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Coronavirus in UK

Scotland and Wales have both published their exit strategy.

England treating its citizens as kids!
 
5,000 home tests ordered in two minutes in UK

The UK government has said 5,000 home testing kits were ordered in just two minutes after a dedicated website opened for applications on Friday.

The website - which enabled essential workers to request a test for the virus - closed after around two hours.

The government said testing capacity for the website would increase to 18,000 home testing kits each day from next week.

The UK has set a target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April.
 
Scotland reports 64 more deaths

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says a further 64 patients have died in hospital, taking the total to 1,184 in Scotland.

Sturgeon confirms a total of 9,697 people have tested positive for coronavirus, an increase of 288 from yesterday.
 
Further 587 coronavirus deaths in England

A further 587 patients with coronavirus have died in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in English hospitals to 17,373, the National Health Service (NHS) said.

The patients were aged between 40 and 102 years old, 34 of whom had no known underlying health conditions.

Figures for the number of UK-wide deaths will be released by the Department of Health later today.
 
BREAKING: Further 110 deaths recorded in Wales

A further 110 coronavirus-linked deaths have been recorded in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths there to 751, health officials said.

The sharp increase - the largest daily rise since the outbreak began - is due to a delay in the reporting process, Public Health Wales said. There were 26 new deaths reported on Friday, the agency added.

It confirmed a further 243 people had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 8,601
 
Absolute shambles from the government with the testing website. A total disaster.
 
UK government has 'questions to answer' over website issues

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth says "questions will need answering" about the issues with the UK government's new coronavirus testing website.

The website for key workers to book tests has temporarily closed - hours after it launched on Friday.

“The fact the website crashed in minutes reveals the extent of the demand that ministers should have prepared for," Ashworth said.

"Questions will need answering as to why this happened, what mechanisms are in place to ensure everyone who needs a test gets one quickly and whether a workable tracing strategy is being prepared.”

A government spokesman said 5,000 home testing kits were ordered in the first two minutes of the website going live.

It will be back up and running when the next batch of slots becomes available, the spokesman added.
 
BREAKING: UK death toll rises by 684

A further 684 patients have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals, the Department of Health has confirmed.

The deaths are those recorded in the 24 hours prior to 17:00 BST on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a further 18,401 people have been tested for coronavirus as of 09:00 on Friday - with 5,386 testing positive for Covid-19.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As of 9am 24 April, 612,031 tests have concluded, with 28,532 tests on 23 April. <br><br>444,222 people have been tested of which 143,464 tested positive. <br><br>As of 5pm on 23 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 19,506 have sadly died. <a href="https://t.co/ixQBaugnGh">pic.twitter.com/ixQBaugnGh</a></p>— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSCgovuk/status/1253688601637986304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The Department of Health says a further 684 people with COVID-19 have died in hospital bringing the total number of deaths in the UK up to 19,506
 
This is what happens if you do not wear a mask. Brits need to understand the importance of wearing a mask!
 
UK PM Johnson's aide Cummings attended coronavirus experts' meeting: Guardian

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, took part in meetings of a scientific panel that has shaped the UK’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Guardian reported on Friday.

Cummings is a particularly polarising figure in British politics and his involvement in the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) drew immediate criticism from opposition parties who said it undermined the group’s credibility.

Johnson’s office said Cummings and another government adviser attended to improve government understanding, and that they occasionally asked questions or offered help when scientists mentioned problems within the government’s administrative machine.

“SAGE provides independent scientific advice to the government. Political advisers have no role in this,” a spokesman for Johnson’s office said.

“The scientists on SAGE are among the most eminent in their fields. It is factually wrong and damaging to sensible public debate to imply their advice is affected by government advisers listening to discussions.”

Cummings had attended some SAGE meetings and continues to listen to some of the group’s virtual meetings, it added.

The Guardian said he was present at a meeting on March 23, the day Johnson announced the most far-reaching peacetime restrictions on British daily life, pivoting sharply from a previously less proactive strategy that lagged European peers.

Cummings, a key architect of the successful campaign to leave the European Union ahead of a 2016 referendum, is reviled by his critics for what they say were ruthless tactics that rode roughshod over the facts.

Since being appointed as Johnson’s closest adviser inside Downing Street, he has also caused alarm among some civil servants who see him as an anti-system figure intent on disrupting the usual way of doing things.

The government has repeatedly stressed it followed scientific advice on handling the coronavirus outbreak, but faces growing criticism that its initial response was too slow.

By convention, it has not named members of the SAGE committee.

“He is a political adviser, not a medical or scientific expert,” said Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s health policy spokesman, referring to Cummings.

“If the public are to have confidence in the SAGE, the government must make clear Dominic Cummings can no longer participate or attend.”

Guidelines for SAGE published on the government website show membership should include representatives from a “wide range of scientific and technical specialities” and that the body “should not overly rely on specific experts”.

They also say SAGE should “include the most appropriate, rather than the most accessible experts.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...avirus-experts-meeting-guardian-idUSKCN226360
 
Britain could hit the grim milestone of 20,000 COVID-19 deaths later on Saturday, when the daily count is added to the current toll of 19,506 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus and died in hospital.

The death toll from COVID-19 in hospitals across the UK increased on Friday by 684 in 24 hours to 19,506.

Passing the 20,000 mark will be an uncomfortable moment for the government, whose Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said on March 17 that keeping the toll under that number would be "a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get."

Britain has the fifth highest official coronavirus death toll in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France. Scientists have said that the death rate will start to decline quickly only in another couple of weeks.
 
Coronavirus: Port Talbot-owner Tata Steel seeks £500m state bailout

Britain’s biggest steel producer is seeking hundreds of millions of pounds in government support as the industry grapples with a slump in global orders caused by the coronavirus.

Sky News has learnt that Tata Steel, owner of the Port Talbot steelworks in South Wales, has approached ministers to ask for a funding package worth in the region of £500m.

The request is said to be under discussion with the Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

It comes after Tata Steel's big customers, which include car manufacturers, called a halt to production across Europe because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although some plants are to reopen in the coming weeks, economists believe a recovery in industrial production will be slow and protracted with demand continuing to be weak for some time, and manufacturers forced to cope with long-term social distancing measures.

In a statement this weekend, a Tata Steel spokesman said: "We continue to work with both the UK and Welsh governments to identify what support is available."

Further details of the funding request were unclear this weekend, although it is largely understood to comprise a commercial loan that would be repayable when demand for steel recovers.

Tata Steel, which employs about 8000 people in the UK, has already been hit by a rise in raw material costs, with China's reopening after the pandemic contributing to high iron ore prices even as global demand has slumped.

Sources close to Tata Steel indicated this weekend that the talks were at a preliminary stage, and that no agreement between the company and government was imminent.

One insider said the £500m figure was a "ballpark" estimate of the company's funding need.

Tata has been wrestling with the future of the Port Talbot plant for years.

In January, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Steel's parent company, told The Sunday Times: "I need to get to a situation where at least the [Port Talbot] plant is self-sustaining.

