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Coronavirus in UK

Coronavirus: UK reports 12,594 new cases and 19 deaths
 
UK records 12,594 new cases

There have been 12,594 new coronavirus cases recorded in the UK, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard.

It brings the total number of cases to 515,571.

This comes after nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases went unreported in England between 25 September and 2 October, delaying contact tracing efforts.

There were a further 19 deaths recorded on Monday, bringing the total number of fatalities of those who had tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days to 42,369.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Boris Johnson urges people to ‘go to the cinema’ following news Cineworld is temporarily closing UK sites <a href="https://t.co/sYuUP0PavI">https://t.co/sYuUP0PavI</a></p>— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1313100457619972096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Covid: Swansea prisoners make hundreds of PPE items

Prisoners in Swansea have made up to 300 protective clothing items a week for front-line healthcare staff.

A recent visit by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found workshops had been adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This helped cut the number of inmates kept in their cells for long periods.

Inspectors said the number of men training as cleaners increased in response to enhanced levels of hygiene, with 33 bio-hazard cleans carried out in the prison by newly trained inmates.

Overall the coronavirus-shortened scrutiny visit found HMP Swansea to be a "well-led establishment that, despite some weakness, had overall made good progress" since the start of the pandemic.

It follows some damning reports in recent years, including one which said the prison was "not fit for purpose" after failing to prevent eight suicides over six years, all by prisoners who had been in Swansea for less than a week.

The latest inspection reported two further suicides since January 2019 "soon after the prisoners arrived" and an action plan had been drawn up in response to recommendations by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Swansea was once one of the UK's most overcrowded jails and according to a report compiled in July, it remained the ninth most overcrowded.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said while Swansea had "progressed", managers needed to establish "appropriate oversight in the areas of self-harm prevention".

But Mr Clarke said improvements were needed in the care of those at risk of self-harm.

He found the scale of mental health problems in Swansea was extremely high, affecting almost eight in 10 inmates, which has prompted the introduction of a new crisis team.

The Victorian jail, opened in 1861, had a Covid-19 outbreak between April and June as 12 prisoners and 10 staff tested positive.

But the inspector said a "good partnership" with the local health board, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government meant every symptomatic prisoner was tested for Covid-19.

Prisoners were able to get out of their cells for about 90 minutes a day during the pandemic, with inspectors finding a far greater proportion were involved in "purposeful activity" than other prisons.

Even in areas where social distancing was possible, most prisoners were not staying 2m apart. But some measures introduced in response to the pandemic had cut bullying, such as canteen orders being delivered to cells.

"We found that managers had made significant progress during the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mr Clarke.

"Appropriate priority was given to keeping prisoners in work, maintaining some limited face-to-face education and continuing sentence and risk management.

"Outcomes for many prisoners at Swansea were better than at other local prisons."
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54421240.
 
Covid could cause 'tsunami of cancelled NHS operations'

There could be a "tsunami" of cancelled operations this winter as the NHS copes with rising numbers of coronavirus patients, leading surgeons are warning.

Members of the Royal College of Surgeons of England say they doubt the NHS can meet targets to restore surgery back to near pre-pandemic levels.

Planned procedures such as hip replacements were paused to free up beds during lockdown in the spring.

And hospitals have since been dealing with a backlog.

In July, NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens told trusts hospitals should by September 2020 be performing at least 80% of their September 2019 rates of:

overnight planned procedures
outpatient or day-case procedures
And by October, this proportion should rise to 90%.

But data suggests more than two million people have been waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine operations, with 83,000 waiting more than a year - up from 2,000 before the pandemic.

More than 140,000 operations such as knee and hip replacements were performed in July 2020, up from 41,000 in April.

But that is less than half the level seen in July 2019.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England surveyed nearly 1,000 members in September and found:

only 14% were now able to treat the same number of patients as before the pandemic
48% said planned operations were currently running at just 50-80% of 2019 levels
President of the college Prof Neil Mortensen said: "This is a national crisis requiring a truly national effort across all hospitals - private and NHS alike.

"As the virus becomes more prevalent again, there is a real risk of a tsunami of cancelled operations unless surgical beds are funded and protected.

"That means building up theatre capacity and designating beds exclusively for those who need an operation."

The poll also found:

22% were unable to access "Covid-light" hubs, which keep surgical patients separate from Covid-19 patients, particularly in Wales, Northern Ireland and north-east England
59% said their trust or health board was not routinely testing asymptomatic staff, to keep coronavirus off surgical wards
An NHS spokesman said the survey underestimated the amount of surgery now happening in the NHS, adding that goals for the end of August were met.

"The NHS has flexed its hospital capacity and community services as needed throughout the pandemic, treating over 110,000 severely ill people for Covid-19, and doubling the number of non-urgent operations since April. More people are set to benefit from the deal struck with independent hospitals also to make use of their bed capacity.

"Covid inpatient numbers are rising and much depends on keeping the virus under control through continued public action on hands-face-space, Test and Trace service, and rapid action to control local outbreaks," he said.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54422324.
 
Covid: Nearly 500,000 redundancies planned since crisis began

British employers planned 58,000 redundancies in August, taking the total to 498,000 for the first five months of the Covid crisis.

966 separate employers told the government of plans to cut 20 or more jobs, compared to 214 last August, a more than fourfold increase.

However, the figures were down from the levels seen in June and July, which both saw 150,000 job cuts planned.

The figures were released to the BBC after a freedom of information request.

The economy bounced back in the summer after the unprecedented economic downturn earlier in the year, as workers were urged to return to the office, and customers encouraged to spend more by schemes such as the Eat Out To Help Out restaurant vouchers.

However a number of big businesses from many of the hardest-hit sectors, such as retail and restaurants, announced big redundancy plans, including Debenhams, DW Sports, Marks & Spencer, Pret a Manger, currency exchange company Travelex, and WH Smith.

The 58,000 positions put at risk in August was considerably lower than previous months, but it was still more than 150% up on the previous year.

"There was a sense of optimism in August, we were starting to see more spending and more activity, there were hopes for a quick recovery," said Rebecca McDonald, senior economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation think tank. "That seems a lot less likely now."

A government spokesperson said: "Supporting jobs is an absolute priority, which is why we have set out our plan for jobs to protect, create and support jobs across the UK.

"We are helping employees get back to work through a £1,000 retention bonus, creating new roles for young people with our £2bn Kickstart scheme and doubling the number of frontline work coaches."

How will the end of the furlough scheme affect redundancies?
The big summer rush may have been partly caused by firms preparing to cut staff before the end of the furlough scheme on 31 October.

That scheme, where the government pays part of workers' wages when their employers cannot, has helped to reduce the number of pandemic-related redundancies. A total of 9.6 million jobs were furloughed.

But given that most redundancy processes take months to complete, firms planning significant dismissals by the end of furlough would have had to notify government in the summer.

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled a new employment support scheme last month, where government will subsidise the pay of employees who are working fewer than their usual hours due to reduced demand.

It is less generous than the furlough scheme, and the next few months of redundancy data will give an early indication of how successful it has been in protecting employment.

"Many employers will have difficult decisions to make in the coming months. Given the design of the new scheme it seems likely that there will be a significant number of redundancies in the winter," said Ms McDonald.

"We are concerned that it will be the lowest-paid workers in the hardest-hit sectors who will be affected the most."

Employers are obliged to notify government when they plan to make 20 or more staff redundant in any single "establishment" using an HR1 Advance Notice of Redundancy form. However, they often make fewer positions redundant than the number they initially notify.

These figures pick up an increase in redundancy plans long before the Office for National Statistics' redundancy figures, which appear with a lag of several months.

ONS numbers showed 156,000 redundancies from May to July, up from 107,000 in the previous three-month period.

However, any redundancy process involving fewer than 20 people doesn't show up in these figures so the eventual total is likely to be larger than the HR1 numbers suggest.

Companies in Northern Ireland file HR1 forms with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and they are not included in these figures.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54392177.
 
I love it how Boris is now urging people to go back to the cinema *after* all of the cinemas have closed. The guy has no idea what is going on out there and has totally lost the plot.
 
Rishi Sunak admits missed coronavirus tests 'should not have happened'

Asked whether Test and Trace failures last week could lead to further coronavirus deaths, the chancellor told Sky news: "This should not have happened."

Pressed further, he said: "You're right in that there is a delay in people being contacted."

Quizzed on the government's use of outdated Excel spreadsheet software, Mr Sunak refused to be drawn, saying: "Let's just take a step back and look at where we are at the start of this pandemic.

"We’ve gone from 10,000 tests a day to 250,000 a day.

"And the trajectory is mapped out for half a million a day by the end of October."

"We’re on a trajectory to half a million by the end of October."
 
Further coronavirus deaths reported in England and Wales

A further 50 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, NHS England says.

In Wales, a further 10 people have died and 425 people have tested positive for coronavirus, according to Public Health Wales.

It comes as Welsh tourism businesses say proposals to quarantine visitors from Covid hotspots in England could "induce more cancellations and more uncertainty".

So far, 15 of Wales' 22 counties have seen local lockdown restrictions put in place affecting more than two million people.

UK-wide coronavirus figures are expected to be published by the government later.
 
What's happening in the UK?

Boris Johnson has vowed to defeat Covid and build a better country over the next decade in his leader's speech to the Conservative party conference, held online

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says any decisions on further restrictions for Scotland will not be revealed until tomorrow – some government advisers have backed the idea of a limited lockdown for a relatively brief time, possibly two weeks

Margaret Ferrier, the MP who has breached Covid guidance, is believed to have attended Mass at a Glasgow church after showing symptoms of the virus

Households could be banned from mixing in Nottingham after a surge in cases, the city council’s director of public health says

A son was left "angry and upset" when he was told to move while comforting his mother at his father's funeral, because of social distancing rules

Nearly a fifth of secondary schools in England sent at least some pupils home last week to isolate, amid concerns about Covid-19 cases
 
UK reports 14,542 new coronavirus cases, 2nd highest daily rise since start of the pandemic, and 76 more deaths, which is highest daily rise in fatalities for 3 months.

Cases surging, deaths rising.
 
COVID deaths increase in all regions apart from East Midlands

Some more headlines from the latest COVID death figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Registered deaths involving coronavirus increased in all but one region of England in the week ending 25 September, the data shows. The exception was the East Midlands, where the weekly total fell from 14 to 11.

The figures for the regions were:

North West - 60 deaths (up 21 on the previous week's total)

West Midlands - 33 deaths (up 18)

Yorkshire & the Humber - 29 deaths (up eight)

London - 23 deaths (up 10)

South East - 16 deaths (up five)

North East - 13 deaths (up five)

East of England - 10 deaths (up two)

South West - eight deaths (up three)

East Midlands - 11 (down three)

In Wales the weekly total increased by seven, from five to 12.
 
Covid: New Scottish virus restrictions to be announced

New restrictions aimed at slowing a surge in coronavirus cases are to be announced by Scotland's first minister.

Nicola Sturgeon has already stressed the new rules will not signal a return to full lockdown, even for a short period of time.

But there has been speculation travel restrictions could be imposed in areas with higher levels of the virus.

And some pubs, restaurants and other venues could see tighter controls - or even temporary closure.

Ms Sturgeon will confirm the new measures in a speech to the Scottish Parliament at about 14:50 BST.

'Additional targeted steps'
The first minister said in June that she believed Scotland was "not far away" from eliminating the virus.

But the number of people testing positive has increased sharply in recent weeks - in keeping with some other parts of the UK and Europe - despite the country generally taking a more cautious approach to the virus than England.

People in Scotland were banned from visiting other homes last month, with strict limits also in force for outdoor meetings and a 22:00 curfew imposed for pubs and restaurants.

