This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. Im Laura Trevelyan in washington. Our top stories. President trump says he wont attend the inauguration of his successorjoe biden as the speaker of the house threatens impeachment proceedings following this weeks unrest. A Murder Investigation has been launched into the death of a Capitol Hill Police officer who was caught up in wednesdays riots. Hes the fifth person to have died. And im kasia madera in london. Also on the programme. The uk records its highest daily death toll since the pandemic began more than 1300 deaths reported today. And a Major Incident has been declared in london as hospitals across the uk struggle to cope. The Moderna Vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. Its the third vaccine to get the green light and 17 million doses have been ordered by the government. And new figures suggest 2020 alongside 2016 were the hottest years on record. Welcome to washington, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said in a letter to her fellow democrats that the house will move to impeach President Trump over his role in inciting a violent mob attack on the capitol if he doesnt resign. The president shows no signs of quitting though back on twitter , which hes just rejoined after a recent ban. Mr trump said to all of those who have in so doing, hell become the first us president not to attend his successors
swearing in since andrewjohnson in 1869. Separately, the Us Attorneys Office here in washington dc has opened a federal Murder Investigation into the death of Police OfficerBrian Sicknick. He died after the storming of the us capitol on wednesday. President Electjoe Biden has been giving a speech about his economic plans. He was asked byjournalists what he thought of the democrats plans to move to impeach President Trump. Look, i have thoughts for a long, long time that President Trump was not fit to hold the job, thats why i ran. And my job now in 12 days, god willing, i will be president of the United States of america, and im focused oii states of america, and im focused on the urgency of three immediate concerns. 0ne, on the urgency of three immediate concerns. One, the virus. Getting it under control. Getting the vaccine
into People Public arms, the way its being done now has been very, very sad. Numbertwo its being done now has been very, very sad. Number two we fed 4000 deaths, 4000 deaths yesterday. And things continue to rise and escalate. Thats my number one concern to look at the virus under control. We lost over 125,000 jobs this last month and people are really, really, really in desperate shape. And so im focused on the virus, the vaccine and economic growth. With the congress decides to do is for them to decide. But im going to have to come and they are going to have to come and they are going to have to come and they are going to have to get ready to hit the ground running because when kamala and i are sworn in we are going to be introducing immediately significant pieces of legislation to deal with the virus, to deal with
the economy and deal with economic growth. So we are going to do our job and congress can decide how to proceed with theirs. Lets get more from our washington correspondent lebo diseko. So,joe so, joe biden will be inaugurated on january 20, but President Trump will not be there. Even though last night he was calling for healing and reconciliation. I think this is very much more the President Trump that we are use to hearing, certainly much more in keeping with his tone of the last year or so, and of course the most recent months or last week since the election. I think when i listened to that video which seemed to have been, had some help preparing from staffers, when i listened to it i wondered what those supporters of donald trump who had been encouraged by the president himself to go to the capital might
make of that. And i wondered also whether the second tweet where we saw that he was said he was going, not going to go to the inauguration and also had his support for his fans, i wondered whether that was with that in mind. You are of course in the Capital Building on wednesday when it was evacuated. You had to shelter in place during all of that violence, and we are now seeing a very significant Law Enforcement operation with both a Murder Investigation at a number of arrests. There have been around 40 people charged with breaking local dc law and police saying they are determined to bring more charges. But the acting federal prosecutor for this district asking how it is so for this district asking how it is so many people were able to leave the capital grounds on wednesday after a ll the capital grounds on wednesday after all of this happened, and
thats certainly something thatjoe biden himself has commented on saying that if these were black lives matter protesters that would never have happened. Another question that people were asking was one of donald trump might see himself charged with having incited those people. We are hearing out of the department ofjustice says that is not the case, but theres lots of questions even though as you said theres still a significant Law Enforcement operation in place at the moment. Thank you so much. Lets ta ke the moment. Thank you so much. Lets take a step back now and remind ourselves of the events of the last two days. The words horse and stable door come to mind, as contractors are brought in to erect to some proper security around the capitol hill complex. So alarmingly and easily breached by the trump supporting mob on wednesday night. And the repercussions are still being felt. Last night, a chastened and tense president spoke words that had clearly been written for him. I would like to begin by addressing the heinous attack. The change of tone and substance in just 24 hours is startling, whiplash inducing. As they say on school essays, compare and contrast. We are going to walk down to the capitol. We have just been through an intense election and emotions are high but now tempers must be cooled and calm restored. Youll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong. Like all americans, i am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem. The demonstrators who infiltrated the capitol have defiled the seat of american democracy. So, go home, we love you, youre very special. To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction you do not represent our country. We had an election that was stolen from us, it was a landslide election. A new administration will be inaugurated on january 20th. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation. In the wake of the riots and the president s incendiary words, hes faced multiple resignations and the threat of removalfrom office. That explains the astonishing volte face from donald trump last night. He had no option. And then theres this. Just before he spoke, it was confirmed that one of the capitol policeman, Brian Sicknick, had died from injuries he received while trying to hold the rioters at bay. Today, it was ordered that flags should fly at half mast in his honour but theyre also flying at half staff or american democracy. As weve mentioned, house Speaker Nancy Pelosi has threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against donald trump, and indeed calls within the democrats are growing. Joining me now is kimberley whele former assistant us attorney and this time a year ago we were talking about the first impeachment of donald trump, remember that . Because his actions towards ukraine. Is it really possible with 12 days left in his presidency that he could be impeached for a second time . Remember that impeachment is just the actual indictment document, so given how serious nancy pelosi is about this for her stronghold on the majority i think the impeachment pa rt majority i think the impeachment part is entirely possible. Whether he could be convicted and removed in time thats highly unlikely. Democrats are saying they could bring articles of impeachment against donald trump, that he failed
to uphold the oath of the constitution for example as early as monday. But House Republicans are saying that such a move would further divide the country, impeachment as you always say is as much a political act as it is a legal one. Do you think it is something thatjoe biden will want to push ahead with . Hejust something thatjoe biden will want to push ahead with . He just said something thatjoe biden will want to push ahead with . Hejust said it was up to congress. I thought president elected bidens response to that question was spot on perfect frankly. He does have some very serious things to deal with, primarily the coronavirus but hes a creature of congress and he understands that the separation of powers and at this moment in american democracy is hanging on by a thread, the United States congress is created to oversee and put in check the office of the presidency and that has not happened in four yea rs. And that has not happened in four years. Given what happened this week there has to be some kind of pushback otherwise we will see some despotic person in the future just step in where donald trump left off,
i think its very important at there be some consequences even if they arejust be some consequences even if they are just symbolic for what happened this week. After the shocking events of this week, a few republicans have suggested that they would be open to considering impeaching the president , but as you will recall last year mitt romney was the only person in the senate who voted to convex donald trump. You would think it would be any different this time because of the argument, as you know we spoke a lot about it, after the trial which was not really a trial, in the senate for not convicting him was lets have it resolved in november, the American People can speak on whether they support this president or not, its not up to us to ta ke president or not, its not up to us to take that choice away and then of course for weeks now we have been hearing about this reg fraudulent election which is all false, and republicans have supported that false narrative and filed lawsuits supporting taking the vote away from the American People. I think that falls on deaf ears at the moment,
and these are members who were crouching on the floor in the hollow chambers of congress were able to own lives this week. I think the temperature has probably changed in washington around the propriety of removing this man from office, the stronger argument is theres just no time, buti stronger argument is theres just no time, but i think we are at risk. We are at risk for the next 12 days and nancy pelosi and others are well a aware of that. You are the author of aware of that. You are the author of a book on the us constitution, has any present ever been impeached twice . No, this would be unprecedented. 0f twice . No, this would be unprecedented. Of course what happened this week is also unprecedented. An insurrection, an attack on the United States congress as they were deliberating about the transition of power from one president to another and a spectacular failure of the federal Law Enforcement to protect members of congress. Six deaths including a
Police Officer, this is very, very dark. This is all Uncharted Waters just like we were a year ago, but even more so. Just like we were a year ago, but even more so. Things like law professors like myself could not have even hypothesised about, here we are. Thank you so much for joining us. Despite the chaos of the past few days here in washington, many of Donald Trumps core supporters outside of americas capital are standing firm. The bbcs larry madowo has been getting opinions from a conservative stretch of rural virginia. Republican Denver Riggleman played with fire by officiating a same sex wedding in a conservative part of virginia, and got burned. He lost his seat in congress. Now he is pouring political wisdom from his craft distillery. You can get drunk on your own stuff he calls the storming of the us Capitol Building domestic terrorism. So, they get stuck in these echo chambers and when people in leadership, they appeal to that sort of insanity, it is weaponised. So, what motivates people to go
and storm the capitol . They have been radicalised over years, right . And this started with qanon in 2017, 2018, and now you are seeing the metastasisation of that. The white house has condemned the violence and President Trump committed to an orderly transition of power. Some of his supporters disagree with the mob for occupying the capitol but they say they were just patriots fighting for election integrity. You know, everybody that was there at that rally were not committing felons breaking into the us congress. I know many friends that were there that are just great americans, they love our country. And i support freedom of speech, i support being able to protest our government and being able to protest all across our nation. The sun may be setting on the Trump Presidency but trumpism is not fading away, especially here in rural america, where his supporters have been emboldened by his recent grievances about the election. He does what he says hell do. And has done what he said. And its for the American People. I feel that. Jon russell