Here is a summary of the main points from the press conference (at the top), as well as our main stories from the day (lower down). Boris Johnson said it was “inevitable” that there would be “many, many job losses” this year because of the impact of coronavirus on the economy. Technically the UK has not yet reached the official benchmark for a recession - two successive quarters of negative growth - but in practice the economy is already shrinking considerably, with some forecasts saying the country is facing the deepest recession for 300 years. Johnson seemed to acknowledge this when he said: I am afraid tragically there will be many, many job losses. That is just inevitable. But he also said the government would be as “as activist and interventionist” in helping people in the next phase of the crisis as it has been up to now. (See 5.41pm.) Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, refused to explicitly back the government’s decision to impose quarantine on new arrivals to the UK from next week. He also implied that scientists are sceptical about the policy generally. Asked if Sage, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, had endorsed this timetable, he said dates and policy were a matter for ministers. He also said quarantine works best when the infection rate is low in the country receiving visitors and high in those countries sending them in. This is not the case with the UK at the moment vis-à-vis arrivals from most EU countries. Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, said it would take “quite some time” before the new test and trace system was working at full capacity. He said: The new thing that has been brought in - and it is definitely, as you imply, in the early stages of its development, but it is definitely there, and definitely working, but it will work a lot better over time - is the new element of test and trace ... We are not yet at cruising altitude for this. The number of tests is going to keep on going up and our ability to use the tests we have got is going to carry on going up. This is going to carry on for quite some time before we get to the point where we are all satisfied we have got to the point we need. Johnson ducked a question about whether Britons would be able to take a foreign holiday this summer. Asked if it was safe to book one, he replied: I’m not going to give advice on individuals’ travel arrangements, but you know what the Foreign Office guidance is... everybody at the moment should avoid non-essential travel. He claimed he was a Sinophile. Asked about Huawei and whether he would now exclude it from the 5G network, he said he wanted solutions that worked for UK security. But he went on: I want to stress one thing. I am a Sinophile. I think China is an incredible country and an extraordinary civilisation. And I deeply disapprove of anti-Chinese xenophobia - attacks on people of Chinese appearance that we have seen in recent months. We must stamp out such xenophobia. I see absolutely no contradiction with what I’ve said earlier about Hong Kong and high-risk vendors in critical national infrastructure and wanting a good, friendly, clear-eyed, working relationship with China and that’s what this country will have. He said the UK was talking to other European countries about setting up “air corridors” that could allow them to bypass the quarantine rules. Priti Patel, the home secretary, is facing mounting calls to publish the scientific advice behind the decision to enforce a 14-day quarantine period on all arrivals into the UK months after the pandemic began. The Metropolitan police are facing claims of bias after figures showed that officers enforcing the coronavirus lockdown were more than twice as likely to issue fines to black people as to white people Health and social care workers could be asked to volunteer to look after people with Covid-19 without wearing protective equipment in the event of extreme shortages, according to proposals seen by the Guardian. Theresa May has launched a double attack on Johnson’s government, speaking in the Commons to first warn about the security implications of a final no-deal Brexit, and then against the coronavirus quarantine plans. Johnson has announced a government U-turn to allow MPs who are shielding to vote by proxy following an outcry over the treatment of parliamentarians with medical conditions or those who are looking after vulnerable loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s all from us for today. Thanks for the comments. This is from Business Insider’s Adam Bienkov on Boris Johnson’s claim to be a Sinophile. (See 5.45pm.) The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the prison estate continues to rise, the Ministry of Justice daily update shows. As at 5pm on Tuesday, 479 prisoners had tested positive for coronavirus across 79 prisons, an increase of just two cases in 24 hours, a rise of less than 0.5% The number of prison staff with the virus increased by just five cases to 935 workers across 105 prisons in the same period, a rise of less than 1% The figures are not live cases and include those who have recovered. There are around 80,000 prisoners across 117 prisons in England and Wales, and around 33,000 staff working in public sector prisons. At least 23 prisoners and nine staff are known to have died, as well as one prison escort driver and one NHS trust employee working in a secure training centre. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice unveiled its plan for recovery within the prison estate with potential to restart prison visits in July. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Johnson says the UK is discussing air corridors (or “air bridges”, as they are sometimes called) with other European partners. But he will not give details. But he has a message for Italians, he says: “Come back to the UK.” But you have to quarantine, he says. The press conference is now over. I will post a summary soon. Q: What assurances can you give to the car industry in the West Midlands? Johnson says he wants to champion low-carbon vehicles. That is the future. Q: What advice can you give to parents worried about sending their children to school? Whitty says he will reply as a doctor would; when putting a patient on a new treatment, you stress the advantages and the disadvantages. He says children are much less likely than adults to get severe illness from coronavirus. And parents of primary school children are generally not in the age group where they are at high risk, he says. He accepts some parents may have health issues that make