About 730 new cases are being recorded every day in Scotland on average - compared with 285 a fortnight ago - with the number of people dying or being admitted to hospital also increasing.

Ms Sturgeon said on Tuesday the rising number of cases meant "additional targeted steps" were now needed if the country was to attempt to bring the virus back under control before winter.

Tourism and hospitality industry leaders have warned that many business will never recover from the impact of any further restrictions.

The first minister has said the new measures would seek to strike a balance between protecting health and the economy.

She has already ruled out a nationwide travel ban or the possibility of people being told to stay at home, and has pledged that schools will only close for the duration of the October holidays.

It seems likely the new restrictions will primarily be targeted at "hotspot" areas with high levels of the virus, potentially alongside some new but possibly less stringent national measures.

The virus has been spreading particularly quickly in the central belt of Scotland - including the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Lothian, Forth Valley and Ayrshire and Arran health board areas.

The rise in some of these areas was partly driven by a series of major outbreaks on university campuses - although the virus is increasingly being transmitted to older people too.

Many more rural areas have seen far fewer cases - and have questioned the need for any new rules to apply to them.

Stephen Leckie, the owner of the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire, told BBC Scotland on Tuesday that any form of travel restrictions would "in effect be a lockdown" for the tourism and hospitality industries.

He said the October school holiday was generally the last chance for the sector to make money before the end of the year, and predicted many businesses would be forced to close for good if they were hit by new restrictions.

'Emotional strain'
And the Federation of Small Businesses said days of uncertainty about what new measures would be imposed had been "unhelpful" and had caused more emotional strain for employers and staff.

It called on the Scottish government to outline what new support it would be offering to firms impacted by the restrictions, and warned not doing so would further erode the trust of the business community.

The Scottish Conservatives have also called on the Scottish government to offer more than "empty words" to businesses, and said it was time for it to "stop passing the buck back to the UK government".
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54435870.
 
PM Johnson says COVID cases rising but lockdown approach correct

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that COVID-19 infections were rising in London and elsewhere, but that his government’s approach to controlling the spread of the virus was still the right one.

“The local and regional approach combined with the national measures remains correct,” Johnson told parliament, when asked why infections continued to rise in areas where local lockdown measures have been put in place.

Analysis presented in parliament by the opposition Labour Party showed that infection rates had risen in 19 out of 20 areas in England that are subject to additional lockdown measures.

Johnson’s strategy over the summer, when new nationwide infections were in the low hundreds per day, was to try to shut down localised outbreaks while reopening the wider economy. On Tuesday, Britain reported more than 15,000 new infections.

The analysis showed that in Wigan, northwest England, the infection rate, measured as the number of confirmed cases per 100,000 population, had risen by 3,653% since a local lockdown was first imposed on July 30, increasing to 225 from 6.

Increases in the other areas were between 13% and 2,241%, Labour’s data showed.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...g-but-lockdown-approach-correct-idUSKBN26S1RC
 
Further 14,162 coronavirus cases in UK
A further 14,162 people have tested positive for coronavirus across the UK, the government has said.

It brings the total number of UK cases to 544,275.

A further 70 people have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test as of Wednesday. It brings the total deaths to 42,515.
 
Covid-19: New restrictions to be announced for parts of England 'within days' - Jenrick

New measures to tackle coronavirus are to be announced "in the coming days", a minister says, after the BBC was told pubs and restaurants could be closed in the worst-affected areas of England.

There could also be a ban on overnight stays away from home in these areas.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government was "currently considering what steps to take".

A new three-tier system for local lockdowns is also likely to be announced.

Under the system, different parts of the country would be placed in different categories - although ministers are still discussing the precise details of the toughest level of restrictions over the next couple of days.

A final decision on the time period or extent of potential closures has not yet been made and a formal announcement is not likely to come until Monday, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said.

Some politicians in the North of England and the Midlands have shared their frustration about the plans appearing in newspapers before being announced in Parliament.

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, told the BBC: "If it's urgent, give us the detail, give us the evidence behind the proposals. Let's discuss it and let's agree it quickly.

"What [the government is] doing is imposing rather than negotiating."

Meanwhile, Labour has challenged the government to publish the scientific evidence behind the 22:00 BST closing time for pubs and restaurants in England.

Leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party would not be "voting down" the measure in the Commons next Tuesday but the policy "needs to be reformed".

Downing Street said that early data suggested a "significant proportion" of coronavirus exposure was seen in the hospitality sector, especially in younger age groups.

But pressed on whether the government would publish evidence on the issue, Mr Jenrick told the BBC: "It is commonsensical that the longer you stay in pubs and restaurants, the more likely you are to come into contact with other individuals.

"The more drinks that people have, the more likely that some people are to break the rules."

He added that it was right to "take action decisively, rather than waiting for the most detailed epidemiological evidence to emerge".

On the possibility of additional restrictions for some parts of England, Mr Jenrick did not rule out pubs being closed but said the response would be "proportionate and localised" and precise measures for different areas would be announced "in the coming days".

He added that the government was trying to give "greater consistency on rules so they're easier to understand" and was working on "slightly broader canvases of regions or cities and counties to avoid differences in people's daily lives if they drive over the border".

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54463081
 
Further 77 UK deaths recorded

Another 77 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test have been recorded in the UK.

The total number of deaths with coronavirus on the death certificate in the UK is now 57,347.

==

17,540 new UK coronavirus cases

A further 17,540 coronavirus cases have been recorded across the UK, data from the government's Covid-19 dashboard shows.

It means a total of 544,275 lab-confirmed cases have been recorded in the UK since the pandemic began.
 
Official figures show the UK has recorded 87 new COVID-19 related deaths and 13,864 new cases
 
U.K.’s Sophie, Countess of Wessex, self-isolating after coronavirus contact

Sophie, Britain’s Countess of Wessex the wife of Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son Prince Edward, is self-isolating at home after coming into contact with someone who has since tested positive for COVID-19, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

The royal, 55, has no symptoms but is following government guidelines, a palace spokesman said. She has not been in contact with any other member of the wider royal family since, he added.

In March, the queen’s eldest son, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, tested positive for the virus and spent seven days in self-isolation.

He later said he was lucky to have only suffered “relatively mild symptoms” and was now in good health.

Sophie, a former public relations executive, married Edward in 1999 and they have two children.
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Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/7388196/sophie-countess-of-wessex-self-isolating-coronavirus-contact/.
 
Covid: UK at 'tipping point', top scientist warns

The UK has reached a "tipping point" in its coronavirus epidemic similar to that last seen in March, one of the country's top scientists has warned.

Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, said "the seasons are against us" and the country is running into a "headwind" ahead of the winter months.

More deaths will follow a rise in cases over the coming weeks, he said.

He urged people to help the NHS by keeping contact with others low.

In a statement published on Sunday, Prof Van-Tam said that while the epidemic "re-started" again among younger people over the past few weeks, there is "clear evidence of a gradual spread into older age groups" in the worst-hit areas.

The R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus onto - is now estimated between 1.2 and 1.5. Anything above 1.0 means cases are increasing.

On Saturday, 15,166 people in the UK were reported to have tested positive for coronavirus - an increase of 1,302 on Friday's figure - according to the government's dashboard.

There were a further 81 deaths - a decrease of six on Friday.

However, the Office for National Statistics estimates 224,000 people in homes in England had the virus, up to 1 October - roughly double the figure reported for each of the preceding two weeks.

"Sadly, just as night follows day, increases in deaths will now follow on in the next few weeks," Prof Van-Tam said.

He warned that the UK is in a different position than it was during the first wave because "we are now are going into the colder, darker winter months".

"We are in the middle of a severe pandemic and the seasons are against us. Basically, we are running into a headwind," he said.

But he also said the UK has "much improved testing capabilities" and "better treatments" available, meaning that "we know where it is and how to tackle it".

He stressed the importance of following public health guidance and minimising contact with others, adding: "I know this is very hard, but it is an unfortunate scientific fact that the virus thrives on humans making social contact with one another."
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54496508.
 
Covid: Student anger over 'junk' food parcels in isolation

Universities are facing anger from students over conditions some have faced while self-isolating in campus accommodation.

Students have criticised the cost and quality of food provided to them by universities while in isolation.

Undergraduates say food parcels have often been filled with "junk", meaning they have had to request fresh fruit and vegetables from parents.

Institutions said they were working hard to provide students with supplies.

People told to self-isolate because of coronavirus must stay at home for at least 10 days under rules punishable by fines.

Universities UK has issued guidance on best practice for supporting students who are required to self-isolate.

'Expensive prison'
First-year economics and politics student Tess Bailie, 18, began a social media campaign after hearing of especially poor conditions for those isolating on her campus.

Out-of-date food and a lack of catering for religious and dietary requirements are among the complaints at the University of Edinburgh's Pollock Halls, dubbed the "UK's most expensive prison".

"Students are saying the only thing saving them was the fact that half of them have Covid and they can't taste it anyway," Ms Bailie said, referring to a common Covid-19 symptom.

The University of Edinburgh admitted there had been a "few occasions when students' needs have not been met". But it said these were addressed quickly with work taking place to improve its systems.

In a statement, the university said: "Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students continues to be our absolute priority.

"We have teams of staff working 24 hours a day to provide those who are self-isolating in our catered and self-catered residences with three meals a day - including ready-to-heat meals - in line with their dietary requirements and preferences. Essential items are also being delivered on request."

At the University of York, students are given the option of a £70 meal deal providing a sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar and water for every day they are in self-isolation. For three meals a day, students are charged £170 for the isolation period.

While the university said the food was freshly made, Claire Baseley, a registered nutritionist, said a daily sandwich would be unlikely to provide adequate nutrition for those self-isolating.

"It is important that people do get a variety of vitamins and minerals to support their immune system," she said.

'Send veggies'
A first-year psychology student at the University of Birmingham said she and her flatmates must now spend their weekly catering allowance on boxes of food that have included Pot Noodles and frozen ready meals.

They received an initial box free of charge as soon as they reported their self-isolation, but future supplies are uncertain and will come at a cost of £28 per person for six days.

She said: "We don't know if that is enough food to last for our period of isolation in terms of fresh food and vegetables which are lacking. It's a lot of just like frozen stuff in there.

"We don't know what will be in the next box but because of the [first box] people from my flat have contacted home and asked for them to send things like vegetables."

While online teaching has been working well, there are shortages of things such as toilet paper and a £30 charge for washing 7kg of clothes has gone down badly with many students, she added.

The University of Birmingham said its initial food boxes were designed to last two to three days and include ready meals cooked by in-house chefs, which are designed to be nutritious. It said responses to surveys of students were "very positive" and that the laundry service is offered at a discount by a local dry cleaning company.

Crisps for breakfast
At the University of Nottingham, one history student said the university should have been more prepared for possible cases - and students having to isolate - after it took a week for issues with food supplies to be resolved.

The teenager is in catered halls with breakfast and dinner usually provided and £25 for lunches each week - but she has been self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus.

Meals have been provided - but she said some days, lunches weren't brought. And one day, her breakfast was crisps, a chocolate bar, an apple and a juice box - while the person in a neighbouring room had bread, butter and jam.

"It was really bad," she said. "They kept missing days. I tried calling as well, but no-one answered."

Things have improved in recent days, she added.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54486269.
 
Another national coronavirus lockdown is a possibility and we have to do what we can to avoid that at all costs, a leading UK scientist has said.

Prof Peter Horby said the UK was at a "precarious point" with Covid-19 cases, with the number of people admitted to hospital rising.

It comes after England's deputy chief medical officer warned the country was at a "tipping point".
 
Covid: New local lockdown restrictions in England to be unveiled

New local lockdown rules for England are due to be announced later.

