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All of China holds moment of mourning for victims of coronavirus outbreak that’s swept the world with 1.1m infected – The Sun

CHINA held a three-minute moment of mourning across the country early Saturday to honor those who have died during the coronavirus outbreak, which has left more than a million people infected.

The tribute was especially moving in the large city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in December.

The commemorations took place at 10 a.m. in all major cities in China, which has a population of 1.4 billion people.

President Xi Jinping led other top officials, all dressed in black suits with white carnations, as they bowed before a flag at half-mast in Beijing.

The horns of cars, trains and ships joined in what the official Xinhua News Agency called a “wail in grief” for three minutes.

The State Council ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast around the country and at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad.

All public recreational activities were suspended as well.

China has held such moments of silence in past, but rarely on a national scale.

The country has recorded more than 80,000 coronavirus cases and 3,300 deaths, but many people believe the figures are understated.

More than 3,000 health care workers contracted the virus and the government says 14 of them died.

Among those who perished was doctor Li Wenliang, who was threatened with punishment by police after taking news of the outbreak public.

He has since been listed among the national “martyrs.”

Wuhan was placed under lockdown on Jan. 23 and has been called a “heroic city” by the communist leadership for the actions of its 11 million citizens.

One new confirmed case was reported in the city on Saturday, and 18 among people arriving from abroad.

Four new deaths were reported, all in Wuhan.

The quarantine on the city will be formally lifted on Wednesday, and people have gradually been allowed to travel in and out of Wuhan under certain conditions.

China's emergence from the global pandemic comes as other parts of the globe continues to struggle with the outbreak.

A staggering 1.1 million people have tested positive for the virus, including 280,000 in the US.

Italy, Spain, the UK and other countries have been hit particularly hard.

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Exclusive extract from DAVID WALLIAMS' best-selling new book Slime

Wild about DAVID WALLIAMS: An exclusive extract from the multi-million best-selling author’s hilarious new book Slime

What better way to entertain children at home than with an exclusive peek at David Walliams’ new children’s book, Slime – only in today’s Daily Mail. It’s the story of Ned, a little boy who has lived on the Isle of Mulch all his life, battling the adults who make the local children’s lives a misery.

And the worst one of all is the island’s owner, Aunt Greta Greed – but Ned has found a powerful weapon in his fight against the grown-ups: Slime.

It’s the perfect grungy ammunition, and Ned must learn how to harness its power. As this deliciously silly extract from Ned’s bathtime shows, yet again David Walliams has found the perfect formula to keep kids laughing out loud.

CHAPTER 6 – Gunk Monster

As all the different types of gunk swirled together, waves formed in the bath.

SWISH!

The waves swept up, up, up…

SWASH!

…and they swept down, down, down.

SWUSH!

Ned turned round. It was a horrifying sight. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

The bath was now a raging storm of gunk.

SWISH! SWASH! SWOOSH!

It splashed all over the bathroom, coating everything in gunk.

SPLISH! SPLASH! SPLOSH!

The sink, the toilet, even Ned – all were gunked!

Then, just as soon as the gunk had coated everything, it peeled itself off and whooshed back together.

WOOMPH!

Then the gunk began to take shape.

At first it became a giant egg. Like the kind of egg a dinosaur might have laid. The egg bounced up and down…

BOING! BOING! BOING!

…before smashing itself against the bathroom wall.

CRACK!

The outer layer cracked like a shell as the gunk inside oozed out.

The oozing gunk then began to grow upwards and upwards, becoming a mountain.

WHOOSH!

No, it was a volcano!

An erupting volcano!

It didn’t shoot lava up into the sky, but, rather, gunk!

KABOOM! SPLURT!

It spurted itself all over the bathroom ceiling before oozing back down to the floor to become an elephant. ‘HOO!’ it hooted.

Then it became a shark!

‘CHOMP!’

No, a bird!

FLAP! FLAP!

This gunk monster was swimming and flying all at once.

SWISH! FLAP! SWISH! FLAP!

The boy gazed open-mouthed in awe.

This was the greatest show on Earth!

And it was all for him!

