Coronavirus: London’s Excel centre set to open 500 hospital beds next week March 26, 2020 A temporary hospital at East London’s Excel centre will have 500 beds open next week for coronavirus patients. Health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that the Excel centre would be turned into the NHS Nightingale Hospital, to deal with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, and will have 4,000 beds. An official Downing Street [...]
Coronavirus: Self-employed bailout won’t be perfect, says minister March 26, 2020 A health minister has warned self-employed workers in line for economic relief today that their package might not be “perfect”. Health minister Edward Argar said the government did not “want the perfect to be the enemy of the good” in formulating a package to assist the self-employed during the coronavirus outbreak. Rishi Sunak will unveil [...]
NHS gets 560,000 volunteers to help fight coronavirus March 26, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has said 560,000 people have volunteered to help the National Health Service as it struggles to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The figure is more than double the number Hancock initially asked for on Tuesday. The health secretary said it is “fantastic” that so many people had “responded to our call [...]
Debate: Are the emergency powers granted to the government in the Coronavirus Bill too long-lasting? March 26, 2020 Yesterday, the Lords passed the Coronavirus Bill, which gives the government never-before-seen powers in a bid to halt the outbreak. However, they will only be reviewed every six months. City A.M. asks whether this is too long-lasting. Yes, says Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch Emergency powers are needed – but with an emergency [...]
Sadiq Khan calls coronavirus rental protections ‘inadequate’ March 25, 2020 Sadiq Khan has demanded for more support to be given to the capital’s renters during the coronavirus crisis in an escalation of tensions between the government and City Hall. Boris Johnson rolled out protections for renters last week, including a three-month mortgage holiday for homeowners, increases to the housing allowance and measures to prevent landlords [...]
Coronavirus: Bring back retired Tube drivers, says Tory mayoral candidate March 25, 2020 Almost 150 recently retired Tube drivers should be brought back to reduce rush hour overcrowding during the coronavirus crisis, according to Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey. Bailey, a London Assembly member, said 139 drivers could be brought back to increase the number of Tube services, similar to what the NHS has done with retired doctors [...]
With every crisis comes an opportunity, so what should a post-coronavirus UK work towards? March 25, 2020 The world is in crisis. All over the world, governments and businesses – and most importantly people – are slowly adjusting to a world that seemed implausible only a few weeks ago. Yet here we are. And if there is any certainty now, it is that we are unlikely to emerge from this to return [...]
There’s one way to get our liberty back: Test, test, test March 25, 2020 Covid-19 has achieved much during its brief reign of terror on this planet thus far. The virus has physically infected people around the globe, showing that humanity is one family after all. Hardly a country in the world stands untouched by its ravages, even if some have been harder hit than others. Such has been [...]
Over 400,000 volunteer to help NHS tackle coronavirus March 25, 2020 The number of people volunteering to help the NHS tackle the coronavirus pandemic has surged past 400,000, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Speaking at Number 10’s daily press conference on the outbreak, Johnson said some 405,000 people had put themselves forward for the scheme within 24 hours of a government appeal. Read more: Coronavirus may [...]
The Coronavirus Bill: Everything you need to know March 25, 2020 As Britain continues to ramp up its response to the coronavirus outbreak, MPs have voted through a bill that gives the government new powers to tackle the crisis. The Coronavirus Bill, expected to become law this week, has the potential to bring in sweeping changes to our daily lives in a bid to curb the [...]