Boris Johnson says time for national lockdowns is over June 19, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the time for using national lockdowns to control the coronavirus pandemic had passed, adding that local measures could now be used instead. “We are now moving into a different phase”, he said, “”rather than going back to the national lockdown”. However, he warned that the economic cost of [...]
UK to relax quarantine rules for some countries in July June 19, 2020 The government is planning on relaxing its quarantine rules for travellers coming to the UK from some countries in early July. The BBC reported that the government is hoping to make an announcement on 29 June that it has secured “travel corridors” with a number of countries. Discussions are currently still continuing between UK officials [...]
Coronavirus present in Italy in December, sewage study confirms June 19, 2020 A study has found traces of the new coronavirus disease in sewage in Italy from December, suggesting the virus was already spreading in Italy before China declared its first cases. Scientists studying wastewater found that samples taken from Milan and Turin on 18 December already contained the virus. The findings add to a growing body [...]
Government extends anti-eviction measures for businesses June 19, 2020 Commercial landlords will be unable to evict struggling companies until the end of September, after the government extended anti-eviction measures. The move comes as part of the government’s support package for companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension of the forfeiture of evictions will come as a relief in particular to pubs, cafes and [...]
UK coronavirus threat level set for downgrade as cases decline June 19, 2020 The UK’s chief medical officers have agreed to downgrade the coronavirus threat level to level three, as cases start to decline. The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) has recommended the threat level be downgraded from level four – an epidemic is in general circulation and transmission is high or rising exponentially. The chief medical officers for [...]
FCA proposes extending coronavirus consumer credit payment holiday June 19, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed allowing consumers to extend a payment freeze on their credit cards by a further three months to support borrowers struggling financially amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the proposals from the markets watchdog, those who have not yet asked for a payment freeze on credit cards or for an [...]
UK borrowing surges to a record £103.7bn in lockdown June 19, 2020 UK borrowing exploded to £103.7bn over April and May’s lockdown, official data showed today, as debt exceeded 100 per cent as a percentage of GDP in May for the first time in 57 years. The current financial year to date – April to May 2020 – has already seen borrowing rocket to £103.7bn. That is [...]
Coronavirus: 135 more deaths as UK passes 300,000 cases June 18, 2020 A further 135 people have died of coronavirus in the UK, the latest figures from the Department of Health revealed today. The increase means that the total number of people to have died from the disease has reached 42,288. The figures also showed that the number of confirmed cases of the disease has now passed [...]
Privacy U-turn: NHS tracing app shifted to Apple and Google model June 18, 2020 The government has announced it will abandon its previous work on its coronavirus-tracing app to move towards a more privacy-focused model, based on technology developed by Apple and Google. The UK will follow in the footsteps of others such as Germany in chasing a more decentralised approach. While it has been argued to be more [...]
England’s Test and Trace system misses one in four people with coronavirus June 18, 2020 The number of contacts made by positive coronavirus cases identified by England’s NHS Test and Trace system increased to 44,895 in its second week, but it missed one in four infected patients. The Department of Health said today that 5,949 people who tested positive for coronavirus had their case transferred to the contact tracing system [...]