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 [...]
Police issue warning over scam Covid-19 vaccine text message January 5, 2021 Police have issued an urgent warning over a scam text message telling Brits they are eligible to apply for the Covid-19 vaccine. The fake message, which purports to come from the NHS, reads: “We have identified that your [sic] are eligible to apply for your vaccine.” It then prompts recipients to click on a link [...]
How Covid is affecting sport in 2021: Will Premier League, Tokyo Olympics, England’s Test series in Sri Lanka and the Lions tour go ahead? January 5, 2021 The first wave of Covid-19 saw professional sport grind to a halt as countries across the world imposed lockdowns. With cases on the rise again, particularly in England, some sports – including football, rugby union, boxing and snooker – have already been disrupted. So how is elite sport in 2021 being affected by the pandemic [...]
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 [...]
Decision on UK border restrictions in coming days, says Michael Gove January 5, 2021 Cabinet minister Michael Gove today confirmed that the government is preparing new border controls for travellers entering England. Speaking to ITV, he said: “We will be making announcements later today and in the days ahead about how we will make sure that our ports and airports are safe. “It is already the case that there are significant [...]
Teaching unions’ refusal to innovate is behind the Government’s schools u-turn January 5, 2021 Over the course of this grim pandemic the government has performed enough u-turns to make a woodpecker’s head spin. Free schools meals, mass testing, masks, furlough, exams, Christmas, one exasperatingly predictable volte-face after another, accompanied by the inevitable, gradual erosion of faith in ministers to chart a course out of this crisis. Read more: England [...]
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 [...]
‘Stay home’: England in national Covid lockdown from tonight January 4, 2021 People living England have tonight been told to stay home for at least six weeks
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. [...]
England cricketer Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sri Lanka January 4, 2021 England cricketer Moeen Ali has tested positive for Covid-19 following the team’s arrival in Sri Lanka. Moeen must now quarantine for 10 days, meaning he is unlikely to feature in the first Test on 14 January. Team-mate Chris Woakes must also self-isolate and undergo further tests, having been deemed a close contact of Moeen. England [...]