Testing is a shambles, more and more local lock-downs are on the way but blustering Boris Johnson claims that if we all behave ourselves and 'flatten the second hump of the camel' he will 'save Christmas' (it's a dromedary by the way)

Desperate Boris Johnson was accused of 'thrashing about' today as he pleaded for Britons to 'save Christmas' by obeying his 'Rule of Six' - warning that lockdown will only get stricter if the country does not 'flatten the hump of the camel'.

The PM faced a welter of criticism as begged the public to keep faith with his draconian rules despite the testing system descending into a shambles, with fears schools and offices will have to shut because people with mild symptoms cannot prove they are negative.

Ministers have been forced to fend off claims that chief medical officer Chris Whitty is pushing for a two-week national lockdown, with suggestions the true number of cases might be as high as 38,000 a day.

Amid bitter clashes between experts over the best way to respond to the rise in Covid cases, the North East is the latest area facing new curbs, including forcing pubs to shut at 10pm and a ban on households socialising with anyone else.

In London, public health chiefs have warned of looming curfews, while ministers have hinted that the edict for everyone to work from home could be reinstated soon if infections do not come back under control.

The new rules for the North East are coming into force just after midnight after a dramatic rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the area.

But Matt Hancock was branded 'out of his depth' after it emerged that the Department of Health ordered mobile testing vans to leave County Durham just last week as the problems spiralled.

Meanwhile, testing tsar Baroness Dido Harding is facing a roasting from MPs amid accusations that she is presiding over 'chaos' and lacks any experience in public health.

The gathering disaster has sent the PM's ratings plunging to new lows, with a poll today showing approval for the government's handling of the crisis has gone from minus 18 to minus 33 over the past week.

In an interview with The Sun trying to justify his agenda, Mr Johnson emphasised that social restrictions, localised lockdowns, and a 'ramped up' testing were being used in a bid to prevent a second wave.

He warned: 'The only way to make sure the country is able to enjoy Christmas is to be tough now.'

In other coronavirus developments:

The proportion of results coming back positive has stayed relatively low since June - although in April most of the people being tested were already in hospital whereas more than 200,000 tests a day are now being carried out, many in the community among people with relatively mild symptoms

The UK has announced a further 14 Covid-19 deaths in the preliminary count, although the final figure can sometimes differ

Public Health England data reveals 23.4 cases are now diagnosed for every 100,000 people aged between 40 and 49 — up from 12.4 at the end of August. And coronavirus infection rates have nearly doubled in just a week for people in their fifties, jumping from 10.9 to 20

Is Britain REALLY suffering from a 'second hump' of Covid-19?

Boris Johnson today urged the nation to be tough to 'flatten the second hump' in Covid-19 cases, saying it is the only way to save Christmas.

But top experts have insisted the current spike in cases is nowhere near the scale of what was seen during the darkest days of the crisis in March and April, with one telling MailOnline: 'We are not near the stage of the peak.'

However, they say the spike in infections — which have doubled in a fortnight — is 'troubling'. Hospital admissions and the number of infected patients on ventilators have also risen sharply in the past week.

Britain yesterday recorded nearly 4,000 new Covid-19 cases for the first time since May 8, bolstering fears that the nation is in the midst of a dreaded second wave.

Government graphs now clearly show a resurgence of the disease, with cases getting closer to the levels seen in the UK's first battle with the life-threatening disease.

More than 6,000 infections were announced on the worst days in April.

But the daily cases then can't be compared to the cases now, experts say, because hardly any testing was being done and the numbers then did not reflect the reality.

In the spring, officials would test just 15,000 Britons each day and swabs were restricted to the most severely-ill.

Since then health chiefs have ramped up testing to carry out around 200,000 swabs every day, theoretically allowing anyone with symptoms — not just society's most vulnerable — to get tested.

There are now dozens of negative cases for every positive one, showing that large proportions of people who think they have Covid-19 actually don't – the opposite was true in the first wave when most people who were tested did have it.

Although cases have been surging over 3,000 a day, it was initially among younger people, who are less likely to be badly affected.

But now Covid-19 cases are soaring among middle-aged people in England and have risen by upwards of 90 per cent in a fortnight as the outbreak continues to grow.

The PM claimed the chart of infections is starting to resemble a camel's back, so ministers are implementing new measures to ensure the virus doesn't 'rip' through the country.