Next the gunk monster exploded into thousands of pieces as it became fireworks.

BOOM!

‘Oh no!’ exclaimed the boy. ‘What on earth have I done?’

CHAPTER 7 – Blobby Blob

What the boy had done that day changed the course of history. In mixing together a thousand different jars of gunk, Ned had created a brand-new matter.

SLIME!

The world would never be the same again.

This was big. Bigger than big. Bigger than biggest.

HUGE-A-MONGOUS!

As Ned stayed deadly still, the slime began spinning round and round him.

WHIZZ!

It was a tornado of slime.

SLIMEADO!

NO! thought Ned. I am going to be slimed to death.

He shut his eyes tight, and cried, ‘ARGH!’

Then the most amazing thing happened.

The whirling tube of slime spun up over his head and slapped against the ceiling.

SQUELCH!

Then it began oozing downwards towards the boy. As it did, it began to take shape.

Not human shape exactly.

More like a blob on top of a blob on top of a blob.

It is easier if I show you. It looked like this…

A blobby blobulous blob that was hanging down from the ceiling.

A huge, slimy upside-down face was staring straight back at him.

‘Good morning!’ it boomed.

The boy’s eyes darted around the bathroom.

There was no one else there.

This thing was talking to him!

‘I said, ‘Good morning’!’ it repeated.

For something made of slime it had a surprisingly posh voice. As if it were royal. Which seemed highly unlikely. Last time I checked, the royal family did not have a member who was made entirely of slime.

‘Who are y-y-you?’ stammered Ned. The boy was trembling with fear.

‘I am anything you want me to be,’ replied the thing.

With that, the blob of slime squelched upside down across the ceiling.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

Next, it made its way down the wall, its slimy bottom acting like a suction pad against it.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

Eventually the thing was standing on the floor of the bathroom, peering down at Ned.

‘Now, boy, tell me what you wish me to be.’

‘Is this like Aladdin?’ asked Ned excitedly.

‘Is what like Aladdin?’

‘Like rubbing the lamp, and a genie coming out, and the genie giving you three wishes?’

The slime looked lost in thought for a moment before replying, ‘No. There is no lamp. I am not a genie. And there aren’t three wishes.’

‘Oh,’ replied Ned.

‘There are infinite wishes!’

‘That’s a lot, isn’t it?’

‘It’s infinite, so, yes, I suppose it is. Unless it was infinite and one, which would be silly.’

‘Cool!’ exclaimed Ned.

‘So, boy, what do you wish me to be? I can be anything and everything! A hippopotamus! A swarm of bees! A giant pair of bloomers!’

As it spoke, it shapeshifted into each thing. ‘Just think of something beginning with S! A sailing ship.

A sphinx.

A sausage as tall as a tree. A steamroller…’

The boy looked on in wonder as it changed with dizzying speed.

‘A symphony!’

With that, there was the sound of a huge drum being struck.

BOOM!

The slime shattered into what seemed like hundreds of tiny globules. They flew past Ned, and he realised that these weren’t just globules.

They were musical notes! As the sound of a symphony echoed around the bathroom, these musical notes danced through the air like butterflies. The boy watched in awe as they swooped and twirled in time to the music.

‘W-w-wow!’ he stammered.

Then, just as soon as the symphony ended, the globules all merged together. This time they didn’t go back into being Slime’s blobulous self.

Oh no. The globules merged back into the shape of a whale. The whale was so humongous it filled up the entire bathroom.

It floated in the air, swishing its tail.

SWISH! SWUSH! SWOSH!

‘Am I back to normal?’ it asked. ‘Something feels fishy.’

‘No! You are not back to normal!’ exclaimed Ned. ‘Unless it is normal for you to be a great big ginormous whale!’

The whale of slime looked down, and then fell through the air.

SPLAT!

It landed like dropped jelly on the bathroom floor.

SILENCE.

Ned stared at it. Whatever this thing was, it looked to be no more.

It was an ex-thing. Lying motionless next to the wheels of the boy’s wheelchair was nothing more than a puddle of gloop.

