Sterling nudges lower as Boris moves to confirm 19 July unlocking July 12, 2021 Sterling nudged lower on Monday as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to confirm plans to remove nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in England from 19 July, despite cases currently at their highest since the end of January. Sterling fell 0.4 per cent to $1.385 against the dollar this morning, after jumping to above $1.39 [...]
Post-pandemic flexible working a must for burnt-out workers July 12, 2021 Over two thirds of workers want more flexible working post-pandemic, as just under half can’t switch off from work. A new study from Aviva shows that 44 per cent of workers feel they can’t switch off from work. As a result of always-on working, 40 per cent are now concerned about burn out. While both [...]
Tech giants Foxconn, TSMC to buy 10m covid vaccines for Taiwan July 12, 2021 Two of the world’s largest tech firms Foxconn and TSMC inked an agreement worth £252m for buying 10m doses of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for Taiwan. The deal announced on Monday in a statement by BioNTech’s Chinese sales agent Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group. Under the agreement, Taiwanese firms Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) will [...]
Woman found infected with two Covid variants at the same time July 12, 2021 A 90-year-old woman from Belgium was found to have two variants of Covid-19 in her system simultaneously. After undergoing laboratory tests, the two variants detected were the Alpha and Beta types, first identified in the UK and South Africa. Dr. Anne Vankeerberghen, from the OLV hospital in Aalst, Belgium, said: “This is one of the [...]
UK businesses call for early end to self-isolation rules July 12, 2021 The government should bring forward planned changes to Covid self-isolation rules to help restore confidence, UK businesses have urged. In a six-point plan published last night, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said moving the changes forward would help ease staff shortages and ensure reopening was a “confident not an anxious” process. It added that [...]
Vaccine passports set to be introduced ‘for autumn’ July 10, 2021 The government could introduce vaccine passports in the autumn in a bid to keep bars, restaurants and nightclubs open among an expected fourth wave of the pandemic. The Times reported that under the plans entertainment venues would be forced to use such certificates from the autumn. Punters will have to prove that they have either [...]
Exclusive: London faces ‘furlough cliff edge’ with Newham, Haringey and Brent to suffer most July 10, 2021 London workers are amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic onslaught, with four London boroughs featuring in the top five areas in the UK that are most reliant on furlough. The London borough of Newham has 18 per cent of its working population on furlough and is second out of 369 ranked county or district [...]
Leading scientists warn 19 July easing is a ‘dangerous and unethical experiment’ July 9, 2021 More than 100 scientists and doctors have signed an open letter accusing the UK government of conducting a “dangerous and unethical experiment” with its plan to ditch restrictions on 19 July. Boris Johnson’s plan to scrap social distancing and most other Covid-19 restrictions on 19 July is “unethical and illogical”, according to the authors, who [...]
England at Euro 2020: Is Covid coming home? July 9, 2021 “Football’s coming home,” goes the chant of England fans at this year’s Euro 2020 tournament, but if so, it might be bringing Covid19 with it, experts have warned. Watch the full video report.
ONS: Widespread spike in UK Covid infections reflecting winter levels July 9, 2021 There was a “marked” increase in new Covid infections in the UK in the latest data collected on the virus by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). More than 400,000 people tested positive with coronavirus in the UK during the first week of July, according to the new ONS estimates – the higest level recorded [...]