Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Nov 2022
View this newsletter in fullPhilippines logs 1326 new COVID-19 cases, 23 deaths
The Philippines reported 1,326 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 4,033,682. The Department of Health said the number of active cases rose to 18,482, while 23 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 64,594. Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 457 new cases. The Philippines reported its highest COVID-19 single-day tally of 39,004 new cases on Jan. 15. The country, with a population of around 110 million, has fully vaccinated over 73.7 million people
27th Nov 2022 - Xinhua
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Oct 2022
View this newsletter in fullProtests in Shenzhen as China puts it into snap lockdown over Covid cases
Hundreds of Chinese residents in the southern city of Shenzhen have taken to the streets to demand an end to coronavirus lockdowns in a rare public protest against the zero-tolerance Covid policies imposed by Beijing. Video from Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province showed angry citizens confronting police officers wearing blue medical protective gear, including gowns, face masks and plastic visors. Protesters chanted “lift the lockdown” and verbally and physically clashed with the police, who attempted to contain them with metal barriers. Some threw water bottles at officers who made several arrests.
30th Sep 2022 - The Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Sep 2022
View this newsletter in fullBritain's Lloyds racks up $350 million of likely scam COVID loans
Lloyds Banking Group has been hit by more than 300 million pounds ($348 million) of suspected fraud linked to COVID-19 pandemic-era recovery loans for small businesses, the highest among big bank peers, according to government data.
British banks overall have classified some 1.1 billion pounds worth of the emergency lending scheme known as "bounce back" loans as fraud, the data published on Monday by Britain's Department for Business, Energy and Industry (BEIS) showed.
6th Sep 2022 - Reuters
Hong Kong Targets Removal of Hotel Quarantine Requirement
Hong Kong is targeting November to end hotel quarantine for visitors to the city, Bloomberg reports. Hong Kong has already reduced the hotel quarantine requirement from 21 days to 7 days to 3 days, although a further 4 days of “health monitoring” is still required during which people can leave their homes but may not enter high-risk premises like restaurants and bars. The end of hotel quarantine altogether is planned to occur ahead of a summit of global bankers and a popular international rugby competition later this year. The heads of major Wall Street banks have been invited to the November conference, organised by the HKMA (Hong Kong Monetary Authority), but many are reluctant to receive quarantine exemptions to attend as they do not want to be singled out for perceived preferential treatment.’ The hotel quarantine requirement is also seen as a deterrence for visitors looking to attend the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament, scheduled from 4-6 November, as well as an international legal conference at the end of the same month.
6th Sep 2022 - Regulation Asia
China's Guiyang Locks Down Some Areas to Contain Covid Outbreak
China sealed off parts of Guiyang, capital of the mountainous southern Guizhou province, as an increase in virus cases triggered a stringent response in line with the country’s Covid Zero strategy. Lockdowns will be imposed in almost all communities in six of Guiyang’s 10 districts for four days through the end of Thursday, the local government said in a statement. Residents in the affected areas will only be allowed to leave their homes for Covid tests, and all cab services will be suspended, authorities said. The moves come after the city of 6.1 million reported 132 virus cases as of Monday morning, 28 more than a day earlier
5th Sep 2022 - Bloomberg
China puts 65m people into semi-lockdown ahead of party summit
China has intensified its efforts to rein in outbreaks of Covid-19 ahead of a major political meeting by placing about 65 million people under semi-lockdown, according to local media reports. The Chinese Communist party will begin its 20th congress on 16 October, with party chief Xi Jinping widely expected to be reinstated as president for a third term. According to a report on the business portal Caixin, 33 Chinese cities – including eight major provincial and municipal centres – have been placed under China’s lowest “static management” tier of lockdown, disrupting the lives of an estimated 65 million residents.
5th Sep 2022 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 31st Aug 2022
View this newsletter in full'It felt like my insides were crying': China COVID curbs hit youth mental health
Zhang Meng had a breakdown last December. The 20-year-old found herself sobbing on the stairs of her dorm, driven to despair by repeated COVID lockdowns of her university campus in Beijing. The lockdowns had meant she was mostly confined to her room and unable to meet up with friends. There were also strict curbs on when she could visit the canteen or take a shower. Describing herself as someone who craves in-person social interaction, Zhang said the restrictions had "removed the safety net that was holding me up and I felt like my whole being was falling down".
30th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullAustralia's COVID-19 numbers are dropping but experts warn the pandemic will not end this year
Winter's nearly over and, with COVID-19 daily case numbers declining, you could be forgiven for hoping the coronavirus pandemic is coming to an end too. But experts say that could still be a long way off. Let's unpack why — after a quick look at the latest COVID figures.
29th Aug 2022 - ABC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullPandemic pushes 2.3 million Filipinos into poverty
Preliminary results of the family income and expenditure survey for 2021 released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Monday showed that the poverty rate had worsened to 18.8 per cent from 16.7 per cent in 2018.
16th Aug 2022 - Nation Thailand
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullParts of China's Hainan extend COVID lockdown, Lhasa in Tibet tightens curbs
A few cities in China's tourism hub Hainan extended lockdowns on Friday, with some of the measures expected to last through the weekend, while Lhasa in Tibet also tightened restrictions, among the latest curbs to contain COVID clusters in the country. Under the "dynamic COVID zero" policy that aims at quickly stopping each outbreak from spreading, local governments have imposed shorter lockdowns where people were barred from unnecessary movements for a few days or weeks until clusters were contained within narrower areas.
12th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullSeveral cities in China add COVID curbs as millions still under lockdown
Several COVID-hit Chinese cities from the country's east to west imposed fresh restrictions and lockdowns on their populations on Thursday to contain flare-ups that are again threatening to disrupt local economies. Reducing people's unnecessary movement for a few days - a softer type of lockdown - as soon as dozens of new cases emerge is a key practice of China's "dynamic COVID-zero" strategy. The aim is to avoid turning efforts to halt an outbreak into the extended nightmares seen in Shanghai and Wuhan
11th Aug 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Aug 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina’s Hawaii Sanya Partially Locks Down as Covid Outbreak Grows
China partially locked down the beach resort city of Sanya after detecting about two dozen new virus cases this week, stranding thousands of tourists at one of the country’s most popular summer spots. People in areas categorized as high-risk are banned from leaving their homes, while other residents can only venture out of their compounds once every two days to purchase necessities, the municipal government said. The city has shut indoor venues including karaoke parlors and bars, and halted the movement of buses, ships, and yachts. All public venues require a negative Covid test no older than 24 hours for entry.
4th Aug 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina Snap Lockdown Crimps Beachside Business, Strands Tourists
A Covid outbreak has derailed what is usually the peak season at one of China’s top summer hot spots, with a snap lockdown in the seaside city Beihai shutting hotels and leaving more than 2,000 tourists stranded at one point. The outbreak in the southern city of 1.83 million people nestled into a curve of the South China Sea near Vietnam has grown to over 1,400 cases as of Thursday. The first case was detected a little more than a week earlier, on July 12.
23rd Jul 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullHigh-pressure oxygen shows promise in long COVID; earlier Omicron infection may protect against subvariants
The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. High-pressure oxygen treatment may help long COVID. Patients with long COVID may see some improvement after breathing pure oxygen in a high-air-pressure environment, according to data from a small Israeli trial.
15th Jul 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Jul 2022
View this newsletter in fullThe Never-Ending Covid Emergency
Why keep extending the emergency? One reason is that in March 2020 Congress barred states from kicking ineligible people off Medicaid rolls during the emergency in return for more federal funding. Medicaid enrollment has ballooned to 95 million—30% of Americans are now enrolled—from 71 million in December 2019. The emergency expands Medicaid in GOP states that opted out of the ObamaCare expansion. It is also a boon for insurers in states that pay per Medicaid participant. Hospitals and physician groups support extending the emergency because they worry that state Medicaid payments will decline if the federal fillip goes away.
12th Jul 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai surprise: How I survived 70 days confinement in the world's strictest Covid lockdown
When I left a Covid-ravaged Hong Kong, I was in search of a sanctuary. It was early March and the city was in the throes of the biggest coronavirus outbreak per capita in the world. Little could I have known as I boarded the plane that my cunning escape plan would take me from the frying pan into the fire; that as I landed in Shanghai I would be swapping the world's biggest outbreak for the "world's strictest lockdown" -- and 70 days of enforced confinement. Still less could I have foreseen that, after serving three weeks of government-mandated quarantine on arrival, my housing compound would be hermetically sealed for a further 49 days straight, or that my mom and I would catch Covid, or that I would be carted off for a further spell of isolation at one of the government's notorious "fangcang" camps.
18th Jun 2022 - CNN
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullToyota supplier Toyoda Gosei asks employees to take leave as lockdown bites
A major Toyota Motor Corp supplier has asked employees to take a day off with reduced pay this month, a spokesperson for the supplier, Toyoda Gosei Co, said on Wednesday, reflecting the impact of the chip shortage and China lockdowns.
Toyoda Gosei, which makes air bags, brake hoses and radiator grilles, has asked domestic employees to take a day of leave in June following production suspensions by Toyota and other automakers, the spokesperson confirmed to Reuters, declining to name the automakers.
8th Jun 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Jun 2022
View this newsletter in fullNext Hong Kong leader says city must work harder at COVID-19
Hong Kong’s incoming chief executive, John Lee, said Tuesday the city still has to work hard at controlling the coronavirus and boosting vaccination rates. Lee, who returned home after meeting with Communist Party officials in Beijing, said Hong Kong needs to control the spread of COVID-19 to create favorable conditions for a resumption of regular travel with mainland China. “We still have cases of infection, between 200 to 300 cases (daily), and vaccination rates for the second dose have yet to reach 90%,” Lee said to reporters after landing at Hong Kong's airport.
31st May 2022 - ABC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullNo work and nowhere to live: a rural migrant's ordeal in locked-down Shanghai
When Shanghai began its draconian COVID-19 lockdown two months ago, the French restaurant where Sun Wu waited tables closed and the 22-year-old, like countless other rural migrants, lost his job. To make ends meet, Sun helped sort government deliveries for residents under lockdown, earning 250 yuan ($38) a day and moving from a dormitory to live in the warehouse where he worked as required by COVID rules
27th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullGlobal firms warn of sluggish China demand due to lengthy COVID curbs
Two months into harsh COVID-19 lockdowns that have choked global supply chains, China's economy is staggering back to its feet, but businesses from retailers to chipmakers are warning of slow sales as consumers in the country slam the brakes on spending.
26th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullTightening COVID net, Beijing issues punishments and stark warnings
China's COVID-hit capital Beijing further tightened its dragnet on the virus with zero community transmission the target, punishing workplaces that flout rules or circumvent curbs and imploring residents to police their own movements. Since late April, the city of 22 million has wrestled with dozens of new cases a day. While these have been mostly in quarantine areas, a handful have been found in the community at large, illustrating the challenge the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant poses even to the world's most stringent pandemic containment policies. With Shanghai, China's business and commercial hub, and numerous other giant cities also shackled by partial lockdowns or other curbs, the zero-COVID approach remains the government's focus despite the damage it has done to the world's second-biggest economy and global supply chains.
25th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing ramps up COVID quarantines, Shanghai residents decry uneven rules
Beijing stepped up quarantine efforts to end its month-old COVID outbreak as fresh signs of frustration emerged in Shanghai, where some bemoaned unfair curbs with the city of 25 million preparing to lift a prolonged lockdown in just over a week. Even as China's drastic attempts to eradicate COVID entirely - its "zero-COVID" approach - bite into prospects for the world's second-biggest economy, new reported infection numbers remain well below levels seen in many Western cities. The capital reported 48 new cases for Monday among its population of 22 million, with Shanghai reporting fewer than 500.
24th May 2022 - Reuters
China Covid News: Beijing Cases Drop, Remains Under High Restrictions
China’s top official for pandemic control has shifted her attention from Shanghai’s ebbing Covid-19 crisis to Beijing, raising pressure on the capital to contain its lengthy outbreak, and potentially signaling harsher curbs to come. Sun Chunlan, China’s Vice Premier and health czar whose appearance at virus hotspots across the country typically reflects the central government’s priorities, on Monday urged authorities in Beijing to adhere stringently to Covid Zero and eradicate community spread more swiftly.
24th May 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing extends work-from-home 'requirement' for millions as COVID spreads
The Chinese capital extended its work-from-home requirement for many of its 22 million residents to stem a COVID-19 outbreak, while Shanghai deployed more testing and curbs to hold on to its hard-won "zero COVID" status after two months of lockdown. Beijing said 99 new cases were detected on Sunday, up from 61 the previous day - the largest daily tally so far during a month-old outbreak that has consistently seen dozens of new infections every day.
23rd May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai residents leverage Excel skills, management savvy to navigate lockdown
Li Di, a senior executive with a global bank, knew he had to help when he was admitted to the Nanhui quarantine site in April, after testing positive for COVID, and was confronted by chaos. "There were only 120 to 150 staff to take care of 10,000 patients. The staff literally had their hands full," said Li. Li set up a team of more than a dozen volunteers to arrange meals, distribute various supplies and help elderly patients who were struggling with various quarantine centre requirements.
18th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai residents leverage Excel skills, management savvy to navigate lockdown
China's worst COVID-19 outbreak has frayed nerves and stirred resentment among many residents of Shanghai but some have thrived in the face of adversity, stepping up with bright ideas and commitment to help their communities through the crisis. Not surprisingly, many such people have used the skills they developed in their jobs to help others navigate the frightening new world of forced quarantine and lockdowns that no one dreamed of before COVID.
17th May 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai hits prized 'zero COVID' status but lockdown lingers
Shanghai achieved its long-awaited milestone of three consecutive days with no new COVID-19 cases outside quarantine zones on Tuesday but most residents will have to put up with confinement for a while longer before resuming more normal life. For other cities in China that have been under lockdown, three days with no new cases in the community usually means "zero COVID" status and the beginning of the lifting of restrictions.
17th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullTesla delays plan to restore Shanghai output to pre-lockdown levels
Tesla Inc has delayed a plan to restore production at its Shanghai plant to levels before the city's COVID-19 lockdown by at least a week, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. The U.S. electric car maker originally aimed to increase output at its Shanghai plant to 2,600 cars a day from May 16, Reuters reported earlier this month citing another memo. But the latest memo said that it plans to stick to one shift for its Shanghai plant for the current week with a daily output of around 1,200 units. It also said that it would now aim to increase output to 2,600 units per day from May 23.
16th May 2022 - Reuters
European businesses fear more COVID disruption in China
European businesses in China are awaiting the next wave of disruption from COVID-19 outbreaks and see little chance of improvement until the country increases vaccination rates, the European Chamber of Commerce in China said on Monday. Shanghai has set out plans to end its COVID lockdown that has lasted more than six weeks, hitting China's economy, where industrial output and retail sales fell in April at the fastest in more than two years, missing expectations
16th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina to "strictly limit" unnecessary overseas travels by Chinese citizens to combat COVID
China would "strictly limit" unnecessary travel outside the country by Chinese citizens as part of its COVID-19 response, the National Immigration Administration said in a statement on Thursday.
12th May 2022 - Reuters
Beijing denies lockdown rumours as Shanghai hunts elusive COVID
Beijing denied it was heading for lockdown as panic buying gripped the capital on Thursday, while Shanghai combed the city for lingering COVID-19 cases in the hope of clearing the way to escape from weeks of painful restrictions.
12th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand to Fully Reopen Its Border At The End of July
New Zealand will fully reopen its border two months early, allowing the arrival of tourists, students and migrants from non visa-waiver countries like China and India.
The border will be accessible to all from 11:59 p.m. on July 31, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday. Previously, the government had said the final re-opening step would occur in October, though it signaled the date would likely be brought forward. The maritime border will also open for cruise ships on July 31. New Zealand has been progressively allowing foreign visitors to return this year, hoping to revive a decimated tourist industry and add workers to a labor market battling with skills shortages. Visitors from visa-waiver countries such as the US, UK, Canada and Germany were able to enter from May 2, while Australians could arrive from April 13.
11th May 2022 - Bloomberg
How China's lockdowns are taking a toll on global companies
International brands are revealing the damage to their bottom lines from China's "zero Covid" policy, where tens of millions of people remain in lockdown and almost every major business has been disrupted. In recent weeks, dozens of mainland Chinese cities, including the financial hub of Shanghai, have been locked down as authorities work to stamp out the coronavirus. For industries ranging from Big Tech to consumer goods, that's destroying both supply and demand — and giving executives another major headache. Many companies had just run up millions, or billions, of dollars in losses due to the war in Ukraine, which led to a massive — and costly — corporate exodus from Russia.
11th May 2022 - CNN
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullToyota to slash production plan, suspend some domestic operation due to COVID lockdown in China
Toyota said on Tuesday it would suspend operations on 14 lines at eight domestic factories for up to six days in May due to the COVID lockdown in China. The duration will be between May 16 and May 21, the company said, expanding the number of lines and factories affected by partial suspension to a total of 20 and 12, respectively. The partial suspension would affect output of about 30,000 vehicles.
10th May 2022 - Reuters
Luxury brands navigate Shanghai's lockdown to keep VIPs pampered
Since the COVID-19 containment began on April 1 in Shanghai, closing stores and paralysing online shopping, brands have overcome attendant delivery difficulties to gift provisions to "very important clients" (VICs). Many companies have delivered provisions to employees. For the more wealthy, banks and high-end hotels have joined luxury brands in sending out goodies - a privilege not unnoticed on social media.
10th May 2022 - Reuters
Tesla stutters under tighter Shanghai lockdown; Beijing keeps hunting COVID
Tesla operated its Shanghai plant well below capacity on Tuesday, showing the problems factories face trying to ramp up output under a tightening COVID-19 lockdown, while China's capital kept up its fight with a small but stubborn outbreak. Many of the hundreds of companies reopening factories in Shanghai in recent weeks have faced challenges getting production lines back up to speed while keeping workers on-site in a "closed loop" system.
10th May 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai re-tightens on COVID, frustrating trapped residents
The city of Shanghai is doubling down on pandemic restrictions after a brief period of loosening up, frustrating residents who were hoping a more than monthlong lockdown was finally easing as the number of new cases falls in China’s financial center. On Tuesday, service was suspended on the last two subway lines that were still operating, marking the first time the city’s entire system has been shut down, according to The Paper, an online media outlet.
10th May 2022 - Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th May 2022
View this newsletter in full'Like a prison': Shanghai, Beijing ratchet up COVID restrictions
China's two largest cities tightened COVID-19 curbs on Monday, fuelling public angst and even questions about the legality of its uncompromising battle with the virus that has battered the world's second largest economy. In Shanghai, enduring its sixth week of lockdown, authorities have launched a new push to end infections outside quarantine zones by late May, according to people familiar with the matter
9th May 2022 - Reuters
Chaos at Apple supplier shows strains of Shanghai COVID lockdown
Quanta Shanghai Manufacturing City would seem like an ideal site to implement China's "closed-loop" management system to prevent the spread of COVID that requires staff to live and work on-site in a secure bubble. Sprawled over land the size of 20 football fields, the campus houses factories, living quarters for 40,000 workers, some living 12 per room, and even a supermarket. But as COVID-19 breeched Quanta's defences, the system broke down into chaos. Videos posted online showed more than a hundred Quanta workers physically overwhelming security guards in hazmat suits and vaulting over factory gates to escape being trapped inside the factory amid rumours that workers on the floor that day tested positive for COVID.
9th May 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai tightens lockdown to hit zero-COVID goal by late May
Shanghai is tightening its already strict COVID-19 lockdown in a fresh push to eliminate infections outside quarantined areas of China's biggest city by late this month, people familiar with the matter said. Curbs will likely vary across the city's 16 districts as some have already hit the target, but the people said movement curbs will generally remain until the end of May due to fears of a rebound, despite recently falling case numbers in the country's worst coronavirus outbreak.
9th May 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai tightens lockdown despite falling COVID cases
Authorities in Shanghai have again tightened anti-virus restrictions, just as the city was emerging from a month of strict lockdown due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Notices issued in several districts said residents were ordered to stay home and are barred from receiving nonessential deliveries as part of a “quiet period” lasting at least until Wednesday. The tightened measures could be extended depending on the results of mass testing, the notices said.
9th May 2022 - Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing Residents Keep Faith With Government’s Zero-Covid Strategy
BEIJING—For weeks, Beijing has teetered on the edge of a hard, Covid-induced lockdown. For the most part, citizens are unruffled, confident that the restrictions that have paralyzed Shanghai for six weeks are simply unthinkable in the capital. In recent ...
8th May 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullBeijing Shuts Down Subway Stations to Slow Spread of COVID-19
Authorities in Beijing have shut down dozens of subway stations as part of its efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Chinese capital announced Wednesday that it was closing more than 40 subway stations, amounting to about 10% of its system, along with hundreds of bus routes. Beijing has been on alert since mid-April after 10 middle school students tested positive for COVID-19, sparking widespread panic buying of groceries and other supplies in anticipation of a possible citywide lockdown similar to the one imposed on the financial hub of Shanghai. Authorities have begun a mass testing campaign for most of its 21 million residents, while shutting down schools and businesses, including such venues as gyms and theaters.
4th May 2022 - Voice of America
Hong Kong GDP falls more than expected as COVID curbs bite
Hong Kong’s economy contracted last quarter for the first time in more than a year as local restrictions to curb Covid hit activity and China’s own omicron outbreak disrupted trade. Gross domestic product fell 4% in the January-to-March period from a year earlier, according to advance estimates released by the government on Tuesday. The number — Hong Kong’s first since the end of 2020 — was far worse than a median estimate of a 1.3% contraction in a Bloomberg survey. It was also the biggest contraction since the third quarter of 2020. The city faced “immense pressure” in the first quarter of 2022, a government spokesperson was quoted as saying in a release from the Census and Statistics Department accompanying the data. The city’s fifth coronavirus wave, along with moderating global demand growth and “epidemic-induced cross boundary transportation disruptions,” all dragged on the economy, the person said.
4th May 2022 - Al Jazeera English
Beijing Halts Public Transport As China Continues To Fight Covid
Dozens of metro stations and bus routes in Beijing have been shut down as COVID continues to spread and millions of residents in Shanghai still remain under strict lockdown even after more than a month. China's capital city Beijing has shut more than 40 subway stations, about a tenth of the network, and 158 bus routes, service providers said. Most of the suspended stations and routes are in the Chaoyang district, the epicentre of Beijing's outbreak, reported The Express Tribune. Beijing is also resorting to mass testing. Twelve out of 16 Beijing districts were conducting the second of three rounds of tests this week, having done three mass screenings last week.
4th May 2022 - NDTV
Beijing reopens mass isolation centre in fight against Covid
Beijing has reopened a mass isolation centre as authorities seek to contain an outbreak of Covid-19 in the city. The Xiaotangshan Fangcai hospital, which holds at least 1,200 beds and testing facilities, was first opened during the 2003 Sars epidemic, and used again in early 2020 to treat Covid patients. Its reopening signals a ramp up in efforts by China’s capital to manage the rising number of cases without going into a city-wide lockdown. On Wednesday, China reported 5,489 cases, including 353 symptomatic. Most (4,982) were in Shanghai, which has been under a weeks-long lockdown sparking widespread complaints and protests over food shortages and overzealous enforcement. Beijing reported 46 symptomatic cases and five asymptomatic on Wednesday, bringing the city’s total since the start of its Omicron outbreak to about 400.
4th May 2022 - The Guardian
Beijing closes 10% of its subway stations to curb coronavirus outbreak
Beijing on Wednesday closed around 10% of the stations in its vast subway system as an additional measure against the spread of the coronavirus. The subway authority said in a brief message that the measure to shut 40 stations, mostly in downtown Beijing, was being taken as part of epidemic-control measures. No date for the resumption of service was given. Beijing has been on high alert for the spread of COVID-19, with restaurants and bars limited to takeout, gyms closed and classes suspended indefinitely. Major tourist sites in the city, including the Forbidden City and the Beijing Zoo, have closed their indoor exhibition halls and are operating at only partial capacity. A few communities where cases were discovered have been isolated.
4th May 2022 - Los Angeles Times
Taiwan's Foxconn says no change to production in China's COVID-hit Zhengzhou
Major Taiwanese Apple Inc supplier Foxconn said on Wednesday that it is continuing production in China's Zhengzhou, which announced on Tuesday it would impose new COVID-19-related movement curbs for May 4-10. "Our park has maintained production unchanged," it said in a statement, referring to the industrial area where its facilities are located in the central Chinese city.
4th May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th May 2022
View this newsletter in fullCentral Chinese city of Zhengzhou imposes new COVID movement curbs for May 4-10
The central Chinese city of Zhengzhou announced on Tuesday it would impose new COVID-related movement curbs for May 4-10. Schools in the main city district will go online, while employees with government organisations and companies in the area must work from home during that period, according to a statement on the city's official WeChat account. The new measures would be subject to adjustment after May 10, in accordance with the COVID-19 outbreak situation, the notice said.
3rd May 2022 - Reuters
Some in Shanghai get out for a rare stroll; Beijing tightens COVID curbs
Some of Shanghai's 25 million people managed to get out on Tuesday for short walks and shopping after enduring more than a month under a COVID-19 lockdown, while China's capital, Beijing, focused on mass tests and said it would keep schools closed. Beijing is desperate to prevent an outbreak now numbering in the dozens of new cases a day from spiralling into a crisis like the one in Shanghai.
Most people in the financial hub of Shanghai are still unable to leave their homes after more than a month of confinement
3rd May 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd May 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina's hotels brace for May holiday bust as COVID lockdowns weigh
For the Fengxi Inn guest house, China's annual May Day holiday is usually a sell-out period, with guests booking out its rooms weeks in advance due to its location nestled in the green lush hills of the country's southwestern Guizhou region. But it is expecting much fewer visitors this year for the upcoming holiday, even after slashing room rates and blasting promotions on social media, as China fights its largest outbreak since the virus emerged in Wuhan in late 2019 with lockdowns and curbs on movement.
30th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai factories scramble to reopen as COVID lockdown lingers
Companies reopening factories in locked-down Shanghai are booking hotel rooms to house workers and turning vacant workshops into on-site isolation facilities as authorities urge them to resume work while complying with tough COVID-19 curbs. Hundreds of companies including multinationals Tesla and 3M have reopened factories in the Chinese economic hub under local guidelines requiring them to isolate workers inside a "closed-loop".
30th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullAnalysis: China struggles for options as COVID threatens economic goals
China's policymakers are struggling to find ways to ward off an economic slowdown that threatens job losses in a politically sensitive year, as COVID-19 lockdowns disrupt supply chains and jolt businesses. Beijing is sticking with an economic growth target of around 5.5% this year and plans to create more than 11 million new urban jobs, policy insiders say. However, analysts say that goal will become harder to achieve unless China eases its zero-COVID policy, which it has shown few signs of doing.
29th Apr 2022 - Reuters
COVID lockdowns upset the rice bowls of China's commuter workers
Analysts at Nomura estimate 46 cities are currently in full or partial lockdowns involving strict mobility restrictions on local residents, affecting the lives of 343 million people. Border towns such as Yanjiao have grown at a dizzying rate over the past decade as office workers in Beijing looked for affordable housing nearby, with hundreds of thousands crossing the Hebei-Beijing border on a daily basis before COVID. Even after the lockdown for Yanjiao residents was lifted on April 4, border checkpoints were clogged in the early hours of the morning and resentment at COVID curbs was palpable.
28th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Beijing orders schools closed in tightening of virus rules
Beijing is closing all city schools in a further tightening of COVID-19 restrictions, as China’s capital seeks to prevent a wider outbreak. The city of 21 million has already ordered three rounds of mass testing this week, with the third coming Friday. On Thursday, the city’s Education Bureau ordered all schools to end classes from Friday and said it hadn’t determined when they would resume. It also wasn’t clear whether schools would be able to offer classes online or allow students facing crucial exams to return to class. Beijing announced 50 new cases on Thursday, two of them asymptomatic, bringing its total in the latest wave of infections to around 150. Students make up more than 30% of total cases, with clusters linked to six schools and two kindergartens in Chaoyang.
28th Apr 2022 - The Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Is China's Shanghai lockdown an overreaction?
Shanghai, the most populous city in China, has been under lockdown for the past month as it pursues a 'zero-COVID' strategy for eradicating the virus. The country's approach aims to cut transmission as soon as possible, using stringent measures such as short and targeted shutdowns and quick testing schemes where cases are found. Despite this, cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant have risen in Shanghai and other cities over the past month.
27th Apr 2022 - Sky News
Beijing presses on with mass COVID testing as locked-down Shanghai seethes
Millions of people in Beijing took their second COVID-19 tests of the week on Wednesday as the Chinese capital tried to keep an outbreak numbering in the dozens from spiralling into a crisis like the one the locked-down city of Shanghai is enduring. Evidence that Shanghai's month-long isolation has become almost unbearable for many of the city's 25 million people is emerging on an almost daily basis on the country's heavily censored internet.
27th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai seeks ‘societal zero COVID’ with rounds of testing
Shanghai city authorities said Wednesday they will start rounds of COVID-19 testing over the next few days to determine which neighborhoods can safely be allowed a limited amount of freedom of movement, as residents in Beijing watch carefully on word for whether the capital city will lock down. On Wednesday, China reported 14,222 new cases, the vast majority of which were asymptomatic. The country is battling its largest outbreak since the pandemic was first reported in Wuhan in late December 2019. Shanghai’s vice head of its health committee, Zhao Dandan, announced Wednesday that the city would begin another round of testing for city residents over the next few days to determine which districts were lower risk.
27th Apr 2022 - The Associated Press
Satellite Data Show Extent of China's Crippling Lockdowns
Chinese port activity fell below levels seen during the first coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and construction has plummeted, satellite data show, suggesting official economic figures will likely worsen as Covid lockdowns spread. Satellite images are becoming an important real-time data tool to measure the impact of China’s worst coronavirus outbreak since 2020. Official numbers are released only monthly, and are increasingly coming under scrutiny as Beijing sticks to its ambitious growth target of about 5.5% even though its Covid Zero approach has forced major hubs like Shanghai to shut down. New York-based SpaceKnow, which tracks activity at more than 1,300 factories from space, said manufacturing output remained strong through the lockdowns in March and early April, although inventories are building up. That’s likely a sign of logistical snarls as coronavirus restrictions cause major disruptions and shortages of trucks able to move goods to ports and around the country.
26th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Fed up with COVID lockdown, bankers, fund managers looking to leave Shanghai
Finance sector professionals in Shanghai are preparing to move back to Hong Kong and other offshore centres after spending only a few years in the Chinese city as a harsh COVID-19 lockdown has hurt their business prospects and upended daily lives. Thousands of bankers, traders and investors in the financial hub of the world's second-largest economy have found themselves confined to their homes, with some even struggling to secure food and other essentials for their families.
26th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullFed up with COVID lockdown, bankers, fund managers looking to leave Shanghai
Finance sector professionals in Shanghai are preparing to move back to Hong Kong and other offshore centres after spending only a few years in the Chinese city as a harsh COVID-19 lockdown has hurt their business prospects and upended daily lives. Thousands of bankers, traders and investors in the financial hub of the world's second-largest economy have found themselves confined to their homes, with some even struggling to secure food and other essentials for their families.
26th Apr 2022 - Reuters
China's Covid Crisis Threatens Global Supply Chain Chaos for Summer 2022
China’s stringent rules to curb Covid-19 are about to unleash another wave of summer chaos on supply chains between Asia, the U.S. and Europe. Beijing’s zero-tolerance approach amid an escalating virus outbreak brings the pandemic full circle, more than two years after its emergence in Wuhan upended the global economy. Shipping congestion at Chinese ports, combined with Russia’s war in Ukraine, risks a one-two punch that threatens to derail the recovery, already buffeted by inflation pressures and headwinds to growth. Even if the virus is reined in, the disruptions will ripple globally — and extend through the year — as bunched-up cargo vessels start sailing again.
26th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Covid Lockdowns Show Xi Jinping Puts Ideology Before China's Economy
China’s worst equity selloff since early 2020 reflects a growing concern about President Xi Jinping: He can’t afford the political costs of shifting from a Covid Zero strategy that is pummeling the economy. In Shanghai, a weekslong Covid-19 lockdown got even worse, with workers in hazmat suits fanning out over the weekend to install steel fences around buildings with positive cases. In Beijing, the process is just getting started, as authorities on Monday began shutting down a bustling district in the capital to quash fresh outbreaks and ordered mandatory testing elsewhere. The threat of paralyzing China’s two largest and wealthiest cities with a strategy abandoned by most countries helped push the CSI 300 down 4.9%, the gauge’s steepest one-day drop since the first such lockdown in Wuhan two years ago.
26th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai erects metal barriers in fight against COVID-19
Volunteers and low-level government workers in Shanghai have erected metal barriers in multiple districts to block off small streets and entrances to apartment complexes, as China hardens its strict “zero-COVID” approach in the metropolis. In the city's financial district, Pudong, the barriers — either thin metal sheets or mesh fences — were put up in several neighborhoods under a local government directive, according to Caixin, a Chinese business media outlet. Buildings where positive cases have been found sealed up their main entrances, with a small opening for pandemic prevention workers to pass through. China reported 21,796 new community-transmitted COVID-19 infections on Sunday, with the vast majority being asymptomatic cases in Shanghai. Across the country, many cities and provinces have enforced some version of a lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
25th Apr 2022 - The Independent
Shanghai's COVID lockdown drags into 4th week, fears flicker Beijing could be next
Shanghai fences up COVID-hit areas, fuelling fresh outcry By Investing.com UKShanghai further tightens Covid restrictions after weeks of strict lockdownThe GuardianNerves Fray, Frustration Grows in Shanghai's Lockdown PurgatoryU.S. News & World ReportNerves fray, frustration grows in Shanghai's COVID-19 lockdown purgatoryCNAView Full coverage on Google News
25th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai's Covid Experience May Affect How the Rest of China Sees the Pandemic
In recent days, the censorship machine within WeChat has come out. Last weekend, its biggest guns were aimed at a short six-minute clip called the “Voices of April.” It was a simple video showing the city skyline, with audio snippets of officials’ comments at press conferences and residents’ pleas for help. It seems to have touched on a sore subject: the overstretched Shanghai public health system. However, it was not something so sensational it deserved instantaneous censorship. When my friends tried to circumvent WeChat’s censor and share the video via various cloud services, their links were quickly blocked. By Saturday afternoon, people became so frustrated they started posting the song “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Miserables. That got censored, too.
But the word was out. And it matters that it is out in Shanghai. The city is not Xian, or northeastern Jilin province where local governments could just bury discontent. Shanghai is China’s commercial and cultural hub; its 25 million residents include native Shanghainese and more than 10 million from all over China. These are constantly in touch with their hometowns.
25th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
What Shanghai Is Going Through Is News to Many in the Rest of China
For weeks, Shanghai has made international headlines as a Covid-19 outbreak has forced the city’s 25 million residents to lock down in their homes, many in severe distress over how to get food and medical care. Yet in the rest of China, it is easy to get the impression that nothing out of the ordinary is going on in Shanghai. If viewed through the lens of state media, Shanghai authorities are delivering food packages and ensuring everyone’s well-being with few glitches. There is little in authorities’ statements to signal a crisis. Official narratives have framed Shanghai residents’ resilience and resourcefulness in securing essentials—often through grass roots efforts like group-buying and bartering—as examples of positive energy.
25th Apr 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Effect of nations' COVID restrictions on mental health varied by type, group
An international team led by a Simon Fraser University researcher in Canada assessed the stringency of daily public health policies using the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and psychological distress and life evaluations using the Imperial College London-YouGov COVID 19 Behaviour Tracker Global Survey. Respondents from 15 countries were tracked from Apr 27, 2020, to Jun 28, 2021, when most participants weren't fully vaccinated. They completed the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) and the single-question Cantril Ladder every 2 weeks. Included countries were Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The researchers also studied a subset of the Nordic countries, with Sweden following a mitigation strategy, and Denmark, Finland, and Norway adopting an elimination approach. Australia, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea pursued a COVID-elimination strategy, while the remainder took a mitigation approach.
22nd Apr 2022 - CIDRAP
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullRise in Hong Kong suicides during Covid should spark action
In late February, the number of suicides in Hong Kong began to rise; at the peak on March 23, four people committed suicide every day on a seven-day rolling average basis. Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, director of the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, noted that if the trend continued, the number of suicide cases this year could hit 1,400, exceeding the historical peak during the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic 19 years ago when 1,264 people, or 18.8 per 100,000 people, took their own lives. A government survey in 2010-13 estimated that one in seven Hongkongers aged 16 to 75 suffers from anxiety, depression or other mood disorders. Ageing can also have a negative impact on mental health.
23rd Apr 2022 - South China Morning Post
Thailand ends mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors
Visitors to Thailand who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer need to undergo any test or quarantine on arrival starting May 1, a measure the authorities hope will help rejuvenate the country’s lucrative tourism industry. “Many countries have already eased their restrictions,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Friday. “We are a country that relies on the tourism industry, especially during these times. This will help move the economy forward.” Under the new rules announced by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, unvaccinated travelers will still have to provide proof of negative results from a RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival. All visitors still must register with an online “Thailand Pass” system and provide proof of health insurance with coverage of at least $10,000 for COVID-19 treatment.
22nd Apr 2022 - The Associated Press
Shanghai lockdown takes heavy toll on young families
Residents trying to juggle work and taking care of preschoolers are among the hardest hit by the prolonged restrictions. Many say their biggest worry is the quarantine rules which have led to parents being separated from their children
22nd Apr 2022 - South China Morning Post
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullA prolonged China slowdown raises risks for global economy, IMF chief says
A prolonged slowdown in China would have substantial global spillovers, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday, but added that Beijing has room to adjust policy to provide support. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for China this year to 4.4%, well below Beijing's target of around 5.5%, on the risks of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns and supply chain disruptions. In a video speech to the annual Boao Forum for Asia, Georgieva said China's actions to counter its economic slowdown are vital for the global recovery.
21st Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai to keep COVID curbs as infections outside quarantine rise again
Shanghai urges cooperation with COVID tests amid rising scepticism By ReutersInvesting.comShanghai turns residences into COVID isolation facilities, sparking protest By ReutersInvesting.com UKUPDATE 2-Shanghai hopes COVID tide turning, with fewer cases outside quarantine areasYahoo FinanceShanghai reports rise in Covid-19 deaths for April 20Daily MaverickView Full coverage on Google News
21st Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullIn Shanghai lockdown, Carrefour staff sleeps at store to keep residents supplied
To prepare the 3,000-plus orders of vegetables, meat and essentials her Carrefour supermarket sends out every day to locked-in Shanghai residents, manager Zhang Wei wakes at 5 a.m. after a night in a sleeping bag on her office floor. Zhang and 43 colleagues have been hunkered down inside the store in Shanghai's western Xujing suburb since April 1, isolated from the outside world while working long days to fill online orders from neighbouring housing compounds. Her Carrefour branch is one of more than 1,000 grocery stores open during Shanghai's lockdown, albeit under stringent requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The city government is trying to increase the number of stores open.
20th Apr 2022 - Reuters
For China investors, COVID lockdowns are the clear and present danger
Prolonged lockdowns in Shanghai, as China doubles down on its zero-COVID policy, have become the predominant risk to its economy and markets, forcing money managers to cut holdings or turn defensive on stocks. Global fund managers such as Pictet Wealth Management and Principal Global Investors and China-focused managers such as MegaTrust Investment and Water Wisdom Asset Management point to the worrying toll that weeks of tough anti-virus measures in many major cities have taken on people and businesses.
20th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullFear, paranoia, anger – this is life under China’s zero-Covid strategy
When cases grew in Shanghai, I was hopeful. I thought there would be no way Shanghai would be like Jilin and Changshun, smaller cities that had recently locked down millions of people to contain Covid outbreaks. I assumed that the government would finally have to relax its kneejerk “zero Covid” approach. I could not have been more wrong. Restrictions throughout China have become more draconian.
We call this the Shanghai effect. After 24 million people became locked down here, everything was amped up elsewhere too. I live in a smaller city near Shanghai, and life has changed significantly in the last few months, our movements increasingly restricted. Some factories in Shanghai are beginning to reopen, but it seems that other restrictions will remain until cases fall further.
19th Apr 2022 - The Guardian
Shanghai urges cooperation with COVID tests amid rising scepticism
The Chinese city of Shanghai on Tuesday pleaded for public cooperation with a massive new push to test most of the population for COVID-19 as it tries to bring community transmission down to zero after nearly three weeks of lockdown. The plea came as some people refused to join PCR testing queues out of weariness after weeks of such requirements, or fear it puts them at greater risk of infection.
Residents shared stories on social media about busloads of people being taken from their homes and sent into quarantine, including babies and the elderly.
19th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Shanghai firefighters use drones to deliver medicine to people in lockdown
Amid a lockdown in China's most populous city, firefighters have used drones to deliver medicines to people in contactless fashion. Around 25,000 new cases were reported in the city on Monday.
13th Apr 2022 - Sky News
Analysis: China's widening COVID curbs threaten global supply chain paralysis
China's race to stop the spread of COVID-19 is clogging highways and ports, stranding workers and shutting countless factories - disruptions that are rippling through global supply chains for goods ranging from electric vehicles to iPhones.
While some factory owners try to tough it out through "closed loop" management that keeps workers isolated inside, some said that is becoming harder to sustain given the extent of local COVID-19 curbs aimed at heading off the Omicron variant, complicating efforts to procure materials or ship products.
13th Apr 2022 - Reuters
More Taiwan firms suspend production in China as COVID spreads
More than 30 Taiwan companies, many making electronics parts, said on Wednesday that government COVID-19 control measures in eastern China had led them to suspend production until at least next week, as disruption from the measures spreads. China has put Shanghai under a tight lockdown since late March and neighbouring Kunshan has also tightened curbs to control the country's biggest COVID-19 outbreak since the coronavirus was discovered in late 2019 in the city of Wuhan. Global companies, from mobile phone to chip makers, are highly dependent on China and Southeast Asia for production and have been diversifying their supply chains after the pandemic caused havoc.
13th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai vows punishment for COVID lockdown violators as cases hit 25000
China's commercial capital, Shanghai, warned on Wednesday that anyone who violates COVID-19 lockdown rules will be dealt with strictly, while also rallying citizens to defend their city as its tally of new cases rebounded to more than 25,000. The city police department spelled out the restrictions that most of the 25 million residents are facing and called on them to "fight the epidemic with one heart ... and work together for an early victory". "Those who violate the provisions of this notice will be dealt with in strict accordance with the law by public security organs ... If it constitutes a crime, they will be investigated according to law," the department said in a statement.
13th Apr 2022 - Reuters
China Is Said to Let Some Cities Like Shanghai, Guangzhou Shorten Quarantines
China is allowing Shanghai, Guangzhou and six other cities to shorten quarantines for overseas travelers and those who’ve had close contact with infected individuals as authorities test potential tweaks to the country’s rigorous Covid measures, according to people familiar with the matter. The cities are reducing the period to 10 days from 14 days as part of a trial that began on Monday this week and will run for a month, the people said, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly. Apartment complexes, retail outlets, office buildings and other locations locked down because of infections will also be allowed to open after 10 consecutive days without a positive test result, shortened from the 14 days previously required, they said.
13th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullU.S. orders some personnel to leave Shanghai consulate amid COVID surge
The U.S. State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency U.S. government workers to leave the consulate in Shanghai due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and China's measures to control the virus. On Friday, the State Department announced that non-emergency personnel could voluntarily leave the consulate. It is not clear why the departure of those workers has become mandatory.
12th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai patients crowdsource medical help during COVID lockdown
Shanghai residents have turned online for grassroots help on medical treatment as the city's tough COVID-19 curbs limit access to healthcare and fuel frustration and anxiety. While the city of 25 million has used lockdowns and extensive testing to fight the disease, those suffering from other medical conditions are posting requests for help in mutual-help platforms and social media chat groups. One woman said she sought help online as her worry grew over the risk of infection to her paralysed mother from a urinary catheter used for about a month.
12th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina’s Latest Covid-19 Lockdowns Begin to Drag on the Economy
China’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and other industrial hubs are beginning to weigh on its economy, with auto sales slumping and consumer prices rising the fastest in three months. Car sales in China dropped 10.5% year-over-year in March to 1.58 million vehicles as measures to contain the coronavirus outbreaks halted auto factories, slowed down car shipments and kept consumers from visiting car dealerships, the China Passenger Car Association said Monday.
Separately, inflation rose by an annual 1.5% in March, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday, the fastest year-over-year gain in three months, as city lockdowns drove up consumer prices.
11th Apr 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
COVID-19: Shanghai close to 'civil unrest' as tensions build under strict lockdown regime
Shanghai feels close to a state of "civil unrest", people living there have told Sky News. One foreign resident of Puxi district, who wished to remain anonymous because of potential repercussions, said: "It's a dire situation here in Shanghai.
"I've got friends who have run out of food, their communities don't help them as they are foreigners, no information to let us know what's going on and it seems more and more panic seems to be causing breakouts of fights between the locals as everyone is starving.
11th Apr 2022 - Sky News
China Banks Allow Shanghai Mortgage Delay as Covid Outbreak Worsens
China’s largest banks are allowing residents in Shanghai to delay their mortgage payments as part of the nation’s broader efforts to support the financial hub in its Covid fight. Lenders including Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. and Bank of Communications Co. are offering Shanghai clients a payment holiday on their mortgage loans for as long as three months. China Construction Bank Corp. allowed clients to delay their payment on both mortgage and consumer loans for up to 28 days while Bank of China Ltd. said any records of overdue payment due to the pandemic will be removed.
11th Apr 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai carries more out more COVID tests as food supply frustrations rise
Shanghai carried out another round of mass COVID-19 testing on Saturday, this time testing residents at least twice in a single day, as a city official in China's financial hub acknowledged shortcomings in the handling of the outbreak. It was the fourth consecutive day of city-wide testing in Shanghai, which reported a record 23,600 new locally transmitted cases. While those case numbers are small by global standards, the city has become a test bed for the country's elimination strategy, which seeks to test, trace and centrally quarantine all positive COVID cases.
9th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai COVID measures target international flights - sources
Chinese authorities are telling foreign airlines they must have more empty seats on international flights when they arrive at Shanghai's Pudong airport, sources said on Thursday, as part of measures to prevent the importation of COVID-19 cases. Shanghai, China's financial hub and its most populous urban centre, is grappling with the country's largest COVID outbreak, locking down nearly all of its 26 million residents and massively disrupting daily life and business.
7th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai: Residents 'running out of food' in Covid lockdown
Some residents under lockdown in Shanghai say they are running out of food, amid the city's biggest-ever Covid outbreak. Residents are confined to their homes, banned from leaving for even essential reasons such as grocery shopping. Nearly 20,000 cases were reported on Thursday in China's biggest city - another near-record high. Officials have admitted the city is facing "difficulties" but say they are trying to improve this.
7th Apr 2022 - BBC News
Shanghai Residents Plead for Help Online as Daily Covid-19 Count Nears 20,000
Nearly a week into a citywide lockdown to combat a Covid-19 outbreak, many of Shanghai’s 25 million residents turned to social media for help to get food, medicine or, if they are taken away for quarantine, advice on what to do with their pets. Cases continued to rise, and neighboring provinces were preparing to take some of the overflow of Shanghai residents needing to go into quarantine. Shanghai reported nearly 20,000 new local infections Wednesday compared with a little over 17,000 the previous day, according to the city’s health commission. Over 98% of the new cases are asymptomatic, authorities said. Nationwide, the country reported almost 23,000 new cases. A top Chinese health official acknowledged that the Shanghai situation has “far exceeded what the capacity of the local medical system can handle.” In a post on his social-media account Thursday, Wu Zunyou, chief medical expert of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that in theory a megacity should be able to bring community spread under control in 10-14 days with repeated rounds of mass testing.
7th Apr 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullIn Shanghai, a long, fruitless wait for help amid COVID lockdown
Shanghai is trying to detect and centrally quarantine every COVID-positive person, plus their close contacts, among its 26 million residents. But many say local authorities are struggling to carry out that mission given the size of the city. Complaints include unclear guidance on what to do if a person tests positive, long waits to enter central quarantine centres, and crowded and unsanitary conditions for some once they get there.
6th Apr 2022 - Reuters.com
Shanghai eases child separation policy but extends COVID lockdown
Shanghai on Wednesday made concessions on an unpopular COVID isolation policy that has separated children from their parents and sparked a public outcry, but extended a citywide lockdown that has left some residents struggling to buy food. The lockdown of China's most populous city, which started in parts of Shanghai 10 days ago and has now confined nearly all of its 26 million residents at home, has massively disrupted daily life and business.
6th Apr 2022 - Reuters.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in full'This is inhumane': the cost of zero Covid in Shanghai
Jia Ruiling’s* father has been enduring severe pain since 17 March. He has late-stage stomach cancer, but his hospital refused to treat him because Jia’s neighbourhood in Shanghai was under lockdown as a result of a handful of Covid cases. “We begged the hospital to accept him again and again,” Jia said. “At some point my father was in so much pain that he wanted to take his life. What can we do? Please, help us let the central government know.” China’s strict zero-Covid policy means all positive cases have to be hospitalised. But in the last few weeks, as case numbers have risen sharply and 26 million people entered a harsh lockdown, mainland China’s most important financial hub has come to a standstill. The number of new daily positive cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time on Monday. Although 38,000 health workers have been shipped in from around China to help, medical resources are overwhelmingly diverted to combat Covid, leaving it difficult for non-Covid patients like Jia’s father to access them.
5th Apr 2022 - The Guardian
Shanghai lockdown deepens after new surge in asymptomatic COVID cases
Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended a lockdown in Shanghai to cover all of the financial centre's 26 million people, despite growing anger over quarantine rules in the city, where latest results show only 268 symptomatic daily COVID-19 cases. In a major test of China's zero-tolerance strategy to eliminate the novel coronavirus, the government widened the lockdown to eastern parts of the city and extended until further notice restrictions in western districts, which had been due to expire on Tuesday. The broader lockdown came after testing saw asymptomatic COVID-19 cases surge to more than 13,000. Symptomatic cases fell on Monday to 268, from 425 the previous day.
5th Apr 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullDrone footage shows deserted Shanghai as city remains in lockdown – video
Covid-19 cases in China’s most populous city of Shanghai have risen again as millions remain isolated at home under a sweeping lockdown. Drone footage shows the usually bustling city empty of people and traffic. Almost all 26 million residents are under some form of lockdown. Those who test positive are taken to large quarantine centres. Jane Polubotko, a 30-year-old who works for a local music tech company, was taken to the Shanghai New International Expo Center after testing positive. 'We get food three times a day, the food is OK,' she said. 'There are no showers here and we're not allowed to receive any parcels from the outside world'
4th Apr 2022 - The Guardian
Covid cases rise in Shanghai as millions remain in lockdown
Covid-19 cases in China’s largest city of Shanghai have risen again as millions remain isolated at home under a sweeping lockdown. Health officials on Sunday reported 438 confirmed cases detected over the previous 24 hours, along with 7,788 asymptomatic cases. Both figures were up slightly from the day before. Shanghai with its 26 million people last week began a two-stage lockdown, with residents of the eastern Pudong section supposed to be allowed to leave their homes Friday, while their neighbours in the western Puxi section underwent their own four-day isolation period.
4th Apr 2022 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Apr 2022
View this newsletter in full'Man-made disaster': Shanghai struggles with COVID-19 lockdown
Brad Zhang emerged from a 3-week hotel quarantine in Shanghai to find that the financial hub had ground to a halt in the midst of China's biggest COVID-19 lockdown since the pandemic began. China's commercial capital Shanghai went into a two-stage lockdown this week that split the vast city along the Huangpu river, which divides its historic center from the eastern Pudong financial district.
31st Mar 2022 - Nikkei Asia
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Apr 2022
View this newsletter in fullShanghai urges COVID lockdown patience as case numbers drop for first time in 2 weeks
Volkswagen on Thursday said it would halt work at its factory in Shanghai between April 1-5, reversing an earlier plan to maintain some of its production, as the city extends a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. The German automaker, which has a Shanghai joint venture with SAIC Motor, said it would carry out maintenance work in the factory. Volkswagen earlier in the day said it would maintain some production over the period by providing accommodations and meals at its factory for employees volunteering to work.
31st Mar 2022 - Reuters
Volkswagen suspends Shanghai production amid COVID lockdown
Volkswagen on Thursday said it would halt work at its factory in Shanghai between April 1-5, reversing an earlier plan to maintain some of its production, as the city extends a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. The German automaker, which has a Shanghai joint venture with SAIC Motor, said it would carry out maintenance work in the factory. Volkswagen earlier in the day said it would maintain some production over the period by providing accommodations and meals at its factory for employees volunteering to work.
31st Mar 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai residents rush to stock up as second stage of COVID lockdown looms
Shanghai is set to put the vast majority of its residents under COVID lockdown from Friday, as it expands curbs to include the western half of the city and extends restrictions in the east where people have already been forced to stay home since Monday. The Chinese commercial hub, home to 26 million people, is on the fourth day of a 10-day lockdown that was to cover the city in two phases, with first the east and then the west entering lockdowns of five days each. The stay-at-home measure in the financial and industrial districts in the east began on Monday and was due to lifted at 5 a.m. on Friday.
31st Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 31st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina: Panic buying in divided Shanghai under lockdown
After weeks of isolated compound lockdowns, the city of 25 million has been split into two. Earlier this week those living in Shanghai's eastern half were told to stay home, with the western half due to enter a lockdown on Friday. The move comes as the city battles a surge in Omicron Covid cases. The city has reported around 20,000 Covid-19 infections since 1 March, registering more cases in four weeks than in the previous two years of the pandemic. China's zero-Covid strategy has been increasingly challenged by the highly infectious Omicron variant.
30th Mar 2022 - BBC News
‘Pick the shelves clean’: food shortage rap helps cut through gloom of Shanghai lockdown
A rap about food shortages has become a hit in Shanghai, with the artists behind the song describing it as an attempt to “cheer up” tens of millions of residents locked down in China’s largest city amid a surging Covid outbreak and increasing restrictions. The song, Grocery Shopping, laments empty shelves and fights in the supermarket aisles, and is set to footage of residents crowding around market stalls, or lining up for PCR tests. “Set your alarm, wake up, food fight,” the lyrics say. “Order that tofu, but the sauce all gone.” The song’s release comes as Shanghai authorities expanded some lockdown measures and the city reported record daily case numbers in an outbreak city-wide frustrations.
30th Mar 2022 - The Guardian
Shanghai in lockdown: 'It's like being in a cage'
As Shanghai enters a two-stage COVID lockdown, some residents are struggling with the new restrictions. Rachel Judah has more.
30th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai expands COVID lockdown as new daily cases surge by a third
Authorities began locking down some western areas of Shanghai two days ahead of schedule, as new COVID-19 cases in China's most populous city jumped by a third despite stringent measures already in place to try to stop the virus spreading.
Home to 26 million people, China's financial hub is in the third day of a lockdown officials are imposing by dividing the city roughly along the Huangpu River, splitting the historic centre west of the river from the eastern financial and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered mass tests.
30th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullGM told workers to sleep in factory during China lockdown: report
General Motors is asking workers to sleep on the floors of its Shanghai factories to keep production going during the city's new COVID-19 lockdown, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. China, which has pursued a zero-COVID strategy throughout the pandemic, is battling several new outbreaks of COVID-19.
The city of Shanghai said Sunday it was locking down half of the city from Monday to Friday while it launched a mass COVID-19 testing drive. The other half of the city is to be locked down for the same period starting April 1. While the lockdowns last, China has told companies based in the zone to enforce a "closed-loop" arrangements, whereby workers live and work in a bubble away from the public, Reuters said.
29th Mar 2022 - Business Insider
Capital of China's Jilin province apologises for food shortages due to COVID curbs
The Chinese city of Changchun, capital of the COVID-hit northeastern province of Jilin, on Tuesday apologised to its 8.5 million residents for food shortages related to shutdowns and disruption caused by COVID containment measures. Due to COVID-19, two major wholesale food markets in Changchun have shuttered, leading to a shortfall in food supply, said the city's deputy Communist Party secretary, Liu Renyuan, a problem aggravated by a shortage of workers that has delayed deliveries to homes.
29th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Shanghai tightens COVID lockdown on second day of curbs
China's most populous city tightened the first phase of a two-stage COVID-19 lockdown on Tuesday, asking some residents to stay indoors unless they are getting tested as the number of new daily cases exceeded 4,400. The financial hub of Shanghai, home to 26 million people, is in its second day of a lockdown authorities are imposing by dividing the city roughly along the Huangpu River, splitting the historic centre from the eastern financial and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered testing.
29th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong leader to review COVID restrictions in coming days
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Thursday she would review COVID restrictions in the coming days, as she understands people are increasingly impatient with rules that have isolated the international financial centre and hurt business. Restrictions, including a ban on flights from nine countries such as Britain and the United States, a quarantine of up to 14 days for people arriving in Hong Kong, a ban on face-to-face classes and the closings of gyms and most public venues, have frustrated many residents in the city of 7.4 million. Speaking at a regular COVID-19 media briefing, Lam said she would provide an update around March 20-21 rather than wait for the restrictions to expire on April 20.
