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Wednesday 20 May 2020 16:22
The government is under increasing pressure to abandon plans to reopen schools, as a number of councils have warned their schools are against reopening more widely to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from 1 June amid safety concerns.
The British Medical Association, a union representing doctors, meanwhile has said schools should open their doors “as soon as it is safe to do so” as there is “growing evidence” that the risk to children from coronavirus is “extremely small”.
In the capital, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to supermarkets and shops urging them to stock face coverings for commuters using the capital’s public transport.
And US president Donald Trump has said it is a “badge of honour” that the US has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world as he put it down to the volume of tests being carried out.
Today’s overnight death toll from Covid-19 in Spain stands at 95, a slight rise on Tuesday’s 83 which continues an overall downward trend in the country, the health ministry said.
The overall number of fatalities is now 27,888 the ministry said, while the number of diagnosed cases rose to 232,555 cases.
Doctors in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos will go on strike from this evening because of what they describe as police harassment of health workers trying to move through the city to treat patients during a coronavirus curfew.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) doctors’ union said it had become unsafe for its members to “continue to provide healthcare under the present confused arrangement”.
It cited an example in which it said an ambulance carrying a patient was “prevented from moving to a destination while the attending healthworkers were harassed and temporarily detained”.
Nigeria has had more than 6,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 192 deaths. Most of the cases have been in Lagos, sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest city with some 20 million inhabitants.
A lockdown in Lagos lasting just over a month was eased on May 4, but an overnight curfew was put in place nationwide. Essential workers were given the right to move at all times, but the doctors say this has not been properly implemented.
Reuters
Customers could be stopped from drinking at the bar at pubs as part of new proposals aimed at helping hospitality firms reopen on 4 July.
Restrictions on the number of children in outdoor playing areas and patrols of smoking areas have also been put forward among potential measures touted to help sites meet coronavirus guidelines.
Trade group UKHospitality as put forward the initial proposals, alongside other industry leaders, in a document submitted to ministers.
PA
Under pressure from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister gave a guarantee that the operation would be ready within days – despite concerns over the readiness of a new smartphone app and the number of contact tracers to carry out the scheme.
Political correspondent Lizzy Buchan has the full story:
Inti Landauro reports.
The Health Ministry order said the masks – whose efficiency in curbing the coronavirus is hotly debated globally – would be needed from Thursday for indoor public spaces and outdoors when impossible to keep a two-metre distance.
Read more here:
Train operator Grand Central has extended the suspension of its services throughout June.
Managing director Richard McClean said: “Being an open access train operator means, unlike franchised operators, we must sell enough tickets to cover our operating costs.
“The safety of our staff and passengers is essential but social distancing rules mean we cannot yet welcome the number of customers needed to run the service sustainably.
“I think over the coming month we’ll get a really informative picture of passenger attitude, government intentions and how the industry is dealing with social distancing, but for now the most sensible course of action for us is to monitor all this and use the time to plan our return.”
But for those left behind, it’s unclear why they’re still locked up.
The Independent’s May Bulman reports:
Nigel Farage has been condemned as “callous and heartless” for making a boat trip into the Channel to monitor migrants arriving in the UK.
Read more here from political correspondent Lizzy Buchan:
Downing Street has confirmed an app for tracing people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients will not be ready by 1 June.
Diana Holland, assistant general secretary for transport for the Unite union, told the Transport Select Committee that British Airways was using the crisis to make redundant “legacy” staff who enjoy the best terms and conditions.
“This is taking advantage of a very difficult situation to push through something that is totally unacceptable,” she said.
Travel correspondent Simon Calder has the full story here:
In a Facebook video recorded in Rotorua, one of the country’s main tourist hubs in North Island, Ms Ardern said a shorter week, flexible working, such as working from home, and more public holidays aimed at promoting domestic tourism may provide a much-needed lift to the country’s economy in the coming weeks.
Matt Mathers reports:
Boris Johnson has said those involved in the Covid-19 effort are to be recognised by the Queen in the next round of honours.
The prime minister said the publication of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list will be moved from June to the autumn so it can reflect the work of people battling coronavirus on different fronts.
Captain Sir Tom Moore, who captured the imagination of the nation by raising almost £33 million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden, has already been named as the recipient of a knighthood.
In a written statement to the House of Commons, the PM said: “There is, understandably, huge appetite across the country to say thank you to all those on the front line, within our communities and in our public services, who are supporting the nation through these unprecedented times.
“The honours system recognises exceptional contributions made across every part of the UK and will play a key role in demonstrating the nation’s gratitude to all those involved in the response.”
PA
PayPal rolls out contactless QR code payments to aid social distancing
The digital payment giant has introduced a feature to its app which will allow users to scan a code and complete a transaction without having to touch a payment terminal.
PayPal said the feature, which has gone live in the UK and 27 other countries, can help more people go cash-free and maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many businesses have encouraged customers to use contactless card payments where possible in order to reduce both the handling of cash and unnecessary contact between people during the virus outbreak.
Using the new system, sellers will be able to print off a QR code or display it on another screen for customers with the PayPal app to scan.
Florida’s Department of Health fired Rebekah Jones on Monday after removing the data scientist from her position as an information systems manager on 5 May.
Gino Spocchia has the full story:
Social media giants to give evidence over coronavirus disinformation
Twitter, Facebook and Google have been summoned to give evidence to parliament once again, after failing to provide “adequate answers” on how they are tackling false narratives about coronavirus.
Julian Knight, chair of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee, said MPs were “very disappointed by the standard of evidence put forward by all three social media companies, given the damage that can be done by the deliberate spreading of false information about Covid-19 and the need to tackle it urgently”.
PA
Labour has said MPs and their staff should be allowed to continue to work from home, as per government advice.
The spokesman for party leader Sir Keir Starmer told reporters during a telephone briefing this afternoon: “The government’s own advice, its own public health advice, is those who can work from home should.
“Parliament has developed a successful system using technology to ensure the scrutiny of government, while allowing people to work remotely.
“The government has yet to provide an honest explanation as to why they want to bring this virtual system to an end.
PA
Consumer price inflation, which tracks the movement in costs of a “basket” of goods that the average shopper tends to buy, almost halved from 1.5 per cent in March to 0.8 per cent in April. The consensus among economists was for a 0.9 per cent fall.
Business correspondent Ben Chapman reports:
Singapore has sentenced a drug suspect to death on video chat app Zoom because of the city-state’s coronavirus lockdown, a move slammed by a human rights group as callous and inhumane.
Defence lawyer Peter Fernando said the Supreme Court announced the penalty to his client, Punithan Genasan, in a virtual hearing on Friday.
Genasan was in jail, while his lawyer and prosecutors participated in the hearing from different locations.
It is believed to be the first time the death sentence has been delivered remotely in Singapore, which has imposed social distancing measures it calls a “circuit breaker.”
The court ruled that the 37-year-old Malaysian was the mastermind of drug trafficking activity in 2011.
AP
Two US churches in reopened states have been forced to close after faith leaders and congregants contracted coronavirus.
Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle in Ringgold, Georgia, less than 20 miles away from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Houston have indefinitely cancelled services after members and leaders tested positive for the coronavirus shortly after reopening.
The news of the cancelled services comes as a new report from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that large gatherings pose risk for coronavirus transmission and called on faith-based organisations to work with local health officials about implementing guidelines for modified activities.
Lateshia Beachum has more on this story:
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