Coronavirus: Government urged to prepare for UK second wave June 24, 2020 The UK’s health experts have called for an urgent review to prepare the public for a second wave of coronavirus infections. Health leaders have pressed the government to take quick action to prevent more coronavirus deaths and to protect the economy in the event of a second wave in winter across the UK. The open [...]
Number 10 will no longer hold daily coronavirus briefings June 23, 2020 Downing Street will no longer hold daily press briefings, the government announced today, as England begins to emerge from months of lockdown ahead of a nationwide relaxation of social distancing rules. Number 10 said that this evening’s 5pm news conference will be the last to be held on a daily basis, as the rate of [...]
More than 64m meals claimed under Eat Out to Help Out scheme August 25, 2020 More than 64m discounted meals have been claimed under the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme to encourage diners to visit cafes, pubs and restaurants following the coronavirus lockdown. The jump continues the upward trend, which saw 10.5m meals claimed in the first week that the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme was launched, [...]
Coronavirus: Leicester lockdown to be reviewed on Thursday July 14, 2020 The local Leicester lockdown will be reviewed on Thursday to assess whether it is safe for the city to partially reopen, health secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed. Hancock said “numbers have been coming down in Leicester”, but that “the number of positive cases in Leicester is still well above the rest of the country”. The [...]
Coronavirus lockdown: England zoos and outdoor attractions reopened June 10, 2020 Zoos and outdoor attractions such as drive-in cinemas will be able to open in England from Monday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today that the government would allow these businesses to open, with social distancing restrictions required. In the case of zoos, they will need to close all inside areas such as reptile houses and [...]
UK consumer confidence starting to rise as lockdown ends July 3, 2020 UK consumer confidence is slowly beginning to pick up as lockdown restrictions ease, a new survey has found. According to Growth from Knowledge’s fourth flash report, consumer confidence increased three points over the last two weeks to -27. The small rise comes after the index fell to its lowest ever levels of -36 last month. [...]
Stephen Fry joins campaign to ‘save Soho’ with temporary pedestrianisation June 10, 2020 Stephen Fry, Bill Nighy and a host of other celebrities have joined a campaign to pedestrianise Soho’s streets this summer to allow pandemic-battered hospitality businesses to bounce back. Property companies Soho Estates and Shaftesbury have proposed the removal of traffic from the famous district’s streets to create the Soho Summer Festival, with bars and restaurants [...]
‘Zombie’ firms set to fail as pandemic leaves 527,000 businesses on cliff-edge July 24, 2020 A record 527,000 businesses were in significant financial distress at the end of June, an increase of 33,000 since the beginning of the year. It represents a seven per cent increase since the start of the year, and nine per cent year-on-year, according to new research from corporate restructuring firm Begbies Traynor. While the coronavirus [...]
Coronavirus: NHS test and trace system fails to reach a quarter of cases July 2, 2020 A quarter of people in England testing positive with coronavirus is still not being reached by the government’s test and trace system, according to new figures. Figures from the Department of Health and Social Services show that only 75 per cent of the 6,183 people who tested positive for Covid-19, between 18 and 25 June, [...]
Nearly half of UK employees commuted to work last week July 2, 2020 Almost half of UK employees travelled to work last week, the Office of National Statistics has revealed this morning, as the country continues to lift its coronavirus lockdowns. According to the data, 49 per cent of workers commuted to their place of employment in the week ending 28 June, up from 44 per cent the [...]