Coronavirus live updates: May 19 2020

Marvin Rees has hit out at the government over the reopening of schools, saying it has “really messed up”.

Bristol’s mayor said he would back headteachers in their decision on whether or not to reopen on June 1 because their schools served different needs depending on the community they were in.

Scroll down for today’s latest updates.

4.34pm
These are today’s main developments:

• Shindig Festival are hosting a virtual festival on Saturday, May 23.
• Avon Fire and Rescue Service will continue provide its additional support to South Western Ambulance Service until June 5.
• Donald Trump has said he is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus, despite public health officials warning it may be unsafe.
• There are now close to 4.8m people worldwide who have been infected with Covid-19. Just under 1.8m of those have recovered but 318,465 people have died.
• Bristol24/7 is on the hunt for new journalists to help us report community news during the coronavirus crisis.

4.12pm
A limited edition print by Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja has raised more than £100,000 for Bristol Food Union.

https://twitter.com/bristolfooduni/status/1262761708906442753

3.33pm
Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman, shows that during lockdown, even Morph sometimes gives in to their sweet tooth.

https://twitter.com/PeteLordAardman/status/1261962220713500672

2.04pm
Shindig Festival are hosting a virtual festival on Saturday, May 23.

The day will start with yoga classes, then kids workshops, circus shows, cabaret, storytelling and a music quiz. In the evening, resident DJs will be playing live into the early hours.

Already billed to perform include Dutty Moonshine Big Band, Gardna and Huey Morgan.

1.15pm
Avon Fire and Rescue Service is continuing to provide its additional support to South Western Ambulance Service through volunteers from the service driving ambulances. Nearly 30 shifts have been completed so far, and this work will now continue until the June 5.

So far, 14 Avon Fire and Rescue Service staff have helped with additional driving, but, in total, 34 staff have been trained to drive the two additional ambulances based at Nailsea fire station.

Those involved have been added to a weekly shift rota and it is hoped that more staff will get the opportunity to support over the coming weeks.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service and South Western Ambulance Service staff. Photo: Avon Fire and Rescue Service

“This has been an incredible experience during incredible times,” Ross Morgan, a firefighter at Chew fire station and ambulance driver volunteer.

“At the start of the year, I didn’t think I would be driving ambulances but I’ve learnt a lot and it has been interesting to see how others operate.

“It’s also been fantastic to help out in the community when needed. I’ve really developed a better understanding of the ambulance service but mostly it has just been great to help out when others need it.”

12.01pm
Bristol24/7 is on the hunt for new journalists to help us report community news during the coronavirus crisis. We are ideally looking for people who live in the areas of Bristol that are often under-represented in mainstream media coverage.Find out more here.

11.24am
The team at Bristol24/7 are working hard to bring you all the latest coronavirus news. Read some of our latest stories:

• Eradicating food insecurity and pulling together in the face of pandemic
• Supporting musicians through the coronavirus pandemic
• The importance of creativity and wellbeing during lockdown
• North Bristol surgery creates video to let patients know the practice is safe to visit

10.32am
Bristol charity Bricks is inviting artists affected by the coronavirus crisis to join a new six-month support programme after having secured emergency funding from Arts Council England.

The Reaching Resilience programme will help artists across affected by coronavirus, connecting them with new audiences and supporters, as well as helping them to develop their skills, hear about opportunities and learn from each other through a peer-to-peer network.

“Artists in the city are struggling,” says Bricks director Jack Gibbon said. “For various reasons, many haven’t been supported by the measures introduced by the Government, whether due to their freelance practice not making up over 50 per cent of their income, because they had not previously benefited from public funding, or because their business rates are paid as part of their rent rather than direct to local government.

The Reaching Resilience steering group. Jack Gibbon is in the top centre. Photo: Spirit PR

Jack adds: “Even before Covid-19, artists were faced with challenges such as increased rents, displacement from their spaces and of course living costs that rise faster than their income streams. Opportunities for artists to connect with buyers of their work, or even to present their work to an audience in Bristol are few and far between.”

Reaching Resilience will provide an online platform to profile artists, facilitate art sales, offer mentoring, run a podcast series profiling artists and facilitate a workshop series.

There will also be opportunities for artists to participate in digital commissions, where they can explore new ways to present work online, with a digital open studios event to come later in the year.

9.38am
The number of confirmed cases in Bristol is 687, according to Public Health England.

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

In the latest news:

• The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the UK in April went up by 856,500 to just less than 2.1m, the Office for National Statistics said this morning.
• Donald Trump has said he is taking hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus, despite public health officials warning it may be unsafe.
• There are now close to 4.8m people worldwide who have been infected with Covid-19. Just under 1.8m of those have recovered but 318,465 people have died.

Main photo: Darcy Associates

Read more: Bristol mayor criticises government for ‘messing up’ decision on schools reopening