is about to launch a run for mayor of culpeper, virginia, as a republican. He Still Believes trumps win was stolen. In my heart of hearts, i do believe that. Can i prove it . No. The thing that we learned the most from the rally is that our country going to continue to be divided. But trump has also lost some supporters along the way, even here in deep red virginia. As the president took office, and the longer he was in office, it seemed like his behaviour was more and more unbecoming of what a president should be. He is too much on social media, too much tweeting about what hes doing and thats not what a president should be doing. Still, many who voted for President Trump twice want him to run again in 2024. Critics call it the cult of trump but they dont mind the label. Larry madowo, bbc news, virginia. Although we have been engulfed by these dramatic events here in washington the coronavirus outbreak is also of great concern here and there was a Record Number of deaths, 4000 americans died from that virus in america and the president elect has said that dealing with the virus in the vaccine will be his priority and infact in the vaccine will be his priority and in fact hes going to give out all the available Coronavirus Vaccine doses and not hold back some for a second dose, so hes emily was happening there in britain. We had oui happening there in britain. We had our own very grim record today, the uk has had the highest number of deaths in one day since this pandemic began, 1325 people died within 20 days a positive test. The highest since records began. This is
really difficult for the uk because we are now inching up to one of those milestones, 80,000 deaths which if you cannot imagine what its like im one of our programmes showed the london 0lympic stadium back from the 2012 olympics, fully during the opening ceremony, its capacity 80,000. Which just shows how many people have passed away, a really difficult milestone here in the uk. We will be talking about the vaccines that are coming through also here on bbc world news talking about climate. Record wildfires and storms. The japanese people are in mourning, following the death of emperor hirohito. Thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. Good grief after half a century of delighting fans around the world, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. The singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. They Say International artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. Around the world, people have been paying tribute to the iconic rock star, david bowie, who sold 140 million albums in a career that spanned half a century. His family announced overnight that he died of cancer at the age of 69. The worlds tallest skyscraper opens later today. The burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. This is bbc news, the latest headlines. President trump says he wont attend
the inauguration ofjoe biden, the morning after he promised to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of power calls have been growing for mr trumps removal, following the riots on capitol hill. Top democrats and some republicans say he should go. The uk has recorded the highest number of daily covid related deaths since the start of this pandemic. 1,325 more people have lost their lives. To add to that grim figure, a Record Number of new cases, more than 68,000 positive tests recorded in the past 24 hours. It comes as the mayor of london sadiq khan has declared a Major Incident in the capital. Heres our health editor, hugh pym. Two brothers enjoying a swim on a foreign holiday. Exactly a year later, one of them died with covid 19. Hes a big chap, theres no denying that, he can swim all day long. He was running on christmas day. James remembers his brother, david, who was 36. They both tested positive and were isolating but davids condition worsened overnight and he didnt survive. We were going to sit there and rough it out. Well, it didnt work for us and my advice would be. I dont want to scaremonger people and i dont want to be dramatic, but i think people. If youre in that situation, if youre sat at home and youre starting to really struggle for breath, ring 111. A postmortem will try to establish whether there were other factors in davids death. As more lives are lost and case numbers increase, londons mayor has declared a Major Incident. This involves stepping up coordinated efforts of Emergency Services and a call for Financial Support from the government. The pressure on hospitals mean delays for ambulances handing over patients, with waiting time up 36 in the south east in december, according to data leaked to bbc news. Covid patient numbers are rising in most parts of the country. Extra staff are being drafted into intensive care units, including dental specialists. I didnt really think about how hard it would be. Even patient rolls, to end of life. Its somebodys loved one. The latest survey of Community Infections by the office for National Statistics suggests that last week in Northern Ireland, one in 200 people had the virus, with case rates no longer decreasing. In scotland, it was one in 115, with case numbers on the increase. In wales, one in 70, though case rates were coming down. In england, one in 50 had the virus, with case numbers on the increase. The worst affected area was london, with one in 30. The latest r number range, 1 1. 4 was higher than the previous estimate. Anything above one suggests the virus was accelerating. As some in priority groups queued today to get their jabs, it was confirmed that a third vaccine has been approved by uk regulators. Its made by Us Company Moderna and the government has ordered 17 million doses, though they are unlikely to be available before the spring. Right now, Senior Health officials are focused on the spread of the virus. Theyre worried there are more people out and about than during the first lockdown and they think there could be more than 100,000 new infections per day, including those who havent been tested. Hugh pym, bbc news. Chris hopson is chief executive of nhs providers the Membership Organisation for the National Health service hospital, mental health, community and Ambulance Services that treat patients in england. Hes been giving his response to that Record Number of coronavirus deaths and cases in the uk. Well, they are very alarming. I mean, these numbers are going up and they are going up rapidly. All around you are seeing infection rates go up, you are seeing the number of people
