Scotland makes face masks compulsory in shops and England prepares for weekend of lockdown easing

The decline in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is leveling off, according to new figures by the Office for National Statistics – raising questions about what could happen when lockdown measures start being eased. In Scotland, face covering will be mandatory in shops later this month.

In England, concerns are especially acute in places like Rochdale – where the number of cases is among the five highest in the country, though still well behind Leicester where a local lockdown is in force.