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Coronavirus news: Pubs could have to close to keep schools open in local lockdowns, as Sturgeon admits failings on exam grades

Boris Johnson visits St Joseph's Catholic School in Upminster, 10 August 2020: REUTERS
Boris Johnson visits St Joseph's Catholic School in Upminster, 10 August 2020: REUTERS

Pubs may be forced to close in areas under local coronavirus lockdowns so that schools can remain open, Downing Street has said.

Boris Johnson has said the UK has a moral responsibility to get children back into the classroom.

Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has apologised to Scottish exam students who were marked down "because of an algorithm".

She said: "In a very difficult and unprecedented situation, we took decisions that we thought on balance were the right ones."

The number of NHS contact tracers are to be slashed by a third, while the rest are set to be redeployed locally.

The Department for Health and Social Care said it would cut the number of national contact tracers by 6,000 by 24 August.