dying going up. We are seeing the number of people in hospital with covid going up, and itjust really reinforces how serious this is. And if i had one message for your viewers, certainly in the united kingdom, and i suspect, to be frank, more widely, is its really, really important to observe the rules on social contact. The only tool we have at the moment to restrict the spread of this virus until we get the vaccines in place is to reduce social contact, so i would just urge everybody please, please follow the rules. That will reduce the number of people who die, it will reduce patient harm, it will give the nhs the best possible chance that we really need to treat every single patient who needs help. The uk has approved a third Coronavirus Vaccine, made by the American Drug company moderna. Trials have shown the vaccine to be 94 effective in preventing disease, and the government has ordered
17 million doses of the jab which is expected to arrive by the spring. New data from eu satellites shows that 2020 is in a statistical dead heat with 2016 as the worlds warmest year. Scientists say unprecedented levels of heat in the arctic and siberia were key factors in driving up temperature. The study says that last year was around 1. 25 celsius above the long term average. This made it easierfor wildfires to continue to rage. Climate change will be addressed at a key un conference later this year. The past 12 months also saw a new record for europe. Worryingly, the continent was around 0. 4 celsius warmer than 2019. The Study Concludes that while 2020 was marginally cooler than 2016, the two years are statistically on par. Samantha burgess is deputy director
of the Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Centre for medium range weather forecasts who put the data together. I asked her what most stands out. 2020 was an anomalous year for many, many reasons, but one of the key takeaway was that the warming that we saw in the arctic that was persistent throughout the year, it wasntjust warm over the summer but over the winter, spring, summer and into the autumn, and this led to sea ice levels that were the Second Lowest extent ever, and the lowest extent for particular parts of the year, so injuly, the minimum peak and also in october, where we saw sea ice regrowing very slowly, and that is because of the warmth we saw in the arctic, so sea surface temperatures much warmer so it meant that the ice took much longer to regrow. Hello there. Some of the snow today has been pretty disruptive especially for north yorkshire. But the snow in the sleet will be easing overnight. Many places will be clear in temperatures dropping very cold. We will see freezing fog developing across southern britain. This is the legacy of the sleet and snow which weve had across Northern England and wales to the day. Eventually clearing away. Many places turning drier and when the far northwest of scotland. That is cold here as it will be elsewhere. The hard frost in places, 11 12 across central and eastern parts of the uk. We start saturday on a cold frosty note. Bright and plenty of sunshine and some freezing fog across southern areas. It could lift into patchy cloud. Most places things dry, the weather front pushing at the weather in scotland
and a strength westerly wind bringing our breaks or rain and a little bit of snow over the high ground. Temperatures lifting a little bit but a cold day to come for most areas. Through saturday night, the weather front continues to bring sleet and hail snow across scotland and it sinks further southwards into Northern England and wales and even here we can see when reachesr the high ground. Central and southern areas it will stay dry will clear spells of a variable cloud and a cold frosty one here come a little less cold further north. Part two of the weekend come area of High Pressure brinks dry weather to the southern half of the country and the weather front struggling, scotland will bring further rain at times across the west, and it will be breezy too. Snow again over the high ground and further this out the head after a bit of a cloudy start in the southeast it will brighten up. Here are some good spells of rain and a chilly further north, cloudy breeze and a little less cold, temperatures seven
or 8 degrees here for a five further south. Heading into next week, High Pressure begins to retreat away from the south although it will be close by enough to bring drier with a further north, will have a frontal system moving in off the atlantic and that will feed them all the air, cold air never too far away in the north and east. Into next week, generally not as cold as it has been in there will be rainy times and hail snow in the north and the driest of the weather will be towards the south. Goodbye for now. President trump says he wont attend the inauguration ofjoe biden. Mr trump had earlier promised to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of power. Its as democrats say they plan to move forward with articles of impeachment. A Police Officer is the fifth person to die from the violence on capitol hill. A Murder Investigation has been launched into his death. Police say Brian Sicknick was injured while physically engaging with protesters. The uk records its highest daily death toll since the pandemic began more than 13 hundred deaths reported today. And a Major Incident has been declared in london, as hospitals across the uk struggle to cope. The Moderna Vaccine has been approved for use in the uk. Its the third vaccine to get the green light and 17 million doses have been ordered, with almost 1. 5 Million People hello, youre watching bbc news. A third Coronavirus Vaccine, made by the American Firm moderna, has been approved for use in the uk. The uk has ordered 17 million doses, but the supplies arent expected to arrive until the spring. 1. 5m people have already been vaccinated here using the pfizer and oxford jabs. The Prime Minister has said the aim is to vaccinate 15 Million People by mid february, including care homes residents and staff, front line nhs staff, everyone over 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi says the approval of the moderna jab is an important milestone. This is the third vaccine to be approved by the regulator. Another important weapon in our armoury against this virus and as we. As we begin to vaccinate more and more of the most vulnerable people, so the first bold cohorts we are now absolutely focused on making sure that they are offered the vaccine by mid february. And then we carry on through the rest of the cohorts of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisations of the most vulnerable, so we complete the full nine. This vaccine in volume will come on board next spring. To allow us to then go even further. Obviously, the more we vaccinate their some very good dater today out their some very good data today out of the 0ns Lifestyle Survey where Vaccine Acceptance of people considering to take a vaccine is that 85 , i think. Which is the highest its ever been. And so this becomes very much part of the plan that the task force have always been focused on delivering. To make sure theres enough vaccine doses to really be able to offer it to the whole of the adult population. The pressures facing some Ambulance Services during the pandemic are off the scale, according to the Royal College of emergency medicine. The bbc has seen leaked data which shows ambulance waiting times at hospitals in the south east of england rose by 36 in december, compared to the same period the year before. 