Oyster Shed: Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone helps pub chain Young’s to biggest day of takings in 200 years
Covid: All customers must sign in at pubs under new rules April 1, 2021 All customers will be required to sign in when pubs, restaurants and cafes reopen in England as part of new rules for lockdown easing. Hospitality venues are set to reopen for outside service only from 12 April in the second stage of the government’s roadmap. However, every visitor aged 16 or over will be required [...]
No more lockdowns: UK will treat Covid like seasonal flu, says Chris Whitty April 1, 2021 Lockdowns will likely become a thing of the past once England emerges from restrictions in June, Professor Chris Whitty has said, as he suggested Britain will treat coronavirus like the flu in the future. England’s chief medical officer said the UK would have to learn to live with the virus, noting that up to 25,000 [...]
EU seeks 10m Astrazeneca vaccines from India to plug jab shortfall April 1, 2021 The EU has asked India to supply 10m doses of Astrazeneca’s Covid vaccine, as the bloc scrambles to plug a shortfall in jab supplies. EU officials have approached the Serum Institute of India — the world’s largest vaccine maker — to ship doses of the Covid jab, according to Reuters. It marks the latest signal that [...]
EU warns ‘zero’ Covid vaccines will be shipped to UK unless Astrazeneca meets targets April 1, 2021 Brussels has warned that “zero” Covid vaccines made in the bloc will be exported to the UK unless Astrazeneca meets its dose delivery commitments with the EU. Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, hinted at the bloc’s plans to use European-made vaccines as bargaining power with Astrazeneca in an ongoing dispute about vaccine shortages [...]
Coronavirus: 1.1m in UK people thought to have Long Covid April 1, 2021 More than a million people across the UK have reported experiencing symptoms of Long Covid, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. Latest data from the ONS showed a total of 1.1m people in Britain reported experiencing Long Covid symptoms lasting beyond four weeks after Covid-19 infection that were not explained by another illness. [...]
More than one in 10 mid-sized businesses found errors in their furlough claims April 1, 2021 Mid-sized businesses that have reviewed their initial furlough claim and found it to be incorrect have been urged to go to HMRC to address the problem and lessen any penalties faced. More than one in 10 (13%) mid-sized businesses that have reviewed their initial furlough claim found it to be incorrect, new research by Grant [...]
A third of bosses think working from home has boosted productivity April 1, 2021 A third of UK employers have said that working from home has boosted the productivity of their employees, according to a study published today. The attitude towards remote working has grown more positive over the last year, as only 28 per cent of bosses supported the new work style in June, the Chartered Institute of [...]
Heathrow boss urges UK to scrap quarantine for low-risk countries April 1, 2021 The chief executive of Heathrow Airport today said Britain should scrap quarantine requirements for passengers arriving from countries with low levels of Covid concerns. Currently, countries with the highest levels of Covid concerns must take tests before departure and upon arrival. They must quarantine in a government hotel for at least ten days, in what [...]
Vaccine passports would go against ‘British instinct’, says Keir Starmer April 1, 2021 Vaccine passports for entry to pubs, bars and restaurants would go against the “British instinct”, Sir Keir Starmer has said. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Labour leader said he would only decide his party’s official stance on the scheme once he had studied detailed proposals. “I think this is really difficult and [...]
Restart grants: Councils urged to release money ‘at pace’ as £5bn fund launches April 1, 2021 Councils have been urged to release new grant funding to business owners “as soon as possible” to help boost the economy. From today eligible businesses will be able to receive up to £18,000 as part of the government’s £5bn restart grants scheme. In a letter, local authorities have been told by government ministers to “press [...]