The Liverpool City Region is expected to face the tightest restrictions under a new "three tier" system, which will classify regions as being at a "medium," "high" or "very high" level of alert.

But Steve Rotheram, the city region's mayor, said "no deal has been agreed".

Talks between local leaders elsewhere in England and the government in Westminster continue.

Liverpool recorded 600 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending 6 October. The average for England was 74.

The Liverpool City Region includes the local authority districts of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, as well as Liverpool.

More clarity on restrictions is expected on Monday, with new curbs to be reviewed after a month.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee "to determine the final interventions".

He will then announce changes in the Commons, before speaking at a Downing Street press conference in the evening.

The prime minister is expected to be joined by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and England's Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty.

Under the new system, Tier 3 is expected to involve the tightest restrictions.

In a tweet, Mr Rotheram said the government has "been clear from the start" that it plans to place the Liverpool City Region in that category.

"Whilst we have asked for the evidence to support the decision, none has been forthcoming," he said.

"Throughout, we have been clear that new restrictions must come with the financial support to protect local jobs and businesses."

He added: "No agreement has yet been reached on this point and negotiations are ongoing. As in all these things, the devil will be in the detail. A deal is not a deal until it is agreed."

Mr Rotheram has previously warned the government "can't do lockdown on the cheap" and called for a support package for the city region.

He said the government should pay 80% of workers' wages - as was the case under the furlough scheme - if their employers are shut down, rather than the 67% to be paid under the expanded Job Support Scheme.

In a video posted to his Twitter account on Sunday, he warned that the region would not accept a "lower rate" of financial support, especially when it had a "huge, disproportionate number working in the visitor economy - people who are on less than £9 an hour".

Meanwhile, Joe Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool (the city, as opposed to the region), tweeted: "We have not agreed anything, we have been told this is what government intends to do with 'no buts'."
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54499963.
 
New local lockdown rules for England are due to be announced later.

The Liverpool City Region is expected to face the tightest restrictions under a new "three tier" system, which will classify regions as being on "medium", "high" or "very high" alert.

Steve Rotheram, the city region's mayor, says negotiations have taken place through the night but "no deal" has been agreed yet.

Talks between local leaders in England and Westminster continue.

Liverpool recorded 600 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending 6 October. The average for England was 74.

The Liverpool City Region includes the local authority districts of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, as well as Liverpool.
 
The hysteria over this in the UK is getting silly. Unless you are very old, have serious underlying health conditions or are a real fatty then the chances of dying from covid are slim (pardon the pun). For young or fit and healthy people there are more chances of dying in a road accident than there is dying from covid - does that mean we should all just stop travelling in cars?

Sure protect the old, ill and vulnerable but these lockdowns are like burning down ones house to kill a spider - they are going to cause so much long term harm to so many in the long term.
 
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions in England which will include 'medium', 'high' and 'very high' categories with gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos closing in 'very high' risk areas
 
What did we learn from the prime minister's statement?

In the last hour, we heard a statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the government's latest measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Here are some of the most significant announcements:

The prime minister has said he does not believe another national lockdown would be the "right course" in combating the pandemic

Instead a new, three-tiered lockdown system will be rolled out, categorised under medium, high and very high

Most areas in England will be put on a medium alert level - meaning current restrictions continue, including the 10pm hospitality curfew

But areas which already have local restrictions on household mixing will be automatically put on high alert. Under this category, social mixing will be prohibited indoors and in private gardens, and many businesses will be closed including pubs, gyms and casinos. The Liverpool City Region will become the first area to enter the very high alert level

The prime minster has also said that all retail outlets, schools and universities will remain open.
 
Covid: Sage scientists called for short lockdown weeks ago

The government's scientific advisers called for a short lockdown in England to halt the spread of Covid-19 last month, newly-released documents show.

The experts said an immediate "circuit breaker" was the best way to control cases, at a meeting on 21 September.

Labour said the advice was ignored but No 10 said it took "robust" action.

It comes as the Liverpool region prepares to enter a "very high" Covid alert level from Wednesday, the highest of a new three-tier system.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Monday evening, Boris Johnson said the alert system for England could succeed in driving cases down if it was implemented "very effectively".

And the PM said he rejected the "extreme route" of a full nationwide lockdown "right now".

But at the same press conference, England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, voiced concerns over the impact of the new measures, saying he was not confident they "would be enough to get on top of" the virus without further local restrictions.

Minutes from the meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which feeds into UK government decision making, stated the advisers had called for the immediate introduction of a short national lockdown three weeks ago.

The papers - released shortly after the No 10 news conference ended - also showed the scientists suggested:

banning all contact inside homes with members of other households
closing all bars, restaurants, cafes, indoor gyms and hairdressers
requiring all university and college teaching to take place online
Of all the measures proposed by the advisory group, just one - advising those who can work from home to do so - was implemented by the government at the time.

In the documents, Sage warned that "not acting now to reduce cases will result in a very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences".

'Marginal impact'
The advisers also said NHS Test and Trace was only having a "marginal impact" and this would "likely decline further" unless the system expanded to keep up with the rise in cases and people were given support to enable them to self-isolate.

A separate document from 17 September stated that Sage believed curfews in bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants were also "likely to have a marginal impact".

A 22:00 closing time was introduced for all hospitality venues in England from 24 September.

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the minutes suggested "how much the political atmosphere has changed".

She added: "At the start ministers were very keen to be seen to be following Sage - this paper makes clear how they are making different decisions now."

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "The government now needs to urgently explain why it ignored its own scientists and what it will be doing to get control of the virus."

A No 10 spokesman responded: "We took robust but targeted and proportionate action in September, including introducing the rule of six, restrictions to hospitality opening hours, and advice for people to work from home where they can, alongside tougher enforcement.

"This was carefully judged to protect lives and reduce the transmission of the virus whilst minimising the impact to livelihoods, and followed extensive engagement including with scientific advisers."
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54518002.
 
Here are the main UK news stories so far:

The government's scientific advisers called for a short lockdown in England, among other measures, to halt the spread of Covid-19 last month, newly released documents show. Only one of the measures proposed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies was implemented by the government - but Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has defended the response to the virus as "robust"

The UK unemployment rate has surged to its highest level in over three years as the pandemic continues to hit jobs. The unemployment rate grew to 4.5% in the three months to August, compared with 4.1% in the previous quarter

Shielding is not being reintroduced in England, despite rising levels of coronavirus across most of the nation. Government advisers say that, unlike in March, there are other protective measures in place - such as the rule of six and the wearing of face coverings in shops - to help reduce the spread

Stormont's leaders have been warned Covid-19 infection rates will keep rising in Northern Ireland if both schools and the hospitality sector remain open, the BBC has learned. They have also been told expanding tighter measures currently in place in the Derry City and Strabane council area across NI will be "insufficient"

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has described new coronavirus measures brought in by the Scottish government last week as "tough but necessary". The tougher regulations, including widespread hospitality restrictions, are "firmly rooted in scientific advice", she said
 
Coronavirus: Tension at Stormont over NI Covid-19 restrictions

Stormont ministers have yet to make an announcement about imposing new coronavirus restrictions across Northern Ireland.

The parties held late-night talks on Tuesday to finalise decisions, which could include tighter measures for hospitality.

Assembly members were called to Stormont to possibly debate the new rules but were later sent home.

A statement is due to be made in the assembly on Wednesday at 10:30 BST.

Tension has been growing between the five main Stormont parties as pressure mounts over calls to impose new restrictions, in a bid to bring spiralling cases of coronavirus under control.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said in a tweet that the executive "will do everything we possibly can to make sure there are protections in place for businesses, workers and families".

It comes as seven more coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Tuesday by the Department of Health.

Another 863 cases of the virus were also recorded, bringing Northern Ireland's total to 21,898 - more than a quarter of which have been recorded in the past seven days.

Derry City and Strabane is the UK's worst-hit area, while Belfast has the eighth-highest rate of infection in the UK.

Health chiefs are warning some services are beginning to suffer due to Covid-related pressures.

Extended half-term break?
Tuesday's meeting was delayed until 21:30, with ministers reconvening again at 23:00 at the request of the SDLP, to allow smaller parties more time to read the proposals, which they had only received a short time before the meeting.

The proposals warn that Covid-19 infection rates will keep rising if both schools and the hospitality sector remain open.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) argues it is critical schools remain open, but its power-sharing partner Sinn Féin has said medical advice points to the need for wider action.

It is thought the executive could announce a period of four weeks of tighter restrictions for pubs and restaurants, while schools could get an extended half-term break.

That would differ from advice set out by Department of Health officials, which said there would need to be a period of four to six weeks of measures in order to have the greatest impact.

It is also understood the health department wants any new measures in force by this Friday at the latest, but the executive will determine when the restrictions take effect.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54533643.
 
Covid-19: New three-tier restrictions come into force in England

The new three-tier system of Covid-19 restrictions has begun in England.

Most of the country is in the lowest tier - medium - but millions of people in the North and the Midlands face extra curbs on households mixing.

The Liverpool region is the only area to be under the toughest rules, with pubs and bars not serving meals closed.

Government health officials are due to meet later to discuss the possibility of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and some other areas joining the top tier.

The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said it was "disappointing" the government was "piling the pressure" on the region "without negotiating".

"It risks confusing people coming so soon after the tier two announcement," he said, adding that "unfunded restrictions are unfair and will cause real damage to lives, jobs and businesses".

It comes after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a two to three week "circuit-breaker" lockdown in England to bring the rising infection rate under control.

The new system sees every area of England classed as being on medium, high or very high alert.

Areas on medium alert are subject to the national restrictions currently in force, including the rule of six on indoor and outdoor gatherings and the 22:00 closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants.

In addition to these restrictions, in areas on high alert - including north-east England, much of the North West and parts of the Midlands, along with West and South Yorkshire - different households are not allowed to mix indoors.

Areas on very high alert face extra curbs, with different households banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens.

Pubs and bars will be closed unless they are serving substantial meals and there is also guidance against travelling in and out of the area.

Further restrictions may be agreed for particular regions in the top tier and in the Liverpool City Region gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the system was a "moderate" and "balanced" approach to saving lives while trying to protect the economy.

But MPs in Liverpool said the city "risks being dragged back to the 1980s" without proper financial support alongside the new restrictions.

On Tuesday, Parliament approved the legislation to write a new three-tier system into law, but 42 Tory MPs rebelled in a vote to express their disapproval of the 22:00 closing time for pubs and restaurants in England.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government is to implement its own three-tier framework of restrictions later in October. In the meantime, pubs and restaurants in Scotland's central belt, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, were closed on Friday until 25 October as part of a package of short-term measures.

In Northern Ireland, parties held late-night talks on Tuesday to finalise decisions on new coronavirus restrictions, with a statement due later.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said in a tweet that the executive "will do everything we possibly can to make sure there are protections in place for businesses, workers and families".

And in Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford said a special Cobra meeting should be held to discuss the "circuit-breaker" idea.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54533924.
 
Gabbar Singh said:
The hysteria over this in the UK is getting silly. Unless you are very old, have serious underlying health conditions or are a real fatty then the chances of dying from covid are slim (pardon the pun). For young or fit and healthy people there are more chances of dying in a road accident than there is dying from covid - does that mean we should all just stop travelling in cars?

Sure protect the old, ill and vulnerable but these lockdowns are like burning down ones house to kill a spider - they are going to cause so much long term harm to so many in the long term.
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Easy for you to say. If you are an elder, or diabetic, or immunocompromised, or asthmatic you will think differently.

Or a hospital worker. Last winter, all the hospitals round my way went into Black Alert. That was *before* COVID. The incidence is spiking again. Hospitals will not cope - by which I mean the NHS staff will start to go sick from exhaustion and stress.
 