‘Slime!’ called out Ned. He couldn’t think what else to call it, and ‘Slime’ seemed appropriate. ‘Are you all right?’

After a moment, the slime poured itself back together into the shape of a blob.

‘That’s better,’ it said. ‘I felt all over the place.’

‘Thank goodness!’ exclaimed Ned.

‘Is ‘Slime’ my name, then?’ it asked.

‘I can’t think of a better one.’

‘Erm, Roger? Archibald? Brenda?’ offered Slime. ‘I do feel like a Brenda.’

‘Mmm,’ mused the boy. ‘I think you look more like a “Slime”.’

‘Slime’ it is!’ said Slime. It gave the boy a funny look, as much as a blob of slime can give anyone a funny look. ‘So, did you create me?’

‘Um, well,’ hesitated Ned, ‘I guess I did!’

‘FATHER!’ exclaimed Slime.

‘No!’

‘MOTHER?’

‘NO!’

‘What, then?’

‘I guess we are… well –’ Ned didn’t dare say it at first, but something in his heart told him he should – friends.’

‘Friends,’ repeated Slime. ‘Friends! I like that! Yes! We are friends!’

The boy smiled and leaned over to hug his new friend, but all he got was a face full of slime.

‘You didn’t tell me your name,’ remarked Slime.

‘Ned,’ replied Ned.

‘I have a friend called Ned!’ exclaimed Slime.

‘And, Slime?’

‘Yes, Ned?’

‘I want you to help me play a trick…’

‘Goody! Goody!’ snorted Slime, rubbing his slimy hands together in glee.

‘…on someone who has played a million tricks on me!’

Just then there was a pounding on the door.

BOOM!

‘What on earth is going on in there?’ a voice demanded. It was, of course, Jemima. ‘Come out right now, Ned! Or I will boot this door down!’

‘Is that them, perchance?’ enquired Slime.

‘Now, how did you guess?’ replied the boy with a cheeky smile.

Slime, the new novel by David Walliams with illustration by Tony Ross is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, priced £12.99 in hardback. Text © 2020 David Walliams; Illustrations © 2020 Tony Ross.

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Every one of us can be a life-saver just by following the medical advice – The Sun

COUNTRIES around the world are facing the greatest health emergency since Spanish flu swept the globe in the wake of World War One.

It killed millions more than all those who perished in the fighting.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Now, thankfully, unlike 1918, we have a better understanding of how to halt the spread of viruses. And we have a National Health Service to look after those who need care.

A mobilisation never before seen in peacetime is under way across our health service and beyond. In the NHS our dedicated staff are pulling out all the stops to treat the patients we have and prepare for the surge we know is coming.

We are now looking after more than 13,000 patients in hospital with confirmed coronavirus — a staggering increase compared with just a few weeks ago.

That is more coronavirus patients than the number of hospitalised heart attack, stroke and cancer patients combined.

And in a matter of weeks hospitals have managed to free up a further 33,000 beds, a third of all those normally available, for future patients with coronavirus.

Of course, most patients the health service is continuing to look after have some condition other than coronavirus.

And it is important that other patients still come forward for the urgent and emergency care they need without delay.

Increasing our critical care capacity for those who are sickest is a top priority.

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – STAY IN THE KNOW

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And we are setting up new hospitals at a rate never seen before.

The new NHS Nightingale in London is the most visible example of the extraordinary effort that is under way to tackle coronavirus.

The NHS has joined forces with the military to achieve in days what normally takes years.

More such hospitals are in train across the country — in Bristol, in Yorkshire, in Birmingham and in Manchester. I hope they won’t be needed, but we’re building them in case they are.

They are an insurance policy in case the surge plans at existing hospitals are not enough.

But these new facilities and kit are nothing without the staff that make the NHS what it is today — the institution our nation rightly holds most dear.

More than 25,000 former nurses, doctors and other NHS staff have heeded the call to re-enlist for the battle against coronavirus.

And many thousands of student nurses and medical students will be putting their skills and education into practice early as part of the enormous effort that is under way to save more lives.