17th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong leader says no plans to tighten COVID social distancing measures
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Monday there were no plans to tighten strict social distancing measures as the Chinese-ruled territory battles to contain a coronavirus surge that has submerged its health system amid soaring deaths. Lam said there was limited room to tighten further, with the global financial hub already having put in place the strictest measures since the pandemic started. Gatherings of more than two people are banned, most venues are shut - including schools - and masks are compulsory everywhere, even when exercising outdoors.
14th Mar 2022 - Reuters
China does not have a new Covid variant. Yet it's on lockdown. Why?
As the world breathes the first whiffs of normality in over two years, and cities open up with people returning to work and children to schools, China is staring at another spate of lockdowns. Beijing locked down a city of 17.5 million people on Sunday, restricting access by suspending services amid fears of another possible coronavirus outbreak. China, where the first coronavirus cases were detected in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan, has reported a total of 4,636 deaths on the mainland out of 1,15,466 confirmed cases since the pandemic started. According to Worldometer, China on Monday reported 1436 cases in 24 hours. Its numbers are low compared with some countries, but authorities say they are ready to lock down communities if one case is found.
14th Mar 2022 - India Today
Hong Kong Can't Impose Snap Lockdown Like Shenzhen, Lam Says
Hong Kong doesn’t have the infrastructure to roll out a lockdown and compulsory testing as swiftly as mainland China, according to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, whose announcement of a now-delayed city-wide test sparked chaos and confusion in the financial hub. The 17.5 million residents of the southern Chinese technology hub of Shenzhen were told on Sunday that they’d go into a week-long lockdown while three rounds of city-wide testing are conducted. In contrast, Lam said almost three weeks ago that everyone in Hong Kong -- home to 7.4 million people -- would be tested three times in March, before the plan was indefinitely postponed last week as authorities prioritize vaccinating the elderly and reducing fatalities in what’s become the world’s deadliest outbreak.
14th Mar 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong races to build isolation facilities as COVID cases surge
Hong Kong is rushing to build facilities for COVID-19 patients, with Reuters drone footage showing construction work in full swing after a temporary bridge linking the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to the Asian financial hub opened at the weekend. As a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelms Hong Kong's healthcare facilities, authorities have deployed mainland medical and construction workers, as well as building materials, to speed up efforts to contain an outbreak of the virus
9th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Hong Kong's zero-COVID fight takes mental toll on society, experts say
Hong Kong resident Yeung waited for 13 hours outside a hospital in the city's eastern district in cold, rainy weather with his 3-year-old daughter, who had a high fever, before they could be admitted for COVID-19 treatment. By the time they could enter, her fever had gone down and she didn't require medical attention.
Yet the 42-year-old utilities worker had to stay in the hospital for four nights without a bed, because he and his daughter were not allowed to leave. They were then sent to a government isolation centre for nine more days.
9th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullChina says Hong Kong must stick to "dynamic zero" COVID strategy
A top Chinese health official rallied embattled Hong Kong on Tuesday to stick with a "dynamic zero" coronavirus strategy and warned that the city's "lifeline" health system was at risk and the situation had to be turned around as soon as possible.
Hong Kong reported more than 43,100 new cases on Tuesday after the launch of an online platform for people to record infections in a surge that has seen the city suffering the most deaths globally per million people in the week to March 6, according to the Our World in Data publication. China has championed the "dynamic zero" strategy that involves stamping out infections with strict mitigation measures as opposed to the approach adopted in other places of relying on high vaccination rates and moderate mitigation like masks in an effort to "live with COVID".
8th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong retail chains ration staples to curb COVID panic buying
Two of Hong Kong's largest consumer retail chains started rationing some food and drug items on Friday to curb panic buying that has plagued the city over the past week amid fears of a citywide lockdown as COVID-19 cases soar. Health authorities reported 52,523 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and 136 deaths. This compares with about 100 infections at the start of February and a clean three-month streak of zero cases before the end of December.
6th Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong transport operators, supermarket cut services as COVID surges
Hong Kong's subway operator, bus and ferry companies, and one of its biggest supermarket chains, are cutting back services due to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak that has seen daily infections explode this year. Authorities reported a new daily record of 56,827 new infections and 144 deaths in the Chinese-ruled city on Thursday, an exponential rise from around 100 in early February and a clean three-month streak of zero cases at the end of 2021. The surge in cases and mixed messaging from government officials have triggered an exodus of people from the global financial hub, where authorities are clinging to a "dynamic zero" policy that seeks to eradicate all outbreaks.
3rd Mar 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullJapan set to extend COVID curbs as hospitals battle infections
Japan prepared on Wednesday to extend infection controls in some regions amid high numbers of hospital patients hit by the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The central government has received requests from five prefectures, including Osaka and Kyoto in western Japan, to extend measures set to expire on Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Media said 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, the capital, were expected to seek an extension of two to three weeks for the curbs, which encompass shorter business hours and limits on the sale of alcohol.
2nd Mar 2022 - Reuters
Hong Kong reports record cases; movements may be restricted
Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday said people’s movements may be restricted during mandatory testing this month of the entire population for the coronavirus, as health officials reported a record 55,353 daily infections and over a hundred deaths. Chief executive Carrie Lam said authorities are still refining the plan, but that there would be no “complete” lockdown that would prevent entry and exit from the city. “The extent of it must take into account Hong Kong’s circumstances and people’s needs,” she told reporters. Hong Kong is planning to test its more than 7 million residents as it grapples with soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases in its worst outbreak of the pandemic, linked largely to the omicron variant.
2nd Mar 2022 - The Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Mar 2022
View this newsletter in fullA closer look at Hong Kong’s latest rules on Covid-19 testing, quarantine
Changes such as registering positive results using rapid antigen tests on a government portal can help speed up confirmation of Covid-19 infections. Close contacts who are at least double vaccinated can leave quarantine earlier if they test negative using rapid antigen kits on sixth and seventh days.
28th Feb 2022 - South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s Covid-19 Regime Sparks Rush for Exit by Spooked Residents
For Charles Murton, one of Hong Kong’s tens of thousands of expatriate residents, the city’s surprise decision to shut schools next month to test its 7.4 million people for Covid-19 was the last straw. He has been drawing up plans to leave the city he immigrated to as a teenager, eyeing a move with his wife and two young children to Singapore, a perennial Hong Kong rival that continues to open its borders even as Covid-19 numbers there surge to record highs. “The virus is something that you’ve got to live with, but that doesn’t seem to be the thought process here,” said Mr. Murton, a 41-year-old logistics executive. For two years, Hong Kong largely shut out Covid-19 by at times banning travelers from certain high-risk countries, using lengthy quarantines for arrivals and social distancing, and isolating infected people and their close contacts—at the cost of effectively cutting off the global financial hub’s residents from the outside world. Now, after the Omicron variant punctured the city’s defenses, overwhelming hospitals and testing facilities, the city is tightening the screws in new and unpredictable ways to adhere to Beijing’s zero-Covid policy of stamping out the virus whenever it appears.
28th Feb 2022 - The Wall Street Journal
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong's Covid Crackdown Hits Domestic Helpers the Hardest
Hong Kong’s latest Covid containment campaign is taking its greatest toll on the hundreds of thousands of migrant women who work as live-in domestic workers in the city. Scores have been evicted or sacked after testing positive for Covid, by employers who don’t want the virus in their households, according to local rights groups. And some are facing steep fines for violating the two-person limit on gatherings -- a rule that’s upended the longstanding tradition of domestic workers meeting up with friends on their single day off.
26th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong domestic workers left homeless after being fired for contracting Covid-19
Live-in domestic workers in Hong Kong have been left homeless after they were diagnosed with Covid-19 and their employers fired them or refused their return to the residence, support groups have said. Many of the workers, who are mostly women from Indonesia and the Philippines, were also left without insurance to cover their medical bills. Hong Kong is in the midst of its worst ever outbreak with the Omicron variant infecting thousands of people a day, overwhelming hospitals and government isolation facilities.
24th Feb 2022 - The Guardian
Analysis: China steps in to steer Hong Kong's COVID crisis as risks loom
As COVID-19 rages across Hong Kong at the start of a sensitive political year for China and President Xi Jinping, Beijing is determined not to be embarrassed and undermined as it was by the often-violent protests that rocked the city in 2019.
In the past week, since Xi told the city its "overriding mission" was to control the worsening crisis, Hong Kong has stepped up anti-COVID measures, including plans for mass testing buttressed by equipment, testing vehicles and personnel from the mainland.
24th Feb 2022 - Reuters
Hong Kong rolls out vaccine passport and tighter COVID measures
Hong Kong rolls out a vaccine passport on Thursday that requires people aged 12 and above to have at least one COVID-19 vaccination and also tightened restrictions in a city that already has some of the most stringent rules in the world.
Residents will have to show their vaccine record to access venues including supermarkets, malls and restaurants. They will also have to wear masks for all outdoor exercise and will not be allowed to remove masks to eat or drink on public transport
24th Feb 2022 - Reuters
Hong Kong turns to emergency powers for China help in COVID surge
Hong Kong has invoked emergency powers so that doctors and nurses from mainland China can join its efforts to fight what it said was a “dire epidemic situation” as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the densely-populated territory. Authorities on Thursday morning reported 8,674 new cases, nearly all of them locally acquired. “Hong Kong is now facing a very dire epidemic situation, which continues to deteriorate rapidly,” the government said in explaining its need for the emergency powers. The outbreak is expected to “continue to escalate exponentially and go beyond the epidemic control capacity” of the territory’s administration, meaning “Hong Kong’s healthcare system, manpower, anti-epidemic facilities and resources, etc will soon be insufficient to handle the huge number of newly confirmed cases detected every day”. The Chinese territory is one of the world’s most densely-populated places with many families living in tiny high-rise apartments that make it impossible for people to isolate themselves. It has been hit hard by the Omicron wave, which slipped through the defences of its stringent quarantines and contact tracing that had kept the virus at bay since the pandemic began two years ago.
24th Feb 2022 - AlJazeera
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong ramps up isolation facility plans as COVID infections climb
Hong Kong reported 6,063 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, as the the city's government made more plans for isolation facilities to take some strain off a healthcare system as infections have risen by more than 60 times since the month began. City leader Carrie Lam said on Saturday the government will build 10,000 isolation units in two new community facilities, with the help of China. Some 114 Chinese medical personnel arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday - the second batch that thas been sent from the mailand.
19th Feb 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong Exodus Forces Market Watchdog Staff Into 12-Hour Days
Now even Hong Kong’s top market regulator is warning the city’s development as an international financial center is at risk. After years of political upheaval and a deepening isolation because of Hong Kong’s zero-Covid strategy, the Securities and Futures Commission is struggling to police the city’s $6.3 trillion market. Grappling with a brain drain due to emigration and job switches, the watchdog lost 12% of its employees last year, including 25% of its junior professional staff, forcing those remaining to work 12-hour days to cover the workload, according to former employees. In a budget statement submitted this month to the city’s legislature, where it asked for approval to boost pay after a one-year salary freeze, the SFC said: “Without the appropriate number and mix of staff, the commission will not be able to deliver on the various initiatives underpinning Hong Kong’s development as an IFC.”
17th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullJapan's COVID-19 surge shows signs of peaking as curbs extended
Japan's biggest wave of COVID-19 cases to date is showing signs of peaking though authorities are extending virus curbs into next month to try to bring down the rate of hospitalisations. Top medical adviser Shigeru Omi said on Thursday that health centres would shift towards focusing on care for the elderly and those at risk of developing serious illness. "While infections are still increasing, there's a relative slowing trend among working people in their 20s and 30s," he told reporters after a health task-force meeting.
10th Feb 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullTrucker Fury Belies Reality of Canada's Ever-Looser Covid Rules
Canada’s capital is in its second week under siege from truckers and other activists demanding Covid-19 restrictions be removed, but many of those rules are already being rolled back by provincial governments. Two western provinces announced they’re ending their vaccine passports on Tuesday, and Quebec -- whose curfew was the strictest measure imposed in Canada -- laid out a schedule to remove many of its remaining Covid measures. The spread of the protests this week to U.S. border crossings like the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit has added urgency to the process. It’s also exposed an underlying irony: while the truckers are camped outside the federal parliament buildings, it’s provincial legislatures where most Covid public-health orders are made.
9th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Japan to extend COVID-19 curbs for 13 regions by three weeks
Japanese Prime Minister said on Wednesday that the government would extend COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and 12 prefectures by three weeks as the Omicron variant continued to spread. Japan has been breaking daily records for coronavirus cases and deaths amid a surge in infections driven by the Omicron variant. It will add one more prefecture to the list of regions facing quasi-emergency measures, including restrictions on the business hours of eateries, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.
9th Feb 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Feb 2022
View this newsletter in fullTop Hong Kong Adviser ‘Very Optimistic’ City Will Reopen Within Year
A top adviser to Hong Kong’s leader says he’s “very optimistic” the city will reopen to the world within the next year and that shortening Covid-19 quarantine for inbound travelers is the government’s “next objective.” “We all want to end this thing as soon as we can,” Bernard Chan, a financier and convener of Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s advisory Executive Council, said in a Bloomberg Television interview Wednesday. “I’m very hopeful as more data shows the omicron variant’s incubation period is actually much shorter, that perhaps we can aim for a shorter quarantine time,” he said. “You know, that’s probably the next objective.”
8th Feb 2022 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullHong Kong risks exodus over extended COVID isolation, Euro chamber says
HK reopening seen delayed until China rolls out mRNA vaccine. High costs include exodus of international residents. Appeal as global business hub seen fading
Firms may shift to mainland, Singapore or Seoul
26th Jan 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullOne surrendered Hong Kong hamster tests COVID positive as city lockdown grows
Hong Kong authorities said on Sunday one hamster surrendered to authorities by pet owners had tested positive for COVID-19 and that over 2,200 hamsters had been culled as the city struggled to contain an outbreak. On Tuesday, officials ordered the killing of hamsters from dozens of pet shops after tracing a coronavirus outbreak to a worker at a shop and asked people to surrender any bought on or after Dec. 22. While a handful of hamsters had already tested positive for the virus, this latest case is the first involving a hamster in the care of a pet-owner that had tested positive.
24th Jan 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullA divided nation: Western Australia stays shut as COVID deaths mount in east
Australia will remain a divided nation, with the vast mining state of Western Australia cancelling plans to reopen its borders on Feb. 5, citing health risks from a surge in the Omicron COVID-19 variant in eastern states. The country reported 86 deaths from the virus on Friday, figures from the state and territory jurisdictions that have reported so far showed, its deadliest day since the start of the pandemic. Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), reported 46 deaths of patients with COVID-19, also its worst day, including one infant, while Victoria state saw 20 deaths.
21st Jan 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Jan 2022
View this newsletter in fullSwiss cabinet extends quarantine, work-from-home rules into February
Switzerland will extend until the end of February coronavirus quarantine and mandatory work-from-home rules and tentatively plans to keep until the end of March other curbs on public life it tightened last month, the government said on Wednesday. Those measures included the need for people to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 to gain entry to many indoor venues as the cabinet tries to avoid another lockdown while COVID-19 cases spike.
19th Jan 2022 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in full'Just want to go home': China's Xian in COVID lockdown for 7th day
A lockdown of 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xian entered its seventh day on Wednesday, with many unable to leave their residential compounds and relying on deliveries of necessities as new COVID-19 infections persisted. Xian reported 151 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, or nearly all of the 152 cases nationwide, bringing the total number of local Xian cases to nearly 1,000 during the Dec. 9-28 period. No cases of the Omicron variant have been announced in the city so far.
29th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullSouth Africa recalls new isolation and quarantine rules
South Africa has recalled rules that no longer required people without symptoms of COVID-19 to isolate or test if they have been in contact with a positive case, the government announced on Tuesday, saying an amended circular will be re-issued.
Last week the health ministry said that asymptomatic individuals who had been in contact with a case of COVID-19 no longer had to isolate but should monitor for symptoms for 5-7 days and avoid attending large gatherings.
28th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullSweden New Covid Restrictions: Vaccine Pass Forms Part of Tighter Curbs
Sweden will introduce a range of new measures to curb Covid-19 transmission as hospitalizations increase and the Nordic country prepares for a surge of infections caused by the omicron variant. “We have a new virus variant and the situation has changed,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a press conference Tuesday. “We need to do what is needed and it will get tougher for a while.” From Thursday, new rules state that large events will have to require proof of vaccination for entry, restaurants may only serve seated patrons and all events with more than 20 participants will need to take some form of precaution to lower the risk of virus transmission.
21st Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Iceland Tightens Covid Curbs Amid Surge in Cases
Iceland is taking stronger measures to quell a surge in Covid-19 cases after daily infections reached a record. The North Atlantic island’s government cut the number of people allowed at gatherings to 20 from the current 50, Health Minister Wilum Thor Thorsson said on Tuesday. When rapid tests are in use, 200 people will be allowed to gather, down from the current 500. The new rules take effect at midnight.
“We are very worried,” Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir told local media after a government meeting. “Uncertainty over how effective vaccinations are against the new variant calls for the government to react.”
21st Dec 2021 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Dec 2021
View this newsletter in fullDutch COVID-19 restrictions extended through Christmas holidays
The Netherlands will extend COVID-19 restrictions through the Christmas holidays, including the early closure of schools, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is making up roughly 1% of new infections in the country, "is a reason to be concerned and to be cautious," Rutte said in a televised comments. Elementary schools will close a week early to try to prevent children from infecting older family members during Christmas as hospitals struggle with a wave of COVID-19 patients.
15th Dec 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullPhilippines Keeps Loose Virus Curbs in Capital Region
The Philippines is keeping its loose coronavirus restrictions in the Manila capital region until Nov. 30 as daily cases decline and vaccination picks up. The capital, which accounts for a third of economic output, will remain under Alert Level 2, the second-lowest under a five-tiered system, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement on Saturday. Provinces near Metro Manila will also be under the same level. Relaxed restrictions on public movement have been in placed since Nov. 5, and minors have been allowed in indoor establishments. Under Alert Level 2, indoor restaurants, gyms and cinemas can operate at half capacity, while outdoor establishments can open at 70% capacity.
13th Nov 2021 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullAustrian chancellor expects tighter COVID rules to remain past Christmas -newspaper
Austria's latest measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus will likely stay in force over Christmas and New Year, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg was quoted as saying on Sunday, as the country posted a record number of infections. The country reported 9,943 new infections within a 24 hour period on Saturday, surpassing the previous worst day of Nov. 13 2020 when 9,586 cases were recorded. To stem the virus, the government said on Friday that it will bar those not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from cafes, restaurants and hairdressers, effective Monday.
7th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Philippines' 20 month lockdown of children sparks creative playtime
For the first time in her young life, two-year-old Nathania Ysobel Alesna was playing outside her house in the Philippine capital after 20 months of being kept at home by government coronavirus restrictions. At a department store east of Manila one recent day, Nathania giddily rode a scooter and a bike as her mother, Ruth Francine Faller, looked on.
5th Nov 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Nov 2021
View this newsletter in fullUgandan kids lose hope in long school closure amid pandemic
Dressed in his school uniform, Mathias Okwako jumped into the mud and started his daily search for gold, a commodity that may be closer to his grasp than another precious asset: an education. His rural school in Uganda sits idle just across the road from the swamp where he and scores of children now work as informal miners. Weeds grow in some classrooms, where window frames have been looted for firewood. Another school nearby is renting out rooms to tenants. Uganda’s schools have been fully or partially shut for more than 77 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the longest disruption anywhere in the world, according to figures from the U.N. cultural agency.
1st Nov 2021 - The Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullSingapore extends COVID-19 curbs for a month as cases spike
Singapore will extend its social curbs to contain the spread of COVID-19 for around a month in order to ease the pressure on the healthcare system, the government said on Wednesday. The city-state in late September reimposed curbs that include limiting social interactions and dining out to two people in order to slow virus transmission. However, daily cases have continued to rise and hit a record 3,994 on Tuesday. While Singapore has vaccinated more than 80% of its 5.45 million population, asymptomatic or mild cases have been rising steadily, spreading the virus and mounting pressure on hospitals and medical staff.
20th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand extends Auckland lockdown in battle on Delta variant
New Zealand's biggest city of Auckland will retain its lockdown for two more weeks in the battle on the Delta variant of coronavirus, as the country pushes to step up vaccinations, Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
18th Oct 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullKingdom 'ready' for reopening
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday urged the public, businesses and government to cooperate in preparing for the country's reopening to fully vaccinated tourists next month. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has also eased additional virus curbs, including shortening nighttime curfew hours starting on Saturday
16th Oct 2021 - Bangkok Post
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Oct 2021
View this newsletter in fullJapan's Takeda says 'human error' caused contamination of Moderna vaccines
Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd said on Friday that "human error" caused metal contaminants to get into Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccine doses, leading to a recall. Takeda, which imports and distributes the vaccine in Japan, and Moderna said in a new report that a Spanish manufacturer discovered contaminants in some vials in July, but supplies from the same production were allowed to be shipped to Japan. Japanese authorities in August suspended the use of three batches of Moderna shots containing 1.63 million doses after being notified of the contamination.
1st Oct 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullWomen followed lockdown rules more closely than men, study shows
The first Covid lockdown showed that women followed rules more closely than men, according to a new study which branded the restrictions a ‘live social experiment’.
Researchers looking at 15% of the Austrian population’s behaviour said that everyone tended to make significantly longer phone calls during the crisis. Men were found to be less likely to accept having their movements restricted by lockdown measures and tended to return to normal more quickly, along with younger people. Scientists looked at anonymised mobile phone data from 1.2 million Austrians between February and June 2020, to study the impact of the first lockdown on behaviour in the central European country.
29th Sep 2021 - Metro
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullVietnam delays reopening resort island over low vaccination rate
Vietnam has pushed back a plan to re-open the resort island of Phu Quoc to foreign tourists until November, after failing to meet targets for inoculating residents due to insufficient vaccine supplies, state media reported. The Southeast Asian nation, which is currently shut to all visitors apart from returning citizens and investors, has been struggling to speed up inoculations to help contain a spike in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant in recent months.
24th Sep 2021 - Reuters
‘It breaks my heart’: Australian parents say mental health strain on their children is worsening
New analysis from the Australian National University published on Friday shows like Amy, many parents or caregivers are struggling to find support for their children. In August, the university surveyed 3,135 Australians age 18 and older, 763 of whom were parents or caregivers with children age 18 and under living in their household from the time the pandemic hit. The sample had 1,368 children between them.
Parents and carers were asked about the mental health of their children, and reported they had seen the largest negative impact on the mental health of those aged five to 18 years, while there were fewer concerns for children aged two to four. Co-author of the study, Prof. Nicholas Biddle, said 71% of parents and carers of young people aged 15 to 18 reported worsening mental health conditions for their children.
23rd Sep 2021 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullUkraine tightens coronavirus lockdown curbs
Ukraine tightened coronavirus lockdown curbs on Thursday, restricting large events and occupancy at gyms, cinemas and cultural sites, after a recent steady increase in new infections. Ukraine imposed a nationwide "yellow" code after cases dropped over the summer, allowing it to lift lockdown restrictions. This week, however, the government extended a state of emergency that allows authorities to impose curbs until year-end to rein in infections. The health ministry has said it plans compulsory coronavirus vaccinations for those in occupations such as teaching and employment in state institutions and local governments.
23rd Sep 2021 - Thomson Reuters Foundation
Australians find silver lining in lockdowns as wealth booms
Australians are finding a silver lining to lockdowns as super-cheap credit lifts the value of homes and shares to record highs, a windfall of wealth that gives consumers the means to spend big once restrictions ease. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics out on Thursday showed net household wealth surged A$735 billion ($531.48 billion) in the June quarter to A$13.3 trillion, or A$522,032 for every man, woman and child. "Aussie households have never been wealthier," said Ryan Felsman, a senior economist at CommSec.
23rd Sep 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand says it may not get to zero COVID-19 cases again
Its biggest city Auckland is still in lockdown with a small number of new cases being reported everyday. "We may not get back to zero but the important thing is we are going to keep finding any infections and basically continue to contact trace, test and isolate people so that we stop the virus circulating in the community... that's the aim," Ashley Bloomfield, the director general of health told Radio New Zealand. Bloomfield said the aim now was to try and get on top of the outbreak while also ramping up vaccination rates.
22nd Sep 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullChina keeps virus at bay at high cost ahead of Olympics
The Beizhong International Travel Agency in the eastern city of Tianjin has had only one customer since coronavirus outbreaks that began in July prompted Chinese leaders to renew city lockdowns and travel controls. Most of China is virus-free, but the abrupt, severe response to outbreaks has left would-be tourists jittery about traveling to places they might be barred from leaving. That has hit consumer spending, hindering efforts to keep the economic recovery on track. China’s “zero tolerance” strategy of trying to isolate every case and stop transmission has helped keep the country where the virus first was detected in late 2019 largely free of disease. But the public and businesses are paying a steep price.
21st Sep 2021 - The Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand, Australia travel bubble suspended for longer amid Delta outbreaks
New Zealand suspended quarantine-free travel with Australia for a further 8 weeks on Friday, extending a halt in the so-called travel bubble between both countries, as they deal with fresh outbreaks of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
17th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullNew Zealand PM Ardern extends lockdown in Auckland to Sept 21
New Zealand's largest city Auckland will remain in lockdown to beat the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.
13th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Vietnam's biggest city to keep virus curbs, flight resumption sought
Vietnam's coronavirus outbreak epicentre Ho Chi Minh City will extend its restrictions, state media reported on Monday, as the capital Hanoi and several provinces sought an easing of curbs and the aviation authority proposed domestic flights resume.
13th Sep 2021 - Reuters
New Zealand keeps Auckland in strict lockdown to beat Delta
New Zealand extended a strict lockdown in its largest city on Monday, requiring 1.7 million people living in Auckland to remain indoors for at least another week to snuff out small outbreaks of the highly infectious Delta variant of coronavirus. Health authorities recorded 33 new cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 on Monday, all in Auckland, which was higher than 23 and 20 cases reported over the weekend.
13th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullAuckland COVID cases drop again as New Zealand presses on with Delta curbs
New Zealand reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, all in locked down Auckland, its biggest city, as the country looks to limit the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.
10th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullPhilippines defers new COVID-19 plan, maintains capital curbs
The Philippines capital region will remain under the second strictest coronavirus containment measures, a senior official said on Tuesday, despite a day earlier announcing a relaxation of curbs to spur business activity. Imposition of the more relaxed "general community quarantine" in Metro Manila has been deferred, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said, without giving a reason.
7th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Sep 2021
View this newsletter in fullVietnam's capital ramps up testing after extending COVID-19 curbs
Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, extended COVID-19 restrictions on Monday for a further two weeks, as authorities launched a plan to conduct tests on the city's 8 million people to try to curb a climb in infections that started in late April. The Southeast Asian country dealt successfully with the virus for much of the pandemic, but the virulent Delta variant has proved more challenging in recent months.
6th Sep 2021 - Reuters
Covid-19: India school closures 'catastrophic' for poor students
The prolonged closure of schools in India has led to "catastrophic consequences" for poor children, according to a recent survey. Only 8% of the children sampled were studying online regularly and 37% were not studying at all, the survey found.
Primary and upper-primary schools in India have been closed for 17 month to curb the spread of coronavirus. The survey, supervised by leading economists, spoke to 1,400 children across India in August. Researchers focused on households in relatively deprived villages and slums, where children generally attend government-run schools.
6th Sep 2021 - BBC News
Philippines plans new COVID-19 lockdown strategy to help economy
The Philippines will relax some COVID-19 restrictions in the Manila region from Wednesday and also intends to outline plans to shift to smaller, localised lockdowns to support the economy, the presidential spokesperson said. The moves come despite the Southeast Asian country reporting record infection numbers as it battles the Delta variant. The government believed localised COVID-19 restrictions would be more effective in controlling outbreaks without constraining mobility and business activity too much, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told a briefing.
6th Sep 2021 - Thomson Reuters Foundation
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: New ad campaign urges people to keep staying at home despite coronavirus transmission rates declining
An advertising blitz has been launched to encourage people to keep staying at home until COVID-19 restrictions can be lifted. The campaign also urges them to continue with mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing. And it appeals to people to understand the importance of remaining in lockdown, despite declining coronavirus transmission rates, the success of the vaccine rollout and the launch of the roadmap out of lockdown.
25th Feb 2021 - Sky News
Covid-19: Adverts urge people to 'keep going' and remain at home
An advertising campaign has been launched to encourage people across the UK to "keep going" and remain at home. The government adverts come amid falling infection rates, the success of the vaccine rollout and the launch of the roadmap out of lockdown. People are also being urged to continue behavioural changes, including social distancing, hand washing and wearing face masks. The TV advert is being shown for the first time on Wednesday night on ITV.
25th Feb 2021 - BBC News
Coronavirus in Austria: Viennese cafés open their doors to students despite lockdown
Only a little jazz tune disturbs the studious atmosphere. In a downtown café, young Viennese residents enjoy the calm, space and comfort of the red benches, escaping from the closed doors to which the Covid-19 lockdown is forcing them. The city has launched an initiative to allow students to reserve time slots to study at cafes. Drinks are not allowed, but bottled water, small snacks and internet access are available.
25th Feb 2021 - FRANCE 24
Aussie expats who've had COVID-19 jab amidst long UK lockdown: 'I feel privileged, I feel honoured'
Thousands of Australians have lined up this week as the coronavirus vaccine rollout finally commenced. But half a world away, many Australians have already rolled up their sleeves to be some of the first in the world fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In the UK almost 18 million people have been inoculated since its vaccine drive began in mid-December, which includes many Australian expats.
England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said on Wednesday the government didn't expect the vaccine uptake to be as high as it has been, though it is pushing to stay as close to the 90 per cent or higher it has already achieved in priority groups.
25th Feb 2021 - 9News
Hungary extends lockdown, sees 'exceptionally difficult' two weeks ahead as infections rise
Hungary is entering its toughest period since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and over the next two weeks hospitals will come under strain like never before, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday. "I have only bad news," Orban said in a Facebook video. "We are facing the hardest two weeks since the start of the pandemic. The number of infections is rising sharply and will continue to rise due to the new mutations." On Thursday, Hungary reported 4,385 new infections, the highest number this year.
25th Feb 2021 - Reuters on MSN.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullItaly's health minister rules out loosening of COVID-19 curbs
Italy's government will extend coronavirus restrictions already in place until after Easter, the health minister said on Wednesday, as Rome plans to speed up vaccination efforts to try to beat the pandemic. Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19, has seen its daily cases fall from a high of around 40,000 in November to under 15,000 at present, but officials fear loosening restrictions may lead to a surge in infections driven by new, highly contagious variants. "The epidemiological conditions do not allow us to relax the curbs," Health Minister Roberto Speranza told parliament, adding that strains first discovered in Britain, South Africa and Brazil are increasingly being detected in Italy.
24th Feb 2021 - Channel NewsAsia Singapore
Italian mafia tightens grip on small businesses during lockdown
The provision of Mafia “welfare” to Italy’s struggling small businesses sharply increased during the first months of the Covid-19 lockdown according to the first comprehensive report by the country’s interior ministry on organised crime since the pandemic began. The report by the anti-mafia investigation directorate (DIA) said there was a significant threat that organised criminals would take advantage of the country’s economic crisis to take over small businesses after initially providing them with assistance.
24th Feb 2021 - Financial Times
Greece to continue Athens lockdown as COVID cases rise
Greece will not be able to lift lockdown restrictions in the wider Athens area on March 1 as previously planned, following a sharp increase in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday. Athens metropolitan area, where half of Greece’s population lives, has been under strict lockdown restrictions that were set to expire on Feb. 28. On Tuesday, authorities reported 2,147 new cases, around half of them in the Attica region around Athens, and 22 deaths
24th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Britain's lockdown is one of the toughest in the world, study claims
Britons are living under the sixth strictest lockdown in the world – and the second harshest in Europe – according to an analysis by the University of Oxford. Researchers have ranked the pandemic responses of 180 countries on a 'stringency map' by looking at how Covid restrictions have affected schools, offices, social gatherings, international travel and freedom to leave home. Each country was scored on a scale of one to 100, with a higher figure indicating the most severe virus-controlling curbs. The numbers represented an average since the start of the pandemic.
23rd Feb 2021 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullPortugal's COVID-19 nightmare eases but end of lockdown still out of sight
Health experts warned that lifting the lockdown too soon could lead to a rise in cases caused by the variant initially discovered in Britain, currently responsible for almost half of the country’s cases. Another surge would be catastrophic for a fragile health system. Germany sent on Tuesday a replacement team of military doctors and nurses to take over from the first deployment sent three weeks ago to prop up Lisbon’s underresourced hospitals.
23rd Feb 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullItaly Extends Ban on Movement Between Regions Until Late March
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has extended a ban on movement between the country’s 20 regions for another month -- until late March -- as his new government tries to step up a vaccination campaign to counter the pandemic. A cabinet meeting chaired by Draghi prolonged travel curbs between regions until March 27 and maintained a 10 p.m. curfew, according to a statement. The government also introduced a ban on visits between households in the highest-risk areas.
22nd Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Residents in Chinese city vent frustration after more than 40 days in lockdown
Gaocheng, a district of the Hebei capital Shijiazhuang, went into lockdown in early January after a spike in cases. Many complain that they are still unable to leave their houses despite a fall in cases and an easing of restrictions earlier this month
22nd Feb 2021 - South China Morning Post
UK shopper numbers rise for fifth straight week despite lockdown
The number of people heading out to shops across Britain increased by 6.8% last week versus the previous week, a fifth straight week of uplift despite the national lockdown, market researcher Springboard said on Monday. It said shopper numbers, or footfall, in the week to Feb. 20 was up 10.5% in high streets, 4.5% in shopping centres and 1.2% in retail parks. “You could be fooled into thinking that last week was a normal (school) half term week rather than the eighth week of a national lockdown, as footfall continued to rise for the fifth consecutive week,” said Springboard director Diane Wehrle.
22nd Feb 2021 - Reuters
Don't ignore 'lockdown fatigue', UK watchdog tells finance bosses
Staff at financial firms in Britain are suffering from “lockdown fatigue” and their bosses are not always making sure all employees can speak up freely about their problems, the Financial Conduct Authority said on Monday. Many staff at financial companies have been working from home since Britain went into its first lockdown in March last year to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. One year on, the challenges have evolved from adapting to working remotely to dealing with mental health issues, said David Blunt, the FCA’s head of conduct specialists. “During this third lockdown, there has been a greater impact on mental well-being, with many people struggling with job security, caring responsibilities, home schooling, bereavements and lockdown fatigue.”
22nd Feb 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullToronto's lockdown extended until at least March 8
A lockdown and stay at home order is being extended in Canada's largest city until at least March 8. The shutdown in Toronto began on Nov 23 after a second novel coronavirus wave hit the province. Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said it was a difficult but necessary decision. Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's medical officer of health, asked the provincial government this week to extend the lockdown, saying she has never been more worried about the future because of new coronavirus variants.
20th Feb 2021 - Japan Today
City residents vent frustration after spending over 40 days in lockdown
Gaocheng, a district of the Hebei capital Shijiazhuang, went into lockdown in early January after a spike in cases. Many complain that they are still unable to leave their houses despite a fall in cases and an easing of restrictions earlier this month
20th Feb 2021 - South China Morning Post
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: NI lockdown extended until 1 April
Lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland will be extended until 1 April, the Stormont Executive has agreed. But children in primary 1 to primary 3 (aged four to seven) will go back to school in Northern Ireland on 8 March. Restrictions were imposed on 26 December to manage the spread of Covid-19. Health officials have said they want to avoid a possible rise in cases around St Patrick's Day on 17 March. Another review of the measures will take place on 18 March. First Minister Arlene Foster said Northern Ireland knew "from experience what looks like success is hard-won, but also fragile". "We need decisions to be safe and sustainable, with a proper sequencing of actions."
18th Feb 2021 - BBC News
COVID-19: Parents who lost teenagers to suicide in lockdown issue warning - 'there's going to be a lot of PTSD'
As authorities wrestle with how to safely reopen schools, there is evidence in the US that closures have taken a huge mental health toll on students and their families. "450,000 people and counting in the US have died of COVID, and that's a terrible thing," said Dylan's father Chris. "I'm fortunate in that I don't know any of those people. But I do know one person who committed suicide.
18th Feb 2021 - Sky News
Covid crisis: 1.9m people in UK 'have not worked for more than six months'
Almost 2 million people in Britain have not worked for more than six months during the coronavirus pandemic, amid growing risk to workers from long-term economic damage caused by the crisis. The Resolution Foundation said up to 1.9 million people in January had either been out of a job or on full furlough for more than six months, revealing the lasting impact on employment caused by Covid and multiple lockdowns. Highlighting the risks to workers from long-term unemployment, it called on the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to use next month’s budget to extend targeted support for sectors of the economy hardest hit by the crisis. The report warned that while the outlook for the economy was steadily improving thanks to the vaccination programme and as the government prepares to roll back Covid restrictions, many workers remained concerned about their job prospects.
18th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Covid: NI schools set to return but lockdown extended
Northern Ireland's lockdown restrictions will be extended until the start of April, First Minister Arlene Foster announces. But some primary school children will return to classes on 8 March under the plans and there will be another review of measures on 18 March. Covid has exposed deep inequalities and injustices in society, Labour leader Sir Keir says as he unveils a plan for a British Recovery Bond scheme
18th Feb 2021 - BBC News
Dad says Covid lockdown was behind 12-year-old son’s suicide
Brad Hunstable lost his 12-year-old son Hayden to suicide four days before his 13th birthday in April 2020. Hayden hung himself after a battle with depression that his father says was brought on by the lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Hunstable's youngest daughter Kinlee found Hayden in his room on April 17, 2020, in Aledo, west of Dallas, Texas. Mr Hunstable told Metro UK: "Covid killed my son. I think Hayden would still be alive today if Covid had never happened. "I had no idea he was struggling or depressed, he was such a happy kid and loved his friends and family. But Covid is a perfect storm for suicide and depression. I think everything just got on top of him, he felt overwhelmed and he made a tragic decision."
18th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Canada's largest city, Toronto, wants lockdown extended
Canada’s largest city asked the Ontario provincial government on Wednesday to extend a lockdown order to at least March 9. Restrictions placed on Toronto by Ontario’s government are currently scheduled to be removed on Feb 22. But Dr Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, said she has never been more worried about the future because of new coronavirus variants. She has written the province's top health official to request the lockdown last at least two weeks longer.
She said there are 345 confirmed variant cases in Toronto and said the city is facing exponential growth. She noted the experience of Germany, whose health minister said Wednesday the virus variant first detected in Britain last year now accounts for more than a fifth of all positive tests in his country, rising from 6% in just two weeks. “By the time the confirmed counts are big enough to shock us, it will be too late to do anything; we will be in a third wave as bad as anything we’ve been through thus far,” she said.
18th Feb 2021 - Japan Today
Danish supermarket to help small, shuttered businesses survive lockdown
Danish supermarket cooperative Kvickly has pledged to set aside some of its extra proceeds made while smaller retailers were shut down by coronavirus restrictions and use it for marketing to help them reopen successfully. Supermarkets, but not smaller retailers, in the Nordic country have been allowed to stay open during a lockdown introduced in December to curb the spread of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in Britain. Kvickly said it would donate its proceeds from sales of non-food items to shuttered shops for use in marketing campaigns as they reopen for business. That would amount to at least 7-10 million Danish crowns ($1.14-$1.63 million) - but more if the current coronavirus lockdown is extended beyond March 1.
18th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullFrance Covid Lockdown: Government Says Too Early to Reopen Bars, Restaurants
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal says it’s too early to re-open restaurants, bars, culture and sports venues as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths remain on a “high plateau.” “The pressure remains high,” Attal told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Paris. He said ministers were preparing the conditions to re-open these venues so as to prepare for when the situation will allow it.
17th Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
New Zealand considers Auckland lockdown extension as two more Covid cases found
A coronavirus outbreak in New Zealand grew by two cases Wednesday to five in total as lawmakers considered whether to extend a lockdown in Auckland The nation's largest city was put into a three-day lockdown on Sunday after three unexplained cases were found in the community. It was the first lockdown in six months in a nation which so far has managed to successfully stamp out the spread of the disease. The original cases from the latest outbreak were a mother, a father, and their daughter, who attends high school. Health authorities said the two new cases were a high school classmate, who was a close contact of the daughter, and the classmate's sibling. However, ramped-up testing has not indicated the virus has spread further. Laboratories processed more than 17,000 individual tests on Tuesday, authorities said, and they also tested wastewater samples which came back negative
17th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Ukraine extends COVID-19 lockdown but some regions can ease up
Ukraine will prolong a lockdown until the end of April but will allow regions with fewer COVID-19 cases to ease restrictions, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said on Wednesday. Regions will be put into green, yellow, orange and red zones depending on the scale of new infections, he told a televised cabinet meeting.
17th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in full'They're just fed up': parents and teenagers on life in the second UK lockdown
Remote education does not just mean a new system of learning, but missing out on day-to-day interactions with friends and losing the traditional structure of weekdays. While teachers work to engage students from home, there are concerns about the impact of lockdown on school attainment and social development. As many students break for half-term, teenagers and their families have spoken about how the second lockdown has affected them. ‘I’m so scared about next year and the prospect of doing formal exams’ - Remote learning has “definitely been a struggle”, said 17-year-old Aisha Qureshi. She is in her first year of A-levels, after having her GCSE exams cancelled last year.
16th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Germans ‘sick and tired’ as long lockdown hits national mood
Once Europe’s poster child in the battle against Covid-19, Germany has turned into a problem child with the pandemic threatening to spin out of control – even after two months of a strict national lockdown that has frayed nerves, eroded faith in the government and darkened the country’s mood. German leaders had to scramble on Monday to defend a controversial decision to shut its borders to the Czech Republic and parts of Austria to foreign travellers, including commuting workers, in a desperate bid to slow the spread of a highly infections coronavirus mutation from the United Kingdom.
16th Feb 2021 - South China Morning Post
Zimbabwe Extends COVID-19 Lockdown As Nation Receives 200,000 Doses of China's Sinopharm Vaccine
Every life lost, is a big loss to us. I therefore extend the national lockdown by two weeks. This will see the reduction of active cases and monitoring of cases in incubation."
16th Feb 2021 - Zimbabwe
Covid 19 coronavirus: Fears for south Aucklanders' mental health amid third lockdown
South Aucklanders already struggling to feed their families could be hit hard by the stresses of a third Covid-19 lockdown, a prominent Māori leader says. Manukau Urban Maori Authority (MUMA) chairman Bernie O'Donnell said since the first lockdown in 2020, the organisation has been busy helping families in south Auckland via its food bank and social services. O'Donnell, who is also a member of the Auckland District Health Board, said most people have been focused on feeding their families and putting a roof over their heads.
"But it's the issues we don't see, like how our psyches are impacted by this," he said.
16th Feb 2021 - New Zealand Herald
No new virus cases raise hopes New Zealand will end lockdown
For a second consecutive day, New Zealand reported no new community cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, raising hopes that a lockdown in Auckland will be lifted Wednesday. Just how three family members contracted the disease remains a mystery. After the cases were found, top lawmakers hurriedly placed New Zealand’s largest city into a three-day lockdown, the nation's first in six months. COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the final decision by lawmakers on whether to lift the restrictions will depend on any new information or cases that crop up over the next 24 hours. “A day when we get zero positive test results is always a good day,” Hipkins said.
16th Feb 2021 - ABC News
‘No choice’: Hunger forces Zimbabweans break COVID lockdown rules
John Kwarabu, 36, knew he would be forced to stay at home when Zimbabwe’s authorities announced a 30-day coronavirus lockdown early last month. His job, hawking mobile phone appliances in the central business district of the capital, Harare, did not fall under essential service providers, the only population segment exempted from restrictions barring movement. With the curbs set to take effect on January 5, Kwarabu decided to head to his rural home in Hwedza, some 130km (81 miles) from Harare, to plant food crops for two weeks. His stay, however, was cut short when his wife called him after a week, telling him that food had already run out for herself and their three children. “I had no choice. I couldn’t let my family starve,” said Kwarabu, sitting on the concrete slab in front of a building in the capital. Following his return, he has been risking arrest and fines as he boards a bus from Tafara – a sprawling suburb north of Harare – without a permit to head to the city centre and try to earn a living. On good days, he manages to sell a few items – USB cables, chargers and power banks – from the stock he had before the lockdown was imposed and buys food for his family.
16th Feb 2021 - Al Jazeera English
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullLandlords evicting hundreds during lockdown with government’s new ‘eviction ban’ loopholes
Hundreds of renters have been thrown out of their homes in the middle of lockdown after the government caved in to landlord lobbying and introduced loopholes to its eviction ban. New figures show eviction attempts by landlords doubled during the winter coronavirus lockdown, while more than 500 households were forced out by county court bailiffs. The government promised in March that nobody would be made homeless because they had lost their income due to coronavirus, and put a blanket ban on evictions.
15th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Despite tough facade, North Korea's battle with COVID-19 continues
North Korea started off the year on a strong note by holding a large military parade as well as reaffirming the country’s commitment to self-reliance. But behind the tough façade, the country is still trying to contain the spread of COVID-19 within its borders. The pandemic has not gone away for the rest of the world, and North Korea is no exception. North Korea was one of the first countries in the world to take the pandemic very seriously; closing off its borders back in January of 2020. Given that the virus had originated just across its borders in China, the North Korean government wasted no time in implementing drastic security measures. Although this prevented an uncontrollable spread of the virus within the country, the negative economic impact has been immense, and—contrary to official statements—North Korean citizens do seem to have been infected with the virus throughout the course of the pandemi
15th Feb 2021 - DailyNK
Too soon to say when Victoria will end snap Covid lockdown, Daniel Andrews says
Daniel Andrews says it is too early to say whether Victoria will emerge from its “circuit breaker” lockdown as planned on Wednesday, despite recording only one new locally acquired case of Covid-19 on Monday. At the midpoint of the state’s five-day lockdown, and with health officials confident that close contacts of 17 coronavirus cases linked to the Holiday Inn hotel quarantine outbreak have been identified, the premier said a decision on easing restrictions had not been made.
Victoria recorded one new locally acquired case in the past 24 hours, a woman who attended a private function of 30 people in Coburg on 6 February that has been linked to other infections.
15th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
Australian officials say too early to make call on ending Victoria lockdown
The leader of Australia’s Victoria state said on Monday it was too early to say if a snap five-day coronavirus lockdown would end as planned on Wednesday evening, as authorities confirmed a national vaccine rollout was on track to begin next week.
Victoria, the second most populous state in the country, reported just one new COVID-19 infection on Monday, taking the total cases in a recent cluster linked to a quarantine hotel to 17 people. The most recent case is the mother of a three-year-old child who tested positive a day earlier.
15th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Fed-up Britons returning to shops despite lockdown and 'Beast from the East'
The number of people heading out to shops across Britain increased by 1.5% last week from the previous week, a fourth straight week of rises, indicating that Britons are increasingly tiring of lockdown, industry data showed on Monday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England into a new national lockdown on Jan. 4 to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases that threatened to overwhelm parts of the health system.
Under the rules in England, schools are closed to most pupils, people should work from home if possible, and all hospitality and non-essential shops are closed. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have imposed similar measures.
15th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Locked down and lonely, London Zoo faces fight to survive
London Zoo should be teeming with children released from school by half-term holidays. But instead, the monkeys’ pranks are unobserved, King Cobra is coiled friendless in the reptile house and the future of the world’s oldest scientific zoo is in peril. As the menagerie in Regent’s Park, central London, nurses a multi-million-pound hole in its budget and lockdown keeps visitors away, even during school holidays, the keepers are sad and anxious. “Lockdown here has been really surreal - like with no visitors here, it’s been a really sad time for the zoo,” Kate Sanders, big cats team leader at the zoo, told Reuters.
15th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Despair Deepens for Young People as Pandemic Drags On
Life seemed promising last year to Philaé Lachaux, a 22-year-old business student in France who dreamed of striking out on her own in the live music industry. But the onset of the pandemic, leading to the loss of her part-time job as a waitress, sent her back to live at her family home. Now, struggling to envision a future after months of restrictions, Ms. Lachaux says that loneliness and despair seep in at night. “I look at the ceiling, I feel a lump in my throat,” she said. “I’ve never had so many suicidal thoughts.” “The pandemic feels like a big stop in our lives,” she added. “One that puts us so low that I wonder, ‘What’s the point?’”
14th Feb 2021 - The New York Times
Germany says pandemic border checks are only temporary
Intensified checks at Germany’s borders meant to slow the spread of the pandemic are only temporary and a last resort, a German government spokesman said on Monday. “A return to normal is in the interest of everyone involved,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told a regular news conference.
14th Feb 2021 - Financial Post
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany to close borders to Czech Republic and parts of Austria in fight against new Covid variants
Germany is planning to close its borders with the Czech Republic and part of Austria as it tries to keep outbreaks of the more infectious UK coronavirus variant at bay. Travellers from these countries are likely to face a near total ban on entry to Germany, similar to the rules Berlin has already imposed on Britain, Ireland and Portugal. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is worried that the arrival of highly contagious mutant strains of the virus could undo her country’s progress in bringing down the infection rate, which has fallen by two thirds since Christmas.
13th Feb 2021 - The Times
Coronavirus: Germans' mental health worse in second lockdown — study
People living in Germany are struggling with their mental health more during the current shutdown than they had during the first, according to interim research results published by Saarland University on Saturday. Researchers at the university have been monitoring 1,500 men and women for a year to measure the psychological and social consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The time period has spanned two lockdowns — the first in mid-March to mid-April 2020 and the second, which began in mid-December and is ongoing. Both lockdowns have seen much of public life curtailed, including the closures of schools, public institutions as well as shops and gastronomy businesses except for takeaway.
13th Feb 2021 - DW (English)
U.K. Economy Suffers Biggest Slump in 300 Years Amid Covid-19 Lockdowns
The U.K. economy recorded its biggest contraction in more than three centuries in 2020, according to official estimates, highlighting the Covid-19 pandemic’s economic toll on a country that has also suffered one of the world’s deadliest outbreaks. Though the U.K. is grappling with a new, highly contagious variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hopeful that a rapid vaccination drive will permit a gradual reopening of the economy in the coming months, paving the way for a consumer-driven rebound later in the year. Gross domestic product shrank 9.9% over the year as a whole, the Office for National Statistics said Friday, the largest annual decline among the Group of Seven advanced economies. France’s economy shrank 8.3% and Italy’s contracted 8.8%, according to provisional estimates. German GDP declined 5%. The U.S. shrank 3.5%.
13th Feb 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Ireland may have Level 5 restrictions until Easter
The Republic of Ireland could see a continuation of high level restrictions to the Easter period, Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin has warned. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said the government is revising its Living with Covid Plan. He said it made sense to take a cautious approach as the vaccination programme is being rolled out across the country. On Wednesday, there were 54 additional coronavirus-related deaths reported. The Republic of Ireland's overall toll of coronavirus-related deaths is 3,794.
11th Feb 2021 - BBC News
You’re not lazy — Why you need to stop feeling guilty in lockdown, according to an expert
Retailers are calling for more financial support from the government after the UK’s Covid lockdowns in 2020 cost £22bn in lost non-food sales. The high street was hit by its biggest fall in sales for non-food stores on record – down 24% – as footfall decreased by two-fifths, according to data from the trade body the British Retail Consortium (BRC). While many retailers continued to sell online, that did not make up for sales lost from shops. Profits were also affected by the cost of setting up and operating home delivery systems.
11th Feb 2021 - CNBC
In an era of division, lockdown unites us
Lockdown scepticism has been increasingly hard to sustain of late — but that hasn’t deterred some. The most prominent of these voices seem to have something else in common, in supporting Brexit. From Julia Hartley-Brewer, Allison Pearson and Toby Young, to Steve Baker, Daniel Hannan and Nigel Farage, most high-profile lockdown sceptics also share a dislike of the European Union. Nigel Farage even started a new political party, Reform UK, whose initial focus was promoting lockdown scepticism
11th Feb 2021 - The Times
U.K. Retailers See $31 Billion Cost of Three Covid Lockdowns
Britain’s three pandemic lockdowns have cost retailers that have been ordered to close about 22 billion pounds ($31 billion) in lost sales, according to a trade group.
In a sign of the mounting toll Covid-19 is taking on one of the country’s biggest employment sectors, the British Retail Consortium says 2020 was the worst year on record, with in-store non-food sales declining by 24%, compared with 2019. Foot traffic in stores was down more than 40% in 2020 as Covid-wary consumers avoided malls and town centers and turned to online shopping instead, the group said in a statement.
11th Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Covid: Prisoners like 'caged animals' in lockdown jails
Prisoners in England's jails have been locked in their cells for more than 90% of the day to keep them safe from Covid-19, the prisons watchdog says. And the extra restrictions, which began in March, have led to a decline in their mental and physical health and a rise in drug taking and self-harm. "It's being imprisoned while you're in prison," one inmate told inspectors. Predictions up to 2,000 inmates would die in the pandemic in England and Wales without action have been avoided.
11th Feb 2021 - BBC News
Germany to reinstate border controls over virus variant
The German government decided Thursday to temporarily reinstate border controls along its southeastern frontier after designating the Czech Republic and parts of Austria as “mutation areas" due to their high number of variant coronavirus cases, German news agency dpa reported. The temporary border controls and certain entry restrictions will start Sunday at midnight, dpa reported. Travelers coming from certain areas of Austria or the Czech Republic will have to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test in order to enter Germany a requirement that will present a hurdle for thousands of cross-border workers. It was not clear for how long the border controls would last.
11th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Covid-19 school closures are widening Europe’s class divisions
No one is ever truly ready for lockdown. But when the Netherlands closed its schools in December, the Herman Wesselink College, a high school in a well-off suburb of Amsterdam, was readier than most. About half its students have parents who completed higher education. Nearly all have their own bedroom to study in. The school has given its pupils laptops for years, and during the first lockdown last spring switched smoothly to remote learning. The director says students have not fallen behind a whit in terms of content, though their study skills have languished.
The Mundus College, a trade school in a poorer Amsterdam neighbourhood, has had it rougher. About a third of its students are new immigrants or refugees. Vocational education is hard to do remotely. Classes have stayed open at half-size under an exception for vulnerable students, but it is impossible to follow social-distancing rules for subjects like nursing, says Diana Brummelhuis, the director:
11th Feb 2021 - The Economist
Amid variant fears, Germany extends Covid-19 lockdown until March 7
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government agreed Wednesday to continue a partial lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic until at least March 7, even as Germans grow increasingly weary of the tough restrictions. Following crunch talks with the leaders of Germany’s 16 states, Merkel said that the number of new Covid-19 infections in Europe’s top economy was dropping after more than two months of shuttered schools and shops. “When we look at this development we can be quite satisfied,” she told reporters. But she called on Germans to be patient as fears grow over more contagious virus variants first detected in Britain and South Africa.
11th Feb 2021 - FRANCE 24 English
Ireland's third virus lockdown set to last to April
Ireland's virus lockdown is set to be extended until April, Prime Minister Michael Martin said as the country battles to get infection rates and deaths down. "Certainly we are looking at a continuation of high levels of restrictions until the Easter period," Martin told state broadcaster RTE. Restaurants and pubs across Ireland have been shut since Christmas Eve and the non-essential retail retail sector has been closed since New Year's Eve.
11th Feb 2021 - Times of India
Retailers call for more Covid help after £22bn loss in non-food sales
Retailers are calling for more financial support from the government after the UK’s Covid lockdowns in 2020 cost £22bn in lost non-food sales. The high street was hit by its biggest fall in sales for non-food stores on record – down 24% – as footfall decreased by two-fifths, according to data from the trade body the British Retail Consortium (BRC). While many retailers continued to sell online, that did not make up for sales lost from shops. Profits were also affected by the cost of setting up and operating home delivery systems. Central London has been one of the hardest hit parts of the country; the loss of tourists and many commuters contributing to a surge in closures of shops and other high street businesses. The number of empty units in the City of London increased by 47% last year as the number of workers and visitors slumped, according to figures from analysts at Local Data Company.
11th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
German businesses dismayed by further lockdown extension
The German business community expressed consternation on Thursday after Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders agreed to extend the coronavirus lockdown until March 7. “Politicians are leaving industry in the lurch,” said Andrea Belegante from the BdS lobby group that represents the restaurant and catering business, adding she was “stunned”. “Again there are no prospects, again no concrete steps towards an opening strategy, again only a postponement without prospects to the beginning of March.”
11th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Merkel says lockdown won't last a day longer than necessary
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus which have been extended until March 7 will not be maintained a day longer than necessary.
11th Feb 2021 - Reuters
More than 40% of Britons in poor health or struggling financially amid pandemic, says UK regulator
More than 40 percent of Britons are struggling financially or suffering poor health, a sharp increase from last year driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority said on Thursday. The FCA said there are now 27.7 million adults in Britain affected by low financial resilience, poor health or other recent negative life events, up from 24 million in February 2020, a month before the country went into its first lockdown to fight the pandemic. Britain’s total population is 67 million. Having just one of the characteristics puts a consumer at greater risk of harm, the FCA said in the latest findings of its regular Financial Lives survey. The survey contacted 16,000 people between August 2019 and February 2020, with a follow up survey of 22,000 people in October last year.
