Test and Trace failed to reach 30,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in week before Christmas January 5, 2021 The Test and Trace scheme failed to reach more than 30,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in the week before Christmas, at the same time the government warned that a new coronavirus mutation was spreading across the country. Latest official figures showed that 232,169 people tested positive for Covid at least once between 17 [...]
Decision on UK border restrictions in coming days, says Michael Gove January 5, 2021 Cabinet minister Michael Gove today confirmed that the government is preparing new border controls for travellers entering England. Speaking to ITV, he said: “We will be making announcements later today and in the days ahead about how we will make sure that our ports and airports are safe. “It is already the case that there are significant [...]
Teaching unions’ refusal to innovate is behind the Government’s schools u-turn January 5, 2021 Over the course of this grim pandemic the government has performed enough u-turns to make a woodpecker’s head spin. Free schools meals, mass testing, masks, furlough, exams, Christmas, one exasperatingly predictable volte-face after another, accompanied by the inevitable, gradual erosion of faith in ministers to chart a course out of this crisis. Read more: England [...]
Rishi Sunak rolls out more financial support after sinking businesses demand immediate lifeline January 5, 2021 Rishi Sunak has set out plans to offer more financial support to businesses struggling under England’s third nationwide lockdown. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses are set to receive a one-off grant of up to £9,000 per property to help them survive. Taxpayers will fork out another £4bn for the business grants, which will benefit more [...]
‘Stay home’: England in national Covid lockdown from tonight January 4, 2021 People living England have tonight been told to stay home for at least six weeks
Post-Christmas footfall plummets as UK shoppers avoid high street January 4, 2021 Footfall across Britain’s high streets plunged almost a quarter last week as Boxing Day sales failed to lure shoppers from their sofas, according to the latest data. The number of Brits hitting the shops fell more than 23 per cent in the seven days after Christmas compared with the week before, latest Springboard figures showed. [...]
England cricketer Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sri Lanka January 4, 2021 England cricketer Moeen Ali has tested positive for Covid-19 following the team’s arrival in Sri Lanka. Moeen must now quarantine for 10 days, meaning he is unlikely to feature in the first Test on 14 January. Team-mate Chris Woakes must also self-isolate and undergo further tests, having been deemed a close contact of Moeen. England [...]
Matt Hancock: South African coronavirus mutation ‘more of a problem’ than current strain January 4, 2021 The new South African coronavirus mutation is the fastest-spreading Covid strain yet and will likely present a “very, very significant problem” for the UK, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Hancock said he was “incredibly worried” about the South African variant. “That’s why we took the action that we did [...]
Coronavirus: Latest updates on lockdowns, vaccines and Covid mutations around the world January 4, 2021 Countries around the world continue to grapple with rising coronavirus rates, as two new mutations of the virus have sparked calls for fresh restrictions across the globe. German politicians have called for a three-week lockdown extension, as current measures fail to stem ballooning cases across the country. Tight restrictions in place including the closure of [...]
National lockdown looms as teachers go head-to-head with government January 4, 2021 Ministers have refused to rule out a third national lockdown in England, as coronavirus cases and hospitalisations surge beyond numbers seen in the peak of the first wave. Health secretary Matt Hancock said this morning that the new strain of coronavirus was spreading rapidly across the country. “We can’t rule anything out,” he told Sky [...]