0ur correspondent faye kirkland, who is also a gp, has this report. I was knocked unconscious straightaway. When they got to me, i was lying on the ground, face down. Delivery driver Chris Lanning was unloading a lorry in selby, yorkshire, when he was struck on the head by falling equipment. Colleagues called an ambulance but more than an hour later it had failed to arrive. Youre shaking, youre chattering, your speech is getting slurred. I was freezing cold, wondering to myself, you know, when is this ambulance going to arrive . I need an ambulance. Chris was eventually taken to hospital by his colleagues and found to have fractured his skull. Ambulance services in england are facing enormous pressures. 0ne paramedic working in london, whose voice we have changed, says hes seen patients waiting 12 hours for an ambulance. Some days we are seeing patients that have been on the streets for hours on end, so we had an adult male the other week who had fallen in the street and he had been on the floor for probably about six or seven hours. He was unable to move. His friends tried to get him into a van, but they couldnt move him, and it was a freezing cold night to be taken to hospital. And then we picked him up and he had quite a bad leg injury. How is the service coping . The service is on its knees at the moment. Weve also learned that on one point on monday, more than 700 patients were left waiting for an ambulance, but none were available. Data leaked to bbc news shows that in the south east, ambulances spent nearly 8000 hours
waiting to off load patients in december, up more than a third for the same month a year before. The idea that you break a leg and you call an ambulance, which is the right thing to do for that scenario, and you cant. Nothing comes for over seven hours, thats just appalling. Doctor adrian boyle says its a crisis unlike any other hes seen. There is absolutely no doubt were in a crisis, but its notjust the ambulance service, its the whole urgent and Emergency Care pathways. People may feel that we have a winter crisis every year. This is different. This is on an order of magnitude worse, and certainly this is the worst winter crisis ive been through in my 25 years of practising as a doctor. Ambulance services say its taking significantly longer to hand over patients at hospitals, but they are doing everything they can to meet the demand. Faye kirkland, bbc news. We will be speaking to a doctor who is experience of working across various emergency wards. Stay tuned for that. Two women have been describing how they were surrounded by police in derbyshire, read their rights and fined £200 after they drove 5 miles for a walk by a reservoir. Current guidance says you can travel for exercise in england as long as it is in your local area. But Derbyshire Police said driving for exercise was not in the spirit of the current lockdown. Phil mackie reports. Eliza moore and jessica allen, friends whose businesses have shut because of lockdown decided to brave the cold and go for a socially distanced walk to try to keep their spirits up. Unfortunately, their trip to a nearby reservoir has earned them each a £200 fine. Derbyshire police have been stopping people who were driving to beauty spots because they say its a breach of covid regulations. Jessica says she thought they were following the rules to the letter. We take these guidelines really seriously. My brothers a doctor who works on a covid ward. You know, my parents have both had it. You know, we are trying to follow the rules. We havent come out wanting to break the law, we havent had a party, there isnt five of us. Weve simply come to what we thought was the safest place. Derbyshire police were accused in the first lockdown of being too heavy handed after flying drones over walkers in the peak district. Today, officers have been out again, telling people to go home. Ive been coming to this park for most of my life. Just out for daily exercise and ive been turned away by the police. The difficulty is in the interpretation of the rules. Derbyshire police has released a statement in which it seems to say that if you have to drive somewhere to take exercise, then thats not local. And theyve also said that its very much at the discretion of individual officers as to whether or not to issue fines. There cant be a grey area when it comes to what people are allowed to do, because this really is a lifeline for some people. So, you know, for people that are struggling, they dont then need to be going out and think, am i going to be
approached by the police for this . You know, we need to know in Black And White what is allowed, what is accepted. Eliza and jessica say theyll contest the fines. With the outlook bleak, mental and physical Health Remain critically important. Phil mackie, bbc news. All visitors to the uk from next week will have to have proof of a negative covid test before theyre allowed to travel. Anyone arriving by air, rail or sea, including uk nationals, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before departure, and people arriving from countries that arent on the travel corridor list will still have to quarantine for up to 10 days once they arrive. 0ur transport correspondent Caroline Davies reports. Until todays announcement the uk has not required anyone arriving in the country to show that they recently tested negative for the coronavirus. But things are about to change. International arrivals including uk nationals travelling to the uk to the uk will need to show