"Whether it is in the Netherlands or here, we can't have a situation where India keeps funding the losses just to keep it going."

Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP whose Aberavon constituency includes the Port Talbot steelworks, has urged the Treasury to increase the limit on its Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) beyond £50m.

He said the £50m limit represented "only one tenth of what Tata Steel believes will be the cashflow impact on the company over a six-month period".

Responding to a question in the Commons from Mr Kinnock on Wednesday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: "I know that the chancellor is looking carefully at the steel sector in the hon. gentleman's constituency, and at all those who are not directly benefiting from this particular scheme to ensure that in ​the round we are providing the measures that we need in a targeted way to support all the different crucial elements of the economy."

Mr Raab's answer has offered hope to Tata Steel that its request will be viewed sympathetically, particularly after British Steel, the industry's second-largest player, received hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer support after it collapsed into liquidation nearly a year ago.

British Steel was recently sold to Jingye Group, a Chinese conglomerate, and is expected to resume production at its Skinningrove works next week.

The industry association pleaded last week for government support to see it through the crisis.

"Whether it is constructing HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail or providing the steel for our new hospitals, the steel industry stands ready to support the national effort as well as the Government's infrastructure revolution and levelling up agenda," Gareth Stace, the director of UKSteel, said.

Tata Steel said last month that "a sudden drop in European steel demand after a number of steel-using manufacturers paused production, including European car manufacturers" had prompted it to slash production at some of its mills.

The company added that it was continuing to supply steel to supply chains in industries such as food packaging and construction materials for emergency medical buildings.

Roughly 1500 members of its UK workforce have been furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, according to company insiders.

Tata Steel said: "A number of European governments have introduced job retention schemes to support businesses impacted by coronavirus which Tata Steel will be using wherever appropriate.

"This includes a scheme in the UK which will lead to some employees being asked to take temporary leave."

"As a responsible employer, we will use this and other national schemes while available, and where our own activities are much reduced.

"It will allow us to retain the skills and experience we need for when steel demand recovers."

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...-tata-steel-seeks-500m-state-bailout-11978645
 
BREAKING: Another 813 UK hospital deaths brings total over 20,000

The UK's Department of Health and Social Care has recorded a further 813 deaths in hospital.

It brings the total number of hospital deaths to 20,319 - making the UK the fifth country to pass 20,000 deaths, along with Italy, Spain, France and the USA

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As of 9am 25 April, 640,792 tests have concluded, with 28,760 tests on 24 April. <br><br>517,836 people have been tested of which 148,377 tested positive. <br><br>As of 5pm on 24 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 20,319 have sadly died. <a href="https://t.co/5HLhOFWdlu">pic.twitter.com/5HLhOFWdlu</a></p>— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSCgovuk/status/1254052435577970688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
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Coronavirus: Experts once said 20,000 deaths was a 'good outcome' - so where is the UK headed now?

More than 20,000 people have now died in UK hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus - a level that had previously been earmarked as a significant milestone by science and medical chiefs.

A "good outcome"

On 17 March, Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, said keeping the number of UK deaths below 20,000 would be a "good result" from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If we can get this down to 20,000 and below, that is a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get to with this outbreak," he told a committee of MPs.

Professor Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, later repeated the assertion that keeping below 20,000 deaths would be a "good outcome" at one of the first daily Downing Street briefings.

Sir Patrick and Prof Powis' comments came either side of the UK entering its coronavirus lockdown, which was at least in part prompted by modelling from a team at London's Imperial College.

The university's team predicted that, without the stringent social distancing measures now in place to "suppress" the spread of COVID-19, the UK could have been on course for around 250,000 deaths.

So, with the UK still in lockdown, but having passed the level that the government and NHS England previously considered a "good result" - how many deaths could there be?

Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...utcome-so-where-is-the-uk-headed-now-11978609
 
Home Secretary Priti Patel and officials set a sombre tone on the day that the hospital death toll passed 20,000 – but when asked, they declined to say whether the loss of life meant the UK should have adopted a different strategy

While car crime, burglary and shoplifting had fallen, Ms Patel said some "sophisticated" criminals were seeking to exploit the situation. Online scams have cost the public £2.4m while criminals have also tried to sell fraudulent protective equipment and coronavirus testing kits, she said

Prof Stephen Powis from NHS England stressed that social distancing was working, bringing down the numbers in hospital, but said that evidence of increased motor vehicle use was causing "a little bit of concern"

Asked about the attendance of controversial Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings at meetings of scientists advising on the pandemic, Prof Powis said the advice and contributions came from the scientists – but he did not reveal what, if anything, Mr Cummings said
 
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'Up to 10% of UK population may have been infected'

Oxford University's Prof Christophe Fraser told the BBC's Andrew Marr between three and 10% of the population was predicted to have contracted coronavirus by this stage - up to six million people.

Prof Fraser is working on developing an app which would allow for tracing people who had been in touch with those with Covid-19.

Prof Fraser said the app helps deal with the problem of 50% of infections occurring before syptoms are showing.

He said with the software, people could be alerted if they had come into contact with a person with symptoms, in which case they should observe stronger social-distancing, or a confirmed case which would mean going into isolation.
 
Another 368 virus deaths in England, Scotland and Wales

A further 368 people have died with coronavirus across England, Scotland and Wales, according to the latest figures from hospitals.

NHS England said 336 deaths had been recorded, taking the total to 18,420.

In Wales 14 more deaths have been recorded taking the total to 788 while in Scotland there have been 18 more deaths, a total of 1,249.

The figures do not include deaths in care homes or other settings.

The latest figures for Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole are expected later.
 
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson's return to work 'a boost for the country'

Boris Johnson's return to work on Monday after more than three weeks out of action will be a "boost for the country", his deputy has said.

The prime minister will resume full-time duties in Downing Street after a fortnight recovering from coronavirus.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been standing in for him during his absence, said he was "raring to go".

The PM spent a week in hospital, including three nights in intensive care, after being admitted on 5 April.

During his hospitalisation, he received regular oxygen treatment to help his breathing.

After he was discharged on 12 April, Mr Johnson suggested his condition "could have gone either way" and praised the staff at St Thomas' Hospital in central London who looked after him.

He has not been doing any official government work during his convalescence at Chequers, on medical advice.

But last week he spoke to the Queen and US President Donald Trump and also met senior ministers, including Mr Raab and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, to discuss the next stage of the UK's response to the pandemic.

Mr Raab told the BBC's Andrew Marr that it was good to have the prime minister back and his return would be a "boost for the government and a boost for the country".

The foreign secretary, who as first secretary of state is the second most senior member of the cabinet, praised other ministers and civil servants for "stepping up to the plate" during the PM's absence.

Asked whether he had enjoyed the experience of temporarily running the country, he said this "did not do justice" to the task he had been faced with and his thoughts throughout had been with Mr Johnson and his family, "particularly when we knew it was touch and go".