Mr Johnson said: 'All this is to say that: Christmas we want to protect, and we want everyone to have a fantastic Christmas.

'But the only way to make sure the country is able to enjoy Christmas is to be tough now. So if we can grip it now, stop the surge, arrest the spike, stop the second hump of the dromedary, flatten the second hump.

'Dromedary or camel? I can't remember if it is a dromedary or a camel that has two humps? Umm. Please check.

'Anyway a double hump. So that is what we need to do!'

There were claims today that chief medical officer Chris Whitty has been urging an immediate two-week national lockdown, and the true number of daily cases could be 38,000.

But Professor Carl Heneghan of Oxford University dismissed the idea that the disease was 'out of control' again.

'Most of the problems here occurred if you look at the data, after the Bank Holiday Monday, from about the 2nd of September onwards,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'You can argue here that one of the issues here that happened was significant people met over that weekend, and then we've had a bit of a surge.

'But the language of 'out of control, we need more testing, this is terrible' needs to be dialled back. Look, we have problems, significant problems, but we also have shifting policy every day now.

'I think what we've got a huge problem here, we are losing the trust of the population… This is a huge moment right now, and what we have to do is slow down our thinking, pause and start to be more analytical about the steps we take.

'We rush in, like with the test and trace programme, it is falling over.'

Dr Adam Kucharski, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the lack of testing meant 'blunt tools' were needed to control the outbreak.

'I think we are getting to the point where potentially we are losing our ability to accurately track the virus,' he told Today.

'That means that we could have a situation where it is getting into risk groups, we start to see more cases appear and we don't have good warning of that.

'It also affects our ability to have more targeted, nuanced measures. If we lose the ability to track the virus it ends up that more blunt tools will be deployed. That is what we saw earlier in the year.'

Health Minister Edward Argar played down the idea of a two-week national lockdown.

'It is not something I have seen within the department,' he told Sky News.

'The Prime Minister has been very clear on this. He doesn't want to see another national lockdown. He wants to see people abiding by the regulations and making the local lockdowns work.'

Mr Argar said the North East was now seeing a spike in cases similar to that in the North West.

'In the North East we are seeing a spike in infections. It is exactly what we have seen in the North West. We monitor that rate. Where we need to, we step in and take action,' he said.

Mr Argar said that in the North West, the rise had been driven in part by people not adhering to the social distancing requirements - and blamed pubs.

'Obviously a nighttime economy will fuel that with people having been out late into the evening.'

Kevan Jones, Labour MP for Durham North - one of the areas set to be plunged into lockdown - told MailOnline the government had 'totally lost control' and was 'thrashing around'.

He said the Department of Health had moved mobile testing sites out of Country Durham just last week, with no explanation.

Expert retracts claim Chris Whitty wants a new two-week national lockdown

A former World Health Organisation expert has retracted a claim that Professor Chris Whitty is pushing for a new two-week national lockdown.

Anthony Costello, who sits on the independent SAGE panel, made the statement on Twitter on Wednesday evening, adding that daily infections could be as high as 38,000.

But this morning he said he was withdrawing the claim, saying Prof Whitty had informed him 'indirectly' it was not the case.

It comes after Boris Johnson insisted he was doing 'everything in my power' to avoid plunging the country back into blanket restrictions, voicing fears that we could not 'afford' it.

But he acknowledged he could not dismiss the possibility, conceding there is 'not enough' capacity for screening and pleaded for people only to get checked if they have symptoms.

According to Mr Costello, the Prime Minister has been told by his Chief Medical Officer that such a move may be needed to stop the recent rise in infections.

He wrote: 'I'm hearing from a well-connected person that government now thinks, in absence of testing, there are 38,000 infections per day. Chris Whitty is advising PM for a two week national lockdown.'

'It's an absolute mess. I've got people who can't get results or tests. I've got someone who lives just outside Durham and was given the nearest test as Aberdeen airport.'

Mr Jones said the claim from ministers that the 'worried well' were breaking the system was nonsense.

'It's not the worried well. I've even got NHS workers who can't get tests. They have just lost control.'

'You don't need the restrictions if you get test and trading done.'

'Hancock is completely out of his depth.'

'It's going to be over by Christmas? It's just rubbish. They haven't got a clue.'