Gabbar Singh said:
The hysteria over this in the UK is getting silly. Unless you are very old, have serious underlying health conditions or are a real fatty then the chances of dying from covid are slim (pardon the pun). For young or fit and healthy people there are more chances of dying in a road accident than there is dying from covid - does that mean we should all just stop travelling in cars?

Sure protect the old, ill and vulnerable but these lockdowns are like burning down ones house to kill a spider - they are going to cause so much long term harm to so many in the long term.
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Thing is you can't just lock up the elderly and those with underlying conditions - many live in intergenerational households.

Another national lockdown for 2-3 weeks may be inevitable otherwise the NHS will be overwhelmed this winter.
 
the UK is fast on its way to failed state status. The post Covid world will be a very different beast!!
 
Official data shows 19,724 new cases of covid-19 have been recorded in the UK and a further 137 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus
 
The comparisons with Sweden are problematic. British culture, or more specifically the British people which our culture produces, seem hellbent on spreading the virus like wildfire with their jungle-like behaviour.
 
Covid-19: Talks continue over new restrictions for parts of England

Talks are continuing between the government and local leaders over the expansion of the strictest coronavirus restrictions to more parts of England.

Currently, Liverpool is the only area in the top tier of restrictions, with pubs and bars not serving meals closed.

But Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said he is meeting the PM's team later to discuss the issue.

And London's mayor has written to Boris Johnson saying more financial support is needed if the city faces new curbs.

Sadiq Khan said it was likely London would move to "high alert" - the second highest tier - "very soon, possibly this week".

Greater Manchester and Lancashire are at risk of being placed under "very high alert" - the highest level of restrictions - with further discussions taking place later.

The new three-tier system sees every area of England classed as being on medium, high or very high alert.

Most of the country is on medium alert, which means areas are subject to the national restrictions currently in force, including the rule of six on indoor and outdoor gatherings and the 22:00 closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants.

In addition to these restrictions, in areas on high alert - including north-east England, much of the North West and parts of the Midlands, along with West and South Yorkshire - different households are not allowed to mix indoors.

Areas on very high alert face extra curbs, with different households banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens.

Pubs and bars will be closed unless they are serving substantial meals and there is also guidance against travelling in and out of the area.

Further restrictions may be agreed for particular regions in the top tier and in the Liverpool City Region gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos have also been forced to close.

In a meeting on Wednesday, health officials from the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) suggested that Greater Manchester along with much of north-east and north-west England and parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands should be moved into the top tier.

But the recommendations of the JBC will not necessarily be enforced and discussions are likely to continue between local and national politicians and officials over the coming days.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to update MPs on the latest measures in a Commons statement later.

Labour's Mr Burnham said he had a briefing with the deputy chief medical officer for England, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, on Wednesday and was expecting a further meeting with the prime minister's team later.

He has argued against Greater Manchester being put into the top tier, saying that without increased financial support they would prefer a so-called "circuit-breaker" - a short, limited lockdown to help bring the virus under control.

Mr Burnham said he would consider a legal challenge if the government placed the area under very high alert, adding such a move would be "by imposition, not consent".

In contrast, Mr Khan said he would back London moving from tier one to two - but called for a package of financial support, including for businesses struggling under the restrictions, despite being allowed to remain open.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54548522.
 
Covid: NHS staff testing 'dismantled' in virus hotspots

A number of NHS trusts stood down their in-house coronavirus testing for staff in the summer, ahead of a surge in virus cases.

This followed assurances from government about the capacity of the centralised system.

But it left some staff, including in virus hotspots, unable to access testing when the national system came under strain earlier in the autumn.

The government has since said it has increased testing capacity.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is also extending regular testing to some NHS staff without symptoms.

At the start of the pandemic, "a lot of trusts pulled together their own [makeshift] testing schemes because they really needed to test staff", said Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of the body, which represents health trust leaders in England.

But as a centralised national system developed, many trusts "stood down" their testing arrangements put in place in the first months of the pandemic, she said.


This was partly in response to the "direction of travel from central government".

For example, Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) said their staff were currently relying on the public system.

Between April and July, their clinical staff were tested via the local hospital trust.

But this arrangement was "stood down following increased swabbing capacity" in the centralised pillar two system, according to a spokesperson representing areas including Blackburn, Burnley, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley, Rossendale and Pendle - all virus hotspots in recent weeks.

Since then, some trusts have re-instated their in-house testing, but this time they won't be reimbursed for it.

Getting a test
Though NHS staff in large hospitals can generally access tests through their workplaces, many others have had to rely on the public system - referred to as "pillar two" of the testing programme.

Pillar two testing goes through six centralised Lighthouse Labs, and it is this part of the programme that has struggled with capacity over the past month or so.

Pillar one, dealt with in NHS laboratories, is generally for hospital patients and staff.

Community and mental health staff and those at smaller district hospitals are all particularly likely to be relying on pillar two, since they are less likely to be working on a site with its own lab facilities.

Although larger hospitals have been able to test these types of staff working in their local area where they have enough lab capacity, patients and their own staff are given priority.

From late August, through the autumn, the government was forced to restrict the public "pillar two" element of the testing regime in parts of the country, after rising demand meant labs couldn't keep up. This meant many people, including NHS staff, have struggled to get tests.

Now, matters appear to have improved, but three-quarters of people who get tests are still waiting more than 24 hours for a result.

And recent documents published by the government's scientific advisers stated said the NHS Test and Trace system was having only a "marginal impact" and this would "likely decline further", in part because of these delays.

'We're both key workers'
Dr Fiona McCann, a consultant at Northampton General - a medium-sized hospital - struggled to access a test for a her son in mid-September, meaning she had to cancel clinics.

"The problem is that both myself and my husband are key workers. If we can't go to work because we have to look after the children, that's taking away our ability to offer those services," she said.

Since then, her hospital has reinstated staff testing on site.

But public health experts have argued summer was when the nation should have been building, not reducing, testing capacity.

NHS Providers added things had improved considerably in recent days, though, through "herculean" efforts to ramp up testing.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said pillar two of the testing system was currently running at its maximum safe capacity of 85%, but testing in NHS labs was running at a lower capacity of 65% meaning there was room to increase numbers.

Because of this, NHS labs have begun to process some of the public tests to ease the strain on the system.

A DHSC spokesperson said: "Since the beginning of this pandemic we have prioritised testing for health and care workers to ensure all NHS staff have consistent access".

"This is provided through pillar one testing in NHS settings where there is growing capacity within trusts to ensure staff can get tested. In addition to this, NHS staff with symptoms continue to be able to access testing via pillar two as a priority."
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54435225.
 
Nicola Sturgeon 'very unlikely' to ease household visit rules

Nicola Sturgeon has warned that she is "very unlikely" to ease the ban on household visits in Scotland ahead of a review of Covid-19 restrictions.

The first minister is to update MSPs on measures to control the pandemic, which have to be reviewed every three weeks.

However she has already said the rules barring households from gathering indoors are not likely to change.

Ms Sturgeon is expected to provide further detail about tighter rules around the wearing of face coverings.

And she has said she will discuss "options" for what happens after the short-term set of additional restrictions on the hospitality trade ends later in October.

The government is drawing up a new multi-tier system of "alert levels" similar to that recently implemented in England.

Holyrood is currently in recess, so Ms Sturgeon will update MSPs remotely in an entirely virtual meeting of parliament.

Three weeks have now passed since Scots were barred from welcoming other people into their homes, with some exemptions.

People are still allowed to meet up in groups of up to six outdoors and in gardens, as long as no more than two households are present.

At her coronavirus briefing on Wednesday Ms Sturgeon said that she was "very unlikely to announce any changes or easing of the current rules on household gatherings".

However she said she would "say a bit more to parliament about new rules on face coverings, and about our options once the current two-week period of additional restrictions ends on 25 October".

The government has introduced new regulations mandating the wearing of face coverings in "indoor communal settings", including staff canteens and corridors in offices.

These came into force at the same time as the temporary closure of licensed premises across the central belt, and the reduced opening hours of bars and restaurants across the rest of Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon will face questions from opposition party leaders following her statement.

There have been questions over whether MSPs should be given a greater say over restrictions, with Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh saying the parliament must "reassert its role" in holding ministers to account and helping to make "very difficult decisions".

The first minister has said that while she welcomes scrutiny of her moves, the government needs to "act quickly in order to protect the population from the threat of the virus".

She has pledged to set out a three-tier system for restrictions over the coming days, which MSPs will then debate and vote on when they return from recess in the week beginning 26 October.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54545844.
 
Covid: Decision on pausing in-person university lectures due 'shortly' - DfE

Plans for when universities in England must stop in-person teaching to allow students to go home for Christmas will be set out "shortly", the Department for Education has said.

It comes after the Guardian reported that students will be told to remain on campus and teaching will be done online in the run-up to the end of term.

The government said the risk of spreading the virus must be minimised.

But the University and College Union described the measures as "unworkable".

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "All students will be able to go home at Christmas if they so choose.

"However, if students are travelling home, we must ensure they do so in a way which minimises the risks of spreading the virus, and the date when universities must stop in-person teaching will be an important part of this.

"We will set out details on this shortly."

The department gave no details on whether the measures would be for all universities in England or just those in virus hotspots.

More than 50 universities are believed to have had coronavirus cases so far this term, with thousands of students forced to self-isolate.

Last month, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said universities in England could move to online-only learning before term would usually end so that students in areas with outbreaks would have time to isolate and still be able to travel home at Christmas.

According to the Guardian, the government's plan, which is said to be in its early stages, would see students told to stay on campus and all in-person teaching paused from 8 December until 22 December.

Responding to the reports, general secretary of the University and College Union Jo Grady said: "This is an unworkable and chaotic set of measures that will be impossible to deliver or oversee.

"Instead of this perverse obsession with Christmas, ministers and universities must focus on the here and now. We should be talking about getting people home now, not in two months' time."

She called for the plan to be scrapped and for "all possible activities" to be moved online.

On Monday it emerged that the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) had recommended that all university teaching should be carried out online "unless absolutely essential".

Mr Williamson has previously rejected calls to move all teaching online.

Some universities, including Aberystwyth, temporarily suspended in-person teaching in response to outbreaks.

In Northern Ireland, the executive has agreed to advise universities to run courses online.

Ministers in Scotland and Wales have said it is a "priority" to allow students to return home for Christmas.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/education-54548523.
 
London will move into Tier Two of COVID-19 restrictions on midnight Friday into Saturday with household mixing indoors banned, Care Minister Helen Whately has told the capital's MPs
 
Robert said:
Easy for you to say. If you are an elder, or diabetic, or immunocompromised, or asthmatic you will think differently.

Or a hospital worker. Last winter, all the hospitals round my way went into Black Alert. That was *before* COVID. The incidence is spiking again. Hospitals will not cope - by which I mean the NHS staff will start to go sick from exhaustion and stress.
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Markhor said:
Thing is you can't just lock up the elderly and those with underlying conditions - many live in intergenerational households.

Another national lockdown for 2-3 weeks may be inevitable otherwise the NHS will be overwhelmed this winter.
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But surely another lockdown only works if there is a vaccine round the corner. Which, unless you believe Trump, Putin etc, is looking less and less likely everyday. Yes we will eventually get a vaccine but will it arrive before the summer?

Locking down to save lives when there is no vaccine in sight is just delaying the inevitable.
 
Further 138 deaths in the UK
A further 18,980 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, according to the latest data.

The government's dashboard also show another 138 people have died within 28 days of a positive test.

The figures compare with 19,724 cases and 137 deaths recorded on Wednesday.
 