NHS CANNOT WIN WAR ALONE

But the NHS cannot win this war alone. Companies and the Government are now pulling together to get us the extra equipment and supplies the NHS needs. British manufacturers are retooling production lines to turn out protective kit for doctors, nurses and other staff, giving their all on the front line.

Commercial rivalries are being put aside as firms co-operate to develop new ventilators and other vital supplies.

Labs are expanding their testing capacity, so NHS staff know if they can safely get back to work.

The public are backing our staff at this time of enormous pressure.

I know how much it means to the nurses, doctors, therapists, cleaners, pharmacists, paramedics and countless others giving their all to fight coronavirus that the whole nation is behind them in this battle.

The support of Sun readers will help sustain them in the days and weeks ahead.

Give now to The Sun's NHS appeal

BRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.

But while they are helping save lives, who is there to help them?

The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers.

The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need.

We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it.

The Sun is donating £50,000 and we would like YOU to help us raise a million pounds, to help THEM.

No matter how little you can spare, please donate today here thesun.co.uk/whocareswinsappeal

So on behalf of the NHS, a thank you too to The Sun, for throwing its weight behind the Clap for Carers campaign to give NHS heroes the recognition they deserve.

But the practical actions that individuals and families take in the weeks ahead will also make all the difference.

As other countries have shown, no health service in the world could cope with the number of patients who would need treatment if between us we failed to slow the spread of coronavirus.

That is why the Government’s measures to stop people meeting and passing on the virus are so important.

Nobody is finding this easy — whether it is missing a drink with friends in the pub, Sunday lunch with the family or uncertainty over jobs and wages this epidemic has created for so many.

There are early signs this is working but this is a marathon not a sprint.

What we need to remember is that right now every single one of us can be a life-saver just by following the medical advice.

Every time you wash your hands you could keep someone off of a ventilator. Over the coming weeks, by staying at home you save lives. It’s as simple and as profound as that. This is truly a national effort.

Each and every one of us has to play our part.

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Amanda Holden joins celebs urging Brits to back The Sun’s Who Cares Wins appeal to raise £1m for NHS heroes – The Sun

AMANDA Holden has joined other celebs urging Brits to back The Sun's £1m Who Cares Wins campaign to help our NHS heroes fight coronavirus.

We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in its urgent COVID-19 Appeal to make sure your money gets to health workers who need it.

Coronavirus has killed more than 3,600 people in Britain and is expected to stretch our beloved National Health Service to its limits.

Britain's Got Talent star Amanda is backing our campaign along with a host of other celebrities.

She said: “The NHS is amazing. The NHS saved my life. They saved my sisters and they were there for us as a family when our son was stillborn.

“Right now is tougher than ever for every single person who works for our NHS. Please dig deep and give what you can to help our NHS get through this.”

World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua also urged Brits to back the £1m appeal.

He said: “The NHS are real heroes, showing so much bravery and courage on the front line. One love to all of you and lets get behind this appeal.”

Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman threw her support behind the campaign, saying: “The NHS has never needed Britain’s support more, please give whatever you can to help our NHS heroes.”

This Morning host Eamonn Holmes praised the nationwide clapping of Britain's brave frontline workers, saying: “The clapping has been so emotional they do so much”.

Loose Women presenter Christine Lampard backed the appeal, adding: “They’ve always been there for us, now they need our help”.

Our Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff — from providing food and care packs to giving them somewhere to sit and rest.

And to start the ball rolling, The Sun — which each year celebrates our amazing hospital workers in our Who Cares Wins Awards — is donating £50,000.

We know money is tight with so many jobs on the line but for 50 years you have been Britain’s most generous readers, the ones with the biggest hearts.

No matter how little you can spare, please donate today at our special giving page.

Every penny you give will go to NHS Charities Together, which supports 240 health service charities around the UK, to aid our brave carers.

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CNN star Brooke Baldwin tests positive for coronavirus just days after Chris Cuomo – The Sun

CNN ANCHOR Brooke Baldwin has tested positive for coronavirus.

The diagnosis was announced on Friday, just days after Chris Cuomo also tested positive for the deadly virus.

