Sadiq Khan slams ‘unacceptable’ London lockdown plans August 3, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has hit out at Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister reportedly discussed drastic contingency plans to lockdown London in event of a second coronavirus wave without involving City Hall. One of the options discussed by Johnson as part of a “war gaming” session with chancellor Rishi Sunak was using the M25 [...]
UK bolsters vaccine manufacturing capacity with Wockhardt deal August 3, 2020 The government has today taken further steps to bolster its vaccine manufacturing capacity by striking a deal with Indian pharma giant Wockhardt. Under the 18-month long agreement, the Mumbai-listed firm will carry out the ‘fill and finish’ stage of the manufacturing process, which involves dispensing the manufactured vaccine substance into vials ready for it to [...]
UK to distribute millions of 90-minute coronavirus tests August 3, 2020 New 90-minute coronavirus tests will be distributed to care homes and laboratories around the UK from next week, the government announced today. The speedy tests will check for Covid-19 and flu in a boost to ramp up testing capacity before winter arrives, amid fears of a second wave of cases in Britain. Two new tests [...]
Still safe to return to work, Boris Johnson says, despite reopening pause July 31, 2020 Businesses will still be allowed “more discretion” on whether to make employees return to work from next week, Boris Johnson confirmed today, despite delaying the easing of lockdown for many leisure activities. However, the Prime Minister insisted that if employers did not make sure their workplaces were safe they could face legal punishment. “If employers [...]
British Airways owner IAG seeks €2.75bn raise after €3.8bn loss July 31, 2020 British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) today confirmed it will seek to raise a huge €2.75bn (£2.49bn) to act as a coronavirus buffer. Major 25 per cent shareholder Qatar Airways has committed to participating in the raise, and will get two non-exec board members in exchange for its support. IAG said the cash will [...]
Scotland warns against all travel to north of England after lockdown reimposed July 31, 2020 The Scottish government has warned against all non-essential travel to Greater Manchester and other parts of northern England after ministers imposed lockdown restrictions on the area. First minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I strongly advise anyone planning to travel to areas affected in the north of England, or anyone planning to travel to Scotland from those same areas, [...]
Lockdown in north-west England: What are the new rules? July 31, 2020 Last night health secretary Matt Hancock announced via Twitter that millions of people in northern England would be subject to new restrictions after an increase in coronavirus cases. The new rules, which met with criticism over how they were announced, apply to people in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire. The measures [...]
Government imposes quarantine on travellers from Luxembourg July 30, 2020 The government has imposed a 14-day quarantine on people returning from Luxembourg after an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country. In a statement this evening, ministers said that from midnight tonight those arriving from the country would have to self-isolate for 14 days. It said that there had been “a consistent [...]
UK reports highest number of new coronavirus cases since June July 30, 2020 The UK this evening reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases in over a month amid rising concerns over a potential second wave of the virus. There were 846 new confirmed infections recorded today, the largest amount since 28 June. Over the last month, the government has slowly eased a number of restrictions, with [...]
Matt Hancock: Quarantine could return as second wave hits Europe July 30, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock today warned the government could re-introduce quarantine to protect the UK as a second wave of infections begins to roll across Europe. “I am worried about a second wave,” Hancock told Sky News. “You can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe, and we’ve got to do everything we [...]