On Saturday, the number of recorded UK hospital deaths of people with the virus exceeded 20,000. These figures, the fifth highest in the world, do not include deaths in care homes and in the community.

Critics say Mr Johnson was far too slow to respond once the threat to the UK became clear, with the Liberal Democrats calling for a public inquiry into the "appalling" fatality rate.

Mr Raab said the figures were a "grim milestone" but defended the UK's handling of the crisis, saying the death toll would have been higher if ministers had not followed scientific advice and made key decisions at the right time.

While the UK was "not in the place" it wanted to be in terms of supplies of protective kit to NHS workers, he insisted it was doing all it could and the UK was the "international buyer of choice" amid a global shortage.

Opposition parties have wished Mr Johnson well on his return but said he urgently needs to give more detail about his approach to easing aspects of the current lockdown next month, if it is deemed safe to do so.

Labour's Rachel Reeves said the UK should "potentially" be following the example of countries like Belgium, Germany and Denmark which have already signalled partial re-opening of some businesses and schools.

"We want to work with the government in bringing forward a plan and getting it right," she told Andrew Marr.

Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge show, the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham suggested businesses, including shops, should only be allowed to open if they followed strict social distancing rules.

The ex-Labour minister said such a "standards-based" approach could be enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and would be fairer than favouring different sectors of the economy or parts of the country.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52431913
 
Coronavirus: Plans for two-week quarantine for anyone entering UK considered by government

Anyone entering the UK could be forced to go into quarantine for two weeks under plans being discussed in government.

Dominic Raab, who has been standing in as prime minister for nearly three weeks while Boris Johnson recovers from coronavirus, confirmed the proposals are under consideration.

Appearing on Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Raab was quizzed on a report in the Sunday Telegraph that all travellers arriving in the country will need to fill out a landing card with details about their health, as well as the address they will self-isolate at.

A communications campaign would also be rolled out across the world to warn passengers of what to expect when they arrive in the UK and to dissuade them from coming in the first place, the newspaper added.

Asked whether the government is going to start limiting flights coming into the UK or quarantining people once they arrive, Mr Raab said "any new measures that are necessary" will be taken as ministers consider the "second phase" of the outbreak.

He added: "That's something that we will be looking at and it could include the testing for people coming in, it could include social distancing measures and we'll make sure... that we are absolutely on top of the scientific evidence and are taking all the measures that are necessary to protect people's health, to protect their life but also to preserve our way of life as we go forward, economically and socially."

Two weeks is the maximum amount of time it takes before someone infected with coronavirus can start to show symptoms.

Mr Raab denied that the current lack of temperature checks, or telling people to quarantine when they arrive, was problematic because the virus is already spreading so much across the country.

He said: "The advice so far is that it would make almost no impact on the spread of the virus because of the decrease in the number of people travelling and the fact that the transmission rate within the UK is high.

"But we have continually throughout tested this with the scientists and the chief medical officer, to make sure that as the evidence changes or if we move to a second phase, we are able to take any new measures that are necessary."

It comes as the Foreign Office confirmed five charter flights from Bangladesh will bring British travellers back to the UK - leaving from Dhaka for London between 29 April and 7 May.

Hong Kong introduced a two week quarantine for all citizens arriving in the country, after fears a second peak of COVID-19 cases was being “imported” into the country by travellers.

Usually people entering the country can isolate at their residential address but some have been placed into a government-run quarantine centre.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...entering-uk-considered-by-government-11979070
 
UK reports lowest daily death toll since March

The number of deaths in UK hospitals from the coronavirus has risen to 20,732 – an increase of 413 in the last 24 hours. This is the lowest daily rise since the end of March.
 
Some of the millions of British workers furloughed during the coronavirus lockdown will be encouraged to take a second job picking fruit and vegetables, the government has said.

Giving the daily COVID-19 briefing, Environment Secretary George Eustice said only a third of the migrant labour needed to carry out such tasks was in the country.

He said: "We're also acutely aware that we're about to start the British season in fresh produce, in soft fruits and salads.

"We estimate that probably only about a third of the migrant labour that would normally come to the UK is here, and was probably here before lockdown.

"We are working with industry to identify an approach that will encourage those millions of furloughed workers in some cases to consider taking a second job, helping get the harvest in June."

He added: "It's not an issue at the moment since the harvest has barely begun, but we do anticipate that there will be a need to recruit staff for those sectors in the month of June."

Mr Eustice also said there were isolated cases of trade being disrupted by the coronavirus crisis, including goods coming from India.

He said supermarkets had increased the number of delivery lots from 2.1 million to 2.6 million, with the aim of boosting that number to 2.9 million.

It comes as England, Scotland and Wales have reported fewer new hospital deaths linked to coronavirus than figures released yesterday - but there have still been 413 reported deaths across the UK.

The vast majority of deaths have been in England where 336 deaths have been confirmed today, compared with 711 reported yesterday. The overall figure is now 18,420.

Scotland has reported 18 more coronavirus deaths in hospitals, taking its total to 1,249. Scotland reported 47 on Saturday.
Wales has reported 14 more deaths in hospitals, taking its total to 788. Wales reported 23 on Saturday.
 
Doctors have postponed more than 2m operations after non-emergency surgery was cancelled for at least three months to free up beds for coronavirus patients.

The mounting backlog of procedures could cost the NHS £3bn to work through and may require many of the 20,000 doctors and nurses who have returned to the health service to stay on once the Covid-19 crisis has been brought under control.

According to NHS England, postponing the planned operations, which typically cost £1bn per month, has released 12,000 beds for patients who have fallen ill after contracting the virus.
 
What we learned from the UK briefing

More staff are back at UK supermarkets as absence from illness and self-isolation has more than halved. But there are only a third of the usual number of migrant workers available to pick fresh fruit and vegetables - prompting the government to encourage furloughed workers to help with harvests

UK test capacity has reached 50,000 a day - but much of that capacity is still going unused, with only 29,058 tests conducted in the last 24-hour period

The environment secretary said "no decisions" had been taken about increasing restrictions on international travellers arriving in the UK, adding that at this stage of the pandemic they are "only a tiny proportion" of the infections
 
UK's Johnson could ease lockdown before May 7 deadline: The Telegraph

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans for easing a month-old coronavirus lockdown as early as this week after he returned to Downing Street on Sunday night, the Telegraph reported.

Johnson is due to be back at work on Monday after spending a week in hospital with COVID-19 and two weeks recovering at his country residence.

Johnson has discussed with ministers the idea of "modifying" the lockdown rather than lifting it, to get across the message that restrictions will remain in place even if workplaces and schools start to reopen, the Telegraph said bit.ly/2Sat3mr late on Sunday.

The official number of deaths related to COVID-19 in hospitals across the United Kingdom rose to 20,732, up by 413 in 24 hours, while confirmed cases stood at 152,840, up by 4,463.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...re-may-7-deadline-the-telegraph-idUSKCN2280S1
 
The Viper said:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans for easing a month-old coronavirus lockdown as early as this week

Johnson has discussed with ministers the idea of "modifying" the lockdown rather than lifting it
Click to expand...