Baldwin made the announcement on Instagram and said: "Hi friends – I've tested positive for coronavirus.

"I am OKAY.

"It came on suddenly yesterday afternoon. Chills, aches, fever.

"I've been social distancing. Doing ALL the things we're being told to do.

"Still – it got me. I'm healthy… no underlying conditions…

"Honestly, I feel like one of the lucky ones."

The anchor also paid tribute to the late Bill Withers in her announcement.

She wrote: "PS I am listening to Bill Withers on repeat. I knew him, adored him and will miss him."

Her diagnosis followed her colleague Chris Cuomo's positive result.

Dad-of-three Chris tweeted on Tuesday: "In these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus.

"I just hope I didn't give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!"

The news comes as the US death toll currently stands at 6,095.

The number of confirmed cases in the country has now soared to at least 245,373.

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Chris Packham bid to stop clearing of ancient woodlands for HS2

Chris Packham loses High Court bid to stop the clearing of ancient woodlands for the HS2 rail project

Packham claimed HS2 would cause ‘irreversible and irreparable loss’ to sites
Was seeking emergency injunction as part of legal challenge to HS2 go-ahead
Two senior judges refused Packham permission to bring claim against decision
The Government approved the £100billion project in February

Chris Packham has lost a High Court bid to prevent work on ancient woodlands as part of the HS2 project.

The TV presenter and environmental campaigner was seeking an emergency injunction to stop works that he claimed would cause destruction or ‘irreversible and irreparable loss’ to such sites.

Packham applied for the order as part of an attempt to bring a legal challenge over the Government’s decision in February to give the green light to HS2.

Chris Packham has lost a High Court bid to prevent work on ancient woodlands as part of the HS2 project

But at a High Court hearing on Friday, two senior judges refused Packham permission to bring a claim against the Government’s decision and did not grant the injunction.

Announcing the court’s decision, Lord Justice Coulson said: ‘This application has no realistic prospect of success, so we do not grant permission to bring judicial review proceedings.’

He also said that, even if the court had thought the application had a realistic chance of success, they ‘would not have favoured granting the injunction’.

Packham was seeking to bring a legal challenge against the Government on the grounds that the decision to give the go-ahead to HS2 was ‘unlawful’ because it relied on a review process that did not fully take into account issues such as the environmental costs of the project.

The injunction focused on preventing ‘clearance works’ at ancient woodlands, which Packham alleged would cause damage and destruction to the sites.

The TV presenter and environmental campaigner was seeking an emergency injunction to stop works that he claimed would cause destruction or ‘irreversible and irreparable loss’ to such sites, including Glyn Davis Wood (pictured) in Warwickshire, which is under threat

He also said it would disturb species of animals protected under EU law, as well as nesting and breeding sites and resting places.

David Wolfe QC, representing Packham, told the court that the ancient woodlands are ‘hundreds of years old’ and are ‘simply irreplaceable.’

He added that there was concern about the ‘irreplaceable damage’ that could be done to these sites and that the ‘balance is in favour of pressing the pause button while the issues are considered’.

Packham applied for the order as part of an attempt to bring a legal challenge over the Government’s decision to give the green light to HS2. Pictured: An artist’s impression of the planned route

The Government argued that Packham’s legal challenge did not have a real prospect of success and should not be allowed to proceed.

Lord Justice Coulson said the court would give full reasons for its decision in a written ruling at a later date.

In February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in the House of Commons that his Government had decided to approve the controversial project.

The project, which is expected to cost nearly £100billion, will link London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds in a Y-shaped line.

In January, a report by Wildlife Trusts claimed that ‘huge swathes’ of ‘irreplaceable’ natural habitats, including 39 nature reserves and 108 ancient woodlands, could be threatened by HS2

Pictured is the HS2rail route, showing phase one (dark blue line), two A (light blue line) and two B (orange line) as well as existing services that will use the network (yellow line)

WHAT COULD BE LOST FROM THE HS2?

5 wildlife refuges of international importance.

33 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

693 Classified Local Wildlife Sites.

21 Designated Local Nature Reserves.

18 Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves.