The UK's estimated COVID-19 R-number has risen to 1.3-1.5 in the week up to 16 October from 1.2-1.5 in the previous week
 
UK PM says if 'at all possible' he wants to avoid another national lockdown

Boris Johnson says 'each day that passes without action' around UK will mean more people dying

Boris Johnson says 'each day that passes without action' will mean more people dying
 
Big increase in daily cases - Vallance

Sir Patrick Vallance is now presenting the latest data in a series of slides.

The first is an estimate of the number of people testing positive in England, based on the ONS Household Survey, which he says crept down over the summer and is now rising.

He says estimated new cases numbered 312,000 to 362,000 in the two weeks between 25 September and 8 October. That a “big increase”, he says.

He goes on to talk about the “incidences” of new cases, based on studies by ONS and React and different modelling groups.

The ONS studies show 22,700 to 38,200 new cases up to 8 October, he says, adding that there is a lag effect and the numbers could be higher.
 
Greater Manchester residents will have Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions imposed on them even if local leaders do not agree, Boris Johnson has warned.

The prime minister said he was prepared to intervene to "protect Manchester's hospitals and save the lives of Manchester residents".

He added the situation there is "grave" and "worsens with each passing day", so action is needed to avoid more people going into intensive care and dying.

It comes as Lancashire prepares to follow the Liverpool City Region into Tier 3 - the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions in England - from midnight tonight.

Manchester's leaders have been resisting following suit until a stronger support package to protect workers and businesses is pledged by the government.

Talks have been going on for several days but no agreement has yet been reached, after acrimony broke out on Thursday.

In a plea to Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Johnson told him to "reconsider and engage constructively" as "time is of the essence".

The number of people in intensive care beds in the region is already 40% over what it was during the first peak in spring, the prime minister said.

"The national government must reserve the right to step in and do what is necessary," he continued.

Mr Johnson, speaking at a Downing Street news conference, also laid out plans to distribute and trial rapid testing to "help stop the virus' vicious spread".

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson earlier branded the changes to the three-tier system unveiled on Monday by Mr Johnson an "inconsistent mess".

Meanwhile, the R rate - the average number of people someone with coronavirus passes it on to - has risen slightly from between 1.2-1.5 to 1.3-1.5 this week.

SAGE, the government's group of scientific advisers, said the estimate was "reliable" and there is "still widespread growth of the epidemic across the country".
 
UK: Another 150 people have died with COVID-19 in the last 24 hours

This brings the total number people who have died within 28 days of testing positive to 43,579.

There have also been another 16,171 lab-confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total across the UK to 705,428 infections.

In separate figures, there are now 4,814 people in hospital with COVID-19 - a rise from 3,225 last week, while 494 are in ventilation beds. This is up from 396 patients last week.

On Thursday, a total of 792 people with COVID-19 were admitted to hospital, which can be compared to the 513 admissions a week earlier.
 
Covid lockdown: Wales poised for decision on circuit-breaker

A decision on a "short, sharp" national lockdown across Wales is due to be announced later.

First Minister Mark Drakeford is expected to make an announcement shortly after midday.

The Welsh Government cabinet will meet this morning to make a final decision over a circuit-breaker, after considering advice from experts.

But mounting speculation about a two-week lockdown to slow down the virus has been fuelled by a leaked letter.

Wales director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, John Pocket, wrote to members on Friday, saying a lockdown would start at 18:00 on 23 October and end on 9 November, which would "take us back to the situation in March".

He subsequently told PA Media he was "surmising" the outcome.

The Welsh Government's cabinet met on Sunday afternoon, with further discussions to be held on Monday morning before making a final decision.

Businesses across Wales said they were anxious to find out whether they would be told to close.

Sarah Baker, owner of the Lot 11 cafes in Mold, Flintshire, and Wrexham, said: "Some days I think 'yes let's just have a full-on lockdown for three or four weeks and come out the other side'.

"The other side of me thinks 'let's learn to live with it and be as vigilant as we can'."

Lottie Dixon, who owns The Bloom Room florists in Monmouth, said the uncertainty had been tough.

"If I get classed as a non-essential business and have to close, what will I do?"

There are already 17 areas in local lockdown across Wales, with a ban on all-but essential travel.

This means about 2.3 million people in Wales are currently living under local lockdown rules - more than two-thirds of the whole country - with other areas having more freedoms.

A circuit-breaker is a tight set of restrictions imposed for a fixed period of time and the Welsh Government has said its "fire-break" version would mean restrictions lasting "for weeks not months".

Mr Drakeford said: "A successful fire-break would re-set the virus at a lower level.

"Together with a new national set of rules for the whole of Wales after the fire-break period we would have slowed the virus down enough to get us through to Christmas."
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54591850.
 
The Welsh Government has announced a two-week national "fire break" lockdown to come into force from Friday at 6pm
 
Covid: Noon deadline approaches for Manchester coronavirus deal

Greater Manchester leaders have been given a deadline of midday to reach a deal with the government over moving to tier three Covid restrictions.

If an agreement is not reached, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said he would advise the PM, who would decide on the next steps.

In this situation, the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said the "implication" was the top tier of rules would be imposed.

Local leaders want more financial support before agreeing to the move.

The government and local leaders - including mayors and MPs - have been embroiled in ten days of talks over tighter rules for Greater Manchester's 2.8m population.

The "very high" alert level, also known as tier three, would mean closing pubs and bars which do not serve meals, and additional restrictions on households mixing.

Mr Jenrick said local leaders had been "so far unwilling to take the action that is required to get this situation under control".

Speaking to the BBC, Greater Manchester's Labour Mayor Andy Burnham said: "The government could have a deal if it better protects low-paid people. It is choosing not to do that."

Sir Richard Leese, the Labour leader of Manchester City Council leader, told BBC Newsnight he hoped a deal could still be made, but added: "If government imposes tier three - and I hope that won't happen - we will clearly need to comply with that."

Why does the government want tougher restrictions?
A three-tier system of alerts was announced a week ago in an attempt to control rising coronavirus cases without a UK-wide lockdown.

So far, only the Liverpool City Region and Lancashire have been moved into tier three, the highest level.

Mr Jenrick said Greater Manchester hospitals now had more Covid-19 patients than the whole of south-west England and south-east England combined.

But he said local leaders in Greater Manchester had not agreed to the additional measures, "despite recognising the gravity of the situation" and with the government offering "an extensive package of support for local people and businesses".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he might "need to intervene" if local leaders did not accept a move to tier three.

In areas under tier three, pubs and bars not serving substantial meals must close and there is guidance against travelling in and out of the area.

Households are also banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens.

What haven't Greater Manchester leaders agreed a deal?
Local councillors, the mayor and MPs are concerned that tier three rules will devastate industries such as hospitality without more financial support for workers and businesses.

A key sticking point is that Mr Burnham wants the government to reintroduce the 80% furlough scheme used during the UK's first lockdown, instead of the new Job Support Scheme which covers 67% of the wages (covered by employers and the government) of people affected by tier three closures.

Manchester's mayor and city council leader say the city has been in restrictions equivalent to tier two for almost three months, which has "taken a toll on people and businesses" and meant they needed better protection for the lowest-paid.

In a joint statement, Mr Burnham and Sir Richard Leese said: "We had been encouraged by earlier discussions at an official level where the idea of a hardship fund, to top up furlough payments and support the self-employed, had been tabled by the government.

"It was both surprising and disappointing when this idea was taken off the table by the secretary of state."

But a spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said Mr Burnham and Sir Richard were "incorrect in claiming that officials made this proposal today".

Where else are tougher restrictions being introduced?
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons further discussions were planned about South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, north-east England and Teesside moving to tier three, or very high alert.

In Wales, people will be told from Friday to stay at home, while pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops will shut, as part of a "short, sharp" national lockdown until 9 November.

It comes as a two-week school closure begins in Northern Ireland as part of a tightening of restrictions.

In Scotland, the tightest restrictions are in place in the central belt, and there are plans for a three-tier framework of measures, similar to England's.

How bad is the spread of the virus in the UK now?
Monday's figures show the UK recorded a further 18,804 coronavirus cases and 80 deaths.

Mr Hancock said the virus was "on the offensive" as winter approached, adding that he was concerned about the level of infections among over-60s in some northern areas.

But as the government tries to tackle the virus region by region, its claims about the impact on each area have been disputed.

On Monday, the prime minister's official spokesman said government projections suggested coronavirus patients would take up the entire current intensive care capacity in Greater Manchester by 8 November, not including capacity in Nightingale hospitals.

But Prof Jane Eddleston, the region's medical lead for the coronavirus response, said the situation was "serious" but Greater Manchester's intensive care capacity was not at risk of being overwhelmed.

In their joint statement, Mr Burnham and Sir Richard said Greater Manchester's intensive care unit occupancy rate was "not abnormal for this time of year" and it was "essential... public fears are not raised unnecessarily".

BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said the rise in cases in Greater Manchester "may have already stalled" with signs that the growth in hospital admissions was also slowing down.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54609165.
 
Covid-19: First UK airport coronavirus testing begins

Passengers flying from Heathrow to Hong Kong and Italy on Tuesday will be the first to have the option of paying for a rapid Covid test before checking in.

The test will cost £80 and a result can take a mere 20 minutes.

The aim is to help people travelling to destinations where proof of a negative result is required on arrival.

A growing number of countries have classified the UK as being "at risk", meaning travellers from the UK face more restrictions.

The authorities in Hong Kong now require people to show they have a negative test result, taken within 72 hours of a flight from London.

The rapid saliva swab, which is now available at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 5, is known as a Lamp (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) test.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific will now offer it to customers.

A Lamp test is quicker than the PCR test, which is widely used in the NHS, because the sample does not need to be sent to a laboratory.

Collinson, the company behind the initiative at Heathrow, admitted that the Lamp test is "slightly less sensitive" than the PCR test.

However, the Lamp test is considered to be much better than another rapid option - the antigen test.

Collinson's chief executive David Evans told the BBC that "health screening" was quickly becoming another stage of the airport experience.

He said passengers would only have to turn up at the airport an hour earlier. And he maintained testing would help give people confidence to travel, because flights would be "covid-secure".

"It starts to make travel easier again," he said.

Opening routes
Collinson, which partners with Swissport, hopes testing will help open up routes between the UK and other countries.

People arriving in Italy from the UK must now either prove they had a negative coronavirus test before departure, or take a test on arrival at an airport in Italy.

However, the type of test offered at Heathrow is not sufficient for people travelling to some destinations, such as Greece, Cyprus, the Bahamas and Bermuda.

All those places currently require proof of a negative PCR test, which requires analysis in a laboratory.

The hope is that more countries will change their rules and allow for other types of test, which could be administered on the spot at Heathrow.

It is important to note that the new testing facility at Heathrow is not for passengers flying into the airport.

That means it will not have any immediate impact on the UK's two-week travel quarantine for people arriving from "at risk" countries.

Collinson set up a separate testing facility in arrivals at Heathrow over the summer. However, that facility has not been used by passengers, because the government has not given its backing to testing people on arrival.

Ministers have promised that next month, they will give their formal approval to the idea of people paying for a test after a week of quarantine, to avoid the full two weeks.

On Monday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the government was in talks with the US Department of Homeland Security about a different type of system, possibly involving "multiple tests".

The government is looking at another system, under which people could take one test two or three days before they fly into the UK, and then another test when they arrive.

That could make it possible for someone arriving in the UK from an "at risk" country to avoid quarantine altogether.

However, Mr Shapps said he could not say when that type of system would be up and running, because it required international co-operation.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54604100.
 
There were a total of 11,359 deaths registered in the UK in the week of 9 October, according to the latest figures reported by the Office for National Statistics.