that they have a negative covid 19 tests ta ken up to 72 hours before they travel. It applies to everyone arriving by boat, plane or train but not to hauliers or children under 11. It wont apply to anyone travelling within the uk or ireland. The government has said tests will be needed from next week. But havent set an exact date. And they havent specified a particular sort of test. It can be different types of tests. A pcr test perhaps there is also lateral flow tests and lab test. The important things its up to a certain specification and then people take that test and as long is it a negative than they can fly but they cant board the aeroplane for example, without having that negative test. Some other countries already have strict measures in place. Raphael recently returned to south korea. It took 24 hours of testing and paperwork before he was allowed home to quarantine. He said it was very different when he flew to the uk. The process was completely opposite there were no checks, no temperature check. Theres no screening, there was no social distancing. Many people were not wearing masks. Neil is a Marine Engineer he counts as a critical work and has been told he doesnt need to quarantine. Over the last few weeks travelling through Southeast Asia hes had 11 tests. And after all those tests were you surprised to go back to the uk not need one . Yes. I was, yeah. But it was a ridiculous scenario to be in as i arrive from transiting through to countries. And then arriving in the uk and then given the ok for me. Its total and absolute utter nonsense. Even with a negative test arrivals from countries not on the travel covered a list will still have to quarantine. On the travel corridor list will still have to quarantine. Many in the Aviation Industry have been calling for testing since april last year. They hope that in the long term
testing can be used instead of quarantine and that a common standard can be introduced. Companies around the world have introduced departure testing. Countried around the world have introduced departure testing. They all have a slightly different set of measures that theyre looking for, different ways in which they have to be validated. And its very confusing for passengers. But some airlines are concerned that if the passenger gets a positive test it destroys their business. If you leave the airlines with the risk that they all cancel within a day or two days of departure, we then have to run flights five or 10 of the seats sold. We lose so much money. It makes it the only way we can survive is to not operate the flights at all. The government has said that policies like travel corridors quarantining and the test to release programme have help manage important infections before. With the new variance of the virus its clear the government want to go further. Uk arrivals into the indian capital delhi will be required to self isolate for a week to stop the spread of the new coronavirus variant. The new rules will require people
to take a test on arrival in delhi. Anyone who tests positive for covid will then have to quarantine for a fortnight. The announcement came as flights between india and britain resumed, following a 2 week ban. Lets return to the situation in hospitals in the uk with analysis showing that more than half of all trusts in england have more coronavirus patients than at the peak during the first wave. Dr emeka 0korocha is an a e locum doctor working in covid wards across london and the kent border. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Just talk us through what you are seeing. 0f to us. Just talk us through what you are seeing. Of course, this comes on the day that london mayor has declared london as a Major Incident. It doesnt surprise me at this point. I can speak for all doctors
working in london in the south east that we are seeing a lot of covid. In the hospital ive been working on, weve had to expand some of the covid units, especially in a e, where as before, we were able to kind of contain them, a red zone, blues own type of basis. Now, we are seeing in many cases many more Covid Patients. Patients coming in for issues not related to coronavirus. In your opinion, issues not related to coronavirus. In youropinion, are issues not related to coronavirus. In your opinion, are we at the stage where we are going to have patients on beds in corridors and potentially patients just unable to get from the ambulances into the hospitals in the first place, with air yet . Honestly, yes. We are very much at that stage. I highlighted yes. We are very much at that stage. | highlighted it yes. We are very much at that stage. I highlighted it on my social media channel, we are seeing many more patients in ambulances then i am in the department. What people dont realise is that when you get it a e, we have to keep Covid Patients away
from other patients to keep them safe. If we cant bring them in, because there is no is a sin the department, these patients have to stay in the ambulances there is no space in the department. We then have to go and see them in the ambulances, that means ambulances cant be deployed on the road, we are hearing a firefighter is being deployed instead of ambulances. This is worse than what we saw in the first wave. That is putting it mildly, isnt it . When it comes to the staff, the toll that is being taken on the physicians in the nursing staff, talk us through what the kind of experiences youve heard in the day to day work. The kind of experiences youve heard in the daytoday work. Honestly, its difficult, because the difference between now and before is that we have more accessible testing. A lot of us are administered lateral flow tests that we can take home and we are testing ourselves every two days. A lot of people will be a symptomatically they will be covid positive. Then,
they will be covid positive. Then, they themselves have to isolate, they themselves have to isolate, they cant come into work. This obviously has an impact on staff numbers. We already know that we are overrun in a e and the cove edwards. If we have staff that cant make it in because they all the coronavirus, it makes it more difficult. Now, it is darker, colder, it has taken its toll on a lot of peoples mental health. It was more manageable back when it was the summer time and you could go on the weekends to the parks and run about and enjoy yourself outside. Now, its a bit more tasking. How does it work for you as a locum, and a e doctor who works over london and kent, is there a danger that you, going into different areas, that that adds to the risk of spreading this dreadful disease . Yes, you are right. With my job, im lucky because i get to see a number of different hospitals and