26 Large landscape-scale initiatives, including four nature improvement areas awarded £1.7 million of public money.

108 ‘irreplaceable’ ancient woodlands.

Source: Wildlife Trusts

In January, a report by Wildlife Trusts claimed that ‘huge swathes’ of ‘irreplaceable’ natural habitats, including 39 nature reserves and 108 ancient woodlands, could be threatened by HS2.

The report said the current proposals risk the loss of ancient woodlands, nature reserves, wildlife refuges and more.

Eighteen Wildlife Trust nature reserves will be affected, including London’s Frays Farm Meadows, Holcroft Moss in Cheshire and Park Hall in Birmingham, as well as a further 21 local nature reserves.

HS2 will affect 26 large landscape-scale conservation initiatives in total, including four Nature Improvement Areas awarded £1.7 million of public money.

The Trust said ‘rarities’ such as the dingy skipper butterfly could also be made extinct locally, while barn owls and endangered wildlife such as white-clawed crayfish could be impacted.

The Wildlife Trusts comprises 46 local UK trusts that look after around 2,300 nature reserves covering more than 98,000 hectares.

WHAT ARE THE PROPOSALS FOR A 1,000-MILE UK HIGH-SPEED RAIL NETWORK?

A report by Surrey-based think tank Greengauge 21, titled Beyond HS2, said boosting national productivity should be the guiding priority for re-designing the rail network.

The proposals lead to a re-orientation of Britain’s railway – from a single hub around London to a national railway network.

Key proposals include:

1. An upgraded fast route from Birmingham to Bristol Parkway carrying HS2 trains, continuing to the South West and South Wales.

2. A major upgrade to the East Coast mainline for the first time since the 1980s.

3. New high speed lines in Scotland, achieving a three-hour 15-minute journey time between Edinburgh and London.

4. New lines in East Essex and Anglia, alleviating the West Anglia and Great Eastern Mainlines, both of which are at capacity.

5. Bringing Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull together with new connections to form ‘an effective and powerful economic unit’.

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Ohio Mom Claimed Son, 2, Was Injured in Fall from Bed, But Now She's Accused of Murdering Him

Earlier this week — months after the death of her 2-year-old son — a 22-year-old woman was arrested in Florida after being accused by Ohio investigators of killing the child.

PEOPLE confirms Tina Dayton was charged in March by Columbus, Ohio, authorities with the death of her son, Clifford “Jace” Stark III.

A warrant for her arrest was issued, and authorities eventually learned that she had relocated to Florida.

Jace was rushed to a hospital on October 7, 2019.

Someone called 911 that day, reporting the boy had broken his arm, could barely breathe and had turned blue.

Jace died the next day from internal bleeding.

According to Columbus police, Dayton allegedly told police she thought Jace had injured himself in a fall from a bed.

But medical professionals treating the boy informed police Jace’s injuries were inconsistent with a fall from that height.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Instead, hospital social workers said that Jace had bruises across various parts of his body, suggesting he was the “victim of child physical abuse,” according to police.

In addition to his broken arm, doctors noted bruises on Jace’s forehead as well as a cut to his lip.

Late last year, a coroner ruled Jace died from multiple blunt force trauma, and that the manner of death was homicide.

Dayton remains in police custody on a single count of murder.

She’s yet to enter a plea to that charge, and attorney information for her was unavailable Friday.

Investigators have yet to disclose a possible motive in this case.

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An entire Spanish family with ELEVEN children has caught coronavirus

Spanish father says his entire family including all ELEVEN children have caught coronavirus and are self-isolating after his kids ‘fell one by one’

The Cebrian Gervas family has been placed under a strict lockdown in Valladolid
All eleven children, aged between one and 15, have contracted Covid-19
Doctors warned their viral load could cause a mass spread if they didn’t isolate

An entire Spanish family including eleven children have contracted Coronavirus and are under strict isolation in their home.

The Cebrian Gervas family have been forced to lock themselves away in Valladolid in north-west Spain after every single one of them was diagnosed with the virus.

Mother Irene Gervas was the first in the family to test positive for Covid-19.

