Top story: ‘tsunami of closures’ hits businesses Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this morning. Up to 1.6 million people in England have been told to isolate in a single week, according to analysis by the Guardian, as fears grow that the current surge in Covid-19 infections will lead to a chaotic summer for businesses and households. The number of new UK coronavirus cases climbed to 48,553 yesterday – the highest since January – bringing a spate of notifications via the Covid app for people to isolate as close contacts. The numbers are expected to keep rising when England sees its major reopening on Monday. Ministers accept the app needs to be less sensitive, but changes could be weeks away. Guardian analysis reveals that about 337,695 people were told to isolate by NHS test and trace in the week of 1-7 July. Over the same period, 520,194 people were pinged by the Covid app and 624,000 schoolchildren were also forced into self-isolation for a weekly total of 1,675,894. Businesses in sectors such as retail and manufacturing, where staff cannot work from home, are concerned they are running out of workers because of the surge in self-isolation. Independent high street businesses could face a “tsunami of closures” after their debt climbed to almost five times the level it was before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report. However, the government is launching a hospitality strategy that could allow alfresco dining and drinking to become a permanent fixture in England. * * * German ‘catastrophe’ – Angela Merkel has called the devastating floods in western Germany “a catastrophe” and the chancellor said her “heart goes out” to victims after a disaster which has at least 59 dead. Authorities in the worst-hit areas say there are still 1,300 people missing although the situation has been complicated by a widespread failure of the mobile phone network. Nine people have also died in Belgium after days of rain broke all weather records. The scale of this week’s flooding has shocked climate scientists and, along with the deadly heatwave in the US and Canada, has raised fears that human-caused climate disruption is making extreme weather even worse than predicted. * * * Knee viewers – GB News has been boycotted by viewers furious at the decision by one of its presenters to take the knee in solidarity with England’s footballers, sending ratings to zero for some shows. Viewers accused the rightwing channel of selling out to “woke” opinion and that it secretly harboured Marxist views. Bosses have said that Guto Harri’s gesture was “an unacceptable breach of our standards” but ratings have suffered. Business editor Liam Halligan and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero attracted no measurable audience for their show on Wednesday afternoon. * * * Rape failure – The police and the Crown Prosecution Service must stop blaming each other for the failure of rape victims in the criminal justice system, according to a joint report from the police and CPS inspectorates. The watchdogs said both organisations had to overcome the “deep division” between them and tackle the “underlying problem” of a culture of defeatism within their workforces. The number of rape prosecutions has collapsed in the past five years. * * * On the level? – Labour has raised concerns about the management of a flagship £24m levelling up scheme in Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire. While there is no suggestion of wrongdoing, Labour said the public should be concerned that “schemes are potentially open to serious abuse”. The ministry of housing said there was “no cause for concern”. It comes after Boris Johnson was criticised for a lack of substance – including by Tories – in a much-vaunted speech in Coventry yesterday to outline his vision on improving equality. Although the prime minister made promises about greater devolution and better transport links, people in the west Midlands city said the phrase “levelling up” does not mean much to them. * * * | 