International
Coronavirus: Wrangling over huge EU recovery plan enters fourth dayJul 20th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
EU leaders are still struggling to reach a deal on a recovery fund, with deep differences remaining.
Coronavirus: China's cinemas start to reopen after shutdowns
Jul 20th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
China's cinemas are reopening after being closed for six months to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The China Film Administration said screens in "low-risk" areas could open their doors again from today.
Oil falls as worsening pandemic threatens recovery
Jul 20th, 2020 via Reuters UK - Business News
Oil prices dipped on Monday, weighed down by the prospect that a rise in the pace of coronavirus infections could derail a recovery in fuel demand.
UK
London landlords suffer record fall in rents as coronavirus effect takes holdJul 20th, 2020 via The Daily Telegraph - Property
London rents plummeted further in June as the capital's landlords continue to struggle against falling demand and a greater number of properties.
Coronavirus: Young people on benefits double in lockdown
Jul 19th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
Experts fear it may take up to four years for youth unemployment to recover from the pandemic.
Finance chiefs expect slow business recovery from coronavirus pandemic
Jul 19th, 2020 via City AM - Business
Finance bosses do not expect business to bounce back quickly after the coronavirus pandemic, with many forecasting that demand will not recover until the second half of next year. Research by Deloitte found that 49 per cent of chief financial officers do not believe that demand for their business will ...
Ted Baker to cut 500 jobs as pandemic losses add to financial woe
Jul 19th, 2020 via Guardian UK - Business
The fashion retailer Ted Baker is to axe at least 500 jobs – more than a quarter of its UK workforce – as the pandemic continues to batter the high street.
UK firms unprepared for no-deal Brexit due to coronavirus crisis, think tank warns
Jul 18th, 2020 via The Independent - News
The coronavirus crisis has left many UK businesses in a worse position to cope with a no-deal Brexit, according to a think tank.
General UK News
Coronavirus vaccine: UK government signs deals for 90 million dosesJul 20th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
The UK government has signed deals for 90 million doses of promising coronavirus vaccines that are being developed. The vaccines are being researched by an alliance between the pharmaceutical companies BioNtech and Pfizer as well as the firm Valneva.
Coronavirus: Protein treatment trial 'a breakthrough'
Jul 20th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
The preliminary results of a clinical trial suggest a new treatment for Covid-19 dramatically reduces the number of patients needing intensive care, according to the UK company that developed it.
Coronavirus: FE 'no clearer' on how it will open, Colleges Wales claims
Jul 20th, 2020 via BBC - Wales
Students and staff are being put at risk by a lack of detail about how further education will reopen, it has been claimed. With just six weeks until the new term, Colleges Wales said FE is not being treated on a par with schools.
Probation service monitoring released prisoners via Skype during coronavirus pandemic, report reveals
Jul 20th, 2020 via The Independent - News
Released prisoners are being monitored by Skype and phone calls during the coronavirus pandemic, a parliamentary committee has revealed. Almost all offenders are receiving support remotely amid staff shortages and a growing backlog in the provision of unpaid work and rehabilitation programmes, MPs found.
Councils to be given names and addresses of people who test positive for Coronavirus
Jul 19th, 2020 via The Daily Telegraph - News
Councils will be given the names and full addresses of people who have tested positive for Coronavirus under government plans to tackle local outbreaks.
Untested coronavirus patients warn they are losing jobs and unable to take sick leave
Jul 19th, 2020 via The Telegraph
Coronavirus patients suffering long term health problems are being forced to resign, facing disciplinary action or have been ordered to take unpaid sick leave because they were never tested for the disease, the Telegraph understands.
Coronavirus: Key workers' childcare 'struggle' after hubs shut
Jul 19th, 2020 via BBC - Education
Only four councils say they will continue care for school-aged children over the summer holidays.
Boris Johnson: UK will not need another national coronavirus lockdown
Jul 19th, 2020 via City AM - Business
Boris Johnson has said the UK will not need another nationwide coronavirus lockdown, likening the measure to a “nuclear deterrent”. The Prime Minister said today that does not want another complete lockdown, adding “nor do I think we will be in that position again”.
UK pauses daily coronavirus death toll update over data concerns
Jul 18th, 2020 via Reuters UK - UK News
Britain said on Saturday it was pausing its daily update of the death toll from the coronavirus after the government ordered a review into the calculation of the data over concerns the toll might have been exaggerated.
Scotland records highest daily rate of positive Covid-19 tests for month
Jul 18th, 2020 via The Guardian News
Scotland has recorded its highest number of daily positive coronavirus tests for almost a month, with 21 confirmed results in 24 hours as the deputy first minister warned of the ongoing threat of coronavirus.
Coronavirus: English councils get powers to order local lockdowns
Jul 18th, 2020 via The Independent - News
English councils have been granted new powers to impose local lockdown measures. Local authorities will be able to shut down shops and cancel events in their area to control any coronavirus outbreaks.
Coronavirus: Lockdown may trigger 'surge' in couples splitting
Jul 17th, 2020 via BBC News - UK
Video counselling is helping some but there is no way of supporting people in abusive relationships.
Coronavirus: Reassurance for travellers over cancelled holiday refunds
Jul 17th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
Holidaymakers who were given refund credit notes, rather than cash, for their cancelled package holiday are being reassured their money is safe. The authorities have clarified that these refund promises are guaranteed even if the travel company which provided them goes bust.