Doctors placed the family under a strict lockdown because their viral load means they have an increased risk of affecting others in their home city of Valladolid

The family said they are keeping their children entertained using technical devices like laptops and mobile phones and are home schooling them from Monday to Friday

Father Jose Maria Cebrian told local media: ‘The children fell one by one. Some of them got over it better and some of them a bit worse. As the virus takes five or six days to show up when you feel bad you start to recall and then you think ‘ok!”

Carmen (15), Fernando (14), Luiz (12), Juan Pablo (11), twins Miguel and Manuel (10), Alvaro (8), Irene (5), Alicia (4), Helena (3), and Jose Maria (1) are now unable to leave their home.

The family can be seen above standing on their balcony

Cebrian added: ‘In our case, they (the children) are sick one day, they have a headache, they vomit and after vomiting, they feel better. The day after they don’t even remember.’

The family is under a strict lockdown as they could infect others due to the high number of family members under the same roof.

Cebrian added: ‘The doctor told us that we will have to stay at least two more weeks on an absolute lockdown because of the viral load that we have. If we go out and take it out we could start a source in Valladolid.’

They have so far been in isolation since testing positive on March 14, the day Spain announced it was extending its state of alarm.

The country has recorded more than 117,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 11,000 deaths.

Local media said that the family is relying on relatives and their 14-year-old son to help them deal with the situation.

Their son is only allowed to go out to the pharmacy so long as he wears a face mask and gloves.

Cebrian also said: ‘He is the only one who goes out a bit. I take out the rubbish and he is the messenger. When we get our groceries delivered they leave it in the garage and my son goes down to pick it up.

Local media reported that only the family’s 14 year old son is allowed to leave the house to go to the pharmacy so long as he wears a face mask and gloves

‘Our siblings are in Valladolid and our loving mothers, the grandmothers, who do not stop cooking, asking and bringing things.’

The children are reportedly being home schooled using laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

Jose Maria said: ‘It is important they do not have the feeling that this is chaos, so they have classes from Monday to Friday.’

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'Grandfather of Allergy' William Frankland dies, aged 108

‘Grandfather of Allergy’ William Frankland dies, aged 108, after an extraordinary career as a pioneering immunologist whose ‘lasting regret’ was to tell Saddam Hussein to quit smoking

William Frankland, a pioneering immunologist and allergist, has died aged 108
One of his greatest achievements was his work on desensitisation to allergens
Born in Battle, Sussex, Dr Frankland studied medicine at Queen’s College Oxford
Dr Frankland is survived by his four children, his two sons and two daughters

A pioneering immunologist whose ‘lasting regret’ was telling Saddam Hussein to quit smoking has died at the age of 108.

Amongst many extraordinary events and achievements of Dr Alfred William Frankland’s life include his three-year survival in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and his development of desensitisation treatments for hay fever sufferers.

Dr Frankland continued to publish and participate in scientific debate well past his 100th birthday, and was made an MBE for allergy research at the age of 103.

Dr Alfred William Frankland pictured aged 105. The pioneering immunologist, who was made an MBE for allergy research, has died at the age of 108

Dr Frankland pictured in the mid-1950s. One of Dr Frankland’s greatest accomplishments was his work on desensitisation to allergens and venoms

Born a twin in Battle, Sussex, in 1912, Dr Frankland studied medicine at Queen’s College Oxford and later at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School – now part of Imperial College London.

During the war years, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and was captured by the Japanese in 1942.

In his three-and-a-half years in the notorious Changi Camp, Dr Frankland suffered starvation and regular beatings and credits his survival to the fact he was able to treat Japanese troops.

After the war he began to work full-time in the allergy department of St Mary’s Hospital, and in the 1950s would go on to act as assistant to Sir Alexander Fleming in his penicillin research.

It was Dr Frankland who quoted Dr Fleming as saying that careless over-prescription of penicillin would inadvertently lead to ‘the death of man’.

One of Dr Frankland’s greatest accomplishments was his work on desensitisation to allergens and venoms through administering repeated low doses of the allergens.

He often experimented on himself using insects supplied by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, almost dying on one occasion when he went into anaphylactic shock.

