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Saturday 6 June 2020 12:21
Fears of a second coronavirus spike are growing today after new figures showed the virus could be growing exponentially in the northwest of England.
The reproduction rate is thought to be 1.01 in the northwest and 1 in the southwest according to data compiled by Public Health England (PHE) and Cambridge University.
The blow comes as the World Health Organisation updated its guidelines to recommend everyone wear a mask while in public – and over-60s wear medical grade masks.
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Tens of millions of Britons on their doorsteps applauding an organisation propped up by foreign workers each week. A prime minister thanking two immigrants whose work as nurses saved his life. It would perhaps have seemed unthinkable from a Conservative government less than 10 years on from vans with “go home” emblazoned on the side, and indeed from the man who led a Brexit campaign warning of mass immigration from Turkey.
There have been some tangible changes in response to the unfolding coronavirus crisis. The Home Office eased the rules on its asylum housing and immigration detention in order to prevent spread. It extended visas for NHS staff and, after public outcry, dropped the controversial health surcharge for health workers tackling the pandemic on the front line.
But is this the beginning of real change for how immigration is viewed in Britain?
The Independent‘s social affairs correspondent, May Bulman, writes that experts remain sceptical.
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Government believed to be on track to meet care home testing target
More than a tenth of homes surveyed by the National Care Forum (NCF), which represents 120 not-for-profit care organisations, reported they had not received testing kits at the start of the week.
However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) believes it is on track to have offered testing to all care homes with residents over 65 in England by Saturday, it is understood.
The DHSC is expected to announce whether it has hit its target in the coming days.
It comes as a letter from the DHSC sent to care providers on Friday revealed plans to expand testing to all remaining adult care homes for those under the age of 65 from 7 June.
Tests will be available to all residents and asymptomatic staff, the letter said.
Press Association
Prince William has revealed that he has been counselling people via a crisis helpline that his Royal Foundation helped to launch.
The Duke of Cambridge is one of more than 2,000 crisis volunteers at Shout 85258, a 24-hour text messaging helpline.
His work with the service was made public to coincide with Volunteers Week, an annual celebration of the contributions people make across the country though volunteering.
How badly the UK compares with the rest of Europe
While the actual figures are close, the data used in the graphic has a number of flaws that reveal that to be inaccurate.
The government’s daily coronavirus press conference no longer includes a slide comparing the UK’s coronavirus death toll to other countries.
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Churchgoers should wear face coverings and could have to book places at Mass when churches reopen, Scotland’s Catholic Bishops have said.
The Bishop’s Conference of Scotland has sent the country’s 600 priests guidance about the reopening of churches and the resumption of public worship, urging them to “act in harmony” with the Scottish Government’s health advice.
With public worship currently suspended due to the coronavirus lockdown, priests have been encouraged to start preparations to allow churches to safely reopen in accordance with social distancing measures.
The Catholic church’s guidance has been developed by their Covid-19 infection control working group, chaired by Scotland’s former chief medical officer Sir Harry Burns.
In line with the Scottish Government’s “route map” for easing lockdown, the guidance stresses that Mass can resume once the country enters phase three, with the recommendation to have services on both Saturdays and Sundays to allow more people to attend.
Press Association
Anti-police violence protests around the Eiffel Tower have been banned due to coronavirus restrictions, Paris authorities have said.
In addition to this, demonstrations outside the US embassy – also planned for Saturday afternoon – have been barred from going ahead over public health concerns.
La Prefecture de Paris, the capital’s police force, said lots of people could be drawn to the protests, while current lockdown rules only allow 10 people to gather outside at a time.
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An urgent inquiry must be held now to avoid repeating the mistakes that have undermined the fight against coronavirus before the feared second peak, leading scientists say.
Boris Johnson has been told to end his refusal to order the investigation yet, with the warning: “Many more will die unless we find quick, practical solutions.”
A letter has been signed by 27 experts, of which more than half are professors in virology, public health, epidemiology or other relevant fields.
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MPs’ seven-week summer holidays could be cut by 21 days in order to get Brexit and coronavirus legislation through Parliament, The Times’ deputy political editor reports.
NHS chiefs have criticised the government for making policy “on the hoof” after new face covering regulations for hospitals were announced, saying that trust leaders were not consulted in advance and “have been left completely in the dark”.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said on Friday that all hospital visitors and outpatients in England would need to wear face coverings and hospital staff must use surgical masks as of 15 June to help limit the transmission of Covid-19.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman added that, while members of the public attending hospital are “strongly urged” to wear a face covering, no one will be denied care and masks will be provided by the hospital if necessary.
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Schools are being “strongly advised” not to admit more pupils after new data suggested coronavirus could still be spreading in the northwest of England.
Headteachers in Tameside, east of Manchester, have been told to delay the wider reopening of schools beyond key workers’ and vulnerable children, planned for Monday, “until there is further assurance,” the council’s director of public health, Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy said in a letter to schools.
The North West has the highest rate of Covid-19 infections in England according to Public Health England (PHE), and data has suggested the reproductive rate, known as the R value, is higher than 1 in the region, a crucial marker for public health.
The R value refers to the average number of people that will contract coronavirus from an infected person.
If it is 1 or higher, the virus will spread exponentially through the population, while a value less than 1 indicates the virus is in decline.
Data from PHE released on Friday gave an R value of 1.01 for the North West and 1.0 for the South West, with all other regions below 1.
Press Association
People’s sleep poorer under lockdown, according to study
Half of the people surveyed between 22 and 24 May reported more disturbed sleep, while 38 per cent of people said they experienced more vivid dreams.
The findings follow several previous studies by fitness tracking firms that revealed people have been sleeping longer during the lockdown period.
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Sunday trading laws could be scrapped to help economic recovery
Supermarket bosses have previously urged the government to relax the legislation — which limits larger shops to only serving customers for six hours on Sundays — to ease queues and overcrowding.
And it appears their calls have been answered, as Downing Street is said to be drawing up plans to extend trading hours as part of a package of measures to revive the economy.
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But, warned the organisation’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,: “I cannot say this clearly enough: masks alone will not protect you from Covid-19.”
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A significant development yesterday as it was revealed the virus’s reproduction rate – the so-called R -number – was above 1 in the northwest and at 1 in the southwest.
“If the R is higher than 1 that means this disease is growing exponentially and will keep on spreading to more and more people,” Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientist, has previously said.
The government has long said that keeping this figure below 1 was vital to easing the lockdown – and to preventing a second deadly wave?
So, what might the new data mean? We look at the possible consequences here:
Good morning and welcome to The Independent‘s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and worldwide.
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