Darshna Soni , Home Affairs Correspondent

The deaths of at least 15 transport workers has brought into sharp focus how exposed some key workers are during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Following social distancing rules is “mission critical”, the Health secretary Matt Hancock has said – warning those flouting the rules were risking their own lives, and the lives of others.

212 patients in the Midlands have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours – far more even than London – with hospital admission rates in the region up by almost 50%.

Millions of people aged 70 and above have been told to self isolate for at least three months. But what about those who live in multi-generational households? It’s a particularly tricky issue for Asian communities, where 80% of those aged over 70 live with extended families.

The West Midlands has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot, with Birmingham and Wolverhampton especially hard hit.

Amid the rising concern about society’s most vulnerable, food banks have asked supermarkets to set aside supplies, including online delivery slots for charities.

Schools have begun to close in Northern Ireland – with all of them to be closed across the whole of the UK by Friday

Despite the official advice to stay open for now – many schools around the country are closing regardless, because teachers are having to isolate themselves.

The Education Secretary has defended the decision to keep the UK’s schools and colleges open. The policy is in direct contrast with closures across Europe.

 France has announced it will close all its schools and governments across the globe are wrestling with whether to do likewise.

Emergency legislation to end automatic early release of terror offenders has been labelled a knee-jerk reaction by human rights campaigners.

The Government has announced emergency legislation to stop the automatic early release of terrorists – after a convicted terrorist stabbed two people yesterday afternoon in a busy south London street.

Two people from the same family have tested positive for the coronavirus – the first confirmed cases in the UK.

The education watchdog Ofsted has raised concerns that England’s most disadvantaged pupils are most likely to be affected by serial under-performing schools.

“It’s easier to get drugs in prison than a clean pair of socks” according to one former inmate.