Coronavirus: Sadiq Khan asks for more immigrants to be eligible for Universal Credit March 30, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the Prime Minister to allow more immigrants to access Universal Credit during the coronavirus crisis. The London mayor wrote to Boris Johnson yesterday to ask for those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), such as most non-EU immigrants, to be allowed to claim benefits while the UK is dealing with [...]
Coronavirus: 159 more deaths in England March 30, 2020 The National Health Service said today that a further 159 patients had died in England after testing positive for coronavirus taking the total to 1,284. A further six people have died in Scotland, taking the total to 47, Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced. In Wales, 62 people have died after contracting coronavirus, an increase [...]
These are difficult times — but London is strong, and the City will get through this March 30, 2020 If this crisis has shown us anything, it is that the Square Mile really can keep calm and carry on in the face of adversity. In just over a week, the majority of the City’s half a million employees have adapted to working at home remarkably quickly, thanks to technology such as video conferencing, and [...]
No laughing matter: The impact of coronavirus on London’s standup comics March 30, 2020 One of the benefits of living in a vibrant metropolitan city like London is seeing live entertainment. For many, the highlight of their week — before the coronavirus crisis — was enjoying standup comedians at pubs, open mic nights and comedy clubs across the capital. As well as being a source of entertainment, live comedy [...]
Culture in quarantine: Which UK venues have gone virtual during the coronavirus crisis? March 29, 2020 Since Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week ramped up social distancing measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, thousands of cultural institutions across the UK have been forced to close their doors. However, as millions of Brits hunker down at home, a range of arts and culture venues have launched new digital initiatives to ensure exhibitions [...]
Boris Johnson will write to every UK household with coronavirus advice March 28, 2020 Boris Johnson is to write to 30m households across the UK to urge them to stay at home and protect the NHS. A letter from the Prime Minister will be posted to homes across all four UK nations from next week and outline the latest coronavirus advice. Johnson will urge the public to follow the [...]
Coronavirus: Employees can defer annual leave for two years, says business secretary March 28, 2020 Employees unable to take all their annual leave this year due to the coronavirus pandemic will be allowed to carry it over for two years, the business secretary announced today. Alok Sharma, standing in for self-isolating Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the government’s daily briefing, said the government had introduced new measures to facilitate this. [...]
Coronavirus UK: Death toll passes 1,000 after biggest daily increase March 28, 2020 The number of people to have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has reached 1,019 – passing the 1,000 mark for the first time. It comes after a further 260 people were confirmed to have died today by the department of health, in the UK’s biggest daily increase. The vast majority of [...]
Coronavirus testing to be rolled out for frontline NHS staff this weekend March 28, 2020 NHS staff in England are set to be tested for coronavirus from this weekend in an effort to prevent frontline healthcare workers from being required to take unnecessary time off. Those with symptoms or in a household with people who have symptoms will be checked as a priority. Critical care doctors and nurses will be [...]
UK coronavirus: Chief medical officer Chris Whitty self-isolates March 27, 2020 Chris Whitty, the UK’s chief medical officer, has self-isolated after experiencing coronavirus symptoms. Whitty, charged with advising Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the UK’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, said today he has tested positive for the virus. Johnson and health minister Matt Hancock earlier confirmed they have caught coronavirus and are self-isolating. Whitty said [...]