11th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Portugal Extends COVID-19 Lockdown as Overstretched Hospitals Struggle
Portugal extended on Thursday a nationwide lockdown until March 1 to tackle its worst surge of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began as authorities scramble to relieve pressure on overstretched hospitals. The country of just over 10 million fared better than other nations in Europe in the first wave of the pandemic, but 2021 brought a devastating surge in infections and deaths, in part blamed on the rapid spread of the British variant of the virus and the easing of restrictions over Christmas.
11th Feb 2021 - USNews.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullMerkel, state governors to decide on lockdown extension
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country s 16 state governors are to decide Wednesday whether to extend a lockdown beyond mid-February, as overall infection numbers are declining but concern is high over cases of new variants.
Germany's second lockdown began in November and was extended and toughened before Christmas as numbers of COVID-19 patients threatened to overwhelm hospitals. It is set to end on Feb. 14, but authorities are expected to extend it again — keeping bars, restaurants and most stores closed, among other things.
10th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Germany set to extend lockdown on concerns over new coronavirus variants
A draft document emerged early Wednesday outlining plans between Chancellor Angela Merkel and state officials to maintain the lockdown. The reopening of schools is a priority for the German leadership, although the country’s federal system means that individual states are expected to be able to decide how to do this. The reopening of shops and hotels could begin next month in areas where the infection rate is low, too.
10th Feb 2021 - CNBC
Germany plans to extend lockdown until March 14: draft document
Germany will extend restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus until March 7, though schools and hair salons may open sooner, Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the 16 federal states agreed on Wednesday. The number of new daily infections in Germany has been falling, prompting some regional leaders to push for a timetable to ease the lockdown, which has been in place since mid-December. But concerns are growing about the impact of more infectious variants of the virus on case numbers. “There is a lot of uncertainty around the mutants, and it is clear, they will gain the upper hand.... That is why we have to get the case numbers down, down, down,” Merkel told journalists in a news conference.
10th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Travel rule breakers could face £10k fines and prison terms
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned travel rule breakers they could face fines of £10,000 and even a decade in prison. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hancock set out the "tough" measures for people who do not comply with the new quarantine rules for UK arrivals. He said the policy, which begins on Monday, applied to England but that the devolved administrations were looking at similar measures.
9th Feb 2021 - BBC News
Portugal poised to extend lockdown as COVID-19 cases fall
Portugal’s COVID-19 infection rate has dropped sharply after a lockdown aimed at addressing a devastating January pandemic surge, but it is still recording the most daily deaths in the world by size of population, health experts said Tuesday. Portugal hit a peak of cases on Jan. 29, with a 14-day average of almost 1,700 cases per 100,000 habitants. Amid a lockdown, that rate has fallen to around 980 per 100,000 -- a marked improvement but still one of the European Union’s highest rates. But Portugal's seven-day rolling average of daily deaths stands at 2.24 per 100,000 — significantly above other countries, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
9th Feb 2021 - The Independent
Covid: Domestic abuse victims 'may be stuck' in lockdown with abusers
More support is needed to reach domestic abuse victims trapped in lockdown with their abusers, charities have warned. In August, Dyfed Powys Police received 900 reports of domestic abuse compared with 350 incidents a month in 2017. While reports have risen, there are fears many victims in rural areas are not seeking help. The West Wales Domestic Abuse Service (WWDAS) said many could not reach out for help while stuck at home. Chief Executive Michelle Pooley said that while the charity had seen more people referred for support, people living in tight-knit rural communities were less likely to seek help.
9th Feb 2021 - BBC News
UK lockdown reduces consumer spending to lowest levels since last spring
Britain’s tough new lockdown measures have dented consumer confidence and reduced spending to levels not seen since last spring, according to two separate surveys. Both the British Retail Consortium and Barclaycard said spending in January was at its weakest since May as booming online activity failed to compensate fully for the closure of stores. One of Britain’s leading thinktanks, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), added on Monday that after the UK’s sluggish start to 2021 it had cut its forecast for growth this year and put back the start of the recovery.
9th Feb 2021 - The Guardian
UK consumer spending slumps during latest lockdown
UK consumer spending and retail sales fell in January at the fastest pace since May, suggesting the economy has been hit harder by the current lockdown than November’s restrictions despite people switching to online shopping. Consumer spending fell 16.3 per cent in January compared with the same month last year, the largest annual drop since the spring, according to Barclaycard data, tracking nearly half of all UK credit and debit card transactions. The drop was much sharper than the 1.9 per cent fall in November and it is consistent with the economy shrinking more severely than the 2.6 per cent contraction registered during that previous lockdown period.
9th Feb 2021 - Financial Times
Merkel wants German lockdown to continue until March - sources
German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to keep restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus in place until at least March 1, participants in a meeting of her own conservative parliamentary group told Reuters on Tuesday. Merkel and leaders of Germany’s 16 states are due to hold talks on Wednesday to discuss whether steps can be taken to ease lockdown measures which have been in place since November and were tightened in mid-December. “We have to wait until March 1,” participants in the meeting cited Merkel as saying. “My goal would be not to have to correct steps to open up again with further closing steps.” Primary schools, nurseries, hairdressers and retail would take priority in any easing but the overall aim was to avoid another lockdown, Merkel said.
9th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Germany set to stay in lockdown for fear of virus mutations — draft document
German officials are considering lifting some measures in the coming weeks, but the shutdown will continue for now, DW learned on Tuesday. Federal and state representatives are set to announce their decision tomorrow. "Considering the virus mutations, the steps to lift the restrictions must come carefully and gradually in order to avoid risking the successful curbing of infections," Germany's top officials are expected to say, according to a draft statement obtained by DW. The document foresees the country continuing its shutdown until March. The authorities see reopening of day care centers and schools as a priority, the document states. They remain "optimistic that all citizens would be offered vaccination by the end of summer at the latest."
9th Feb 2021 - DW (English)
Spain extends border controls with Portugal until March due to COVID-19
Spain’s government announced on Tuesday it had extended controls along its 1,200-km (750-mile) border with Portugal until March 1, as both countries try to rein in a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths. “The severity of the restrictive mobility measures still in force in Spain and Portugal justifies maintaining ... controls at the internal land border ... with the same limitations applied during the initial ten days,” the Spanish interior ministry said in the government’s official bulletin. The two governments had agreed to close on Jan. 28 the border for non-essential travel with exceptions for cross-border workers, health workers and truck drivers.
9th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Israelis take part in screaming sessions to waive lockdown blues
Tired of COVID-19 confinement and seeking both communion and emotional release, some Israelis have taken to group screaming. A record vaccine rollout has done little to ease Israel's pandemic curbs. Next month's election - the fourth in two years, due to coalition infighting and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legal woes - has many complaining of malaise. While some Israelis take part in street demonstrations, others take to nature and shout to the heavens. "We decided to meet, our group together, in order to take the group screaming so that we can release our bad energies," said Mary Peery, leading 10 mostly elderly companions on a yell-punctuated hike through an orange orchard and over a hilltop.
"When we do it in a group it's like a prayer and maybe God will hear us and release us from this COVID-19 curse." To scream, the group stood in choric proximity and removed their masks, drawing looks from passersby. One of the organisers played down any health risk, however, saying everyone in the group had either recovered from COVID-19 or been vaccin ated.
9th Feb 2021 - Hindustan Times
Dutch government to extend night curfew through March 2
The Dutch government will extend a night-time curfew intended to slow the spread of coronavirus through March 2, broadcaster RTL reported on Monday, citing sources in The Hague. The curfew, the first in the Netherlands since World War Two, sparked several days of riots from anti-lockdown protesters when it was initially introduced on Jan. 23.. RTL reported that Mark Rutte’s government would announce the extension at a news conference later Monday. New coronavirus cases in the Netherlands have been declining after months of lockdown measures, but the government is warning that a wave of new infections is coming due to the growth in more contagious variants of the coronavirus.
9th Feb 2021 - Reuters
To lift lockdown gloom, Israelis keep calm and carry on screaming
Tired of COVID-19 confinement and seeking both communion and emotional release, some Israelis have taken to group screaming. A record vaccine rollout has done little to ease Israel’s pandemic curbs. Next month’s election - the fourth in two years, due to coalition infighting and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal woes - has many complaining of malaise. While some Israelis take part in street demonstrations, others take to nature and shout to the heavens. “We decided to meet, our group together, in order to take the group screaming so that we can release our bad energies,” said Mary Peery, leading 10 mostly elderly companions on a yell-punctuated hike through an orange orchard and over a hilltop.
9th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Navajo Nation outpaces much of US in delivering COVID vaccines
The Navajo Nation announced on Tuesday it will receive about 29,000 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines as the tribal area continues to outpace the broader United States in delivering jabs. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said that as of Sunday, the Navajo Area Indian Health Service (NAIHS) delivered 74,048 of the 78,520 vaccine doses it had received, a 94 percent rate. Nez said the goal is to administer 100,000 doses by the end of February. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the broader US has delivered 42,417,617 of its total 59,307,800 doses, or about 71 percent, as of Monday. Dr Loretta Christensen, chief medical officer of the NAIHS, told Al Jazeera the Navajo Nation has been “very good with what we have received and we’ve been very efficient and timely in using that vaccine”. The success comes in administering the vaccine due to planning and high-level cooperation, Christensen said.
9th Feb 2021 - Al Jazeera English
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullBoris won’t rule out longer lockdown if South African variant spreads further
Boris Johnson refused to rule out extending lockdown further if the South African variant of coronavirus continues to spread. The suggestion comes amid revelations the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is ‘less effective’ against the mutation – though scientists say it still protects against severe disease. Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) adviser Professor Mike Tildesley claimed this finding means ‘more restrictions might be needed for longer’. And when pressed on whether there may need to be a delay to easing restrictions if the vaccine is proved to be less effective, the prime minister said vaccines are ‘going to offer a way out’ and ‘remain of massive benefit to our country’.
8th Feb 2021 - Metro
Covid-19 cases now back to pre-Christmas levels after lockdown
Covid-19 case rates for the four nations of the UK have dropped to their lowest level since before Christmas, with some regions of England recording rates last seen in early December, new analysis shows. In London the seven-day rate has fallen to its lowest since December 8, while the figure for south-east England is at its lowest since December 7. While a handful of local areas across the UK have recorded a week-on-week rise in the latest figures, most of the increases are small.
8th Feb 2021 - Wales Online
Dispatches from the U.K.'s toughest lockdown yet
The U.K. is four weeks into its third and toughest lockdown since the start of the pandemic. The latest lockdown came into effect Jan. 6 as a variant of the coronavirus, first detected in September in Kent, rapidly became the most common form of the virus in England and spread to other countries. Valerie Hillier talks about life in lockdown Britain
8th Feb 2021 - CBC.ca
S Africa looking to roll out AstraZeneca jab in ‘stepped manner’
South Africa is looking to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in a “stepped manner” to assess its ability to prevent severe illness, according to a key adviser to the country’s government. On Sunday, almost a week after receiving its first one million doses, the continent’s hardest-hit country said it would put on hold its use of the vaccine after research showed it was only minimally effective in preventing mild-to-moderate illness against a variant of the coronavirus now dominant in South Africa. Speaking to a briefing of the World Health Organization (WHO), Salim Abdool Karim, co-chair of the country’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on COVID-19, said it was too early to say whether the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and drugmaker AstraZeneca vaccine would still be effective in preventing serious disease, as there was not yet enough data on its effectiveness in older people against the variant. South Africa paused its roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine for now while determining the next steps, and could vaccinate 100,000 people with the shot to see how well it works on preventing hospitalisations and deaths.
8th Feb 2021 - Al Jazeera English
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 vaccine denied for special school staff then reinstated
A clinical commissioning group has apologised for the confusion it created after cancelling Covid-19 vaccine appointments for special school staff – before reinstating them. Schools Week revealed last week that thousands of special school staff had been offered the vaccine. But the approaches nationwide vary, with some local authorities including staff in the priority roll-out as frontline care workers, or offering them leftover supplies. However, there was confusion in Berkshire after the local “allocations bureau” cancelled jab appointments for special education needs (SEN) staff last week.
6th Feb 2021 - Schools Week
Long Covid kids: Mum's 'heartbreak' over children's illness
A mum has described how it was "horrendous to watch" as her son and daughter suffered the debilitating effects of so-called long Covid. Nichola Careless, from Ashington, said her daughter Eleni, 11, tested positive last year and was mildly ill at first. But her symptoms became severe and she continues to have shortness of breath, stomach ache, joint pain and dizziness. Her 12-year-old son, Immanuel, became even more ill and the once-keen sportsman now has to use a wheelchair.
Although Eleni had a positive test for Covid in September, Immanuel's result was negative. But what at first seemed a common cold for him developed into a fortnight-long cough, before both children became severely ill.
5th Feb 2021 - BBC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullUK home-working rises to highest since June on COVID lockdown
The proportion of British workers working solely from home rose to 36% in the week to Jan. 31, its highest since June when the country was emerging from its first coronavirus lockdown and up from 34% the week before,
4th Feb 2021 - Reuters
Fears lockdown could drag on as ‘scientists move goalposts on reopening UK’
Rishi Sunak is concerned scientific advisers are ‘moving the goalposts’ for easing Covid restrictions, potentially delaying the end of lockdown, reports say. The Chancellor fears the experts are focusing on bringing case numbers down, instead of the initial target of protecting the NHS and saving lives, the Telegraph reports. According to the newspaper, Mr Sunak wants this lockdown to be the last and has told allies the country is nearing a ‘fat lady sings’ moment for lifting the restrictions. Boris Johnson has insisted there will be a ‘gradual and phased’ approach to lifting restrictions, with the national lockdown in place until at least March 8, and a review before then in mid-February.
4th Feb 2021 - Metro
Istanbul’s population falls as countryside beckons during COVID
Istanbul’s population fell last year for the first time in at least two decades as coronavirus lockdowns shuttered Turkey’s commercial capital and attracted people to the countryside. The population of Istanbul province shrank 0.4% to 15.46 million, reversing record 3% growth the year before, according to data published by the statistics office on Thursday. The trend followed patterns seen elsewhere around the world during the pandemic. For decades, Turks from around the country of over 83 million have flocked to Istanbul seeking work and opportunities. But since the coronavirus hit, the government has implemented curfews to curb socializing and restricted opening hours for shops and restaurants, making young professionals reassess what they get for their money in big cities. Surrounding provinces were the beneficiaries, with the population of Tekirdag to the west up 2.4% to 1.1 million and Kocaeli to the east up 2.3% to 2 million. The pandemic also struck Istanbul’s tourism sector and universities with tens of thousands of seasonal workers and college students staying away for much of the last year.
4th Feb 2021 - Aljazeera.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullThe rise of parental burnout in lockdown
On top of usual household duties, for the last 10 months parents have been educating children, working remotely and keeping relationships intact - so it's no wonder they’re feeling the strain of lockdown. Even Kate Middleton has urged parents to seek help when they need it. Dr Punam joins us to discuss the warning signs of parental burnout and what you can do about it.
3rd Feb 2021 - ITV News
COVID-19: SEND children suffered 'profound disruption' during first lockdown, report
Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) experienced "profound disruption" to their well-being and family life during the first lockdown, according to new research. The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, paints a "concerning picture" of teachers and professionals struggling to support pupils and their families. Almost all (98%) providers said they had pupils who would find it hard to keep to social distancing, while 75% had pupils who require personal care which involves close contact with others.
3rd Feb 2021 - Sky News
Domestic abuse soared 10 per cent in lockdown official statistics show
Domestic abuse rose by 10% in a year, although overall crime was down during the Covid-19 pandemic, official figures show. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 842,813 domestic abuse-related offences were recorded by police forces in England and Wales in the year ending September 2020 – up from 769,691 the previous year. Total police recorded crime dropped by 6% to around 5.7 million offences, driven by substantial falls during April to June, particularly in theft offences, as the country spent most of the period under strict lockdown restrictions, a report published on Wednesday said. But the results of a separate survey carried out by the ONS show the number of victims of crime in July to September 2020 returned to a similar level as in the pre-coronavirus period of January to March following a 19% drop in April to June.
3rd Feb 2021 - Wales Online
Covid: Teachers pushed to 'breaking point' under lockdown
Teachers have said working through another lockdown has pushed the profession "close to breaking point". While most pupils across England have been told to learn remotely, schools remain open for vulnerable students and the children of key workers. School staff in the South West said they were working "incredibly hard" to make the lives of students "as normal as possible". Some said their workload had "never been higher" as a result. Teachers across England had to "start from scratch" when they were faced with the prospect of lockdown learning, said Dan Hayward from Ivybridge Community College in Devon.
3rd Feb 2021 - BBC News
Europe Struggles as Vaccine Delays Force Further Lockdown Extensions
Concern about more infectious variants of the coronavirus continue to shape governments’ responses to the pandemic despite stabilizing or falling infection numbers as Europe struggles with a slow vaccine rollout. The Dutch government Tuesday extended a national lockdown until March 2, with a reassessment on Feb. 23, in response to new strains of the coronavirus. The extension of the lockdown, imposed on Dec. 19, comes despite a slight improvement in the country's health situation. Dutch primary schools and day-care centers will reopen on Monday, meaning almost 2 million young children will resume in-person education. In Germany, the federal and regional governments will meet on Feb. 10 to discuss a possible extension of the current lockdown, which expires on Feb. 14.
3rd Feb 2021 - Wall Street Journal
WA Premier says COVID-19 restrictions will continue past lockdown
Mark McGowan said the Government would need to see 14 days of no community transmission for restrictions to completely end.
3rd Feb 2021 - ABC News
WA lockdown to remain as state records no new cases
Western Australia’s five-day lockdown will remain as the state records a second day of zero COVID-19 cases.
3rd Feb 2021 - 9News
Dutch PM Rutte confirms lockdown to last until at least March
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that most of the lockdown measures in the Netherlands, many of which have been in place since October, will remain in place for weeks due to fears over a surge in cases as a result of variant strains.
Rutte’s government is still weighing whether to continue an evening curfew that has triggered rioting in some Dutch cities beyond next week, the prime minister told a press briefing. The government announced earlier this week that primary schools and daycares will reopen on Feb. 8, adding that it is also looking at possibly reopening secondary schools but that will not happen before March.
3rd Feb 2021 - Reuters
Scotland toughens quarantine rules, hopes for lockdown easing in March
Scotland will toughen its coronavirus controls on international travellers but it also hopes to start relaxing its lockdown restrictions in early March, the head of the country’s devolved government, Nicola Sturgeon, said on Tuesday. Everyone arriving directly in Scotland from overseas will be required to quarantine, regardless of where they have come from, Sturgeon said.
3rd Feb 2021 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: 'Critical' those in South African variant test areas stay at home
It is "critical" that people in areas singled out for enhanced testing for the South African variant stay at home, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. He told MPs there were other "mutations of concern" in Bristol and Liverpool, and people there should also only go out when "absolutely essential". The government is expected to announce surge testing in certain postcodes of the two cities. Home testing kits are already being deployed in a number of other areas.
On-the-spot doorstep tests and mobile testing units are also being used with the aim of reaching 80,000 people, amid fears the more infectious variant may be spreading in communities in England.
2nd Feb 2021 - BBC News
Scotland toughens quarantine rules, hopes for lockdown easing in March
Scotland will toughen its coronavirus controls on international travellers but it also hopes to start relaxing its lockdown restrictions in early March, the head of the country’s devolved government, Nicola Sturgeon, said on Tuesday. Everyone arriving directly in Scotland from overseas will be required to quarantine, regardless of where they have come from, Sturgeon said. “I can confirm today that we intend to introduce a managed quarantine requirement for anyone who arrives directly into Scotland, regardless of which country they have come from,” she told the Scottish parliament. Scotland will ask Britain’s government to adopt a similar approach to minimise the risk of people with COVID-19 entering Scotland over the border with England and other parts of the United Kingdom.
2nd Feb 2021 - Metro US
Latest lockdown is leading to more of us looking for help
More couples are seeking relationship counselling as extended Covid lockdowns take their toll on household harmony, with one psychologist reporting a 30pc increase in calls for help. The stresses of homeschooling, working from home, job losses, financial worries and possible addictions and mental health deterioration can be devastating to even the healthiest of relationships. “When Covid caused the first lockdown last March there was a feeling that the country was all in it together and put their shoulders to the wheel, that it would be over soon. But now nearly a year later people are tired and exhausted,” said Mary Johnston, specialist in counselling with Accord CLG.
2nd Feb 2021 - Independent.ie
Alcohol Deaths in England and Wales Hit a Record in Lockdown
The number of alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales jumped to a record in the first nine months of last year, raising fresh concerns about the toll being taken by the pandemic. Health experts fear that many Britons are hitting the bottle to cope with the stress and isolation caused by lockdowns, leading to an increase in liver disease and mental health problems. Office for National Statistics figures Tuesday showed there were 5,460 deaths caused by alcohol misuse between January and September, a 16% leap from the same period of 2019. They accounted for 12.8 fatalities per 100,000 people, the highest since the data series began in 2001.
2nd Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Spain’s bars and restaurants confront their darkest hour
Spain’s hospitality sector, which is taking the brunt of the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, now faces its toughest months since the country emerged from its first state of alarm in June. Between the start of the summer and the third wave of the pandemic, there were certain restrictions in place, but the vast majority of establishments were still able to stay open. Now, with the post-Christmas surge in Covid-19 cases filling hospitals’ intensive care units, the authorities have once again been obliged to crack down. “The sector is in ruins, we are closed in half of Spain,” notes José Luis Yzuel, president of the hospitality business association Hostelería de España.
2nd Feb 2021 - EL PAÍS in English
Hong Kong leader defends 'ambush lockdown' tactics
Hong Kong's leader defended her administration's use of "ambush lockdowns" on Tuesday after a spate of overnight operations to conduct surprise mandatory coronavirus tests uncovered no new cases. The new tactic involves authorities giving no warning of an impending lockdown, sealing off buildings where cases are detected and then ensuring everyone inside is tested, usually overnight. But the operations have had limited success.
2nd Feb 2021 - FRANCE 24
Hong Kong threatens to knock down doors to force COVID-19 tests
Hong Kong is threatening to knock down the doors of residents who don’t respond to authorities conducting mandatory-testing blitzes as the city tries to end a persistent winter wave of coronavirus cases. “The government can take legal action, including evicting or expelling individuals, or applying to the magistrate for a warrant to break into the unit,” the government said in a statement Tuesday. The Asian financial hub has been attempting to curb a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections with targeted lockdowns that see authorities cordon off an area and restrict movement until residents receive negative results. The government has suggested some might be deliberately evading the tests in areas that range from densely packed neighborhoods to just a handful of buildings.
2nd Feb 2021 - The Japan Times
Forced-entry lockdown warning; Hong Kong records 25 new Covid-19 cases
More than 20 coronavirus-hit buildings in Sham Shui Po, Jordan and Tin Shui Wai were placed under mandatory screening orders from 7pm. By Wednesday morning, residents were beginning to leave lockdown zones; no infections found in two of the neighbourhoods
2nd Feb 2021 - South China Morning Post
Malaysia extends coronavirus lockdown by 2 weeks
Malaysia’s government on Tuesday extended a lockdown and broad movement restrictions by two weeks, as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with a surge in coronavirus infections that has pushed the cumulative total past 200,000 cases.
The lockdown, which covered all but one state and was to end on Feb. 4, will now continue until Feb. 18, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said. “The health ministry has confirmed that daily cases in all states are still showing a rising trend... the sporadic spread in the community is also high,” Ismail Sabri said in a televised address. The lockdown will allow some leeway for businesses to continue operating, especially micro-enterprises and small-time traders, but continue to bar inter-state travel and social activities, the minister said.
2nd Feb 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullCovid: Suicide prevention help calls during lockdown
A man whose father took his own life is calling for more mental health support amid fears more people are struggling because of Covid restrictions. Dion Davies' father Terry took his own life in 2018. Suicide rates in England and Wales remain at a 20-year high with fears lockdowns are increasing known risk factors like loneliness. Official figures show more people have reported symptoms of depression since the pandemic began.
1st Feb 2021 - BBC News
Growing Number of U.K. Firms Face Bankruptcy as Lockdown Drags
The number of U.K. listed companies at risk of insolvency has doubled as restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus continue to ravage the economy. A record 35% of U.K. companies issued profit warnings last year, according to a report by the consulting firm EY. There was also a surge in the number of companies issuing three or more profit warnings in a 12-month period, a warning sign for insolvency
1st Feb 2021 - Bloomberg
Israel extends nationwide coronavirus lockdown
Israel's nationwide lockdown was extended Monday to contain the coronavirus which has continued to spread rapidly as the country presses ahead with an aggressive vaccination campaign. The current lockdown, declared on December 27, is the third in the Jewish state since pandemic began last year. The cabinet prolonged the closure until Friday morning, but scheduled a fresh meeting for Wednesday to assess whether a further extension was required, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the health ministry said.
1st Feb 2021 - FRANCE 24
Japan may extend Covid-19 emergency in 10 prefectures until March 7
Japan is planning to extend the state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic in 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, until March 7, Japanese media reported. According to the Kyodo news agency, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will make a final decision after consulting with an expert panel on Tuesday. The prefecture of Tochigi, where the number of new infections has been declining, is about to have its state of emergency removed. Meanwhile, Okinawa, which was under consideration for inclusion in the list, is off the hook for the time being.
1st Feb 2021 - Hindustan Times
Germany's stricter lockdown sinks retail sales in December
German retail sales plunged more than expected in December as a decision to tighten lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 choked consumer spending in Europe's largest economy at the end of the year, data showed on Monday. The stricter lockdown, which included schools and kindergartens but excluded factories and offices, has been extended until mid-February. The Federal Statistics Office said retail sales fell by an unprecedented 9.6% on the month in real terms after a downwardly revised increase of 1.1% in November.
1st Feb 2021 - theguardian.pe.ca
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Feb 2021
View this newsletter in fullTired and upset: a lament for Portugal's long lockdown
Portugal’s extension of a nationwide lockdown this week in the face of spiking COVID-19 infections was no surprise to Marco, 43, who had to shut his Lisbon fitness studio earlier this month. But he is tired and upset. “We’ve been at this for a year, something should have been done sooner,” he told Reuters on Friday as he walked his dog in an otherwise largely empty church square. Facing the world’s highest per capita death toll, Portugal has extended a harsh lockdown until mid-February, banned non-essential travel for its nationals and imposed checks on the border with Spain.
30th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Portugal curbs travel, extends lockdown in face of world's worst virus surge
Portugal extended a nationwide lockdown until mid-February and announced curbs on international travel on Thursday, as Prime Minister Antonio Costa accepted blame for the world’s worst coronavirus surge, with hospitals on the verge of being overrun. With a population of 10 million, Portugal reported a record 303 COVID-19 deaths and 16,432 new cases, and now has the world’s highest per capita seven-day averages of both new cases and deaths. “The number of deaths is growing at an unimaginable pace,” said Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as he addressed the nation in a prime-time speech. “The pressure is extreme...we need to act quickly and drastically.”
30th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Israel Struggles With Coronavirus Variants
With more than 30% of its population vaccinated, Israel leads the fight against Covid-19. Yet the emergence of more infectious variants is overwhelming its hospitals, showing the long road ahead for the rest of the world. After inoculating 82% of Israelis aged 60 and more, going into a nearly month-long lockdown and shutting down the national airport this week, Israel is indicating the end of the tunnel may be further away. That dents hopes for a rapid vaccine-driven global recovery after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge at Davos to make Israel a test case for how quickly Covid shots can help reopen economies.
29th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Covid: Data shows outbreaks in England's offices in lockdown
More than 60 suspected Covid outbreaks in offices were recorded in the first two weeks of the current lockdown in England, a BBC investigation has found. Under England's lockdown rules, in force since 6 January, people should work from home if they can. Public Health England figures, obtained via a Freedom of Information request, suggests offices have had more outbreaks compared to other workplaces.
The government has urged firms to help employees work from home. It said it has worked with trade unions, businesses and medical experts to produce "comprehensive guidance" to help firms that are permitted to stay open and it has introduced rapid testing of employees.
29th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullUK travellers to be questioned at border on reasons for going abroad
UK travellers will be interrogated at the border on their reasons for going abroad, Boris Johnson has said, as he confirmed that British citizens returning from high-risk countries must quarantine in hotels at their own expense. The government is facing criticism from the Scottish and Welsh governments, as well as scientists, for rejecting a more comprehensive hotel quarantine system. They are warning that it could allow as yet unknown new variants to slip through the gaps. Speaking in the Commons, Johnson said no one should be travelling except for a narrow range of reasons. “I want to make clear that under the stay-at-home regulations it is illegal to leave home to travel abroad for leisure purposes and we will enforce this at ports and airports by asking people why they are leaving and instructing them to return home if they do not have a valid reason to travel,” he said.
29th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Covid-19: Schools in NI set to remain shut until 8 March
Most pupils in Northern Ireland will not return to school until Monday 8 March at the earliest, the Stormont Executive has agreed. First Minister Arlene Foster said the ongoing public health situation meant remote learning must continue. It may also be the case that only some year groups go back to school on 8 March, if a return then is possible. Mrs Foster said she recognised it would come as a "disappointment" for many parents and pupils. "The kitchen table is no substitute for the school desk," she said, giving details of the decision at a news conference in Dungannon. "It is also important though that we give people a clear view of what is happening so we thought it was important to indicate today that we would not be back before 5 March in schools."
28th Jan 2021 - BBC News
COVID-19 lockdowns could result in 300,000 fewer US babies this year, and long-lasting economic impact | TheHill
The birth rate in the United States has been declining for years, falling to a record low in 2020. Hopes of a second “baby boom” mirroring that of the mid-1900s have been dashed by the coronavirus pandemic. A new report by NBCLX found that birthrates are dropping at a faster rate than in previous years.
28th Jan 2021 - The Hill
Almost 20% of U.K. Workforce Furloughed as Third Lockdown Got Under Way
Almost one in five of the U.K. workforce was on furlough leave as a third national lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus got under way, according to figures published Thursday. The report will raise concerns that removing government lifelines for jobs could wreak havoc on the economy following the worst slump in three centuries last year. Pulling the plug would threaten to decimate consumer spending, the engine of growth. The Office for National Statistics data show 17% were reliant on Treasury wage support in early January, the highest proportion since July, after the government ordered the public to stay home and retail and hospitality businesses were closed. The program pays as much as 80% of an employee’s wage if they’re kept on the payroll. The figures come a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put England on notice that the national lockdown will continue for at least another six weeks, warning that some rules may even be tightened in an attempt to suppress a virus that has claimed more than 100,000 lives in the U.K.
28th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Blue-chip UK employers try to soothe parental lockdown pain amid fears of burnout
From unlimited paid time off to laptops for children, some of Britain’s blue-chip employers are trying to persuade parent employees juggling jobs and childcare during the pandemic that they have their backs. A third British lockdown from Jan. 5, that shut schools to most children and confined many workers to their homes, has exacerbated a childcare crisis that unions warn could herald a drain of talent that disproportionately impacts women. On Wednesday, the government said schools will remain largely closed for at least another six weeks. Some banks, professional services firms, law firms and insurers are offering staff flexible working arrangements, reduced hours and increased emergency leave alongside benefits such as free counselling and parent buddy schemes.
28th Jan 2021 - Reuters
UK banks told to pause branch closures during pandemic lockdown
Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority on Thursday told banks to rethink moves to close branches during the pandemic lockdown. The FCA said banks should consider the impact of national pandemic restrictions on their ability to comply with regulatory guidance on closing branches, including consulting customers affected.
“We are concerned that these activities could have significant consequences for customers. It may be harder than usual to reach all customers under the current restrictions and engage with them on closure proposals effectively,” the FCA said in a statement.
28th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullGerman lockdown beginning to take effect, new CDU leader says
Germany’s coronavirus lockdown is starting to take effect, the new leader of the ruling Christian Democrats said on Wednesday, noting that the seven-day infection rate had fallen to 97.2 per 100,000 in his state of North Rhine Westphalia. “The current development is encouraging,” Armin Laschet, also state premier, told the regional parliament, adding that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office and regional leaders were working on a “sequence of steps for possible openings” after the current lockdown is due to end on Feb. 14. But he said there should be no hasty decisions. The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 13,202 to 2,161,279, data showed on Wednesday, down from a rise of 15,974 a week ago, although the reported death toll rose by 982 to 53,972.
27th Jan 2021 - Metro US
Boris Johnson extends England's coronavirus lockdown into March
England's coronavirus lockdown is set to be extended for at least three more weeks, with schools not reopening until the second week of March at the earliest, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. Johnson told the House of Commons there was "not enough data" currently available to announce the end of restrictions in the country, but said the government would publish a review of restrictions on February 22, before potentially reopening schools from the week of March 8. He said it would "not be possible" to reopen schools as early as the February half-term, due to the continuing high levels of infections in the country.
27th Jan 2021 - Business Insider India
UK plans tough new border measures to combat coronavirus
Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated on Wednesday the COVID-19 lockdown in England would last until March 8 when schools could start to reopen as the government announced new measures to clamp down on travel to and from Britain. A highly contagious new variant of the virus, which emerged in southeast England at the end of last year, has led to a soaring number of infections across Britain with cases and deaths reaching record levels. On Tuesday, Britain’s COVID-19 death toll surpassed 100,000, the first European state to reach that figure, leading to questions about Johnson’s handling of a crisis that has also battered the economy.
27th Jan 2021 - Reuters
German lockdown beginning to take effect, new CDU leader says
Germany’s coronavirus lockdown is starting to take effect, the new leader of the ruling Christian Democrats said on Wednesday, noting that the seven-day infection rate had fallen to 97.2 per 100,000 in his state of North Rhine Westphalia. “The current development is encouraging,” Armin Laschet, also state premier, told the regional parliament, adding that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office and regional leaders were working on a “sequence of steps for possible openings” after the current lockdown is due to end on Feb. 14. But he said there should be no hasty decisions.
27th Jan 2021 - Reuters
German govt slashes GDP growth forecast as extended lockdown bites
The German government on Wednesday slashed its growth forecast for Europe’s largest economy to 3% this year, a sharp downward revision from last autumn’s estimate of 4.4% caused by a second coronavirus lockdown. “We are currently seeing a flattening of the number of infections, which is giving hope,” Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said, but he cautioned that the situation remained serious due to a more infectious virus variant. “We must therefore not gamble away what has been achieved,” Altmaier said against the backdrop of calls to ease lockdown measures soon.
27th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: School closures having 'calamitous' impact on kids and parents
Keeping schools closed is having a "calamitous" impact on children, some of the UK's top paediatricians have warned as they called for teachers to be prioritised for a vaccine. The group said they were witnessing an "acute and rapid increase in mental health and safeguarding cases", with parents suffering breakdowns and other psychological stress due to home-schooling. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi insisted it was the government's "absolute priority" to re-open schools. Experts - from Imperial College London, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust and the Royal Brompton Hospital - added that vaccinating school staff "offers protection to one of our most important key-worker groups" and also protects children.
26th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Lockdown must continue to stop new variants, say Norwich scientists
Strict lockdown measures must continue to stop the evolution of more dangerous variants of Covid-19, Norwich scientists have warned. Scientists from the Earlham Institute, based at Norwich Research Park, say it is crucial to stop more virulent variants from emerging to give the coronavirus vaccine roll-out the best chance of succeeding. While the government has said it will review data next month to see if some easing of restrictions could be possible, scientists have stressed the importance of lockdown.
26th Jan 2021 - EDP 24
UK unemployment reaches four-year high in Covid-19 lockdown
Unemployment in the UK has reached the highest level for more than four years as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and tougher lockdown measures place more pressure on businesses and workers. The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate rose to 5% in the three months to the end of November – representing more than 1.7 million people – from 4.9% in the three months to the end of October, reaching the highest level since August 2016. Unemployment was 4% in February before the pandemic struck.
26th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Chinese city suffers food shortages during Covid-19 lockdown
Residents of a locked-down Chinese city have raised an outcry about food and medicine shortages, spurring a rare public debate about the country’s strict epidemic controls. Citizens in Tonghua, near China’s border with North Korea in northeastern Jilin province, complained on blogging platform Weibo that a sudden lockdown has left some trapped in their apartments without supplies for more than a week.
“We Tonghua people weren’t knocked down by the virus . . . but by hunger and basic illnesses,” wrote one blogger.
26th Jan 2021 - Financial Times
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar confirms lockdown extension plans to March as he rules out zero Covid approach
In Ireland, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the Government plans to keep full lockdown restrictions in place until March 5. Mr Varadkar said that the harsh restrictions are set to remain in place for another six weeks should Cabinet agree on the measures which would be in line with measures in place in Northern Ireland. The Tanaiste also said that the Government was looking at a phased reopening of schools in February however he hinted that it would depend on whether cases numbers were low enough.
26th Jan 2021 - Irish Mirror
Level 5 extension until March 5th: Ministers told detailed legal work needed on travel rules
In Ireland, Cabinet has signed off on an extension of current Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions until March 5th, as well as a range of measures designed to curtail travel into the State. However, Government sources cautioned that it could be some time before many of the measures are brought into place due to a range of complexities around the new policies. It is understood that the Cabinet was warned that there are issues around the legal and practical approaches to implementing some of the new policies, including mandatory hotel quarantine, and shifting self-quarantine at home onto a mandatory rather than advisory footing.
26th Jan 2021 - The Irish Times
UK jobless rate highest since 2016 as second COVID-19 lockdown hits
Britain’s unemployment rate hit its highest in nearly five years in the three months to November, when coronavirus cases began to rise for a second time and most of the country returned to a partial lockdown. Redundancies touched a record high, taking the unemployment rate to 5.0%, its highest since mid-2016, according to official data, although the increase was slightly weaker than economists’ forecasts. There were some signs of a limited recovery in December, when lockdown measures eased, although a deterioration is likely in early 2021 as a tougher lockdown shut schools and closed most non-essential businesses to the public.
26th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullThree weeks into harsh lockdown, weary Brits fear it will take much longer to beat the new variant
People in the United Kingdom have been living under lockdown for the past three weeks, hoping their sacrifice would bring the country's latest coronavirus surge -- caused by the new, more contagious variant of the virus -- under control. But despite the harsh restrictions, case numbers are not dropping as fast as experts have hoped. Deaths continue to rise and public health experts and government are starting to warn people that the country will be in this battle for the long run.
The new variant, known as B.1.1.7, has wreaked havoc in the UK, fueling a surge in cases towards the end of 2020 despite a national lockdown being in place. Data showing an uptick in cases in younger people suggests this was largely because schools had stayed open, enabling the variant to spread rapidly.
25th Jan 2021 - CNN
Covid and Economy: UK Restaurants, Bars, Small Business Teetering in Lockdown
The U.K.’s third major lockdown to control the coronavirus could be the final straw for thousands of businesses struggling to pay rent and taxes with little or no money coming in the door. “It is costing us thousands of pounds a week, even being shut, and we have zero income,” said Andrew Wong, owner of the upmarket Chinese restaurant A. Wong in London’s fashionable Pimlico neighborhood. “I think all the time about shutting down and walking away, though I’m not going to do it.” While the economy appears to be adapting better to virus curbs -- gross domestic product shrank 2.6% in November versus 19% in April -- the same can’t be said about company finances. One lobby group estimates 250,000 small firms are at risk of going bust. Almost 10,000 pubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol closed permanently last year, according to consultants CGA and AlixPartners.
25th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Young people on growing up in lockdown: ‘All we want is to be heard, not ignored’
Throughout the pandemic, decisions made by adults have had a significant impact on all aspects of young people’s lives, yet some teenagers feel their voice and experiences during the pandemic have not been heard. The political has become personal for many, leading some young people to become increasingly engaged with politics and involved in community action. Research undertaken by my colleagues and I at the University of Huddersfield and consultancy Ecorys, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has been exploring young people’s experiences during lockdown, including their engagement and involvement with politics. The research project, Growing up under COVID, involves 70 young people aged 14-18 in the UK, Italy, Lebanon and Singapore.
25th Jan 2021 - i on MSN.com
The Truth About North Korea's Ultra-Lockdown Against Covid-19
Kim Jong-un acted quickly. On January 22, 2020, North Korea closed its borders with China and Russia to stop a new, mysterious virus from spreading into the country. At the time, what we now know as Covid-19 had killed just nine people and infected 400 others. More than a year later, the hermit kingdom’s border remains sealed tight shut. North Korea’s response to the pandemic has been one of the most extreme and paranoid in the world, experts say. The lockdowns and quarantines it imposed have been strict, while border restrictions have put a halt to fishing and the smuggling of goods into the country. At the same time, the nation’s state media and propaganda apparatus has pumped out messages warning citizens of the dangers of Covid-19 and praising the country’s “flawless” approach to the pandemic.
25th Jan 2021 - Wired
Lebanon's Coronavirus lockdown: 'We can't leave our homes day or night'
People in Lebanon are living under one of the world's strictest lockdowns. Under the round-the-clock curfew, citizens who are not "essential workers" have been barred from leaving their homes since 14 January. Here residents in the capital, Beirut, describe what it's like.
25th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Boris Johnson is set to give go-ahead for Australia-style quarantine
Minister plans will force travellers to isolate for ten days when they enter Britain
Cabinet sources expect Prime Minister to sign off on a comprehensive proposal
It means Britons will face having to pay extra, on top of the cost of their trip
25th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Norway widens capital region's lockdown to combat pandemic
The Norwegian government will widen the capital region’s coronavirus lockdown from Monday onwards, increasing the number of affected municipalities to 25 from the 10 that were initially included, health minister Bent Hoeie said on Sunday. Oslo and nine neighbouring municipalities imposed some of their toughest lockdown measures yet on Saturday after an outbreak of a more contagious coronavirus variant, first identified in Britain, closing all non-essential stores.
25th Jan 2021 - Reuters
UK extends councils' lockdown powers until July 17, Telegraph says
The British government has quietly extended coronavirus lockdown laws to give local councils in England the power to close pubs, restaurants, shops and public spaces until July 17, the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday the government could not consider easing lockdown restrictions with infection rates at their current high levels, and until it is confident the vaccination programme is working. The changes to the regulation governing coronavirus restrictions were made as part of a review of the third lockdown earlier this month by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the Telegraph said.
25th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullNorthern Ireland extends COVID-19 lockdown to March 5
The British region of Northern Ireland on Thursday extended its COVID-19 lockdown for an additional four weeks to March 5 and its deputy first minister said the measures might have to be extended again. Northern Ireland introduced a six-week lockdown on Dec. 26, closing schools, non-essential shops, bars and restaurants. “It’s an additional four weeks and there may well be something beyond that,” Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill told a press briefing.
23rd Jan 2021 - Reuters
Renewed lockdown sends UK economy tumbling again: PMI
Britain's relapse into a third national COVID-19 lockdown has sparked the sharpest drop in business activity since May, with services companies hit hardest, a survey showed on Friday. A preliminary "flash" IHS Markit/CIPS UK Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 40.6 in January, down from 50.4 in December. The drop below the 50 threshold for growth was bigger than any economist forecast in a Reuters poll, which had pointed to a reading of 45.5. In addition to the latest lockdown, data company IHS Markit said Britain's post-Brexit shift to a more bureaucratic trading arrangement with the European Union had contributed to the decline. “Services have once again been especially hard hit, but manufacturing has seen growth almost stall, blamed on a cocktail of COVID-19 and Brexit, which has led to increasingly widespread supply delays, rising costs and falling exports," Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said. The pace of job losses accelerated, after easing in December.
23rd Jan 2021 - Prince Edward Island Guardian
UK cannot consider easing lockdown while rates are so high - PM
British Prime Minister said the government could not consider easing lockdown restrictions with infection rates at their current high levels, and until it is confident that the vaccination programme is working. “You can’t unlock whilst rates of infection are so very high,” he told a press briefing on Friday. “We really can’t begin to consider unlocking until we’re confident that the vaccination programme is working.”
23rd Jan 2021 - Reuters
Norway's capital tightens lockdown to combat more contagious virus variant
Norway’s capital Oslo and nine neighboring municipalities imposed some of their toughest lockdown measures yet on Saturday after an outbreak of a more contagious coronavirus variant, first identified in Britain. Shopping centres and other non-essential stores will be closed from noon, for the first time in the pandemic, and will not reopen until Feb. 1 at the earliest, the government announced. Shops selling food will remain open, along with pharmacies and petrol stations. Organised sports activities will be halted, restaurants must close and schools must rely more on remote learning, while households have been asked not to have any visitors at home.
23rd Jan 2021 - Reuters
Covid-19 long-haulers want you to know that they're still not okay
Ten months have passed since Suzanne Hughes first fell ill. Before March 2020, the 56-year-old would go for long walks along the Welsh coast and spend hours tending to her garden. Now she feels lucky if she manages to walk more than a couple of minutes from her front door. “I can only do 30 per cent of what I’d like to do,” Hughes says. Even small exertions require a trade-off between what she wants to achieve now and how she’ll be feeling hours later. “Everything I do, I have to think, ‘What is this going to do to me? What’s the payback?’” Although we are still deep within the darkest days of the pandemic, with almost six per cent of the UK population already vaccinated against Covid-19 it is becoming possible to imagine life beyond the pandemic. In the coming months many of us will return to lives no longer dominated by a virus that has already taken so much from us. Covid-19 long haulers may never get that luxury.
19th Jan 2021 - Wired.co.uk
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullUK PM Johnson says to early to say when national lockdown will end
It is too early to say when the national COVID lockdown in England will end, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday, adding that persistently high infection levels demonstrated how infectious a new variant was. “I think it’s too early to say when we’ll be able to lift some of some of the restrictions,” Johnson told broadcasters. “What we’re seeing in the ONS data, in the REACT survey, we’re seeing the contagiousness of the new variant that we saw arrive just before Christmas. There’s no doubt it does spread very fast indeed.”
21st Jan 2021 - Reuters
Follow lockdown rules or face punishment, says UK interior minister
British interior minister Priti Patel warned those who break COVID-19 lockdown rules that they faced punishment by police, announcing a new 800 pound ($1,097.36) fine for those who attend house parties. "My message is clear: If you don't follow these rules, then the police will enforce them," Patel told a news conference. "Police officers are now moving more quickly to hand out fines when they encounter breaches."
21st Jan 2021 - MSN.com
England's third lockdown shows 'no evidence of decline' in Covid rates, study says
A third national lockdown in England appears to have had little impact on the rising rate of coronavirus infections, according to the findings of a major study, with “no evidence of decline” in the prevalence of the virus during the first 10 days of tougher restrictions. The closely watched REACT-1 study, led by Imperial College London, warned that health services would remain under “extreme pressure” and the cumulative number of deaths would increase rapidly unless the prevalence of the virus in the community was reduced substantially. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the latest figures were “appalling” and warned, “There are still tough weeks to come.”
21st Jan 2021 - CNBC
4.6m people in UK given Covid vaccine amid pressures for tougher lockdown
The UK has now given doses of the coronavirus vaccine to 4.6 million people, Matt Hancock has said, as he came under pressure to consider tougher restrictions given concerns that cases of the virus may not be falling. Answering an urgent question in the Commons, the health secretary said more than 5m doses had been given, also counting more than 400,000 second injections. “This virus is a lethal threat to us all and, as we respond through this huge endeavour, let’s all take comfort in the fact we’re giving 200 vaccinations every minute,” said Hancock, who was appearing from home, as he is self-isolating after being alerted by the test-and-trace app this week.
21st Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Merkel: Germany's tough COVID-19 lockdown beginning to pay off
Chancellor Angela Merkel called it encouraging at a press conference on Thursday that the COVID-19 surge in Germany was beginning to ease. "This shows that the tough cutbacks that people in Germany have had to endure for weeks are starting to pay off and it basically shows that the effort is worth it," she said. The number of daily COVID-19 infections was below the previous week's level and increased by 20,398 on Thursday, according to Robert Koch Institute
21st Jan 2021 - The Star
Lebanon extends total lockdown by two weeks
Lebanon has prolonged a total lockdown by two weeks to stem an unprecedented rise in coronavirus cases and protect its collapsing health sector. The strict restrictions include a round-the-clock curfew and limit grocery shopping to home deliveries. "The total lockdown is extended to February 8, 5 am," the Higher Defence Council, Lebanon's top security body, said in a statement.
21st Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Boris Johnson refuses to rule out lockdown lasting to the summer amid claims he is willing to keep Covid curbs longer to make sure it is the last national squeeze of pandemic
Boris Johnson today refused to rule out the brutal lockdown lasting until the summer amid claims he is willing to keep curbs longer to ensure it is the last national squeeze. The PM insisted it is 'too early to say' whether the restrictions will stay in place for months longer - despite cases falling by more than a fifth on last week and hopes rising that the most vulnerable groups will be vaccinated by mid-February, with a record 366,919 jabs administered in 24 hours. Mr Johnson also delivered a stark message that the new coronavirus strain is 'much more contagious', repeating his plea for people to stay at home and obey the rules.
21st Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Malaysia extends lockdown in capital and other states until February
Malaysia on Thursday extended restrictions on movement in the capital Kuala Lumpur and five states until Feb. 4 as part of a lockdown to combat a surge in coronavirus infections. The Health Ministry has confirmed that COVID-19 cases are accelerating within the community in many states, Security Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement. This week, the government placed six other states under a two-week lockdown. Essential sectors including plantations, manufacturing and construction are allowed to operate but state and international borders remain closed.
21st Jan 2021 - Thomson Reuters Foundation
English lockdown is helping to relieve pressure on health system, education minister says
It is too early to say when the national coronavirus lockdown in England will end, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday, as daily deaths from COVID-19 reach new highs and hospitals become increasingly stretched. Britain posted a fresh record in daily deaths on Wednesday for the second day running, hitting 1,820, figures that Johnson has called “appalling”. The daily death count dropped on Thursday. A prevalence survey, known as REACT-1, suggested infections had not fallen in the first days of lockdown, though the government has said that the impact of national restrictions introduced on Jan. 5 was not yet reflected in the numbers.
21st Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullSmall UK businesses are ‘running out of cash’, chancellor warned
"I suppose the technical phrase is we’re screwed,” said Ruari McCulloch, owner of Pinstripes & Peonies, a high-end London florist, which counts several London department stores and the Paris Air Show among its clients. Mr McCulloch is one of the many small business owners facing the toughest few months yet of the pandemic, starved of income for much of the past year as the UK approaches the anniversary of the first national coronavirus lockdown in March. Cash levels are depleted and debt loads have risen fast for companies with high fixed costs but zero revenues, leading to urgent calls from the UK’s business lobby groups, including the CBI and the British Chambers of Commerce, for immediate and sustained financial support from the chancellor Rishi Sunak.
20th Jan 2021 - Financial Times
Covid: Crops 'damaged nationwide' by lockdown walkers avoiding mud
Crops are "being damaged nationwide" by lockdown walkers avoiding mud, a rural business organisation has said. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said an influx of people walking over planted crops was affecting farmers' businesses. One farmer said there had been a tenfold increase in walkers during lockdown, while another had seen a 5ft (1.5m) path widen to 36ft (11m) across. Walking charity Ramblers said people must "stick to marked paths". CLA president Mark Bridgeman said while he did not want to discourage people from using the countryside, "crops are being damaged nationwide" by those avoiding quagmires.
20th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Germany Extends Lockdown Measures, Concerned About Covid-19 Variant
Germany prolonged on Tuesday night its lockdown that has been in force since November and introduced even stricter measures amid concerns about the spread of a new and more infectious coronavirus variant.
20th Jan 2021 - Wall Street Journal
Germany extends and tightens COVID lockdown
Germany's coronavirus restrictions will stay in place until the middle of February. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the country's 16 states agreed that the recent drop in infection rates was not enough to ease the current measures.
20th Jan 2021 - Deutsche Welle
New strain of coronavirus is discovered in GERMANY as Merkel extends lockdown restrictions
Health officials said the variant was identified in Bavarian hospital patients
It's not yet known how transmissible this latest strain of the virus may be
German schools and shops will continue to be closed until at least February 14
20th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
The silent epidemic: Abuse against Spanish women rises during lockdown
Fewer Spanish women were killed by their partner or ex-partner in 2020 than in previous years, but that statistic masks a rise in gender-based violence as COVID lockdowns left victims confined with their abusers, rights groups and officials say. Emails to abuse helplines soared nearly six-fold in April, the first full month of Spain’s lockdown. “Control-based violence - which doesn’t murder, but is insidious and devastating - grew, because violent partners already had women under their physical control,” Victoria Rosell, the ministry’s top official on gender abuse issues, told reporters on Wednesday. In 2020 overall, calls to the government’s abuse helpline rose 15% while emails increased more than 230%, but contact with victims was often lost as enforced cohabitation pushed women to seek help silently to avoid partners’ reprisals.
20th Jan 2021 - Reuters
France faces tough COVID month, with ski lifts and restaurants set to stay shut
A more infectious coronavirus variant is expected to spread rapidly through France in the coming month, hospital chiefs said on Wednesday, raising fears of another lockdown as hopes faded that ski lifts and restaurants could reopen soon.
20th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Israel extends Covid lockdown despite vaccination drive
The Israeli government decided Tuesday to extend the country's coronavirus lockdown to the end of the month after a spike in infections, despite an intensive vaccination campaign. Israel began its third lockdown in late December and tightened it on January 8, with officials saying at the time it would be lifted after two weeks if the daily caseload decreased sufficiently. Since the rollout of vaccinations one month ago, the Jewish state had innoculated more than 2.2 million of its nine million inhabitants, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Tuesday.
20th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Coronavirus: French students highlight pandemic's mental health toll
French students have planned a series of protests on Wednesday to draw attention to the rising mental health problems many say they are suffering as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A combination of isolation, inactivity and a broader loss of purpose has left many students close to breakdown, according to university psychologists. Student mental health resources, such as counsellors, have been overwhelmed by the numbers seeking help in recent weeks. In the last two weeks alone, two undergraduates in Lyon have tried to take their lives.
20th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Germany extends Covid-19 lockdown until mid-February
Germany on Tuesday toughened a partial lockdown and extended it to February 14, with Chancellor Angela Merkel warning of possible border checks to contain “the danger” of new coronavirus variants believed to be more contagious. Speaking after hours of crisis talks with the leaders of Germany’s 16 states, Merkel said the latest restrictions were necessary as “a precaution for our country, the health of our citizens and also for the economy”. According to a final text seen by AFP, Merkel and the state premiers agreed to make medical masks mandatory on public transport and in shops—meaning only surgical masks or the so-called FFP2 masks will be allowed. They also said employers must make it possible for staff work from home wherever it is feasible.
20th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24 English
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullChina's capital steps up COVID-19 measures as outbreak persists
China’s capital Beijing said on Wednesday it will investigate all individuals who entered the city from abroad from Dec. 10 and shut down a subway station after reporting the biggest daily jump in new COVID-19 cases in more than three weeks. The measures come amid what has become the country’s most severe COVID-19 outbreak since March 2020 ahead of the key Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season, when hundreds of millions travel, raising fears of another major COVID-19 wave that could bring the country back into a debilitating standstill. The National Health Commission said on Wednesday that a total of 103 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Jan. 19, down from 118 a day earlier. Northeastern Jilin province reported 46 new cases, however, setting another record in daily cases, while Hebei province surrounding Beijing reported 19 new cases.
20th Jan 2021 - Reuters on MSN.com
Covid-19 in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon extends lockdown to at least mid-February
Schools will remain closed to most pupils for at least another month after Nicola Sturgeon extended lockdown in Scotland. Cases of Covid-19 are stabilising but the first minister warned that any relaxation risks sending “the situation into reverse”. The first minister said that ministers had agreed to extend the current curbs — which came into force on December 26 and have since been tightened — until at least the middle of February.
19th Jan 2021 - The Times
COVID-19: Scotland lockdown extended until at least the middle of February, Nicola Sturgeon announces
Scotland's lockdown will be extended until at least the middle of February, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. The first minister said that despite COVID-19 case numbers having "stabilised and even declined", any relaxation of the rules while infection rates remain high could "quickly send the situation into reverse". Schools, which were meant to emerge from lockdown at the start of next month, will also remain closed along with nurseries to all those apart from vulnerable children and those of key workers until mid-February.
19th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Dutch govt to beef up lockdown amid fears about new variants
The Dutch government said Tuesday it needs to beef up lockdown measures “as soon as possible” to rein in the spread of the coronavirus amid fears about more transmissible variants. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to parliament that the government will announce extra measures on Wednesday afternoon. The Netherlands has been in a tough lockdown for a month and will remain that way at least until at least Feb. 9, but the slow decrease in the number of new infections and the threat posed by new variants have prompted the government to consider a tightening that is expected to include a curfew for the first time since the pandemic began.
19th Jan 2021 - The Independent
Germany extends lockdown to Feb. 14 on fears of COVID variants, sources say
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany may need to consider border crossing curbs if other European countries do not act to halt the spread of the coronavirus, particularly its new, more transmissible variants. “We can do anything we like, but we will not succeed if others are not working in parallel,” Merkel told journalists on Tuesday, two days ahead of a videoconference of European leaders. “We need to make sure that everyone around us is doing the same. Otherwise we have to look at measures such as entry restrictions.”
19th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Europe, Struggling to Exit the Pandemic, Faces Bleak 2021
Covid-19 infections and deaths remain stubbornly high across much of Europe while vaccination efforts are moving so slowly that widespread immunity is unlikely in the region before the fall, raising the prospect of a bleak 2021 for hundreds of millions of Europeans. With between 3,000 and 4,000 people dying from the disease every day across the European Union in recent weeks, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, governments are prolonging and tightening antivirus measures such as curfews, remote learning and restaurant closures. Fears are growing, too, of more contagious variants of the virus taking hold before governments can scale up their vaccination programs.