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg risked a backlash today as he complained that people are 'endlessly carping' about the difficulty getting tests.

He insisted people should be celebrating the 'phenomenal success' of the testing system.

'We all have an obligation to try and stop the dangerous disease spreading, but the issue of testing is one where we have gone from a disease that nobody knew about a few months ago to one where nearly a quarter of a million people a day can be tested,' he told the Commons.

'And the Prime Minister is expecting that to go up to half a million people a day by the end of October.

'And instead of this endless carping, saying it is difficult to get them, we should actually celebrate the phenomenal success of the British nation in getting up to a quarter of a million tests of a disease that nobody knew about until earlier in the year.'

Mr Hancock has confirmed the North East will be hit by a Covid-19 curfew from midnight tonight because of a spike in cases of the life-threatening disease, amid fears pubs, bars and restaurants across the country may be told to close early to slow the spread of the disease.

Spiraling cases in the region, home to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland and Middlesbrough - all of which are on the government's 'watchlist - may also see residents households banned from socialising with anyone outside their home.

Mr Hancock announced the tough measures to crack down on the spike in coronavirus infections in the North East in the House of Commons this morning. Council bosses argue they are needed to prevent a full-blown lockdown.

The new measures prevent people from socialising with people outside their own households or support bubbles and order pubs, bars and other hospitality businesses to switch to table service and leisure and entertainment venues to close between 10pm and 5am.

'I know, the whole house knows, that these decisions have a real impact on families, businesses and local communities,' he told the Commons. 'I can tell everyone effected we do not take these decisions lightly. We agree with the local councils that we must follow the data and act, and the data says we must act now, to control the virus and keep people safe. I know the people of the North East will come together to beat this virus, and beat it we must.'

The restrictions will be in place from midnight tonight in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham.

North East faces tough lockdown from midnight

Matt Hancock has confirmed the North East will be hit by a Covid-19 curfew from midnight tonight because of a spike in cases of the life-threatening disease, amid fears pubs, bars and restaurants across the country may be told to close early to slow the spread of the disease.

Matt Hancock announced the tough measures to crack down on the spike in coronavirus infections in the North East in the House of Commons this morning. Council bosses argue they are needed to prevent a full-blown lockdown.

The restrictions will be in place from midnight tonight in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham.

Figures show Newcastle has recorded a sharp increase in its weekly infection rate, up from 51.2 cases for every 100,000 people to 64.1 in the seven days to September 13. The virus is also spreading rapidly in Gateshead and Hartlepool in the North East, two other authorities officially named as a hotspot by Public Health England.

Rising numbers of infections in London and Leeds have also prompted further warnings the cities may soon head in the same direction as the North East with additional restrictions. Dozens of regions in the UK, including Greater Manchester and Leicester, have already been hit with local lockdowns.

Leeds has been told it has entered a 'critical phase' in transmission. Council chief executive Tom Riordan yesterday said they are in a 'live situation' where cases are rising. Kevin Fenton, PHE's director for London, has suggested that curfews could also be deployed in the capital.

Government sources have told The Telegraph that Boris Johnson is desperate to tackle rising cases through placing a curfew on the hospitality sector. Downing Street officials insisted all options were still be on table, despite warnings that ordering pubs to close early — like has been done in Bolton — would be 'devastating'.

On a more national scale, business leaders claimed employers will be left with no choice but to send staff to work from home due to the shortage of Covid-19 tests.

Such a move would put a sizeable dent in the little progress that has been made to boost the economy since certain restrictions were eased.

Testing tsar Dido Harding is facing a grilling from MPs today with the system teetering on the verge of collapse.

The Tory peer is set to give evidence to politicians amid anger that coronavirus screening has turned into a 'chaotic disaster', with thousands of people struggling to get checked even though a rise in cases was predictable.

In a sign of the shambles engulfing the arrangements, the government has even stopped publishing figures on its total capacity for the past week - with claims that labs have been exaggerating how many samples they can process.

There are fears that the country could be plunged into a 'lockdown by default' because people with mild symptoms cannot prove they are negative and have to stay in quarantine.

Experts say that perhaps half a million people a day will develop Covid-like symptoms at this time of year, even in a normal times. Hundreds of schools are already believed to be partly or fully closed due to pupils and teachers having to self-isolate.