He has no choice but to- shame people complained and got the conspiracy thread deleted as I would have explained exactly why they couldn’t go on beyond mid may. Businesses are already collapsed and many will be made homeless. The damage is done.

More people will be affected and suffer from the economic fallout than the virus.

One question I have to ask, if the hospitals have been in chaos for weeks how do the nurses find time to practise and then record dance videos? It’s not like they don’t have enough on their plates already unless they don’t?
 
When you factor in the estimated care home deaths, UK appears to have suffered the most deaths in Europe.

You have to ask why.
 
Boris Johnson has warned that the UK is at the point of "maximum risk" with regard to the coronavirus, in his first public remarks since recovering from the virus.

Johnson said he would not "throw away the sacrifice o the British people" by easing lockdown restrictions too quickly.

"I know it is tough. I want to get the economy moving as fast as I can," he said.

"But I refuse to throw away the sacrifice of the British people ... and risk a second peak."

Johnson said the government could not yet spell out how changes to the lockdown policy would be implemented - or how quickly.

"Clearly the government will be saying much more about this in the coming days," Johnson said.

"These decisions will be taken with the maximum possible transparency," he added.

Johnson returned to work on Monday under significant pressure to map out an exit strategy from lockdown restrictions, and to answer questions about a shortfall in testing in the UK.
 
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MenInG said:
Boris Johnson has warned that the UK is at the point of "maximum risk" with regard to the coronavirus, in his first public remarks since recovering from the virus.

Johnson said he would not "throw away the sacrifice o the British people" by easing lockdown restrictions too quickly.

"I know it is tough. I want to get the economy moving as fast as I can," he said.

"But I refuse to throw away the sacrifice of the British people ... and risk a second peak."

Johnson said the government could not yet spell out how changes to the lockdown policy would be implemented - or how quickly.

"Clearly the government will be saying much more about this in the coming days," Johnson said.

"These decisions will be taken with the maximum possible transparency," he added.

Johnson returned to work on Monday under significant pressure to map out an exit strategy from lockdown restrictions, and to answer questions about a shortfall in testing in the UK.
Click to expand...

Led by a clueless leader here! We are told nothing about the virus! We are just sat here in uncertainty and stress. Give us some clarity either way.
 
UK PM Boris Johnson warns of risking second coronavirus wave

After suffering from a severe case of coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work to the biggest dilemma of his premiership: how to lift the lockdown that is destroying the British economy without triggering a deadly second wave of the outbreak.

Speaking outside Downing Street early on Monday, he said the government "simply cannot spell out" when or how restrictive measures will ease, but offered hope by adding progress was being made with fewer hospital additions and that the United Kingdom was "passing the peak".

Johnson, 55, returns to work almost a month after he tested positive for COVID-19, which incapacitated the prime minister and threatened his life at the peak of the coronavirus crisis.

Addressing UK businesses, which fear more economic weakness amid the lockdown, he said: "We simply cannot spell out now how fast or slow or even when those changes will be made.

"I understand your impatience, I share your anxiety ... I entirely share your urgency, it's the government’s urgency and yet we must also recognise the risk of a second spike, the risk of losing control of that virus, and letting the reproduction rate go back over one. Because that would mean not only a new wave of death and disease but also an economic disaster.

"This is the moment of maximum risk."

His government, his party and his scientific advisers are divided over how and when the world's fifth-largest economy should start to get back to work, albeit in a limited form, as the number of people who have died of coronavirus infection surpassed 20,000 over the weekend.

Johnson's deputy, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said social distancing would remain in place for some time.

The UK is on course to be among the worst-hit European states with more than 20,732 hospital deaths reported as of Saturday.

But the UK's total death toll is much higher as statistics for deaths outside hospitals - for example, in care homes - are slower to be published.

The most stringent lockdown in peacetime history has left the economy facing possibly the deepest recession in three centuries and the biggest debt splurge since World War II.

Richard Horton, the editor of The Lancet, tweeted: "Today the UK Prime Minister returns to work. His first task is not to decide when to end the lockdown. Instead, it must be to manage public expectations about the length of lockdown. He needs to speak to the British people today."

Citing the example of Italy, which he said was following the "Wuhan timeline", Horton added: "We must use May to see new infections and deaths continue to fall. We must use May to plan a recovery plan for the nation. We must use May to think about what kind of future we want."

At the start of the outbreak, Johnson initially resisted imposing a draconian lockdown but then changed course when projections showed that a quarter of a million people could die in the UK.

Since the lockdown was imposed on March 23, his government has faced criticism from opposition parties and some doctors for the UK's limited testing capabilities and the lack of protective equipment for some front-line health workers.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, who has replaced veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, urged Johnson to set out when and how an economic and social lockdown might be eased - as did some Conservative Party donors.

"Simply acting as if this discussion is not happening is not credible," Starmer wrote in an open letter to Johnson.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...lockdown-questions-mount-200427073138116.html
 
King-Misbah said:
Led by a clueless leader here! We are told nothing about the virus! We are just sat here in uncertainty and stress. Give us some clarity either way.
Click to expand...
When was the lockdown ever about the virus or death?

It was always about not overbearing the NHS.
 
Rana said:
When was the lockdown ever about the virus or death?

It was always about not overbearing the NHS.
Click to expand...

And are we told by how ready the NHS was/is? I just hear news about lack of PEE from news outlets. The communication has been lacking!
 
BREAKING: Deaths in England rise by 329

A further 329 people who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in England.

NHS England said the patients were aged between 29 and 100-years-old.

The latest figure brings the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals in England to 18,749.

In Scotland, a further 13 people have died, bringing the total in the country to 1,262 patients.

And in Wales, a further eight patients have died, totalling 796 in the country over the outbreak.
 
'Right' for public to question ministers - Downing Street

Downing Street says it's "right" that members of the public, who are making "significant sacrifices", get to put questions to ministers and experts.

Members of the public have been given the chance to ask a question at the government's daily virus update from Downing Street. There will be one question a day from a member of the public, in addition to the media.

Anyone over the age of 18 can submit a question, which will be chosen by an independent polling organisation.
 
Firebat said:
'Right' for public to question ministers - Downing Street

Downing Street says it's "right" that members of the public, who are making "significant sacrifices", get to put questions to ministers and experts.

Members of the public have been given the chance to ask a question at the government's daily virus update from Downing Street. There will be one question a day from a member of the public, in addition to the media.

Anyone over the age of 18 can submit a question, which will be chosen by an independent polling organisation.
Click to expand...

useless pr stunt. they will choose a convenient question.
 
King-Misbah said:
Led by a clueless leader here! We are told nothing about the virus! We are just sat here in uncertainty and stress. Give us some clarity either way.
Click to expand...