His work ultimately revealed that immunity to pollen could be induced in an average of three years through the treatment, and five years on average in the case of many venoms.

Princess Anne meets Dr Frankland at a garden party hosted at Buckingham Palace in 2015

His work on the emerging science of pollen counts resulted in it becoming measured as a standard part of daily weather reporting.

Despite helping millions of allergy sufferers, Dr Frankland insisted he had never set out to assist people, saying instead he loved the mystery-solving element of his research.

He told the Daily Mail in 2005: ‘I think being a doctor is rather like being a detective – someone is sick and there’s something you have to discover that’s not obvious.’

Dr Frankland had a run-in with Saddam Hussein in 1979 after being invited to Baghdad to treat a ‘VIP’ patient.

The Iraqi dictator believed he was asthmatic, but Dr Frankland told him it was his 40-a-day smoking habit that was causing his breathing difficulties.

‘To my lasting regret, I told him that was his trouble and that if he carried on, in another two years he wouldn’t be head of state,’ Dr Frankland once said.

He retired from his job at St Mary’s at the age of 65 but worked in an unpaid consultancy role at Guy’s Hospital for a further 20 years, studying peanut anaphylaxis and paediatric allergies.

He continued to publish until the age of 105, and was interviewed just last month about the Covid-19 crisis on his 108th birthday.

In an interview published on Imperial College London’s website, he said: ‘I’ve been following the news around Covid-19 and it’s worrying – I think there are a lot of challenges ahead.

‘It’s great to see scientists, such as those at Imperial, working so quickly to help tackle the pandemic.

‘I’m also in awe of all the clinical and healthcare staff on the front line. It takes me back to World War Two when I was stationed in Singapore with the Royal Army Medical Corps.

‘I was looking after over 100 injured patients – mainly soldiers – at the same time. I saw many cases of encephalitis which didn’t have a treatment at the time, which was challenging.’

Dr Frankland is survived by his four children – two sons and two daughters. His wife Pauline died in 2002. They were married for 63 years.

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When does Lent end and why do we give things up during the period?

MANY think of Lent as a time to give up something, such as chocolate or alcohol, but it's also an important event in the Christian calendar.

Let’s take a closer look at why it is so important and why people give up one of their vices during this time…

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What is Lent?

Lent is the six week period leading up to Easter Sunday.

The actual length is 46 days – however, 40 of these are fasting days and six are Sundays.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter".

The period of Lent is seen as a time of solemn observance and preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter.

From its start on Ash Wednesday until its official conclusion on Maundy Thursday, Lent has been a traditional time for fasting, giving something up, or abstinence.

The word Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring".

The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

It can also be seen to mirror the 40 hours that Jesus spent in the tomb prior to his resurrection.

When is Lent in 2020?

Lent will began on Ash Wednesday – which in 2020 was February 26.

Lent lasts 40 days with the Sundays seen as celebrations and not counted.

It officially ends on Maundy Thursday, which is April 9, 2020.

Good Friday is also traditionally a day of fasting and penance.

However, most people who have given things up for Lent, choose to carry on until Easter Sunday.

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Why do we give things up during Lent?

Many Christians will use Lent to commit to fasting, choosing to abstain from certain foods, habits or vices.

The fasting and abstinence is meant to mirror the experience of Jesus Christ and his experience of fasting in the desert.

Traditionally, Christians would fast during the 40 days of Lent, meaning they would have only one full meal a day and two small snacks.

However, nowadays Christians choose to abstain from something in particular – like a food item or luxury like chocolate or caffeine, or a particular habit like drinking or smoking.

In today’s technological age, others choose to give up social media or even using their phones.

Generally, those observing Lent will also aim to perform one positive act for each of the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.

These "positive acts" can include calling up someone who is alone, donating to a worthy cause, clearing up after dinner and letting someone go ahead of you in a supermarket queue.

Or if you don't know what to do, you can sign up to website 40 acts of kindness, which will send you an email each day featuring deeds such as bless the boss, give blood or clean the kitchen at work.

It kinda makes sense!

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