Politicians have questioned why Lady Harding was appointed.

Mr Jones said she had 'no experience' and the responsibility should be given to local officials who had a background dealing with outbreaks of diseases such as TB.

Covid testing chief Dido Harding faces grilling from MPs as system teeters on the verge of collapse

Testing tsar Dido Harding is facing a grilling from MPs today with the system teetering on the verge of collapse.

In a sign of the shambles engulfing the arrangements, the government has even stopped publishing figures on its total capacity - with claims that labs have been exaggerating how many samples they can process.

There are fears that the country could be plunged into a 'lockdown by default' because people with mild symptoms cannot prove they are negative and have to stay in quarantine.

Politicians have questioned why Lady Harding was appointed, amid a public furore over the national shortage of Covid tests.

'It comes back to the fact she's got no experience in public health. Local directors of public health, they know how to do test and trace. It's what they do,' he said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to Mr Hancock calling for action on the coronavirus testing 'chaos and confusion'.

The Labour mayor told London Assembly Members: 'This is a critical moment in the fight against Covid-19. Many Londoners are being told there are no testing sites available in London.

'The delays are preventing frontline workers from being able to do their jobs, and children are being kept away from their classrooms unnecessarily.

'This failure is putting lives and livelihoods in jeopardy. We've known for months now that come the autumn demand for testing would increase. This crunch point should have been foreseen, and then avoided.

'And unless the Government massively ramps up testing capacity in London we'll be back to where we started: trying to halt the spread of the virus in the dark.

'Nothing is more important than a fully functioning test, trace and isolate system if we are to prevent a devastating second wave, and time is fast running out. '

A fortnight would be needed to determine whether Mr Johnson's new rule of banning gatherings of seven or more people had successfully reduced infections, senior government sources told the Telegraph, adding that further lockdown measures may be required if not.

Official messaging of 'go to work if you can', repeated by the Prime Minister in recent weeks, appears to have been dropped, while No10 has also insisted there is no 'back to work' campaign being driven in the same way other key advice is being communicated with the public.

However, telling workers to stop going back to their desks would inflict further woe on pubs, cafes and restaurants which have already struggled during the pandemic and are only recently reaping the benefits of more footfall and schemes such as Eat Out to Help Out.

Matthew Fell, the UK chief policy director of the CBI, said: 'If we are to successfully encourage more people into their workplace safely, then the test and trace system will be a key component.'

Adam Marshall, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, added: 'A truly comprehensive test and trace programme is essential if the UK is to manage the virus without further lockdowns, which will cripple businesses. Continuing delays and a shortage of tests saps business, staff and consumer confidence at a fragile moment for the economy.'

If you've got a runny nose you DON'T have Covid-19, says top expert

Children only suffering from a runny nose 'absolutely' do not have coronavirus, a top expert has warned amid calls for Britons to stop getting tested unnecessarily amid the government's ongoing swabbing fiasco.

Professor Tim Spector, of King's College London, moved to reassure parents the symptom, alongside congestion and sneezing, is a 'sure sign' they have a cold and not Covid-19.

Matt Hancock has claimed parents seeking tests for children merely battling colds are contributing to the soaring demand on Britain's creaking testing service, which has descended into chaos over the past week.

Fears are now high that schools and offices will have to shut because people with mild symptoms cannot prove they are negative. Officials say a quarter of Britons getting tested aren't 'eligible'.

It was claimed today that the testing fiasco has hit almost every school in the UK, with up to 25,000 teachers in England already forced to stay at home and self-isolate.

Professor Spector, who runs the Coronavirus Symptom Study app, is behind research showing the most common symptoms of Covid-19 for school-age children is fatigue (55 per cent), headaches (55 per cent) and a fever (49 per cent).

By comparison, the most common symptoms in adults are fatigue (87 per cent), headache (72 per cent) and a loss of smell (60 per cent). Neither children or adults frequently report a runny nose.

The team spearheaded efforts to get loss of taste and smell registered as a symptom of the virus in the UK, after reports to the app revealed it was a sign of the virus. But their massive pool of data means they can also identify what symptoms mean someone does not have coronavirus.

Meanwhile, a public health chief has suggested curfews could be imposed in London to help fight a potential second wave.

