Report: Festivals risk losing another summer unless government support kicks in May 29, 2021 Music festivals are looking at another ‘lost summer’, a report has said today, due to the lack of government plans to back insurance for events at risk of cancellation due to Covid-19. The report, by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee, calls on ministers to offer a safety net for live [...]
Bank holiday: Pubs predict 21m fewer pints sold and £80m in lost sales May 28, 2021 Bank holiday: Pubs predict 21m fewer pints sold and £80m in lost revenue
Crowds flood London’s Chinatown for no-questions-asked Covid vaccines May 27, 2021 People flooded the streets of Chinatown this afternoon after an online message board for Chinese speakers advertised free Covid-19 jabs, where people did not need to present any documents. The jabs were not bookable by appointment, instead, people were urged to turn up – without anticipating the scale of the crowds. Those seeking a vaccination [...]
Covid: London SMEs lost around £100,000 more than businesses elsewhere in the UK May 27, 2021 It is safe to say that UK SMEs have taken a large blow to finances since the Covid-19 pandemic closed shop doors, with 82 per cent feeling the tightening purse strings, according to freelance platform Fiverr. On average, UK SMEs have lost just under £192,000 in revenue in the last 12 months – while just [...]
Mitie: Covid and hybrid work prompted a makeover for cleaning tech – a mop and bucket won’t cut it May 26, 2021 The pandemic has given society the breathing space to redesign what a workplace should offer and in the age of the invisible virus, the humble mop and bucket won’t cut it. After a socially starved year, offices will likely become more collaborative and social in the future, adopting measures like ‘hot desking’. But these [...]
Super sniffers: Trained dogs could spot Covid with 94 per cent accuracy May 24, 2021 Trained dogs can detect the smell of Covid-19 with up to 94 per cent accuracy, new research has suggested, which could be a major breakthrough in testing. The study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), has not yet been peer-reviewed but showed dogs were able to sniff out samples from people who [...]
Marshall Motor to repay £4m in pandemic relief, despite restrictions closing its doors May 20, 2021 Car dealer Marshall Motor is already set to repay furlough cash and retail grants it received this year amid the pandemic, following strong vehicle demand. The business said it would refund the £2.6m of furlough payments received so far this year, alongside the £1.4m of extra government relief, according to the Telegraph. “After such significant [...]
The UK’s lifting of restrictions could be delayed if variants and infections surge, minister says May 14, 2021 Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has warned today that there could be a delay in June’s lifting of restrictions if variants or infection rates become a problem. To avoid a postponement of the well-anticipated 21 June, Zahawi told LBC: “The way we don’t have to do that is by everybody doing their bit, by taking the [...]
Gulf Marine Services losses sink by $124.3m due to Covid and boat repairs May 14, 2021 Offshore industries boat provider Gulf Marine Services reported losses of $124.3m this morning, despite its revenue sinking by just six per cent last year. Despite boat utilisation surging 81 per cent, up 12 per cent from 2019 figures, its sales fell by $3.7m from 2019 to $70.9m, the group said in its full year unaudited [...]
Over a quarter of EU adults are unlikely to take a vaccine, survey says May 13, 2021 More than a quarter of adults in the European Union are unlikely to take the Covid-19 vaccine when offered the jab, a survey has shown today. The results suggested a meaningful link between vaccine hesitancy and the use of social media, particularly where social media is the main source of information, according to Eurofound, also [...]