LiveUpdated
Friday 7 August 2020 21:18
Travellers returning to UK from Belgium, Andorra and Bahamas must now quarantine for 14 days after overnight announcement
The rate of coronavirus transmission in England may be “levelling off”, according to new stats from the ONS today.
The news comes as Nicola Sturgeon warned that new outbreaks around the world appeared to be linked to the hospitality industry and the reopening of pubs.
The UK has said it “will not hesitate” to add more countries, including France, to its coronavirus quarantine list overnight if action has to be taken.
It comes after the government announced on Thursday night that travellers returning from the UK from Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas would now have to quarantine for 14 days.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak was asked if France would join the quarantine list. He told Sky News: “If we need to take action as you’ve seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that.”
An approved coronavirus vaccine could end up being effective only 50-60 per cent of the time, meaning some public health measures would still be needed to keep the pandemic under control, according to the top US infectious diseases expert.
“We don’t know yet what the efficacy might be. We don’t know if it will be 50 per cent or 60 per cent. I’d like it to be 75 per cent or more,” Dr Anthony Fauci said in a webinar hosted by Brown University.
“But the chances of it being 98 per cent effective is not great, which means you must never abandon the public health approach.”
Dr Fauci said on Friday that studies of Moderna Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine could produce definitive data in November or December of this year.
He said earlier this week that he expected tens of millions of vaccine doses to be available by early 2021, and a billion doses by the end of that year.
The Queen will reportedly not attend church in Scotland on Sunday in order to stop well-wishers gathering.
The head of state, who travelled to Balmoral with the Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday for her traditional summer break, normally joins the congregation at nearby Crathie Kirk.
Press Association says she will not take her seat in the place of worship in Aberdeenshire to avoid large groups of people congregating outside.
Lockdown measures have been reintroduced in Aberdeen following the outbreak of a coronavirus cluster in the city.
Face coverings are to be made mandatory in more indoor places across Scotland following the spike in cases.
The Queen’s annual visit to Balmoral Castle was already expected to be different from normal due to the coronavirus restrictions in place.
The highly anticipated Friends reunion special has been delayed once again, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The one-off show had been due to launch with the HBO Max streaming service in May, before Hollywood production was halted.
Last month Friends star David Schwimmer gave fans fresh hope and said filming could begin in August.
However, production has been delayed again and filming dates are yet to be determined, according to Variety.
The Friends special will bring together Schwimmer and co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry.
It was announced in February and filming is set to take place on the show’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California.
More than 160,000 people have died from the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, nearly a quarter of the global total, as the country debates whether schools are ready to reopen in coming weeks.
The country recorded 160,003 deaths and 4.91 million cases, the highest caseload in the world.
Public health experts have voiced concern for weeks that Americans in some quarters were resisting wearing masks and maintaining safe social distances.
Coronavirus deaths are rising in 23 states and cases are rising in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis of data the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks.
On a per-capita basis, the United States ranks 10th highest in the world for both cases and deaths.
Friday’s grim milestone marks an increase of 10,000 deaths in nine days in the US.
At least 16 dead as Air India repatriation flight crashes on landing
At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured when an Air India Express passenger plane repatriating Indians stranded by the COVID-19 pandemic overshot the runway in heavy rain near the southern city of Kozhikode, officials said.
The Boeing-737 flight from Dubai to Calicut airport was carrying 190 passengers and crew, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. Among them were 10 infants.
Television footage showed rescue workers moving around the wreckage in pouring rain. The aircraft lay split into at least two chunks after the plane’s fuselage sheared apart as it fell into a valley 30 feet below, authorities said.
“Unfortunately, 16 people have lost their lives. I offer my condolences to their next of kin and pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet.
Friday’s crash is the worst passenger aircraft accident in the country since 2010, when an Air India Express flight, also from Dubai, overshot the runway and slid down a hill while landing in the southern Indian city of Mangalore, killing 158 people.
Mixing in pubs led to rise in Preston cases, health director says
People mixing with other households in pubs, as well as in their homes, has led to a need for increased coronavirus restrictions in Preston, the area’s director of public health has said.
Speaking at a media briefing after the announcement the city had been designated an “area of intervention” on Friday, director of Public Health for Lancashire Dr Sakthi Karunanithi said almost half of the cases reported were among people aged 30 and younger.
