Coronavirus live updates: April 27 2020

The first patients can now be treated at Nightingale Hospital Bristol.

The facility at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus will be officially opened this afternoon with a virtual ceremony outside the building.

Scroll down for all of today’s latest news:

5.30pm
Thank you for reading our updates today. See you tomorrow at 9am.

5.03pm
Prince Edward said all NHS workers are owed a huge debt of gratitude as he officially opened the new Nightingale Hospital Bristol. Read the full story here.

Prince Edward speaks via video link during the formal opening of Nightingale Hospital Bristol, which is located at UWE’s Frenchay campus – photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

4.58pm
A new support hub for older people and their families to cope with the impact of the coronavirus has been set up by Bristol Ageing Better.

https://twitter.com/CllrAsherCraig/status/1254802027508633600

2.01pm
Sawday’s & Canopy & Stars have today launched #holidaysforgood to donate breaks to hundreds of frontline NHS workers. More than 200 two-night breaks at British hotels, B&Bs, cottages, treehouses, cabins and more have been donated by the Bristol-based holiday firms.

12.58pm
First have reinstated the Bath and Brislington park and ride services today, with services 75 and 76 (Cribbs Causeway to Hengrove), and 43 (city centre to Cadbury Heath) also seeing a small increase in capacity to meet passenger demand on some journeys.

12.09pm
A temporary site has been opened at the Action Indoor Sports centre car park in Whitchurch for vehicle dwellers to safely self-isolate. The site offers 25 pitches that are all safely distanced from each other.

The site at Action Indoor Sports is Bristol City Council’s second, with the first site in Sea Mills up and running and also providing pitches to 25 vehicles – photo: Bristol City Council

11.47am
One question from a member of the public will be answered at the government’s daily coronavirus press conference today. Find out more here.

11.31am
Bath Ales has launched a new ‘pints for heroes’ initiative today. Those who want to thank a key worker – or a local hero who has helped them in these difficult times – can now buy them a pint, which can be redeemed as soon as social distancing restrictions have been lifted, and pubs reopen. For every pint bought, St Austell Brewery’s Charitable Trust will match donate £4.50 to NHS Charities Together.

Bath Ales are owned by St Austell – photo: Bath Ales

10.23am
Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) is hosting a live webinar tomorrow with Gareth Edwards, an employment partner at VWV, who will be talking about the government’s Job Retention Scheme.

On Thursday, the BID team will be joined by Dr Dominique Thompson, a GP and mental health expert, as she talks about leaving lockdown and how to adapt to a new normal.

You can register for the webinars on Bristol City Centre BID’s Covid-19 hub. The webinars are free to attend and will be accessible as recordings after the webinars have taken place.

10.01am
The Exchange is joining the Music Venue Trust’s nationwide campaign to #SaveOurVenues.

9.53am
Bristol City Council is aiming to reopen council-run cemeteries and crematoriums this week.

“We recognise the impact the temporary closures have had,” the council said in a statement. “Grieving goes beyond a funeral, and want people to be able to visit the graves of their loved ones, and have the opportunity to mourn.”

The council is looking to open council-run sites to those wishing to mourn between 4pm and 8pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm on weekends.

But the statement added: “Please be considerate of those visiting their loved ones – if the sites are misused we will have no choice but to consider closing them again.”

Arnos Vale Cemetery is currently open for booked burials only – photo: Martin Booth

9.36am
If it takes place, this year’s British Grand Prix will be held behind closed doors, said Silverstone’s managing director, Stuart Pringle.

9.19am
“I ask you to contain your impatience,” Johnson said on his first full day back to work after recovering from Covid-19.

“We will be reaching out to build the biggest possible consensus,” he said.

“If you can keep going in the way you have kept going so far… then I have absolutely no doubt that we will beat this together.”

9.14am
In an address outside Number 10 Downing Street, prime minister Boris Johnson said that he wants to get the economy moving as fast as he can but that he cannot risk a second coronavirus outbreak.

8.45am
Good morning and welcome to today’s live blog.

In the latest news:

• Official figures bring the total number of deaths in UK hospitals to 20,732, after a further 413 were announced on Sunday.
• Prime minister Boris Johnson has returned to work at Downing Street after recovering from coronavirus.
• Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday that social distancing would remain for “some time” in the UK.

Main photo by Martin Booth

Read more: Faith leaders bless new hospital