the way that different hospitals are tackling the pandemic at the moment. I think with myself, i am by myself here in london in terms of living alone, so it doesnt increase the risk luckily to people im seeing, because im not seeing anyone. But in terms of patient contact, it doesnt make any difference, because iamso doesnt make any difference, because i am so exposed to covid and coronavirus, so i think its very important for myself to get vaccinated, because of my exposure. Luckily, i havent been ill so far myself, but i do worry sometimes about seeing patients and possibly spreading it to them, hence why myself and my colleagues were wearing masks, gloves and taking Safety Measures to protect our patients when we can. Have you been vaccinated . Yes, i had my first dose of the vaccine and i am awaiting my second dose in february. Fantastic news. Really good to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing your
experience and keep up the good work, stay safe. The headlines on bbc news. The uk records 1,325 new covid deaths, the highest since the pandemic started, there has also been a Record Number of positive cases. The mayor of london declares a Major Incident warning the virus could overwhelm hospitals in the capital and urges people to wear masks whenever they are outside their homes. The Moderna Vaccine is approved for use in the uk. Its the third vaccine to get the green light and 17 million doses are now on order. One of the biggest problems for both the nhs and care homes is staff shortages, with so many off work because theyre sick or self isolating. Some Care Services across the country have reported shortages of as much as 50 . Alison holt reports. Morning, lynne. Each morning here at the glastonbury care home in somerset, theres one question on the lips of staff. Any new cases . Yes. No four more cases. Really . Three staff, one resident, including a nurse. Oh, no, no, no. I know. The home had its first coronavirus cases at christmas, and since then, with the virus spreading rapidly in the community, regular testing is picking up more and more staff with the virus, often without symptoms. More than ten residents tested positive, 25 of staff tested positive, and we came in a situation where we lose staff from their shifts. Here, a quarter of the staff are either sick or self isolating, leaving the rest working extra long hours to fill in the gaps. Its quite difficult when you have residents test positive and also Staff Members test positive, and wejust keep going. We find it very emotional at the moment, because these are our second family. We care deeply about all the residents, but we are losing them. They are maintaining the care, but their boss says, like other homes, they are under huge pressure. We are doing everything we can in terms of infection control. We know were doing the best on that, but we are fighting something which is, you know, very, very virulent. I think, for all of us, i just want to protect those staff who are doing everything they can and being so courageous. The National Care forum, which represents not for profit care providers, says theyre hearing from residential and Nursing Homes across the country who are struggling with staff shortages. A few have lost 40 or 50 of their staff. Martin mcguigan runs Dementia Care homes in the north of england and scotland. Weve got a service with 90 colleagues thats currently in an outbreak. 36 of those colleagues have tested positive for covid. It means they are also asking remaining staff to do all they can to help. The reality is, it is the toughest its ever been. Its that simple. It was really difficult, march, april, may, but this is as bad as its been in terms of what we are having to deal with, this new variant, etc. But, this time, we have the hope of the vaccine, and that is the thing that is keeping our colleagues going. For many, it underlines the importance of vaccinating staff and residents as soon as possible, particularly if they are to do what they can to help overstretched hospitals. Alison holt, bbc news. Questions have been asked this week about the logic of keeping nurseries open for very young children, when schools are closed to most older children. Nurseries remain open in england, wales and Northern Ireland, althought theyre closed in scotland until at least february. Its left some nursery workers worried about their safety and many are calling for extra support from the government, as our education correspondent Adina Campbell reports. Hi, catherine. How are you today . Were good, thank you. Are you awaiting any covid results . No. The morning drop off relief for parents, and business as usual for staff. Have a great day. Earlier this week, the government announced nurseries like this one in surrey should stay open for all children. We feel that both the nursery are very well managed, and we keep ourselves to ourselves, so we feel like its very, very controlled. We took the decision at the first lockdown to keep them home, but you could see that that harmed them. Im scared, a bit, to take my daughter to nursery because of whats going on. Campaigners who represent more than 50,000 childcare providers are now calling for the government to take more action to keep these workers safe, including giving them priority for covid 19 vaccinations, mass testing across all Early Years Services and access to more government money, especially for those whove been forced to close, or seen a drop in funded places. 85 of childcare in this country is delivered by the private and voluntary sector. And, of course, they feel a bit let down, really. Because staff are testing positive, that means theyre having to juggle every day in terms of how theyre going to manage the staffing issue within the nursery. The department for education says places such as nurseries remain low risk environments for children and staff, and is funding nurseries as usual in all parts of england. Nurseries are still open in wales, but remain closed in scotland and Northern Ireland. Nurseries are a lifeline for working parents, and an important part of a childs development socially, emotionally and physically. But with Covid Infection rates rising rapidly, there are growing concerns about the health and safety of everyone involved in these services. All critical workers should be given the vaccine and should be kind of up there in priority. Fingers crossed, obviously, things do go forward and that is something that they would consider. Some nurseries in england have now decided to only accept Vulnerable Children and those of key workers because of safety fears. Despite assurances from scientists that children under the age of five are less likely to catch the virus, campaigners say they also want to see clear evidence about the risks to justify Early Years Services staying open. Adina campbell, bbc news. Its usually one of the highlights of the football year, but the pandemic is affecting the fa cup third round weekend. Southamptons game against shrewsbury is off but aston villas match against liverpool will go ahead, despite a string of positive covid tests. The stand out tie though is non League Marine taking on premier League Tottenham hotspur which as andy swiss reports is the biggest mismatch in fa cup history. Dreaming of a football fairy tale. Commentator bradford again oh, what a goal the fa cup has seen a few over the years. What a goal but could marine top the lot . The merseysiders have all the ingredients. A last gasp winner in the previous round from a striker whos a pe teacher, while their midfielders a refuse collector now hoping to dump tottenham out of the count. 