A spike in cases in the city was affecting people from south Asian and white ethnic backgrounds – particularly those living in poor socio-economic conditions, he said.
He said: “I want to pay extra attention to indoor spaces, particularly pubs, where high numbers of people are mixing between households.
“That’s a worrying pattern that we really must avoid.”
The new restrictions – which are already in force in parts of east Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire – mean residents cannot have others in their homes and gardens; cannot visit other people’s homes or gardens, even if they are in an unaffected area; and are not permitted to mix with other households in indoor venues.
Mr Karunanithi said the “two main reasons” for the rise in infections were people meeting others in their houses and households coming together in venues such as pubs.
He added: “These two are key behaviours we’re trying to protect people from. Don’t meet with members of other households in pubs and clubs.”
Qais Hussain looks at how exams are going to be marked this year and what students can expect:
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned holidaymakers of the risk of travelling abroad during the coronavirus crisis amid concerns France may be the next nation to be added to the quarantine list.
He said on Friday that ministers will “not hesitate” in ordering travellers coming back from countries with high Covid-19 rates to isolate for 14 days, as Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas lose their exempted status.
There are fears those coming back from France could be next. The country’s coronavirus rate has increased steadily in the past month to 13.2 new infections per 100,000 people, suggesting the spread is worse than in the UK, which has a rate of 8.4.
Eurostar said it recorded an increase in passengers travelling on its trains from Brussels to London on Friday, beating the deadline.
Mr Sunak told Sky News: “It’s a tricky situation. What I can say to people is we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans and people need to bear that in mind.
“It’s the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis talking with our scientists, our medical advisers, and if we need to take action as you’ve seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that and we’re doing that to protect people’s health.”
The French government has said it recorded 2,288 new coronavirus cases on Friday.
This marks a 684 increase from Thursday’s figure, which saw 1,604 infections reported across the country.
Authorities added that the number of people in intensive care was down to 383 from 390 on Thursday.
This comes amid mounting fears that France may be the next nation added to the UK’s quarantine list, after the government announced this week that travellers returning from Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas will need to self isolate for 14 days.
France’s coronavirus rate has increased steadily in the past month to 13.2 new infections per 100,000 people, suggesting the spread is worse than in the UK, which has a rate of 8.4.
Face shields guidance for hairdressers need to change, scientists say
Hairdressers and barbers should wear face coverings and not just visors, in order to help curb the spread of coronavirus, scientists advising the Government say.
The experts warn that plastic face shields being used in hair salons are unlikely to be an effective control for aerosol transmission of Covid-19.
In documents released by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Friday, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) says the guidance needs to change.
The group says face shields provide protection for the wearer against large droplet exposure, including by inoculation through the eyes.
However, they are unlikely to provide any protection for the wearer against small aerosols.
There is no evidence that face shields/visors are an effective source control for either larger droplets or small aerosols, the document published on Friday sets out.
Three staff members at a custody suite in the West Midlands have tested positive for Covid-19.
West Midlands Police initially confirmed two cases at the Oldbury custody block in Sandwell last weekend, while another staff member tested positive on Monday, the force said.
Those affected are self-isolating for 10 days.
The force added that with the assistance of Sandwell council and Public Health England it had traced a “a number of staff” who came into contact with infected colleagues, who were now also self-isolating for 14 days.
The block has now reopened following a “thorough clean” after a “brief closure” lasting five days.
In a statement police said no detainees “were assessed to have had significant contact” with the affected staff.
The outbreak, first reported on Sunday, caused the custody suite, which is one of the force’s two super-blocks, to be shut for five days, with detainees transported instead to temporary facilities at Bloxwich police station, in Walsall.
BREAKING: Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin has announced a regional lockdown in counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly following a surge in coronavirus cases.
He said a number of limited restrictions will apply to the three counties for two weeks from midnight.
These include restricting movement within the counties, with the exception of work purposes and other essential journeys; restaurants and pubs serving food to close, apart from takeaway services, deliveries and limited outdoor dining; and the closure of indoor entertainment and sport venues such as cinemas, theatres, museums, galleries and bingo halls.
Visits to prisons, acute hospitals and nursing homes will be suspended except on compassionate grounds.
People have been asked not to travel to the three counties unless for work.
Germany and France quit WHO reform talks amid tension with Washington
France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organisation in frustration at attempts by the US to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, according to Reuters.