them vulnerable. He says government has to perform a balancing act between slowing transmission, and making sure children do not lose out by missing education. He says other family members might be at risk. They need to take sensible decisions, he says. Q: Do you want to exclude Huawei now from the 5G network? Johnson says he thinks what is happening now in Hong Kong will be an infringement of the agreement between China and the UK. On Huawei, he says he wants solutions for the UK that protect UK security. But he stresses that he is a Sinophile. He deeply disapproves of anti-Chinese phobia. We must stamp out attacks on Chinese people, he says. Q: Did Sage specifically advise on imposing quarantine from 8 June? Vallance says it did not advise on timing. That is a policy matter for ministers. He repeats the point about Sage advising that quarantine works best when the incidence of coronavirus is low here and high in other countries. "Many, many job losses" are "inevitable", Johnson says Q: [From the Sun] When will test and trace be operating at full capacity? And are you comfortable for more lockdown measures to be eased before this is up and running? Whitty says they are playing leapfrog. Capacity goes up, then testing goes up. With more capacity, more can be done. Now they can test members of the general public. That means test and trace can operate. And it means the government can identify hotspots. They are not yet at “cruising altitude”, he says. He says it will take quite some time to get there. Vallance says a test and trace system is not the single answer. Other measures will be needed too. Q: Many people will lose their jobs. Will you find new jobs for them, or provide training? Johnson says there will be “many, many job losses”. That is “inevitable”, he says. He says the government will be “as activist and interventionist” in helping people as it has been so far, he says. He says no other country in the world has done as much. (That last point is not true, according to this Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis.) Whitty says coronavirus is an infection we will have to live alongside for many months, and possibly longer. He says the lockdown should be relaxed very cautiously. He says the government has to isolate people with the virus, or who might have the virus. The people most likely to get it from these people are people in their household. He says test and trace has just been brought in. It will work better over time. It will allow the government to identify people most at risk. Whitty goes on to talk about reducing transmission at an individual level. Washing hands is important, and so is coughing etiquette. The 2-metre rule is important. And if people cannot socially distance at 2 metres, they should wear face coverings. He says all these measures will continue for as long as the epidemic continues. On top of that, the government needs to break social contacts. That is why pubs have been closed down, and why shops and schools were closed too. In this category of lockdown measures, the changes have been very modest, he says. Whitty says shielding is also important, to protect those at greatest risk. A small adjustment has been made to this, but it is “very small”. And research is vital too - finding new vaccines and drugs. Whitty says he has set out all these measures to explain that it is not “lockdown over”. He says the changes announced have been modest. Q: [From Sky] Protesters in London are angry about the death of George Floyd. They cannot speak to the US president. You can. What will you say to him? Johnson says we mourn George Floyd. He says he was appalled and sickened by what happened to him. His message to Trump is that racist violence has no place in society. People have a right to protest. But they should do so peacefully. Q: The government said the lockdown would not be relaxed until the alert level went down to 3. But it is still at 4. What has happened? Whitty says relaxing the lockdown was linked to the government’s five tests. But the alert level is different, he says. It is independently set. It monitors the spread of the disease. (Whitty is wrong about this. The government’s coronavirus recovery plan specifically said: “The content and timing of the second stage of adjustments will depend on the most up-to-date assessment of the risk posed by the virus. The five tests set out in the first chapter must justify changes, and they must be warranted by the current alert level.” And the government produced a chart saying gradual relaxation of the lockdown would only start when the alert level went down to 3. See here.) Johnson defends quarantine measure and hints at possible "travel corridors" Q: [From the BBC] Are holidays abroad going to happen? If someone has paid a deposit, should they cancel? Johnson says he will not give people holiday advice. But the Foreign Office advice is clear; everyone should avoid non-essential travel. Q: Would a quarantine like this have saved lives if introduced earlier? And did Sage give advice on the new quarantine policy? Johnson defended the decision to impose a quarantine now, saying: “Now that we’re getting the virus under control in the UK, there is a risk that cases from abroad begin once again to make up a greater proportion of overall cases. We therefore need to take steps now to manage that risk of these imported cases triggering a second peak.” Vallance says the advice is clear: quarantine measures work best when the level of coronavirus in the UK is low, and when it is high in the countries from which people might be arriving. Johnson also said the government “will explore the possibility” of “travel corridors” with countries with low rates of coronavirus. Q: What help is there for parents who need to go back to work but who do not have childcare options? Johnson says he understands how frustrating that is. He says they hope to get primary children back. The government will continue to support people, thought things like the furlough system. As for specific options with childcare, he refers the questioner (a member of the public) to the government’s coronavirus website. He says not being able to get childcare should be seen by employers as a reasonable excuse for not being able to go back to work. The first question is from Amy in Brighton. She says Spain has relaxed its lockdown, but there is no second spike. Why? Vallance says he would hope to see the same thing happen here. Johnson says it is possible there could be a second wave. It has its own kinetic force, he says. Whitty says a second wave is quite common.