19th Jan 2021 - The Wall Street Journal
Lebanon doctors urge lockdown extension
The head of Lebanon's main coronavirus hospital Tuesday backed the extension of a total lockdown to curb soaring infection figures and save a fragile healthcare system from collapse. "Easing the lockdown cannot occur if the virus is spreading unchecked in the community," Firas Abiad said on social media. "The infection is not under control." The country of more than six million has recorded 255,956 coronavirus cases and 1,959 deaths since its outbreak started in February. It entered a strict 11-day lockdown last Thursday after recording a 70% uptick in infections in one of the steepest increases in transmission worldwide.
19th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
Portugal tightens Covid-19 lockdown amid record numbers of new cases, deaths
Stricter lockdown rules are being enacted in Portugal, the government announced Monday, as a surging Covid-19 pandemic sets grim records and pushes hospitals to the limit of their capacity. Prime Minister António Costa said too many people had taken advantage of exceptions included in the lockdown that began last Friday, with authorities reporting 70% of normal movement over the weekend. “We are going through the most serious phase of the pandemic” so far, Costa said, urging people to comply with the rules. “This is no time for finding loopholes in the law.”
19th Jan 2021 - FRANCE 24
British firms call for immediate $10.3 billion in COVID aid
British firms called on Tuesday for another 7.6 billion pounds ($10.3 billion) of emergency government help, saying they cannot wait until finance minister Rishi Sunak’s March budget to learn if they will get more pandemic support. With Britain back under lockdown and companies adjusting to life after Brexit, firms are taking big decisions about jobs and investment and need to know if their financial lifelines will be extended, the Confederation of British Industry said. “We just have to finish the job. Now would be a very odd time to end that support,” CBI Director-General Tony Danker said in a statement.
19th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullAre too many of us bending the rules of this lockdown?
Lockdown is not driving down Covid-19 fast enough – so are too many of us bending the rules? It may be a case of pushing the boundaries too far at a time when the more infectious UK strain of the virus is such a threat and spreading at speed. But whether it’s drifting back to the workplace or even something as simple as meeting up for a takeaway coffee with a friend in the park, people who have options to stay at home may be finding too many loopholes which will only prolong the current crisis.
18th Jan 2021 - Independent.ie
Let us play: parents and charities plead for swings and slides to be kept open during lockdown
Play charities are calling for councils to keep playgrounds open during lockdown, as many are closed due to fears that they encourage people to “congregate and socialise”. In a letter from Play England to all local authorities in England, several experts who work with children say that playgrounds should stay open “to reduce the catastrophic impact of Covid and lockdown on children’s physical and mental health and wellbeing”. Stevenage council closed 54 playgrounds last week after a rise in cases in the area, including among children and young people. Jim McManus, director of public health at Hertfordshire county council, said: “Nobody wants to do this but the virus is circulating so much we don’t have a choice.”
18th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Germany to Extend Lockdown Until Mid-February, Mulls Curfew
Germany will likely extend lockdown measures until at least mid-February and may impose a nighttime curfew in coronavirus hot spots. Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers are due to decide on the latest strategy to stem the spread of the disease during a video call on Tuesday. The talks, originally planned for Jan. 25, were brought forward after the German leader warned of the risks posed by variants that can spread more quickly. With regional authorities responsible for health policy under Germany’s federal system, the discussions are a critical -- and at times contentious -- part of the country’s fight against the pandemic. State leaders have regularly balked at Merkel’s tougher stance, and resistance could grow as numbers come off peak levels and with officials wary of voter dissatisfaction ahead of state elections in March.
18th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Germany needs to extend and tighten COVID-19 lockdown - Scholz
Germany must extend and tighten its lockdown measures to get down infection numbers in the pandemic more quickly, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Monday. “I consider an extension and precise measures to increase the effectiveness of the (existing) measures necessary,” Scholz said, adding that stricter rules for working from home should be considered to reduce mobility and social contacts. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 state premiers are expected to discuss further curbs on Tuesday to slow the spread of new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus.
18th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Where's the spark? How lockdown caused a creativity crisis
Doomed. That was the prevailing mood at Color, a 50-person creative agency, when the pandemic shut its offices in Seattle and Los Angeles. “Among the many business fears that Covid brought on,” says Elie Goral, executive creative director, “the concept of needing to isolate our creative energy was one of the scariest. Creative ideation is that frenetic spark that happens when a group of people are together, face-to-face, beers in hand, pacing back and forth against a messy whiteboard.” A “close-knit culture” had traditionally helped his colleagues to share abstract ideas and feedback. He worried about the impact of remote working “without the ability to casually socialise in the spaces around our offices specifically designed for impromptu conversation”.
18th Jan 2021 - Financial Times
All arrivals to UK face hotel quarantine to stop new Covid strains
Ministers have ordered plans to be drawn up for a fresh crackdown at Britain’s borders to stop new variants of the coronavirus undermining the vaccination effort.
Officials have been told to prepare for the creation of quarantine hotels for those arriving in Britain and to use GPS and facial-recognition technology to check that people are staying in isolation. Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, warned that it was too early for people to book summer holidays abroad.
18th Jan 2021 - The Times
Covid-19: British people in lockdown flock to packed-out beaches amid deadly coronavirus outbreak
As the United Kingdom grapples with its third lockdown amid a deadly Covid-19 outbreak, British residents are still heading to the beaches and parks in droves. Thousands of maskless walkers were pictured enjoying a rare glimpse of winter sunshine at England’s Brighton Beach at the weekend. British media also published photos of packed-out parks and lined streets, as residents left their homes to exercise. A lockdown is currently in place across the UK to help curb surging infection numbers, however the rules do allow for people to leave their homes for exercise and long as they stay local.
18th Jan 2021 - Stuff.co.nz
Slovakia tightens anti-coronavirus lockdown, extends it till Feb 7
The Slovak government tightened lockdown of the country and extended it till Feb. 7, as it launched week-long testing campaign in an attempt to tame the coronavirus epidemic. The lockdown, declared on New Year’s Eve until Jan. 24, includes a ban on visits between families, travel beyond one’s district or public church services. Slovaks are now asked to get tested from Monday until Jan. 26. After that, only people with a negative result will be able to go to their workplace, the rest will have to stay home. “We decided to go for the ideal combination, a lockdown with massive testing,” Prime Minister Igor Matovic said at a televised press conference. A negative test result will be also required for trips to the country or going to the post office. The tighter rules can be lifted earlier than Feb. 7 if the number of hospitalised patients drops below 2,500.
17th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullAmid COVID-19 surge, South Africa delays reopening schools
Faced with a rapid resurgence of COVID-19 overwhelming the country’s hospitals and driven by a more infectious variant of the virus South Africa has delayed reopening its schools. The variant is having far-reaching consequences for Africa’s most developed nation as several countries trying to prevent its spread have stopped or reduced flights with South Africa. South Africa has the highest prevalence of COVID-19 in Africa with a cumulative total of more than 1.3 million confirmed cases, including 36,851 deaths.
17th Jan 2021 - The Independent
Covid-19: Rise in suspected child abuse cases after lockdown
The number of reported incidents of children dying or being seriously harmed after suspected abuse or neglect rose by a quarter after England's first lockdown last year, figures indicate. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel received 285 serious incident notifications from April to September. This is an increase of 27% from 225 in the same period the previous year. The data also includes children who were in care and died, regardless of whether abuse or neglect was suspected.
17th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Covid-19: Lockdown could 'lose a generation' of young people
A "whole generation of young people" could be lost to education during the Covid-19 lockdown because they do not have access to digital learning, a leading charity warned. Schools have been closed to most children, meaning remote-learning at home with lessons via the internet. Rae Tooth, of the Villiers Park Education Trust, is concerned about children without computers. The government said it was providing thousands of laptops for pupils. Ms Tooth, chief executive of the Trust, told BBC Politics East that "digital poverty" hits the ability of children to learn if they have no access to the internet, (or can only access if via smartphones with small screens).
17th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Austria extends COVID-19 lockdown, sees hard months ahead
Austria on Sunday extend its third COVID-19 lockdown into February, hoping to drive down infection rates despite an influx of variants that spread the coronavirus more easily. The goal is to let shops, museums and personal services like hairdressers reopen from Feb. 8, while the catering and tourism sectors will stay shuttered until at least March. “We have two to three hard months ahead of us,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a news conference, flanked by regional leaders and health officials in a show of unity a day after thousands marched in Vienna to protest against restrictions.
17th Jan 2021 - Reuters
France observes nationwide 6 p.m. curfew to slow coronavirus spread
Cities, towns and villages across France were practically empty on Saturday as residents stayed home and businesses shut to observe a nationwide curfew intended to help stem the spread of coronavirus, especially a more infectious variant. The virus has killed 70,000 people in France, the seventh highest toll in the world, and the government is particularly worried by the more transmissible variant first detected in Britain, which now accounts for about 1% of new cases. The curfew was brought forward two hours to 6 p.m. and will run until 6 a.m. In addition, from Monday anyone travelling to France from outside the European Union will have to show a negative test result and self-isolate for a week upon arrival.
17th Jan 2021 - Reuters
6pm curfew across whole of France for at least 15 days
All of France will be under a strict 6pm curfew for at least 15 days to fight the spread of coronavirus, the Prime Minister has announced. Jean Castex also revealed strict new controls for those arriving in France from countries outside the European Union. Starting on Monday, they must produce a PCR test with negative results and self-isolate for seven days followed by a new, negative test. France wants to coordinate a response with the European Union about arrivals from EU countries, he said. The French government is trying to avoid a third lockdown with partial measures like curfews which Mr Castex called both “preventative” and “reactive”.
17th Jan 2021 - Surrey Live
Italy suspends flights from Brazil in response to new coronavirus variant
Italy is suspending flights from Brazil, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Saturday, in response to a new coronavirus variant. Anyone who has transited Brazil in the last 14 days is also prohibited from entering Italy, he said on Facebook, while people arriving in Italy from Brazil will be required to take a test for the virus.
"It is critical for our scientists to study the new strain. In the meantime, we are taking a very cautious approach", he said. Such rules will remain in place until Jan. 31, the order issued on Saturday by the health minister showed.
16th Jan 2021 - Yahoo News
Australian Open thrown into chaos as 47 players are forced into lockdown over coronavirus cases from charter flights
The Australian Open lead-up has been thrown into chaos with at least 47 players now confined to their hotel rooms for the next 14 days following three positive coronavirus tests from two separate charter flights into Melbourne. Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, three-time grand slam winner Angelique Kerber and 2019 US Open title holder Bianca Andreescu are among the players affected. Ms Andreesecu's coach Sylvain Bruneau wrote in a media statement that he had been the source of the infection on the second flight from Abu Dhabi, having tested positive on arrival in Melbourne. "I am deeply sorry to share that I have just tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival after travelling from Abu Dhabi," he wrote.
16th Jan 2021 - SBS News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullFurlough for 71% of working mothers rejected by bosses, survey reveals
More than 70 per cent of working mothers who asked to be furloughed had their requests denied by bosses, a new survey has revealed. The survey of 50,000 women was undertaken by the TUC and shows that a “lack of support” for working parents is causing “huge” financial problems, the trade union umbrella body said.
The job retention scheme currently allows bosses to furlough parents due to childcare issues, but the poll showed 71 per cent of working mothers had requests turned down after the recent school closures, as reported by the Daily Mirror. It also indicated that 78 per cent of working parents had not been offered furlough by their employers at all.
14th Jan 2021 - The Independent
Huge crowds seen boarding Tube trains despite Covid lockdown
Footage from the London Underground has shown large crowds of people continuing to use the tube network despite the current Covid lockdown. A clip filmed on the platform of Canning Town, in East London, revealed masses of commuters boarding trains during peak hours this week. It comes as unions warn that thousands of people are still being made to travel for jobs they can’t do from home, or under the guise of being a ‘key worker’. Sharing the video on social media, BBC transport correspondent Tom Edwards said Tube drivers were becoming increasingly worried about the number of travellers still using the network. But Transport for London have since said the crowds were caused by trains being cancelled, and are not indicative of the rest of the Underground service.
14th Jan 2021 - Metro
COVID-19: Schools in England may not reopen after February half-term, Boris Johnson suggests
Schools in England may not reopen after the February half-term, the prime minister has suggested. Boris Johnson said the government's priority was to get pupils back in the classroom "as soon as possible", but that whether this would happen after half-term in the middle of next month depended on a "number of things". The PM told MPs on the Liaison Committee that the determining factors would be the success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the effect of new variants, any other possible changes in the virus, and the success of lockdown measures.
14th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Coronavirus lockdown: 1 in 4 people in the UK drinking more than usual under Covid restrictions
A quarter of people in the UK drank more than usual during the first lockdown, with younger women and those suffering from anxiety especially prone, a UCL study has found. More than 30,000 adults were questioned about their drinking behaviour between 21 March and 4 April for the study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Just over a third (34.3 per cent) were not drinking but among people who drank, 48.1 per cent reported drinking about the same, 26.2 per cent reported drinking more and 25.7 per cent reported drinking less than usual.
14th Jan 2021 - iNews
Germany's economy contracted by 5% in 2020 as coronavirus lockdowns hit growth
Coronavirus cases have prompted several lockdowns on public life and economic activity in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced last week that the latest lockdown would be extended until the end of the month.
14th Jan 2021 - CNBC
In victory for privacy activists, France is banned from using drones to enforce coronavirus rules
France's privacy watchdog has banned the use of drone cameras to enforce coronavirus restrictions and for other law enforcement purposes, marking a victory for groups arguing that the pandemic has given rise to excessive surveillance. France's Interior Ministry had conducted drone flights "outside of any legal framework," the official privacy watchdog, known as CNIL, said in its strongly worded rebuke, which was released Thursday. France imposed some of Europe's toughest measures in response to the virus last year and initially deployed helicopters and drones to monitor adherence to the rules. The drones were equipped to spot lockdown violators, guide teams on the ground and broadcast warnings via loudspeakers.
14th Jan 2021 - Washington Post
French watchdog condemns police for unlawful use of drones to patrol lockdown
French data privacy watchdog CNIL condemned the Interior Ministry for the unlawful use of drones to oversee demonstrations and make sure people were respecting the COVID-19 lockdown. In a decision made public on Thursday, the authority stressed that the use of such tools by the police nationwide broke the law in the absence of any regulatory framework. In a statement, the interior ministry said it acknowledged the CNIL’s decision, and would respect its terms.
14th Jan 2021 - Reuters
UPDATE 1-More UK companies shuttered by COVID clampdown last month
The proportion of businesses in Britain open during the second half of December fell sharply in the second half of December as COVID-19 restrictions tightened across the country, an official survey showed on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics said 71% of businesses were operating, down from 84% in the first half of the month and the lowest proportion since late June, when Britain’s economy was emerging from its first COVID-19 lockdown. The proportion of workers furloughed, based on the responses of businesses, rose to 14% in the latest survey from 11% previously. The figures are likely to reinforce expectations that the economy entered a double-dip recession in late 2020.
14th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Denmark extends lockdown to combat more contagious coronavirus variant
Denmark on Wednesday extended hard lockdown measures by at least three weeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus, in particular a more transmissible variant of the virus that is spreading in the Nordic country. Denmark has so far registered 208 cases of the new variant dubbed cluster B 1.1.7., which was first registered in Britain and has spread across Europe. “It is the growth that is extremely worrying,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told a news conference late on Wednesday. “This means that we will see a situation with sharply increasing infection rates later in the winter, if the situation continues as it is now,” he said
14th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Compliance with restrictions at highest point since first lockdown, new data reveals
Compliance with coronavirus rules has risen sharply since December and is now at its highest point since the first lockdown, according to a major new survey seen by Sky News. The results cast doubt on the government's claims that rule-breaking is contributing to a rise in COVID-19 deaths, after ministers and senior police officers warned that enforcement would be increased to ensure compliance. But while the restrictions are being followed by most people, the study confirmed "rule-bending" remains as commonplace as throughout the pandemic, with a large minority adding their own "modifications" to the rules, especially when it comes to meeting other people and self-isolation time.
13th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Scotland's Covid lockdown tightened with click and collect and takeaway curbs
Shops in Scotland have been ordered to stop non-essential click-and-collect services and alcohol consumption is to be banned outdoors, in a further tightening of lockdown measures. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, said shops would be allowed to offer click and collect only for essential goods such as clothes, shoes, baby equipment, books and homeware from Saturday 16 January. Takeaway outlets will be banned from allowing customers into the building. “I must stress at the outset that the situation we face in relation to the virus remains very precarious and extremely serious,” she told MSPs. UK government ministers are considering restricting click and collect in England, and Matt Hancock, the health secretary, joined Sturgeon in welcoming John Lewis’s voluntary decision on Tuesday to suspend its collect services.
13th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Parents forced to prioritise children over jobs as UK lockdown pressures bite
Parents in the UK face impossible choices between their livelihood and their children’s wellbeing, according to campaigners and business groups who say employers have become less willing to grant furlough requests to help manage the pressures of home schooling. During the first national lockdown last spring, parents were twice as likely to be furloughed as those without children, according to analysis by the Office for National Statistics, which also found that many of those still working could only manage by catching up in the early hours and late at night. Polling by the TUC found that one in six mothers — mostly those in low-paid jobs — had no choice but to cut their hours.
13th Jan 2021 - The Financial Times
To thrive in lockdown, keep looking forward
One of the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the stubborn persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It may feel as though the situation is improving at times, but when events force governments to enact new lockdowns, the effect can be disheartening. A recent study, by researchers at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, has explored some strategies for maintaining emotional well-being during lockdown. It suggests that the most effective strategy for managing the emotional burden of lockdown may be to train one’s perspective forward — toward positive aspects of the future.
13th Jan 2021 - Medical News Today
COVID-19 batters Asia's already-struggling democracies
Over the past 15 years, democracy across Asia has regressed. Although the region still has strong democracies like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, many other leading Asian democracies and countries with democratic potential have slid backwards, turning into near-autocracies or outright authoritarian states. While Thailand had been one of the freest states in Asia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it has suffered two military coups in the past decade and now is run by a parliamentary government that took power after a seriously flawed election in 2019.
Bangladesh had built itself into a shaky but increasingly vibrant democracy by the early 2010s, but in the past decade has deteriorated into a de facto one-party regime, with opposition activists, civil society leaders and journalists jailed and murdered. The Philippines, which had become a solid democracy in the decades following after the Marcos regime, elected President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 and then witnessed mass extrajudicial killings, crackdowns on media outlets and violent targeting of Duterte’s political opponents. And in India, the most populous democracy in the world, recent years have included the Narendra Modi government undermining the independence of the judiciary and cowing independent media.
13th Jan 2021 - The Japan Times
COVID-19: Police in talks with ministers about tightening 'vague' lockdown exercise rules
Police are in talks with ministers to tighten the "woolly" and "incredibly vague" lockdown regulations around exercise, a senior officer has said. Existing rules are "a real challenge", Owen Weatherill, from the National Police Chiefs' Council, told a committee of MPs on Wednesday. The assistant chief constable, who is leading the policing response to the pandemic in England and Wales, was giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee. Mr Weatherill told members police were holding discussions with the Home Office and the Department of Health, in the hope that they could "give greater clarity to the public and also to our officers". He said: "It's really difficult to get the right balance, I don't think there's a perfect answer for anybody, because whichever way you frame it somebody will be disadvantaged. That's the reality of what we're dealing with here. "There was a deliberate effort to try and make it flexible initially so there was a degree of freedom of choice for people, and you could exercise some of the decisions you wanted to within certain ranges, but that clearly is presenting other problems.
13th Jan 2021 - Sky News
Covid 19 coronavirus: Woman walks husband on leash to avoid Canadian lockdown law
A Canadian couple have been fined for breaching local lockdown laws after police caught a husband and wife out for a walk. Unusually, the wife had leashed her husband for the excursion. She reportedly told officers that she was "walking her dog" when she was confronted by police. The incident occurred in the city of Sherbrooke, in Quebec provice.
13th Jan 2021 - New Zealand Herald
School key worker ‘lottery’ sees NHS staff miss out on lockdown classroom places as more children attend
One week after schools in England closed, key worker parents and NHS staff are missing out on face-to-face education places for their children, as schools attempt to adhere to broader key worker guidance while managing a problematic increase in attendance. Both teachers and parents told i that they were finding it increasingly difficult to manage demand for children to attend school. While schools in England closed for most pupils on Tuesday 5 January, as with the first lockdown they remain open for vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers, as well as for those children without digital devices or quiet spaces in their homes, and the children of EU transition workers.
13th Jan 2021 - iNews
Europe extends and tightens lockdowns, with fingers crossed for vaccines
Governments across Europe announced tighter and longer coronavirus lockdowns and curbs on Wednesday amid fears of a fast-spreading variant first detected in Britain, with vaccinations not expected to help much until the spring. Vaccines are being rolled out across the continent, but not as quickly as many countries had wished, and the effects are not expected until inoculations are widespread among the population. Italy will extend its COVID-19 state of emergency to the end of April, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said as infections show no sign of abating. Switzerland announced tighter measures to tackle new variants of the COVID-19 virus and extended the closure of restaurants, cultural and sport sites by five weeks to run until the end of February.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters Africa
Scotland to tighten lockdown rules on retail and takeaway from Saturday
Scotland will tighten its lockdown measures to restrict non-essential retailers from offering “click-and-collect” services and limit how takeaway food and drink can be sold from Saturday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. A national lockdown was announced for mainland Scotland on Jan. 4, shortly before UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced similar measures for England. Sturgeon said that a rapid increase of cases caused by a new variant of the coronavirus appeared to be slowing down, but said it was not an indication that it was safe to ease lockdown, adding that more needed to be done. “Case numbers are still so high, and the new variant is so infectious that we must be as tough, and as effective as we possibly can be to stop it spreading,” Sturgeon said on Wednesday.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Germany will have COVID curbs beyond January - health minister
Germany will not be able to lift all coronavirus lockdown curbs at the beginning of February, Health Minister Jens Spahn said, stressing the need to further reduce contacts to fend off a more virulent variant of the virus. The German cabinet on Wednesday approved stricter controls on people entering the country after a national lockdown was last week tightened and extended to the end of January.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Denmark to extend lockdown measures by three weeks - media reports
Denmark on Wednesday extended hard lockdown measures by at least three weeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus, in particular a more transmissible variant of the virus that is spreading in the Nordic country. Denmark has so far registered 208 cases of the new variant dubbed cluster B 1.1.7., which was first registered in Britain and has spread across Europe. “It is the growth that is extremely worrying,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke told a news conference late on Wednesday. “This means that we will see a situation with sharply increasing infection rates later in the winter, if the situation continues as it is now,” he said.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Lockdown starting to have an effect, says UK PM Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday tougher restrictions brought in last week were starting to have an effect on the spread of COVID in some parts of the country, cautioning that it was still early days.
“What we are now seeing, and it’s very, very important to stress that these are early days, we are now seeing the beginnings of some signs that that is starting to have an effect in many parts of the country, but by no means everywhere and it is early days,” he told parliament.
He also said he did not rule out bringing in even tougher restrictions to try to temper the spread of the coronavirus, which has largely been driven by a new variant.
13th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullRent Strikes Loom at British Universities
National lockdowns across the U.K. have left many college students who returned home for the holidays stuck there, on the hook to pay rent for empty rooms back at school. The added — and in many cases, expensive — frustration for British students is fueling threats of rent strikes. What has angered them is timing. In December, the government said it would relax Covid restrictions during the Christmas holiday. Many students followed safety protocols put in place by the government and their universities and returned home.
12th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
With England in lockdown 3, it's time ministers got it right on face masks
Faced with a new, more infectious variant of the virus and a vaccination programme that won’t reach everyone until the autumn, the prime minister has suggested the government may have to tighten restrictions during England’s third lockdown. But ministers already have a simple tool at their disposal. Getting face masks right is one of the most important things we can do now to stop the spread of Covid-19. In England, the attitude to face masks has been inconsistent at best and negligent at worst. Masks are required in shared public spaces such as supermarkets, though many workers have complained that customers aren’t wearing them, and enforcement has largely fallen on individual stores. In schools, the government inexplicably made masks mandatory in corridors but not in classrooms. To reduce transmission as much as possible, they should be worn throughout the school day.
12th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Merkel Warns Germany May Need Ten Week Lockdown Extension
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the nation’s lockdown may need to be extended due to risks posed by the Covid-19 variant from the U.K. Bloomberg’s Arne Delfs reports on "Bloomberg Markets: European Close.”
12th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Germany and Netherlands likely to extend Covid lockdowns
Germany’s tough anti-Covid measures are likely to last a further eight to 10 weeks, Angela Merkel has warned, while the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, has extended the Netherlands’ national lockdown into next month. As Europe struggles to stem the number of cases and deaths and concerns mount about the new, more contagious UK variant, the German chancellor said infections could rise 10-fold by Easter if the country did not succeed in containing the virus’s spread. Germany’s lockdown, under which schools and non-essential shops and services have closed, was due to last until 31 January, but Merkel reportedly told a working group of her Christian Democratic Union: “We still need eight to 10 weeks of hard measures.” The country has been recording record daily case numbers and deaths in the 900-1,000 range but the figures remain skewed due to under-reporting over the Christmas holiday and a true picture is not expected to be available until 17 January.
12th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Boris Johnson gathers Cabinet amid fears lockdown could get tighter
Boris Johnson is said to be considering tightening the coronavirus lockdown rules in England amid a surge in cases. Here are some of the options Mr Johnson could consider: Curbs on click and collect - At the moment non-essential shops are allowed to offer click and collect services but there are concerns that this still results in too much interaction between different households. The Government could opt to ban non-essential shops from offering click and collect services, restricting it to just supermarkets and other essential shops. Nicola Sturgeon said today she is considering such a move in Scotland. Takeaways - Restaurants are not allowed to physically open during lockdown but they are allowed to offer takeaway food. However, there are rising worries that picking up takeaway food is also leading to too many households mixing while they wait for food to be prepared. Rules could therefore be tightened to stop people waiting inside restaurants. Ms Sturgeon also said this is under consideration in Scotland. - Closing more work places
12th Jan 2021 - Daily Mail
Double-Dip Recession Beckons in Europe as Lockdowns Drag On
The euro-area economy is poised to shrink again at the start of this year as the resurgent pandemic plunges the region into a double-dip recession. Analysts at banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and UBS Group AG are downgrading forecasts to account for renewed lockdowns -- in some places tougher than ever -- and the prospect that the new coronavirus variant ravaging the U.K. will do the same on the continent. Add vaccination delays to trade disruptions because of Brexit, and the scene is set for a second straight quarter of falling gross domestic product. That would echo the downturn at the start of 2020, even if less severe, and increase pressure on indebted governments and the European Central Bank, which meets to set policy next week, to provide more financial support.
12th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Bubbles will be allowed if Covid lockdown tightens up
People living alone or with childcare needs would still be able to form a support bubble with one other household in a tougher lockdown, Matt Hancock has promised. However, the heath secretary said that exercising outside with another person from a separate household could be banned if people kept breaching the exemption. Mr Hancock and Boris Johnson said that the rules would be tightened if necessary. The prime minister warned yesterday against “false complacency”.
12th Jan 2021 - The Times
Covid in Scotland: Lockdown likely to extend to February
The first minister says there may not be any lifting of current lockdown restrictions at the end of January. Nicola Sturgeon said that despite early signs of hope that the situation may be stabilising, restrictions would still be needed to stop coronavirus running "amok". She said it was very unlikely there would be any wholesale change to lockdown when measures are reviewed.
12th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Lockdown leading to 'very difficult period' for UK economy, warns Bank governor
The UK economy is facing its “darkest hour” due the latest Covid-19 lockdown, which is likely to delay the recovery, the Bank of England governor has warned. In comments on Tuesday that echoed warnings from the chancellor, Rishi Sunak a day earlier that the economy “is going to get worse before it gets better”, Bailey said the UK would bounce back, but only after the lockdown had ended and concerns about the spread of the virus had receded. Referencing Winston Churchill’s use of the phrase in 1940 following the evacuation of Dunkirk, he said: “There’s an old saying about the darkest hour is the one before dawn.”
12th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Lockdown fines ‘increasingly likely’ in police crackdown, top officer warns
Lockdown rule-breakers are ‘increasingly likely’ to face fines as forces move ‘more quickly’ to enforce Covid restrictions, Britain’s most senior police officer has warned. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said it is ‘preposterous’ that anyone could be unaware of the stringent measures designed to curb Covid cases. Writing in The Times, she said: ‘It is preposterous to me that anyone could be unaware of our duty to do all we can to stop the spread of the virus. ‘We have been clear that those who breach Covid-19 legislation are increasingly likely to face fines.’
12th Jan 2021 - Metro
UK retailers call for police help to enforce mask rules
British retailers called on the police to help enforce the wearing of masks to limit the spread of COVID-19, with one of the biggest supermarkets saying on Monday it would no longer allow entry to those flouting the rules. With infection numbers rising sharply the UK government has expressed concern about the spread of the virus in supermarkets, with people breaching rules by not wearing masks while shopping in them. Non-essential retail, restaurants and bars are shut across Britain, leading to a high level of demand for supermarkets and other food stores. “People have got to follow the guidance in supermarkets, people need to be keeping their distance, making sure that they’re wearing masks, doing the right thing,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Dutch government expected to extend lockdown by three weeks
The Dutch government is expected to announce a three-week extension of COVID-19 lockdown measures on Tuesday evening, national broadcaster NOS reported. Prime Minister Mark Rutte was scheduled to announce the latest social curbs to fight the coronavirus pandemic during a live press conference at 7 p.m.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Lockdown impact on Germany economy not too severe - Scholz
The impact of Germany’s current lockdown on the economy it not too severe and Berlin will use its fiscal firepower, which is adequate, where support is needed, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday. Berlin is forecasting economic growth to rebound by 4.4% this year after an estimated 5.5% contraction in 2020, though some private forecasters regard the official outlook as optimistic given the country is once again in grip of lockdowns. Last month, Germany’s Ifo institute Ifo cut its 2021 growth forecast to 4.2% from 5.1%. Germany unveiled a 130-billion euro stimulus package last June, the centrepiece of a fiscal response to COVID-19 that is among the largest of any Western nation.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Merkel sees coronavirus lockdown until early April: Bild
Germany plans to tighten controls on people entering the country as part of efforts to bring under control a surge in coronavirus cases which is leading to record numbers of deaths in the European Union’s most populous country. The proposal, due to be approved by ministers on Wednesday, will require people arriving from countries with high case loads or where a new, more virulent strain of the virus is circulating to take a test for the disease. Mobile phone operators will have to send information to arriving passengers as soon as their phones are switched on in Germany after a period of absence, according to the proposal, seen by Reuters.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
UK police to get tougher on COVID lockdown rulebreakers
British police will get tougher on those who flout rules aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 and stricter measures could be brought in, the country’s top officer and the minister responsible for policing said on Tuesday. Hit by a new highly transmissible strain of the coronavirus, Britain is battling a surge in new infections, hospitalisations and deaths. In parts of London, one in 20 people are now thought to have the disease.
12th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullUK facing even tougher lockdown with masks in more places and limits on exercise
The Prime Minister is believed to have spoken with senior ministers on Sunday about whether or not the current lockdown rules are ‘working’ to reduce the spread of the virus. A further 54,940 cases were confirmed on Sunday,
11th Jan 2021 - Metro
Largest UK student accomodation provider gives 50% off rent for lockdown
The UK’s largest student accommodation provider has offered a 50 per cent rent discount in light of the new lockdown. It comes after students were told to remain where they were - while many were still at family homes for the Christmas break - until at least mid-February,
11th Jan 2021 - The Independent
In the first lockdown, England proved it could end homelessness. Why not now?
Halfway through a walk early last summer, I noticed a change around Peckham Rye train station in south-east London. Before the pandemic, there had been a semi-permanent cluster of men and women who would sleep by the entrance. Their makeshift shelters had become increasingly elaborate over the years. Mattresses, duvets and the occasional tent were common enough sights, a damning indictment of the UK’s spiralling homelessness crisis. But I couldn’t see any trace of them that afternoon. A few months had passed since the implementation in March of Everyone In, the scheme to temporarily house rough sleepers in self-contained accommodation during the first wave of the pandemic, including in newly deserted hotels and hostels. The homelessness charity Crisis called it extraordinary, while others lined up to congratulate the government on its unusually bold course of action to shelter thousands of society’s most vulnerable people.An article in the Lancet estimated that the measures prevented more than 21,000 infections and 266 deaths. Simply put, Everyone In saved lives.
11th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Covid lockdown: what can be done to tighten the rules in England?
With hospitalisations and deaths rising sharply and the NHS struggling to cope, scientists have called for a tightening of lockdown measures in England. “We’re in a crisis – that crisis is not only killing people, it’s compromising the ability and the effectiveness of the NHS, including its ability to roll out the vaccinations,” said Stephen Reicher, a professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of a committee advising the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage). “We need to act early, and act hard – half-measures really don’t work. They give you all the pain, but they don’t give you the gain.”
11th Jan 2021 - The Guardian
Covid: Are lockdown rules changing? Public Health England answers your questions
As coronavirus cases continue to rise and strong restrictions continue across the UK, people are wondering how it will all end. Vaccinations centres have opened across the UK, but who will get the jabs, and when? Restrictions are being reviewed, but what if people don't follow them? We're watching very carefully, it is early days. We won't really know until next week, or maybe the week after whether these restrictions have had the effect that we very much hope for. Every single day these things are reviewed. It's a balance between the need for what human beings want to do with what they we need to do to keep people protected. It will be kept under review. Radio 1 Newsbeat put your questions to Professor Yvonne Doyle, who is Public Health England's medical director and director for health protect
11th Jan 2021 - BBC News
Chris Whitty urges people to ‘double down’ on lockdown rules as he warns of ‘worst weeks’ ahead for NHS
England’s chief medical officer has urged people to stay at home and stop “unnecessary contact” as he warned of the “worst weeks of the pandemic” for the NHS. Chris Whitty said that the UK was in an “appalling situation”, with the Covid-19 variant causing the virus to spread in a way that the “old variant was not able to do”. He added that this winter “is in a completely different league” for the NHS. “We got to be very clear that we are now at the worst point of this epidemic for the UK,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, adding that people should “really think about” unnecessary contact.
11th Jan 2021 - Evening Standard
Supermarkets told to limit customers over fears lockdown rules being broken
Shoppers could once again be faced with long queues outside supermarkets as part of a wider Government crackdown on compliance with the latest lockdown measures. Ministers are said to have agreed to toughen enforcement of the rules amid fears poor compliance could mean the nationwide restrictions fail to bring the soaring coronavirus infection rates under control. The crackdown will focus on the retail sector and the rules allowing people to leave their homes for daily exercise, according to The Times. A Government source told the newspaper: ‘We need to make sure supermarkets in particular are following the rules given this is one of the few places where you still see people from different households in the same indoor space.’
11th Jan 2021 - Metro
Greeks escape lockdown for the beach as winter temperatures soar
Greeks headed to beaches and public parks on Sunday as a rare January heat wave offered a respite from the coronavirus lockdown that has thrown life across Europe into disarray. With temperatures in Athens set to reach 23 Celsius (73.4 Fahrenheit), people lounged on the sand, swam in the sea, and strolled on the promenade on the Athens coast, while police patrolled to control the crowds. In the last 50 years, such high temperatures for January have been seen only twice: in 1987 and 2010, the National Observatory of Athens said. “It is not normal. This time last year it was cold,” said 65-year old Kyriakos Pitoulis. “On the other hand, it helps because people are cooped up at home and they want to go somewhere to let off steam. They cannot stay home all the time.”
11th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullGreece extends some COVID lockdown curbs until Jan. 18
Health authorities reported 721 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and 49 related deaths, bringing the respective totals since the first coronavirus case was detected in February last year to 143,494 and 5,195. Greece earlier extended restrictions on international travellers arriving in Greece by two weeks.
9th Jan 2021 - Reuters
COVID-19 In Butler County: Hospitals Adjusting On Fly After State Announces New Vaccine Distribution Plan
This is the fourth version of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan in Pennsylvania. While things change, local health systems are rolling with the punches. “Many people are ready, many people perceive their risk. They’ve been riding this out for a long time and have been careful for a long time,” said Dr. David Rottinghaus, the chief medical officer at Butler Health System. Dr. Rottinghaus said Butler Health System was tasked with vaccinating the county’s 1A Phase. “We distributed almost 1,000 in the last 3 days. We are pretty far down the road in tier 1A,” Rottinghaus said.
9th Jan 2021 - CBS Pittsburgh
Coronavirus digest: London declares major incident over soaring cases
In Britain, London mayor Sadiq Khan has declared a major incident, warning that hospitals across the capital could struggle to cope with new infections linked to a new strain. "The stark reality is that we will run out of beds for patients in the next couple of weeks unless the spread of the virus slows down drastically," Khan said in a statement, calling for more support and action from the central UK government.
"We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point." The number of patients in the capital's hospitals has grown by 27% in the last week and the number on ventilators has increased by 42%. Britain on Friday reported 1,325 news deaths from the coronavirus — its highest daily tally since the pandemic began. The last record of 1,224 was reported in April.
9th Jan 2021 - DW (English)
Hotel quarantine overhaul in light of UK COVID-19 in Australia
A nationwide hotel quarantine overhaul is underway after confirmation the new - more contagious - variants of COVID-19 have made their way into our communities. Saturday January 9: Victoria has recorded one new COVID-19 case in hotel quarantine overnight,
8th Jan 2021 - Nine News Australia
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullMerkel aide warns of longer lockdown in Germany if rules too lax
Germany faces the risk of a much longer coronavirus lockdown if the federal states do not consistently implement tougher restrictions, especially in light of a highly contagious new variant, an aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
“With every relaxation now, the likelihood of even longer necessary restrictions is greater and greater,” Helge Braun, head of Merkel’s office, told Reuters in an interview. Like many other European countries, Germany is struggling to contain a second wave of the virus.
7th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Canada’s Quebec imposes curfew, extends lockdown as COVID-19 cases soar
Canada’s Quebec province will impose a curfew starting on Saturday and extend an existing lockdown through Feb. 8, to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as it works to speed up a vaccination campaign to counter soaring cases of COVID-19. The new curfew will run from 8 pm to 5 am, even as non-essential businesses remain shut and home gatherings are prohibited as part of a “shock treatment” to save lives and the province’s health network, Premier François Legault said on Wednesday. Schools will remain open, he said. Quebec is wrestling with more than 2,500 COVID-19 cases a day, a surge that threatens to increase hospitalizations beyond their spring peak in the next few weeks.
7th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Ireland tightens lockdown as COVID-19 'tsunami' threatens hospitals
Ireland announced its strictest lockdown measures since early last year on Wednesday as a “tsunami” of infections caused by a new COVID-19 variant pushed hospitalisations to a record high and sparked fears the healthcare system could be overwhelmed. Ireland’s 14-day infection rate has quadrupled in the past 10 days to 819 cases per 100,000, fueled by a new more transmissible COVID-19 variant first identified in Britain and the relaxation of restrictions ahead of Christmas. Officials reported a record high of 7,836 cases on Wednesday. “Already exhausted healthcare workers now face a tsunami of infection even greater than the first wave,” Prime Minister Micheal Martin told a news conference announcing the new measures. “In addition we have a more infectious strain of the virus in our midst... which can rapidly lead to growth well beyond previous worst case scenarios.”
7th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany toughens lockdown as it struggles to control second wave
Germany is extending its lockdown until the end of January and banning non-essential travel in those areas worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as it battles to control an upsurge in new infections. “We are appealing to people to reduce their contacts to an absolute minimum,” Angela Merkel told reporters after a videoconference with the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states. The chancellor said infection rates were still too high and many hospitals were reaching the limits of their capacity. Germany also had to be “particularly careful” in view of the new viral variant spreading from the UK that was much more infectious than previous forms of the coronavirus, she said.
6th Jan 2021 - The Financial Times
Merkel Tightens German Lockdown
Markets are eyeing an ever-worsening situation with coronavirus in many parts of the world. In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson says one in 50 people in England and one in 30 in London have the virus as the nation steps up its vaccination drive. In Europe’s biggest economy, the lockdown has been extended and tightened. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders agreed to limit movements and sharpened restrictions on private gatherings. Bloomberg’s Maria Tadeo reports on “Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe.”
6th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
Israel economy to lose up to $1.3 billion a week from tighter lockdown
A tightening of Israel’s third nationwide coronavirus lockdown is expected to cost the country’s economy as much as 4.0 billion shekels ($1.3 billion) a week, according to government and central bank estimates. New restrictions that will tighten a lockdown imposed on Dec. 27 will take effect at midnight and last 14 days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the curbs as Israel’s final push to stop a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases while it presses ahead with a rapid vaccination drive, hoping to emerge from the crisis within weeks. Israel’s vaccination campaign has reached nearly 15% of its 9 million population in about two weeks.
6th Jan 2021 - Reuters
Hungary should extend partial lockdown beyond Monday, surgeon general says
Hungary should extend a partial lockdown currently due to end on Monday because of a rise in coronavirus infections in neighbouring countries, Surgeon General Cecilia Muller said on Wednesday. The measures imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government in November include a 1900 GMT curfew, a ban on all gatherings and the closure of hotels and restaurants.
6th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
German economy can get through long virus lockdown - finance minister
Europe’s biggest economy can hold out through a coronavirus shutdown for a long time, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, adding he expected lower levels of government debt than after the financial crisis of 2008.
“We can hold out for a long time,” Scholz told ZDF television. “Budget legislators in the German parliament have authorised us to provide the aid that is needed,” he said.
6th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Swiss plan to extend COVID-19 restrictions to end of February
Switzerland plans to extend its lockdown restrictions by five weeks to the end of February, including closing all restaurants, cultural and recreational sites, the government said on Wednesday. A formal decision is due next week after consultations with cantons. Exemptions for regions less severely hit by the coronavirus have been scrapped, the government said, with a country-wide approach now entering force. The extension of the so-called lockdown-light is needed because “it is already foreseeable that the number of cases will not decrease significantly and sustainably in the coming weeks,” the government said.
6th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany set to extend hard lockdown as daily deaths mount
Germany s disease control center on Tuesday reported 944 more COVID-19 deaths, fueling expectations that Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country s 16 state governors will extend the country s lockdown until the end of the month. Germany’s latest lockdown took effect Dec. 16 after a partial shutdown starting in early November failed to reduce the number of daily new coronavirus infections. It was initially set to expire Jan. 10. Merkel's meeting with the governors on Tuesday will decide how long the lockdown should go on and to what extent schools will reopen. Another topic high on the agenda will be addressing criticism of the country's vaccination program amid frustrations over its gradual start. Vaccinations in Germany and the rest of the 27-nation European Union started over a week ago. In Germany, a nation of 83 million, nearly 265,000 vaccinations had been reported by Monday, the Robert Koch Institute said.
5th Jan 2021 - The Independent
Germany set to extend lockdowns as COVID-19 deaths rise
Germany’s disease control center on Tuesday reported 944 more COVID-19 deaths, fueling expectations that Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors will extend the country’s lockdown until the end of the month. Germany’s latest lockdown took effect Dec. 16 after a partial shutdown starting in early November failed to reduce the number of daily new coronavirus infections. It was initially set to expire Jan. 10.
5th Jan 2021 - MassLive.com
Europe starts 2021 by extending lockdowns as coronavirus cases spiral
A number of European nations have kicked off 2021 in familiar fashion, locking down residents and struggling to curb Covid-19 cases. The tightened restrictions come as a new variant of the virus causes alarm among governments across the continent. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a strict new national lockdown in England on Monday. The restrictions will last for at least six weeks.
"It's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out," Johnson said in an address to the nation on Monday evening.
5th Jan 2021 - CNN
Germany heading towards extension of hard lockdown
The German government and the country’s 16 federal states have agreed to extend a strict lockdown until Jan. 31 in an effort to bring coronavirus infections under control, Bild newspaper reported on Monday, without providing a source. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the state premiers are scheduled on Tuesday to discuss a possible extension of the lockdown beyond Jan. 10. Some, including Bavaria’s premier Markus Soeder, have already spoken in favour of an extension.
Speaking after the Bild report, a government source told Reuters: “All but two federal states support (a lockdown extension until) Jan. 31. However, the formal decision will be made on Tuesday.”
5th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullLockdown in Wales could remain in place until the end of January
A review of the Level 4 lockdown restrictions in Wales is due to be held this week, but First Minister Mark Drakeford has warned that there is not "much headroom for change". The restrictions, which has seen people being told to stay at home and avoid all but essential travel, have been in place since Sunday, December 20 and are reviewed every three weeks. All non-essential shops, gyms and hospitality were also told to close. Ministers are to review restrictions this Thursday ahead of an announcement on Friday, January 8. It is likely that not much will change, and with the next review not for another three weeks it means the lockdown could extend to the end of January. But Mark Drakeford said in a BBC interview that it was "very hard to see where the room for manoeuvre is at the moment" with the NHS "under huge pressure".
4th Jan 2021 - Wales Online
Germany to Extend Curbs Amid Criticism Over Vaccine Rollout
Germany is poised to extend stricter lockdown measures beyond Jan. 10 amid criticism over alleged failures in the government’s fledgling vaccination program. Chancellor Angela Merkel is consulting with regional officials and health experts on Monday and Tuesday to decide on prolonging the restrictions, which include closing schools and non-essential stores. She will announce the outcome of the talks at a news conference likely sometime on Tuesday afternoon in Berlin. Authorities have agreed to extend the curbs until Jan. 31, Bild newspaper reported, without identifying the source of the information.
4th Jan 2021 - Bloomberg
European countries set to extend lockdowns as Covid cases surge
Germany is preparing to extend its nationwide lockdown until the end of January as governments across Europe consider prolonging or strengthening restrictions to battle highly contagious mutations of coronavirus. “Premature easing would set us back very far again,” Markus Söder, the premier of Bavaria and leader of the Christian Social Union, one of Germany’s governing parties, said on Sunday, after the heads of the country’s 16 states met virtually over the weekend. “The numbers are simply still far too high,” he added. “As annoying as it is, we have to stay consistent and not give up too soon again.”
4th Jan 2021 - Financial Times
Austria extends lockdown for another week until Jan. 24 - APA
Austria has scrapped plans to allow anyone with a negative coronavirus test to exit lockdown a week early, effectively extending strict measures and keeping restaurants and non-essential stores shut until Jan. 24, news agency APA reported on Monday. The decision came after Austria’s opposition parties blocked a draft law that would have allowed an early exit from lockdown for anyone producing a negative test for the coronavirus, APA cited Health Minister Rudolf Anschober as saying.
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Jan 2021
View this newsletter in fullGermany poised to extend coronavirus lockdown
Germany is likely to extend a national lockdown beyond Jan. 10 to curb coronavirus infection rates that are still running high and putting huge strains on hospitals and health workers, politicians said at the weekend. Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional leaders are expected to agree to extend the restrictions when they convene on Tuesday. It is not yet clear how long the extension would last. “The numbers are still too high, so we will have to prolong the restrictions,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told RTL television
4th Jan 2021 - Reuters UK
COVID-19: The U-turns and mixed messages of the government's schools policy
The first primary school return: Education Secretary Gavin Williamson initially set out plans for all primary-age children to return to school for at least four weeks before the summer break. But on 9 June he said he had "no choice" but to change his mind, amid concerns that the two-metre social distancing rule would make a full return impossible. School meals for disadvantaged children: The government did not intend to keep the free school meals available during the holidays. But England footballer Marcus Rashford, himself a recipient of the meals as a child, led a campaign which saw councils and local restaurants and other food outlets step up to provide meals for children who needed them.
2nd Jan 2021 - Sky News
Covid: All London primary schools to stay closed
All primary schools in London will remain closed for the start of the new term, the government has confirmed. London mayor Sadiq Khan said the government had "finally seen sense and U-turned" on its plan to allow pupils in some areas to return on Monday. Leaders of nine London local authorities had written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urging him to rethink the decision. Mr Williamson said the city-wide closures were "a last resort". The government said it had decided all primary schools in the capital would be required to provide remote learning after a further review of coronavirus transmission rates. Vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers will continue to attend school, the government said.
1st Jan 2021 - BBC News
Yorkshire theatres reflect on a tough year - but the show must go on in 2021
It has been a tough year for our theatres but, as Nick Ahad reports, the energy and verve with which they have reacted, plus the public’s support, gives hope for the future.
31st Dec 2020 - The Yorkshire Post
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullDenmark to extend lockdown measures until Jan. 17 - TV2
Denmark's government will extend a hard lockdown for two weeks until Jan. 17 to limit the spread of COVID-19, broadcaster TV2 reported on Tuesday citing unnamed sources. The extension will keep schools,
29th Dec 2020 - Reuters on MSN.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullPanama to extend lockdowns in effort to curb coronavirus
Panama will extend lockdowns in two provinces, including the capital, from Jan. 4 - 14 in an effort to contain a jump in coronavirus cases in the heavily populated areas, the health minister said on Sunday. With 231,357 registered COVID-19 cases and 3,840 deaths, Panama is the Central American nation that has accumulated the highest number of infections. Under the lockdown measures, which authorities last week said would go into effect nationwide from Dec. 31 - Jan. 4, residents may only leave their homes for essential services such as medical appointments and grocery shopping, Health Minister Luis Sucre said.
28th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Two million elderly facing Christmas alone to get 'greatest gift' of someone to chat to
Elizabeth is just one of the two million older people who will be spending Christmas alone this year. The pensioner has been housebound because of the pandemic – but a new phone service set up by Age UK is helping to spread some festive cheer. The charity estimates that more than half of elderly people won’t see their friends or family this Christmas.
So with that in mind, I joined their team of trained volunteers for a day to see how the phone service is helping to combat loneliness among the over-60s. Elizabeth was first on their list of people to call and it was easy to imagine her face lighting up at the sound of a friendly voice. In a chat with volunteer Clare, she says: “It’s been a difficult week but I feel so much better today.
22nd Dec 2020 - Mirror
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullLoneliness could worsen as COVID-19 disrupts Christmas, UK charities warn
Tighter restrictions across Britain at Christmas are an “abject disaster” for mental health and could drive many into further isolation, charities said on Monday. Mental health experts and charities warned that loneliness and mental health problems arising from months of lockdowns could worsen as Britain banned millions from meeting after the discovery of a more infectious strain of the coronavirus. “There’s no escaping that it will be a difficult time both in the Christmas period and in January,” said Antonis Kousoulis, director of the Mental Health Foundation, who is researching the impact of COVID-19 on people’s mental health.
21st Dec 2020 - Reuters
Lockdown? I've got this, I thought. But COVID-19 is lonely, even for loners like me.
Over the years, I’ve had some bad breakups. One came in the middle of a couples therapy session. One required me to fly to Atlanta to end things, where the discount flight schedule left me stuck in my ex’s home for the remainder of a very awkward weekend. And one relationship ended silently, with a fed-up boyfriend handing me a book titled “The Misanthrope.” I didn’t realize what happened until I looked it up: “Mis·an·thrope — a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.” It hurt, but I could not dispute its accuracy.
21st Dec 2020 - USA TODAY
Pandemic exposes the vulnerability of Italy's 'new poor'
The coronavirus pandemic did not produce Elena Simone’s first budgetary rough patch. The 49-year-old single mother found herself out of the job market when the 2008 global financial crisis hit Italy and never fully got back in, but she created a patchwork of small jobs that provided for herself and the youngest of her three children. That all changed with Italy’s first COVID-19 lockdown in the spring. With schools closed, so went Simone’s cafeteria job. Her housecleaning gigs dried up, too. While others returned to work when the lockdown ended, Simone stayed frozen out.
21st Dec 2020 - The Associated Press
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullItaly has patient with new COVID strain, nations ban UK flights
Italy has found a patient with the new coronavirus strain, that was also found, in Britain, the health ministry announced on Sunday.
Italy has found a patient with the new coronavirus strain, that was also found, in Britain, the health ministry announced on Sunday.
Several European countries and others, such as Kuwait, have banned flights to and from the United Kingdom, in hopes of blocking the new strain which is sweeping across southern England from establishing a strong foothold on the continent.
20th Dec 2020 - Al Jazeera English
COVID-19: New strain 'seeded right across Wales', says health minister
The new strain of coronavirus in parts of England is also behind a rise in cases in Wales, the country's health minister has told Sky News. Vaughan Gething says the new variant was "seeded right across Wales" and "could not be ignored". Level 4 restrictions in Wales - in line with Tier 4 rules in England - came into effect on Sunday, while plans to allow five days of relaxed restrictions allowing up to two families to form a festive bubble have been cut short and will now only apply to Christmas Day.
20th Dec 2020 - Sky News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany facing lockdown to Easter with hospitals 'on brink of overload'
Germany’s Covid-19 death toll has risen by nearly 1,000 in a single day, leading to speculation that its lockdown could last until Easter. One of the country’s regional chief ministers has warned that for the first time the hospital system is “on the brink of overload” as the infection rate continues to rise and spare intensive care capacity dwindles. The World Health Organisation has advised Europeans to wear masks when meeting family and friends at Christmas. People should also meet outdoors whenever possible, it said. Yesterday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which compiles the German government’s coronavirus statistics, reported 952 deaths within the past 24 hours, well above the previous daily record of 590 on Friday. It said that there were 27,728 new cases.
17th Dec 2020 - The Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullUnicef to feed hungry children in UK for first time in 70-year history
Unicef has launched a domestic emergency response in the UK for the first time in its more than 70-year history to help feed children hit by the Covid-19 crisis. The UN agency, which is responsible for providing humanitarian aid to children worldwide, said the coronavirus pandemic was the most urgent crisis affecting children since the second world war. A YouGov poll in May commissioned by the charity Food Foundation found 2.4 million children (17%) were living in food insecure households. By October, an extra 900,000 children had been registered for free school meals.
16th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
COVID-19: For the first time in its history UNICEF will help feed children in the UK
UNICEF says it's the first time in its 70-year history that it has responded to a UK "domestic emergency". For the first time UNICEF has launched a domestic emergency response in the UK to help feed children hit by the COVID-19 crisis.
16th Dec 2020 - Sky News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullSupreme Court continues to block state COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings
The Supreme Court continued its solicitude toward religious freedom in the face of a pandemic Tuesday by giving religious leaders in New Jersey and Colorado another chance to block strict limits on houses of worship. The action followed similar ones affecting religious institutions in New York and California. In all four cases, the high court indicated that states may not impose stricter standards on churches, synagogues and mosques than they do on most commercial establishments.
15th Dec 2020 - USA Today
Pets Help Counter Lockdown Blues
The UK’s reputation as a nation of animal lovers has strengthened even further over the course of 2020, with a surge of new pets helping to comfort owners against a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Sainsbury’s Bank, almost a quarter (24%) of UK adults say they have either welcomed a new pet into their home since March 2020 or are planning to do so before Easter 2021. Findings from the bank revealed that around half (47%) of those people who have taken in a new pet have done so for reasons of companionship and improved mental health support. Other positive advantages also emerged from the research. In addition to lifting the spirits through lockdown, about a fifth of owners (22%) pointed out that their health had improved thanks to exercising with their pet.
15th Dec 2020 - Forbes
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Lancashire sees 'disappointing' rise in rule breaches
A "disappointing" rise in Covid-19 rule breaches saw 31 fines handed out at four house parties over the weekend, Lancashire Police have said. Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said the county, which is under tier three restrictions, had seen an increase in breaches in recent days. House parties were the "biggest issue" and gatherings in Blackburn and Nelson had to be broken up, he added. The force added that fines would only be used as "an absolute last resort". The latest government figures showed the county had a wide range of Covid-19 infection rates in the week up to 9 December, with Burnley seeing the highest rate of 287.9 cases per 100,000 people while Fylde recorded the lowest rate of 92.8 cases per 100,000.
14th Dec 2020 - BBC
UK pubs fear for future as £650m Covid losses forecast for December
Pubs expect December sales to be as much as 90% lower than last year, costing the industry £650m and fuelling concern that vast parts of the sector will disappear for good. December is typically the most lucrative month of the year for the UK’s ailing pub sector, accounting for as much as a quarter of annual profit, thanks to Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve festivities. However, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said its forecasts showed pubs would sell 270m fewer pints than usual over the period, with only one in five of the UK’s 47,200 pubs expected to be open. “I’d be stunned if sales across the industry were any better than 10% or 20% as good as last year,” said Chris Jowsey, the chief executive of Admiral Taverns, which has 1,000 pubs across the UK. “It’s not unusual for lots of pubs to make anywhere up to 25% of their profit in December. For a lot of smaller pubs it’s really important because it carries you through the lean months of January and February, so it’s a bit of a disaster.”
14th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Malaysian women, children bear brunt of coronavirus lockdown
Domestic violence and calls to abortion hotlines have both soared, while job losses and a greater burden of unpaid care work have also taken a toll. Rights body highlights case in which pregnant migrant women were on verge of selling their babies because they could not access health care
14th Dec 2020 - South China Morning Post
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhen could London go into tier 3? The date of first Covid tiers review, and when lockdown rules would change
London is in danger of being moved into to tier three, after significant rises in Covid-19 cases in several of the city’s boroughs. Public Health England (PHE) data shows 22 of the capital’s 32 boroughs have infections rates higher than the national seven-day average of 150 per 100,000 people. Government officials will meet to review the tier system on 16 December, and decide which areas should move up or down. These changes will then come into force from Saturday 19 December. They will only be in place for four days before restrictions are relaxed nationwide over Christmas, but will return on 28 December.