0bviously seeing the likes of harry kane and mourinho and stuff, its mad because you watch them on the telly week in, week out, you watch them play and then the next minute, youre playing against them. Youre going up against them in real life. In fact the gulf with Jose Mourinhos team is the biggest in fa cup history. Tottenham are fourth in the premier league whereas marine, well, you have to scroll down eight divisions to find them. A gap of some 161 league places. We suspectjose mourinho will have never sat in a dug out thats overlooked by bedroom windows. Much of the ground here
is surrounded by houses. There are even numbers to tell you which door to knock on if the ball goes into someones garden. The residents have become tv celebrities during marines run. With no fans inside the ground, the likes of the mcdonalds at number 11 will be using every vantage point. Oh, yeah, youve got a guy next door in a tree. Dave. Youve got us, youve the lady next door on her varanda with the champagne, so, yeah, the atmosphere will be fantastic. Can marine do it, could they beat tottenham . Stranger things have happened. At the end of the day, its the fa cup, isnt it . And guess what, the team even have an fa cup song. And how mighty they would be if they can pull off footballs ultimate upset. Andy swiss, bbc news. Good luck to them. Ijust want i just want to return to the situation in hospitals in england with the mayor of london warning
that hospitals in the capital will run out of beds within a couple of weeks. Dr Ian Higginson is the Vice President of the Royal College of emergency medicine. How close are we to this catastrophic situation, not least because london is now being declared a Major Incident . Good evening. Its difficult to say how close we are to com plete difficult to say how close we are to complete capacity, but we know the situation in london and the south east in particular is pretty dire. We are worried that its going to get worse in other parts of the country before too long. |j to get worse in other parts of the country before too long. I see. When it comes, when you say we are close to capacity, what is the situation on the ground . We spoke to a doctor who is in a e doctor and he wasjust saying how difficult it is, how busy it is full stop yes, so what we do know is about 90 of departments are
severely under strain because of covid. The Emergency Departments are facing a triple whammy. Chronic underfunding and resourcing of the system. On top of that, when to pressure and the nhs always totters on the brink somewhat in winter and then of course, we have this awful disease to cope with and thats triple whammy is what is causing all the problems. Departments at the moment are overstretched, staff are tired, often high rates of sickness at the moment because of whats going on out there and we are struggling to find beds for our patients. That the desperate situation. When it comes to nursing staff in particular, we went into this with a deficit of nursing staff. Indeed. We are worried in particular about our nurses and paramedics, also, they are under incredible stress. Doctors, we are short of as well. We are short of staff across the board, really. We feel that the pressure is most intense for nursing colleagues at the moment and then to medical staff. Certainly, after this is all
over, we would like some attention paid to getting our Department Staff to the future. When it comes to today, another grim day when it comes to the number of deaths, the highest number of deaths since this pandemic began, what is your reaction to that . Its very sad data, isnt it . Ifear it reaction to that . Its very sad data, isnt it . I fear it will get worse before it gets better. We are heading for some really dark times i fear, in this phase of the pandemic. 0k, fear, in this phase of the pandemic. Ok, i know youre busy, doctor Ian Higginson, thank you forjoining us. Take care. We do have much more on our website. Now its time for a look at the weather with stav. Hello there. Its been a very snowy end to the week across Northern Ireland and parts of wales. Some disruptive snow across north yorkshire, but most of that will fizzle out tonight and temperatures will fall like a stone, very cold, frosty one for many of us, with some freezing fog, particularly in the south. The sleet and snow clearing away,
leaving a legacy of cloud across the south west. This is where we will have the fog. Further north, largely clear skies, so where we have any lying snow, it will be very cold indeed, 11 12 degrees in one or two spots. A cold, frosty start to saturday, but bright with lots of sunshine around, though it will be quite grey across central and southern areas with some freezing fog for a time which will tend to lift into patchy cloud. Subtle changes taking place across northern and western scotland. A weather front here will bring outbreaks of rain, more of a breeze, a bit of hill snow. Temperatures slowly recovering closer to the seasonal norm there for the western isles, but another cold day. As we head through sunday, certainly into next week, it looks like we will see some slightly milder air moving for a time but there will also be outbreaks of rain. This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. Im Laura Trevelyan in washington. Our top stories. The us president elect says hes fine with donald trump not attending his inauguration in 12 days time. Joe biden also took sharp aim at the man hes about to replace. Hes been an embarrassment to the country. Embarrassed us around the world. Not worthy. Not worthy to hold that office. The speaker of the house has threatened to impeach President Trump following this weeks unrest. It would be the second time that lawmakers have brought such charges against the outgoing president. And im kasia madera in london. Also on the programme. The uk records its highest daily death toll since the pandemic began
more than 13 hundred