Remember this is the weekly update of all deaths, not just those directly attributed to coronavirus. It is studied by ministers and their scientific advisers just to understand how much of an effect the disease is having on society.

And although we know the deaths of people with coronavirus has been climbing recently, that figure for overall deaths is slightly down on the previous week (by 85) and within the normal range of the last five years.
A total of 474 of these deaths were registered on the death certificates as having involved coronavirus, up by 131 (or 38%) on the previous week’s figures. This figure has roughly doubled over the course of the last two weeks (from 234) and quadrupled over the course of a month (it was 110 four weeks ago).

That figure of 474 is 5% of the peak of 9,495 deaths in a week reached on 17 April. It would take between four and five more doublings to reach that peak.
 
Further 241 deaths announced in the UK

A further 21,331 coronavirus cases in the UK have been announced by the government, taking the UK's total to 762,542.

The official figures also announce a further 241 deaths.

These include 213 in England, 15 in Scotland, 10 in Wales and three in Northern Ireland
 
BREAKING: The UK records 21,331 new cases of COVID-19 and 241 new deaths.

<a href="https://ibb.co/wz8BXhP"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/LZBYWdc/cb0d3bd2-c601-4d25-b790-807f308e38b7.jpg" alt="cb0d3bd2-c601-4d25-b790-807f308e38b7" border="0"></a>
 
Sadiq Khan calls for 10pm curfew in London to be scrapped amid Tier 2 restrictions

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for the 10pm curfew to be scrapped now the capital is under Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions.

Mr Khan said allowing restaurants to remain open beyond 10pm would support businesses by allowing them to increase bookings even with indoor mixing of households banned.

His intervention comes after leading West End bar and restaurant operators warned they will not survive the winter after the “horrendous” first weekend of the new Tier 2 clampdown triggered tens of thousands of cancellations.

The new measures were the latest hammer blow to hit London’s huge hospitality industry after a series of law changes, including both the 10pm curfew and the rule of six, which operators say have made it impossible for them to make money.

In a statement, Mr Khan said: “I have said for a while that the current curfew rule needs to be rapidly reviewed. We saw the worrying consequences of increased social mixing on the streets and on public transport in the capital around 10pm immediately after its introduction.

“Now London and other parts of the country have moved into Tier 2 and higher restrictions, which prohibit household mixing, the current 10pm curfew policy makes even less sense and should be scrapped.

“Immediately scrapping the 10pm curfew would allow more sittings of single households in restaurants throughout the evening, helping with cashflow at a time when venues need all the support they can get.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock ruled last week that London would be designated a “high risk” region from midnight on Friday , banning people from different households meeting indoors to combat the spread of the virus.

The normally heaving streets were left desolate on Saturday and Sunday following the imposition of tough new “no mixing” laws that resulted in up to 75 per cent of bookings being scrapped.

Central London appeared to have been hit far harder than suburban neighbourhoods where family and household groups are more likely to make up the majority of diners.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-calls-scrap-10pm-curfew-london-a4572293.html
 
Covid: Greater Manchester to move to tier 3 restrictions from Friday

Greater Manchester will move to England's highest tier of coronavirus restrictions from Friday at 00:01 BST, the prime minister has announced.

Speaking at No 10, Boris Johnson said "not to act now" would put the lives of Manchester's residents "at risk".

He said a "generous" offer of financial support had been made to the region but that Mayor Andy Burnham had refused it.

Mr Burnham said he had not been offered enough to "protect the poorest people in our communities".

Under tier three rules - currently only applied to Lancashire and the Liverpool City Region - pubs and bars not serving substantial meals have to close, while household mixing is banned indoors and outdoors in hospitality settings and private gardens.

Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres and soft play areas will also have to close, while there is guidance against travelling in or out of the area.

Greater Manchester is currently under tier two rules, meaning pubs and restaurants must close at 22:00, there is no household mixing indoors and the rule of six applies outdoors.

Ahead of the Downing Street press conference, Mr Burnham - speaking alongside other local leaders - said that without a "bare minimum" of £65m in additional business support, tighter measures "would be certain to increase levels of poverty, homelessness and hardship" among the region's 2.8 million population.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock later told the House of Commons that a £60m offer previously made to local leaders remained "on the table".

On the inability to agree on financial help, Mr Johnson said: "I do regret this. As I said last week, we would have a better chance of defeating the virus if we work together."

He added Greater Manchester would receive £22m in funding as part of a "comprehensive package of support" but that the "door was open to continue the conversation" about further aid, so long as it was in line with that offered to other areas in same position.

The £22m mentioned by Mr Johnson - which is for expenses such as local enforcement and test and trace - is separate to the £60m that Mr Hancock spoke of.

In addition, the new Job Support Scheme will cover 67% of the wages - funded by employers and the government - of people affected by tier three closures.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54622293.
 
Thousands unable to get an NI number because of coronavirus

"The government told me it was still legal to work but my employer keeps asking me for it," says Ciara Conalty, who moved to the UK from Ireland in June to work as a hairdresser.

Ciara, 22, is one of thousands of people with the right to work in the UK who have arrived here since March, but who have been unable to get a National Insurance number because the government has stopped issuing them.

The hairdresser says she struggled to prove to her employer that she could work without an NI number and was then placed on a higher emergency tax code.

She also had trouble opening a bank account, having to apply to six before HSBC finally let her open an account "so I could get paid".

On top of this, Ciara may not be able to start an apprenticeship course as planned next month as the college won't enrol her without an NI number.

"I applied [to HMRC] for an NI Number but was told that because of coronavirus, I can't have an interview to prove who I am, so I can't get one," she says.

"I was told I could get an NI number after coronavirus but when will that be?"

Applications suspended

BBC Radio 4's Money Box has found that British Passport holders arriving here for the first time are also unable to apply.

Hayley, 35, is from South Africa and arrived in the UK with her mother in August. They both hold British passports through ancestry.

"We contacted the National Insurance application line and found out that because we're British passport holders, it's not possible for us to get one right now," Hayley says.

"I'm looking for full-time employment, and in many of the job applications they ask you for an NI number. They won't let you go any further until you have it."

She says this makes it tricky to apply for jobs at a time when work is in short supply.

"To have this added stress to further my job applications has not been easy," she says.

'You have the right to work'
The government says it was necessary to suspend parts of the National Insurance number application process during the pandemic so it could redeploy staff to process benefit claims.

It says that if an applicant does not require a visa to work in the UK, such as a British passport holder or EU citizen, the right to work and ID check is carried out face-to-face and that those meetings are not possible because of coronavirus.

But EU citizens rights group The Three Million says that while the government is right to say that people still have the right to work without an NI number, not every employer knows this.

"You can't control every single employer. Thousands of people who have arrived in the UK since March are having trouble getting jobs, opening bank accounts and paying tax," says Luke Piper, head of policy at The Three Million.

The government says UK residents turning 16 are still being issued with NI numbers.

"Individuals can start work without a National Insurance number if they have the right to work in the UK and we are working on a solution to reopen the service soon," a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said.

You can hear more on BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme by listening again here.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54619548.
 
Feed 900,000 Covid hotspot children at half term, says Labour

Labour claims nearly 900,000 children in Covid hot spots will be denied a free school lunch at half term, unless the government extends a food scheme.

Some 61% of the 1.4 million pupils on free school meals live in areas with higher Covid restrictions, says Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green.

Her party aims to force a Commons vote on plans to extend the scheme over half term and through to Easter 2021.

The government says poorer families are supported through the benefits system.

A widely supported campaign, led by international footballer Macus Rashford, prompted the government to extend its support - which amounted to £15 a week per pupil - over the summer holidays, in the wake of school closures.

A petition to end child food poverty launched by the campaigning footballer last week now has nearly 300,000 signatures.

'Food support'
Schools Minister Nick Gibb told MPs on Tuesday it was not for schools to support families through the free school dinner scheme, in the way that they were during the summer, because schools were now open.

He mirrored words from the Prime Minister who has also resisted calls for the extension.

But the Welsh government, which recently ordered a three-week lockdown, announced a move to offer food support to struggling families until next spring.

Labour's Opposition Day debate, due to be take place in the Commons on Wednesday, calls for the provision of free school meals to be extended over each school holiday from October half term to Easter 2021.

The first holiday, the October half term, starts in most areas next week.

'Bleak winter'
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner said: "This vote is about our values as a country and whether the government, in the middle of this crisis, is happy to let our children go hungry.

"Millions of families up and down the country are facing a bleak winter of real hardship as the furlough scheme is withdrawn and further restrictions are put in place without proper support for businesses, jobs and livelihoods."

Data obtained by Ms Green from the Commons library suggests that nearly 900,000 children living in areas with either Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions are entitled to free school meals in the present system.

Labour argues these children and their families face a "winter of hardship" as the jobs retention scheme ends and further lockdown restrictions take their toll on the jobs and local economies.

It has been lobbying Conservative back benchers by letter to support the motion, which already has the backing of the teaching unions.

Many head teachers in poorer areas mounted food delivery operations during the school lockdown to ensure their pupils had enough to eat.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/education-54620118.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“I’ve not got that many years left of me and I’m not going to be fastened in a house.” <br> <br>Here’s how one 83-year-old in Barnsley reacted to the news that tier three restrictions will be introduced in South Yorkshire from Saturday. <br><br>See more here: <a href="https://t.co/Kmf1y5Msfe">https://t.co/Kmf1y5Msfe</a> <a href="https://t.co/58YJYfIzvU">pic.twitter.com/58YJYfIzvU</a></p>— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCLookNorth/status/1318937308297596928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
The UK has recorded another 21,242 COVID-19 cases, government figures show.

It's a drop from Wednesday's record number of 26,688.

There were also a further 189 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, down slightly from 191.

Thursday's figures take the UK's overall totals to 810,467 cases and 44,347 deaths.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been 59,000 deaths registered in the UK where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
 
Coronavirus infections continue to rise across the UK, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

It estimates cases have risen by a quarter to more than 35,200 a day in England.

Infection rates have been highest among teenagers and young adults in recent weeks.

It comes as stricter rules come into force for millions more people across the UK.

Around one in 130 people you might meet in the street in England had coronavirus in the week to 16 October, data from the ONS infection survey suggests.

This compares with one in 180 in Wales and Scotland, and one in 100 in Northern Ireland.

The highest levels of the virus continue to be in the north-west and north-east of England.

Meanwhile, the R number has decreased slightly and is now estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.4. That means every 10 people with the virus pass it on to 12 or 14 others, on average.
 
The UK has reported another 174 coronavirus deaths and 23,012 more cases in the latest 24-hour period.

The amount of positive tests is higher than the 20,530 infections confirmed on Friday, government data showed.

The number of fatalities - within 28 days of a diagnosis - is fewer than yesterday's total of 224, while 44,745 people have died with the disease in total.

According to the government's coronavirus dashboard, 7,850 patients are currently being treated in hospital, with 743 in ventilator beds.

The number of tests carried out in the latest daily period was 340,132.

In England, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated that 1 in 130 people had COVID-19 between 10 and 16 October, and around 433,300 people in the country were infected.

The previous week's estimate suggested 1 in 160 people had the virus.
 
Covid: Wales' lockdown supermarket rules to be reviewed

A ban on supermarkets selling non-essential items during Wales' lockdown will be reviewed after the weekend, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

Pressure has mounted on the Welsh Government to reverse the decision to prohibit supermarkets from selling items such as clothes and microwaves.

A petition to the Senedd has passed 42,000 signatures, making it the largest ever submitted in Wales.

Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government was ensuring "common sense is applied".

The Welsh Conservative leader Paul Davies had earlier called for the Senedd/Welsh Parliament to be recalled for an urgent debate on the matter.

