Babak Belurs

Selasa, 05 Januari 2021

COVID-19: Some COVID restrictions could return next winter, chief medical officer warns - Sky News

Some coronavirus restrictions may have to be brought back to control the virus next winter, the chief medical officer has said.

Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Professor Chris Whitty warned that the risks will continue to exist as the weather gets warmer, saying: "We shouldn't kid ourselves [that] this just disappears with spring."

He said: "If we did not do all the things all of us must now do, if people don't take the stay at home seriously, the risk at this point in time, in the middle of winter, with this new variant, is extraordinarily high."

He said the risk level will gradually decrease over time with measures being "lifted by degrees possibly at different rates in different parts of the country, we'll have to see".

"We'll then get, over time, to a point where people say this level of risk is something society is prepared to tolerate and lift right down to almost no restrictions at all," he added.

But he went on to warn: "We might have to bring in a few in the next winter for example, that's possible, because winter will benefit the virus."

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2021-01-05 18:28:10Z
CBMieWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2NvdmlkLTE5LXNvbWUtY292aWQtcmVzdHJpY3Rpb25zLWNvdWxkLXJldHVybi1uZXh0LXdpbnRlci1jaGllZi1tZWRpY2FsLW9mZmljZXItd2FybnMtMTIxODAxMzPSAX1odHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvY292aWQtMTktc29tZS1jb3ZpZC1yZXN0cmljdGlvbnMtY291bGQtcmV0dXJuLW5leHQtd2ludGVyLWNoaWVmLW1lZGljYWwtb2ZmaWNlci13YXJucy0xMjE4MDEzMw

COVID-19: UK daily cases top 60,000 for first time - with another 830 deaths - Sky News

The number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the UK has increased by 60,916 - and another 830 people have died, government figures show.

This is the highest daily total of COVID-19 cases ever recorded in the UK and the first time the number has breached 60,000.

However, mass testing was not taking place during the first peak of the pandemic so it is unclear how many cases were circulating then.

Still, both sets of numbers are up on yesterday - when the official figures showed an increase of 58,784 cases and 407 deaths - and the positivity rate (the percentage of people who received a positive result from a test) has been climbing for weeks.

The number of deaths reported today appears to be a large jump, although Scotland did not report its deaths yesterday and there would have been a lag in reporting after the weekend.

Among those who died in English hospitals was a 29-year-old with an underlying health condition.

All of those who died - except 25, aged between 56 and 101 - had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths happened between 5 November and 4 January, with the majority being on or after 1 January, and it brings England's total number of fatalities with coronavirus in hospital to 52,395.

Government data also showed that the number of patients admitted to hospital yesterday was 2,434 - taking the total then, to 14,987.

In another worrying discovery, around 2% of the population in private households in England had COVID-19 between 27 December and 2 January, according to separate figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ongoing study found an estimated 1.1 million people had the virus in this period, up from around 800,900 over 17 to 23 December.

These figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.

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2021-01-05 16:52:30Z
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Why did schools reopen for a day and other lockdown questions - BBC News

Year 6 pupils arriving at school on Monday

England has entered its third national lockdown to try to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, amid rising coronavirus infections.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision came after UK chief medical officers recommended that the Covid threat level be increased to five - the maximum level.

The government has published details about things you can and can't do - which have prompted a number of questions.

Why did schools reopen for a day?

Primary schools in many parts of the country welcomed pupils back on Monday after the holidays. But after one day of in-person teaching they are now closed again to the majority of children, who will now learn remotely.

The prime minister said in his statement on Monday evening: "Parents whose children were in school today may reasonably ask why we did not take this decision sooner."

He stressed that children would still be safe at school, but that they were being closed because they could "act as vectors for transmission, causing the virus to spread between households".

But on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday - the day before - Mr Johnson said: "There is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority," and urged parents of primary school children to take them to school if their schools were opening.