I think they were very clear in the beginning but when other sensible scientists analysed their silly idea, they were legitimatley lambasted. However they are sticking to their original theory of letting the virus go through the population, ensuring the NHS doesnt get overwhelmed and accepting collateral damage.

yes people the UK govt has openly accepted the fact thousands of the citizens of the uk will die and they are ok with it,

now just imagine of a crazy bearded nutjob had killed 10k people with some kind of dirty bomb. How do you think the media and the public would react??
 
Robert said:
When you factor in the estimated care home deaths, UK appears to have suffered the most deaths in Europe.

You have to ask why.
Click to expand...

a combination of herd immunity strategy, right wing eugenics theory, incompetence and stupidity. they are ok for us to die as long as their rich friends survive. We are simply animals to them. lower than peasants.

and where is our forensics opposition? they have caved in and let this govt get away with it. It seems we are back to a weak compliant opposition with a wooden leader who wants to avoid rocking the boat.

Boris will be ahero after this as the semi literate population of this country cheer him on for his success in killing 40k and saving the country. At least teh mooslums didnt kill us otherwise we would have nuked pakistan or some other mooslum country.. go boris.
 
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15 prisoners and five staff members die - UK minister

The UK justice secretary has said 15 prisoners and five members of prison staff have died after contracting coronavirus.

Speaking from the Commons during justice questions, Robert Buckland said 321 prisoners have confirmed cases of the virus, and 293 members of prison staff.

He added that 33 prisoners have been released in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus in jails.

The Ministry of Justice said at the beginning of the month that up to 4,000 low-risk prisoners England and Wales would be released.

The government scheme was temporarily suspended two weeks later after six offenders were freed by mistake.
 
The Covid-19 death toll in England and Wales was 35% higher than the daily figures for deaths in hospitals released by the government as of 17 April, according to official data that include deaths in the community.

The Office for National Statistics said it had recorded 21,284 fatalities that mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate as of 17 April, compared with 13,917 in the daily hospital death stats published by the government.
 
Coronavirus: Care home deaths up as hospital cases fall

A third of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales are now happening in care homes, figures show.

Office for National Statistics data showed there were 2,000 coronavirus care home deaths in the week ending 17 April - double the previous week.

Projections for the following week - up to last Friday - suggested the numbers have since continued to rise.

It comes as coronavirus hospital deaths have started falling after peaking on 8 April.

Mike Padgham, of the Independent Care Group, which represents care homes, said care homes were now the "true front line" in the fight against coronavirus.

He said it was taking a "terrible toll".

"These are our lived ones - mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends who have been taken from us early. They deserve better."

He said the sector needed more testing, protective equipment and money to tackle the outbreaks.

How quickly are care home deaths rising?
Information about care home deaths are not included in the daily updates provided by government.

Those figures cover only deaths in hospital.

But the ONS has been able to track community deaths too by looking at death certificates.

This means the data lags behind the hospital figures.

Up until 10 April just over 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in care homes.

A week later this had increased by another 2,000 to top 3,000 in England and Wales.

Projections for the following week - up to last Friday - suggest they rose again.

Similar trends are being seen in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

But these figures may be an under-estimate.

The overall number of people dying in care homes is now three times higher than it was before the pandemic started.

Less than half of these extra deaths are being attributed to coronavirus.

Hospital deaths appear to have peaked
At the weekend the government announced hospital coronavirus deaths had topped 20,000 in the UK since the start of pandemic.

But data from the NHS suggested they peaked on 8 April - in England at least.

The ONS data for England and Wales shows a similar trend in hospitals.

What does this mean for excess deaths?
Official figures show the total number of people dying in the UK from all causes in hospitals and the community is double what we would expect for this time of year.

Government advisers say this is important to track as it reveals the indirect impact of the pandemic, from factors such as people missing out on care and dying from other conditions, as well as coronavirus deaths.

In the week to 17 April the total number of deaths in England and Wales topped 22,000 - the highest since records began in 1993.

Once you include Northern Ireland and Scotland the figures are nearly 25,000.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52455072
 
Rate of London Covid-19 deaths set to exceed Blitz

The number of people killed by Covid-19 in London in the four weeks to 17 April has now narrowly surpassed the number of civilians killed during the worst four-week period of aerial bombing of the city during the Blitz in the Second World War.

Figures held in the National Archives, and collated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, show that 4,677 people were killed during the Blitz and buried in London cemeteries in the 28 days to 4 October, 1940.

Deaths in London attributed to Covid-19, in the four weeks to 17 April this year, have now reached 4,697 according to a BBC count based on data from the Office for National Statistics.

The first of those four weeks - the week ending 27 March - came before the sharp rise in Covid-19 deaths took place. So figures released next week are expected to show a four-week tally higher than that recorded during the Blitz.
 
Doctor's son asks Hancock for public apology

The son of an NHS doctor who died with coronavirus has called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to say sorry for mistakes in the UK government's response.

Intisar Chowdhury, 18, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme a public apology would help improve public trust.

Intisar's father Dr Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, 53, warned about a lack of protection before he died.

Mr Hancock later told LBC that listening to front-line staff would help the government improve. He added that he did not want to "play down" the efforts of those working to get personal protective equipment (PPE) to the front line.
 
546 new deaths in England, 17 in Wales

NHS England has announced 546 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 19,295.

A further 17 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of deaths there to 813, Public Health Wales has said.
 
Over 3,000 fines issued in first three weeks of UK lockdown

The cabinet office minister Michael Gove has told MPs that 3,203 fines were issued to people for "flouting restrictions" in the first three weeks of the lockdown.

The penalties were issued between 27 March and 13 April.

Michael Gove said the number will have "of course increased significantly since then".
 
UK on track for one of Europe's worst virus death tolls

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is on track to record one of the worst coronavirus death tolls in Europe, after data published on Tuesday showed nationwide fatalities topped 24,000 nine days ago.

A day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke of success in dealing with the outbreak, the new figures showed the week ending April 17 was Britain’s deadliest since comparable records began in 1993.

The Office for National Statistics said 21,284 people had died in England by April 17 with mentions of COVID-19 on their death certificate. Together with figures from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the total United Kingdom death toll was at least 24,000 as of April 19.

“The United Kingdom is going to be right up there among the worst-hit nations in the initial surge,” said Bill Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“With the most optimistic views of the amount of immunity that might be being generated, it would be still not be close to having enough to be able to return to normal,” he told Reuters.

Unlike the hospital death tolls announced daily by the government, the fresh figures include deaths in community settings, such as care homes where overall fatalities have trebled in a few weeks.

Overall, Tuesday’s figures for COVID-19 deaths in England and Wales up to April 17 were more than 50% higher than the daily toll for deaths in hospitals initially announced by the government.

The figures underline the scale of the challenge facing Johnson as he returns to work after recovering from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and the dangers of relaxing Britain’s lockdown too soon.

He warned on Monday that it was still too dangerous to relax stringent measures wreaking havoc on the economy, for fear of a deadly second outbreak.

