Staff at British banks ‘forced to turn off NHS Covid tracing app at work’ October 8, 2020 Branch staff at some of the UK’s biggest banks say they are being put at risk by rules that require them to keep their phones in lockers at work, leaving them unable to use the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app. Lloyds and TSB are among the lenders advising employees in branch to deactivate the contact [...]
Uh-oh, spaghettio: Could Italy be next in line on UK quarantine list? October 8, 2020 Italy could be the next country to be added to the quarantine list after the number of coronavirus cases surged past the UK’s threshold for reimposing restrictions. Over the last seven days, the number of cases per 100,000 has ticked up to 31.0, according to travel consultancy the PC Agency. Transport secretary Grant Shapps has [...]
Coronavirus has caused three times more deaths than flu and pneumonia combined this year October 8, 2020 Coronavirus has killed three times as many people as flu and pneumonia combined in the first eight months of 2020, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today said there have been 48,168 Covid-related deaths in England and Wales this year, compared to 13,619 due to pneumonia and 394 due to flu. [...]
UK and EU should reach trade deal, says BoE governor Andrew Bailey October 8, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said he believed the UK and European Union should be able to reach a trade deal. “I do think it is in the interests of both sides – let’s be blunt – to get an agreement,” he said. Read more: BoE’s Andy Haldane warns against ‘Chicken Licken’ economic pessimism [...]
Liverpool mayor rejects plans to shut pubs and restaurants across north of England October 8, 2020 The mayor of Liverpool has come out against potential plans for any further restrictions across the north of England, such as pub and restaurant closures. Steve Rotheram called it “deeply disappointing” that new Covid-19 restrictions could be in place from Monday. “At the moment we have a patchwork of local measures across the country and [...]
Pubs and bars in row over late night levy as 10pm curfew sinks sales October 7, 2020 Pubs and bars have urged the government to scrap a tax on late night openings after it emerged many venues are still being charged despite being forced to close at 10pm. The late night levy is charged by some councils on venues selling alcohol between midnight and 6am as a way of paying for additional [...]
UK examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests October 7, 2020 The UK is urgently looking into ways to reduce the 14-day travel quarantine period which applies to some passengers arriving in the country, transport secretary Grant Shapps said. Shapps said that a mixture of Covid-19 testing and self-isolation was promising, and announced the formation of a Global Travel Taskforce to open up international travel, which [...]
Coronavirus: Leading UK scientists urge government to adopt herd immunity approach October 7, 2020 A range of leading UK scientists have joined experts from around the world in calling for a herd immunity approach to the pandemic by forcing the vulnerable to shield while allowing others to return to normal life. Launched in the US, The Great Barrington Declaration urges governments across the globe to scrap lockdowns in favour [...]
City workers committed to the commute despite PM’s working from home u-turn, TfL data shows October 7, 2020 City workers committed to the commute despite Boris Johnson's working from home u-turn, according to new Transport for London
New: More than HALF of UK’s event companies expect bankruptcy by spring October 7, 2020 Stark new figures suggest that some 61 per cent of the UK’s events businesses expect to shut up shop within the next six months. The polling further suggests that 400,000 jobs will be lost in the industry by the end of 2020 without further government support. The survey was carried out by Feast It, the [...]