Pupils arriving at a school and nursery in Cheshire

The government says it had to act after the coronavirus risk was raised to level five on Monday. This has never happened before and indicates there is a risk of the health service being overwhelmed

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove was asked what had changed - in such a short space of time - on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Gove said: "It was yesterday [Monday] that the chief medical officers made it clear that we needed to move to this higher alert level."

Scientists and governments understand more about the transmission risks posed by different settings than they did last spring.

But the rationale for why some activities and services thought too risky during the first lockdown are still allowed, remains unclear. We asked the Cabinet Office to explain, but they directed us back to the prime minister's lockdown speech.

What are England's new lockdown rules?

Why can nurseries carry on?

The advice being given to the government is that younger children are less likely to pass on coronavirus than older children.

In the Sage minutes from 22 December, the scientific advisers say the "closure of secondary schools [is] likely to have a greater effect than closure of primary schools".

The government has decided to close both primary and secondary schools, but not nurseries.

"What we didn't hear from the prime minister yesterday is the reason behind the decision that has been made to keep early years and childcare open, ie the science behind it," Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, told BBC News.

She warned that low numbers of children attending and some staff being unwell meant there was a danger that nurseries would not be able to stay open much longer, although they had been operating safely throughout the pandemic so far.

Coronavirus poses a much lower risk to younger children and there is limited evidence it spreads in that age group. Scientists are still investigating the new variant, but there is no evidence it causes more severe illness in any age group.

Why can elite sport continue?

While indoor and outdoor sports facilities are closed to almost all of the general public, elite sport will be allowed to continue.

Elite sportspeople and those on official elite pathway programmes can continue to train, and will compete behind closed doors.

Mr Johnson said last spring that the decision to allow elite sport to resume would "provide a much-needed boost to national morale".

Broadcasting sporting events undoubtedly provides a boost to fans, who can watch from their own homes, while athletes are being regularly tested for coronavirus.

But there have been numerous incidents of Premiership football players reportedly breaking coronavirus restrictions, and of matches having to be postponed after players tested positive.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told us that "rigorous protocols" have been put in place by sport governing bodies and that when elite athletes are not training or competing "they must adhere to wider public guidance".

What about places of worship?

Unlike in March, places of worship are also allowed to open in England, although they are closed in Scotland.

Places of worship provide spiritual leadership for many and bring communities together, but their "communal nature" also makes them "vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus", the government says in its guidance for England.

However, when the lockdown was announced, the Archbishop of Canterbury tweeted: "The government hasn't suspended public worship, but some may feel it better not to attend in person, and some parishes are expected to offer online services only for now."

Sage has previously suggested that closing places of worship would only have a low-to-moderate impact on overall coronavirus transmission, but that the setting posed a high risk to vulnerable groups.

What about enforcement?

During this lockdown, it will once again be put in to law that people must only leave and remain outside their homes for a "reasonable excuse" - such as to exercise or do essential shopping.

Breaching this could result in a fine of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.

But there isn't any indication that police will move away from their current policy of talking to rule-breakers first and fining them as a last resort.

Since March, at least 25,000 fines have been given out in England and Wales, with most of these during the first lockdown for leaving the home without a reasonable excuse.

Police at an anti-lockdown protest in London on 1 January

Fines were used far less over the course of the second lockdown.

A return of tougher rules (with fewer "reasonable excuses") could see these fines increase again.

The Police Federation has warned that during this lockdown, there could be added pressure on forces due to staff being off sick or self-isolating, with this affecting up to 15% of some police forces.

Banner image reading 'more about coronavirus'

SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?
TESTING: How do I get a virus test?
SUPPORT BUBBLES: What are they and who can be in yours?
TEST AND TRACE: How does it work?

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2021-01-05 16:35:00Z
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COVID-19: UK daily cases top 60,000 for first time - with another 830 deaths - Sky News

The number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the UK has increased by 60,916 - and another 830 people have died, government figures show.

This is the highest daily total of COVID-19 cases ever recorded in the UK and the first time the number has breached 60,000.

However, mass testing was not taking place during the first peak of the pandemic so it is unclear how many cases were circulating then.

