HERE is a round-up of all the main points from the last 24 hours:

  • Groups of up to six people will be allowed to meet outside provided they stay two metres apart as Boris Johnson announced a “cautious” easing of lockdown rules amid a continuing row over Dominic Cummings.
  • The Prime Minister confirmed that all five tests required for the next phase of restrictions to begin have been met, meaning more pupils can return to school and outdoor retail and car showrooms can open from Monday in England.
  • Mr Johnson outlined that people would be able to see “both parents at once, or both grandparents at once” in what he said would be a “long-awaited and joyful moment” for many.
  • NHS England has announced 185 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,234.
  • Of the 185 new deaths announced on Thursday: – 29 occurred on May 27 – 73 occurred on May 26 – 19 occurred on May 25 The figures also show 54 of the new deaths took place between May 2 and May 24, and the remaining 10 deaths occurred in April with the earliest on April 10.
  • NHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago. This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for post-mortem examinations to be processed and for data from the tests to be validated.
  • The figures published on Thursday by NHS England show April 8 continues to have the highest number for the most hospital deaths on a single day, with a current total of 893.
  • Durham Police have said they will be taking no further action against Dominic Cummings over his controversial 260-mile trip to Durham, but would have intervened over his trip to to Barnard Castle as a "minor breach of regulations".
  • In a statement Durham Police said the force does not consider that by locating himself at his father’s premises, Mr Cummings committed an offence contrary to regulation 6 of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.
  • But Boris Johnson is standing by senior aide Dominic Cummings despite the Durham Police findings.
  • EasyJet plans to reduce its workforce by up to 30% to enable a "restructure of our business" due to the coronaviruspandemic, the airline said. Chief executive Johan Lundgren said: "We realise that these are very difficult times and we are having to consider very difficult decisions which will impact our people, but we want to protect as many jobs as we can for the long-term. "We remain focused on doing what is right for the company and its long-term health and success, following the swift action we have taken over the last three months to meet the challenges of the virus. "Although we will restart flying on June 15, we expect demand to build slowly, only returning to 2019 levels in about three years' time.
  • Meanwhile, dozens of travel companies have called on the Home Secretary to scrap plans to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on people arriving in the UK due to the coronavirus. Accusing the Government of being “woefully slow” in its support for the travel industry, more than 70 company heads have co-signed a letter to Priti Patel over the Government’s announcement last week of the new measure for arrivals, which starts on June 8. 
  • An MP has explained why he travelled from London to the North-East by train after displaying coronavirus symptoms. Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington, revealed he had travelled from London in March to self-isolate at home in a statement on social media on Saturday.
  • Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce “cautious” steps out of lockdown for Scotland. The First Minister will reveal today if the country is moving on to the first phase of a four-part plan for easing the restrictions – which were put in place more than nine weeks ago on March 23. People could be permitted to meet up with friends or relatives from other households – one household at a time – and take part in some non-contact sports such as golf, angling and outdoor swimming.
  • Shortages of sanitary products during the coronavirus pandemic has led to a rise in “period poverty”, a children’s charity has said. A recent survey by Plan International found that three in 10 girls in the UK had struggled to afford or access period products during the lockdown. Of those, 54 per cent said they had to use toilet paper as an alternative, the charity said. A separate survey by WaterAid found more than half of menstruating women (55%) in the UK had experienced increased challenges managing their periods under lockdown People across England with coronavirus will have their contacts traced from Thursday in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19 and help ease lockdown restrictions.
  • NHS Test and Trace has launched in England with the help of 25,000 contact tracers, while an accompanying app is still delayed by several weeks. NHS Test and Trace will run alongside calls to keep up social distancing and handwashing – is to cut off routes of transmission for coronavirus and prevent a second peak of infection. Launching the scheme, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “As we move to the next stage of our fight against coronavirus, we will be able to replace national lockdowns with individual isolation and, if necessary, local action where there are outbreaks.

“NHS Test and Trace will be vital to stopping the spread of the virus. It is how we will be able to protect our friends and family from infection, and protect our NHS. “This new system will help us keep this virus under control while carefully and safely lifting the lockdown nationally.”

  • Craft beer giant BrewDog has unveiled a limited edition drink in response to the Dominic Cummings controversy - a beer named the 'Barnard Castle eye test'. In a statement, the brewer said: “The people have spoken. So, we decided to actually do it. Our limited edition beer is available now for pre-sale."