Canada braces for coronavirus: Banks, insurers and audit firms activate contingency plans March 5, 2020 With health secretary Matt Hancock warning that the UK should prepare for “widespread transmission” of coronavirus, Canada firms have braced for impact. Banks, insurers, law firms and accountancy giants have dusted off contingency plans, instituted travel bans and cancelled events to try and mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. HSBC and Deloitte [...]
Coronavirus: Two more Scotland cases confirmed as UK total hits 90 March 5, 2020 Two more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, bringing the UK total to 90. Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman announced the news this morning, telling BBC SCotland that cases in in the Grampian area and Ayrshire were confirmed last night. One of the patients had recently travelled to Covid-19 hotspot Italy, while the [...]
Covid-19: Northern Ireland records two new cases as UK total hits 87 March 4, 2020 Two more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Northern Ireland, which brings the total number of UK cases to 87. The Public Health Agency said that one test result is confirmed positive and two further results are “presumptive positive” It said it is “continuing to work with partners across the UK including Public Health [...]
Deloitte London employee tests positive for coronavirus March 4, 2020 Deloitte London employee tests positive for coronavirus
Londoners can step it up to tackle the homelessness crisis March 4, 2020 Sleeping on a cold, wet pavement is not a fate anyone should have to face in the fifth wealthiest country in the world. And yet, 4,266 of our fellow citizens were recorded doing just that on a given night last autumn, according to government figures published last Thursday. Each person counted is living through the [...]
UK coronavirus: Brits don face masks (and Tesco bags) on public transport March 4, 2020 British commuters are taking the UK coronavirus threat seriously, it appears, donning heavy duty face masks – and Tesco bags – on Tube trains and buses. A man on a London Underground train appeared to decide to keep himself safe on his commute to work by donning a serious-looking gas mask, along with thick rubber [...]
Lloyd’s of London has emergency coronavirus plan in case building locked down March 4, 2020 Lloyd’s of London has “emergency trading protocols” to ensure business continuity if access to its building is restricted due to the coronavirus epidemic. The 330 year-old insurance market will encourage electronic placing, it said in a market notice dated yesterday. Lloyd’s is one of the last bastions of face-to-face trading in the City, with insurance [...]
London Book Fair cancelled over fears of coronavirus contagion March 4, 2020 London Book Fair 2020’s organisers have cancelled the event today “following the escalation of Covid-19 coronavirus in Europe”. Reed Exhibitions, which is a division of FTSE 100 publishing and events business Relx, said the event scheduled for 10-12 March at the London Olympia would now not take place. “The effects, actual and projected, of coronavirus [...]
Sadiq Khan’s rent control pledge is a minefield of unintended consequences March 4, 2020 There is no denying that London faces a housing crisis. Similarly, there is no denying that many people feel that their rents take too high a proportion of their income. If you are Sadiq Khan, the solution is obvious: if people object to high rents, the state should cap them — problem solved. It is [...]
Hammersmith Bridge to close for Boat Race spectators amidst safety fears March 3, 2020 The Hammersmith Bridge will be closed to spectators for the annual Boat Race, turning away thousands from the popular vantage point. The bridge has been closed to cars last April due to safety concerns, with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham estimating repairs will cost £120m. The council said today it had been asked [...]