13th Dec 2020 - iNews
COVID-19 vaccine to be provided free of cost in Kerala, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan today said that the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided free of cost in the state once it is available. Kerala on Saturday recorded 5,949 new COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths. The number of total cases in the state has jumped to 6.64 lakh and the death toll to 2,594, the Chief Minister said. “No one will be charged for the vaccine. This is the stand of the government,” the Kerala Chief Minister told reporters at Kannur.
12th Dec 2020 - The Financial Express
France to introduce night-time curfew in bid to slow spread of Covid-19
France is set to introduce a night-time curfew and delay the opening of cultural venues as the nation struggles to curb the spread of Covid-19. Jean Castex, the French Prime Minister, said on Thursday that infection rates were not falling as fast as was hoped following the country’s lockdown which began in late October. Its current lockdown will be lifted as planned on 15 December, which is when the daily 8pm to 6am curfew will begin.
11th Dec 2020 - Evening Standard
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullPope's Midnight Mass to start early to respect COVID curfew
Pope Francis will celebrate Midnight Mass earlier than usual to comply with Italy’s anti-coronavirus curfew and will deliver his Christmas and New Year’s blessings in ways that aim to prevent crowds from forming. The Vatican on Thursday released the pope’s COVID-19 Christmas liturgical schedule. It said the pope’s Dec. 24 Mass — which for years hasn’t been celebrated at midnight at all but at 9:30 p.m. to spare pontiffs from the late hour — would begin at 7:30 p.m. this year. Italy has imposed a 10 p.m. nationwide curfew, as well as restaurant closures and other restrictions, to try to prevent crowds from forming following a surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths this fall.
10th Dec 2020 - Associated Press
Italians Will Be Frozen in Place This Christmas
If U.S. states’ lockdowns are too onerous for you, be thankful you’re not in Italy. In November Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte promised that “if we respect the rules, we’ll have a serene Christmas.” Italians largely complied but didn’t get their reward. Now Mr. Conte says it’ll be “a different Christmas, but not less authentic.” Covid-19 hit Italy early and hard. With more than 60,000 deaths and a case-fatality rate of 3.5% (compared with 1.95% in the U.S., 2.57% in Sweden and 2.4% in France), it is clearly a country where things went wrong. In the spring, when the epidemic was concentrated in the North, the country implemented the strictest lockdown in the Western world. It seemed to succeed, and Italians had an uneasy summer, with enclaves of normalcy. Some went to the beach; some hiked mountains; some even went clubbing. In October infections began to rise again.
10th Dec 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
‘Lockdown Lite’ Spares Economies but Doesn’t End Pandemic
Global stock markets cratered when the first wave of Covid-19 infections shut down economies around the world. The current wave by some measures is worse, but markets have barely shrugged. Partly that’s because with effective vaccines headed for approval, the end of the pandemic is in sight. But it also is because governments have tried to apply the lessons of the spring by imposing shorter and less stringent restrictions, or none at all. The economic hit has thus been smaller and more manageable. “We’ve learned a whole lot in terms of how to deal with this pandemic,” Gita Gopinath, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, said in an interview Tuesday at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council annual summit.
10th Dec 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullFrance warns it could delay end of Covid lockdown if epidemic spread does not slow
France’s government said Wednesday it would not necessarily end the country’s second coronavirus confinement as planned on 15 December if epidemic indictors did not reach targets. The comments came ahead of a meeting of the health defence council that decides on restrictions. France had planned to lift travel and movement restrictions and reopen cinemas, theatres and museums on 15 December in the second of a three-part easing of lockdown if it met certain conditions were met. But with health officials warning the country was far off from a target of 5,000 new infections per day, President Emmanuel Macron was to meet with the senior ministers and officials comprising a special health defence council to discuss whether to change those plans.
9th Dec 2020 - RFI
More afraid of hunger: COVID-19 rules causing many in Philippines to starve
Daniel Auminto lost his job and then his home when the coronavirus pandemic sent the Philippines into lockdown. Now he and his family live on the street, relying on food handouts to survive. Charities are struggling to meet the ever-growing demand for food as millions of families go hungry across the country. COVID-19 restrictions have crippled the economy and thrown many out of work. “I’ve never seen hunger at this level before,” said Jomar Fleras, executive director of Rise Against Hunger in the Philippines, which works with more than 40 partners to feed the poor.
9th Dec 2020 - The Japan Times
Domestic violence surges in Lancashire during lockdown
Police in Lancashire made more than 2,000 arrests for offences linked to domestic abuse in that time, with charities warning the problem “is not going away”. And figures reveal such cases make up a growing proportion of the work officers have to deal with. While comparable arrest figures for previous years were not available, nationally the number of domestic abuse cases has risen steadily in recent years.
9th Dec 2020 - Lancashire Evening Post
France says will delay easing of lockdown if necessary
France will delay relaxing some COVID-19 lockdown restrictions if necessary to stave off a third wave of infections, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday. France is due to reopen cinemas, theatres and museums and allow citizens to move between regions on Dec. 15, but there are signs it may not meet preconditions to enter into the second phase of rolling back the curbs. “If we consider that ... we must modify this second phase (of lifting lockdown measures), then of course we will do it,” Attal told CNews television. President Emmanuel Macron will discuss the matter with senior ministers on Wednesday. He had originally set a target of 5,000 new infections per day and fewer than 3,000 COVID patients in intensive care before the lockdown could be eased.
9th Dec 2020 - Reuters
UK firms avoid hiring permanent staff in November lockdown
British employers recruited fewer permanent staff during an England-wide lockdown last month, and relied instead on temporary workers to plug the gap, a monthly survey of recruiters showed on Wednesday. The number of permanent staff recruited fell for a second month in a row in November and dropped by its most since July, when Britain had just emerged from its first coronavirus lockdown, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said.
9th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullMasked dolls and anti-virus lab kits - toys reflect Spain and Portugal's Coronavirus Christmas
Children in Spain and Portugal could find that their Christmas presents this year reflect the coronavirus pandemic as dolls wearing face masks, kits for making personal protection items, and other toys adapted to fit the times fly off shop shelves. Millions of kids around the world were stuck in their homes during a series of lockdowns, and when they did emerge, they were often told to wear masks. So, as the holiday season approached, some toymakers gave their toys a twist.
“I think it’s a way of adapting to reality,” said mum Reyes Lopez as she looked around a toy store in Madrid. “Dolls also have to represent society.”
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters
What Has Lockdown Done to Us?
Drew Holden is a public affairs consultant in Washington, D.C., and a former Republican congressional staff member. He writes: " Research suggests that, to mitigate negative side effects, lockdowns should be well communicated and as short as possible. In many cities and states, one or both of these guidelines were ignored. When lockdowns seemed wanton and capricious, many Americans felt deceived. If new lockdowns are absolutely needed — something that the World Health Organization and some health experts believe is inadvisable — then policymakers must avoid both the reality and appearance of hypocrisy. This is particularly true because, unlike many other wealthy countries, the United States is not providing any type of ongoing direct aid to those who are struggling."
8th Dec 2020 - The New York Times
England’s lockdown puts brakes on retail sales growth
The November lockdown in England brought to an end five months of strong retail sales but the consumer sector showed much more resilience than in the spring, with online purchases soaring and strong spending on electronics and digital entertainment. Retail sales in the UK grew 0.9 per cent in November compared with the same month last year, down from a 4.9 per cent annual expansion in October, according to data compiled by the British Retail Consortium trade body in association with the consultancy KPMG. The overall near-stagnation masked widely different trends across the sector.
8th Dec 2020 - Financial Times
France, Germany and Italy agreed to keep their skiing resorts shut until January, sparking a row with Austria
It took a pandemic to silence Gerhard Schmiderer. For the past quarter-century, the now 70-year-old “DJ Gerhard” has blasted trashy hits for drunken après-skiers at MooserWirt, a bar in St Anton, an Austrian ski resort. This year, however, the speakers will be silent rather than blaring out yet another rendition of The Final Countdown, a raucous anthem sung by big-haired Swedes. The usual revellers dancing on tables in ski boots will be absent. The 500m run back to the resort will no longer be strewn with those who have quaffed too much and fallen over in the snow.
8th Dec 2020 - iNews
Germany speeds up disbursement of coronavirus aid in December
Germany is speeding up the disbursement of coronavirus aid for lockdown-affected firms this month by lifting the threshold of an initial payout which comes with less bureaucratic paperwork, government officials said on Tuesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders have agreed to extend restrictive measures designed to stem a tide of new coronavirus infections until Jan. 10. The measures, which had been put in place since Nov. 2, have forced restaurants, bars, hotels, gyms and entertainment venues to close. But factories, shops and schools remain open.
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
France may have to delay unwinding COVID-19 lockdown as cases plateau
France may have to delay unwinding some COVID lockdown restrictions next week after signs the downward trend in new cases has flattened out after shops were allowed to reopen late last month, two government sources said. France was far from hauling the number of daily new infections down to a target 5,000 and the risk of a rebound in the European Union’s second-biggest economy remained high, Jerome Salomon, the health ministry’s top official, said. The 5,000 threshold was an early condition of President Emmanuel Macron for replacing the lockdown with a nightly curfew, allowing cinemas and museums to reopen and ending the need for people to carry sworn affidavits outside their homes.
8th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGreece extends key lockdown measures over Christmas holidays
Greece’s government said Monday it will maintain core lockdown measures through the Christmas holidays, acknowledging that monthlong restrictions have not reduced COVID-19 cases to the extent it had hoped for. Schools courts, and restaurants will remain closed through Jan. 7, government spokesman Stelios Petsas announced, while non-essential travel between Greece’s administrative regions will also be banned.
7th Dec 2020 - The Independent
France Set to Miss Goal for Lifting Lockdown as Progress Stalls
France is poised to miss a coronavirus goal set by President Emmanuel Macron as a condition for lifting the country’s lockdown next week, with daily new Covid-19 cases holding at more than twice the targeted level. The government is worried about the pandemic indicators, and is mulling alternatives to a planned end of stay-at-home measures on Dec. 15, Liberation reported on Monday, citing unidentified advisers in the Health Ministry. That could go as far as delaying the end of the lockdown should cases spike, according to the newspaper.
7th Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
Coronavirus France: Elderly woman fined for lockdown form error
A French court has ruled that an elderly woman diagnosed with dementia must pay a fine of €166 (£151; $201) for having put the wrong date on her form for leaving home during lockdown. Her daughter had appealed against the original €135 fine imposed during a police check in April. In France's coronavirus lockdown, a downloadable form has to be filled in whenever a person wants to leave home.
The woman, 73, was stopped while out shopping in Luxeuil, eastern France. France Bleu news reports that when police booked her they did not record that she was speaking incoherently. She was going to a supermarket about 800m - about half a mile - from her home.
7th Dec 2020 - BBC
Navajo Nation Extends Lockdown Due To "Dire" Surge Of Coronavirus
Citing an "uncontrolled spread" of coronavirus across 75 of its communities, the Navajo Nation expanded its current lockdown by three weeks in an attempt to clamp down on the spread of the virus. The order, a continuation of the Nov. 16 mandate, remains in place from Monday until Dec. 28. The government previously ordered a lockdown for the nation of over 170,000 between March and August. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez warned in a statement Sunday the situation is severe.
7th Dec 2020 - WKMS
Denmark tightens lockdown to curb COVID-19 spike
Denmark will implement further lockdown measures in parts of the country to curb a spike in coronavirus infections, the government announced on Monday. Restaurants, museums, cinemas and other cultural institutions will have to close on Dec. 9 in 38 of 98 municipalities, including Copenhagen, and students in upper primary school, high schools and universities will be sent home.
7th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Greece to keep schools, restaurants shut until after Christmas
Greece said on Monday that it will not re-open schools, restaurants and courts until Jan. 7, effectively extending most of the restrictions the country imposed last month to contain the spread of coronavirus. Greece had to enforce a nationwide lockdown in November, its second this year, after an aggressive surge in COVID-19 cases. It has extended it twice since then, most recently until Dec. 14. In a televised briefing, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the health system was still under enormous pressure and some restrictions should not be lifted until next month, including a night curfew and movement between regions.
7th Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Debate over mulled wine heats up in Germany amid pandemic lockdown
With most Christmas markets closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, open-air mulled wine stands have popped up across Germany as bars and restaurant owners try to bring festive cheer and earn some income as the nation’s “lockdown light” grinds on. But with infection numbers in Germany remaining stubbornly high, politicians fear gatherings of people drinking alcohol, often without wearing masks and sticking to social distancing rules, could hamper efforts to bring case numbers under control. “Mulled wine stands are in full swing tonight,” SPD health policy expert Karl Lauterbach posted on Twitter at the weekend, referring to the situation in Cologne. “Those infected today will infect others next week. Is it similarly catastrophic in other cities?”
7th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Navajo Nation implements another three-week lockdown as ICUs reach capacity amid coronavirus surge
The Navajo Nation has extended its lockdown for three more weeks to try to slow the growth of Covid-19 cases in the community that has already filled nearly all of their ICUs to capacity. "We are near a point where our health care providers are going to have to make very difficult decisions in terms of providing medical treatment to COVID-19 patients with very limited resources such as hospital beds, oxygen resources, medical personnel, and little to no options to transport patients to other regional hospitals because they are also near full capacity," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez warned in a statement issued Sunday. A public health order issued by the Nation said it is "experiencing an alarming rise in positive COVID-19 cases and uncontrolled spread in 75 communities across the Navajo Nation."
7th Dec 2020 - CNN
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullMore people signed off sick with mental health problems during lockdown, analysis reveals
The proportion of people applying for fit notes from their GP for mental health reasons jumped 6 per cent during lockdown in England, according to new research. It adds to growing concern the UK will see a surge in mental health problems as a result of the pandemic and the impact on society and the economy. The latest data on the number of statements of fitness to work signed by GPs, published by NHS Digital, shows mental health problems now account for almost four in 10 of all sick notes signed by GPs. The Centre for Mental Health think tank has warned the government needs to prepare for the aftermath of Covid-19.
6th Dec 2020 - The Independent
Victoria eases Covid restrictions again as it reaches 37 days without a case
Victoria has announced a significant easing of its Covid-19 restrictions in time for summer, allowing households to receive 30 visitors a day, relaxing mask-wearing rules, and increasing public gatherings to 100. Victoria, once the worst hit state in the country, has now had 37 straight days free of Covid-19. The result, praised by premier Daniel Andrews as “amazing” on Sunday, has allowed a further easing of restrictions. Victorians will, as of midnight local time, be allowed to have 30 visitors daily to their home from any number of other households, a doubling of the previous limit of 15.
6th Dec 2020 - The Guardian
COVID-19 vaccine: ‘We need to think of vaccination as a long trek to freedom’ - Swann
A total of seven large-scale venues across the north are expected to be announced over the coming days which will deliver the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, over the coming weeks. The first batch of 25,000 vaccines, which have to be stored before use at -80 degrees Celsius, is expected to arrive next week following the approval for use earlier this week. It has been confirmed that those administering the vaccine and other health and social care workers, care home residents and people aged over 80 will be prioritised first.
4th Dec 2020 - Derry Journal
Illinois to distribute first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine to 50 counties with highest death rates, possibly by mid-December
Illinois plans to distribute its initial allocation of roughly 109,000 doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine to the 50 counties across the state with the highest death rates from the virus, the state’s top public health official said Friday. In the Chicago area, that includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties. It also includes Kankakee County but not McHenry. First, though, the Pfizer vaccine needs emergency use authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which could come as soon as Thursday. If that happens, Illinois expects to receive its first shipment sometime during the week of Dec. 13.
4th Dec 2020 - Chicago Tribune
'They don't need me now': COVID impact forcing Britons to food banks
British food banks are seeing more families needing their support as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forces struggling people to seek help, charities and volunteers say. Lockdowns and other measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus have forced businesses to close or lay off staff. The rise in those out of work has resulted in more people turning to food banks, which provide emergency food supplies to families in need. “I was working part-time as a cleaner for evenings, and then when COVID started, we had to quit because everything was closed and our offices, they’re not opening until 2021 because people can work from home,” said Vilma Tunylaite, 40, queuing at a food bank in southwest London. “And me, they don’t need me now.”
4th Dec 2020 - Reuters
Wales to give citizens ID cards to prove they got the Covid vaccine
People in Wales will be given ID cards by the NHS after getting the coronavirus vaccine so they can prove they have had the jab, the Welsh government has announced. Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said vaccinated people will receive a “credit-card sized” token, after the UK became the first nation to approve the jab developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. While plans for so-called “immunity passports” remain unclear in other parts of the UK, Welsh ministers believe new cards will help remind people to get the second part of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.
In a written statement Mr Gething said: “Those receiving a Covid-19 vaccination will be given a credit card-sized NHS Wales immunisation card which will have the vaccine name, date of immunisation and batch number of each of the doses given handwritten on them.”
4th Dec 2020 - The Independent
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany Extends Partial Lockdown Until Jan. 10 to Curb Virus
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany will extend its partial lockdown by three more weeks into next year as the country struggles to regain control of the coronavirus spread. Bars, gyms and cinemas will remain closed until Jan. 10 and the government will reconvene with regional leaders on Jan. 4 to reassess the restrictions, Merkel said late Wednesday after talks with the premiers of Germany’s 16 states.
3rd Dec 2020 - Bloomberg
Germany's second lockdown pushed services sector deeper into recession: PMI
Germany’s second lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the services sector deeper into recession in November, bringing overall private sector activity in Europe’s largest economy to a near halt, a survey showed on Thursday. Restaurants, bars, hotels, gyms and entertainment venues have been closed since Nov. 2 to contain an aggressive second wave of coronavirus infections. Factories and shops remain open with social distancing conditions in place.
3rd Dec 2020 - Reuters
Germany Extends Lockdown Again as Infections Remain High
Germany lengthened its coronavirus restrictions for the third time in the current wave of the pandemic, saying late Wednesday that the constraints would remain in place until at least Jan. 10, after a mild lockdown first introduced in November has failed to push infections lower.
3rd Dec 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Astronauts’ lessons on how to cope — in lockdown and beyond
If lockdown and social distancing are not enough of a challenge, how would you like to be confined to a research lab with your colleagues for three weeks — 19 metres under the sea? Or perhaps you would prefer to be left in a cave system, isolated from the outside world with no natural light, minimal privacy and limited equipment for hygiene and comfort? Welcome to the world of astronaut training. Both Nasa and the European Space Agency run field studies in locations with similarities to working in space: a “dangerous and unfriendly” place, according to Nasa’s website. Hazards include isolation and confinement, while behavioural issues are “inevitable”
3rd Dec 2020 - Financial Times
Meals on wheels: Camper van dining beats lockdown rules in Belgium
A Belgian restaurant has found a way to keep orders rolling in during lockdown - by serving its seafood to customers in camper vans. People can rent a vehicle or bring their own, park up outside the “Matthias and Sea” restaurant and wait for masked staff to bring the food over from the kitchens. COVID-19 restrictions have banned indoor dining. But restaurants can still do takeaways and serve food outside. Owner Mattia Collu said he got the idea while delivering orders to people’s houses in and around his base in the southern village of Tarcienne.
3rd Dec 2020 - Reuters
From Australia to the Philippines, coronavirus lockdowns drive spike in online child sex abuse
Out-of-school kids and adult predators spending more time at home and on the internet during the coronavirus pandemic is the “perfect storm” driving a spike in online child sex abuse around the world, activists and police say. From slums in the Philippines to Australia’s suburbs, the cross-border crime has mushroomed as offenders take advantage of school closures and lockdowns to reach children — either in person or via social media, gaming sites and the dark web. In Australia, federal police received more than 21,000 reports of child sex abuse in the 12 months to June 30, an increase of over 7,000 cases on the previous year. Their investigators also recorded a 136% increase in online child sex exploitation material.
3rd Dec 2020 - The Japan Times
Greece extends nationwide lockdown by a week, to Dec. 14
Greece has extended to Dec. 14 a nationwide lockdown imposed last month to contain a surge in new coronavirus cases, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Thursday. The lockdown, the country’s second since the pandemic began, was extended by a week. “There is a stabilisation or rather a decline in the (number of) cases but at a slower pace than expected,” Petsas told a televised briefing. Greece has registered a total of 109,655 COVID-19 cases and 2,186 deaths, with northern Greece hardest hit and hospitals operating at almost full capacity. The restrictions were initially expected to end on Nov. 30 but the government had already extended them to Dec. 7. Petsas said seasonal stores, selling Christmas items, would re-open next week.
3rd Dec 2020 - Reuters Africa
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany to keep restaurants, hotels closed until January 10 - sources
Germany will extend restrictive measures designed to stem a tide of new COVID-19 infections until Jan. 10, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday after talks with German state leaders. The measures, which had been due to expire on Dec. 20, include keeping restaurants and hotels shut and limiting private gatherings to five people from two households. “The states will extend their measures from December 20 until January 10,” Merkel told a news conference, adding that another round of consultations would be held on Jan. 4. “In principle things will remain as they are.” While the daily rise in infection numbers has started to fall, Germany reported its highest single-day death toll on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic, and regions that had been spared the worst are seeing case numbers surge.
2nd Dec 2020 - Reuters
Greece's undeclared workers hit hard by virus lockdown
Every time Elisa drives to a client's house for a hairdressing job, she makes sure to pack a bag of groceries in the car in case she is stopped by Greek police. Skirting the country's strict lockdown rules to put food on the table, she is among thousands of undeclared Greek workers facing additional hardship during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. "I write out a declaration that I'm going shopping, and I mainly work in my neighbourhood," says the 32-year-old.
2nd Dec 2020 - FRANCE 24
Coronavirus: France to impose border checks to stop skiing abroad
Random border checks will be imposed to stop French holidaymakers going to ski in neighbouring Switzerland, Prime Minister Jean Castex has said. France, in common with Germany and Italy, is shutting its ski lifts over Christmas to stop the spread of Covid-19, but Swiss slopes are already open. The ski season at Christmas and the New Year is a vital part of the economy for many European countries Mr Castex said it was his duty to protect fellow citizens. "The conclusion you need to make is that 'I'm not going to Switzerland'," he told BFMTV on Wednesday, adding that anyone who did go would face quarantine on their return.
2nd Dec 2020 - BBC
In '76 Days', a Documentary Portrait of Lockdown in Wuhan
“Papa!” screams a hospital worker, covered from head to toe in a Hazmat suit and PPE, in the opening moments of the documentary “76 Days.” This is in the early days of the pandemic in Wuhan, back in January and February when the city of 11 million went into a 2 1/2-month lockdown and hospitals were overrun. The health worker’s father has just died, and her agony at not being able to sit by his side is overwhelming. Her colleagues restrain her as she sobs, moaning, “Papa, you’ll stay forever in my heart.”
2nd Dec 2020 - The Diplomat
COVID-19 lockdowns drive spike in online child abuse
Out-of-school kids and adult predators spending more time at home and on the internet during the coronavirus pandemic is the "perfect storm" driving a spike in online child sex abuse around the world, activists and police say. From slums in the Philippines to Australia's suburbs, the cross-border crime has mushroomed as offenders take advantage of school closures and lockdowns to reach children—either in person or via social media, gaming sites and the dark web.
2nd Dec 2020 - Medical Xpress
Only working age care home residents allowed to leave for visits over Christmas
Only residents of working age should be allowed leave care homes for Christmas, according to Government guidance. An exemption can be made in exceptional circumstances, such as visiting a loved one at the end of their life. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the risks are usually significantly greater for older people than for those of working age. The guidance says that residents, their families and care homes should very carefully consider whether making visits out from the home is the best thing to do, or whether a visit at the care home would provide meaningful contact in a safer way.
2nd Dec 2020 - Evening Standard
Joy as Britain's care home residents share first hugs with relatives since March
Residents of Britain’s care homes shared their first precious hugs and kisses with relatives since March on Wednesday, after homes were able to give visitors rapid tests for COVID-19 which give results in 30 minutes. Bob Underhill, an 84-year-old retiree, was reunited with his wife Patricia, 82, who has Alzheimer’s. Both were overcome as they met, then hugged and kissed through their face masks. “I’ve only seen her twice since March because they had a shutdown here, and we just had to sit and wait,” said Underhill.
2nd Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
‘Where people come to wait to die’: COVID-19 in US nursing homes
Ucedrah Osby heard the terrible news in a way nobody ever wants to: from a local television report, at the same time as everybody else in Bakersfield, California who tuned in. “They were doing interviews,” she recalled. “They were saying that the facility had a COVID outbreak.” Osby’s uncle, Clyde Lee Cooper, 76, lived in Kingston Healthcare Center, the nursing home in question. Over the course of that week in early May as Osby desperately tried to get updates on Cooper’s health, coronavirus engulfed the place. Ambulances arrived, wheeling patients away who never returned. To date, 104 residents have contracted COVID-19 in a facility with 184 beds, at least 19 have died of the coronavirus, and dozens of staff members have tested positive.
2nd Dec 2020 - AlJazeera
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullMajor study shows how many of us followed the rules for lockdown two
A quarter of people have found it harder to follow rules during the UK’s second lockdown, citing bad weather, feeling worn out and a sense of unfairness, a study has found. Some 24% of people are finding the second lockdown harder, 24% said the rules are easier to follow now and 48% said they are coping about the same, according to King’s College London (KCL) research. The majority (82%) said they are being just as careful or more careful now about obeying the rules.
1st Dec 2020 - Wales Online
Vulnerable children in lockdown 'national concern'
The "invisibility of vulnerable children" during the pandemic should be a "matter of national concern," says England's chief inspector of schools. Amanda Spielman warns when many pupils were out of school in the lockdown, teachers might not have picked up early warning signs of abuse or neglect. The chief inspector says such children, at risk of harm, slipped out of sight. Launching her annual report, Ms Spielman says it should now be a priority to find such overlooked cases.
1st Dec 2020 - BBC
German Joblessness Fell in November Despite Second Lockdown
Germany’s labor market shrugged off a worsening pandemic and new restrictions, with unemployment unexpectedly declining for a fifth month in November. A drop of 39,000 left the total number of jobless people at 2.82 million, pushing the unemployment rate down to 6.1%. While companies are avoiding widespread dismissals in response to the country’s second lockdown, they have grown reluctant to hire.
1st Dec 2020 - Bloomberg Quint
Britons were the lockdown bingers of Europe, finds study
Comfort-seeking Britons have eaten and drunk their way through more unhealthy snacks and alcohol during lockdown than their peers elsewhere in Europe, a study suggests. Overall, the survey of 5,000 consumers in 10 European countries found that lockdown restrictions may have caused lasting positive change in relation to food consumption, with significant shifts in shopping patterns, meal preparation and eating habits. In line with the rest of Europe, people in the UK increased their consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables during the pandemic. However, the British are snacking and boozing more than people in other European countries
1st Dec 2020 - The Guardian
Europe Keeps Schools Open, not Restaurants, Unlike U.S. cities
As a second lockdown appeared inevitable amid skyrocketing coronavirus infections, the scientists advising the French government in October warned that keeping students in their classrooms meant it would take longer to tame the surge. The government kept the schools open anyway, even as the country became an epicenter of the second wave of the coronavirus in Europe. French leaders decided that they would try to subdue the surge, while also trying to minimize economic and academic damage by keeping children learning where they do it best: in school. Five weeks into a second nationwide lockdown, France, like much of Europe, has proved that it is possible to bring the rate of known infections down, even with schools open. It is a lesson that has been taken up late in the United States
1st Dec 2020 - The New York Times
One quarter of Britons found the second national lockdown harder to follow
More than a quarter of Britons found it harder to follow the second lockdown compared to the first, a survey has revealed. The most common reasons for struggling were feeling fatigued by Covid restrictions, a belief measures were unjust and bad weather restricting people from going outside and seeing friends and family. Experts feared that 'lockdown fatigue' would mean many Brits would defy the second shutdown and see loved ones anyway. But King's College London scientists found a 'remarkable resilience' in the British public, with 82 per cent still following the rules to the best of their abilities.
1st Dec 2020 - Daily Mail
Merkel urges Germans to be careful or risk third coronavirus wave
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that Germany could face a third wave of coronavirus infections if citizens are careless in the coming weeks. Germany’s number of new infections has stabilized at a high level since a partial lockdown was imposed on Nov 2. to contain a second wave of coronavirus infections. But officials have said that progress was still fragile. “We’ll have to be very, very careful during the winter,” Merkel said in a virtual panel discussion with police officers. “Otherwise we’ll end up directly in the next wave.”
1st Dec 2020 - Reuters
Hospitality hit hardest as Austrian unemployment rises during lockdown
Austrian unemployment rose in November as a coronavirus lockdown kicked in in the second half of the month, Labour Minister Christine Aschbacher said on Tuesday, with hospitality jobs especially hard hit. “The effects of the pandemic but also the global economic crisis that it caused are leaving deep marks on the job market,” Aschbacher said, adding that public health measures were currently the top priority.
1st Dec 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Dec 2020
View this newsletter in fullModerna CEO: Most exciting vaccine data is protection from severe Covid-19
Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, joins “Squawk Box” to discuss data from its Covid-19 vaccine trial that shows 100% protection from severe infection.
30th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Germany partial lockdown pushes more companies into short-time work: Ifo
The share of companies in Germany using short-time work schemes rose in November compared to the previous month, economic institute Ifo said on Monday, as a partial lockdown hit employment in tourism and restaurant industries. Ifo said a survey of around 7,000 companies showed that the share of companies using the scheme rose to 28% in November from 24.8% in October. Short-time work, also known as Kurzarbeit, allows employers to switch employees to working fewer hours or even none during an economic downturn. It aims to stop immediate shocks from leading into mass unemployment.
30th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
UK shopper numbers down 56.9% as English lockdown takes toll
Total shopper numbers across British retail destinations were down 56.9% in the week to Nov. 28 year-on-year, reflecting the impact of a third full week of England’s national COVID-19 lockdown, market researcher Springboard said on Monday. It said that on a week-on-week basis shopper numbers, or footfall, rose by 4.8%.
30th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Japan's aged care facilities remain locked down amid a COVID-19 third wave, and now there are fears residents may develop dementia
The only contact Yuumi Matsuno has had with her mother since coronavirus reached Japan has been over the phone, separated by a pane of glass. For 10 months, the nursing home Hisako lives in has limited all visitors from the outside, except staff, in part to prevent any potential spread of COVID-19. While it has largely been successful, it has come at a cost. "She [my mum] doesn't talk as much as before," Ms Matsuno said. "When you speak on the phone, sometimes it's hard to hear and perhaps she feels it is troublesome, so she speaks less.
28th Nov 2020 - ABC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid infections in England fall by 30% over lockdown - React study
Coronavirus infections in England have fallen by about a third over lockdown, according to a major study. Some of the worst-hit areas saw the biggest improvements - but, despite this progress, cases remained high across England.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the data showed the country could not "take our foot off the pedal just yet". The findings by Imperial College London were based on swabbing more than 100,000 people between 13-24 November. The React-1 study is highly respected and gives us the most up-to-date picture of Covid-19 in the country.
30th Nov 2020 - BBC
France must review COVID-19 crowd limits on church attendance
France’s State Council, the country’s highest court, on Sunday ordered the government to review a law limiting the number of people in churches during religious services to 30. The Council said in a statement that the measure was not proportionate to coronavirus infection risks. Last week, the government announced that a nationwide lockdown in place since Oct. 30 would be unwound in phases.
29th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Covid: Has England's lockdown worked?
Covid tiers: large parts of England in tier 3 restrictions after lockdownThe GuardianUK: Lockdown to end on Dec. 2, says PM Boris JohnsonAnadolu AgencyCovid-19 tiers: Almost all of England facing tough virus rulesBritain to detail post-lockdown restrictions in EnglandReutersView Full coverage on Google News
28th Nov 2020 - BBC
Covid: Hospitals could be overwhelmed without new tiers, says Gove
Hospitals in England could become "overwhelmed" with Covid cases if MPs do not back new restrictions, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has said. Many Tory MPs oppose the tougher tier system, which begins on 2 December. But writing in the Times, Mr Gove said MPs - who will vote on the measures next week - need to "take responsibility for difficult decisions". Labour is yet to decide whether it will support the new restrictions. It has warned, however, that areas in tier three will be stretched to "breaking point" without further financial support from the Treasury.
It comes as a further 479 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK, bringing the total to 58,030. There were also a further 15,871 positive cases registered in the past 24 hours.
28th Nov 2020 - BBC
Germany hits 1 million COVID cases as lockdown rules are extended
More than 1 million people across Germany have been infected with coronavirus, officials revealed on Friday. The Robert Koch Institute, the country’s disease control center, said 22,806 cases were reported the previous day across the nation’s 16 states, bringing the total number of reported infections to 1,006,394. The grim milestone was announced the same day officials revealed Germany had recorded its second consecutive record daily death toll overnight.
28th Nov 2020 - New York Daily News on MSN.com
Coronavirus: Germany should not ease lockdown over Christmas, says top doctor
Uwe Janssens, president of the German Interdisciplinary Association of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, told DW on Friday that easing lockdown restrictions would put a huge strain on the health care system. "We currently have infection rates above 20,000 per day," Janssens explained. "And although we have a lot of intensive care beds in Germany, there is a great strain on the intensive care units at the moment." This week, Germany announced an extension of lockdown measures until December 20. But restrictions are expected to loosen over Christmas, allowing more family members to meet. "We understand that people will meet together, but we really think it is not a good idea to allow 10 people to come together," Janssens said, citing the number that Chancellor Angela Merkel mentioned in her announcement of the way forward on Wednesday.
28th Nov 2020 - DW (English)
Pandemic inflames violence against women
No country has been spared the coronavirus epidemic, nor the scourge of domestic violence, which has surged during lockdowns. From a spike in rapes in Nigeria and South Africa, increased numbers of women missing in Peru, higher rates of women being killed in Brazil and Mexico and overwhelmed associations in Europe: the pandemic has aggravated the plague of sexual violence. According to UN data released in late September, lockdowns have led to increases in complaints or calls to report domestic abuse of 25% in Argentina, 30% in Cyprus and France and 33% in Singapore. In essentially all countries, measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus have resulted in woman and children being confined at home. “The house is the most dangerous place for women,” Moroccan associations noted in April as they pressed authorities for “an emergency response”.
28th Nov 2020 - The Japan Times
Lithuania extends lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge
Lithuania on Wednesday extended its coronavirus lockdown until Dec. 17, when the new government is expected to take over. The outgoing government said the lockdown had stabilised new infections at about 11,000 per week, twice as high as during the week of Nov. 4 when the three-week lockdown was announced. “The spread has slowed somewhat, but the situation remains really serious,” Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga said during a televised cabinet session.
28th Nov 2020 - Reuters
German minister says partial lockdown could last until Spring 2021
Germany’s partial lockdown measures could be extended until early Spring if infections are not brought under control, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday. Altmaier told Die Welt it was not possible to give the all-clear while there were incidences of more than 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in large parts of Germany.
28th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Maharashtra Covid-19: Existing lockdown restrictions extended till Dec 31
The Maharashtra government on Friday extended the lockdown on account of coronavirus in the state till the midnight of December 31, 2020, an official release said. In the last couple months, the government has eased several lockdown restrictions
27th Nov 2020 - The Times of India
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullThis Lockdown, England’s Theaters Know What to Do Online
The first coronavirus shutdown caught playhouses unawares, but they learned lessons that stood them in good stead when the shutters came down again. What a difference a lockdown makes. By way of proof, consider the terrific lineup of actresses brought together for “Little Wars,” an imaginative if overly arch play by the American writer Stephen Carl McCasland that is streaming online through Dec. 3. Its run finishes the day after England’s second coronavirus shutdown is scheduled to be lifted, at which point theaters in most regions will, with luck, be open again. Whereas streaming prospects during the first lockdown relied largely on recordings from theaters’ archives, the preference now is for material fashioned for the strange era in which we find ourselves. The digital premiere of “Little Wars” testifies to the abundance of talented performers who can be drawn upon during the pandemic, and to their desire to practice their craft against difficult odds. I’m not sure McCasland’s conceit would amount to as much as it does without the collectively hefty presence of such actresses as Linda Bassett, Juliet Stevenson and Sophie Thompson, all established theatrical names here.
26th Nov 2020 - The New York Times
Students may be compensated for lost teaching during UK lockdown
Students could be awarded financial compensation for lost teaching time during the Covid-19 lockdown after the higher education complaints watchdog told an institution to pay £1,000 to an international student. However, the National Union of Students (NUS) described the process for dealing with complaints about university disruption during the pandemic as “farcical” and “inadequate” as the Office of the Independent Adjudicator published details of a handful of individual cases. About 200 complaints have been submitted to the ombudsman so far. Many more are expected, as students can only take their case to the OIA if they have exhausted the internal complaints procedure at their own university. The NUS says the system must be simplified to speed up redress.
26th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Covid tiers: large parts of England in tier 3 restrictions after lockdown
Significant sections of England including much of the north and Midlands have been placed in the top tier of new coronavirus restrictions, the government has announced, potentially putting ministers on a collision course with Conservative MPs. Only three areas – Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly – are in the lowest level of the new rules, which come into force when the England-wide lockdown ends on 2 December and are intended to stay in force to the spring. This means that, by population, almost 99% of England will be in the top two tiers.
26th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus pandemic: Germany seeks EU deal to close ski resorts
Germany is seeking an agreement with EU countries to keep ski resorts closed until early January, in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus. Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament that efforts were being made to reach a Europe-wide decision. Italy and France have expressed support for a co-ordinated approach. But Austria has voiced concern. Some of the early European coronavirus hotspots were at ski resorts, helping spread infections across the continent. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Europe faced a "tough" six months , amid mounting cases. Renewed restrictions have led to a reduction in new infections in some countries, but there are fears the pandemic could worsen over the winter.
26th Nov 2020 - BBC
Merkel extends Germany’s partial lockdown until Christmas
Germany will extend its current measures to curb the coronavirus spread until 20 December. Unless there is a dramatic drop in infections, they will likely go through early January, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. Merkel said the measures introduced in early November, including limits on private gatherings and the closure of restaurants, leisure and cultural facilities, cannot be lifted given current infection rates. The number of new infections in Germany has plateaued over the past two weeks, with October's exponential growth brought to a halt. "The steeply rising curve has become a flat one, but this is only a partial success. We can by no means be satisfied," she said.
26th Nov 2020 - RFI
Germany Extends Strict Lockdown Measures With Eye Towards Reopening Ski Slopes
Germany is extending its current coronavirus lockdown measures through mid-December, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced this week. The country will remain under measures introduced in early November that include limits on private gatherings and it will keep bars, restaurants, and museums closed. Residents will be given some leeway around the Christmas holiday. Members of one household can meet up with 10 people between Dec. 23 to Jan. 1. Children under 14 are exempt. The overall restrictions are set to continue until Dec. 20, but it's expected, with the continued surge in infections, that these rules will stay in place until early January, Merkel said.
26th Nov 2020 - NPR
Greece extends nationwide coronavirus lockdown by a week
Greece will extend its nationwide lockdown by a week until Dec. 7 as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country, a government spokesman said on Thursday. An increase in infections since October has forced the government to impose Greece’s second national shutdown since the pandemic began. The country has registered a total of 97,288 COVID-19 cases and 1,902 deaths during the pandemic, with northern Greece hardest hit and hospitals operating at almost full capacity.
26th Nov 2020 - Reuters India
Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol in 'very high' tier 3
Greater Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol will fall under “very high” Tier 3 restrictions when England’s national lockdown ends in six days’ time, the government has announced.
It follows Boris Johnson’s announcement earlier this week that while nationwide restrictions will expire on 2 December, a tougher version of the regional tiered system will be re-introduced.
Other areas that will be placed under the highest levels of coronavirus restrictions are vast areas of the north-east, including Middlesbrough, Darlington, Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham.
26th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Angela Merkel extends Germany’s Covid lockdown through Christmas
Germany’s national shutdown is likely to extend into New Year to dampen the coronavirus pandemic, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. "Given the high number of infections, we assume that the restrictions which are in place before Christmas will continue to be valid until the start of January, certainly for most parts of Germany," Ms Merkel told parliament on Thursday. She added the increase in coronavirus cases was still much too high and the number of deaths a reason for concern. The country embarked on a so-called "wave-breaker" shutdown on November 2 - shutting restaurants, bars and, leisure facilities, but schools, hair salons and shops remained open.
26th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Greece extends nationwide coronavirus lockdown
Greece will extend its nationwide lockdown until Dec. 7 as COVID-19 cases continued to surge across the country, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Thursday. Greece has registered a total of 97,288 COVID-19 cases and 1,902 deaths, with the hardest hit area being northern Greece. Hospitals are operating at almost full capacity, according to health ministry data.
26th Nov 2020 - Reuters
New lockdowns crush French, German consumer confidence in November
French and German consumer confidence plunged in November as new coronavirus restrictions crushed any prospect of a quick return to normal in the euro zone’s two biggest economies, data published on Thursday showed. Restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues have had to shutter up this month in both countries under new restrictions to contain a new wave of COVID-19 infections. While retail shops have remained open in Germany, non-essential stores had to close in France. They will be able to reopen on Saturday under strict sanitary protocols.
26th Nov 2020 - Reuters
UK pub operators report losses, job cuts as lockdown pain builds
British pub operators Mitchells & Butlers and Fuller, Smith & Turner said on Thursday they had cut around 1,650 jobs and suffered millions in financial losses as the hospitality industry reels from new lockdowns. The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has warned of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of job losses if the government does not give pubs more freedom or grants to help them cover fixed costs in order to survive winter. M&B, which owns All Bar One, Harvester and Browns, said it had cut 1,300 jobs. Smaller rival Fuller’s said its total number of employees had been reduced by 20% following about 350 job cuts, the sale of its pizza chain The Stable and through natural attrition. The companies said they have enough resources to operate in the foreseeable future, but the downside scenarios cast doubts about their ability to continue as going concerns.
26th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Share of UK workers on furlough at highest since June, as second lockdown hits
The proportion of British workers on furlough has jumped to its highest level since late June following the introduction of a temporary four-week lockdown across England to reverse a second wave of COVID cases, official figures showed on Thursday. Businesses reported that 15% of staff on average were on furlough between Nov. 2 and Nov. 15, up from 9% in the previous survey which covered the second half of October, the Office for National Statistics said.
26th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Germany's second partial lockdown weighs on consumer morale
German consumer morale fell further heading into December as a partial lockdown to curb a second coronavirus wave in Europe’s largest economy hit households’ income expectations as well as their willingness to buy, a survey showed on Thursday. The GfK institute said its consumer sentiment index, based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, dropped to -6.7 in November from a revised -3.2 in the previous month. The reading missed a Reuters forecast for a narrower drop to -5.0. GfK consumer expert Rolf Buerkl said although retail shops had been kept open so far, the closure of restaurants, bars, hotels and entertainment venues since Nov. 2 clouded consumers’ mood.
26th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullWe asked over 2,000 Australian parents how they fared in lockdown. Here's what they said
Parents have faced unprecedented stress during the pandemic as they care for children while juggling paid work from home. However, very little research so far has focused on family well-being during the pandemic. So we asked more than 2,000 parents to tell us in their own words about the pandemic’s impact on their families. We did this in April 2020, during Australia’s first lockdown. Our published study is the largest of its kind in Australia, and one of very few internationally looking into families’ experiences of the pandemic.
25th Nov 2020 - The Conversation AU
Germany plans Christmas curbs as COVID-19 deaths hit record
Germany reported a record 410 COVID-19 deaths over 24 hours just before federal state leaders and Chancellor Angela Merkel were due to discuss an extension of pandemic-related restrictions into December and for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The 16 federal states are expected to decide on Wednesday to extend the “lockdown light” until Dec. 20. This will keep bars, restaurants and entertainment venues shut while schools and shops stay open.
25th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
France's new coronavirus cases, hospital numbers drop sharply
The number of new coronavirus infections and the number of people in hospital with the virus in France dropped sharply as a national lockdown went into its fourth week. The health ministry reported the number of new cases rose by 9,155 to 2.15 million on Tuesday, compared with 4,452 on Monday - when numbers are usually low due to weekend reporting lags - and compared with 45,522 last Tuesday.
25th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Can't dine out? UK restaurants offer DIY meal kits to survive lockdown
From fast food to fine dining, some restaurants in Britain are relying on home kits to keep them afloat during lockdown, turning clients into cooks who recreate favourite meals in the comfort of their own kitchens. For brothers James and Thom Elliot, the lockdowns provided an unexpected lifeline for their “pizza in the post” Pizza Pilgrims business. The venture now sells over 1,000 kits a day delivered by couriers.
25th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Lithuania extends lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge
Lithuania on Wednesday extended its coronavirus lockdown until Dec. 17, when the new government is expected to take over. The outgoing government said the lockdown had stabilised new infections at about 11,000 per week, twice as high as during the week of Nov. 4 when the three-week lockdown was announced. “The spread has slowed somewhat, but the situation remains really serious,” Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga said during a televised cabinet session.
25th Nov 2020 - Reuters India
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Bradford salon fined £17,000 for lockdown opening
In England, a hair salon owner is now facing £27,000 in fines for repeatedly opening in breach of Covid-19 lockdown rules. Sinead Quinn was working at Quinn Blakey Hairdressers in Oakenshaw, Bradford, on Saturday when Kirklees Council officers issued a £4,000 fine. The council found the salon open again on Monday and Tuesday and issued two further £10,000 fines. It had £1,000 and £2,000 fines for previous breaches.
24th Nov 2020 - BBC
Pets at Home says pets have been 'a lifesaver' during lockdown
Animals have been "a lifesaver" for people struggling during Covid lockdown, according to retailer Pets at Home which has seen sales rise sharply. Chief executive Peter Pritchard said pets had played "an incredibly important role" through a period of "social loneliness". He added that during the early days of lockdown one of the few reasons people could go out "was to walk your dog". In the six months to 8 October, Pets at Home saw revenues rise by 5.1%.
24th Nov 2020 - BBC
Child protection referrals surge after first lockdown as councils report rise in mental health issues
Child protection referrals have surged in the months following the UK’s first lockdown as local councils report an increase in demand for mental health and family services, The Independent can reveal. New data shows more than 630 vulnerable young people a day were being referred to councils’ children’s services in July, August and September – marking an increase of 15 per cent – or 7,518 referrals – compared to the three previous months when schools and services.
24th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Restauranteurs Look To Australia For A Guide On Surviving A Winter Lockdown
In the US, as Covid-19 cases continue to rise by the day, hitting new mind-boggling heights, new dine-in ordinances are being introduced on state and country-wide levels and more states report considering closures by the day. Without bold Congressional action, restaurant and bar owners are left to their own devices to finagle new business approaches in an attempt to survive a challenging winter ahead. “Northern hemisphere restaurants would be wise to take a page from the playbook of some of their southern hemisphere counterparts,” Juan Garcia, founder of restaurant rating and review site Foodporn tells me. “In Melbourne, Australia, for example, the entire winter months of July to October were spent in stage-four lockdown; meaning restaurants, cafes and bars were completely closed to dine-in customers. This forced a transformation never before seen in Melbourne hospitality.”
24th Nov 2020 - Forbes
France's new COVID-19 cases slow again before possible lockdown loosening
French health authorities on Monday reported 4,452 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, down from Sunday’s 13,157, with the daily increase decelerating for the fourth day in a row ahead of a possible loosening of the country’s second lockdown. The Monday figure tends to dip as there are fewer tests conducted on Sundays. The seven-day moving average of new infections, which averages out weekly data reporting irregularities, stands at 21,918, dipping below the 22,000 threshold for the first time since Oct. 17. That figure had peaked at 54,440 on Nov. 7.
24th Nov 2020 - Reuters
French business morale hits five-month low on new lockdown
French business confidence dropped in November to a five-month low as the country entered a new coronavirus lockdown, hitting the services sector particularly hard, a survey showed on Tuesday. INSEE, the official stats agency, said its monthly business climate index fell to 79 from 92 in October, the lowest reading since June, when France was still emerging from its first lockdown. French President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce on Tuesday evening a relaxation of the second lockdown following a decline in new case numbers since it was imposed on Oct. 30.
24th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany set to extend coronavirus restrictions to December 20
Germany Germany plans to extend its current lockdown restrictions until at least December 20, according to a draft agreement among the 16 state governors due to be discussed with Chancellor Merkel on
23rd Nov 2020 - The Times
Germany Moves Toward Tightening Partial Lockdown Until Dec. 20
A Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc prevented a majority of people from getting the disease but fell short of the bar set by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. The virus is forecast to claim another 30,000 American lives by mid-December. New York state will reopen an emergency facility on Staten Island, where hospital capacity is strained. New York City will be in “dire, dire shape” without federal aid, its mayor said. And in neighboring New Jersey, the number of patients in intensive care jumped 13% in one day.
23rd Nov 2020 - Bloomberg
Coronavirus: German states plan December offensive
To tighten the screws in a bid to salvage some semblance of normalcy at Christmas. That seems the essence of a new COVID strategy for December and January being hammered out by Germany's regional leaders.
23rd Nov 2020 - DW (English)
Germany looks set to extend lockdown into December as infections remain high
Germany could be preparing to extend its current lockdown into December as the number of coronavirus infections remains high across the country. Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet state leaders on Wednesday. Berlin is hopeful a coronavirus vaccine can soon be rolled out.
23rd Nov 2020 - CNBC
'Lockdown is working', says Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on COVID-19 plan
As Europe is battling the second wave of the novel coronavirus and has initiated a second lockdown, Spain is one country where the government is satisfied with the 'plan'. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, on Saturday, appreciated the progress the country has made in the last few weeks and said the plan of containing the virus through lockdown "is working".
23rd Nov 2020 - WION on MSN.com
'I want to break free': Underground Paris party defies lockdown
On a darkened residential street in Paris, a gate left partly open signals the entrance to an abandoned train tunnel -- and an illegal rave party for 300 people looking for an escape from France's Covid-19 lockdown. "We decided to mount a resistance and issue this call to hide together and party because there's no longer any place for young people to be together," says the 27-year-old organiser, who declined to give his real name but asked to be called "Alexandre." The sentiment is apparently widespread, since French police have had to crack down on dozens of illegal parties since the partial lockdown was announced in October to combat a new surge in coronavirus cases.
23rd Nov 2020 - FRANCE 24
Man fined for breaking French Covid lockdown to 'smash a guy's face in'
French police have fined a man who left his home with a written lockdown declaration stating he was out to “smash a guy’s face in”. The man, who has not been named, had reportedly correctly filled in the legally required declaration, known as an “attestation”, with his name, address and time he left his home in Lannion, Brittany. However, officers found that instead of ticking one of the boxes stating a legitimate reason to go outside during France’s national lockdown – these include going shopping, visiting the doctor, travelling to work or exercising for up to one hour at a maximum distance of 1km – the man had written “aller péter la gueule à un mec”, an activity not covered by the form.
23rd Nov 2020 - The Guardian
France set to continue coronavirus lockdown while easing some restrictions
French President Emmanuel Macron could announce a slight easing of lockdown measures on Tuesday when he addresses the nation in a primetime speech to update on the country's COVID-19 situation. The president is expected to announce an adaptation of restrictions which have been in place since the end of October. Many expect that non-essential commerces may be able to reopen in the month of December. The government has pushed Black Friday back to December 4, the economy minister announced, in order to allow shops to "reopen in the near future", for instance. "To be clear: the lockdown will continue and so there will continue to be limits on travel," said French government spokesman Gabriel Attal in an interview with the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. There will be three steps of relaxing restrictions, starting in the beginning of December, then before the Christmas holidays, and finally in January 2021, Attal specified.
23rd Nov 2020 - Euronews
Pandemic inflames violence against women
No country has been spared the coronavirus epidemic, nor the scourge of domestic violence, which has surged during lockdowns as the day marking such violence approaches on Wednesday. From a spike in rapes in Nigeria and South Africa, increased numbers of women missing in Peru, higher rates of women being killed in Brazil and Mexico and overwhelmed associations in Europe: the pandemic has aggravated the plague of sexual violence. According to U.N. data released in late September, lockdowns have led to increases in complaints or calls to report domestic abuse of 25 percent in Argentina, 30 percent in Cyprus and France and 33 percent in Singapore. In essentially all countries, measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus have resulted in women and children being confined at home.
23rd Nov 2020 - Japan Today
French business activity at six-month low after second lockdown: PMI
French business activity contracted this month at the fastest pace since May as the second coronavirus lockdown this year clobbered the dominant services sector, a survey showed on Monday. Data compiler IHS Markit said that its preliminary purchasing managers index dropped to 39.9 from 47.5 last month, falling much further below the 50-point mark dividing expansions from contractions. While the lowest figure since France was emerging from its first lockdown in May, the reading nonetheless was far better than April’s all-time low in the depths of the first lockdown.
23rd Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
UK shopper numbers down 55.4% as English lockdown bites
The number of shoppers across British retail destinations fell 55.4% in the week to Nov. 21 from a year earlier, mainly reflecting the impact of a second full week of England’s COVID-19 lockdown, market researcher Springboard said on Monday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England into a month-long lockdown in early November after coronavirus infection cases and deaths started to rise again, angering businesses and some of his own political party over the economic consequences. The lockdown closed all non-essential shops, along with pubs, cafes and restaurants except to offer takeaway food. People have also been encouraged to work from home if possible.
23rd Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullGermany braces for extension of lockdown month into December
Germany will have to extend its measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic until Dec. 20, according to senior politicians and a draft proposal obtained by Reuters on Sunday. Germany imposed a month-long “lockdown-lite” from Nov. 2 to contain a second wave of the virus that is sweeping much of Europe, but infection numbers have not declined. “Everything points to the fact that the current restrictions must be extended for some time beyond Nov. 30,” Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told Bild am Sonntag (BamS). Bars and restaurants are closed, but schools and shops remain open. Private gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households and the draft proposal says that number would be reduced to five.
22nd Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Threat to central London as commuters embrace suburbs, warns Sadiq Khan
The Covid-19 pandemic has created a potential “existential threat” to central London because many people may in future choose to work in the suburbs rather than in the heart of the capital, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said on Sunday.
In an interview in the Observer New Review, the mayor says it is issues such as this possible reconfiguration of London that keep him awake at night. He also talks openly about his struggles with mental health during the pandemic, admitting that he has found it “really hard” working from home, that he misses personal contact, including playing football every Sunday, and that lack of access to his wider family and particularly his mother has left him feeling down.
22nd Nov 2020 - The Guardian
I miss the audience: a French performer's life in COVID lockdown
On the stage at the Hebertot theatre in Paris, Trinidad Garcia is re-enacting a scene from her one-woman show, “For you to keep loving yourself,” to an audience of zero.
21st Nov 2020 - Reuters
Britain hopes Christmas can be saved as COVID cases flatten
Britain could ease stringent COVID-19 rules to allow families to gather for Christmas as signs indicate that coronavirus cases are starting to flatten as a result of current lockdowns, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Friday. The United Kingdom has the worst official COVID-19 death toll in Europe and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed some of the most stringent curbs in peacetime history in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus. But heading into the holiday season, the government faces a dilemma - to ease restrictions, with the risk of renewed spread of the disease and death, or to ban large get-togethers.“It of course won’t be like a normal Christmas, there will have to be rules in place,” Hancock told Sky News.
21st Nov 2020 - Reuters
Italy approves latest stimulus package to help pandemic-hit business
Italy’s government has approved a new package worth around 10 billion euros ($11.9 billion) to support businesses hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Under the measures approved late on Friday, Rome will immediately offer 1.95 billion euros in grants to coronavirus-hit businesses and food aid for the poor. The government is also preparing an additional 8 billion euros to beef up aid schemes already in place. On Friday, the health ministry reported 37,242 new coronavirus infections and 699 deaths, as the country struggles to curb a resurgence of cases and fatalities which are stretching its health service to breaking point.
21st Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Covid-19: Gulf emerging between government and health officials over ending lockdown
Cabinet members have expressed their annoyance at their own public health officials over the “stalling” in the progress in reducing the cases of Covid-19. A fresh gulf is emerging between political leaders and medics over the road out of lockdown in two weeks’ time with ministers expressing annoyance at the lack of progress. Ministers have said that the basis of introducing the level 5 lockdown for six weeks was to get the daily cases of the virus below 100, and that is being undermined by the stubborn refusal of the numbers to drop. The Department of Health was notified of 429 confirmed cases of the coronavirus last night.
20th Nov 2020 - Irish Examiner
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullFrance far from exiting partial lockdown, says government
France is unlikely to lift a partial coronavirus lockdown any time soon, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, even if some restrictions may be relaxed before Christmas. President Emmanuel Macron and top ministers discussed the crisis, including whether to ease some restrictions from December 1 "if conditions allow it", spokesman Gabriel Attal said. But Attal insisted: "We're not at all near ending the lockdown, we're still far from it even."
