‘Don’t blow it now’: Matt Hancock urges caution as cases catapult in London December 10, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has urged the public not to “blow it” by ignoring Covid restrictions, as new infections continue to surge across London, Essex and Kent. Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing, Hancock said the latest official figures showed “a worrying rise in infections” in London. The health secretary said the government faced difficult [...]
Canary Islands removed from travel corridors list after surge in cases December 10, 2020 Travellers returning from the Canary Islands from Saturday will now have to quarantine after a surge in cases on the archipelago meant its travel corridor has been taken away. Passengers will have to isolate for 14 days if they arrive before Tuesday, but if they arrive after they can opt to buy a private test [...]
Sky’s Kay Burley to be off-air for six months following Covid rule breach December 10, 2020 Sky News presenter Kay Burley has agreed to be off-air for the next six months after breaking coronavirus restrictions rules. Last weekend Burley celebrated her 60th birthday with a group of 10 friends the Century Club, a private members’ club on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. The party sat across two tables, with six at one and [...]
Councils running out of cash to support people forced to self-isolate December 10, 2020 People forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with coronavirus are being refused £500 support grants because local authorities are running out of money, England’s council chiefs have said. Councils were given £15m by the government in September to hand out £500 Test and Trace support payments to low-income individuals required to self-isolate and unable [...]
DWF CEO: ‘We’ve equalled our Beirut blast work from Covid claims already’ December 10, 2020 There will plenty of legal work arising from coronavirus-related negligence claims, and listed law firm DWF has already started to see the work pile in. Negligence claims are likely to rise from individuals who lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic, and according to DWF CEO Sir Nigel Knowles, the listed law firm has already [...]
One in 10 British businesses think they will go bust in the next three months December 10, 2020 Twelve per cent of all businesses in the UK think they will buckle in the next three months, as tough coronavirus restrictions continue to weigh on the British economy. Around eight per cent of businesses currently trading have none or little confidence of surviving over the next three months, according to the latest figures from [...]
Tube usage bounces back to October levels as Londoners dash for shops December 10, 2020 Tube and bus usage jumped back to pre-second lockdown levels last week as Londoners rushed back to shops, pubs, and restaurants after a month of restrictions. On 4 December, there were 1.56m journeys made on the London Underground, and 3.6m trips made by bus, data from TfL shows. That’s roughly a third higher than the [...]
Sport at Christmas: Why the festive period is a gift for canny PRs seeking impactful coverage December 10, 2020 Did we take for granted just how much incredible sport usually takes place throughout the festive period? In football, we have Boxing Day and New Year’s Day fixtures. Rugby, meanwhile, sees the annual Big Game in which Harlequins head across the road to Twickenham for the ultimate booze-filled day out for 80,000 fans. Inevitably, it [...]
London ‘facing Tier 3 before Christmas’ as coronavirus cases hike in two-thirds of boroughs December 10, 2020 London risks being plunged into Tier 3 before Christmas as the latest official data showed infections are on the rise in two-thirds of boroughs. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan yesterday urged people in the capital to to “follow the rules” after Public Health England figures released earlier this week showed Covid-19 cases rising in 21 [...]
Ocado lifts full-year profit forecast following home delivery boom during pandemic December 10, 2020 Ocado has raised its full-year profit forecast after the online supermarket saw grocery sales boom during England’s second national lockdown. Revenue at Ocado Retail, the company’s joint venture with Marks & Spencer, surged 35 per cent in the three months to 29 November to almost £580m. The group said full-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation [...]