RAC: UK roads set for a busy summer as drivers eye domestic holidays June 14, 2021 Over four-in-10 drivers have already booked up their UK-based holiday this summer, according to a survey by RAC. Breakdown and car insurer RAC found that domestic holidays could be even more popular if Covid-19 restrictions prevent foreign travel. The survey, which polled 2,100 drivers, saw 13 per cent say they hoped to hop on an [...]
Queen’s birthday honours local leaders who stepped up amid the pandemic June 11, 2021 In light of the Queen’s birthday and the global crisis that has bound communities together, 23 per cent of the monarch’s honours list are those who emerged as local leaders in the fight against Covid-19. Some local leaders reshaped their businesses to aid their communities while others put them on the back burner altogether. “Throughout [...]
Surge testing deployed in Kingston to combat Delta variant June 9, 2021 Surge testing has begun in Kingston today to combat rising cases of the Delta variant, with those older than 11 advised to get tested even without symptoms. NHS Test and Trace has teamed up with local authorities to launch the additional testing and genomic sequencing in the area. A small number of confirmed cases of [...]
Twenty-somethings join thousands-long vaccine queue, with 500,000 jabs booked June 8, 2021 Over 25s have hopped onto the back of a thousands-long vaccine queue, after health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed yesterday that the age group was able to get jabbed. The NHS said half a million COVID jabs had been booked by 12pm today, likening the rush for bookings to the annual scramble for Glastonbury tickets. The [...]
ONS: ‘Long Covid’ has hit around 1m Brits, with effects lasting a year June 4, 2021 “Long Covid” has struck around 1m people in private households in the UK, in the four weeks to 2 May, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Of the 1m long covid sufferers, an estimated 869,000 said they first had Covid-19 or thought they had the virus at least 12 weeks [...]
MPs urge government to donate half of incoming vaccines to Covax scheme June 1, 2021 MPs and peers have urged the UK to adopt a Covid-19 “vaccine matching” scheme in a letter today, which would see half of the doses the arrive in the UK be donated to the Covax scheme. The letter, coordinated by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), said that prime minister Boris Johnson has a “moral duty” [...]
Lifting restrictions should be spaced out to avoid third wave, senior doctors say June 1, 2021 The easing of restrictions should be spaced out to keep the levels of transmissions down and avoid a third wave in the UK, according to senior doctors today. “If we are intending to keep the levels of transmission down because that is the fundamental risk we have, then it would make sense to space the [...]
OECD launch real-time information hub to make foreign travel safer May 31, 2021 In a bid to make international travel safer, ministers from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have backed a new initiative to share knowledge in real-time, at the organisation’s annual meeting in Paris today. A safe travel blueprint and a temporary international forum for knowledge sharing form part of the tabled proposal. Allowing [...]
Caffè Nero slurps up 82 per cent post-restrictions sales spike May 31, 2021 Caffè Nero has enjoyed a sales spike in recent weeks, as restrictions were gradually eased, while it has also repaid all of its Covid financial support. Weekly sales surged 82 per cent as outdoor seating was allowed and then restricted indoor eating was permitted in the last 13 weeks. After paying back a £12.2m Liquidity [...]
UK may be edging into a third wave, according to scientist advisor May 31, 2021 The UK may be in the early stages of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, according to a scientist advising the government. Professor Ravi Gupta has said that although new cases were “relatively low”, the Indian variant had caused “exponential growth” in infections. The University of Cambridge professor added that lifting Covid restrictions in England [...]