The move is a setback for president Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the US presidential election.
The WHO has dismissed his accusations. European governments have also criticised the WHO but do not go as far as the US in their criticism, and the decision by Paris and Berlin to leave the talks follows tensions over what they say are Washington’s attempts to dominate the negotiations.
The German and French health ministries confirmed to Reuters that the two countries were opposed to the US leading the talks after announcing their intention to leave the organisation.
A spokesman for the Italian health ministry said that work on the reform document was still underway, adding however that Italy’s position was in line with Paris and Berlin.
Asked about the position of France and Germany, a senior Trump administration official said: “All members of the G7 explicitly supported the substance of the WHO reform ideas.”
Lancashire’s director of public health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, has stressed that the recent surge in cases across Preston can be traced to communities from both south Asian and white ethnic backgrounds.
Speaking after the decision was made to tighten restrictions across the north-western town, Dr Karunanithi said: “In the past week, the number of positive cases in Preston has increased significantly and it is extremely important that we act now to prevent the situation from getting any worse.
“The evidence is clear, we all need to take extra precautions to protect our loved ones. Coronavirus affects all of communities and we all need to do our part to prevent the spread from continuing rise.
“I also want to be clear that this is affecting people from both south Asian and white ethnic backgrounds, particularly those living in poor socio-economic conditions in our city. We need to avoid mixing between households and to maintain two metre social distancing particularly in pubs and clubs.”
reports Louise Hall.
North Paulding High School in Dallas went viral after it reopened on Monday when two students shared photos of the school corridors with apparently no social distancing and barely any wearing masks.
Paulding County Schools Superintendent Brian Otott reportedly released a statement saying that the images were taken out of context, that masks were a personal choice for students and reopening was in line with Georgia Department of Education’s health recommendations.
“Students are in this hallway environment for just a brief period as they move to their next class. … There is no question that the photo does not look good,” Mr Otott said according to CNN.
“Wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them.”
Read more below:
New York’s governor has said that he will allow children statewide to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, citing the state’s success in battling the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement by Andrew Cuomo clears the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning.
“Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established,” Mr Cuomo said on Friday. “If there’s a spike in the infection rate, if there’s a matter of concern in the infection rate, then we can revisit.”
Many New York school districts have planned to start the year with students in school buildings only a few days a week, while learning at home the rest of the time.
The largest school district in the US, New York City’s more than one million public school students had their last day of in-class instruction on 13 March, just as waves of sick people were beginning to hit city hospitals. All schools statewide were closed by 18 March.
The city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, has been saying since the spring that his goal for fall was to bring students back on schedule, with as much classroom time as possible while still allowing for social distancing.
Restrictions banning households from mixing indoors or in gardens in Preston effective from midnight
The Department of Health announced the tightening of lockdown measures following rising Covid-19 infection rates in the city.
The rolling seven-day rates of new cases in Lancashire city has risen from 20.3 per 100,000 individuals in the week to 27 July to 32.8 in the week to 3 August.
47 new cases have been recorded in those seven days.
Can imposing quarantine rules on travellers help Boris Johnson?
The Prime Minister appears to change the rules according to scientific advice, but without much thought on how the rest of the country will enforce them.
John Rentoul writes: “Perhaps [Mr Johnson] thinks the level of voluntary compliance is high enough to be effective in controlling the virus. Or perhaps he recoils instinctively from intrusive enforcement by the state.”
Read more below:
Clear uptick in coronavirus infections in France and Europe, says French health ministry
Jerome Salomon, chief of the French health ministry, said there had been a clear “upward trend” in Covid-19 infections in France and Europe.
“The virus continues to circulate very actively worldwide. There is an upward trend in France and Europe,” he told a news conference on Friday.
Coronavirus infections in France rose by more than 1,600 in the span of 24 hours for the second consecutive day on Thursday, putting the country at levels not seen since late May.
Nearly 8,000 more job losses at big British employers since start of pandemic
Around 7,960 more jobs have been cut, adding to over 167,000 major redundancies at British employers since lockdown began in March.
Companies have been trying to streamline their operations after business stagnated and the crisis ate into profits.
The Evening Standard is the latest to announce a round of job cuts, shedding around 115 jobs after advertising revenue took a hit.
The newspaper followed WH Smith, Arsenal and Pizza Express, who have all said they will likely lay off hundreds of staff.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
