Long-term funding deal for TfL can ‘fuel’ UK recovery, says network boss January 26, 2021 Transport for London’s (TfL) commissioner this morning said that a long-term funding package for the beleaguered transport network could help fuel the UK’s post-Covid recovery. At the moment, the operator is currently being propped up by the second of two six-month bailouts worth a combined £3.3bn from the government. But come 31 March, TfL will [...]
Hotel quarantine for all could cost the UK half a billion a day, tourism body warns January 26, 2021 A global tourism body has warned that the UK economy could risk losing £548m a day if all incoming travellers are made to quarantine in hotels. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said that such a policy would “all but wipe out” international travel – to the tune of £380,000 per minute. WTTC president [...]
Avo and toast all the way to growth? Don’t ask millennials to bail out the economy January 26, 2021 Millennials finally have some capital – don’t ask them to spend it to ‘save’ the economy Two things are known universally about millennials: they like avocados, and they are the first generation in history that will be financially worse off than their parents. It’s because of that second point that millennials should not be encouraged [...]
NHS chief earmarks summer for return to normality January 26, 2021 NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has signalled that the UK could begin to see a return to normality by the summer if plans to ramp up the nation’s vaccination programme go to plan. Teachers and police could be fast-tracked for the Covid vaccine as early as mid-February, the NHS boss said. Ministers have set [...]
Riots erupt in Netherlands as lockdown protesters rage for third night January 26, 2021 Dutch police arrested hundreds of people across the country last night in a third evening of unrest triggered by a new night-time curfew. Groups of rioters set fires, threw rocks, and looted stores in violence generated by government-imposed restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has condemned demonstrators, who burned [...]
SMEs do not expect to be back at pre-pandemic levels until next year January 26, 2021 Small businesses have been left in financial ruin due to the pandemic, with one in 12 unsure they will ultimately survive, according to new research. The data from Santander found that 21 per cent of small businesses expect they may collapse before any changes in restrictions kick in. Those who will survive, do not expect [...]
Exclusive: Test and Trace slammed for tweaking counting method to boost stats January 26, 2021 The Government’s Covid-19 Test and Trace programme has come under sharp criticism for tweaking its method of counting coronavirus contacts to boost figures. The beleaguered contact tracing system last week changed its methodology so that Covid-19 contacts can be counted multiple times, City A.M. can reveal. Previously, people who had been in contact with any [...]
China ‘withheld information’ about coronavirus in outbreak of pandemic January 26, 2021 China “withheld crucial information” about coronavirus from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the early days of the pandemic, according to leaked audio recordings. George Gao, director of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, held vital information about the novel virus for almost two weeks before China announced Covid-19’s genomic sequence, according to [...]
Exclusive: NHS drops ‘mass vaccination centre’ term over scare-mongering concerns January 25, 2021 The NHS has dropped the term “mass vaccination centre” to describe its large-scale vaccine hubs over fears it will alienate the public. NHS England will instead describe its 50 major vaccine hubs as “NHS vaccine centres”, City A.M. can reveal. A spokesperson for NHS England said the shift was to avoid members of the public [...]
Matt Hancock announces ‘enhanced contact tracing’ for Covid mutation infections January 25, 2021 The UK has launched an “enhanced” contact tracing system for people infected with any of the new coronavirus variants, Matt Hancock announced today. All those found infected with the South African coronavirus variant in UK have been subject to enhanced scrutiny, the health secretary announced, as Britain attempts to curb the spread of new mutations. [...]