Lockdown could last until 31 March, government smallprint reveals January 6, 2021 England’s third national lockdown could last until 31 March, according to smallprint in the government’s newly-published Covid regulations. It comes despite Boris Johnson earlier this week telling the public that restrictions will last until mid-February. Speaking in an address to the nation from Downing Street on Tuesday, the PM said he had “no choice” but [...]
Met Police to crack down on Covid rulebreakers with fines for mask flouters January 6, 2021 Londoners breaching lockdown rules will face hefty police fines from today as part of a tougher crackdown Covid rulebreakers. The Metropolitan Police announced it will no longer “reason with” those not wearing masks in indoor public spaces, and will instead hand out fines more quickly. In a new hardline approach, the Met warned that people [...]
Pharmacies to roll out Covid vaccine in ‘Herculean effort’ to immunise Britain January 6, 2021 High street pharmacies will form a major part of the “Herculean effort” to vaccinate the nation against coronavirus, the vaccines tsar has announced. Nadhim Zahawi, the minister for Covid Vaccine Deployment, told BBC’s Today programme that community pharmacy networks will be “very much involved” in plans to vaccinate 13.4m Brits by mid-February. Current government plans [...]
Democrat wins US senate race in Georgia in major coup for Joe Biden January 6, 2021 Democrat Raphael Warnock has won the Senate runoff election in Georgia, handing US President-elect Joe Biden’s party the chance to seize control of the Senate ahead of his entry to the White House later this month. Warnock, a former pastor from Atlanta, has defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler to become the first Black senator in [...]
Exclusive: London’s Nightingale Hospital to reopen next week at just 1.5 per cent capacity January 5, 2021 The Nightingale Hospital at London’s Excel Centre is due to reopen next week at an estimated 1.5 per cent of its original capacity, as the NHS scrambles to find enough staff to treat patients. The emergency hospital has been “reactivated” to provide non-Covid related care for around 60 patients, senior sources close to the Nightingale [...]
Test and Trace failed to reach 30,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in week before Christmas January 5, 2021 The Test and Trace scheme failed to reach more than 30,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus in the week before Christmas, at the same time the government warned that a new coronavirus mutation was spreading across the country. Latest official figures showed that 232,169 people tested positive for Covid at least once between 17 [...]
Next shares soar following strong online Christmas sales January 5, 2021 British fashion giant Next today reported a surge in online sales over the Christmas period that looks set to boost profit beyond expectations for the year and help offset high street losses. Full-price sales fell 1.1 per cent in 2020 compared to the year before, beating its central guidance of an eight per cent annual [...]
Rishi Sunak rolls out more financial support after sinking businesses demand immediate lifeline January 5, 2021 Rishi Sunak has set out plans to offer more financial support to businesses struggling under England’s third nationwide lockdown. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses are set to receive a one-off grant of up to £9,000 per property to help them survive. Taxpayers will fork out another £4bn for the business grants, which will benefit more [...]
Post-Christmas footfall plummets as UK shoppers avoid high street January 4, 2021 Footfall across Britain’s high streets plunged almost a quarter last week as Boxing Day sales failed to lure shoppers from their sofas, according to the latest data. The number of Brits hitting the shops fell more than 23 per cent in the seven days after Christmas compared with the week before, latest Springboard figures showed. [...]
Matt Hancock: South African coronavirus mutation ‘more of a problem’ than current strain January 4, 2021 The new South African coronavirus mutation is the fastest-spreading Covid strain yet and will likely present a “very, very significant problem” for the UK, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Hancock said he was “incredibly worried” about the South African variant. “That’s why we took the action that we did [...]