In a reminder that much is still unknown about the novel coronavirus, health secretary Matt Hancock said some children with no underlying health conditions had died from a rare inflammatory syndrome which researchers believe to be linked to COVID-19.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...es-worst-virus-death-tolls-idUSKCN22A17I?il=0
 
Two brothers with coronavirus have died within hours of one another.

Ghulam Abbas, 59, and Raza Abbas, 54, had been treated in adjoining beds in the ICU at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

The brothers, from Newport, died on 22 April - just three weeks after the death of their father, Ghulam Mohammed, who had an unrelated condition.

The family ran a newsagents in Pill for more than 20 years, and Raza Abbas was a manager at The Range distribution centre in Avonmouth.

The brothers were buried next to one another at St Woolos cemetery close to their father's grave, although only a few members could attend due to coronavirus restrictions.

Rukhsar Abbas, daughter of Ghulam Abbas, said: "I didn't realise how much of a well-known family we had, and how much of an impact my father and his brother had on the community, until now.

"We've had so many messages of support from members of the community and further afield, and even MPs have contacted us to send their condolences.

"It shows the kind of men they were. We're all so proud of them and are totally heartbroken."

She added it was "horrible" to have to adhere to social distancing while mourning her father.

"I had to grieve for my father through a window. It's a horrible feeling that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

"But to have had hundreds of people praying for our family - some that didn't even know us - has been unbelievable. I can't thank everyone enough."

Ghulam Abbas leaves a wife and two daughters. His younger brother leaves a wife and two sons.

Their father was a father of five and grandfather to 20. He was a founding member of the Islamic Society of Wales mosque in 1977.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-52455451
 
Here are the key points from today's UK coronavirus briefing:

Testing has now be extended in England to all care home residents and staff regardless of whether they have symptoms or not

Also, from Wednesday, all those over 65 and those who must leave home for work will be able to get a test if they are displaying symptoms

The UK's daily testing capacity is now 73,400 and the government is "on track" to hit the 100,000 daily testing target by the end of the month

Deaths in care homes account for a sixth of the total death toll, but Matt Hancock suggested that the figure is in line with yearly averages

From Wednesday the government will publish daily figures for care home and community deaths, not just deaths in hospitals

An existing drug is entering an early clinical trial phase to treat coronavirus
 
12,000 employees at British Airways to be made redundant.

One of the saddest days of this entire lockdown
 
Third of hospitalised Covid-19 patients in UK have died, study finds

The biggest study of Covid-19 patients in the UK shows a third admitted to hospital have died.

Just under half have been discharged, with the rest still being treated.

Prof Calum Semple, the chief investigator from the University of Liverpool, said the "crude hospital fatality rate is of the same magnitude as Ebola".

He said around 35-40% of hospitalised Ebola patients die.

"People need to hear this... this is an incredibly dangerous disease."

Nearly 17,000 patients from 166 hospitals were part of the study. Obesity and age both increased the risk of death.

The study also confirmed that men are more likely to have severe disease, and the gap between outcomes for men and women gets wider with age.
 
Firebat said:
Third of hospitalised Covid-19 patients in UK have died, study finds

The biggest study of Covid-19 patients in the UK shows a third admitted to hospital have died.

Just under half have been discharged, with the rest still being treated.

Prof Calum Semple, the chief investigator from the University of Liverpool, said the "crude hospital fatality rate is of the same magnitude as Ebola".

He said around 35-40% of hospitalised Ebola patients die.

"People need to hear this... this is an incredibly dangerous disease."

Nearly 17,000 patients from 166 hospitals were part of the study. Obesity and age both increased the risk of death.

The study also confirmed that men are more likely to have severe disease, and the gap between outcomes for men and women gets wider with age.
Click to expand...

What a horrendous statistic, very sad to read.
 
Schools will reopen in phases, says Education Secretary

The reopening of schools in England is expected to take place in a "phased manner", says the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

He told the Education Select Committee the date for opening would depend on scientific advice - but schools would get "as much notice as possible".

But when pupils start returning it could just be for some year groups.

"All schools returning on day one with a full complement of pupils would not be realistic," he told MPs.

With schools closed by the coronavirus outbreak, the education secretary faced questions on a timetable for re-opening and how to support the disadvantaged, while pupils were meant to be learning online from home.

Committee chair Robert Halfon warned of a "wave of educational poverty" that could come from the lockdown.

Speaking to an online session of the select committee, Mr Williamson said he was keen for schools to return as soon as was safely possible because of the disruption to pupils' learning.

"Every child is going to have suffered from not being in school," he told MPs.

But he said it would be a staged return, with schools given "proper notice" to prepare.

"When we bring schools back - and I think everyone wants to see schools returning - they will return in a phased manner," said Mr Williamson, as all pupils going back at once would not be "realistic or practical".

There were no details from the education secretary on which pupils might return first.

But last week, Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union suggested that Years 6, 10 and 12 might go back first, with 1 June the earliest realistic date.

A limit on pupil numbers in school would be necessary to maintain social distancing, said the heads' leader, which could mean only some year groups going back or pupils rotating between studying at home and in school.

The timing will be part of a wider, cross-government plan, Mr Williamson told MPs, with a sub-group of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) considering how to re-open schools.

The education secretary said he did not expect this term to be extended into the summer holidays - although committee member David Simmonds suggested some schools were already planning to open over the summer to help pupils catch up.

The experience of other countries going back to school, such as Germany and Denmark, would be taken into consideration, said the education secretary.

Mary Bousted, joint leader of the National Education Union, highlighted ongoing challenges for staffing in schools when it was safe to re-open

"All staff with underlying health conditions or who are vulnerable will need to be at home so timetables will be tricky and the full curriculum simply impossible," said Dr Bousted.

"We will need an extended, flexible recovery plan, and no one should be under any illusion that there is some catch-up magic bullet."

Mr Williamson gave more details of the scheme to lend laptops to disadvantaged pupils studying at home - saying there would be 200,000 laptops, with the first expected to be delivered by the end of May, with most arriving in June.

This would help to address the "digital divide" in terms of access to computer technology.

Mr Williamson said he had been in discussions with the BBC about putting schools programmes on television, which could help those without internet connections or unable to afford mobile phone data.

The education secretary was challenged by MPs on failings with the free school meal voucher scheme.

Ian Mearns said school staff were spending "hours and hours" trying to resolve problems with the food voucher system being administered by Edenred.

He said there were "horror stories" from schools about a computer system that did not seem to have capacity to cope - and having to find their own ways to get food to young people.

Mr Williamson recognised there had been "big challenges" and the level of service was not what was expected.

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-52469939
 
445 more deaths in England and 73 more in Wales

A further 445 coronavirus-related hospital deaths have been announced in England, taking the total to 19,740.

The deaths included a patient aged 14 with no known underlying health conditions.

In Wales, a further 73 people have died after testing positive for the virus, taking the total number of deaths there to 886.

UK-wide figures will be published by the Department of Health later today. The figures will include deaths in care homes and the community, as well as those in hospital, for the first time.
 
