Fatalities recorded at the weekend do tend to be lower than during the week because of delayed reporting.

But the official figure today shows that 77 people died in the previous 24 hour period after testing positive for Corona virus.

There were no deaths recorded in Scotland or in Northern Ireland, and that takes the overall Corona virus death toll in the UK to 40,542.

The Health Century.

Matt Hancock denied today that the failure to lock down sooner had cost lives.

As he responded to the view of a senior scientist who advises the government, Domine accused reports as the restrictions on daily life start to be eased their doubts.

Are we coming out of locked down too soon?

But also did we go in too late?

Yes, we should have gone into lock down earlier the data that we were dealing with an early part of March and I cant situational awareness where I was really quite cool.

Um and so I think it was would have been very hard to pull the trigger.

At that point, I wish we had think that has cost a lot of lives.

Unfortunately, that's a judgment made with the benefit of hindsight on one flatly contradicted by the health secretary.

No, I think we took the right decisions at the right time.

On there's a broad range on sage of scientific opinion, Onda We followed.

We were guided by by the by the science, which means guarded by the balance of that opinion.

This argument matters because of fears over the our number, a measure of how the viruses breading.

Overall, it's thought that infections are falling.

The R is below one.

But one study suggests in the northwest of England it's just above one, which could mean increasing infections.

One in the Southwest.

It's right on one.

Those concerns are especially acute here in the northwest of England.

Some local councils have strongly advised schools not to reopen after half term, even on a limited basis.

And there are questions to over the wisdom of allowing shops like these to start trading again in just over a week's time.

So how to better manage different levels of threat across the country when even at a local level.

Infection rates come.

Very talk of putting communities on the lock down.

We don't think it is helpful.

Some of our council leaders think it's simply unenforceable.

Eso it just seemed to me there's a new approach is needed if we're to make sense of the challenges that we that we now have, and that's what we're calling for with the government today, kind of closer partnership and from Scotland, Some welcome news For the first time since mid March, no nuke over deaths reported in the past 24 hours.

I would offer a note of caution about reading too much into today's figure.

We know that fewer deaths tend to be registered at the weekend, done on other days of the week.

It is still very likely that further Cuvee Dez will be reported in the days ahead.

Overall, the statistics across the UK do seem to be heading in the right direction, but this is still a dangerous moment on the future is full of risk.

Dominic Hughes, BBC News Manchester New quarantine rules for passengers entering the UK come into force tomorrow as three airlines begin a legal challenge to them the system will require most people to self isolate for 14 days.

While our business correspondent Katy Austin is here in the studio.

What is the basis for the for the airlines taking the legal action?

Well, ever since the prospect was first raised of a quarantine on people arriving into the UK, the aviation and travel sectors have voiced concerns that it would put people off travelling on would cost thousands of jobs.

This legal challenge is by three airlines British Airways, easyJet on Ryan Air and they have written to the government outlining way they think these measures are unjustified.

One of the arguments, they say, is that actually, the quarantine is more stringent than the guidelines applied to people who actually have Cove in 19.

But this legal challenge is at its very earliest stage.

At the moment, there is no way it's going to stop the quarantine coming into force in just under two hours now at midnight, and also there has been further Chris's and today from the company which operates the Channel Tunnel.

It's Boss has written to the prime minister in fact saying there was only limited consultation on this process on that the situation that's resulted is going to put a vital supply link.

Will is going to make it very inefficient, he says.

Put that supply lick at risk.

Now the government has stuck to its guns and said the quarantine is the right thing to do to be doing.

It's backed by the science.

It's necessary to prevent a second wave, but the quarantine is due to be reviewed in three weeks time.

Katie, thank you very much.