Thousands of clinically vulnerable people have been shielding for health reasons. This guidance was gradually relaxed, and now the government has told them that they no longer needed to shield. They now face returning to work in the autumn. One of them, Kate, lives in Leicester and is currently locally locked down, but expects to return to work in September. This is daunting for her, especially as trips which used to be mundane now seem very risky. She has gone out twice since March. ‘It's quite nerve-wracking,’ she said. ‘I've been to the dentist and it's absolutely fraught with danger.’ Many are like her - nervous about how to go about daily life, unsure about the reality of wearing masks in shops and using customer one-way systems while their immune system is still severely depressed. Eleven charities have called for the Government to introduce furloughing for high-risk workers in this situation to avoid job losses.

The concert version of the 2016 production made a virtue of distancing on stage. ‘Could we start again please?’ asks Mary Magdalene in the lustrous 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Theatres have waited months for the same question to be answered since they closed in March amid the coronavirus outbreak. So it’s tempting to sing out your own ‘hosanna’ when a company of performers assemble on stage, two metres apart, and triumphantly rip off their masks at the top of this rainswept open-air revival to be performed until 27 September. Seating capacity was reduced by 2/3rds for a 90-minute concert-style version of the musical, leaving audiences to luxuriate in extra space, while requiring the strictly socially distanced actors to still convey intimacy on stage.

Currently, under the rules in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, face coverings are not mandatory at worship services. The heads of the Church of Ireland, Methodist Church, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches said it was their responsibility ‘to ensure that our services of worship are safe places’, so they have asked parishioners to wear face coverings during services. The move comes following consultations with health authorities. The face coverings should be used alongside two-metre social distancing. Earlier in lockdown drive-in services were used to facilitate parishioners. Although shops, restaurants and businesses are restricted to six people, religious services are allowed to have up to fifty attendees.

Belarus is known as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’. After being elected on an anti-corruption platform President Lukashenko ruled for 26 years, betraying his mandate and the trust of his people. When citizens cast their ballots recently they hoped their vote would move the country forward. But Lukashenko claimed an improbable landslide victory over his opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Sviatlana was forced to leave Belarus, and her husband is believed to be under arrest. Her return could inject fresh energy into the protests and create a character for people to rally behind as temporary national leader. She said she would release political prisoners, return Belarus to a pre-Lukashenko constitution, and hold fair elections without Lukashenko in six months. Thousands have been peacefully protesting for Lukashenko to go. The EU has not recognised the election results and is drawing up new sanctions lists against Belarus. Russia is preparing for a controlled succession there and protecting its influence over its long-time client state.