past year. Recap the rules for places of worship. Meanwhile, the Met Police is facing criticism for the way its officers shut down a Good Friday service at a Catholic church in south London.

Reuters/ Getty Images Boris Johnson and Sir Keir StarmerReuters/ Getty Images
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3. Pandemic peaks in Eastern Europe and ruins Easter

Health systems pushed to their peak, a surge in deaths and vaccines in short supply. This is the picture emerging across Eastern Europe, which largely escaped the worst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. This year, however, the picture has changed dramatically and the rate of infection is proving a major obstacle for governments. Meanwhile, in the west of the continent, France has entered its third national lockdown. Read more about how European countries are tackling the pandemic.

Reuters A worshipper attends a Palm Sunday mass, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Warsaw, Poland March 28, 2021Reuters

Poland is seeing its highest infection levels since the start of the pandemic

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4. Coronavirus restrictions ‘worse than war days’

Pearl Rowland, 100, has spent most of her life working at a funfair – even during World War Two. Now she says the coronavirus restrictions are “worse” than those she saw during the conflict as the fair operated during the war. Read more about how lockdown took the fund out of funfairs.

Pearl Rowland
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5. ‘It was like being at my own funeral’

The pandemic has not only claimed more than 126,000 lives in the UK, thousands more have needed hospital treatment. The BBC spoke to three survivors who explained how the virus has changed their outlook on life. From a grandfather of eight who recalls the overwhelming support he received after leaving hospital to a retired police office who feared the worse, these are their stories.

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And don’t forget…

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

Wondering what you can do now lockdown restrictions are being gradually relaxed across the UK? We’ve answered some of your questions.

Government statistics show 126,826 people have now died, up 10 in the latest 24-hour period. In total 4,357,091 people have tested positive, up 3,423. while there are 3,536 people in hospital. In total 31,425,682 people have received their first vaccination, up 107,420 in the latest 24-hour period. Updated 3 April.
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