19th Nov 2020 - Medical Xpress
In Autumn in Paris, struggling shops get creative to survive
Toy store owner Marie Boudier is grateful November has been unusually mild in Paris this year - she’s trying to survive France’s second coronavirus lockdown by selling Lego sets and colouring books through her open front door. From behind a trestle table, Boudier has taken to handing over her orders without letting customers in, a makeshift measure replicated up and down her street and across France amid a minefield of dos and don’ts for stores deemed non-essential. “It’s not exactly clear to what extent we’re doing it right,” Boudier said, breaking away to show one shopper little bags of marbles.
19th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
French finance minister calls for postponement of Black Friday amid lockdown
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Wednesday called on supermarkets and on-line retailers to postpone the "Black Friday" sales shopping day due to take place on Nov. 27 as shops selling non-essential goods remained closed during lockdown.
19th Nov 2020 - FRANCE 24 English
German health official expects number of COVID-19 infections to fall
The number of new COVID-19 infections in Germany remains far too high but there are signs that the country’s “lockdown lite” is working and could reduce numbers soon, health officials said on Thursday. “It is a fact that the measures are working,” Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases (RKI), told a news conference, referring to Germany’s partial lockdown in place since Nov. 2. Bars and restaurants are closed, while schools and shops remain open. Private gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households. After an exponential increase in the number of infections over the past weeks, Wieler said a plateau had now been reached.
19th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Greece tightens lockdown in northern Greece as cases climb
Greece will shut one border crossing with Albania and conduct rapid COVID-19 tests on all visitors at its land borders, its government spokesman said on Thursday, as cases in northern Greece continue to rise unabated. Greece has seen a rapid rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks which forced it to impose a nationwide lockdown, its second this year. Its northern regions, including the city of Thessaloniki, have been hit the most. Visitors entering from land borders are already required to present a negative PCR COVID-19 test conducted at least 72 hours prior travel. Upon arrival, they will be re-tested by Greek authorities. The latest measures will come into effect on Friday morning at 0400 GMT, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said, urging residents to also implement restrictions on movement.
19th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in full'Students feel vulnerable': how Covid-19 has put a strain on mental health
From self-isolation with flatmates they barely know and halls of residences emptying out over lockdown to struggles to get the wifi to work for Zoom lectures, the start to the 2020 term has been riddled with uncertainty for most university students. Just one thing’s for sure: it’s been a strange few weeks. It’s perhaps unsurprising that students across campuses have been grappling with loneliness, anxiety and depression as a result of their experiences. “Students aren’t just disappointed that their university experience looks different in terms of teaching and learning, they’re also asking: ‘What does it mean for all the other things I wanted out of uni? The people I could have met? The sports and societies I could have joined?’” said Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, vice-president for higher education at the National Union of Students.
18th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Lockdown loneliness reaches record levels
The week after the clocks went back saw Britain's highest levels of acute loneliness in the pandemic, Office for National Statistics figures suggest. The start of November, with darker evenings, saw 8% of adults who were "always or often lonely" - representing 4.2 million people. This was the peak in this measure of loneliness since the lockdown in March. Loneliness Minister Baroness Barran says the next few months will be "incredibly challenging"
18th Nov 2020 - BBC
Poor areas of England face 'permanent' lockdown, says public health chief
Some of England’s poorest areas face being trapped in coronavirus restrictions “permanently” unless the government tackles deep-rooted inequalities that are driving high transmission, according to a public health chief. Prof Dominic Harrison, the director of public health at Blackburn with Darwen council, said the government’s “pointlessly punishing” approach would keep areas such as his under strict measures up to next summer. He told the Guardian: “We do need the restrictions, but what we need is something that is going to be more effective, more helpful, less pointlessly punishing than continued controls that aren’t going to be effective, or that are unlikely to be effective in the medium term and cause continued and further economic damage.”
18th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
French government spokesman says: unwinding lockdown not for now
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday that the unwinding of lockdown was not for the near future. Attal also told reporters that President Emmanuel Macron would address the nation next week regarding the coronavirus situation in France.
18th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Dutch PM Rutte: coronavirus lockdown to continue into December
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday said most of the country’s current coronavirus lockdown measures must remain in place through mid-December, despite a recent decline in the number of new cases. “It’s nice what we’ve achieved together,” Rutte said at a press conference after health officials reported that new cases had declined 15 percent in the past week. “But if you look around in Europe, the picture is pretty sombre”, he said, with most countries strengthening rather than loosening measures. Earlier on Tuesday the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its weekly update there were 37,706 new cases in the week to Nov. 17, the smallest number since early October.
18th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullFrance regaining control over coronavirus but caution still needed: minister
France’s health minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday the country was regaining control over the coronavirus but was not ready to ease the second national lockdown imposed to rein in the disease. After curfew measures applied in major French cities in mid-October failed to produce the results the government had hoped for, it enforced a one-month lockdown on Oct. 30, though it was less strict than the one that ran from March 17 to May 11. “If we let up our efforts too early, if we are less compliant with the lockdown, we might be subject to a new epidemic surge that would undo all the hard work done by the French people for several weeks,” Veran told BFM TV.
17th Nov 2020 - Reuters
French lockdown set to be EXTENDED: Closures to remain beyond original December 2 deadline
National lockdown imposed on October 30 was due to run until December 2
But Health Minister confirmed today that he could no longer commit to that date
Olivier Veran said this despite claiming France was past the peak on Sunday
Number in hospital for Covid-19 dropped Sunday for first time since mid-August
17th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
Dutch PM to keep coronavirus lockdown measures as cases ease
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday said most of the country’s current coronavirus lockdown measures must remain in place through mid-December, despite a recent decline in the number of new cases. “It’s nice what we’ve achieved together,” Rutte said at a press conference after health officials reported that new cases had declined 15 percent in the past week. “But if you look around in Europe, the picture is pretty sombre”, he said, with most countries strengthening rather than loosening measures. Earlier on Tuesday the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its weekly update there were 37,706 new cases in the week to Nov. 17, the smallest number since early October.
17th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Germany's Merkel would have preferred tighter lockdown
The coronavirus situation in Germany is still very serious even though infection numbers are not rising so fast, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, after federal and state leaders postponed until Nov. 25 a decision on further lockdown measures. Merkel said she would have preferred to have agreed stricter rules at a meeting with federal and state leaders on Monday, adding she was very worried about the uncontrolled spread of coronavirus in some places, including the capital Berlin.
“Infection numbers aren’t growing exponentially anymore, but are still far too high. So we have to reduce contacts, reduce contacts, reduce contacts,” Merkel told a business event organised by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.
17th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
French health minister says he cannot give date for end of lockdown
French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Tuesday he could not give a date for the end of the national lockdown. The country-wide restrictions were imposed on Oct. 30, initially for a one-month period. Veran told BFM that travel restrictions would not be lifted on Dec. 1, repeating what Prime Minister Jean Castex said last week.
17th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
UK shopper numbers plunge as English lockdown makes impact
Total shopper numbers across British retail destinations plummeted 57.7% in the week to Nov. 14 year-on-year, reflecting the impact of England’s second national lockdown, market researcher Springboard said on Monday. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enacted new COVID-19 health restrictions last month and England began a one-month lockdown on Nov. 5 to curb a second wave of the pandemic that has left the United Kingdom with Europe’s highest death toll.
17th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullNicola Sturgeon says Scotland's lockdown could get even TOUGHER to save Christmas as she warns coronavirus hot-spots they could be plunged into top Level 4 in a bid to rescue ...
She said areas where cases remain 'stubbornly high' could be placed in Level 4
Told press conference step would be a short, sharp hit to get cases decreasing
The First Minister said her Cabinet will make decisions tomorrow morning
16th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
Matt Hancock suggests England’s lockdown may not end on December 2
Matt Hancock has said it is “too early” to determine whether England’s lockdown should end as planned in just over two weeks’ time. Under current plans, the national shutdown is due to expire on December 2, after which the country is set to return to a tiered system of coronavirus restrictions. However, asked on Monday morning whether the lockdown will simply be “rebadged” after next month’s deadline, the Health Secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is still too early to say I’m afraid.” Mr Hancock continued: “We’ve seen in the last week that there is still a very high number of cases but we do absolutely want to come out of this national lockdown.
16th Nov 2020 - Evening Standard
New restrictions less damaging to UK economy than spring lockdown, data show
The latest Covid-19 restrictions across the UK are affecting the economy less severely than the nationwide lockdown in the spring, unofficial data suggest. A new lockdown in England, firebreak restrictions in Wales and travel curbs in Scotland and Northern Ireland resulted in sharp contractions across many measures of consumer services activity in early November. However, so-called high-frequency indicators of the broader economy, including volumes of people travelling to workplaces and heavy goods vehicle traffic, remained largely unchanged compared with before the restrictions were imposed, reflecting that most factories and building sites remained open.
16th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Coronavirus: ‘Too early’ to say if lockdown can be lifted in England on 2 December, says Matt Hancock
Current lockdown measures in England could continue beyond their planned end date of 2 December, health secretary Matt Hancock has suggested. Mr Hancock said it was “too early” to determine whether the restrictions, including the closure of pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops, can be lifted on the planned date. His comments were far more pessimistic than projections made by Boris Johnson, who has previously told MPs that he has “no doubt” that the restrictions will be eased after the planned four-week second lockdown
16th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Schools and parties in spotlight as Germany weighs new Covid rules
Angela Merkel has said she does not have backing among state leaders for new restrictions to give Germany’s “soft” lockdown a harder bite, postponing any decision until a further meeting between the chancellor and 16 state premiers next week. The chancellor had been in favour of people limiting social interactions in private to only one set second household, and forgo any kind of party until Christmas Eve, according to a draft proposal cited by several news outlets including Der Spiegel. The plans were also reported to include advising citizens to quarantine at home for up to seven days, even if they display only the symptoms of an ordinary cold, and tightening hygiene requirements at schools, with teachers and students of all year groups asked to wear face masks throughout lessons.
16th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
French authors offer to pay bookshops' Covid lockdown fines
A group of French authors has promised to pay fines imposed on the country’s bookshops that remain open in defiance of coronavirus lockdown rules. The pledge was made by the bestselling writer Alexandre Jardin, who said authors were getting together to support booksellers during the crisis. Under France’s lockdown rules, which are in force until at least 1 December, only essential shops and businesses can remain open. Bookshops are not deemed “essential”. Jardin, who lost a close relative to coronavirus last month, said he was not taking the health threat lightly, but feared for the future of independent bookshops. “We will not let our bookshops close,” he told BFMTV. “We can’t be having the cops descending on them.”
16th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
UK shopper numbers plunge as English lockdown makes impact
Total shopper numbers across British retail destinations plummeted 57.7% in the week to Nov. 14 year-on-year, reflecting the impact of England’s second national lockdown, market researcher Springboard said on Monday. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enacted new COVID-19 health restrictions last month and England began a one-month lockdown on Nov. 5 to curb a second wave of the pandemic that has left the United Kingdom with Europe’s highest death toll.
16th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Teenage pregnancies rise in parts of Kenya as lockdown shuts schools
Jackline Bosibori wept when she found out she was pregnant. The 17-year-old’s mother, who is raising six kids alone, collapsed in their one-room home. They had been repeatedly threatened with eviction and couldn’t afford another mouth to feed. “If I was in school, this could have not happened,” said Bosibori, who wants to become a lawyer. With school closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and her mother out selling vegetables on the roadside, Bosibori got involved with a man in his twenties. When she told him she was pregnant, he stopped answering her calls.
16th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Merkel, German states consider tougher pre-Christmas COVID curbs
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday leaders of the country’s 16 federal states were resisting her efforts to agree stricter measures to fight a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, two weeks into a partial nationwide lockdown. Merkel had pushed for tougher measures at a meeting in Berlin, but state leaders wanted to wait and see the effects of current restrictions, she told a news conference. “The majority of states declined to change legal measures roughly one week ahead of the next meeting... I could have imagined imposing further contact restrictions today,” she said.
16th Nov 2020 - Reuters
'There's nothing to keep a lid on it': is lockdown making us eccentric?
“Not sure if it’s because of recent times of lockdown etc but Christ I talk to myself a lot these days.” So tweeted the actor and presenter Emily Atack – and she is not alone. Confined to our homes and freed from the judgments of others – perceived or otherwise – growing numbers of us are admitting to quirky behaviours, from talking to ourselves to singing more loudly in the shower or living out the fashion eccentricities we’d never have dreamed of in the office. Psychologists told the Guardian that people are likely to become more eccentric over lockdown, displaying new or accentuated behaviours ranging from unusual mannerisms and daily routines to discovering unconventional interests.
15th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSocially distanced Diwali celebrated in UK under lockdown
Britain’s Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are celebrating their first ever virtual Diwali on Saturday, as the Covid lockdown has forced the cancellation of almost all normal festivities. Despite the usual gatherings of friends and families being impossible because of the pandemic, numerous councils and temples across the UK have instead taken the celebrations online, hosting video streams for the faithful to tune in.
14th Nov 2020 - The Independent
Germany dampens hopes for swift end to winter lockdown
German government officials dampened hopes on Friday that an economically painful partial lockdown would be lifted promptly at the end of November, since infection rates were continuing to surge. The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Germany hit a record of 23,542 on Friday, around 1,700 more than on Thursday, bringing the total to 751,095, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported. “As things stand now we can’t expect any measures to be relaxed on Monday,” government spokesman Stefan Seibert told a regular news conference. National and regional leaders are due to meet on Monday to discuss whether November’s closure of all gyms and entertainment venues has slowed the disease’s spread.
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Diwali under lockdown: How Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in the UK will celebrate the festival of lights this year
Preparations are underway for thousands of observers of Diwali in the UK, who will be forced to adapt their celebrations due to the coronavirus outbreak. The festival of lights is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world and will come with an unexpected twist this year as the national lockdown restricts people across England from visiting more than one person outside of their household – with a strict ban on anyone mixing indoors.
14th Nov 2020 - iNews
Making the most of a lockdown Diwali
Lockdown restrictions in England mean it's not possible to meet family members from different households or go to the temple for group worship. But it doesn't mean celebrations this year have to be any less enjoyable.
14th Nov 2020 - BBC
Jean Castex extends coronavirus lockdown in France till December
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced that the nationwide stay-at-home regime will remain in effect amid still disturbing indicators of the COVID-19 virus' evolution in the country. "Together with the President of the Republic [Emmanuel Macron], we decided this morning in the Council of defense and national security to keep unchanged, at least for the next fifteen days, the rules of lockdown intended to fight against # COVID19," Castex tweeted late on Thursday.
14th Nov 2020 - The New Indian Express
Italy extends partial lockdown as Naples hospitals struggle
Confirmed cases hit a daily pandemic high of nearly 41,000 and 550 people died of the virus in 24 hours, bringing the country's known death toll to 44,139. Italy has reported a total of more than 1.1. million virus cases.
14th Nov 2020 - The Indian Express
Paris boulevards deserted as lockdown claims Christmas shopping trade
Boarded-up windows outside flagship branches of department stores Galeries Lafayette and Printemps bore testimony on Saturday to the impact of a COVID-19 lockdown in Paris. On what would usually be a busy weekend for Christmas shopping, only handfuls of people were out on Boulevard Haussmann, where the stores are located. “It’s sad. We are outside Galeries Lafayette and everything is closed,” said one would-be shopper, Emmanuelle Tiger. “They’ve put up (shop window) lights. That’s great, but we don’t feel the Christmas spirit at all.”
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
French PM says easing COVID-19 lockdown now would be 'irresponsible'
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said there would be no easing for at least two weeks of the country’s second COVID-19 lockdown, with the number of people in hospital with coronavirus now higher than at the peak of the first wave.
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Police probe illegal party near Paris in breach of COVID lockdown
Police are probing an illegal party that took place at Joinville-Le-Pont near Paris, at which up to 400 people met up despite French COVID-19 lockdown rules banning large private gatherings. The Paris police department said on Saturday it had launched an investigation to find out who was behind the party, held in a large private house. Police said some partygoers threw bottles at them as they broke up the event in the early hours. Police added they had found that at least one of those at the party had tested positive for COVID-19, and urged others who were present to get COVID tests.
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Germans should brace for 4-5 months of severe COVID-19 measures, minister says
Germans should brace for another 4-5 months of severe measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect the current rules to be eased quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told weekly Bild am Sonntag. “We’re not out of the woods yet”, he said referring to infection numbers. “We cannot afford a yo-yo shutdown with the economy constantly opening and closing.” Germany has imposed a set of measures dubbed a “lockdown light” to rein in the second wave of the pandemic that the country is seeing in common with much of the rest of Europe. While restaurants are closed, schools and shops so far remain open. Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 16,947 to 790,503. Weekend figures tend to be lower as not all data is reported by local authorities.
14th Nov 2020 - Reuters
New coronavirus cases drop sharply in France's second week of lockdown
New coronavirus infections and hospital admissions for COVID-19 dropped sharply at the end of the second week of a new nationwide confinement in France, health ministry data showed on Friday. The ministry reported 23,794 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, down from 33,172 on Thursday and compared to 60,486 last Friday. The number of people going into hospital with the virus plunged to 24 from 737 on Thursday and the number of people going into intensive care dropped to just four from 96 on Thursday and more than 100 per day every weekday last week. The number of coronavirus deaths in hospitals increased slightly to 456 from 425 on Thursday. France also reported 476 deaths in retirement homes over the past three days, for a total of 932 deaths reported on Friday.
13th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Coronavirus: France to restart remote lessons after threat of strikes over safety
Sixth-form colleges in France were ordered to draw up plans for the reintroduction of remote learning yesterday as President Macron sought to head off a revolt by teachers and pupils. Hardline teachers’ unions are calling strikes over what they say are inadequate health protocols and sixth-formers are organising sporadic blockades of their lycées to protest against crowded classrooms. Some demonstrations turned violent, notably in poorer Paris suburbs.
13th Nov 2020 - The Times
German economy taking hit from lockdown measures in November - ministry
Germany’s economic recovery continued until October but has slowed since August, the Economy Ministry said on Friday, adding that lockdown measures implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus hit the economy in November.
The Economy Ministry said in its monthly report that the restrictions imposed from the start of November which have seen restaurants, bars and entertainment venues such as cinemas and theatres close meant consumption was taking a hit. The ministry said it did not look like the recovery would end in the fourth quarter though, as long as restrictions remain limited.
13th Nov 2020 - Reuters
COVID-19: Psychiatrists warn of coronavirus lockdown's toll on mental health
Psychiatrists are braced for a surge in demand for mental health care in the months ahead, as people struggle to cope during the coronavirus lockdown. The number of people experiencing severe mental illnesses and needing urgent care amid the pandemic has become a serious cause for concern, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has told Sky News. The group, which represents the UK's 18,000 psychiatrists, said members are concerned about the impact of the second lockdown and are calling on the government to ensure mental health services are properly funded and equipped to meet the anticipated increase in demand.
13th Nov 2020 - Sky News
London gym owner fined £67,000 for refusing to close during lockdown
A London gym owner has been handed a £67,000 fine for refusing to close during England’s second national lockdown. Andreas Michli, 34, finally shut the doors to his Wood Green gym on Wednesday after police prevented customers entering.
Haringey council issued multiple fines against Michli over his Zone Gym business and said it obtained a closure order. Alongside the £67,000 fine, Michli said the council was also seeking to recoup court costs of £7,500. Michli, who has owned the gym for five years, said he felt keeping it open was “the right thing to do socially, morally and scientifically”. “There were a lot of reasons why I didn’t close. I couldn’t actually find a reason why to not keep it open, other than there was legislation in place,” he told PA news agency.
13th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Uneasy Under Coronavirus Lockdown, Pubs in England Count Days Till Christmas
At the Crooked Well, a neighborhood pub in south London that prides itself on its food, the Christmas menu is already decided. There will be venison and beef stews. But whether the stews will actually be served is another question. Under a new lockdown planned to last a month, pubs in England have closed again. From Nov. 5 to Dec. 2, restaurants, gyms and nonessential shops are being shuttered by the government’s efforts to suppress a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Britain’s first lockdown lasted more than three months, followed by an ever-changing array of restrictions since. No one knows how long this lockdown will really last.
13th Nov 2020 - The New York Times
Ending lockdown in December hinges on next two weeks, Sage expert warns
The next fortnight will be “absolutely crucial” in ensuring England’s coronavirus lockdown ends as planned on December 2, a Government scientific adviser has warned. Professor Susan Michie, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), called on the public to resist breaking current rules if they want to spend the festive period with loved ones. The announcement of a potential Covid-19 vaccine could spark complacency over restrictions, she said, stressing that the jab will make “no difference” to the current wave. It comes after documents released by Sage on Friday warned that a return to the tiered system of coronavirus restrictions will see infections rise again.
13th Nov 2020 - Evening Standard on MSN.com
Britain to pilot COVID-19 tests for care home visitors
Visitors to care homes in parts of England will be able to get tested for COVID-19 under a new pilot plan aimed at reducing onerous restrictions in time for Christmas, the health ministry said Saturday. With England under lockdown until December, care home visits can still go ahead in certain circumstances, but official guidance states that screens, windows or “visiting pods” should be used to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. “I know how heart-breaking restricting visits to care homes has been, not only for residents, many of whom will feel disoriented and confused by the situation, but also their loved ones who aren’t able to simply hug each other to support them in this difficult time,” health minister Matt Hancock said.
13th Nov 2020 - The Japan Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 restrictions in NI extended for one more week
Covid-19 restrictions in Northern Ireland will be extended for one more week with a partial reopening of some sectors next Friday, in a compromise reached by the executive. A proposal from DUP Economy Minister Diane Dodds was supported by the Ulster Unionists and Alliance. Sinn Féin voted against the move and the SDLP abstained. It means close contact services and unlicensed premises can reopen on Friday, 20 November.
12th Nov 2020 - BBC
Northern Ireland parties reach deal to extend COVID-19 restrictions
Northern Ireland's power-sharing government on Thursday agreed to extend COVID-19 restrictions for between one and two weeks, falling short of stricter measures demanded by Irish nationalist parties. Northern Ireland in mid-October became the first part of the United Kingdom to reimpose strict COVID-19 constraints, closing schools for two weeks and bars and restaurants for four, but the measures were due to lapse on Friday. The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has been pushing for a swift end to the restrictions to help small business owners, but the rival Ulster Unionists and Irish nationalist parties Sinn Fein and the SDLP said high infection rates meant restrictions should be maintained.
12th Nov 2020 - Reuters on MSN.com
German health minister on new lockdown measures: The second wave will be stronger
Over 261 people have died in Germany, which has had about 705,000 total Covid-19 cases so far. German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn joins Wilfred Frost in an exclusive CNBC interview to discuss the country’s plans to combat the coronavirus pandemic as well as the relationship Germany hopes to have with President-elect Biden.
12th Nov 2020 - CNBC
German health minister says it’s too early to tell if its partial Covid lockdown will be extended
It is “too early to say” whether Germany will extend its four-week partial lockdown, according to health minister Jens Spahn. “We need patience, actually, because the numbers of today actually are the infections that have taken place one week or more days ago,” Spahn told CNBC. “It will be the end of this week that we might see the results of the new lockdown light we have now,” he added.
12th Nov 2020 - CNBC
Spain will require a negative COVID test for residents of high-risk countries starting Nov. 23
Travellers bound for Spain from countries considered high-risk areas for the coronavirus will be asked to provide proof of a negative test to visit the European country, authorities said Wednesday. Starting Nov. 23, travellers to Spain will be required to submit a negative test result from within 72 hours prior to their planned departure. They will be able to do so via the internet, a smartphone application, or with a document before boarding a plane or boat. The proof of being virus-free before traveling will come on top of the temperature checks performed on arriving passengers at Spain’s airports and ports. The measure will apply to countries designated as “high risk.”
12th Nov 2020 - USA Today
Catalonia’s bars and restaurants to remain closed 10 more days
On a day when the official death toll from Covid-19 in Spain exceeded 40,000 since the start of the pandemic, authorities in several parts of the country announced new restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. The Catalan government on Thursday announced that bars and restaurants across the region will remain closed for an additional 10-day period in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Food and drink establishments have been closed for a month, and will remain so at least until November 23. The measure has evidenced a division of opinion among the governing partners and it has also met with criticism from all affected sectors of the economy.
12th Nov 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Spain's Catalonia to keep bars, restaurants shut another ten days to curb COVID-19
Restaurants, bars and shopping malls will remain closed in Catalonia for at least another ten days to rein in the COVID-19 pandemic, regional officials said on Thursday. Unlike most other Western European countries, Spain has held off on ordering a nationwide confinement to control its second wave of infection, instead letting regional authorities implement their own policies. This has led to a patchwork of measures, with Catalonia’s strictest approach contrasting with the Madrid region’s decision to leave bars and restaurants open. Catalonia has Spain’s second-highest number of COVID-19 cases after Madrid.
12th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Pandemic and lockdown fuelled domestic violence, new study confirms
Australia’s pandemic and lockdown fuelled a significant rise in domestic violence, according to a new study published yesterday by the Australian Institute of Criminology. Researchers explored the relationship between social isolation, time spent at home, financial stress and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic – with some startling results. The paper found that most women who were victims had not experienced violence by their partner prior to the pandemic, for example. Of those who had, two-thirds experienced further violence during this period.
12th Nov 2020 - Australian Times
German minister sees COVID-19 restrictions through winter
Germany’s health minister said on Thursday he expects restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic will continue through winter, with life unlikely to get back to normal in December or January even if infections fall. “I don’t see events with more than 10 or 15 people happening this winter,” Jens Spahn told RBB broadcaster. Germany reported 21,866 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 727,553 and jumping back above 20,000 after four days below that figure, while the death toll rose by 215 to 11,982, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s states are due to meet on Monday to review whether partial lockdown measures imposed on Nov. 2 have been enough to slow a steep rise in new infections that risks overwhelming hospitals.
12th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
Call for ‘designated visitors’ to tackle coronavirus care home loneliness
Care home providers and relatives today called on the Government to urgently allow each resident to have a “designated visitor” to help tackle “heartbreaking loneliness”. The plan would mean that each resident has at least one designated visitor who, like care home staff, would be tested for Covid-19 weekly and wear protective PPE, allowing them to make regular visits safely. This would alleviate the isolation of residents, some of whom have been denied visits for nine months. The Government agreed to pilot the approach in October but there are claims it is dragging its feet.
12th Nov 2020 - Evening Standard
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSpain lockdown: How domestic workers became prisoners
Some live-in maids in Spain have been forbidden from leaving their employers' houses during the coronavirus pandemic. The union that represents them has heard from around 100 women who say they have been kept locked inside for months. It says that live-in maids were already often being treated like “modern-day slaves” in the country and that lockdown has made things worse. Domestic workers are more at risk of being exploited and abused, as they don’t have the same legal rights as other workers. At least 22,000 have been fired since the start of the pandemic, according to the Spanish government.
11th Nov 2020 - BBC
Lost school time might lower lifetime earnings for lockdown-hit children
Past calamities show shutting schools for long can reduce children’s earnings throughout their life. India’s pre-existing disparities in resources and learning outcomes mean that some will bear the brunt much more than others. The tragic suicides of college students because of their inability to take part in online classes have grabbed headlines across the country. An equally profound but silent tragedy has befallen India’s school-children. Eight months have passed since most Indian children last went to school, and their loss isn’t just restricted to learning outcomes. Research suggests that for most children, learning less will also mean earning less for an entire lifetime.
11th Nov 2020 - Mint
Covid: Lockdown 'exploited by extremists to recruit'
The second lockdown in England is making more young people vulnerable to being groomed by extremists, a senior counter-terror officer has warned. Supt Matthew Davison, from Counter Terrorism Policing, said extremists were using the pandemic to spread hate and disinformation online. He said young people were being targeted "in their bedrooms". At the same time referrals to the anti-extremism Prevent programme are falling. The government said it would "continue to challenge and disrupt extremists who sow division".
11th Nov 2020 - BBC
Social workers' efforts to protect children in lockdown have gone unnoticed
The news that the numbers of babies in England that have suffered serious injury or neglect during the pandemic has increased by a fifth compared with the same period last year and eight have died from their injuries has been met with understandable shock and public concern. It is perhaps all the more shocking because so little public attention has been given to child protection during the coronavirus lockdown and particularly to what is happening to babies and children who aren’t old enough to be at school. The same public invisibility applies to social work, the only profession consistently going into homes since the pandemic began to try to safeguard children and help families.
11th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullFrench Teachers Strike Over Covid-19 Risks
French teachers' unions called a nationwide strike on Tuesday, protesting over inadequate protection against Covid-19, as the Italian government introduced tough new rules across much of the country following the continued rapid spread of the virus there. Teachers in France say it is impossible for schools to enforce social distancing among pupils even after sanitation rules were tightened earlier this month. Classes are too big, and schools lack staff and equipment such as individual tables, they say. “We are raising the alarm because we don’t want schools to become clusters,” elementary school teacher and union leader Guislaine David said. She said she wants schools to remain open.
10th Nov 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Nicola Sturgeon lockdown update RECAP as Glasgow and Central Belt remain in coronavirus level three
Glasgow and the surrounding areas of the Central Belt will continue to fall under level three of the Scottish Government’s five-tier system. Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that there will be no easing of restrictions for the next week, stating: “While we are seeing a levelling off, we have not yet seen a sustained fall in cases. A plateauing rate of infection is not a stable condition. “It would clearly not be prudent to ease restrictions this week.” She added that no local authority will move to level four this week, but that “there are some giving us cause for concern and we will be monitoring them closely in the coming weeks”.
10th Nov 2020 - Glasgow Live
Lockdown children forget how to use knife and fork
The pandemic has seen most children in England slipping back with their learning - and some have gone significantly back with their social skills, says Ofsted. A report from the education watchdog warns some young children have forgotten how to use a knife and fork or have regressed back to nappies. Older children have lost their "stamina" for reading, say inspectors. The Department for Education says it shows the need to keep schools open.
10th Nov 2020 - BBC
Wales lockdown: German tourists fined for breaching rules
A family on holiday in Wales was sent back to Germany by police carrying out lockdown patrols. Officers stopped the family in Llanrhidian on Gower on 8 November - the last day of Wales' firebreak lockdown restrictions. South Wales Police said that the family were issued with a fine for breaching Covid-19 regulations and advised to travel home.
10th Nov 2020 - BBC
What it's like to be on vacation in a country on lockdown
On the evening of October 31, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the return of an England-wide lockdown, designed to stem an alarming second wave of coronavirus. American traveler Elizabeth Prairie, recently landed in the UK for a four-week trip, watched the national address from her Airbnb in London's Notting Hill neighborhood. She'd arrived in the UK capital almost two weeks prior and was about to come out of her 14-day compulsory quarantine. Prairie had planned a four-week vacation in London, accounting for quarantining while also allowing time to explore, work remotely and enjoy her break. When she boarded her British Airways flight from JFK airport, Prairie knew England had instituted a 10 p.m. closing time on all bars and restaurants, and London was entering stricter "Tier 2" restrictions that limited access to them.
10th Nov 2020 - CNN
Spotlight on domestic abuse: How lockdown created a 'perfect storm'
Domestic violence and abuse is at a 15-year high in Northern Ireland, with more than 32,000 incidents reported to the PSNI from June 2019 to July 2020. Restrictions to reduce the spread of Covid-19 have forced people to spend much more time at home and created the "perfect storm" for abusers.
10th Nov 2020 - BBC
Lockdown sparks addiction surge in Australia – 3AW
Over one million Australians have an addiction, with fears that number has soared during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Professor at Monash University and Executive clinical director at Turning Point Rehabilitation Centre, Professor Dan Lubman, told Dee Dee Dunleavy Australia needed to pay more attention to addictions. “We’ve seen significant changes in behavior in the last year due to coronavirus,” he said. “A lot of people have reported an increase of drinking, a shift to gambling, an increase of uncertainty and stress. “Addiction is a health disorder that is treatable, it’s a solution to former underlying problems normally associated with trauma, mental health and isolation. “People use it as a way to cope.”
10th Nov 2020 - 3AW
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 sniffer dogs that can sniff out virus in a second could soon come to Leeds
Specially-trained dogs that can sniff out coronavirus could soon be spotted in Leeds. The clever canines, which have been trained by the charity Medical Detection Dogs, can detect Covid-19 on people. The adorable Labradors were put through the paces at London Paddington train station in a trial earlier this month, where health secretary Matt Hancock was joined by the Duchess of Cornwall to see them in action. There are suggestions the sniffer dogs could be deployed in busy areas such as train stations and shopping centres to try and find people with Covid-19 and therefore minimise the risk of asymptomatic people mixing with others.
9th Nov 2020 - Leeds Live
Covid: Wales has lessons for England on surviving lockdown
When Covid struck, no-one quite understood how ruinous its ripples would be. As England begins a new lockdown, Michael Buchanan has been in Wales, which has emerged from a short, sharp shutdown, to see the effect of the economic shock. While thousands of families grieve lives abruptly ended by Covid, others mourn the lives they once led. For Dorne Williams, the pandemic has been calamitous. "It has cost me my relationship, my mental health and my friends, who are too frightened to visit." We're talking on the doorstep of her small terraced house in Pontypool. First came the "nasty" virus, she says.
9th Nov 2020 - BBC
The real cost of lockdown: Australia faces a mental health crisis
Psychiatrist has warned Australia faces a dangerous new mental health crisis
Called for policy-makers to turn society upside down to flatten the new curve
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many unemployed and struggling to cope
9th Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
In Britain, the poppy appeal grapples with COVID-19 lockdown
Britain’s poppy appeal, when tens of millions buy a red paper or metal poppy to remember the war dead and help armed forces families, is facing a battle of its own - collecting money amid the strictest lockdown in peacetime history. Charities across the world are struggling after the novel coronavirus lockdowns closed swathes of the economy, drove millions out of work and shuttered normal life - including many traditional ways of giving. Even the hardy Remembrance Poppy has been threatened. Red poppies sprang up beside the fallen amid the carnage of World War One trench warfare in the fields of Flanders, a contrast that swiftly graced some of the grief-stricken poetry of the so-called Great War.
9th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
French economy operating down 12% under new lockdown: central bank
France’s economic activity is 12% lower than normal this month after the country entered a coronavirus lockdown for the second time this year, the central bank said on Monday. The government imposed the new lockdown on Oct. 30 to rein in a surge in new cases although the restrictions were softer than the first time to limit the impact to the euro zone’s second-biggest economy. The Bank of France said economic activity was expected to be reduced by 12% of normal levels as a result, worse than the 4% drop in October but far better than the 31% loss seen in April during one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe.
9th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
NSPCC warns of lockdown's toll on children's mental health
Rising stress levels have taken a toll on the mental and emotional health of young people since the first coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March, children’s charity the NSPCC has warned. Calls to the charity’s ChildLine service reached nearly 43,000 between March and October, with mental health worries making up more than a third of all its counselling sessions, new figures showed. The NSPCC said its counsellors had heard from children who were feeling isolated, anxious and insecure after being cut off from their usual social support networks. Some children had developed eating disorders such as binge eating and bulimia for the first time, while others with existing eating disorders had reported worse symptoms or had relapsed, the charity found.
9th Nov 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullParis police step up patrols to limit lockdown violators
French police have stepped up checks to ensure that the nationwide lockdown is respected across the country, and non-essential travel is avoided. Edward Baran reports.
8th Nov 2020 - Reuters
Second French lockdown less severe for the economy one week in
One week into France’s second coronavirus lockdown this year, the euro zone’s second-biggest economy is holding up much better than the first time, data ranging from traffic congestion to electricity use show. High-frequency data bear out anecdotal evidence that there are many more people on the streets and businesses open this time, compared to March and April when major French cities were ghost towns. France’s experience one week in offers an initial glimpse of what the economic fallout will look like from a second lockdown for other European countries that have since or will soon follow.
8th Nov 2020 - Reuters UK
What it's like to be a secondary school teacher during the Coronavirus pandemic
With most pupils now back in school following October half term, the debate over whether they should close during the current lockdown rages on. Britain's biggest teaching union, the National Education Union (NEU), wants them to shut and says 'ignoring the role of schools and colleges in the spread of the virus is likely to lead to the need for even longer lockdowns in future'. That view is backed by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who fears the lockdown will not have the same impact on lowering transmission of the virus if schools remain open.
8th Nov 2020 - Manchester Evening News
Coronavirus lockdown childcare bubbles and linked households explained
Lockdown version 2.0 has officially begun, with the biggest difference between the first set of restrictions being the fact schools and nurseries are able to remain open this time. And while everyone is instructed to stay indoors unless they have to go out for work, essential shopping, or exercise, juggling childcare and the often complicated arrangements many families have around who looks after whose kids when and where is made even more complicated by another coronavirus lockdown.
But this time things seem to be slightly more relaxed in terms of who can look after the children or where they can go, than the lockdown in March.
7th Nov 2020 - Bristol Post
Covid-19: Lockdown 'opportunity' to fix England's roads
Councils in England have a "unique opportunity" to fix potholes, road junctions and roadside drainage during lockdown, the AA has said. It urged local authorities to ask drivers to move their vehicles to car parks near disused shops, pubs and restaurants while repairs take place. Reduced traffic means work could happen safely and without causing congestion, AA president Edmund King said. Councils said £10bn was needed to bring roads "up to scratch". The government said it had already committed £2.5bn for repairs "as part of the biggest nationwide programme ever announced".
7th Nov 2020 - BBC
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullFather admits to killing his two children during lockdown
Nadarajah Nithiyakumar attacked 19-month-old Pavinya and three-year-old Nigish, on April 26 at their family home in Ilford, east London. The young children’s mother called emergency services to the horrific scene in Aldborough Road North, but they were unable to save Pavinya who was pronounced dead at the scene. Nigash was rushed to hospital in Whitechapel but despite the best efforts of the doctors, he sadly died.
5th Nov 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Multifold spike in domestic violence complaints during lockdown
As soon as schools were shut due to the lockdown, 16-year old Ashi (name changed), who was studying at a Gurukul school in Karimnagar district, was asked to go back to her home. She had never imagined that the four walls of her home will become unsafe for her. After being allegedly sexually and physically harassed by her father for months, in around April, terrified and confused, she mustered the courage to reach out to the police who, with the help of the Sakhi team, rescued her. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, data from the State Women and Child Department shows that domestic violence, including physical and sexual assault against women and girls, has risen.
5th Nov 2020 - The New Indian Express
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullDownturn deepens in Europe's lockdown-hit services sector
Services companies in Italy and Spain suffered a fresh fall in activity last month as restrictions to contain the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit businesses, according to a widely watched business survey. The IHS Markit flash services purchasing managers’ index dropped in both countries, with companies reporting sharp declines in demand and activity as a result of the pandemic, data released on Wednesday showed. The Spanish index was slightly better than most economists expected but still fell 1 point to a five-month low of 41.4 in October. Italy’s index fell below expectations to a four-month low of 46.7, down from 48.8 in the previous month.
4th Nov 2020 - Financial Times
Lockdown measures in West Bengal extended till November 30, schools and colleges to remain shut
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, efforts are on to bring the country back on track by gradually easing out restrictions through the unlock procedure. But there are few states that are not taking any chances and want to extend the lockdown measures to the extent possible. Keeping in line with the guidelines of the Centre, the West Bengal government on Monday, November 2 announced the extension of lockdown measures in the state till November 30. According to the new guidelines issued by the state government, cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes will operate with 50% capacity. While swimming pools except for training purpose will remain closed.
2nd Nov 2020 - DNA India
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullSouth Africa's Covid-19 lockdown leaves aquarium penguins 'stressed out'
The Covid-19 pandemic has left penguins in an aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa stressed after the outbreak changed their daily routine, animal keepers said. The birds are social creatures and rely on routine. However, this was disrupted when lockdown forced the exhibit to close in March. Instead of seeing hundreds of people a day, the colony of penguins was only interacting with their handlers.
3rd Nov 2020 - South China Morning Post
Melbourne to honour 'community heroes' who stood up during lockdown
The long months of lockdown caused fear, anxiety and isolation across Melbourne, but they also sparked an outpouring of community kindness. Take Alex Dekker, for example. When the pandemic struck, Mr Dekker was a 20-year-old global studies student at Monash University, intent on pursuing a career in academia. His sister Pietra, a first-year doctor working on coronavirus wards, was so busy at work she was getting by on muesli bars. So Mr Dekker made her a few lasagnas. Then he announced on his Facebook page that he would make lasagnas for other healthcare workers and their families.
3rd Nov 2020 - The Age
The truckers who keep India's coronavirus patients breathing
Subhas Kumar Yadav has fought fear, deadlines and hunger to truck liquid oxygen from a factory in India’s Himalayan foothills to hospitals in the northern plains during the coronavirus epidemic. The worst time, he said, was in the weeks after the federal government imposed a sweeping lockdown to contain the disease in late March, when roads were deserted, police made arbitrary checks and roadside restaurants, repair shops and motels were shuttered. But the oxygen he was carrying was saving the lives of thousands of those infected. “We were on duty,” said the 33-year-old driver with Linde India Ltd, an affiliate of the world’s largest supplier of industrial gases, Linde Plc. “It’s not like we could just give up and go home.”
3rd Nov 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullBritain extends payment freeze to coronavirus-hit borrowers
Britain’s financial watchdog said on Monday it would extend payment holidays on credit cards, car finance, personal loans and pawned goods before tougher coronavirus restrictions come into effect this week. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) also extended until January the availability of deferrals for mortgage payments after Britain announced a one-month lockdown across England would start on Thursday to contain a second wave of the pandemic. Consumers who have not yet had a credit payment deferral under guidance issued in July can request one that lasts for up to six months, the FCA said in a statement.
Borrowers who have already had one deferral would be able to apply for a second, the FCA said. “Borrowers should only take up this support if they need it,” the statement added.
3rd Nov 2020 - Reuters
Cuomo halts indoor dining at 25% capacity citing a spike in COVID-19 cases
Indoor dining with 50% capacity was supposed to resume in NYC November 1. The deadline came and went with no information from the government. On Monday, Cuomo said he the situation was 'fluid' and he was looking at 'data.' He said there had been an increase in cases which was leading him to delay it. The infection rate in Manhattan is 2.5 percent - almost half of what it is in Queens, Brooklyn and parts of Staten Island. It is also lower than in the Hamptons and Westchester, where indoor dining is allowed at 50 percent. Nationally, there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases but deaths remain steady
3rd Nov 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Nov 2020
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19 pandemic threatens young Australians' mental health: survey
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the mental health of 75 percent of Australians aged 18 to 24, according to a poll published by Ipsos and Nine Entertainment newspapers on Friday. By comparison, 65 percent of those polled aged 25 to 39 said the pandemic and restrictions have impacted on their mental wellbeing, 49 percent of those aged 40 to 54 and 35 percent of those aged 55 and over. Ian Hickie, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Sydney, said the education and social lives of young people have been most disrupted by the pandemic worldwide. The University of Sydney has published modelling that projected a 30-percent rise in the suicide rate for Australians aged 18-24 over the next five years. In Victoria, the state hardest-hit by the pandemic, it was projected to rise 36.7 percent.
31st Oct 2020 - Xinhua
First mental health trust signs up to Nursing Times wellbeing campaign
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has become the first mental health provider to sign a pledge supporting the principles of the Nursing Times Covid-19: Are You OK? campaign. The Yorkshire mental health trust signed up to support the campaign, after its director of nursing, Cathy Woffendin, responded to a call made by Nursing Times to an initial group of trusts. It becomes the fourth trust overall to back Covid-19: Are You OK? and the third one from Yorkshire to do so.
31st Oct 2020 - Nursing Times
Hundreds of GPs a month seek mental health support as COVID-19 pressure bites
More than 200 GPs a month are seeking mental health support as COVID-19 drives up pressure on the NHS - and demand for help is rising fastest among doctors in primary care, figures from a confidential support service suggest.
31st Oct 2020 - GP Online
National Union of Students issue Covid mental health warning
Half of students in Scotland said money worries or financial pressures had affected their mental health - before the Covid pandemic struck. Research by the National Union of Students also found 72% of undergraduates said they had most concerns in their first year. The union argues the effects of the pandemic on the sector make these issues more important than ever. Universities Scotland said the mental health of students was "paramount." The NUS research, which was carried out in January and February, involved 3,097 college and university students. It found almost half of students claimed coping with course workload had a negative impact on their mental health.
31st Oct 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Lockdown contributing to rise in mental illness in children, NHS says
One in six children in England has a probable mental disorder, according to an NHS study. The Mental Health and Young People Survey highlights how the coronavirus lockdown has made conditions like depression, anxiety and sleeping problems worse among boys and girls. The study is based on data collected in July from 3,570 children and young people, who took part in a similar survey in 2017.
31st Oct 2020 - Sky News
'Second Pandemic' Warning Issued As Mental Health Crises Rise
Mind received up to 500 helpline calls a day in October – twice the usual number for this time of year.
30th Oct 2020 - HuffPost UK
Alarming impact of Covid-19 crisis on mental health of North East GPs revealed
A survey of North East GPs revealed that 80% said the pressure of dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak has left them with mental health problems. The research was carried out by the North East & Cumbria Regional LMC which also revealed that 61% of GP practices had seen morale deteriorate while 60% of doctors said the chance of them leaving the profession, retiring early or emigrating had increased compared to before the pandemic.
30th Oct 2020 - ChronicleLive
Coronavirus lockdown rules have led to relatives refusing to speak to each other, research finds
One in 12 people is no longer speaking to a friend or family member because of disagreements about the pandemic. When and how the UK should emerge from lockdown restrictions has divided not only the nation but also families and friends – even leading to some relatives refusing to talk to each other, research has revealed. People who rely on social media for coronavirus information are more likely to have been involved in confrontations and reports to the authorities over lockdown rules, the study by King’s College London (KCL) and Ipsos Mori also found. They are at least five times as likely to say they have been reported and four times as likely to have been confronted for not wearing a face covering. A small minority have challenged others about following the rules too carefully, the researchers found, and one in 12 is no longer speaking to a friend or family member because of disagreements about the pandemic.
29th Oct 2020 - iNews
'I was just sat in my room all day': lonely students seek mental health support
University students are struggling with loneliness and anxiety due to campus lockdowns, with the risk that their mental health will deteriorate further unless urgent action is taken, counsellors and charities are warning. Nightline, a phone line run by 2,951 student volunteers that reaches 1.6 million of their peers, has reported higher demand than usual for this time of year as self-isolation takes its toll on students’ mental health. “We normally see significant numbers of calls dealing with loneliness, and this year that number is higher,” says Brendan Mahon, a Nightline trustee.
28th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Covid-19: Two fifths of doctors say pandemic has worsened their mental health
More than two fifths of doctors in the UK say that their mental health is now worse than before the pandemic, a BMA survey has found. The association received responses from 6610 doctors working across England to a snapshot survey it conducted in October. Of the 6550 doctors who responded to a question about their mental wellbeing, 43% said that they were currently experiencing work related depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, emotional distress, or other mental health condition and that it was worse than it had been before the pandemic started. A further 12% said they had a work related mental health problem but it was no different than it had been before the pandemic, while 39% said they did not have a work related problem, and 6% preferred not to say. Of 6559 doctors who responded to a follow-up question, a third (32%) said that their health and wellbeing were slightly worse than it had been during the first wave of the pandemic and 10% said it was much worse. More than a third (37%) said it was the same, while 21% said it was better.
27th Oct 2020 - The BMJ
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullMaharashtra extends ongoing Covid-19 lockdown till November 30
The Maharashtra government on Thursday extended the ongoing lockdown by another month as cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continue to rise in the state. It will now remain in effect till November 30, officials said. While nationwide tally is witnessing a drop in daily cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state by the Covid-19 in the country with 130,286 active cases. As of Wednesday morning, the death toll in the state stood at 14,86,926.
29th Oct 2020 - Hindustan Times
Australia's lockdown paid off: coronavirus cases hit zero in Victoria
Australia recorded zero new coronavirus cases in Victoria, the epicenter of its outbreak, on Monday and Tuesday. Victoria imposed aggressive lockdown measures in July as cases began to climb. For 111 days, Melbourne residents were only allowed to leave home for essential purposes like exercising or grocery shopping. The city also imposed fines on people who held large gatherings, traveled to and from work without a permit, and didn't wear a mask in public.
Many of those restrictions were lifted on Wednesday.
29th Oct 2020 - Business Insider
Covid-19 coronavirus: Lockdown blamed for immunisation rate drop
A drop in infant immunisation rates during the Covid-19 lockdown has health workers scrambling to catch up. They fear "fake news" about vaccinations during the election campaign could add to the problem. The rate of vaccination among 6 month olds dropped 2.4 per cent to 76.2 per cent in the April to June quarter, which captured most of the level 4 lockdown and gradual lowering of restrictions, compared to the same time last year. The latest Ministry of Health data showed there was also a 4.4 per cent drop in those with the greatest socio-economic deprivation and a 5.6 per cent decline in Maori infants.
29th Oct 2020 - New Zealand Herald
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullStupid excuses given for $20m in fines during Melbourne’s second lockdown
Millions of Melburnians have finally tasted freedom after being confined to their homes for 112 days, but not everyone played by the rules during the city’s strict second lockdown. At least 13,900 fines worth a whopping $20.15 million were dished out to Victorians for breaching the chief health officer’s directions and not wearing masks since the lockdown was reimposed on July 8. Among the thousands of fines were at least 2856 Melburnians caught out during curfew hours, 1935 people who failed to wear a face covering and 1768 motorists detected trying to get through a “ring of steel” checkpoint. There was also no shortage of excuses tried on police by rule breakers trying to weasel their way out of a $1652 fine.
28th Oct 2020 - NEWS.com.au
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullQuebec to stay in partial lockdown for another four weeks
The partial pandemic lockdown that has closed bars, restaurants, gyms, cinemas, museums, libraries and casinos in Quebec’s “red zones,” mainly in and around Montreal and Quebec City, will continue until Nov. 23. Premier François Legault announced on Monday that the closures, which were supposed to be lifted on Oct. 29, will remain in effect. This is because, after nearly four weeks, Quebec has reached a plateau of 800 to 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, but has still failed to slow the virus’s spread. “We have 10 deaths today,” the premier said. “I’m not used to that. Our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, our sisters. “One (death) is one too many,” he added. “We have to stick together, more than ever.”
27th Oct 2020 - iPolitics
Covid: toddlers from UK's poorest families 'hit hardest by lockdown'
Babies and toddlers from poorer backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, with less access to books and outdoor space during lockdown than children growing up in wealthier families, research has found. The developmental impact of the coronavirus crisis on children aged 0-3 has been largely undocumented, but early findings from the new study suggest young children from disadvantaged backgrounds have missed out on activities during lockdown which play a vital part in child development. The study, conducted by researchers at five UK universities and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, surveyed more than 500 parents of children under three about the sort of activities they enjoyed with their child before and during lockdown.
27th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
England and Wales Covid lockdown for children in custody 'cruel and inhumane'
The UK government’s policy of allowing children in detention in England and Wales to be locked alone in their cells for up to 23 hours a day under emergency Covid-19 measures is “extreme and inhumane” and could lead to lifelong mental health damage, according to the UN special rapporteur on torture and leading child health experts. Since March, facilities have been able to keep children as young as 12 confined alone in their cells for all but around 40 minutes a day. The measures, which were put in place to stop potential Covid-19 outbreaks, affect around 500 under 18-year-olds in youth detention and another 4,000 18-21-year-olds held in adult prisons.
27th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Guidelines for 'reopening' from lockdown extended till November 30
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday extended the guidelines for reopening from the coronavirus lockdown until November 30. The guidelines were issued last month on September 30 and were meant to be applicable until October 31.
27th Oct 2020 - YAHOO!
You're Not Welcome Here: How Social Distancing Can Destroy The Global Economy
"Nobody wants to see more restrictions, but this is deemed to be necessary in order to protect Londoners' lives," London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the London Assembly. Taking away the welcome mat is key to cutting off the path of the coronavirus. From the beginning of the pandemic, cities, states and countries have banned each other. And now, eight months into lockdowns that have led to immense stress and fatigue among people, some places around the world are introducing even more draconian measures. The path toward recovery continues to be inherently antisocial and runs counter to how humans interact, live lives and conduct their business. This unwelcome policy — which has already harmed families, societies and economies — has the potential to lead to a tectonic shift in how the world functions in the foreseeable future.
27th Oct 2020 - NPR
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Local lockdowns 'stifling jobs recovery'
Deserted High Streets and home working are stifling the British job market's recovery, new research suggests. Urban areas in Scotland and southern England have seen the biggest declines in job postings, according to the Centre for Cities (CfC) think tank. Vacancies have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels across all 63 towns and cities it analysed across the UK. CfC boss Andrew Carter said local lockdowns, while necessary, will exacerbate the situation over winter. The slow jobs recovery is linked to a "collapse" in the number of jobs in services being advertised, CfC said.
26th Oct 2020 - BBC
Two Scots areas are the UK hotspots for slumps in job vacancies during the Covid lockdown
Aberdeen and Edinburgh have become worst in a UK-wide cities study revealing a slump in job vacancies during lockdown as the areas are more reliant on industries hit hardest by the economic fallout. Urban areas in Scotland and south England are bearing the steepest declines in vacancies, the Centre for Cities found. The think tank, and jobs site Indeed, found that seven months after the nationwide lockdown was imposed, job vacancies have failed to return to pre-Covid levels in all 63 towns and cities analysed.
26th Oct 2020 - heraldscotland.com
How Australian renters have suffered through the lockdowns
Australians stuck living in share houses during pandemic share their struggles
Many renters faced relationship break-ups, tough landlords and fears of eviction
At least 20 per cent of Australian renters chose to move back with their parents
26th Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Australia's COVID-19 lockdown also prevented about 400 deaths from other illnesses - research paper
Social distancing and lockdowns in Australia not only slowed the spread of COVID-19, they saved the lives of about 400 people who would have been expected to died in June from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, a research paper published on Monday showed. Examining Australia’s most recent official fatality data, the Actuaries Institute said there was a shortfall between verified deaths and the number expected during the mid-winter month, which it concluded was due to a decline in respiratory illnesses.
26th Oct 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullVirus is pummeling Europe’s eateries — and winter is coming
As the Friday night dinner service began earlier this month at the De Viering restaurant outside Brussels, it seemed the owners’ decision to move the operation into the spacious village church to comply with coronavirus rules was paying off. The reservation book was full and the kitchen was bustling. And then Belgium’s prime minister ordered cafes, bars and restaurants to close for at least a month in the face of surging infections. “It’s another shock, of course, because — yes, all the investments are made,” said chef Heidi Vanhasselt. She and her sommelier husband Christophe Claes had installed a kitchen and new toilets in the Saint Bernardus church in Heikruis, as well as committing to 10 months’ rent and pouring energy into creative solutions.
25th Oct 2020 - Associated Press on MSN.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Services for special needs children 'went to zero overnight'
Essential services for many young people with disabilities "went to zero overnight" due to lockdown, a Stormont committee has heard. MLAs were told that as a result, some children had harmed themselves and injured their parents. Donna Jennings, from the Evangelical Alliance, said the need for help increased, "but services disappeared". Schools, including most special schools, closed to the majority of pupils for a number of months. Many respite and other support services were also suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
22nd Oct 2020 - BBC
Two Indian restaurants in Melbourne to defy lockdown rules and open up
Two Indian restaurants to defy lockdown rules. Honest Restaurant in Dandenong and Lala’s Kitchen in Boronia to open dine-in on Monday. The state government has announced dine-in to be allowed from November 1
22nd Oct 2020 - SBS
COVID-19 Lockdown Contributes To Infant Mortality Cluster In Australia
The city of Adelaide in South Australia has seen four newborn deaths in four weeks due to COVID-19 lockdowns preventing transport to better-equipped hospitals in Victoria. Officials in Victoria say Adelaide lockdowns prevented them from initiating medical transport. Adelaide’s hospitals are chronically underfunded and lack both the personnel and equipment to deal with these difficult cases. The hospital was already under investigation for the third infant death when the fourth fatality occurred on Friday. Obstetrician, gynecologist and professor John Svigos testified on Oct. 13 that Adelaide’s hospital is the only one in a mainland capital city that does not have heart machines for children and infants.
22nd Oct 2020 - International Business Times
Indian garment workers cover bosses' lockdown losses
From unpaid overtime to wage cuts, Indian garment workers say they are being made to compensate their bosses for the food, shelter and salary provided in the coronavirus lockdown. But it is a steep price for a workforce that was already juggling low pay and poor conditions before the pandemic shuttered their factories and strangulated orders. Workers say they are being offered the choice of less money or working extra shifts for free to pay back their bosses, who dangle the threat of unemployment if employees refuse.
22nd Oct 2020 - Reuters India
Foreign tourism shutdown supports Russia's struggling economy amid COVID-19
Russia’s economy could benefit by up to $30 billion this year from Russians spending their roubles at home rather than on foreign holidays due to travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, economists say. The estimates are a rare piece of good news for an economy battered by low global oil prices as well as coronavirus lockdowns. Russia ran a budget deficit of around $23 billion in the first nine months of this year. Like many other countries, Russia also saw foreign tourists stay away in droves in 2020. But it sent far fewer travellers overseas than usual after closing its borders in March. The outflow in some cases fell by as much as 80%.
22nd Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19: Nottingham party students fined £40,000
Four university students have been fined £10,000 each after telling police who broke up their house party they were "spoiling their fun". Officers on patrol spotted a party in Lenton, Nottingham, on Tuesday night but were told everyone had left.
But inside they found more than 30 people hiding and, when challenged, organisers complained they should be having the "time of their lives". Nottingham Trent University said the third-year students had been suspended. Mixing of households or support bubbles indoors has been banned since Nottingham went into tier two restrictions on 14 October.