'Worrying' rise in car use in UK

Yvonne Doyle, the medical director of Public Health England, says car use has reached its highest level since 23 March, when the UK's lockdown was announced.

She says this is "worrying".

5AFLGzdRGOH9AbMyI63F_transport%20use.JPG
 
Coronavirus: UK now has second highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe

More than 26,000 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, making it the second worst-hit country in Europe, new figures have shown.

A total of 26,097 people have died after contracting COVID-19, according to government data which included deaths in care homes and the wider community for the first time.

The total is up from 21,678 coronavirus deaths in UK hospitals announced on Tuesday - but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted there had not been a "sudden surge".

The latest deaths included a 14-year-old in England who had no known underlying health condition.

Public Health England (PHE) said the new method of reporting deaths showed an additional 3,811 fatalities since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, about 70% of which were "outside hospital settings".

There were 765 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 5pm on Tuesday.

The total number of UK coronavirus deaths was recorded between 2 March and 28 April and was around 17% higher than previous data showed, according to PHE.

Its medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said she could not yet say whether deaths in care homes were falling.

She told the daily Downing Street briefing: "We should know that soon because the hospital curve has declined."

Nearly a third of all care homes in England have reported suspected or confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks.

Some 4,516 homes have reported outbreaks since 17 March up until Monday this week - around 29% of the total care homes.

In every region in England more than a fifth of care homes had reported outbreaks.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...mes-included-in-total-for-first-time-11980475
 
UK has world's third-highest death toll

It's worth remembering that the epicentre of this pandemic has shifted over time, from its origin in China to southern Europe and now the US.

But which countries have recorded the most deaths from the outbreak?

It's a complicated question, because different countries record their deaths in very different ways.

Take Belgium, where more than half of recorded deaths have been in care homes for the elderly and are based largely on suspected cases. This makes the country's data look much worse when compared to similar countries that don't log suspected cases in their official Covid-19 death tolls.

The UK's death toll on Wednesday surpassed both Spain and France, after official figures began including deaths in the community, such as in care homes, for the first time.

Even with these caveats in mind, the data collated by Johns Hopkins University in the US does paint an interesting picture. It lists the top ten countries for recorded deaths as:

The US with almost 61,000
Italy with 27,682
UK with 26,166 (The official UK government figure is 26,097)
Spain with 24,275
France with 24,121
Belgium with 7,501
Germany with 6,467
Iran with 5,957
Netherlands with 4,727
China with 4,637
 
Colonel Thomas Moore has raised more than £30m for the NHS by completing laps of his garden at home
 
MenInG said:
UK has world's third-highest death toll

It's worth remembering that the epicentre of this pandemic has shifted over time, from its origin in China to southern Europe and now the US.

But which countries have recorded the most deaths from the outbreak?

It's a complicated question, because different countries record their deaths in very different ways.

Take Belgium, where more than half of recorded deaths have been in care homes for the elderly and are based largely on suspected cases. This makes the country's data look much worse when compared to similar countries that don't log suspected cases in their official Covid-19 death tolls.

The UK's death toll on Wednesday surpassed both Spain and France, after official figures began including deaths in the community, such as in care homes, for the first time.

Even with these caveats in mind, the data collated by Johns Hopkins University in the US does paint an interesting picture. It lists the top ten countries for recorded deaths as:

The US with almost 61,000
Italy with 27,682
UK with 26,166 (The official UK government figure is 26,097)
Spain with 24,275
France with 24,121
Belgium with 7,501
Germany with 6,467
Iran with 5,957
Netherlands with 4,727
China with 4,637
Click to expand...

US and UK have been shambolic in their handling of the pandemic :facepalm:
 
and her majesties opposition fails to shoot into an open goal. [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION]

Starmers performance to date has been utterly useless. May aswell give Boris another term today..
 
the Great Khan said:
and her majesties opposition fails to shoot into an open goal. [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION]

Starmers performance to date has been utterly useless. May aswell give Boris another term today..
Click to expand...

The Tories seem way too comfortable in power to me. Strong opposition has been missing for a long time now. Boris is basically “115 not out” at this stage, with a figurative bat like a tennis racket and he’s seeing it like a beachball.... he will win the next election, and the next one, and he will be PM either until he gets bored, or until the Tory grandees suddenly knife him in the dark as they always do with every Conservative PM.
 
Boris to take paternity leave at the end of June .

Biggest crisis since WW2 & he’s hardly at work .

God bless democracy, the intelligent British people & Great Britain . We will clap at night , give more money after paying taxes , get an old man to pace up & down and we’ll be fine.
 
James said:
The Tories seem way too comfortable in power to me. Strong opposition has been missing for a long time now. Boris is basically “115 not out” at this stage, with a figurative bat like a tennis racket and he’s seeing it like a beachball.... he will win the next election, and the next one, and he will be PM either until he gets bored, or until the Tory grandees suddenly knife him in the dark as they always do with every Conservative PM.
Click to expand...

Lol

Boris has been a National embarrassment during this crisis. He will not be in power next round
 
KingKhanWC said:
Boris to take paternity leave at the end of June .

Biggest crisis since WW2 & he’s hardly at work .

God bless democracy, the intelligent British people & Great Britain . We will clap at night , give more money after paying taxes , get an old man to pace up & down and we’ll be fine.
Click to expand...

the brazen disregard for lives is astounding and the disconnect from people is shocking. People are brainwashed and semi literate. As long as the individual is safe and happy ,the rest can go and jump.
 
the Great Khan said:
the brazen disregard for lives is astounding and the disconnect from people is shocking. People are brainwashed and semi literate. As long as the individual is safe and happy ,the rest can go and jump.
Click to expand...

The leading story yesterday was Boris’s son and his paternity leave later this year,

Blatant disregard for the 12000 BA staff about to be laid off
 
James said:
The Tories seem way too comfortable in power to me. Strong opposition has been missing for a long time now. Boris is basically “115 not out” at this stage, with a figurative bat like a tennis racket and he’s seeing it like a beachball.... he will win the next election, and the next one, and he will be PM either until he gets bored, or until the Tory grandees suddenly knife him in the dark as they always do with every Conservative PM.
Click to expand...

first the opposition decided to factionalise instead of unite, and then proceeded to ensure they sabotaged their own leaders 2017 election campaign. And now when the coup plotters are in charge we find out how ever incompetent they are. Watching Starmer on the dispatch box was a complete let down. he was boring, wooden and even praised this horrible govt. Boris will eat him alive and I cant see these incompetents winning a by election at the moment.
 
Rana said:
The leading story yesterday was Boris’s son and his paternity leave later this year,

Blatant disregard for the 12000 BA staff about to be laid off
Click to expand...

yup. they need to ensure the public stay on Netflix and ignore the real issues. People should be rioting at the moment. i wonder what would have happened if some bearded crazies had killed 20k people in the uk by now? imagine the fury in the public?
 