Supermarkets have been told they can only sell "essential" items and must close parts of their stores which sell products such as clothes, shoes, toys and bedding during Wales' 17-day "firebreak lockdown".

Wales' firebreak lockdown is in place until Monday 9 November.

It came as the UK recorded 174 more deaths and 23,012 new confirmed cases on Saturday.

'An inconvenience'

Jodi Merry, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, said the ban has come at an awkward time as she was planning to buy new clothes for her eight-year-old son after she gets paid next week.

"It's just an inconvenience," she said.

"My eight-year-old is tall for his age and getting clothes for him is hard enough as it is. I can't just go online and order stuff. I know we can't try clothes on in the shop but I can at least gauge whether it will fit him by holding it up to him.

"I know it's only two weeks, and we're a lot better off than others, but the fact of the matter is, he doesn't have any winter pyjamas at the moment and with pay day in a few days I would have got some.

"Everything is essential when it's something you desperately need and nobody should be controlling what you can and can't buy in the supermarket. At the end of the day, clothing, shoes and even bedding are definitely essentials."

The move has also led to some confusion over what supermarkets can and cannot sell.

Earlier on Saturday, the Welsh Government tweeted to say: "Supermarkets can keep selling items you can find in other essential shops - such as stationery/greeting cards.

"The purpose of selling essential items only during firebreak is to discourage spending more time than necessary in shops and to be fair to retailers who have to close."

It continued: "This is not for the sake of being difficult - we need to do everything we can to minimise the time we spend outside our homes. This will help save lives and protect the NHS."

In a statement, the Welsh Government added: "The fire-break is designed to reduce all physical contact between households to an absolute minimum in order to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives.

"We have a small window in which to take this action and there are no easy choices. However, we fully recognise the impact the fire-break will have on businesses and are making a further £300 million available to support them through this difficult period."

'Absolute madness'
In calling for the return of the Senedd/Welsh Parliament, Welsh Conservative leader Paul Davies said: "People are concerned at being prevented from buying products such as books, bins, baby clothes in local shops and this is forcing them to purchase online or to make extra journeys to multiple shops searching for them."

He added that members of the Senedd should be able to discuss the matter virtually.

Mr Davies said: "This is absolute madness by the Welsh Government, preventing people from buying the products which they want to buy.

"What we want to see is the Welsh Government scrapping this measure and that's why I've actually written to the presiding officer requesting an urgent meeting of the Senedd in order to resolve this issue as soon as possible."

The presiding officer has been approached for comment.

Previous large petitions related to the proposed closure of the A&E department at Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire (40,045), a call to teach black history in Welsh schools (34,736) and for 2020 exam grades to be awarded via teacher assessments (28,505).
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54676457.
 
'Generation Covid' hit hard by the pandemic, research reveals

Young people, particularly those from deprived backgrounds, have had their earnings and job prospects hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, adding to fears for the long-term impact on their futures.

BBC Panorama found people aged 16-25 were more than twice as likely as older workers to have lost their job, while six in 10 saw their earnings fall, according to new research.

It also highlighted the impact of school closures on young people and added to growing evidence that students from poorer backgrounds have fallen behind their more privileged peers.

A quarter of pupils - some 2.5 million children - had no schooling or tutoring during lockdown, the survey by the London School of Economics (LSE) suggests.

But, the study adds, nearly three quarters of private school pupils had full days of teaching (74%) - almost twice the proportion of state school pupils (38%).

The study's authors warn it could lead to poorer pupils suffering "permanent 'educational scarring'" when it comes to key academic milestones such as exams and securing a university place.

'Lockdown did so much damage'
Sixteen-year-old Roberta, who was working towards her GCSE's when lockdown came, says she did not get the "closure" of taking her exams and got no education or support from her school in the six months of lockdown.

In September, she started at a new, highly competitive school in London - the Harris Westminster sixth form - which aims to provide a "life-changing education" for bright but disadvantaged students.

"That break of six months did so much damage," she says. "Usually I'd be able to be sitting for hours and be able to revise and really absorb it in my mind.

"Now I get kind of restless after one or two hours."

Out of the 325 students in Roberta's year group, a third are from deprived backgrounds and 20 were previously privately educated.

Although Roberta is now back in the classroom and adapting to life in Year 12, she says it has been "stressful" trying to keep up with her peers from privately educated backgrounds.

"I think coming into this school, I didn't realise the disparity would be this big in the classroom. There are people that don't know anything and people that know almost the whole content.

"You can tell who will do well in their A-levels, and who isn't. And where will I be?"

And even though schools like Roberta's are doing their best to make sure their students don't miss out, four in 10 pupils at state schools across the UK are still not getting the same number of teaching hours as they did before lockdown.

'This traineeship is worth everything'
Rasheed Graham from north-west London also feels his future is now hanging in the balance due to Covid-19.

The 23-year-old had secured a place on a fully-funded pilot's training course, before the coronavirus outbreak brought it to a halt.

Rasheed was told the flying school was closing and the airline could not afford to fund the training anymore.

In order to continue, he needs to find £60,000 to cover the costs.

"This is why the cadetship is worth its weight in gold, because if you don't come from wealth or money, it gives you the opportunity to pursue a career as a pilot if you didn't have the means before," he told Panorama.

Rasheed is trying to crowd fund the money to pay for his course and has raised almost £22,000 so far.

"This could work out or it couldn't. I've actually accepted both eventualities," he says. "But I'd rather look back and realise that I'd tried to do something to return to flight training than sit back, and let the opportunity go by."

'Massive increase in anxiety'
Unsurprisingly, the upheaval and uncertainty created by the pandemic has also taken a toll on young peoples' mental health.

Research conducted by the Samaritans and the University of Glasgow found young adults (18-29 years) were more likely to report depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts than older people.

Kiylee White-Lee, assistant principal at Harris Westminster sixth form told Panorama: "We've seen a massive increase in students with anxiety and not just anxiety about the future, but having things like sensory overload of being back in a situation where you're surrounded by people.

"We've seen a big increase in students with eating disorders this year. And increase in depression as well. So, we've had to, where possible, direct them to the nursing and the counselling, but within the first two weeks, those two things were completely saturated, pretty much," she said.

"Schools will still go on educating young people. That's what we're here to do but we're not in the bedroom with them, checking in on them, checking that they're okay, checking that there's somebody at home looking after them.

"It's hard to switch off from that. How do you switch off from worrying about 600 students that you know need you?"

The Department for Education said it is giving every school more money and has provided £58m to help schools with the extra costs of Covid while the Department for Work and Pensions said its plan for jobs focuses on supporting people in need. It includes the Kickstart scheme, offering the minimum wage for six months work experience, and an investment in apprenticeships, traineeships and work coaches.

With coronavirus cases rising and London now under England's "high" tier two restrictions, Roberta's future feels even more uncertain - but she is still hopeful.

"I don't know how the future's going to pan out but perhaps society can come out better than we were before," she says.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54662485.
 
NHS England has published its latest figures on the number of deaths in hospitals in England. It says that 91 more people have died, bringing the total reported in hospitals there to 21,910.

The patients were aged between 44 and 95. All had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between 24 September and 25 October, with the majority being on or after 23 October. Three other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
 
Official figures show the UK has recorded a further 24,701 daily cases of covid-19 and 310 coronavirus-related deaths
 
Covid-19: Nearly 100,000 catching virus every day

Nearly 100,000 people are catching coronavirus every day in England, a major analysis suggests.

The study, by Imperial College London, says the pace of the epidemic is accelerating and estimates the number of people infected is now doubling every nine days.

The authors say we are at a "critical stage" and "something has to change".

France and Germany have turned to forms of lockdown to control the virus.

The government here is sticking to its regional strategy.

Experts are warning that we are fast approaching the peak in infections seen in the spring.

The React-1 study is highly influential because it is the most up-to-date assessment of Covid-19 in the country, with the last swabs taken only on Sunday and nearly 86,000 volunteers taking part.

It shows cases are rising in every age group and in every region of England.

While cases are currently highest in the North, infections are surging more rapidly in the South.

The study compared the latest swabs collected between 16 and 25 October with the last round of swabs, between 18 September and 5 October.

It suggests:

The number of people infected has more than doubled since the last round, with one in every 78 people now testing positive.
The hardest hit area is Yorkshire and the Humber, where one every 37 people has the virus, followed by the North West region.
Three times as many people aged 55-64 are infected and twice as many over 65s.
The pace of the epidemic has accelerated with the R number - the number of people each infected person passes the virus on to on average - increasing from 1.15 to 1.56.
Overall, the number of people infected is doubling every nine days.
The South East, South West, east of England and London all have an R above 2.0. London has an estimated R of 2.86.
Cases are spiking in young people in the South West in a repeat of the pattern seen in northern England just over a month ago.
96,000 people are now catching the virus every day.

Prof Steven Riley, one of the authors, said he was "really disappointed" when the data started coming in and said it meant the "current measures are not sufficient".

"There has to be a change, the rate of growth is really quite rapid, one way or another there has to be a change before Christmas," he said.

He argued this could be either the general public following the rules more closely or government imposing tougher restrictions on our lives.

"If we are going to consider at some point over the winter something much more stringent it becomes a question of timing. I think these results do argue for something sooner rather than later," Prof Riley said.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54723962.
 
A further 23,065 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK and another 280 have died, according to the latest government data.

This is a fall from the numbers seen in Wednesday's figures - when 24,701 people tested positive for COVID-19 and 310 deaths were recorded.

It brings the total number of deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive test to 45,955 - and the total number of coronavirus cases now stands at 965,340.
 
Coronavirus: West Yorkshire - including Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield - going into Tier 3 restrictions
 
Covid-19: West Yorkshire to go into tier 3 from Monday

West Yorkshire is to be placed under tier three Covid restrictions from Monday, the strictest level of rules.

The area - home to an estimated 2.3 million people - includes the cities of Leeds and Bradford.

The government has promised a further financial package of more than £59.3m for the region.

Casinos, soft play, adult gaming centres, betting shops and car boot sales will be shut, as well as pubs and bars not serving substantial meals.

Under the tier three - very high alert - rules, there can also be no mixing of households indoors or outdoors, including in private gardens.

It comes as a major study of Covid-19 in England suggested that Yorkshire and the Humber, where one in every 37 people has the virus and includes West Yorkshire, is the country's worst affected area, followed by the North West region.

When West Yorkshire goes into tier three from 00:001 GMT on 2 November, 11 million people - nearly a fifth of all those living in England - will be under the tightest coronavirus restrictions.

A statement from the Leaders of West Yorkshire Councils said they accepted the move into tier three "with great reluctance".

"The virus spread is now at a critical juncture. Not only are infections rising in our region, particularly amongst the elderly, but we already have evidence that the NHS is starting to struggle to deliver essential elective care," it continued.

Bradford currently has the highest Covid rates in the county, with 483.5 cases per 100,000 of the population in the week to 24 October.

Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford council and chair of the West Yorkshire combined authority, warned that "further economic restrictions" would be "damaging" for businesses and jobs.

She accused the government of "seriously underestimating the economic impact" of restrictions and vowed that local leaders would "challenge" it to "improve upon them".

Julian Hartley, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said Leeds hospitals had "exceeded the peak position we were in earlier this year in April".

Hospitals in the city are currently treating 268 patients with Covid - up from 158 last week.

The neighbouring areas of South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire are already under tier three restrictions, as well as the Liverpool City Region and Warrington. Nottinghamshire goes into tier three from Friday.

The government's financial package is in addition to the business grant arrangements previously announced by the Chancellor when the area was place under tier two rules.