Professor Kevin Fenton, London director of Public Health England, highlighted an influx of around half a million students to the capital from across the UK and around the world as a potential hazard for increased infections.

The London director of Public Health England also warned the city's testing capacity was struggling to cope with demand, as resources are piled in to help hotspot areas,

About 500,000 students are coming to London from around the country and world for the start of term which is likely to increase infections.

He told the Evening Standard: 'Before we get to that stage of a full there are many other things that you can do in order to help to reduce the risk of transmission and contain your outbreak.

'In some areas which have seen resurgence there have been limits placed on the amount of time you can spend socialising. In some it might be local curfews so you're not out drinking until the wee hours of the morning.

'By limiting that you also limit the amount of time people are spending in close contact with others.'

His comments come as a survey found more than half of workers have said they never expect to return to a five-day working week in the office.

A new report called 'Lockdown Lessons' also found that 58% of people in employment said they felt more productive as a result of working from home.

Bosses also agreed, with 30 per cent of business leaders saying the changes had seen a boost in productivity and 35 per cent said the moves had seen more collaboration.

Tristia Harrison, chief executive at TalkTalk, who compiled the research, said: 'Lockdown Britain has seen a boost in skills and productivity for home workers, with unexpected lessons for how we emerge from the pandemic.

'As people have been working from home, they've also been learning: from new languages, to cooking, to IT skills. With flexible working we're becoming so much more productive it seems that Britain is now getting five days' work done in four, which is encouraging as we build back from the crisis.'

Catherine Barnard, from consultancy Working The Future, which analysed the data for TalkTalk, said: 'A future where a four-day work week is the norm could be a lot closer than people think.

'If someone can do their work in four days rather than five as a result of flexible working hours, it stands to reason that they can use the fifth day to further improve skills that complement their role. The challenge is to pivot from a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to employment.'

Only snitch on neighbours if they are having hot tub parties, says PM

Members of the public should not report their neighbours for breaching the the 'rule of six' unless they are having large parties, the Prime Minister has said - in direct contradiction of his own Home Secretary's advice.

Any social gathering of more than six people in England is against the law, with people facing fines of up to £3,200 if they do not abide by the new measure, which applies to both indoor and outdoor settings.

But Boris Johnson has now urged people to speak with rulebreakers before notifying the authorities - contradicting Home Secretary Priti Patel, who said it was 'personal responsibility' to make sure people obeyed rules.

The PM said: 'I have never much been in favour of sneak culture, myself.

'What people should do in the first instance is obviously if they are concerned is raise it with their friends and neighbours.

'But I think what is reasonable for anyone to do is if they think there is a serious threat to public health as a result of their neighbours' activities – if there is some huge kind of Animal House party taking place, as I am sure, hot tubs and so forth, and there is a serious threat to public health then its reasonable for the authorities to know.'

Animal House is a 1978 American comedy which marked John Belushi's film debut as a hard-partying college fraternity member.

Mr Johnson made a spirited defence on the new 'rule of six' which bans on groups of more than six people from meeting to help prevent the spread of the pandemic.

He said: 'I know that a lot of people feel that it's excessive and heavy-handed . . . but unfortunately the disease has not gone away.

'There are places in Europe which I will not name, such is my reputation for diplomacy, where we've come down one hump of the camel and we are approaching the next.'

Mr Johnson he was keen not to implement another full nationwide lockdown that 'stops business from functioning.'

The PM was also at pains to tell Britons that he doesn't want to impose further restrictions.

He added: 'We don't want to go there. We want this package to work.

'We are urging people to be cautious. We want people to be disciplined to get the R down.'

The 'Rule of Six' imposed by Boris Johnson on Monday makes it illegal to have larger gatherings, although in Scotland and Wales children under 12 do not need to be counted in the numbers.

Ministers have suggested they are following the example of Belgium, where a surge appears to have been tackled using tight limits on gatherings and curfews.

A senior member of the government told ITV's Robert Peston that there was 'no possibility of us waiting for the death rate to rise before we act'.

They added that the government will reassess whether the Rule of Six has been enough to control the situation in fortnight - but there is a widespread view that schools should not be shut again.

A leading scientific advisor reportedly said: 'I think that if we want to keep schools open, we probably have to give serious consideration to a wide range of other measures to stop a major second wave.

'And we have to think about doing that right now - which we are starting to do.'

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick. Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o

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