BA operations of Gatwick may not restart even after lockdown is lifted.

That’s going to add another 5-6000 people into their projected 12000 lay off list...

But I guess let’s rejoice as the PM has had a son and will be taking paternity leave later on this year!
 
Realistically when can we expect lockdown restrictions to be lifted?
 
How close is the UK to 100,000 tests a day?

The UK government has pledged to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April.

It managed more than 52,000 in the 24 hours up to 09:00 on 29 April.

The government says it has the capacity to carry out 75,000 tests a day, but not all of this capacity is being used.

First the government said it would carry out 10,000 tests a day. Then it set a target of 25,000 a day by the middle of April. But on 2 April, Health Secretary Matt Hancock promised 100,000 tests would be carried out a day by the end of the month.

He was coming under pressure as the UK lagged behind other comparable nations - Germany was up to more than 100,000 tests a day on average by 4 April.

However, on Thursday Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told BBC Breakfast: 'If it isn't met, we are well on our way to ramping this up - 100,000 is an important milestone but we need more. The PM talked about 250,000, that's where we need to be going."

Saffron Cordery of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said the rationale for the UK needing to get to that particular figure wasn't "entirely clear".

The published number of tests carried out is higher than the actual number of people tested, since some people need more than one.

_112024560_daily_test.png


How are the tests being offered?

The tests are done by taking a swab of the nose or throat, which is sent off to a lab to look for signs of the virus's genetic material.

Key workers in England and Scotland who are self-isolating because they or a family member have coronavirus symptoms can be referred for a test by their employer.

Those eligible can also book online themselves and choose whether to attend a regional test site, or ask for a home test kit - although supplies are limited.

But, with thousands of people using the site since its launch, many have found that testing slots run out quickly.

Wales is adopting a needs-based approach to testing for NHS and "critical" non-NHS workers.

In Northern Ireland, key workers can be tested at one of three drive-through centres.

The British Medical Association had said the accessibility of centres was a major problem, with some driving hundreds of miles to their nearest site - especially difficult for people suffering symptoms of Covid-19.

There are currently 41 drive-through centres across the UK with plans for more in the coming week.

Why is testing important?

People are tested to diagnose them individually, but it can also be used to understand how far the virus has spread in the population.

For this second reason, a total of 20,000 households in England will take part in a study where they will be tested every month for a year - both for active coronavirus infections and for antibodies that would indicate a past infection.

It also helps people, including NHS workers, know whether they are safe to be at work. And it can help the health service plan for extra demand, including in intensive care units.

And testing can inform decisions around social distancing and lockdowns.

What about antibody tests?

An antibody test shows whether someone has already had the virus.

_111610084_testing_kits_compv3_inf640-nc.png


They work by looking for signs of immunity, by using a drop of blood on a device that works a bit like a pregnancy test.

No home antibody test has yet been found to be reliable enough to be used.

A more reliable laboratory antibody test is in use at Porton Down, but it is currently being reserved to estimate population-level immunity - not to give individuals information about their infection status.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51943612
 
The latest from the UK:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has chaired a cabinet meeting and will later lead the daily coronavirus briefing for the first time since his return to work

The government is pushing to meet today's deadline for carrying out 100,000 tests a day, but ministers admit they seem unlikely to reach the target

The prime minister's spokesman has dampened suggestions that the lockdown could be lifted before the end of June

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said next week may be "too early" to lift the lockdown restrictions "in any meaningful way"

Captain Tom Moore, who raised over £30m for NHS charities, has been celebrating his 100th birthday - with some big surprises

London's transport system may be overwhelmed when lockdown measures are lifted, a briefing to emergency planners says

Sainsbury's customers are likely to see disruption to their shopping, including socially distanced queues, until September

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has agreed to manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford if it proves effective
 
UK privacy advocates warn over COVID-19 contact tracing app

LONDON (Reuters) - Leading privacy advocates in Britain have urged the government to prevent a soon-to-be launched COVID-19 contact tracing app from turning into a form of state surveillance.

Countries are rushing to develop apps which, along with a wider testing and tracking programme, are seen as key to easing social distancing rules that have all but shut global economies.

Matthew Gould, chief executive of the National Health Service’s technology group NHSX, told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that an app could be rolled out widely in Britain in two to three weeks.

It will keep a record of anonymised tokens or identities of those people the phone’s owner has been in contact with. The data will stay on the phone until the owner becomes symptomatic when they will have the option to submit the data to the app, alerting those with whom they came into contact.

Leading academics and scientists working in security and privacy at universities across Britain published a joint letter saying Britons would only adopt the app if they felt their privacy was protected.

“It is vital that, when we come out of the current crisis, we have not created a tool that enables data collection on the population, or on targeted sections of society, for surveillance,” they said.

In Europe, most countries have chosen short-range Bluetooth “handshakes” between mobile devices as the best way to register a potential contact, although it does not provide location data.

But they have disagreed about whether to log such contacts on individual devices or on a central server - which would be more directly useful to existing contact tracing teams.

Germany recently changed course, saying it would join a growing number of other European countries in adopting a “decentralised” approach supported by Apple and Google.

Gould told the parliamentary committee he believed the British app would protect privacy even though it would build a centralised system. He said NHSX would publish the privacy model close to launch.

He said later versions of the app could also ask users to provide more details such as location, if they agreed.

“We really believe there are big advantages to the way we’re doing it but we don’t believe that it’s privacy endangering,” he said.

Gould was asked during the hearing whether Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre was involved in the decision to adopt the more centralised approach. He said the body had been part of the discussions.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...vid-19-contact-tracing-app-idUSKBN22C2K0?il=0
 
Theo_14 said:
Realistically when can we expect lockdown restrictions to be lifted?
Click to expand...

The PM has just tweeted to say that they won’t be any time soon. Surprised, as I thought that he might signal for a phased lifting of restrictions from next week.
 
Nearly 9,000 Britons fined over lockdown breaches

Nearly 9,000 people have received fines for flouting lockdown restrictions in England and Wales, new figures show.

Police have had powers to issue fixed penalty notices (rather than on-the-spot fines) for alleged breaches since 26 March.

Figures released by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) show that in the month to 27 April, police issued 8,877 fixed-penalty notices in England, and a further 299 in Wales.

Nearly 400 were for repeat offenders - with one individual given six.

Police can issue an initial £60 fixed penalty, which is lowered to £30 if paid within two weeks, before issuing £120 fixed penalties for second-time offenders - a fee which is doubled on each further repeat offence.

Guidelines have been issued to police over imposing lockdown, including a list of 'reasonable excuses' for people to leave their homes.
 
so govt has asked my work to make preps for a phased lockdown opening..over a period of 16 weeks probably three phases..also rumours of dates for uk school openings are flying around. Allegedly we may get some kind of announcement on May 7th but that also a phased approach..

this govt doesnt care..
 
'I can confirm we are past the peak of this disease' - Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will outline a comprehensive plan next week to 'get the economy moving'.
 
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