NHS Test and Trace: Covid app’s sensitivity will not be tweaked as hundreds of thousands of people self-isolate July 19, 2021 The NHS Covid-19 app will not have its sensitivity tweaked, Downing Street has confirmed, despite industries warning of staff shortages as England lifts almost all coronavirus restrictions. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are among the hundreds of thousands of people currently self-isolating due to being alerted by NHS Test and Trace that [...]
Freedom Day: UK runs out of lateral flow tests the day lockdown lifts July 19, 2021 The UK has run out of lateral flow tests for Covid-19, the same day most lockdown restrictions were lifted in the country, which has been coined ‘Freedom Day’. Those trying to buy testing kits from the government’s website have been told that ‘no more tests can be ordered’ and to ‘try again tomorrow’. It comes [...]
Croatia Green List destination: The Hotel Bellevue in Dubrovnik July 19, 2021 With Croatia among the destinations moved to the Green List today, it is suddenly at the forefront of travel plans for discerning holiday-makers. Here’s how to combine a beach holiday with a city break at the Hotel Bellevue in historical, luxurious Dubrovnik. THE WEEKEND: With its perfectly preserved ancient stone walls, winding medieval streets and [...]
Over a third of Londoners unvaccinated July 19, 2021 More than one third of Londoners have not been given their first Covid-19 jab – making the capital the area with the lowest uptake in England, according to the latest NHS England data. The figures show that 55 per cent have not had a second dose while across England, 88 per cent of people have had [...]
Zoom to buy Five9 for $15bn in largest acquisition yet July 19, 2021 Zoom announces a $14.7bn deal to buy a cloud-based call center operator in its largest-ever acquisition, as competition in the video conferencing sector intensifies. Synonymous with the pandemic, Zoom has been a clear winner since everything from business meetings, classroom lessons and even office ‘drinks’ went virtual via the video conferencing platform. The California-based company has [...]
Pubs shut and supermarkets closed: Pingdemic rips through recovery July 19, 2021 Supermarkets and pubs shut their doors today as the so-called “pingdemic” results in staff shortages across the country. Iceland boss Richard Walker said some of their 1,000 UK stores had been forced to close by the NHS app ‘pinging’ staff with orders to self-isolate. And the CEO of pub chain Greene King, Nick Mackenzie, has [...]
Morrisons push ahead with plans to open automated grocery store as ‘pingdemic’ continues to hit supermarkets July 19, 2021 Morrisons are said to be close to unveiling an unmanned pilot store to the public “within months”, as they look to follow Amazon’s lead in modernising the approach to grocery shopping. The store will rely on shoppers to scan their smartphones upon entry before having digital cameras follow their every step in store to check [...]
Health Secretary Sajid Javid tests positive for Covid-19 July 17, 2021 The new health secretary Sajid Javid has announced he’s tested positive for coronavirus and has “mild symptoms”. “This morning I tested positive for Covid,” Javid wrote in a tweet. “I’m waiting for my PCR result, but thankfully I have had my jabs and symptoms are mild. “Please make sure you come forward for your vaccine [...]
France placed under new ‘amber plus’ quarantine rules in last minute government U-turn July 17, 2021 Double-vaccinated travellers from France to the UK will still have to quarantine on return from Monday, after a last minute U-turn announced by the government late on Friday night. As the majority of England’s coronavirus restrictions are dropped on 19 July, fully vaccinated adults arriving to the UK from “amber list” countries will not be [...]
Double-jabbed Brits returning from France still need to quarantine July 17, 2021 From Monday, double-jabbed residents arriving into England from countries on the Government’s amber list will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days – except if they are arriving from France. The Government has said this is due to the “persistent presence” of the Beta coronavirus variant in the nation. Britons in France have described [...]