Covid-19: Trump tests positive and MP's actions 'indefensible'

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.

US President Donald Trump is in quarantine, along with First Lady Melania, after they tested positive for coronavirus. "We will get through this together," he said in a tweet revealing the news. Mr Trump's physician says the president and his wife "are both well at this time".

The actions of an SNP MP who travelled by train to Westminster with Covid symptoms are "utterly indefensible, says Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Margaret Ferrier, who represents Rutherglen and Hamilton West, was suspended from the party and is facing calls to resign as an MP, having also admitted she tested positive before making the return rail journey.

The loss of smell may be a more reliable indicator of Covid-19 than a cough or fever, research suggests. A University College London study of 590 people who lost their sense of smell or taste earlier in the year found four in every five had coronavirus antibodies and - of them - 40% had no other symptoms. The findings emphasise the importance of people self-isolating if they can't smell "everyday" items such as perfume, toothpaste, or coffee, says Prof Rachel Batterham.

With Covid-19 cases hitting nearly half of the UK's universities, students and parents have painted a depressing picture of life as a fresher. Among those talking to Labour leader Keir Starmer in an "online town hall meeting" was Sanjiv Sachdev, who appeared visibly shaken when describing his son's isolation after a positive test at Leeds University. "It's infuriating because this is entirely predictable," he complains.

Trick or treat might not sound like the most Covid-secure of activities. But while parties and sharing sweets may be out, it doesn't mean Halloween is cancelled. A Cambridge University virologist says it's still possible to enjoy it safely and offers parents tips to keep the children happy.

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... the travel quarantine lists have changed. Here are the latest rules.

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