Consultation on plans to upgrade part of the A47 in Norfolk to a dual carriageway has been extended until 23:59 on Thursday, 30 April.

The decision follows the closure of information collection points because of the coronavirus pandemic and is designed to allow more people living along the route to offer comments.

Image source, Highways England

Highways England, external has already announced its preferred option for five miles of new dual carriageway between North Tuddenham and Easton.

The scheme is part of a £300m upgrade which they say will save up to seven minutes on journeys and improve safety.

Image source, Highways England

Peter Havlicek, Highways England project lead, said: "Extending the consultation was the right thing to do in response to the disruption from the coronavirus pandemic.

"This extension will give everyone extra time to understand the changes and give us feedback, either online, external or by returning a paper response form."

Here's a look at the latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from Norfolk:

• The chairman of the National Care Association has told workers in Norfolk to travel to their nearest Covid-19 testing centre in Sheffield, a 300-mile round trip which would take more than five hours, the Eastern Daily Press, external reports

• Four more patients have died at the Queen Elizabeth ll Hospital in King's Lynn from Covid-19 bringing the total to 56, according to the Lynn News, external

• An eight-year-old boy from Oulton Broad has made his neighbours smile by hanging his hand-crafted wooden heart up on his driveway - emblazoned with the names of key workers and NHS staff, the Great Yarmouth Mercury, external reports

The East Anglian Air Ambulance, external (EAAA) would "welcome back with open arms" the Duke of Cambridge who was a pilot with the organisation for two years up to 2017.

The service is busy working with the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic transferring patients between hospitals and this is expected to increase to as many as 50 flights a day.. a big rise from its eight flights a day, external before the pandemic.

Image source, PA

In March, Prince William revealed to the national press that he would like to return to the service. He has a house at Anmer in Norfolk which is part of the Queen's Sandringham estate.

EAAA operations director Matthew Jones said: "Our capacity to help is limited by the number of crews we have.

"Whatever Prince William decides to do in this crisis is of course very welcome ... whether that's flying an air ambulance or supporting the NHS in other ways."

Emily Rash, 19, says it is "heartbreaking" the country is battling "two disasters at once".

Dudley Howe, 82, was hit in a blind spot of a lorry which did not have properly adjusted mirrors.

Dickie Hartt, 63, uses his daily walks to photograph the streets of Norwich.

Inspectors say care standards have risen at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Up to 170 extra beds will be opened in Norwich to treat the East of England's sickest patients.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

The retirement of a long-serving director at one of the region's hospitals lasted little more than 24 hours, after she returned to work to support the team through the coronavirus pandemic.

Julia Hunt, director of nursing at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, had been due to step down after 32 years' service at the hospital.

Image source, James Paget Hospital

But after the start of the coronavirus pandemic she decided to return.

She has taken on the role of director of infection control while also providing support for her successor Paul Morris.

She told BBC Radio Norfolk: "I was very much looking forward to retirement but I just could not walk away from all of my colleagues and friends through this pandemic, hence the 24-hour retirement.

"Infection control always played a key part of my work as director of nursing but with the enormity of this pandemic this enables me to have much more of a focus on it."

Nurses and doctors clapped and cheered as the patient was taken through the hospital ward.

An emotional video has been released by the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk.

It shows the reaction of staff when a patient recovers from Covid-19 and is able to leave.

Open Youth Trust ran projects for under-25s and hosted children's activities and live music.

A university for the arts has turned its hand to making face shields and wash sacks for the NHS.

Norwich University of the Arts, external (NUA), said it created 400 shields in a day, and hopes to increase the number to 1,000.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Neil Powell said: "We are delighted that NUA's 3D precision print and laser technologies, which are routinely used by students in the production of their creative work, can be retasked to help protect front line NHS staff."

Image source, NUA

Chloe Fuller, fashion technician, has so far made 50 wash sacks for medical scrubs, which staff to safely send their scrubs for high temperature cleaning at the end of each shift.

She wanted to help as her sister, Fay, is a nurse.

Image source, NUA

Police in Norfolk are warning about people going door to door, offering to do jobs like gardening and building work.

The force says it has received reports of a van collecting rubble from people's homes in Swaffham.

No evidence of illegal trade was found, but it said door to door selling is not "essential travel" and it should not be happening.

Image source, Norfolk Police

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

The latest figures were released by the government , externalshowed that there was an increase of 128 deaths in the East, bringing the total to 1,424.

Here is the breakdown from each NHS Trust in the area.

• Anglian Community Enterprise CIC Fryatt Hospital - 1
• Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust - 16
• Bedford Hospital NHS Trust - 7
• Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust - 7
• East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust - 3
• East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust - 14
• Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust - 1
• James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 5
• Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 4
• Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 2
• Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust - 3
• Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 4
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 2
• North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust - 6
• Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust - 10
• Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 1
• Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 7
• The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust - 14
• West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust - 20
• West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - 1

It brings the total number of COVID-19 associated UK deaths in hospitals to 12,868.

Masterpieces of convenience are being created during the lockdown as artists turn to loo roll tubes.

The University of East Anglia (UEA) has led a project involving a team of local businesses and individuals by creating face shields for the county’s health trusts.

The university has had help from 20 organisations who have come together to supply them with the materials and labour to make the parts needed to create the 1,400 face shields to date.

They have been delivered to Norfolk’s three major hospitals: Norwich and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), James Paget Hospital (JPH) in Great Yarmouth and Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn.

The university has implemented a strict quality control precedure to ensure the visors meet NHS guidelines.

Dr Mahmoud Abdelhamid, lecturer in Chemical Biology at UEA,who organied the face shields project, said: “We’re trying to do everything we can to assist our colleagues in the NHS during this difficult time and, with the continued help of local organisations, we’re hoping to produce plenty more."

Image source, UEA

RAF World War Two Lancaster pilot Sydney "Stevie" Stevens has died at the age of 98.

Mr Stevens, of Saxlingham Nethergate, Norfolk, flew 28 missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

He went on to become a social media star after an appeal on BBC Look East in 2019.

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

In the latest figures released yesterday evening from Public Health England, external, it showed that there had been an increase of 89 deaths.

Here is the breakdown from each NHS Trust in the East.

• Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust - 19
• Bedford Hospital NHS Trust - 6
• Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust - 1
• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 4
• East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust - 6
• East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust - 6
• Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - 1
• James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 3
• Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 5
• Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust - 5
• Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 5
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 4
• North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust - 2
• The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust - 7
• West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust - 15

It brings the total numbers of deaths to 1,190 in this region.

The factory normally makes parts for luxury cars but has switched production to face shields.