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Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening. We'll have another update for you on Saturday morning.
1. Second wave of virus hitting the UK
PM Boris Johnson has said the UK is "now seeing a second wave" of coronavirus, adding that "it's been inevitable". He said he did not want to put the country into another national lockdown but tighter social distancing restrictions might still be necessary. It is understood a new three-tiered set of rules is being considered, which could stop household-to-household contact. His comments come after tighter restrictions were announced for Lancashire, Merseyside, parts of the Midlands and West Yorkshire, to come into force from Tuesday.
2. Virus growth now 'widespread across the country'
Scientists say there is now widespread growth of the virus across the UK and the R number has risen to between 1.1 and 1.4. The R (reproduction) number describes how many people each infected person passes the virus on to. If it's above 1, numbers of cases increase very quickly. Government scientific advisers are warning of "far worse things to come" with cases thought to be exceeding 6,000 a day in England.
3. Nicola Sturgeon issues warning over tougher rules
"Hard but necessary" decisions on further Covid restrictions may need to be taken to prevent another full-scale lockdown in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has warned. The first minister said the next few days would be "critical" in deciding which steps would be taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the country. Ms Sturgeon said the virus was on the rise and was spreading "quite rapidly", with "greater restrictions" possibly being needed to "interrupt" that spread.
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4. London's New Year's Eve fireworks cancelled
There will be no New Year's Eve fireworks in London to ring in 2021, after the mayor revealed the display had been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. About 100,000 people normally pack the streets around Victoria Embankment for the annual event, which is watched by about 12 million people on TV. However, Sadiq Khan told LBC that "we simply can't afford to have numbers of people congregating", adding that officials were instead "working on something people can enjoy in the comfort and safety of their living rooms on TV".
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5. Puppy prices soar during coronavirus lockdown
With many people working from home during lockdown, and the prospect of returning to the office seeming a long way off, some people like Joanna Birrell thought it would be a good time to get a puppy. But the demand has been so great that many breeders raised their prices, with the cost of puppies more than doubling. Figures from the Pets4Homes website, based on about 150,000 adverts, showed the average price being asked for from March to September was £1,883. During the same period last year the average price was £888.
Image copyright Joanna Birrell Image caption Joanna remembers the excitement of first holding Poppy in her arms six years ago - but prices have risen sharplyAnd don't forget...
Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
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