The number of deaths reported today appears to be a large jump, although Scotland did not report its deaths yesterday and there would have been a lag in reporting after the weekend.

Separately, NHS England has said that a further 582 people who tested positive for coronavirus - including a 29-year-old - have died in hospital in England.

All of those who died - except 25, aged between 56 and 101 - had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths happened between 5 November and 4 January, with the majority being on or after 1 January, and it brings England's total number of fatalities with coronavirus in hospital to 52,395.

Government data also showed that the number of patients admitted to hospital yesterday was 2,434 - taking the total then, to 14,987.

The ongoing study found an estimated 1.1 million people had the virus in this period, up from around 800,900 over 17 to 23 December.

These figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.

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Government offers firms new grants to survive lockdown - BBC News

Businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure will receive new grants to help them keep afloat until spring, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.

The grants will be worth up to £9,000 per property, the Treasury says.

Mr Sunak told the BBC he was "committed to protecting jobs and supporting businesses".

Business groups welcomed the new help as a good start but warned the money still wouldn't be enough to save many firms from collapse.

The help is in addition to business rates relief and the furlough scheme, which has been extended until the end of April.

The chancellor also pledged a further £594m for local authorities and devolved administrations to support businesses not eligible for the grants. The Scottish Government will receive £375m, the Welsh Government £227m and the Northern Ireland Executive £127m.

Firms do not have to pay the grant money back.

Mr Sunak said he would consider whether or how to extend support packages in its Budget on 3 March.

"The Budget early in March is an excellent opportunity to take stock of the range of support we have put in place and set out the next stage of our economic response," he said.

The director general of the CBI business group, Tony Danker, earlier warned leaving additional support until the Budget could be too late for many firms, saying. "the comprehensive restrictions required a new comprehensive response".

It was a fear echoed by other business groups, the BCC and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

BCC director general, Adam Marshall, warned many smaller firms would not qualify for help and "will be left struggling to see how this new top-up grant will help them out of their cashflow problems."

He also called for the support to be extended to firms in other sectors "who are also feeling the devastating impacts of these restrictions."

FSB chair Mike Cherry also said the funds would be a lifeline to many, but "do not go far enough to match the scale of the crisis that small firms are facing."

The British Beer & Pub Association described the grants as a "lifeline", but added that companies on which pubs rely, such as breweries, would also need help.

'We're in limbo'

Seb Heeley, owner of distillery Manchester Gin, told the BBC that fixed dates to aim for are crucial for his business.

"We need a date to work towards and we don't have that so, again, we're in limbo," he said. "It takes three or four weeks" to prepare, including retraining staff, he added.

His business has been closed since October because of restrictions in the Manchester area. It borrowed money under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

"We start repayment in June and there's good chance we won't be open, so they are going to have to extend that," he said.

He said much of the £9,000 grant will be taken up by the £6,000 a month his business owes in pension contributions and national insurance alone.

'Remain wary'

Mr Sunak said the new support would "help businesses to get through the months ahead - and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen".

Businesses such as cafes, restaurants, leisure centres and shops that do not sell essentials have been particularly hard hit by coronavirus lockdown measures as people are told to stay at home.

All non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are now closed, with pubs and restaurants allowed to offer takeaway food and non-alcoholic drinks only.

The new measures contained no additional support for self-employed people.

Mel Stride, chair of parliament's Treasury Committee, which scrutinises the finance department's work, warned the chancellor "must not forget those who have fallen through the gaps around previous support packages."

Analysis box by Faisal Islam, economics editor

While this is welcome and essential support, it is now clear that the most optimistic timetable for economic lift-off from the pandemic is going to be put back.

This raises questions about the length of the furlough scheme, and government-guaranteed loans.

Before this, the best-case scenario was that mass vaccination, enabling a confident reopening of the economy, would allow furloughed workers to go straight back to their jobs in late spring.

This was never the government's central forecast, but looked possible amid optimism about the vaccine last month.

Even if all vulnerable people can be vaccinated by March, the first three months of the year will see school lockdowns which will harm growth, and therefore a possible double dip recession.

