UK R rate increases slightly to between 0.6 and 0.9 March 19, 2021 The UK’s R rate has increased slightly to sit between 0.6 and 0.9 but remains below the crucial 1 threshold, latest official data showed. The figure marks a marginal hike from last week, when scientists estimated that the R rate was between 0.6 and 0.8. The new R rate means that every 10 people infected [...]
Almost one in 10 Londoners to be unemployed by the end of the year March 19, 2021 Almost one in 10 Londoners are set to be unemployed by the end of the year as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy, grim new figures have revealed. The unemployment rate in the capital is set to hit 9.4 per cent — or 464,000 economically active residents — in December, according to [...]
Exclusive: ‘EU will remain our key trading partner’, says London’s Deputy Mayor for business March 19, 2021 Last week it was announced that the rapid rollout of Covid-19 vaccines has led to business confidence hitting its highest levels in three years. The increase has been driven by the success of the vaccine rollout, especially in the UK, which has left firms more confident that restrictions will soon be lifted. Despite the increased confidence, UK’s [...]
London Covid-19 prevalence plummets as vaccination picks up pace March 19, 2021 The percentage of Londoners testing positive for coronavirus has continued its downward trend in the past week, as the nation’s largest ever vaccination programme continues at pace. The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) latest infection survey estimated that the proportion of people in the capital testing positive for coronavirus fell to 0.3 per cent last [...]
European Commission calls for reciprocity on vaccine exports with the UK March 19, 2021 European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen has called for reciprocity on vaccine exports amid an ongoing row with the UK and US over jab deliveries. “I ask for greater openness as Europe is among the regions in the world that exports the most, but reciprocity is needed,” she told Italian newspaper la Repubblica. She [...]
Britain to trial vaccine passports to reopen sports venues March 19, 2021 Britain will pilot vaccine passports to encourage the return of fans to sports events, the culture minister has announced, as he claimed the future of the sporting industry depended on crowds filling seats this summer. In an interview with The Sun, Oliver Dowden said: “We are working to make sure we can get as many [...]
Wetherspoons in the red as Tim Martin calls for end to lockdown ‘mayhem’ March 19, 2021 Pub giant JD Wetherspoon today reported a half-year pre-tax loss of £46.2m as Covid restrictions forced hundreds of its pubs to close through key holiday seasons. Wetherspoon’s operating loss hit £20.7m, while revenue sunk by more than 53 per cent to £431.1m Like-for-like sales were also down by almost 54 per cent for the six [...]
Roadmap out of lockdown sends consumer confidence to near 12-month high March 19, 2021 Roadmap out of lockdown sends consumer confidence to near 12-month high
France, Spain, Italy and Germany to resume Astrazeneca vaccinations after EU regulator rules jab is ‘safe and effective’ March 18, 2021 France, Spain, Italy and Germany are among the European countries that have confirmed they will resume rolling out the Astrazeneca vaccine after the EU medicines regulator said there is “clear scientific” evidence that the jab is both “safe and effective”. Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), earlier today said the agency remains [...]
Zoom: What’s next for the Covid-19 pandemic’s biggest winner? March 18, 2021 There is a moment all marketers dream of when a product becomes so commonplace that the brand name becomes a verb. This achievement was last year bestowed on Zoom, the previously obscure video conferencing platform that almost overnight became relied upon for both work and socialising. It was a year of eye-watering success for the [...]