Council leaders said the package could be broken down into two per-head figures:

A one-off additional amount of £20 per head: for West Yorkshire - estimated to be worth £46.6m in additional funding
A total of £8 per head to support enhanced test and trace and contain measures, resulting in an additional £12.7m
They said they have been promised further conversations with government ministers to discuss local schemes "to build on and continue to support the economic recovery of the region".

West Yorkshire is made up of five council areas - Calderdale, Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

Residents are advised to avoid travelling outside the area, unless for essential journeys, such as work or caring responsibilities.

Gyms may continue to open, but the guidance is against indoor exercise classes taking place.

Victoria Eaton, Director of Public Health for Leeds said the rate of infection in Leeds was "still growing in Leeds though not as steeply as the increase in other areas both in West Yorkshire and in Yorkshire and Humber".

She said the latest daily rate is 416.7 per 100,000. The rate of infection is now highest among 30-44 year olds but "most worryingly we are seeing increases among our over 65 age group, which as we know is an early warning of future hospital admissions".

Judith Blake, Leeds City Council leader, said: "This is obviously a very difficult decision for anyone to take. We realise the significance of the economic impact that this will have but we're very mindful of the fact the virus is at a state where we need to take measures, particularly with regard to our hospital admissions."

In other key developments:

The UK reported another 23,065 cases of coronavirus on Thursday, and a further 280 deaths, bringing the total death toll to 45,955
Nearly 100,000 people are catching coronavirus every day in England, with the number of positive cases doubling every nine days, the React-1 study by Imperial College London suggests
Millions more people in areas of Yorkshire and the Humber, parts of the West and East Midlands, as well as Luton and Oxford City will move to tier two restrictions from Saturday
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon earlier unveiled Scotland's new five-tier Covid measures, which will come into force from 06:00 on Monday of next week, but has not ruled out another national lockdown
The number of patients in hospital with coronavirus in Wales continues to increase - up nearly a quarter on last week. Latest NHS Wales figures show 1,110 Covid-19 patients currently in hospital beds - more than 80% of the level at the pandemic's peak in April
Travellers returning to the UK from Cyprus and Lithuania from 04:00 GMT on Sunday must self-isolate for two weeks, the transport secretary has said
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54741041.
 
Circuit breaker lockdown would be 'something of an enigma', says foreign secretary

Speaking to Sky News, Dominic Raab has said the government is still trying to avoid the "blunt tool of a national lockdown".

"If you look at those who've advocated a national lockdown... they have never been able to say how you get out of it," he said, describing it as "something of an enigma".
"Overwhelmingly our sense is you're far better leaning into and being absolutely committed to localised measures."
The foreign secretary argued it is easier to exit tiered restrictions as data can be examined locally and there is a "granular" review process in place.

Asked whether people were becoming weary with coronavirus rules, Mr Raab said he felt the public were still "overwhelmingly" following the guidance.

"I think the country does understand the predicament we're in and the county does not want to go into a national lockdown," he said.
 
England has breached ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’

Minutes from the latest COVID-19 meeting of the government's scientific advisory group for emergencies (SAGE) have been released this afternoon.

In the meeting on 14 October, they warned:

England is breaching the number of infections and hospital admissions in its "reasonable worst case" planning scenario. This is based on its COVID-19 winter planning strategy

The number of daily deaths is in line with that scenario, but "is almost certain to exceed this within the next two weeks"

There is no clear evidence the epidemic's trajectory has changed in the past month

New infections in the UK are doubling every 10 to 15 days. This trajectory is "concerning if there are no widespread decisive interventions or behavioural change in the near-term"

In England, modelling suggests there are 43,000 to 74,000 new infections per day - significantly above the reasonable worst-case scenario of between 12,000-13,000 throughout October

From 2-8 October an average of 336,500 people had COVID-19 in the community in England
In Wales, it was an average of 7,900 people

In England, the South West is estimated to have the highest R number (1.3-1.6) and daily growth rate (+6%-+10%). The South East and East of England follow closely behind

London has the lowest, with its R number at 1.1-1.4 and a daily growth rate of +2%-+5%

The volume of testing has varied "considerably" by region over time

There is an indication that the distribution of delays in testing has changed "markedly" with increasing demand. The group warned delays beyond 24 hours "result in greatly reduced contact tracing effectiveness".
 
R number decreases slightly to 1.1-1.3
Another 24,405 COVID-19 cases and 274 deaths recorded in last 24 hours
Lab tests reveal the difference between the best and worst face masks
Eat Out to Help Out caused 'significant rise' in coronavirus cases, study suggests
 
'Millions face hardship' as government support ends

The end of a range of government support schemes could leave millions of people facing hardship, think tanks and political groups have warned.

Mortgage holidays and jobs furloughing are to end on Saturday, with other other support measures starting.

But there are still gaps in support that need filling, some organisations have said.

The Treasury said it had put in place a number of generous support schemes for individuals and businesses.

The mortgage holiday scheme introduced at the start of the Covid-19 crisis ends on Saturday as does the job furlough scheme, which is being replaced by the Job Support Scheme.

It will leave a fifth of mortgage holders - around 1.6 million households - worried about paying their mortgage over the next three months, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The poverty campaign charity said: "There is a real risk that mortgage-holders on low incomes will be pulled into poverty and hardship."

It said 890,000 working households with a mortgage expect to see a drop in earnings over the next month, but 85% of them - 750,000 households - aren't eligible for any government support with their housing costs.

"It's not right that during a time of huge uncertainty, many households are discovering that they are excluded from the only lifeline that could help meet their housing costs," said Darren Baxter, policy and partnerships manager at the charity.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation wants the Support for Mortgage Interest payment to be reformed to help people who lose their jobs to keep their homes as they weather the coronavirus storm.

Self-employed 'face double hit'
Self-employed homeowners could face a double hit as their grants are reduced, the Labour party said.

"Self-employed homeowners are facing a perfect storm because the government has decided to abandon them just as we head into the winter," said shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds.

"There's still time for the government to stop a bleak winter for Britain's self-employed workers.

"It must remove the mortgage cliff edge, fix the gaps in its income support schemes, and help people defer the cost of interest payments."

From November, self-employed people will be able to apply for a third grant under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) to cover the next three months, worth 40% of their pre-virus trading profits.

But that figure is down from the 80% offered during the first grant and 70% during the second application period.

Renters 'hit'
People renting their home are more likely to have fallen behind with their housing costs than mortgagers, according to the Resolution Foundation, which campaigns on living standards.

Its research suggests nearly one-in-eight private renters and more than one-in-six social renters are currently unable to cover their housing costs in full.

"Renters are being particularly badly hit," said Lindsay Judge, research director at the Resolution Foundation.

"They are much more likely to have lost their jobs and significant numbers are only managing by cutting other expenditures, drawing down on savings or getting into debt in order to meet their rent."

She called on policymakers to ensure the social security system supports struggling families effectively over the coming months and take urgent action to avoid an increase in homelessness.

"But landlords might also need to recognise that as household incomes fall, rents are more likely to need to go down than up," she added.

Landlords ask for help
Landlords, however, have called on the government to give the sector extra help to protect those who are renting.

The National Residential Landlords Association warned that 300,000 renters could be at risk of losing their jobs as the furlough scheme closes.

It said renters under the age of 35 will face the brunt of the crisis as those who find themselves on benefits will only be able to claim for a room in a shared house.

"With rates of Covid-19 rising, we need to do everything possible to sustain tenancies," said Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA.

"The government needs urgently to step in and fund renters who are struggling as a result of the pandemic."

Jobs support scheme
The Treasury said the new Job Support Scheme which starts on Sunday, combined with the Job Retention Bonus, will cover at least 95% of the total employment costs for average previously furloughed employee until February.

"The Jobs Support Scheme will continue to protect jobs throughout the difficult months ahead and is part of our comprehensive Plan for Jobs," said Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.

The Treasury added: "The JSS and JRB are just one part of our generous package of measures, that includes the extended business grants and Self-Employed Income Support Schemes announced last week, which will continue to support businesses and livelihoods across the country over the winter months."
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54753885.
 
Coronavirus: Nisra records 42 deaths in past week

Forty-two Covid-19-related deaths were registered in Northern Ireland in the week up to last Friday, official figures show.

That is 25 more than the previous week, according to the latest bulletin from the government statistics agency, Nisra.

It is the highest weekly number of deaths recorded by the agency since May.

Its death toll now stands at 972 up to 23 October, including 547 in hospital.

Nisra counts deaths where the virus is mentioned on a death certificate.

The comparative Department of Health figure for the same date was 643. Its measure is based on a positive test result having been recorded.

Nine deaths related to Covid-19 were recorded by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on Friday, bringing the total number to 697.

A further 566 cases of the virus were reported. A total of 37,782 positive cases have been recorded in Northern Ireland since the beginning of the pandemic.

It also details the deaths of 88 people normally resident in care homes.

Taking that figure into account, and the 363 people who died in care homes, it means care home residents account for almost half of all Covid-19-related deaths in NI (46.1%).

In the week to last Friday, six Covid-related-deaths occurred in a care home.

Eight people died in hospices (0.8%) and 61 at residential or other locations (6.2%).

People aged 75 and over account for 79% of all Covid-19-related deaths, with 28% of people who have died having a Belfast council area address.

The provisional number of all deaths for the week ending 23 October was 391.

That is 113 more than in the previous week (278) and 105 more than the five-year average of 286.

Excess deaths are those above what would normally be expected at the time of year, averaged over five years.

Nisra found 1,393 excess deaths have been registered in the past 30 weeks.

Survey indicates cases rising
Meanwhile, the latest results from a survey by the Office of National Statistics show the number of Coronavirus infections is continuing to rise.

The survey is carried out nationally by the ONS, working with University of Oxford, the University of Manchester, Public Health England (PHE) and Wellcome Trust.

It estimates rates of infection, based on households providing swabs on a rolling basis.

The survey started in England in May, and began collecting data in Northern Ireland in late July.

More than 6,000 households here have been invited to take part, with over a third providing at least one swab.

The survey estimates 24,300 people in Northern Ireland had Covid-19 in the week from 17-23 October - with a 95% credible interval.

That means there's a 95% certainty the true figure lies between 12,600 and 43,700 people.

The figures are confined to infection within the community or private households. Infections reported in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings are excluded.

That estimate equates to around 1.32% of the population.

The survey says its modelling suggests the number of cases has increased in recent weeks, and this latest six-week reporting period is based on 11,624 swabs taken from 54 people across 39 households.
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54734944.
 
PM to hold news conference as lockdown considered

Boris Johnson will hold a news conference at 16:00 GMT as the government considers a new month-long lockdown across England.

The hope is that stricter measures could then be eased by Christmas.

It comes as documents seen by the BBC suggest the UK is on course for a much higher death toll than during the first wave unless further restrictions are introduced.

Deaths could reach more than 4,000 a day, one of the models suggests.

This figure is based on no policies being brought in to slow the spread of the disease, but most of the models peak at about 2,000 a day.

The PM will chair a cabinet meeting shortly to discuss the government's coronavirus response.

He will then be joined by England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance for the briefing later.

The official government documents, understood to be part of a presentation by the government's pandemic modelling group SPI-M shown to Mr Johnson, feature several different projections of the likely course of the disease.

All models predict that hospitalisations are likely to peak in mid-December, with deaths rising until at least late December before falling from early January.

And a separate document circulating in government - based on NHS England modelling from 28 October - warns that the NHS would be unable to accept any more patients by Christmas, even if the Nightingale hospitals are used and non-urgent procedures cancelled.

The document warns that south-west England and the Midlands will be the first to run out of capacity, potentially within a fortnight.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54762048
 
Boris will announce a second national lockdown at 5PM. Wonder if he'll announce proper enforcement measures.
 
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