21st Oct 2020 - BBC
Inmates locked up for 23 hours due to Covid is ‘dangerous’ warns chief of prisons
Inmates locked up for 23 hours due to Covid is ‘dangerous’ warns chief of prisons.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clark, said keeping inmates in their cells for such lengthy periods under Covid restrictions impacted on their mental health. While the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) claims the move to reduce the spread of the virus has led to a drop in violence and self harm, Clark disagrees claiming the argument is “shallow”. He said self harm was in fact on the rise in women’s prisons.
21st Oct 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Covid-19: Fraud Attempts Against Businesses In India Doubled In Lockdown
There was a doubling of online fraud attempts against businesses in India during the initial days of the lockdown and the same went down subsequently as the economy began unlocking, an American information and insights company said on Tuesday. TransUnion found that suspected online fraud attempts against Indian businesses increased 121% in the first phase of the pandemic (between March 11 to May as compared to before the pandemic (between Jan. 1 to March 10). As businesses began reopening (May 19 to July 25), there was a 29% decrease in suspected digital fraud attempts in India against businesses when compared to the first phase of the lockdown, it added.
21st Oct 2020 - Bloomberg Quint
Why Victoria's lockdown killed four newborn babies
Four Adelaide babies with heart issues died over course of the past four weeks
Normally they would be transferred to Victoria's Royal Melbourne Hospital
But this option was 'not tenable' due to the coronavirus pandemic, inquiry heard
Adelaide's Women's and Children Hospital is not equipped for heart surgeries
21st Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullDocu Meme highlights unseen victims of coronavirus pandemic in Japan
As the number of novel coronavirus infections continues to grow, so do the stigmas and stereotypes associated with certain segments of Japan’s population, be they caregivers, entertainment-district workers, foreign residents, students or the unemployed and homeless. Adrift in the torrent of issues that have come out of the pandemic, many people are finding it difficult to be heard and receive the support they need. Out of this landscape emerged Docu Meme, an independent collective of documentary creators — Naoki Uchiyama, Itaru Matsui and Toru Kubota — who are on a mission to shed light on those who have been neglected or even rejected by society during the pandemic. Similar to viral images found on the internet, the group wants its documentary shorts to travel widely and convey as efficiently as possible the plight of voiceless people in Japan.
20th Oct 2020 - The Japan Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullMigrant Workers Restricted to Farms Under One Grower’s Virus Lockdown
This year, there is a new and even more difficult working condition: To keep the coronavirus from spreading and jeopardizing the harvest, Lipman has put its crews on lockdown. With few exceptions, they have been ordered to remain either in the camps, where they are housed, or the fields, where they toil. The restrictions have allowed Lipman’s tomato operations to run smoothly, with a substantially lower caseload than many farms and processing facilities across the country that have wrestled to contain large outbreaks. But they have caused some workers to complain that their worksite has become like a prison.
19th Oct 2020 - The New York Times
Record 11,000 UK shops closed this year due to pandemic
The coronavirus lockdown has pushed more stores off the high street with an unprecedented number of shops closing in the first half of 2020. Between January and August just over 11,000 shops were forced to shut their doors to the public as people turned to online shopping during the pandemic. Around 5,000 shops stayed open leaving 6,001 net closures. This is almost double the closures in the same period last year, according to Local Data Company and Accountancy firm PwC. Even with these staggering figures, analysts predict the reality is much direr as they were not able to include outlets that were temporarily closed during analyst visits that may not have been able to reopen.
19th Oct 2020 - Metro.co.uk
Restrictions stay after ship records 24 new COVID-19 infections in WA
An operation to remove crew from a COVID-19 infected livestock ship is due to get underway this morning at Fremantle Port in Western Australia. It comes as a number of passengers who arrived in Perth overnight from Sydney on board a plane have now been put onto buses and taken to hotel quarantine.
The 45 travellers are believed to have come from New Zealand via the newly-opened travel bubble.
19th Oct 2020 - 9News
Toddler behaviour hardest hit during Covid-19 lockdowns, survey finds
Charlotte Gurnell’s three-year-old daughter regressed in her potty training and invented an imaginary friend. The tantrums of Olivia Rysenbry’s normally sweet-natured, 3-year-old daughter intensified. Victoria Gray’s 3-year-old son switched to a short attention span and didn’t play as well with his little brother. If you noticed a drastic and negative change in your toddler's behaviour during a Covid-19 lockdown, you’re not alone.
19th Oct 2020 - Stuff.co.nz
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Coronavirus Slayers: Meet The Female Leaders On India’s Covid-19 Frontline
KK Shailaja makes for an unlikely national hero. But the bespectacled, sari-clad, 63-year-old minister of health and social justice – and former science teacher – was an early beacon in India, thanks to her foresight and fast thinking in preparing her state, Kerala, for the pandemic. It is thanks to the quick intervention of the Coronavirus Slayer (as she became known in the Indian press) that the state still has such low mortality rates from Covid-19. In June, Shailaja was recognised for her efforts by the UN.
18th Oct 2020 - VogueUK
Missteps made Victoria's lockdown harder than it needed to be
Jacinda Ardern’s historic victory in the New Zealand elections shows that voters will reward leaders who make them feel safe. Ms Ardern will lead the first NZ single-party majority government since 1993 thanks to her success in stopping COVID-19 and keeping deaths down to just 25. Whatever concerns Kiwis have about the economic implications of the hard lockdown – an issue that is far from settled – seem to have been a secondary consideration. The Australian toll has been much higher largely because of the second wave in Victoria, which has contributed to the deaths of more than 700 people since June. It is hard to make direct comparisons but it is safe to say Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has not been nearly as effective in keeping his citizens safe. Failures in hotel quarantine and a lack of confidence in the state’s contact system mean the Stage 4 lockdown imposed on August 3 have gone on for too lon
18th Oct 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Melbourne salon owners defiant after opening despite lockdown laws
The owners of a Melbourne hair salon have been fined close to $10,000 and threatened with arrest after they opened their doors, despite the coronavirus lockdown laws. The Hughesdale business owners' efforts attracted a small crowd of support, but Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said the move was counter-intuitive.
However, owner Jomana Najem had strong words for the government.
17th Oct 2020 - 9News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullLockdown is a 'disaster that causes more pain than it stops'
Sky News host Andrew Bolt says lockdown is “a disaster that causes more pain than it stops”, and it should now “be crystal clear that fighting this virus with lockdowns is a terrible, terrible, terrible mistake”. Mr Bolt said in Victoria, 500 doctors have sent another open letter to Premier Daniel Andrews warning that the Melbourne lockdown, which has been going for six weeks, is causing severe harm.
Anaesthetist Dr Eamonn Matthieson said “I think there’s been a massive collateral damage in the health and mental health spaces in particular due to the lockdowns.
“There are growing number, a very large numbers of doctors who are gravely concerned about the impact of these lockdowns and we are calling for them to cease, we believe they are disproportionate and unscientific,” Dr Matthias said.
15th Oct 2020 - Sky News Australia
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus lockdown 2.0 deepens divisions in Israel
Even before the pandemic, Israel had one of the largest income gaps and poverty rates among developed economies, with a few high earners, mostly in the lucrative high-tech sector, while many Israelis barely get by as civil servants, in service industries or as small business owners. Those gaps have widened as the second nationwide lockdown, imposed last month, dealt a new blow to an economy already hit hard by the first round of restrictions. The fallout from the pandemic has also deepened long-simmering divisions among Israeli Jews, pitting a largely secular majority against a powerful ultra-Orthodox minority. Much public anger has turned toward ultra-Orthodox leaders, whose communities have flouted public safety rules, sent coronavirus rates skyrocketing and vociferously resisted calls for targeted lockdowns.
14th Oct 2020 - CTV News
Lack of mental health help: ‘I felt nobody cares'
The number of under-18s getting NHS help for mental health issues in England nearly halved in the first two months of lockdown. Young people who weren't able to get support say they felt like they "didn't really matter". The number of people in England referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) dropped 47% in April and May, compared with last year. Charities worry a drop like this could happen again if we see a second spike and further lockdowns around the UK.
14th Oct 2020 - BBC
COVID-19 lockdown in Israel extended till October 18
The period of the general quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Israel has been extended until October 18, the prime minister and the health minister said in a joint statement. Earlier, Israel imposed strict norms of nationwide quarantine until the end of the fall holidays - October 11, and then the period was extended until October 14. According to these norms, many workplaces are closed, with the exception of vital and continuous production lines, only grocery stores and pharmacies continue to work.
14th Oct 2020 - The New Indian Express
Melbourne beauty salons devastated, urge easing of lockdown
Melbourne beauty salons have lost 80 to 95 per cent of their income in sweeping devastation to the sector since the COVID-19 pandemic started, industry experts say. Salon owners are now pleading with the Victorian government to reopen from Sunday, saying changes are needed “for the sake of all of our wellbeing”. “We understood when we were asked to close down on the 25th of March, however to still be closed down is now destroying the lives of over 45,000 team members – it is obliterating our industry,” Australian Hair and Beauty Association board member Sia Psicharis said.
14th Oct 2020 - The Australian
Business owner opens Melbourne clothing store despite risk of $10,000 fine in Dan Andrews' lockdown
In Melbourne, a small business owner who reopened his clothing store despite the risk of fines in has urged others to do the same after overwhelming support from the community. Harry Hutchinson announced on Monday he was at his wits end and was reopening his store despite the risk of a $10,000 fine for breaking lockdown rules. The decision has proved to be profitable so far, with Mr Hutchinson telling Daily Mail Australia his stock has been flying off the shelves. Mr Hutchinson said his store reopening had inspired others in Berwick to open their doors and he urged others to follow suit.
14th Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: World's strictest lockdowns as COVID-19 continues to ravage countries
While in New Zealand, people head to international test rugby matches, stroll around town, and prepare for the upcoming summer music festival season, others around the world continue to face harsh COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. The University of Oxford's COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index (GRSI) spotlights how countries are tackling the pandemic and provides a 0-100 scale to show their relative strictness. It's based on nine response indicators, including school closures, workplace closures, and travel bans. According to the Index, as of Thursday Argentina had the strictest measures in the world with a value of 91.67. Its value peaked in April at 100 and has been in either the late 80s or 90s ever since.
13th Oct 2020 - Newshub
Mental health crisis: One million ‘lost’ in coronavirus lockdown
More than a million Australians have sought mental health treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, while ongoing lockdowns in Victoria have sparked a social crisis, with a 30 per cent rise in cases in the past four weeks. The first official data revealing the depth of the mental health disaster in Victoria since the second wave outbreak reveals access to some crisis services has risen by up to 67 per cent in the space of four weeks. Demand for children’s mental health has also skyrocketed in Victoria, with access to services jumping more than 30 per cent since September.
13th Oct 2020 - The Australian
Talking about how lockdown affects mental health doesn't make you a Covid-denier
Owen Jones talks about the toll on our mental health taken by covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns. "Young people in particular have formed a cordon sanitaire around their older and more vulnerable fellow citizens, an unprecedented peacetime act of generational sacrifice – and at such cost to themselves. According to the Lancet, children’s mental health deteriorated in lockdown more than any other age group, while eight in 10 young people reported that the pandemic had made their mental health worse, with one in four opting for “much worse”."
13th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Ukraine extends coronavirus lockdown to December 31
Ukraine’s government voted on Tuesday to extend until the end of the year a lockdown that Prime Minister Denys Shmygal told a televised cabinet meeting was aimed at containing a recent spike in coronavirus cases. The daily tally of new infections in Ukraine has climbed to record levels and 107 deaths were recorded in the 24 hours to Tuesday.
13th Oct 2020 - Metro US
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCOVID lockdown 'fatigue' is rapidly developing
Recent polls have shown a “real lockdown fatigue” is developing across the nation with people becoming more disillusioned with the pace of restrictions being eased, according to Sky News contributor Catherine McGregor. A Newspoll conducted exclusively for The Australian shows “the once strong support for stopping the spread of the virus as a priority over economic recovery has swung significantly over the past few months,” The Australian’s Simon Benson writes. Falling from 76 per cent, now only 54 per cent of voters claim to be “most concerned” about governments moving “too quickly” to relax state-imposed restrictions.
12th Oct 2020 - Sky News Australia
Victoria should ease lockdown, epidemiologist says
Victoria does not need to get down to just five cases a day to ease its three-month lockdown which residents are fed up with, says a leading epidemiologist. Premier Daniel Andrews said yesterday that Victoria would take a step towards opening up next Sunday, but it would not be as big as was originally hoped. "It is in no way warranted for people to be despondent, or for people to lose any sense of hope," he said. This strategy is working, but you have got to do it properly." The state announced 14 new coronavirus cases yesterday, and a third day in a row of no deaths. The premier said he understood the frustrations with people wanting to get back to a normal way of life, but said any next steps "had to be safe". Professor Tony Blakely who lives in Melbourne is one of four epidemiologists who has carried out modelling for the state government. He said a reduction to five cases a day was based on an elimination strategy but that was becoming very unlikely.
12th Oct 2020 - RNZ
'Not scared of the virus', Myanmar taxi driver's pilgrimage to a sacred pagoda
Defying the threat of contracting coronavirus and a citywide lockdown, Myanmar taxi driver Ko Naing, 50, still travels each day to pray outside the sacred Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the country’s holiest Buddhist site. “I’m not scared of the virus because I feel protected by my religion and regular praying at the pagoda,” he told Reuters, kneeling at the front gate of the pagoda. The number of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar, which has one of the world’s weakest health systems, has surged from a few hundred in mid-August to more than 27,000 cases and 646 deaths as of Monday.
12th Oct 2020 - Reuters
Covid-19: Worldwide airport passenger numbers plummeted 58% in the first half of 2020, says report
Data was released by Airports Council International in its airport traffic report. In the first half of 2020, overall aircraft movements globally fell by 41.6 per cent. Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, saw passenger numbers drop 56.6 per cent
12th Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Doctors petition for Victorian premier Daniel Andrews to lift lockdown
A group of 500 doctors have warned in an open letter that more people will be killed than saved if Victoria's lockdowns are not lifted. The letter urges State Premier Daniel Andrews to immediately rollback the harsh restrictions for the sake of residents and their mental wellbeing. The response to the virus will cause more deaths and result in far more negative health effects than the virus itself,' the letter reads.
11th Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Street cricket with beer: Londoners defy COVID rules
With cricket bat, bowler and beer, Londoners set up an impromptu game of night cricket on the high street in Peckham this week as fatigue and frustration with the British government’s lockdown rules rise. Revellers lined the street as a batsman before what appears to be a cardboard box faced a bowler racing down the street. The batsman cracks the ball with a cut shot to cheers while some spill beer and smile.
11th Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
UK watchdog warns banks over remote working conduct rules
Banks must apply the same standards of surveillance and conduct to staff working from home or in the office during the pandemic and in future as working practices change, Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority said on Monday. The FCA is paying particular attention to how inside or sensitive information is handled at a time when the volume of mergers, and issuance of shares and debt is rising sharply to keep companies afloat. There is a risk of less self-policing among front office staff working from home, said Julia Hoggett, the FCA’s director for market oversight.
11th Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
India’s schoolchildren pay the price for coronavirus lockdown
Outside the locked and deserted Vidya Sagar Public School, the eight-year-old daughter of a snack vendor sits forlornly on her father’s disused pushcart. Before coronavirus, Rachna Kashyap was one of 200 pupils whose working-class parents paid Rs400 ($5.40) in monthly tuition to send their children to the no-frills, English-medium private school instead of overcrowded and underperforming state schools.
But the school, which employed nine teachers, collapsed during India’s lockdown that cost millions of jobs. Parents could no longer afford the fees and the school lacked the wherewithal to transition to online learning.
11th Oct 2020 - The Financial Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullFiercePharmaAsia—Eli Lilly rushes to FDA with its COVID-19 antibody for emergency green light, reveals new cocktail therapy data
Eli Lilly is seeking FDA emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 antibody cocktail upon an interim analysis of the phase 2 Blaze-1 trial, which showed the combo reduced viral load, symptoms, and the rate of hospitalization and ER visits. The therapy combines LY-CoV555, from a collaboration with AbCellera, and LY-CoV016, which Lilly licenses from China’s Junshi Biosciences.
9th Oct 2020 - FiercePharma
Coronavirus pandemic fuels child labor in India as desperate families send kids off to work
When India's government imposed a strict lockdown in March to try to curb coronavirus infections, Sagheer Shah, a tailor in the small town of Faizabad, had to close his shop. For three months he didn't earn a penny, burning through his savings to put food on table for his family. He was able to reopen when restrictions started easing in July, but only saw a fraction of his previous trade resume. To make ends meet, he decided to send his 14-year-old son Asif, whose school was closed anyway, hundreds of miles away to Delhi to work in a car painting shop.
9th Oct 2020 - CBS News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in full‘It’s like a prison’: students speak of lockdown struggles
In England, universities have been moving to crack down on breaches of coronavirus regulations on campus, but many students who got in touch with the Guardian via a callout said they were struggling with their mental health as a result of university measures. Since Sam Potter’s first day as a medical student at the University of Birmingham, security guards have patrolled his halls of residence, with an override key allowing them to enter students’ flats if they are suspicious that coronavirus rules are being broken. “We received an email from the halls saying that if we were caught with more than six people in our flat, the university would be notified and we could be kicked off the course, but it seems to be just intimidation tactics,” he said. Potter, 20, said he didn’t blame the university for the situation, and understood it “had to enforce” measures, but found it frustrating to be unable to support fellow students who were struggling.
8th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Lockdown rules are so arbitrary that the government should just tell northern England it can only breathe every other day
One of the most enjoyable rules confusing us at the moment is the one about pubs and restaurants shutting at 10pm. Because it makes no difference, but looks as if we’re doing something, which is the important thing. So over the next few weeks, we should see more of these strange restrictions. We’ve heard about potential plans to shut pubs and restaurants altogether in certain regions. Next, the government will announce that all teaspoons must face north, and no one is allowed to eat a tomato in the afternoon. From Tuesday in Leicestershire, no one will be allowed to look at a tree. Humming will be banned across Nottingham, and in Humberside, you can only breathe in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and breathe out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On Sundays, you have to live underwater.
8th Oct 2020 - The Independent
AI cameras introduced in London to monitor social distancing and lockdown restrictions
Artificial Intelligence cameras are being used in London and other cities in the UK to monitor social distancing. The sensors were initially developed by Vivacity to track the flow of traffic, cyclists and pedestrians and monitor how roads are being used. But when the country went into lockdown in March, Vivacity added on an extra feature to the AI scanners so it could register the distance between pedestrians. This data is shared in a monthly report with the Government.
8th Oct 2020 - Evening Standard
Poorest areas of England four times as likely to face lockdown as richest
England’s poorest communities are nearly four times as likely to face lockdown restrictions as the wealthiest areas, a Guardian analysis has found, as local leaders warned of a “winter of dangerous discontent” in the north of England without urgent financial support. A study of official figures shows a wide disparity in the resurgence of coronavirus across the country, with the most deprived areas bearing the brunt of the second wave. In Liverpool, almost two-thirds of the areas with the highest infection rates were among the poorest 10% of communities in England. More than half of Birmingham and Manchester’s worst-hit areas are among the country’s most deprived.
8th Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Why aren't local lockdowns working?
Pubs, bars and restaurants in Edinburgh, Glasgow and much of Scotland’s central belt will be closed from Friday at 6pm, while pubs, bars and restaurants in Merseyside, Newcastle and Manchester will follow suit on Monday. This means the majority of people in Scotland and Wales are now under some form of lockdown, and England may be heading the same way. In Northern Ireland, meanwhile, Diane Dodds, the economy minister, has called on Westminster to provide additional funds in order to facilitate the possibility of a further lockdown.
8th Oct 2020 - New Statesman
The forgotten city? One hundred days on, Leicester remains in country’s longest local lockdown
It has now been 100 days since the jewel of the East Midlands became the first place in the UK to enter into local coronavirus lockdown. As the rest of the country started returning to some semblance of normality following the three-month national shuttering, health secretary Matt Hancock dropped the bombshell that restrictions would not only remain in place in Leicester, they would in fact be tightened. Non-essential shops were to be shut once more; bars and restaurants would not be allowed to open; different households would remain banned from mixing. Haircuts stayed off limits.
8th Oct 2020 - The Independent
Locking down early may help economies recover faster, says IMF
Strict, early lockdowns may be less economically damaging than voluntary measures because they reduce infection rates more quickly and pave the way for faster recoveries, the International Monetary Fund has said. By cross-referencing jobs and mobility data with health and economic figures for 128 countries, the fund showed that lockdowns caused more short-term harm than voluntary restrictions but may have “positive overall effects on the economy” by allowing a broader and quicker economic reopening. Central to the analysis was the discovery that “lockdowns and voluntary social distancing played a near comparable role in driving the economic recession”, particularly in advanced economies where people were able to work from home. “Addressing health risks appears to be a pre-condition to allow for a strong and sustained economic recovery."
8th Oct 2020 - The Times
Coronavirus: World Bank supports lockdown
Up to 150 million people could slip into extreme poverty, living on less than $1.90 a day, by late next year depending on how badly economies shrink during the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank said Wednesday in an outlook grimmer than before. Some 82 percent of the people entering extreme poverty are expected to be in middle-income countries such as India, Nigeria and Indonesia, the bank said. Many will be more educated urban residents, meaning cities will see an increase in the kind of poverty traditionally rooted in rural areas.
8th Oct 2020 - AlArabiya
We should be counting years of life lost or saved
A group of researchers led by Olga Yakusheva, a University of Michigan economist, has sought to estimate the net number of lives saved (or lost) by pandemic-mitigating policies in the US in 2020. The team finds that these public-health measures saved between 913,762 and 2,046,322 lives, but also could result in an “indirect collateral loss” of 84,000 to 514,800 lives, implying 398,962 to 1,962,322 net lives saved. That is a wide range, but still clearly a positive outcome.
8th Oct 2020 - The Age
Johnson weighs tougher measures after England lockdown failures
Boris Johnson on Wednesday confronted the fact that his attempt to control coronavirus through a series of local lockdowns had failed across large parts of England. New restrictions were now inevitable: the only question was how far would they go? Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has led ministerial efforts to forestall tougher lockdown measures, aligning himself with Tory MPs who fear the costs of closing down large sections of the economy cannot be justified. But Mr Sunak is now resigned to new economic restrictions in the English regions and the need for more support for companies struggling to survive the pandemic. He said on Monday that he was ready to deploy the “might of the British state” to further help people through the crisis and on Wednesday one ally of the chancellor said: “We have not ruled out going further.”
8th Oct 2020 - The Financial Times
PM Johnson says COVID cases rising but lockdown approach correct
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted on Wednesday that his government’s approach to controlling the spread of COVID-19 was still the right one, despite rising infection rates. Johnson’s strategy over the summer, when new nationwide infections were in the low hundreds per day, was to try to shut down localised outbreaks while reopening the wider economy. Since then, new cases have risen sharply, with more than 14,000 reported on Wednesday and data beginning to show a slow rise in the number of virus patients admitted to hospital. “The local and regional approach combined with the national measures remains correct,” Johnson told parliament when asked why infections continued to rise in areas where local lockdown measures have been put in place.
7th Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Uneven Decline of Health Services Across States During the Lockdown
The national lockdown in April-May 2020 had devastating effects on people’s employment and earnings. About half of urban workers, for instance, did not earn any income during that period, according to a recent survey by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. For good measure, many public services were also reduced or discontinued. This includes routine health services.
7th Oct 2020 - The Wire Science
Australia's Victoria state reaches lower infection milestone
Australia’s city of Melbourne, capital of the coronavirus hotspot state of Victoria, on Wednesday reported the lowest two-week average of new cases after a second contagion wave that led to one of the world’s toughest lockdowns. For the first time since the second coronavirus outbreak caused more than 800 deaths in the state - more than 90% of the country’s 897 virus-related deaths - the two-week average has fallen below 10. The metric is key as officials in the second-most-populous state are reluctant to ease mobility restrictions until the rolling average in the two-week window falls below five. “The strategy is working,” premier Daniel Andrews told reporters at his daily briefing. “Its success is pinned ultimately to whether symptomatic people come forward and get tested.”
7th Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
How virus lockdowns have triggered a surge in domestic violence across Australia
Coronavirus lockdown triggered a surge in domestic violence across Australia. About 13.2 per cent of women living with partners experienced a form of abuse.
Poverty and financial stress often limit women from fleeing violent situations.
Experts have warned reduced welfare payments may force women to stay.
7th Oct 2020 - Daily Mail
Covid-19: Family violence spiked after news of level 4 lockdown, new data shows
Family violence reports soared as New Zealand reeled from the news it was going into level 4 lockdown, new figures show. On March 24, the day after the announcement, 645 reports of family violence were made to police –second only to New Year’s Day, typically a peak for family violence incidents. The report draws together data from the Family Court in Auckland, police and Oranga Tamariki, and shows that while family violence increased, the reporting of harm to other agencies went down. Oranga Tamariki nationally saw a 24 per cent decrease in reports of concern during Levels 3 and 4, a similar trend to what is seen during the school holidays.
7th Oct 2020 - Stuff.co.nz
Shocking Impact Of Lockdown On Vulnerable Children And Families Revealed
Shocking data released today reveal the dramatic impact the Covid-19 lockdowns had on vulnerable children and families in New Zealand. For the first time, statistics from the Family Court in Auckland, and the Police and Oranga Tamariki nationwide, have been brought together to give a true picture of what happened while the country was in lockdown. The information has been compiled by K3 Legal Director and specialist family law practitioner Toni Brown, who has more than 20 years’ experience working with children and families, and well-known QC Kate Davenport, the former president of the NZ Bar Association.
7th Oct 2020 - Scoop.co.nz
Covid Has Wiped Out the Economic Dreams of a Generation in Asia
Asia’s fast-growing economies for decades have offered millions of young people the chance to do better than their parents, a path to upward mobility now at risk as youth unemployment soars in a region home to a majority of the world’s 15- to 24-year-olds. These young people -- just at the start of their working lives -- are losing jobs at a faster rate than older generations because almost half are clustered in the four economic sectors hurt most by the Covid-19 pandemic, including wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, business services and accommodations and food service.
7th Oct 2020 - Bloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCOVID aid could bring years of austerity, charities warn IMF
Five hundred of the world’s leading charities and social groups have sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund warning that its support programmes, which have had to be ramped up to cope with COVID-19, were condemning many countries to years of austerity. The IMF has responded to an unprecedented number of calls for emergency financing as a result of this year’s pandemic and lockdown measures driving the global economy into a severe recession.
6th Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Lockdown hit food security of children, says rights body
The Covid-19 pandemic has likely exacerbated hunger and malnutrition among communities most vulnerable to food insecurity, especially children, an experts’ committee set up by the National Human Rights Commission has said. In an advisory, the rights watchdog has asked the Union ministries of food and public distribution, women and child development and education to urgently restore and expand coverage under various food handout programmes.
6th Oct 2020 - Hindustan Times
Pros and cons of lockdown
Millions of people across the north of England are currently under newly implemented lockdown measures following a surge of cases across the country in recent weeks. Greater Manchester has been under a local lockdown since the end of July. In the northeast, Northumberland, Newcastle, Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham have been under stricter measures since 30 September, and this weekend new restrictions were introduced in Liverpool, Warrington, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough
6th Oct 2020 - The Week UK
Coronavirus UK: 400 fines in Manchester for breaking lockdown rules
In Manchester, a number of lockdown parties over the weekend means 400 fines for flouting coronavirus restrictions have now been handed out. Police say they had a ‘busy weekend’ in the city after issuing 85 fines between Friday and Sunday. Greater Manchester has been under a local lockdown since the end of July, with household mixing banned in homes and gardens
6th Oct 2020 - Metro.co.uk
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Uneven Decline of Health Services Across States During Lockdown
In India, the national lockdown in April-May 2020 had devastating effects on people’s employment and earnings. About half of urban workers, for instance, did not earn any income during that period according to a recent survey by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. For good measure, many public services were also reduced or discontinued. This includes routine health services. Clear evidence of the massive disruption of health services during the lockdown is available from the Indian government’s Health Management Information System (HMIS).
5th Oct 2020 - The Wire
Mana, last village on India-China border, to continue with its own lockdown
In India, even though the entire country is in Unlock mode, the 500-odd residents of Mana – the last Indian village before China border adjoining Uttarakhand – have unanimously decided to continue with their self-imposed lockdown and isolation. Not a single case of Covid-19 has been reported in the village with over 150 families, and the locals do not want to spot their track record. It was a unanimous decision by all the families.
5th Oct 2020 - The Times of India
'Heavy-handed' cops slammed after new COVID-19 fines data emerges
Victorians have been hit with far more COVID-19 fines than any other state in Australia, an economist's numbers show. Data released by economist Saul Eslake on coronavirus breaches during the state's first lockdown showed a huge imbalance between Victoria and the rest of Australia. COVID-19 fines in Victoria averaged out to $90 per 100,000 people. For all other states and territories it was about $20 – and just $16 for New South Wales. Community lawyer Lloyd Murphy claimed police had been "heavy handed", with young people disproportionately affected. "And now here's even more data to suggest people from migrant backgrounds and people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds are being targeted even further."
5th Oct 2020 - 9News.com.au
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Oct 2020
View this newsletter in full'Go to your room for two weeks': lockdown toll on aged care residents
The residents of a Melbourne aged care home with no active coronavirus cases have been told that if they leave to visit a doctor, they must stay in their rooms for a fortnight upon their return. It is one of many homes across the city to introduce strict resident lockdowns to cut the risk of infections after coronavirus swept through Victorian aged care, where 637 have died with COVID-19. But some families and aged care experts warn forced isolation is taking a huge toll on the elderly, who are not the main risk of introducing coronavirus to homes, and may be as much about protecting the reputation of home operators as it is their residents.
3rd Oct 2020 - The Age
Melbourne’s lockdown drove a sharp drop in national retail turnover in August
Victorian retail spending plunged 13 per cent in August as Melbourne’s lockdown forced businesses to close and shoppers to stay at home. The state’s heightened restrictions, which included curfews in the state’s capital and limits to how far residents could move from their homes, helped end a three-month retail recovery as national turnover dropped by 4 per cent in the month, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
3rd Oct 2020 - The Australian
Numbers show lockdowns are a 'no brainer'. Letting people die isn't
COVID-19 has killed 890 people in Australia, 802 of whom were over 70, 669 of whom were in government-supported aged care. Estimates vary on how many would have died had we not locked down. “It’s easier to estimate the negative effects of lockdown, because we don’t see [the positive effects],” says Flinders University health economist Professor Jonathan Karnon. Australians’ mental health has worsened and the number of children in hospital with anorexia has dramatically increased. But the number of suicides in Victoria has remained steady. How much of the mental health toll can be slated to lockdowns, versus the general anxiety of a once-in-a-generation pandemic? The virus does seem to pose long-term health risks to even the young and healthy, but we won’t truly know what those are for years. The same is true for lockdown's long-term damage to children’s education and the job prospects of university graduates looking for jobs amid a recession.
3rd Oct 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Police increase patrolling in Australia's COVID-19 hotspot
Police in Australia’s coronavirus hotspot state of Victoria stepped up patrolling on Saturday as hundreds of people in the city of Melbourne breached stringent lockdown restrictions and flocked to beaches on the warmest weekend in months. Under the restrictions, nearly five million people in Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, may exercise or socialise outdoors for a maximum of two hours a day, but must stay close to home. People must wear masks in public places. But television and social media footage showed crowds, many people without masks, at some of Melbourne’s beaches as temperatures soared ahead of summer in the southern hemisphere.
3rd Oct 2020 - Reuters
'The land that time forgot': months of lockdown grate in northern England
While much of England has enjoyed a return to some semblance of normality this summer, with the strictest coronavirus restrictions lifted, swathes of northern England have had just a few weeks’ respite from curbs. These northern boroughs and towns came out of lockdown with the rest of the country on 4 July, but just weeks later had local measures introduced preventing them from – to differing degrees – seeing family, opening businesses and visiting pubs or restaurants. There is an overwhelming feeling in these areas of having been forgotten, of “lockdown prejudice”, being left under restrictions when others have enjoyed the little freedom the country may experience this year.
2nd Oct 2020 - The Guardian
5 charts on how COVID-19 is hitting Australia's young adults hard
The following five charts provide a snapshot of how COVID-19 is affecting Australians aged 18-24. Though the health impacts of the coronavirus fall most on the elderly, it is young adults that have been hit hardest by the economic and psychological costs of the pandemic response. The data for the charts comes from results gleaned from two major surveys run by the Melbourne Institute at the University of Melbourne.
2nd Oct 2020 - The Conversation AU
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullCuba lifts Havana lockdown as coronavirus cases fall
Cuba said on Wednesday it was lifting a curfew and partial lockdown in Havana, in place since Sept. 1. to contain a second wave of the new coronavirus. The governor of Havana Reinaldo García Zapata said cases had dropped to an average of 21 per day over the last week for an infection rate of 0.87 in justifying the decision. Most of the Caribbean nation began returning to a new normal months ago, though there have been minor and quickly contained outbreaks of the virus in a few provinces and a new surge is still to be contained in central Ciego de Avila province.
2nd Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Supreme Court orders airlines to refund bookings during coronavirus lockdown
India's top court on Friday ordered airlines to refund passengers who were forced to cancel tickets booked during a two-month, nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Supreme Court told airlines to refund the money within three weeks in a decision that will add to the burden on cash-strapped Indian carriers whose revenues have been hit by coronavirus restrictions on air travel. The lockdown, imposed on March 25, banned domestic and international travel, closed factories, schools, offices and all shops other than those supplying essential services. It caused extensive economic disruption and measures were eased from May as the virus was still spreading.
1st Oct 2020 - YAHOO!
Maharashtra extends Covid-19 lockdown till October 31, Mumbai local to allow dabbawalas
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday said that the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) disease has been extended till October 31. However, hotels, food courts, restaurants and bars will be allowed to operate from October 5 with 50% capacity, the state government added.
1st Oct 2020 - Hindustan Times
Student potentially unable to return home to family after year abroad says she feels 'forgotten'
After the 22-year-old University of Technology Sydney student arrived in France in January for a 12-month exchange, the coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside-down.
What followed was eight months of lockdowns and restrictions - and at the end of it all the prospect of returning home to family, friends, boyfriend and, of course, her two dogs Bobbi and Benson. Through weeks of being unable to leave her room at student accommodation due to France's harsh COVID-19 lockdown, Ms Fletcher has kept her sights set firmly on completing her study and returning home in January. But her plans to return were thrown into limbo after receiving an email warning her flight may be pushed back due to ongoing flight caps on international arrivals.
"Basically, I was told I could try to guarantee a flight home but I'd have to pay thousands of dollars to upgrade it, which I definitely do not have," she told nine.com.au. "But if I was to keep my economy tickets and my flight gets pushed back, I would have to deal with my visa and my visa is only one year."
1st Oct 2020 - 9News
Thank you, Victoria – Australia as a whole is healthier and wealthier because of you
Thank you, Victorians. Your determination to crush the second wave of Covid-19 has delivered me, and the rest of Australia, enormous health, social and economic benefits. Your resolve, your patience and your sacrifice, means that the rest of Australia has been able to open up our personal and economic lives. The nation as a whole is healthier, wealthier, and indeed wiser because of you. While nothing can be certain, it’s likely that – absent another Ruby Princess or quarantine hotel debacle – Australia will experience a relatively normal, if socially distant, Christmas this year while North America and most of Europe prepare for the human and economic costs of ongoing deaths and disruption. Since July, the United States has averaged around 50,000 new cases per day and, since opening up their interlinked economies too early, countries such as the UK, France and Italy are all now experiencing thousands of new cases per day as their second wave of infections roll across the continent.
1st Oct 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Israel passes law to ban mass protests during lockdown
Israel's parliament has handed the government the power to ban mass protests during the country's second nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Demonstrators will be confined to groups of up to 20 people and must stay within 1km (0.6 miles) of their homes. The law should have been part of a range of measures passed on Friday. But the government struggled to get the necessary votes after critics accused it of trying to stifle protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For weeks, thousands of people have gathered outside his official residence in Jerusalem to demand he resign over corruption allegations and his handling of the pandemic. Mr Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.
1st Oct 2020 - BBC
German court rules insurer must pay restaurant's lockdown claim
A German court has ruled that a Munich restaurant’s insurer must pay out a claim for losses caused by the state-imposed COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year, the first prominent such case in Germany in which the court found in favour of the plaintiff. There are hundreds of similar lawsuits pending after many insurers in Germany, including Allianz ALVG.DE, refused to pay businesses for lockdown losses, arguing that while effects of other pandemics would have been insured, COVID-19 had not been named specifically in the terms and conditions.
1st Oct 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Oct 2020
View this newsletter in fullPanama's trans community failed by gendered lockdown measures – report
A London School of Economics study has found the response “failed to recognise diverse gender identities and may reproduce inequalities and injustice for non-binary individuals with unknown long-term effects”. The controversial measures were meant to halve the numbers of people on the streets at any one time but the rules left trans people vulnerable to victimisation.
30th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Netanyahu: Coronavirus lockdown to last at least a month
Israel’s current coronavirus lockdown will last at least a month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified Tuesday during a Facebook briefing. During that time, he said, the government will prepare a proper exit strategy. “I want to be honest - it will not be less than a month. It may take much longer,” the prime minister said. He then verbally presented a number of his goals for the next few weeks, similar to those that he had released in a statement after Yom Kippur: preparing the health system, ensuring the public wears masks, implementing rapid tests and, of course, reducing the country’s rate of infection.
30th Sep 2020 - The Jerusalem Post
Israel’s second lockdown could last a while, Netanyahu says.
Israel’s second national lockdown is likely to last at least a month and perhaps much longer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, as the country’s soaring infection rate of around 8,000 confirmed new cases a day remained among the highest in the world. “In my opinion, it won’t be less than a month, and it could take much more time,” Mr. Netanyahu said during a Facebook Live video session.
The lockdown came into effect this month, on the eve of the Jewish New Year holiday, and was tightened on Friday after Mr. Netanyahu warned that without immediate measures, Israel would “reach the edge of the abyss.” Israelis must remain within 1,000 meters of their homes unless they are going to authorized places of work or seeking essential supplies or services, and outdoor gatherings are limited to 20 people.
30th Sep 2020 - The New York Times
Tamil Nadu Govt Extends Lockdown Till October 31, Withdraws Decision to Reopen Schools
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday extended the ongoing lockdown till October 31 with more relaxations and put on hold its earlier order permitting students from class X to XII to voluntarily seek their teachers' guidance from October 1 by going to schools. The government's decision to defer plans on allowing students to go to schools on voluntary basis to clear doubts from their teachers followed opposition from parents who had declined to send their wards to the educational institutions.
30th Sep 2020 - News18
Coronavirus lockdown costs South Africa millions of jobs
South Africa's economy lost 2.2 million jobs in the second quarter of 2020 during the country's coronavirus lockdown, the authorities say. It is the biggest fall in job numbers since the employment survey began in 2008.
30th Sep 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus US: Disney cuts 28,000 jobs as lockdown hits theme parks
The announcement was made in a letter to employees Tuesday from Josh D'Amaro, Disney's head of parks, who described the move as a 'difficult' decision
The layoffs have been made to workers within Disney's parks, experiences and products segment - accounting for 25 percent of Disney's US resort workforce
Around 67 seven percent of the 28,000 layoffs were part-time workers, but they ranged from salaried employees to nonunion hourly workers - While the company has been able to operate its Florida park at limited capacity, its resort in California has remained shuttered since the spring -
30th Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Doctors plead with Victorian Premier to ease lockdown over 'disturbing' mental health concerns
A group of doctors has written to Victoria's Premier, describing "disturbing" mental health concerns among school children and pleading to have the state's lockdown eased. The letter, signed by 10 Victorian GPs, details a number of serious mental health concerns arising as a result of the state's harsh stage four lockdown rules.
"Due to the continuing harsh lockdown, the children, young adults and new mothers I mainly treat are in anguish, despair and have no hope," Dr Stacey Harris said in the letter.
30th Sep 2020 - 9News
The only local lockdown that worked? How Luton cut the number of Covid cases and escaped further restrictions
In July, when lockdown measures were being gradually eased in the rest of the country, Luton was one of a handful of areas to have the relaxation stalled. With cases rising at a concerning rate, the town, along with Blackburn with Darwen, was listed as an “area of intervention” and the planned reopening of leisure facilities was temporarily cancelled. By the end of the month, cases in Luton were controlled enough for the area to be brought back in line with the rest of the country. Blackburn, on the other hand, was put into local lockdown – where it has remained.
30th Sep 2020 - iNews
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullSpain Ends Furlough Uncertainty With Last-Minute Extension
The Spanish government reached a last-minute deal to extend its furlough program after weeks of negotiations that left businesses and workers on edge in a country suffering one of Europe’s deepest economic shocks this year. The Spanish government reached a last-minute deal to extend its furlough program after weeks of negotiations that left businesses and workers on edge in a country suffering one of Europe’s deepest economic shocks this year. The program is extended until Jan. 31, Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz said on Tuesday.
29th Sep 2020 - Bloomberg
Spain extends COVID furlough scheme to January
Spain on Tuesday agreed a last-minute extension of a scheme supporting hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed due to COVID-19, as part of a broader social protection package. Spain is the European country with the highest number of coronavirus cases and its economy, the euro zone’s fourth-largest, is in its deepest recession on record. In a deal reached hours before the ERTE furlough scheme was due to expire, the government agreed with unions and businesses to extend it until Jan. 31. “It’s a day of hope for our country’s businesses and workers,” Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz told a news conference after a weekly cabinet meeting. “If we can make it through the autumn and the winter, then we will definitively be entering a recovery.”
29th Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Israel minister says ‘no way’ virus lockdown will end soon
Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Tuesday that there was “no way” the country’s second nationwide coronavirus lockdown would be lifted after three weeks as originally planned. “There’s no way that in 10 days we’ll be lifting all the restrictions and saying it’s all over, everything is fine,” he told public broadcaster Kan. Israel imposed its second lockdown on September 18 after the coronavirus infection rate soared. It was originally scheduled to end on October 10.
29th Sep 2020 - Manila Bulletin
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus in Argentina: Cases continue to soar despite strict lockdown
#Argentina´s novel #coronavirus infections were poised to top 700,000 on Saturday as new daily infections and deaths hit the top five globally, despite seven months of #quarantine that have ravaged the frail economy.
28th Sep 2020 - FRANCE 24
Scottish police break up 300 house parties over weekend as revellers snub hospitality lockdown
Police Scotland handed out 101 fines and made 14 arrests while responding to complaints of house parties between Friday night and Sunday. It comes amid widespread criticism of 10pm curfew.
28th Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Wales lockdown: Businesses affected by Covid offered grants
Businesses in Wales hit by coronavirus will be offered £140m in grants, Economy Minister Ken Skates has said. Nearly two-thirds of Wales' population are now living under lockdown after new measures were brought in at 18:00 BST. Neath Port Talbot (NPT), Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan have joined eight other areas in lockdown, affecting almost two million people in total. The country's two biggest cities - Cardiff and Swansea - had restrictions applied on Sunday evening. The new rules mean no travel outside council boundaries other than for work, education or medical emergencies, with no indoor mixing allowed and no alcohol sales after 22:00. Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Flintshire, Anglesey and Carmarthenshire are being "closely monitored" by Public Health Wales, meaning if cases continue to rise they could also face lockdowns.
28th Sep 2020 - BBC
Sudanese and Aboriginal people overrepresented in fines from Victoria police during first lockdown
As the Victorian government ramps up penalties to $5,000 for breaching Covid-19 gathering rules, statistics show young people received almost half of all fines dished out during the state’s first wave, while the South Sudanese and Aboriginal communities received an outsize number of fines. Data released by the Crime Statistics Agency last week shows there were 6,062 breaches of Covid-19 rules associated with 5,474 people during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Victoria. The average age was 29.5 years, and just one in four of those fined were women. Approximately 42% of those were under the age of 24.
28th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
COVID-19: Auckland job losses not as bad as predicted - figures
New figures show Auckland's job losses have been far fewer than predicted, despite the city going into lockdown last month. The council forecast 250 jobs a day would go during level 3 but the latest Jobseeker figures show an average of 93 people a day have gone on the benefit in Auckland since 7 August - days before level 3 was reimposed. Nationally, an average of 219 people have accessed the Jobseeker benefit each day. Westpac chief economist Dominic Stephens said the cost of lockdown has not been as severe as first thought. "I've been stunned at the resilience of the economy to lockdowns. The number of job losses has been less than expected and the impact on GDP has been at the more moderate end of estimates. What that indicates is that the cost of a lockdown is not what we thought," he said
28th Sep 2020 - Newshub
Israel doubly deserted on Yom Kippur during holiday and COVID-19 lockdown
In ordinary times Yom Kippur brings much of Israel to a standstill, as businesses close and roads empty for the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. But the world has looked very different this year, so deserted highways in city centres have become something of a familiar sight, even on days other than religious holidays when. Israel entered its second-wave lockdown on Sept. 18 after a surge of new cases had hospitals worrying about the strain on admissions. The country of nine million people has logged at least 1,441 deaths from COVID-19.
28th Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullNHS Covid-19 app refuses to let users enter negative test results and insists they STAY in 14-day quarantine in flaw that has affected 60,000 people in 24 hours
App tells users to self-isolate if they alert it to any coronavirus-like symptoms
But if they fail to book a test through the app they then cannot enter the results
This means they are unable to turn off a warning advising them to self-isolate
The Department of Health said that they had now fixed the problem
26th Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Military to support Birmingham's Covid-19 testing
Military support is being brought in to help with the coronavirus testing programme in Birmingham. About 100 military personnel will aid Birmingham City Council with its "drop and collect" testing programme. At a weekly briefing, the council's deputy leader said it would assist civilian efforts to maximise the numbers of tests able to be done. It comes as the number of cases in the city reached 107.6 per 100,000 people - the highest in the West Midlands. The "drop and collect service" sees tests dropped off at a resident's door and then collected by staff and is aimed at areas with high rates of infection, to provide a service to people who can't leave their homes and to encourage those who may not be proactive in getting tested.
26th Sep 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Israel tightens second lockdown amid acrimony
Israel has tightened restrictions on its population in the fight against coronavirus, one week after a second lockdown came into effect. From Friday afternoon, businesses not officially considered essential were ordered closed, and travel restricted to 1km (0.6 miles) from people's homes. Other planned rules which would affect protesters and synagogue-goers have not yet been approved amid acrimony. Covid-19 cases in Israel have continued to rise despite the latest lockdown. A new record of more than 8,000 infections for a single day were recorded on Thursday in Israel, which has one of the highest rates of infections per capita in the world.
26th Sep 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: More than a quarter of UK under stricter rules
More than a quarter of the UK population is set to be under stricter coronavirus rules, as new measures come into force this weekend. From Saturday in England, households in Leeds, Wigan, Stockport and Blackpool are banned from mixing in each other's homes or gardens. In Wales, Llanelli became subject to new rules at 18:00 BST, with Cardiff and Swansea to follow 24 hours later. It comes as the rate at which the virus is spreading appears to be speeding up. There have been 6,042 new coronavirus infections in the UK over the past 24 hours, according to the latest government figures - and 34 deaths among those who tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 28 days. It marks the fourth consecutive day that new infections across the UK have topped 6,000.
26th Sep 2020 - BBC
UK Government local coronavirus testing site opens in Edinburgh
A new walk-through coronavirus testing centre has opened in Edinburgh. The new facility is being provided by the UK Government as part of a UK-wide drive to continue to improve the accessibility of coronavirus testing for local communities.
The centre, in the Usher Hall, will offer pre-booked tests for those with coronavirus symptoms. The new site is situated so as to be easily accessible without a car. Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the testing centre.
26th Sep 2020 - GOV.UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullLives of hundreds of homeless people saved when UK went into lockdown
The lives of hundreds of homeless people may have been saved by emergency accommodation during the lockdown. Rough sleepers were rapidly brought into hotels at the start of the outbreak, while dormitory-style communal shelters were closed, and infection control measures were ramped up in hostels. It’s now thought the measures could have prevented 266 deaths linked to Covid-19, according to a study by University College London (UCL). Data from charities and hostels suggests around 4% of homeless people caught coronavirus during the first wave of the virus.
24th Sep 2020 - Metro
Australia's Victoria state reports 12 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths
Australia’s Victoria state, the epicentre of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, said on Thursday the number of new daily infections was close to a three-month low, buoying hopes that restrictions will be eased sooner than expected. The Victorian government said 12 people had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, near a three-month low of 11 cases reported earlier this week. Australia’s second-most-populous state is on an extended hard lockdown until Sept. 27, although some restrictions may be eased earlier if new infections continue to trend lower.
24th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Three-quarters of temporary migrants reporting domestic violence during coronavirus lockdown fear for their lives
An Australian-first analysis of case files from a domestic and family service provider in Victoria has revealed the impact of coronavirus on temporary migrants living with violence.
24th Sep 2020 - SBS News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullPeople didn't follow the Covid rules out of fear. They did it for the common good
As the government lurches from U-turns to full-on pile-ups, and a second wave of Covid-19 looms large, it’s worth remembering something. For three months back in the spring, we – UK citizens – did what we needed to do. The government may have dozed at the wheel, but when it finally woke up, we acted collectively by staying at home to save lives. And with some notable exceptions, we stayed the course by locking down for longer and more willingly than some predicted.
23rd Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus Victoria: CNN vindicates Dan Andrews’ controversial lockdown
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been heckled near and far as “Dictator Dan” and mocked in editorial cartoons for turning his state into a “gulag”. But vindication for imposing some of the toughest lockdown restrictions in the world is beginning to flow as new case numbers remain low and steady, while new polling reveals a groundswell of support for the Labor leader. And the world is beginning to notice as a CNN report declared Mr Andrews’ strict shutdown the blueprint to containing the deadly coronavirus.
23rd Sep 2020 - NEWS.com.au
Lockdown in numbers as the UK reaches the six-month mark
A look at lockdown in numbers, six months on from the evening of March 23, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced nationwide restrictions. The day lockdown began, the toll for those who died after contracting coronavirus had already reached quadruple figures. There had been 950 deaths in England and Wales, 43 in Scotland and seven in Northern Ireland, based on figures for death registrations. This has since risen to some 41,825 fatalities, with cumulative cases at 403,551, according to the latest Government figures.
23rd Sep 2020 - expressandstar.com
Coronavirus: The numbers that help tell the story of six months since lockdown
A new wave of coronavirus restrictions are set to come into force six months after the the UK was placed under a national lockdown. The measures include closing pubs, restaurants and bars at 10pm and limiting weddings to 15 people. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new restrictions could be in place for another six months. As the country marks exactly six months since the national lockdown was imposed on 23 March, we take a look at some of the numbers that help to tell the story of the pandemic since then.
23rd Sep 2020 - Sky News
Australia's virus hotspot may speed up lifting curbs as cases fall
Australia’s coronavirus hot spot of Victoria is considering easing curbs sooner than previously flagged, the state’s premier said on Wednesday, as the two-week average of new infections in the city of Melbourne dropped below 30. Melbourne, Australia’s second most populous city, has been the epicentre of the country’s second wave of COVID-19. The city has been under a hard lockdown, including a nightly curfew, since Aug. 2. The state reported 15 new cases and five deaths on Wednesday. The 14-day average in Melbourne dropped below the 30-50 band which the state set as a precondition for allowing around 100,000 people to return to work in construction, manufacturing, warehouses and child care from Sept. 28.
23rd Sep 2020 - Reuters Canada
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in full‘Provide food to sex workers during lockdown’: SC tells Centre, states
Moved by the plight of lakhs of sex workers rendered jobless and without an alternate source of livelihood following the Covid-19 lockdown, the Supreme Court gave a week’s time to the states to respond on providing them free ration and asked Centre if something could be immediately provided to them in the exercise of its powers under the National Disaster Management Act.
22nd Sep 2020 - Hindustan Times
Australia’s ‘extreme’ 2nd lockdown curbed coronavirus — here’s what it took
As Canada’s coronavirus cases continue to climb, many health experts are warning the public that a second lockdown may be around the corner. And as Canadians prepare for a potential fall or winter shutdown, experts argue we may want to look at Australia’s strict second lockdown measures in order to figure out how to tackle spiking coronavirus cases.
22nd Sep 2020 - Global News
Populism and Ostracism: Living with COVID-19 in India – Byline Times
Aday after declaring the world’s strictest lockdown on 24 March, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said that India would win the war against the Coronavirus in 21 days. The country has now passed five million recorded cases of COVID-19, with more than 87,000 reported deaths. In the past 21 days (28 August to 17 September), India added 1.7 million infections to its numbers – more than the total case count in Russia, the fourth worst affected nation. When India just had more than 500 cases, a 21-day lockdown was declared by Modi, giving 1.3 billion people a mere four hours’ notice to prepare themselves. All activities were brought to a halt, including public transport. The result was a 23.9% contraction in the country’s GDP. Experts warned that it was too early for India to go into lockdown. It didn’t help to ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic either.
21st Sep 2020 - Byline Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Australia set for lowest daily infections in months - as it says Europe serves as a warning
Australia appears to be heading for its lowest daily increase in coronavirus cases in three months, as a state leader said infection spikes in Europe served as a warning about the dangers of exiting lockdown too soon. In the country's virus epicentre, Victoria, some of the toughest lockdown restrictions in the world were imposed in the city of Melbourne after a spike in cases last month.
21st Sep 2020 - Sky News
Daniel Andrews is urged to end Victoria's lockdown
Daniel Andrews is being urged to relax lockdown restrictions ahead of schedule after Victoria recorded only 11 new cases of coronavirus on Monday. It's the lowest number of new daily cases since mid-June - but the premier's road map plans to keep Melbourne shut down until at least 26 October. Asked if the timeline would be brought forward, Mr Andrews said he would be 'guided by common sense' but insisted that 'it is too early for us to open up.'
21st Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Favourite Aussie summer hot spots about to get even more crowded
Just 13 weeks out from Christmas, Australians are planning family holidays not just domestically, but without leaving their own state borders. And some of Australia's most popular destinations could become even more crowded this summer, as Aussies close out their year from hell with much-needed local breaks.
21st Sep 2020 - 9News
Why harsh COVID-19 lockdowns are good for the economy
It has been a pile-on for the past few months as Team Australia has splintered right down the political divide. Border closures in Western Australia and Queensland have been called out as unnecessary while the Victorian lockdown has been labelled an overreaction that has angered business leaders and drawn the ire of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The restrictions, we are constantly told, are costing the nation dearly, delaying a return to normal activity and pushing out the timetable for an economic recovery.
21st Sep 2020 - ABC News
Dash for bigger homes pushes up September asking prices, Rightmove says
Surging activity in Britain’s housing market nudged up asking prices for homes in September, as buyers sought larger properties following the coronavirus lockdown, a survey showed on Monday. Property website Rightmove estimated there were almost 40% more sales moving through the pipeline than a year ago, chiming with other surveys that show a post-lockdown surge in the market, helped by a temporary cut in property tax. Rightmove said asking prices rose 0.2% in September, reversing August’s decline. The national average asking price now stands at 319,996 pounds ($415,642), up 5.0% on a year ago.
21st Sep 2020 - Reuters
Australia heads for lowest virus count in three months
Australia reported on Monday its smallest daily increase in new coronavirus infections in more than three months, but authorities in the nation’s virus hotspot of Victoria said they could not hasten the easing of curbs. The 16 new infections are Australia’s smallest daily jump since June 14, while two additional deaths were reported. “This light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer every day,” Nick Coatsworth, the chief deputy medical officer told reporters in Canberra, the capital.
21st Sep 2020 - Reuters Australia
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullUK 'faces six months of coronavirus restrictions' - with 'on-off' lockdowns likely
Brits could face six months of restrictions - with "on-off" lockdown measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. Yesterday the Prime Minister warned the country is just six weeks behind France and Spain - where the daily death toll rose to 239 this week, and admitted a second wave was "inevitable". He is now considering six months of "circuit breaker" lockdowns - which would see strict restrictions introduced for around two weeks, and then eased slightly. Ministers hope this approach can avoid a full UK-wide lockdown like the one that was introduced on March 23. The on-off restrictions could see limits placed on social contact and hospitality venues such as bars and restaurants made to close.
20th Sep 2020 - Mirror Online
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullWho suffers most from Melbourne's extended lockdown? Hint: They are not necessarily particularly vocal
Businesses are protesting vociferously about Victoria's extended lockdown. It's "gut-wrenching," "devastating," a "trainwreck," a "death knell." Yet businesses and shareholders are far from representative of those most at risk. The best evidence we've got suggests the hardest hit are Victoria's already disadvantaged. Those arguing for extended lockdowns make the point that they are not as costly as they might seem (to anyone) because their effects need to be compared not with business as usual, but with business in which a pandemic encourages people to stay at home and reduce spending.