Business groups which welcomed this support say they now need a clear long-term plan. They want to know that current levels of support will stay in place until most of the population is vaccinated.

Hundreds of thousands of self-employed workers who fell through the gaps of support remain under huge pressure, particularly ahead of the self assessment tax deadline.

A decision on extending the £20 a week increase to universal credit will also be required.

'Welcome' plan

England's lockdown rules are due to be reviewed on 15 February while Scotland's will be reviewed at the end of January.

In the UK, the unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in the three months to October, with the jobless total up to 1.7 million people.

Redundancies hit a record high over the period.

The Office for Budgetary Responsibility, the government's independent forecaster, predicts the UK economy will have shrunk by 11.3% in 2020 - the biggest decline in 300 years. It expects unemployment to peak at 9.7%.

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2021-01-05 15:11:00Z
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England lockdown: Everything you need to know - The Independent

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England lockdown: Everything you need to know The Independent
Covid: New lockdowns for England and Scotland ahead of 'hardest weeks' BBC News
Schools to close and exams facing axe in England BBC News
Boris Johnson had one last chance to finally be honest. He offered up excuses instead The Independent
The Guardian view on Boris Johnson: forever behind the Covid curve The Guardian
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2021-01-05 14:10:37Z
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COVID-19: Boris Johnson to hold Downing Street news conference from 5pm - Sky News

Boris Johnson will hold a news conference with England's chief medical officer and the government's chief scientific adviser later today, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister will be joined by Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance from 5pm, on the first day of England's third national lockdown.

In a national address on Monday, Mr Johnson announced another shutdown to try and control the spread of COVID-19.

Live COVID updates as lockdown begins

People are once again being told to stay home, apart from for a limited number of exceptions, while schools and colleges will be closed to the majority of pupils.

The PM spoke of his hope that the almost 14 million people in the top four priority groups for vaccination will have been offered a jab by the middle of February, allowing restrictions to start being eased.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will receive up to £9,000 in one-off grants to help them through the latest lockdown.

A surge in cases is being driven by a new variant of coronavirus that has been judged to be between 50% and 70% more transmissible.

As of Monday, there were 26,626 COVID patients in hospital in England - an increase of over 30% in one week and now more than 40% higher than the peak of the first wave of infections last April.

There has also been a near 25% increase in the number of deaths in the past seven days, compared to the previous week.

A senior minister told Sky News earlier that the government "should be able" to begin easing the lockdown in March.

Michael Gove said the public should not expect a sudden relaxation of the rules, with restrictions "progressively" eased instead.

"We will keep these constantly under review but you are absolutely right, we can't predict with certainty that we will be able to lift restrictions in the week commencing February 15-22," he said.

"What we will be doing is everything that we can to make sure that as many people as possible are vaccinated, so that we can begin to progressively lift restrictions.

"I think it is right to say that as we enter March we should be able to lift some of these restrictions, but not necessarily all."

He warned of "very, very difficult weeks ahead" and said the country was in a "race against time" against the variant.

In a separate interview, the Cabinet Office minister said a decision was due to be announced on whether the UK will require those entering the country at ports and airports to test negative for COVID-19.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will make a televised statement responding to the PM's lockdown announcement at 7pm, which you can watch live on Sky News.

He told Sky News earlier that he has some "quarrels and criticisms" with the government over the latest shutdown, but added that "everybody recognises how serious this is".

"This is a time where we all have to say we will support the restrictions and do what we can to make these work," he said.

Sir Keir said he had "doubts" about the vaccination target outlined by the PM, adding: "This is a race against time - I want the government to succeed... and I will offer my support."

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2021-01-05 11:40:48Z
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Selasa, 05 Januari 2021

More from Covid-19

Why did schools reopen for a day?

Why can nurseries carry on?

Why can elite sport continue?

What about places of worship?

What about enforcement?

More from Covid-19

'We're in limbo'

'Remain wary'

'Welcome' plan

More from Covid-19