Coronavirus: Rochdale introduces new Covid-19 measures
Jul 17th, 2020 via BBC Manchester
Rochdale has brought in new measures to avoid a local lockdown, as the town's director of public health warned the fight against the virus "is not over". Residents have been asked to wear face coverings in shops and limit visitors at home to two people.
Symptom tracker app reveals six distinct types of COVID-19 infection
Jul 17th, 2020 via Reuters UK - Technology
British scientists analysing data from a widely-used COVID-19 symptom-tracking app have found there are six distinct types of the disease, each distinguished by a cluster of symptoms.
Global Situation
Global coronavirus report: masks made mandatory in Hong Kong, France and Melbourne
Jul 20th, 2020 via The Guardian World News
Members of the public in Hong Kong, France and parts of Australia have been ordered to wear masks when outside their homes, as governments around the world attempt to stem the spread of Covid-19 amid soaring infection rates and death tolls.
Big majority of Japanese reject government tourism campaign amid new coronavirus fears, media surveys show
Jul 20th, 2020 via Reuters UK - World News
Most people in Japan are against government plans to kickstart domestic tourism with a subsidised campaign, according to newspaper surveys published on Monday, as fears grow over the number of new coronavirus cases, particularly in Tokyo.
Chile eyes gradual reopening after coronavirus infections slow in some areas
Jul 19th, 2020 via Reuters UK - World News
Chilean government officials presented a plan on Sunday to gradually relax lockdown restrictions after the coronavirus infection rate improved in some regions of the country.
Coronavirus: Trump bids to stop billions in track-and-trace funds as cases spike
Jul 19th, 2020 via The Guardian - World News
Donald Trump is seeking to block billions of dollars in funding for coronavirus testing and contact tracing efforts as cases spike across the US, where around 70,000 people are testing positive each day.
Coronavirus: Zimbabwe arrests 100,000 for 'violations' of measures
Jul 19th, 2020 via BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition
More than 105,000 people have been arrested in Zimbabwe since March for violating regulations aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, police say. Around 1,000 were arrested in the last two days for "unnecessary movement" or for not wearing face masks, they add.
Coronavirus: WHO reports record single-day global increase in cases
Jul 19th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
The number of new cases of coronavirus rose by almost 260,000 in 24 hours - the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.
China coronavirus: 'Wartime state' declared for Urumqi in Xinjiang
Jul 18th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
A "wartime state" has been declared in Urumqi, the capital of China's western Xinjiang region, after a spike in cases of coronavirus. Officials on Saturday said 17 new cases had been recorded and strict measures on movement had been imposed.
Coronavirus: Iran estimates country has seen up to 25 million Covid-19 cases as Tehran re-enters lockdown
Jul 18th, 2020 via Independent UK - Middle East News
Some 25 million Iranian’s have likely been infected with coronavirus, Hassan Rouhani has said, warning that an additional 30 to 35 million more could contract the disease in the coming months.
Donald Trump won't order Americans to wear coronavirus masks
Jul 18th, 2020 via The Telegraph
Donald Trump has refused to order Americans to wear masks to limit the risk of coronavirus spreading in the USA. People should have “a certain freedom”, the president, who was pictured last weekend wearing a mask for the first time, told Fox News on Friday.
Brazil reports 34,000 new cases of coronavirus, 1,163 deaths
Jul 17th, 2020 via Reuters UK - World News
Brazil registered 34,177 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,163 new deaths on Friday, the health ministry said. Total cases in Brazil, the world’s second most affected country after the United States, have now risen to 2,046,328 while deaths totaled 76,688.
Google to prevent ads on coronavirus conspiracy theory content
Jul 17th, 2020 via Reuters UK - Technology
Alphabet Inc’s Google on Friday said it will prohibit websites and apps that use its advertising technology from running ads on “dangerous content” that goes against scientific consensus during the coronavirus pandemic.
Millions of Catalans urged to stay home as coronavirus cases jump
Jul 17th, 2020 via Reuters UK - World News
Catalonia on Friday urged some four million people, including residents of Barcelona, to stay home, in a major toughening of its response to an increase in coronavirus cases.
More than 1 million mink have tested positive for coronavirus - as Spain prepares to cull nearly 100,000 of the animals
Jul 17th, 2020 via The Scotsman - News
Nearly 100,000 mink are to be culled at a farm in Spain, after over three quarters of the animals tested positive for coronavirus, according to health authorities.
Official Guidance/Reports
Statutory guidance: Local authority powers to impose restrictions under coronavirus regulationsJul 17th, 2020 via Gov.uk - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Supports the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No.3) Regulations 2020 that come into force on 18 July 2020.
New powers and framework to help contain coronavirus (COVID-19) locally
Jul 17th, 2020 via HM Government (gov.uk) - Coronavirus Updates
A new framework setting out how to manage COVID-19 outbreaks through the use of national and local expertise has been published by the government.
Legal Developments
Coronavirus: Ten temporary courts to open to help clear backlogJul 19th, 2020 via BBC - Front Page
Ten temporary courts are being set up to help clear a backlog of hearings caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The new venues, in England and Wales, include a medieval chamber and the Ministry of Justice's headquarters.