17th Sep 2020 - Medical Xpress
Australia says daily COVID-19 cases fall to three-month low
Australia on Thursday reported its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases in nearly three months, as states said restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus will be further relaxed. Australia said 35 cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the past 24 hours, the lowest one-day rise since June 24. Victoria state - Australia’s COVID-19 epicentre - accounted for the bulk of the new cases, with 28 people diagnosed with the virus in the past 24 hours. “It is a fantastic outcome and a tribute to the hard work, sacrifice and contribution every single Victorian is making and I want to say thank you,” Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
17th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Victorian lockdown impact to be 'laid bare' in August unemployment figures
InvestSMART’s Evan Lucas says Australia’s August unemployment numbers set to be released on Thursday will take into account the entire Victorian lockdown scenario. Mr Lucas said the numbers would be negative and were difficult to gauge correctly due to the JobKeeper program. “The Victorian effect will finally be laid bare today with how much unemployment in Victoria has now happened because of stage four lockdowns,” he said. He said the United States Federal Reserve had come to the point where “monetary policy is running out of its ability to actually react to the market and to react to the economy and needs to get fiscal policy to support it”.
17th Sep 2020 - Sky News Australia
Southern hemisphere has record low flu cases amid Covid lockdowns
Health systems across the southern hemisphere were bracing a few months ago for their annual surge in influenza cases, which alongside Covid-19 could have overwhelmed hospitals. They never came. Many countries in the southern half of the globe have instead experienced either record low levels of flu or none at all, public health specialists in Australia, New Zealand and South America have said, sparing potentially tens of thousands of lives and offering a glimmer of hope as winter approaches in the northern hemisphere. General practitioners in New Zealand have not detected a single influenza case since they started screening patients in June, health data shows; last year about 57% of the samples they collected were positive.
17th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Victorian child deaths spike during Covid lockdown after series of home accidents
Eight young children have died in the past two months across Victoria in a series of incidents experts say have spiked due to the state’s Covid-19 lockdown. In one case, a youngster was unintentionally strangled after getting caught in a curtain chain. Each year an average of 17 children die from unintentional injuries across the state, according to the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit. But there have been eight deaths since the beginning of August, the coroner reported. They were all aged under five.
17th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Melbourne’s lockdown set to surpass Wuhan’s
Residents in Melbourne’s original 10 hot spots have already been through 78 days of lockdown, beating the 77 days faced by residents of Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus was first detected. Those living in other parts of Melbourne will surpass Wuhan’s lockdown next week. The Chinese city, which went into lockdown on January 23 and came out of it on April 8, had about coronavirus 70,000 cases.
As of Thursday, Victoria has 19,970.
17th Sep 2020 - NEWS.com.au
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullAustralia sees lowest one-day rise in coronavirus cases in almost three months
Australia reported its lowest one-day rise in novel coronavirus infections in nearly three months on Monday as authorities began to ease restrictions aimed at slowing its spread. Thirty-nine people were found to be infected with the virus in the past 24 hours, the lowest one-day increase in new cases since June 26, when 37 infections were detected. With dwindling numbers of new infections, the epicentre of Australia’s latest outbreak, Victoria state, has begun easing restrictions, allowing people to leave their homes for longer periods for exercise and shortening a curfew at night.
16th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Australia's Victoria state reports 42 new COVID-19 cases, eight deaths
Australia’s Victoria state on Wednesday said the daily rise in infections in its coronavirus hot spot of Melbourne has eased further, putting it on course to relax an extended hard lockdown in the city by the end of the month. Average cases over the last two weeks in Melbourne, the state’s largest city, fell below 50, health authorities said, the benchmark the state set to start easing curbs. Construction sites, manufacturing plants, warehouses and childcare facilities can reopen, allowing more than 100,000 workers to return to their jobs, if the 14-day rolling average is under 50 cases as of Sept. 28. The state has set a much tougher target of a 14-day average of five cases for lifting a nightly curfew, allowing people out of home for more than two hours a day, and reopening more businesses in Melbourne from Oct 26.
16th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullNicola Sturgeon coronavirus update RECAP as lockdown restrictions continue in west central Scotland
A new law has come into force across Scotland today limiting social gatherings to a maximum of six people from two different households. It comes as the number of positive coronavirus cases continues to rise. Over the last 24-hour period a total of 70 people tested for the deadly virus, but Nicola Sturgeon said the figure was likely incomplete. She raised concern over a serious backlog of lab tests in the UK-wide system. The new rules apply to both indoor and outdoor setting, including in pubs, restaurants, homes and gardens. Kids under the age of 12 will not count. Across Glasgow, East and West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire people are restricted from meeting anyone from other households. The restrictions were today ordered to continue until another review on September 22.
15th Sep 2020 - Daily Record
Coronavirus in Germany: American ‘superspreader’ could face €2,000 fine for pub crawl in Bavaria
An American woman who became a “superspreader” by heading out on a pub crawl in Bavaria, despite being told to self-isolate, has been identified but not yet reprimanded, local authorities in Germany have said. Despite showing symptoms of coronavirus, a 26-year-old US citizen allegedly went out partying in the Alpine resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, kick-starting more than 40 infections in the town.
Local media report that the woman, who works at a hotel for US soldiers and their families, was tested for the virus after suffering from a sore throat. She was told to quarantine herself for 14 days while awaiting the result, but ignored the order and went on a pub crawl. She reportedly visited a number of bars and restaurants and was told the following morning that she had tested positive.
15th Sep 2020 - iNews
Teachers in India carry on with lessons outdoors during lockdown
Out on a street in an Indian village, half a dozen children gather around their teacher who points a stick at the diagrams on a wall, one of many murals in the neighbourhood being used to help poor students keep up with their education during the coronavirus pandemic. With schools shut since March in a virus lockdown, teachers in Nilamnagar, western India, became concerned that some youngsters would fall behind because their families cannot afford an Internet subscription for online classes. So they came up with a workaround – children like playing on the streets, so they would take their lessons outside. “Since most of the families lack resources to educate their kids digitally, we had to come up with an innovative method to keep children invested in education, ” said Ram Gaikwad, a teacher at Asha Marathi Vidyalaya school.
15th Sep 2020 - The Star Online
India's economic activity almost at pre-lockdown levels but Covid looms: Nomura
Economic activity accelerated further in the week ended September 13, returning almost to pre-lockdown levels, a private tracker released on Monday showed. The Nomura India Business Resumption Index, which monitors economic activity normalisation, rose to 81.6 from 79 in the week ended September 6.
15th Sep 2020 - The Economic Times
Filmmakers capture horror and humanity of Wuhan’s coronavirus lockdown
Documentary shows life inside the city’s hospitals during the 76 days it was locked down in early fight against virus. Toronto film festival screens harrowing account which stays out of politics and focuses on human suffering.
15th Sep 2020 - South China Morning Post
Australia records first day without COVID-19 death in two months
Australia on Tuesday recorded its first day without a COVID-19 death in two months, as states began to lift restrictions amid growing confidence that a second wave of infections has been contained. While officials said there were 50 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a small increase from a day earlier, Australia reported no fresh fatalities for the first time since July 13. Most of the new cases were in Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state, which has accounted for about 75% of the country’s COVID-19 infections. Still, with infections falling in regional areas of Victoria, state Premier Daniel Andrews announced social distancing restrictions in those areas would be eased late on Wednesday.
15th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Regional Victoria ‘step 3’ roadmap restrictions and lockdown rules explained
The state government has announced that regional Victoria will now move to step three of the state’s roadmap out of lockdown from midnight on Wednesday 16 September. Stage three restrictions were previously in effect across all of regional Victoria from Thursday 6 August. Metropolitan Melbourne entered stage four restrictions from Sunday 2 August and you can find out all about stage 4 restrictions here. A statewide mandatory mask policy has also been in effect since Monday 3 August. The Victorian government has released a roadmap for easing coronavirus restrictions, with the government expecting to move into the final step from 23 November if the entire state has recorded zero new cases for 14 days.
Until then, here are some of the main things you need to know about the step three restrictions in regional Victoria:
15th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Australia’s coronavirus ‘dictator’ enforces a drastic lockdown. He’s still popular.
Detractors call him "Dictator Dan." Supporters declare, on social media, #IStandWithAndrews. To residents of Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, he is Daniel Andrews, the premier, or governor, of Victoria state and the politician responsible for inflicting upon them some of the most stringent pandemic control measures on Earth. The city named repeatedly over recent years as the “world’s most livable” has been locked down since July 9. A week ago, Andrews declared that a citywide curfew will not be lifted until Oct. 26 — and then only if the coronavirus is almost eliminated.
15th Sep 2020 - The Washington Post
New Zealand faces another week of Covid restrictions as Ardern defends cautious approach
New Zealand will remain at its current level of Covid-19 restrictions for another week, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said on Monday as she urged the public to stay the course on the county’s “cautious” approach to quashing the virus. “New Zealand has followed a plan that has worked,” she said, referring to her government’s strict, early lockdown of the country in March as New Zealand’s coronavirus cases started to rise. “This has both saved lives, but also meant our economy has been able to be more open in a more sustained way than nearly any other country in the world.”
15th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Alert level 2 extension cancels school formal in Marlborough
An extension of alert level 2 has “gutted” year 13 students in Marlborough, after having to cancel their school formal four days out from the event. On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Auckland would remain in alert level 2.5, while the rest of New Zealand would remain in level 2 until at least 11.59pm on Monday. With a date set down for September 19, restrictions of 100 people per event meant the combined Marlborough Girls’ and Marlborough Boys’ College formal could not go ahead. Formal committee co-chair and Marlborough Boys’ College student Jono Poswillo said he and fellow co-chair Taryn Breen, of Marlborough Girls’ College, started organising the event during New Zealand’s level 4 lockdown earlier this year.
15th Sep 2020 - Stuff.co.nz
Singapore grapples with coronavirus in migrant workers' dormitories
Singapore is battling new clusters of coronavirus infections in migrant dormitories that had won the all-clear from authorities, highlighting the difficulty of stamping out the disease, even in a closely monitored population. As the wealthy city-state tumbled into recession, officials facing intense pressure to revive the economy are opting for limited isolation measures rather than the wide clampdowns earlier, but most low-wage workers are still penned in. “There is little choice,” said Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases expert at the city’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital. “We need to be realistic. We need the economy to go on.” The dormitories, home to more than 300,000 workers in industries such as construction and shipbuilding, with several allocated to a room, contribute nearly 95% of Singapore’s tally of more than 57,000 infections.
15th Sep 2020 - Reuters Africa
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullStuck on the launchpad: How coronavirus is trapping our young people
Ms Thomas, 19, is not alone. She is among the 320,000 people aged between 15 to 24 whose jobs disappeared between March and May. While in other parts of Australia the recovery is under way, Victoria’s youth employment numbers are bumping along the bottom. According to research by Dr Jenny Chesters from the University of Melbourne’s Youth Research Centre, being out of work at the beginning of their productive lives could have long-term consequences for young people. The damage to self esteem from years of rejection stayed with them.
14th Sep 2020 - The Age
Coronavirus Australia: Melbournians escape stage four restrictions by moving to countryside
Melburnians are taking extreme measures to escape the city’s stage four lockdown by upping and moving to the countryside, which has recorded far fewer cases of coronavirus. Real estate agents and academics have noticed an uptick in interest in regional centres around Melbourne, particularly concentrated in areas like Castlemaine and Bendigo. The demand for rural properties is so high that sometimes a property is listed in the morning and it’s sold by the afternoon, according to Rob Waller from Waller Realty in Bendigo.
14th Sep 2020 - NEWS.com.au
'We need to keep our eyes on that prize': Jacinda Ardern extends New Zealand's coronavirus restrictions
Jacinda Ardern's cabinet has split over a decision to extend COVID-19 restrictions across New Zealand for an additional week. On Monday, the Prime Minister announced New Zealanders would retain the current social distancing and gathering caps until next week at the earliest. New Zealand enjoyed 102 days without community transmission of the virus over winter but Auckland returned to lockdown last month when new cases emerged. With a tail of cases still being identified by health authorities, including one new case on Monday, Ms Ardern's cabinet made a majority decision not to relax its current restrictions this week.
14th Sep 2020 - SBS
Alert Level 2 Continuation A Slap In The Face To New Zealanders
“Keeping New Zealand at Alert Level 2 shows the Government has failed at its Covid-19 response,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. "The Government says it has done a great job, and we must stay locked down. They cannot have it both ways. Either the Government has failed, or the restrictions can be lifted. “Six months into this epidemic, the only tool the Government has is lockdowns. This approach is not sustainable “New Zealanders are understandably becoming increasingly frustrated at the rules and restrictions they’re facing because the Government didn’t go hard or early enough.
14th Sep 2020 - Scoop.co.nz
India reports over 94,000 new coronavirus cases, over 1,000 more deaths
India reported 94,372 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, taking total cases past 4.7 million, as infection numbers rose in several states amid a gradual opening up of businesses. The number of deaths rose to 78,586, with 1,114 new deaths, health ministry data showed. While several states showed a rise in infections, including the capital New Delhi and the central Chhattisgarh state, the highest numbers were from the India’s biggest and richest state, Maharashtra, which reported 8,204 fresh cases. Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a news briefing on Sunday urged residents to wear masks and maintain social distancing, amid growing fatigue over a drawn-out lockdown that has made many lax about taking precautions.
14th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullNew UK town 'faces imminent lockdown' after spike in coronavirus cases
Hartlepool could face "imminent" new lockdown restrictions after a worrying spike in new coronavirus infections. The leader of the town's council has described it as a "wake up call" and warned that further restrictions may follow. Hartlepool was this week added to a government watchlist after 51 cases were confirmed in seven days - up from 22 the previous week. Shane Moore, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, described the new figures as "extremely worrying". Care homes have been advised to suspend family visits to protect the vulnerable
12th Sep 2020 - Mirror Online
More than 100 children were homeless in Epping Forest at the start of lockdown
More than 100 children were homeless and in temporary accommodation in Epping Forest at the start of the coronavirus lockdown, figures show. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures show 114 children from 62 households were housed in temporary accommodation in Epping Forest at the end of March – an increase of 25 on the same point last year, when there were 89. Across England, there were 129,380 children in temporary accommodation on March 31 – the highest number since 2006.
12th Sep 2020 - Epping Forest Guardian
Sydney woman has been in coronavirus lockdown since March
Jazzy Regan, who is in her 20s, has been in coronavirus lockdown for 183 days
Ms Regan is severely asthmatic and lives with her 84-year-old grandma. The pandemic has probably been the 'best time ever' for the young woman. She has learnt to cook, exercises in her loungeroom and works from home
12th Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCalls for help surge as teens' mental health suffers in lockdown
Mental health support services have seen calls from children and young people in Victoria jump by up to a third as the state's hard lockdown and extended restrictions on school attendance take a toll. There was a 28 per cent spike in calls to the phone counselling service Kids Helpline between March and July 2020 compared with the same period last year and a 19 per cent jump from July to August compared with the previous month.
10th Sep 2020 - The Age
Make your bed, phone your mother in tears: as Victoria's lockdown drags on, just keep going
Maintaining good nutrition is crucial and an excellent means of incorporating structure into your day. If you are growing your own vegetables – as many have since the “toilet paper-themed scarcity apocalypse” phase of isolation – Instagram everything. Demonstrate second world war-style thrift as you transform beetroot stalks into colourful, inedible gourmet feasts. There’s no need to illustrate your daily half-a-block of Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut habit, or admit your car interior reeks of rendered pork fat because you’re driving through at Macca’s at least three times a week. It’s ... not considered polite.
10th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Businesses in lockdown areas COULD be entitled to £1500 every 3 weeks
Cash grants will be available to businesses ordered to close due to local lockdowns in England, the Government has said. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said “lifeline” grants of up to £1,500 will be on offer every three weeks. His announcement came as Labour demanded targeted income support for businesses and self-employed people in sectors which have been most affected by coronavirus. The Opposition also called for extra income support to be given to areas of the country placed under local lockdown restrictions.
10th Sep 2020 - Lancashire Telegraph
Palestine records highest daily coronavirus infections
Palestine confirmed seven more deaths and 1,000 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours -- the highest single-day jump since the outbreak began. The virus claimed six lives in occupied West Bank, and one in Gaza Strip. In a statement on Thursday, the Health Ministry said the death toll in the country rose to 224, while the total infections reached 37,214 including 25,483 recoveries.
10th Sep 2020 - Anadolu Agency
Norway may have to tighten COVID-19 restrictions, PM says
"The government is considering tighter measures," Solberg told a news conference. "We can't open up anymore at this time ... In case of a rise in the number of infections without a known source, or local outbreaks that are not contained, we will consider tighter restrictions locally, regionally or nationally," she said. The number of people allowed at public gatherings could be cut to 50 from the current 200, and the maximum permitted at private events to 5-10 people from 20 currently, Solberg said. Universities, which reopened with in-person classes in August, could be told to return to all-online teaching, she added.
Earlier plans to allow adults outside of the professional leagues to take part in contact sports such as football, remain on hold for the time being, she added. Norway, with a population of 5.4 million, reported 738 coronavirus cases last week, the highest number of any single week since early April, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI).
10th Sep 2020 - Channel NewsAsia Singapore
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe UK's Drinking Problem Got Worse Under Lockdown. Here Are The Facts
When Adam Winstock, founder of the Global Drug Survey, was reading through the most common reasons UK respondents gave for drinking more in lockdown, one stood out to him: “I’m rewarding myself for getting through Covid.” The annual survey, conducted this year during April and May to take a snapshot of lockdown, revealed what we probably already know: that more than half of people have been drinking more – but also that excessive drinking left many of us feeling worse, exacerbating underlying mental and physical health issues.
9th Sep 2020 - HuffPost UK
Survey shows many young people are drinking less alcohol in lockdown
Our Global Drug Survey released today, which includes replies from more than 55,000 participants, shows a mixed response. We found some people are increasing their use of alcohol and cannabis, mainly due to boredom, which previous research has found. But other people have reduced their drinking and drug use now festivals, nightclubs or parties are no longer an option—a trend that has so far gained less attention.
9th Sep 2020 - Medical Xpress
Fire sweeps refugee camp on Greek island amid virus lockdown
Moria had been under a coronavirus lockdown when the first fire gutted a large section of it, and health officials said some of those who had tested positive for the virus had fled. “The combination of migration and the pandemic in these conditions is creating an exceptionally demanding situation,” Alternate Migration Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said. Civil protection authorities declared a four-month state of emergency for public health reasons on Lesbos. Officials said the original fire was started by camp residents angered by the lockdown measures and isolation orders imposed after 35 people tested positive for COVID-19. The cases were found during broad testing and contact tracing after the illness of a Somali man who had been granted asylum and had left the island in July but later returned.
9th Sep 2020 - The Washington Post
Singapore’s poorest stay in lockdown while others move freely
With restaurants and malls bustling, pre-pandemic life is slowly returning for people in Singapore—except for the more than 300,000 migrant workers who make up much of the city’s low-wage workforce. Since April, these workers have been confined to their residences with limited exceptions for work. After an extensive testing and quarantine campaign, the government cleared the dormitories where most of these workers live of COVID-19 in August, letting residents leave for several “essential errands,” like court appearances and doctor’s appointments. The government said last month it was working toward relaxing more rules for workers. Those plans are now under threat, with new virus clusters emerging in the dorms, where workers from China, India, Indonesia and elsewhere share bunks and tight living spaces.
9th Sep 2020 - BusinessWorld
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullSocial gatherings of more than six people to be banned in England
Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday as the Government seeks to curb the rise in coronavirus cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use a press conference on Wednesday to announce the change in the law after the number of daily positive Covid-19 cases in the UK rose to almost 3,000. The legal limit on social gatherings will be reduced from 30 people to six.
It will apply to gatherings indoors and outdoors – including private homes, as well as parks, pubs and restaurants.
8th Sep 2020 - ITV News
Virus lockdown plunges South Africa deeper into recession
South Africa’s economy has sunk deeper into recession, with its gross domestic product for the second quarter of 2020 plummeting by 51%, largely as a result of COVID-19 and the country's strict lockdown, according to statistics released Tuesday. South Africa imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in April and May in response to the coronavirus outbreak, which has now claimed more than 15,000 lives and infected 639,362 people in the country.
8th Sep 2020 - YAHOO!
Coronavirus lockdown drives rise in micro start-ups across the UK amid fears for job security
UK workers have been turning to starting their own companies in unprecedented numbers as fears over job security have spurred a new wave of entrepreneurs. The “State of the Nation” review, compiled by website builder group GoDaddy, showed there had been a 14 per cent increase in micro-businesses, start-ups with nine or fewer employees. The online group, which provides website templates to new businesses, has also experienced a 62 per cent increase in new UK customers. The survey also identified micro-business hubs which experienced bursts of activity between 2017 and 2019 and have continued their growth trajectory. The hubs suggest a suburban revival, as micro-business activity is concentrated on the outskirts of some of the UK’s largest cities.
8th Sep 2020 - iNews
Coronavirus: Greek islands quarantine and Scottish lockdown extends
Travellers arriving in England from seven Greek islands will have to self-isolate for 14 days from 04:00 BST on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says. It's a slight change in policy for the government, which previously applied restrictions to entire countries. It also brings England in line with Wales, which has already introduced specific rules for six islands, some of which are the same.
8th Sep 2020 - BBC
India's active Covid cases nears the million mark; lockdown fatigue setting in
Hindustan Times’ National Political Editor, Sunetra Choudhury brings you the top stories you need to know. Sunetra talks about the number of Covid-19 cases in India so far, new cases outstripping recoveries and deaths, lockdown fatigue setting in, rise of Covid infections in Europe and more. Watch the full video for more details.
8th Sep 2020 - Hindustan Times
The New Normal: Lockdown spurs green recovery
Carbon emissions have fallen, there’s clear water in Venice canals, and China’s air quality has improved – for now. But will COVID-19 have a lasting impact on the environment?
8th Sep 2020 - Reuters
Melbourne under lockdown for longer than China's virus ground zero, says health minister
Melburnians will be under strict lockdown longer than residents of the Chinese city of Wuhan where the coronavirus first came from, Health Minister Greg Hunt says.
The federal government would continue to back Victoria but locking down people was not the right way to solve the crisis, he said.
"We will continue to support Victoria and Victorians, whether it is the vaccine as the first line of defence, contact tracing as a very important second line, (but) the last thing you do is you lock people in their homes," Mr Hunt told Today.
8th Sep 2020 - 9News
Is Melbourne's coronavirus lockdown really the longest in the world? Here's how other countries stack up
Melbourne’s lockdown is one of the longest and strictest in the world, with curfews that won’t be lifted for at least another seven weeks. The Victorian capital has been under social restrictions since 16 March, which were initially extended to 11 May. On 8 July, restrictions were then reimposed in Melbourne specifically following a second outbreak, with a state of disaster and an 8pm-5am curfew ordered on 2 August. Melburnians now face an extra two weeks in Stage 4 lockdown under the roadmap revealed on 6 September, although from 14 September the nightly curfew will start an hour later at 9pm and run until 5am.
8th Sep 2020 - SBS News
Job Loss Figures Reveal Grim Reality Of Covid Lockdown
News that 185,000 New Zealanders expect to lose their jobs or businesses by mid next year drives home the scale of the economic challenge our country is facing, National Party Leader Judith Collins says. The grim prediction comes from a Stats NZ survey that found 7 per cent of employed people, or 1 in 14 workers, felt there was a high or almost certain chance they would lose their jobs or businesses within the next year. Another 18 per cent said there was a medium chance. Transport, retail, trade, accommodation and food were among the most at-risk industries.
8th Sep 2020 - Scoop.co.nz
‘The lockdown killed my father’: Farmer suicides add to India’s virus misery
Randhir Singh was already deeply in debt when the coronavirus pandemic struck. Looking out at his paltry cotton field by the side of a railway track, he walked in circles, hopeless. In early May, he killed himself by lying on the same track.
8th Sep 2020 - bdnews24.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullReturn to work is too late to save city centres, says British Retail Consortium
The slow return of UK workers to their normal place of work will come too late to save hard-pressed city centre stores from going under, the body that represents retailers has said. Despite a pick-up in spending in August, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said sales were still below their pre-pandemic level and the lack of people was having a devastating impact on shops operating in places once thronged with workers. The latest health check of high street and online spending from the BRC warned that September would see more job losses, a gloomy view backed up by the latest survey of employment trends from the consultancy group Manpower.
8th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
How much did the Covid-19 lockdown really cost the UK?
Cancer treatments cancelled. Children deprived of schooling. More cases of domestic abuse. Continued restrictions on personal freedom. Over and above the direct damage caused to the economy, the collateral damage from the Covid-19 pandemic has been colossal. And the crisis is not over by any means. Travel restrictions come and go with mind-boggling frequency. Local quarantining has replaced national lockdowns. Every leading policymaker in the UK, from the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, downwards, knows that the job losses to come threaten to leave permanent scars. An obvious question, therefore, is was it worth it? Have the costs of shutting down a great chunk of Britain for three months and leaving many restrictions in place after six months been outweighed by the benefits?
7th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Covid-19 curbs ‘not worth economic pain’ for low-income countries
Some of the largest emerging economies — including India and Mexico — have suffered the most from coronavirus-related lockdowns, highlighting their limited policy options as the pandemic continues and wealthier countries start to consider reimposing restrictions in the face of a second surge in infections. India’s economy, the world’s fifth-largest, shrank by about a quarter in the three months to June, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed severe curbs on business activity and movement to contain the disease. In the same period, Mexico lost 17 per cent of its output from the first quarter. Peru, whose output contracted by 27 per cent, was hardest hit.
7th Sep 2020 - Financial Times
Coronavirus: Melbourne lockdown extended by two weeks
A strict lockdown in the Australian city of Melbourne has been extended by two weeks, with officials saying new Covid-19 cases had not dropped enough.
Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said the restrictions would be in place until 28 September, with a slight relaxation. A gradual easing of the measures will be implemented from October. The state has been the epicentre of the country's second wave, accounting for 90% of Australia's 753 deaths.
Australia has recorded a total of 26,000 cases in a population of 25 million.
The greater Melbourne area entered a second lockdown on 9 July after a rise in cases. A 5km (3 mile) travel limit and night time curfew was imposed while shops and businesses were closed.
7th Sep 2020 - BBC
Health experts welcome Melbourne lockdown extension but question curfew
Public health experts have backed the Victorian government’s decision to extend Melbourne’s stage four lockdown and only lift all restrictions once there is no community transmission of Covid-19, but have questioned the effectiveness of the overnight curfew. The stage four lockdown has been extended for two weeks with some allowances made for single people living alone and a doubling of the time permitted for exercise. After that, from 28 September, the harshest measures of stage four will continue – including the curfew – but people will be able to meet in larger groups outdoors and some students will return to school.
7th Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Australia's COVID-19 epicentre extends hard lockdown till late September
Australia's coronavirus hot spot state of Victoria on Sunday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne until Sept. 28, as the infection rate has declined more slowly than hoped. "We cannot open up at this time. If we were to we would lose control very quickly," State Premier Daniel Andrews told a televised media conference on Sunday. The hard lockdown was ordered on Aug. 2 in response to a second wave of infections, that erupted in Melbourne.
7th Sep 2020 - YAHOO!
Australia extends Melbourne lockdown despite drop in Covid-19 cases
Australian officials on Sunday (Sept 6) extended a strict virus lockdown of the country’s second-biggest city by two weeks, saying that new cases had not dropped enough to prevent another spike. Melbourne residents were due to exit a harsh six-week lockdown next weekend but face continued restrictions for months to come, with Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews saying that the current lockdown would remain in place until Sept 28. “If we open up too fast then we have a very high likelihood that we are not really opening up at all – we are just beginning a third wave,” he told a press conference.
6th Sep 2020 - The Straits Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCovid-19 impact on personal hygiene industry and its future in India
In an ideal world, people should be able to do the right things and focus on the right areas as a default approach. However, the reality is quite different. Despite there being ample emphasis on personal hygiene and no lack of medical as well as scientific evidence to highlight its importance, hygiene practices failed to make a major impact in India. Eventually, a pandemic of the magnitude of Covid-19 made people notice this need and take steps to adopt personal hygiene practices. This realization and the importance of basic hygiene practices such as washing hands dawned suddenly. Hand sanitizers, face masks, disinfectants etc. are crucial components of our defense against the virus until a vaccine is found.
5th Sep 2020 - The Financial Express
Lockdown protesters defy police as Australia coronavirus cases ease
Protestors against a Covid-19 lockdown defied police in Australia's hotpsot on Saturday, prompting 15 arrests, even as the state of Victoria continued its gradual improvement in stemming new cases due to the nearly five weeks of restrictions
5th Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Coronavirus: Australia extends ban on people leaving the country until December
A ban on Australians leaving the country because of the coronavirus pandemic has been extended until mid-December. The "Human Biosecurity Emergency Period" has been in place since March and prevents Australian citizens or permanent residents from leaving the nation's shores. It can only be circumvented with permission from the government, which must be approved beforehand. Residents of other countries, offshore freights and boats, essential workers and government officials are excluded from the measure, which also prevents international cruise ships with 100 or more passengers from docking on the country's ports.
5th Sep 2020 - Sky News
Brazil Hands Out So Much Covid Cash That Poverty Nears a Low
Brazil, which has suffered one of the world’s worst pandemic tolls, has responded to the crisis by distributing so much cash directly to citizens that poverty and inequality are approaching national historic lows. Some 66 million people, 30% of the population, have been getting 600 reais ($110) a month, making it the most ambitious social program ever undertaken in Brazil, a shocking shift under President Jair Bolsonaro who railed against welfare, dismissed the virus -- and now finds himself newly popular.
5th Sep 2020 - Bloomberg
In the Amazon, the coronavirus fuels an illegal gold rush — and an environmental crisis
Alessandro Souza is a gold hunter. He chases it deep into protected Indigenous lands in the Amazon rainforest, traveling days by foot and canoe, and doesn't emerge until his pockets are full. Sometimes he's gone two months. Sometimes six. The only certainty is that he'll be back, because hunting gold is his business, and business is booming. “Today’s market quote,” Souza messaged his WhatsApp group, Goldminers Without Borders, one recent day: Gold was going for nearly $1,800 an ounce. Souza posted an arrow pointing skyward.
5th Sep 2020 - The Washington Post
Indigenous communities in Brazil equipped with a “Covid-19 Alert” to keep track of the pandemic
Indigenous and environmental organizations in Brazil launched an app on Friday aimed at alerting indigenous communities to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in their lands. “The application maps and periodically updates the situation regarding the pandemic in cities within a 100 kilometer radius of indigenous lands,” said the Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) in a joint statement. The app, called “Covid-19 Indigenous Alert” aims to help indigenous people identify areas with high infection rates. Provided free on the Android system, the app uses data from Brazil's health ministry, people working in the indigenous health system, leaders from indigenous organizations and the COIAB network.
5th Sep 2020 - MercoPress
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullVic lockdown will last longer than China, Italy lockdowns if extended
If Victoria extends its lockdown for another two weeks it will have lasted 82 days which is longer than both China and Italy’s lockdowns, according to Sky News host Paul Murray. Italy has had 35,497 deaths with lockdown running for 58 days, China has had 4,634 deaths with lockdown running for 77 days whilst Victoria has had 576 deaths with lockdown due to end on September 13 having run for 68 days. A recent leak revealed the Victorian government may be planning to extend Victoria’s lockdown for a further two weeks, which would end Victoria’s lockdown after 82 days, a longer period than both Italy and China. “This bloke has failed, he failed to have a system that meant that the virus didn’t get out of hotel quarantine, and he has failed to stop it the second time around,” Mr Murray said.
3rd Sep 2020 - Sky News Australia
Australia's social distancing fatigue: 'Worrying' new figures show that fewer people are heeding safety warnings the longer lockdown goes
Australians are losing their will to maintain social distancing measures as restrictions arising from the coronavirus pandemic drag on, new data shows. Victoria is also the only state to maintain the highest level of vigilance as it fights its way through a second-wave of COVID-19 and harsh lockdown. The Australian National University (ANU) survey of more than 3,000 people showed 'worrying' trends related to physical distancing behaviour nationwide.
3rd Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCDC Directs Halt to Renter Evictions to Prevent Virus Spread
The Trump administration has issued a directive halting the eviction of certain renters though the end of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Federal, state and local governments have approved eviction moratoriums during the course of the pandemic for many renters, but those protections are expiring rapidly. A recent report from one think tank, the Aspen Institute, stated that more than 20 million renters live in households that have suffered COVID-19-related job loss and concluded that millions more are at risk of eviction in the next several months. The administration's action stems from an executive order that President Donald Trump issued in early August. It instructed federal health officials to consider measures to temporarily halt evictions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed up Tuesday by declaring that any landlord shall not evict any "covered person" from any residential property for failure to pay rent.
3rd Sep 2020 - Voice of America
Despite stringent lockdown, India's COVID-19 cases, deaths record fastest rise even as GDP plummets
The country's GDP contraction was the worst among many major economies
Despite enforcing the most stringent lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19, the average daily cases and deaths in India are growing at the fastest pace in the world. Due to the severe restrictions between April and June, the economy took an unprecedented hit with the GDP contracting for the first time in decades in the April to June quarter.
2nd Sep 2020 - The Hindu
Coronavirus lockdown hurt Indian industries 'dramatically'
The Indian economy had been moderating even before the pandemic but the lockdown to curtail the spread of the virus dealt a further blow to industrial production and consumer spending, IHS Markit chief economist Rajiv Biswas told DW. But there are already some signs of a recovery.
2nd Sep 2020 - Deutsche Welle
Covid-19 ends Australia’s 28-year run without a recession
Australia has entered its first recession in almost three decades after Covid-19 battered the economy, which shrank a record 7 per cent in the June quarter. The decline in gross domestic product follows a fall of 0.3 per cent in the March quarter, marking two consecutive quarters of contraction — the technical definition of recession — according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. “The global pandemic and associated containment policies led to a 7 per cent fall in GDP for the June quarter. This is, by a wide margin, the largest fall in quarterly GDP since records began in 1959,” said Michael Smedes, ABS head of national accounts. The economic contraction was worse than expected, with economists forecasting a 6 per cent fall in the second quarter and a decline of just over 5 per cent on an annual basis. The ABS figures revealed that GDP fell 6.3 per cent in the 12 months to the end of June.
2nd Sep 2020 - The Financial Times
As Victoria endures prolonged coronavirus lockdown, mental health workers see devastating impacts of COVID-19
Many exhausted Victorian healthcare workers have been among the callers. They're experiencing burn-out and fatigue, and they're stressed about not being able to take time off work, Joy says. They have also raised concerns about the possibility of unknowingly contracting and passing on the virus.
2nd Sep 2020 - ABC News
Coronavirus despair forces girls across Asia into child marriage
Tens of thousands of girls across Asia are being forced into child marriage by desperate families plunged into poverty because of the coronavirus pandemic, as campaigners warn that years of progress tackling the practice is being undone.
Child marriage has long been practised as part of tradition in communities from the Indonesian archipelago to India, Pakistan and Vietnam, but numbers had been decreasing as numerous initiatives worked to spread awareness of its dangers and encouraged access to education and women's health services.
2nd Sep 2020 - AlJazeera
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Pupils 'months behind' and Rashford continues child poverty fight
The lockdown has left children in England three months behind in their learning, with boys and poor pupils worst hit, a survey of 3,000 head teachers and teachers suggests. The National Foundation for Educational Research says the learning gap between rich and poor pupils has grown by 46%. The Department of Education has said it's determined that children should not miss out because of coronavirus. Find out more here about the return to school and whether you have to send your child back.
1st Sep 2020 - BBC
Lockdown's legacy on UK's poorest children: Richer pupils 46% further ahead than worse-off peers
Shocking new data lays bare devastating impact of lockdown on school children
In a poll of 3,000 teachers and leaders, 98 per cent believe pupils are behind
Teachers estimated on average that their pupils were three months behind
Survey found gap between disadvantaged and well-off increased by 46 per cent
1st Sep 2020 - Daily Mail
Poland bans direct flights from Spain, Israel due to coronavirus fears
Poland is banning from Wednesday direct flights from 44 countries including Spain, Israel and Romania in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the Central European country, the government said on Tuesday. The United States, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Brasil, Argentina and India are also on the list of countries, but local media reported that Russia and China had been removed from it.
1st Sep 2020 - Reuters
Australia virus cases drop after lengthy Melbourne lockdown
Australia reported fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases Monday, the lowest number in two months as authorities appeared to bring an outbreak in the country's second-largest city under control. Victoria state, which has been battling a second wave of infections in Melbourne, recorded just 73 cases after peaking above 700 in late July, providing hope for a way out of a strict city-wide lockdown. Melbourne residents are currently enduring a raft of restrictions including an overnight curfew, while all non-essential businesses remain closed until at least September 13.
1st Sep 2020 - FRANCE 24
In China's Xinjiang, forced medication and citizens hosed down accompanies lockdown
When police arrested the middle-aged Uighur woman at the height of China's coronavirus outbreak, she was crammed into a cell with dozens of other women in a detention centre. There, she said, she was forced to drink a medicine that made her feel weak and nauseous, guards watching as she gulped. She and the others also had to strip naked once a week and cover their faces as guards hosed them and their cells down with disinfectant "like firemen," she said. "It was scalding," recounted the woman by phone from Xinjiang, declining to be named out of fear of retribution. "My hands were ruined, my skin was peeling." The government in China's far northwest Xinjiang region is resorting to draconian measures to combat the coronavirus, including physically locking residents in homes, imposing quarantines of more than 40 days and arresting those who do not comply.
1st Sep 2020 - New Zealand Herald
New Zealand lockdown led to biggest spike in welfare claims in modern history
The number of people claiming benefits grew by nearly 12% during New Zealand’s first month of lockdown, a new report has found, representing a demand for social welfare “unprecedented in modern history”, the government says. Analysis by the Ministry of Social Development showed the jump in April was the biggest monthly rise in 24 years, “noting that this period includes the global financial crisis and the Asian crisis”. New Zealand’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been globally lauded with fewer than 2,000 infections and just 22 deaths. But the economic consequences of multiple lockdowns have been catastrophic, say, economists, with unemployment figures forecast to peak as high as 26%, at worst estimate
1st Sep 2020 - The Guardian
Australia prisoners set fire in cells as virus lockdown sparks unrest
Inmates at a high-security Australian prison lit fires, smashed windows and flooded their cells with water, authorities said on Tuesday, after a lockdown sparked by a coronavirus outbreak resulted in a shortage of staff and services. The unrest began a day earlier at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre in the city of Brisbane, four days after local media said the prison went into lockdown due to two staff testing positive to COVID-19. A shortage of replacement staff for those stood down to get tested for the virus had resulted in problems delivering basic services like meals and medication, the authorities said.
1st Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Ireland lifts local COVID-19 lockdown, national picture still 'uncertain'
Ireland lifted an extended local lockdown on Monday in the eastern county of Kildare ahead of schedule, but the whole country remains under some of Europe’s strictest COVID-19 restrictions. Ireland closed or limited business on Aug. 7 in three of its 26 counties - Kildare, Laois and Offaly - and their residents were barred from travelling outside their county. Ten days later, an uptick in coronavirus cases prompted a significant tightening in measures nationwide. Authorities cut to six the number of visitors allowed in a home, banned fans from all sport events and urged people to avoid public transport where they could.
1st Sep 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Sep 2020
View this newsletter in fullPhilippines extends partial coronavirus curbs in Manila until Sept. 30
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday partial restrictions in and around the capital Manila will be kept for another month starting Sept. 1 to tackle a rising number of coronavirus cases and further expand hospital capacity.
30th Aug 2020 - Reuters
Brazil coronavirus deaths rise above 120,000
Brazil has registered another 758 novel coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 41,350 new cases, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. The nation has now registered 120,262 coronavirus deaths and 3,846,153 confirmed cases. In terms of total deaths, Brazil is the hardest hit country in the world outside of the United States. However, daily new cases and deaths have begun to stabilize in recent weeks.
29th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Coronavirus New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern announces ‘level 2.5’ for Auckland
New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, left lockdown overnight and moved into what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “level 2.5” after just two new cases were announced on Sunday. Ms Ardern on Sunday thanked residents in the city after living through two and a half weeks of lockdown, but she has warned the government would raise levels again “if we need to”. “For Auckland, you are at a form of level two that I am going to call level 2.5,” Ms Ardern said. “It is designed to keep us on track with our elimination strategy at level two in the scenario we now have, but it will only work if people follow the guidance, I understand it is easy to become complacent.”
31st Aug 2020 - News.com.au
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullPoorest countries face lost decade due to Covid-19, says IMF
The shock waves from Covid-19 will lead to a lost decade for the world’s poorest countries unless they get concerted and urgent help, the International Monetary Fund has said. The Washington-based IMF said low-income developing countries (LIDCs) entered the pandemic in a vulnerable position and faced the prospect of their progress in poverty reduction over the past seven to 10 years being wiped out. In a blog, IMF economists called on the international community to adopt a seven-point plan so that poor countries could cope with Covid-19 and recover quickly. Growth, which averaged 5% in 2019, was likely to come to a standstill this year, the IMF said, adding that previous pandemics had left permanent scars. It backed a recent call from the World Bank president, David Malpass, for a more ambitious programme of debt relief that would move beyond repayment holidays to a reduction in the stock of debt.
27th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Global 'education emergency' due to Covid - UN
The U.N. children’s agency says at least a third of children couldn’t access remote learning when the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools, creating “a global education emergency.” At the height of lockdowns meant to curb the pandemic, nearly 1.5 billion children were affected by school closures, UNICEF said. “For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to COVID-19, there was no such a thing as remote learning,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.
“The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency,” she said in a statement. “The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come.”
27th Aug 2020 - ABC News
Domestic violence has seen a shocking rise in lockdown – mothers will be in danger when children go back to school
At least 26 women have been killed during the coronavirus lockdown by domestic terrorisers – the youngest was two, the oldest 82. A woman was on the phone behind me at the supermarket, her voice loud and panicky. She was talking about a friend or relative who was dreading the reopening of schools: “He’ll start belting her again. Kicked her head in last time. Stopped when the kids were home.” Most parents are desperate to get their children back into the classroom. But for this woman – whoever she was – and many others too, as I later discovered – being alone with an abusive partner is as dangerous as being in a cage with a raging, wild beast. It was bad enough before the pandemic, when around two women per week were being killed by men they knew. The media often neglects to report these deaths. They died as they had lived, without dignity or due care. Look up the Counting Dead Women Project, which lists these homicide cases. It’s like walking into the saddest graveyard of buried bodies, whose stories will never be fully known.
27th Aug 2020 - iNews
WHO warns young people flouting lockdown rules could lead to spike in deaths of elderly this winter
As the winter months get nearer, a stark warning about a possible increase in coronavirus deaths has been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). During a briefing on Thursday morning, WHO’s European regional director Hans Kluge warned that as youngsters stay in more during the colder months they may be more likely to spread coronavirus, especially if they visit multiple households.
Kluge said there was growing evidence that young people were infecting people at social gatherings and said that this could result in increase hospitalisations and deaths. He said: "The younger people are not necessarily going to die from it but it's a tornado with a long tail…
27th Aug 2020 - YAHOO!
Argentina daily COVID-19 cases top 10,000 for first time
Argentina posted a record daily rise of 10,550 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the health ministry said, taking the total caseload to 370,188 as the country struggles to rein in the spread of infections while trying to ease open its crisis-hit economy.
The grains producer, which imposed a strict lockdown in March that initially helped slow the spread of the virus, is now fast catching up with other hard-hit countries in the region, including neighbor Chile where new infections have slowed. Latin America has become the epicenter of the global pandemic, with the highest number of infections and deaths, while the region’s economy is set to plunge sharply this year pushing millions of people into poverty. The nightly report showed there had been 276 new COVID-19 fatalities in the 24-hour period since the previous evening’s count, taking the total to 7,839.
27th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Global report: Germany bans large events amid rise in Covid cases
Germany is to ban large events until the end of this year, amid fears of a resurgence in coronavirus cases and as the World Health Organization warned that Europe was entering “a tricky moment” as children go back to school. The chancellor, Angela Merkel, has set out a new package of measures in discussions with leaders of federal states. It comes amid a worrying rise of infection rates in Germany not seen since April, and a similar uptick in Italy and France. Under the new rules, German football fans will not be allowed back into stadiums until 2021, later than had been hoped. Regulations on mask-wearing will also be toughened. Mass gatherings including festivals, concerts and big sporting events will remain prohibited. The draft text allows for exceptions in regions with low virus numbers and where participants are all locals. But it goes against a suggestion by Germany’s interior minister, Horst Seehofer, that Bundesliga football games might resume in October with socially distanced spectators.
27th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Gaza coronavirus lockdown extended by 72 hours after infections spread
Gaza will remain in lockdown at least until Sunday, health officials said on Wednesday after reporting two deaths and 26 COVID-19 cases in the first public outbreak of the coronavirus in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. As of two days ago, when the first four cases were discovered in a refugee camp in the 360 square-kilometre (140 square-mile) territory, and a 48-hour lockdown was imposed, there had been no infections outside border quarantine facilities for new arrivals.
But by late on Wednesday, health officials said 26 people in several locations had tested positive for COVID-19 and two patients had died - a sign the world pandemic had penetrated Gaza’s forced isolation
27th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullVictorian economy could lose four years of growth due to virus lockdown
Lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus across Victoria could punch a $41 billion hole in the state's economy and drag it back to where it was in 2016 with fresh warnings its COVID-19 outbreak is holding back the entire nation. Forecasts from both the ANZ and the NAB suggest the Victorian economy will this year suffer the single largest economic hit of any state or territory on record that will also drive up unemployment and weigh on wages growth.
26th Aug 2020 - The Age
Ukraine bans foreigners, extends lockdown measures to fight COVID-19: government meeting
Ukraine on Wednesday imposed a temporary ban on most foreigners from entering the country until Sept. 28 and extended lockdown measures until the end of October to contain a recent spike in coronavirus cases. Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal also said the government would need to take a decision on Thursday on whether to ban major public events in September. “The rise in coronavirus infections we have seen in recent weeks is forcing us to act more decisively,” Shmygal said. The daily tally of new infections jumped to around 2,000 last week with a record high of 2,328 on Saturday. The total number of infections reached 110,085 on Wednesday, with 2,354 deaths.
26th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus lockdown set to stay across Blackburn and Pendle
Coronavirus restrictions in parts of East Lancashire are expected to continue when the Government reviews existing measures later this week, but will be more tightly targeted and focus on smaller areas. People in Oldham and in specific wards in Pendle and Blackburn were told not to socialise with anyone outside their household from midnight on Saturday. They were also advised to only use public transport if essential and numbers attending weddings, civil partnerships and funerals were restricted to up to 20.
25th Aug 2020 - Lancashire Telegraph
Coronavirus rates are falling in Greater Manchester after 3 weeks of lockdown
Coronavirus rates are now lower in Greater Manchester than they were at the start of the local lockdown, with the latest data suggesting a regional spike in cases has been reversed. Extra restrictions on the ten boroughs in the region have been in place for three full weeks after being announced on July 30. At the time the local lockdown was declared, infection rates were rising in all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, and this trend continued broadly for the first two weeks after the measures were brought in. But in the third week, the upward trend hit a peak, and in many areas they have been falling sharply for the past seven days. Five of the boroughs now have weekly infection rates below 25 cases per 100,000 population - which means they are no longer on amber alert on the government watchlist. Tomorrow, local restrictions will be lifted in Wigan and the falling numbers in other boroughs suggest the measures may soon be removed in other areas of Greater Manchester.
25th Aug 2020 - Manchester Evening News
Eight in 10 poorer UK families feel worse off since lockdown – survey
Some families have abandoned balanced meals for lack of money during the coronavirus crisis, while many have faced physical and mental problems, according to a report. Researchers from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the Church of England (C of E) spoke to parents who said they had been forced to sell possessions to protect their children’s quality of life, and found that 80% of poorer families surveyed felt they had become worse off financially since the lockdown began. The findings underline the disproportionate strain being placed on the poorest households as the UK struggles to deal with the pandemic. In June the Resolution Foundation said that while many low-income families were turning to credit cards to get by under lockdown, many higher-income households were able to save more money as their costs fell.
25th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus hard lockdown of Melbourne public housing towers left residents feeling like 'criminals', inquiry hears
Victoria's hard lockdown of some of Melbourne's most vulnerable residents last month left the community feeling anxious, fearful and as if they were being "treated like criminals". The chaos and confusion at nine public housing towers is detailed in reports to a Victorian Ombudsman inquiry, revealing residents slept rough in their cars, ran out of food and supplies, while others reportedly self-harmed. 7.30 has obtained two legal submissions by the Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre and Inner Melbourne Community Legal which are now representing residents.
25th Aug 2020 - ABC News
Victorian jobs slump amid stage 4 coronavirus lockdown, but 'COVID recession' bites elsewhere
Paula Evans, owner of boutique Tierra Alma in beachside Mordialloc, didn't need the Australian Bureau of Statistics to tell her about the epic economic pain of Melbourne's August lockdown. "It's been a really huge impact this time around with the stage 4 hitting Melbourne," she said. "I would say my business is down by 70 per cent." New data submitted to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) from payroll systems around the country show jobs fell 1 per cent in the month to August 8. But in Victoria, the hit was much harder.
25th Aug 2020 - ABC News
Northland towns quiet as Auckland lockdown extended
Northland's towns and tourist spots will remain quiet until Sunday night due to the government's extension of Covid-19 alert level 3 restrictions in Auckland. Businesses in the region say the last two weeks have been a grind without Auckland visitors spending. As essential workers, Checkpoint's Nick Truebridge and Nick Monro were allowed through the State Highway 1 roadblock to speak to Northlanders about how they're faring.
25th Aug 2020 - RNZ
Lockdown costs $1 billion as Government digs in heels over decision not to extend wage subsidy
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has dug in his heels about not extending the wage subsidy by four days to cover keeping Auckland in lockdown until Sunday night. He says struggling businesses had 22 weeks of support from the scheme - with the majority of that time in alert levels 2 and 1 with little or no restrictions. "We recognise this has been a tough time but there has been a lot of support provided."
And in Parliament this afternoon, Robertson revealed Treasury estimates the two weeks of restrictions to contain the resurgence of Covid-19 caused a $1 billion hit to the economy with each week costing $500 million.
25th Aug 2020 - New Zealand Herald
Gaza in lockdown to try to contain its first COVID-19 outbreak
Gaza was in lockdown on Tuesday after the first cases of COVID-19 in the general population of the Palestinian enclave, whose restricted borders until now had helped spare it from an outbreak. Health authorities in the Hamas-controlled territory are concerned over the potentially disastrous combination of poverty, densely populated refugee camps and limited hospital facilities in dealing with an outbreak. A government spokesman said the four cases were uncovered after a woman travelled to the West Bank, where she tested positive. Four members of her family then tested positive in Gaza, the first cases outside quarantined border facilities. Interior Ministry spokesman Eyad al-Bozom said the family had been in contact with many other people in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, and that the camp was now isolated from the rest of the 360 sq. km. territory.
25th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullLatin American women are disappearing and dying under lockdown
It’s a pandemic within the pandemic. Across Latin America, gender-based violence has spiked since COVID-19 broke out. Almost 1,200 women disappeared in Peru between March 11 and June 30, the Ministry of Women reported. In Brazil, 143 women in 12 states were murdered in March and April – a 22% increase over the same period in 2019. Reports of rape, murder and domestic violence are also way up in Mexico. In Guatemala, they’re down significantly – a likely sign that women are too afraid to call the police on the partners they’re locked down with. The pandemic worsened but did not create this problem: Latin America has long been among the world’s deadliest places to be a woman.
24th Aug 2020 - The Conversation
13 die in stampede at Peru disco after police raid building due to coronavirus concerns
Thirteen people died in a stampede at a disco in Peru after a police raid to enforce the country’s lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Sunday. The stampede happened at the Thomas disco in Lima, where about 120 people had gathered for a party on Saturday night, the Interior Ministry said. People tried to escape through the only door of the second-floor disco, trampling one another and becoming trapped in the confined space, according to authorities. After the stampede, police had to force open the door.
24th Aug 2020 - USA TODAY
Coronavirus lockdown forces Aussie Rules final out of Melbourne for first time
One of the most iconic fixtures on the Australian sporting calendar, the AFL “Grand Final”, will be played outside Melbourne for the first time in its history this year, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed on Monday. Melbourne remains in a strict lockdown after a second wave of COVID-19 cases and Andrews said an exception would not be made even for an event so important to Victorians that a public holiday is observed the day before it. “For the sake of one event — as important, as religious almost, as it is — the notion that you would take a holiday from the coronavirus for the day so we could have the grand final for a day and a dose of normal, that doesn’t make any sense,” he told a news conference in Melbourne.
24th Aug 2020 - Reuters
COVID-19 Victoria: What 116 cases means for lockdown stage 4
Victorians desperate for good news, for an end to the daily grind of home schooling and curfew and empty shops and deserted cities will look at today’s numbers with some optimism. There are 116 new coronavirus cases in the state, marking the lowest daily total in nearly two months. There are also, sadly, 15 more deaths. As the September 13 deadline looms for easing stage 4 lockdown, the Premier and the chief health officer are under pressure to give some certainty that businesses can reopen and that workers furloughed for three weeks already can go back to providing for their families.
24th Aug 2020 - NEWS.com.au
Australia's Victoria reports lowest rise in COVID-19 cases in seven weeks
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday extended a coronavirus lockdown in the country’s largest city until the end of the week and introduced mandatory mask wearing on public transport across the nation. Ardern said the four-day extension in the city of Auckland was critical to enable the country to step down its scale of emergency restrictions - and remain at less restrictive levels. “We want both confidence, and certainty for everyone,” Ardern said during a televised media conference. The Auckland lockdown, imposed on Aug. 11 after officials detected the country’s first locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in more than three months, had been scheduled to end on Wednesday. It will now end on Sunday night. The city’s step down from Level 3 to Level 2 restrictions will be made gradually from Monday, Ardern said.
24th Aug 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullWill France be placed on Switzerland’s coronavirus quarantine list?
According to projections from the University of Geneva, arrivals from France may have to quarantine on arrival in Switzerland in the coming days. France’s infection rates have almost doubled in the previous week. The University of Geneva set up a forecasting model which predicts that the infection rate will continue to rise in the coming weeks, eventually crossing the Swiss government's quarantine threshold.
They now stand at 43 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants - just shy of Switzerland’s quarantine threshold of 60 per 100,000. As of August 21st, there are more than 50 countries with an infection rate above Switzerland’s threshold of ‘high risk’.
23rd Aug 2020 - The Local Europe
UK records 1,041 new COVID-19 cases: government data
The United Kingdom recorded 1,041 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from 1,288 on Saturday, government figures showed. Six people died after testing positive for the coronavirus within the previous 28 days, compared with 18 deaths announced on Saturday.
23rd Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullParents reveal challenges of caring for disabled children during lockdown
During the past five months, many parents of children with special educational needs have not had a moment’s respite. Despite the Government advising that schools should remain open for vulnerable children. Four parents of disabled children tell Susannah Butter and Katie Strick how school closures and the withdrawal of support in the Covid crisis left them with a battle to cope with children whose routines were turned upside down
20th Aug 2020 - Evening Standard
Melbourne's public housing tenants suffering in coronavirus lockdown
Nearly 150 complaints have been lodged with the Victorian ombudsman from residents of Melbourne’s public housing towers, with many reporting ongoing distress after last month’s hard lockdown to contain spread of COVID-19. Paramedics and COVID testing staff remain onsite at the commission flats in north Melbourne, a month after Victoria’s public housing towers became the epicentre of the state’s pandemic. Achol Aluier contracted the virus in the first wave, but with seven people living in her three bedroom flat, there was no way to contain the spread.
20th Aug 2020 - SBS
How Victoria could be a victim of its own lockdown success
An infectious disease expert has warned Victoria could be a victim of its own success after Premier Daniel Andrews said Stage 4 lockdown would not be lifted if testing rates continue to drop. While Victoria has recorded a decline in new daily coronavirus cases, showing signs Stage 4 is making an impact, Mr Andrews revealed this week testing had dropped 17 per cent in comparison to the previous week. Mr Andrews said on Wednesday there were 17,695 tests in the prior 24-hour period, while the state was recording more than 40,000 daily tests at the peak of the second wave. Mr Andrews said the state needed to be in a position where they were confident of knowing the levels of community transmission before they could enter a “new phase”. “The test numbers are too low for us to have clarity about just how much virus is out there,” he said.
20th Aug 2020 - YAHOO!
How Victoria's Covid-19 lockdown is devastating its economy
Before coronavirus, Victoria’s economy was powering ahead, but the tough lockdown as it endures a second wave has hit businesses hard. As companies close their doors and staff numbers are savagely cut, the state’s shutdown threatens to drag the rest of Australia even further into economic peril. Business correspondent Ben Butler explains how Victoria’s prosperity was dealt a succession of blows
20th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Colombia passes half a million coronavirus cases as deaths approach 16,000
Coronavirus cases in Colombia surpassed 500,000 on Wednesday as deaths from the virus approach 16,000 and the country nears the end of five months of lockdown. The Andean country has 502,178 confirmed cases of the virus according to the health ministry, with 15,979 reported deaths. Active cases number 158,893.
20th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Local lockdown in Aberdeen extended
A local lockdown in Aberdeen will be extended for another week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced. Pubs and restaurants were shut two weeks ago, and restrictions placed on travel and visits to other households, after a spike in Covid-19 cases linked to bars and nightlife in the city. Ms Sturgeon said the lockdown was having an impact - but that it was "not yet safe" to lift the restrictions.
Aberdeen City Council said it did not support continuing the lockdown. A midweek review will be carried out on Sunday, and Ms Sturgeon said she hoped some restrictions could be eased next Wednesday.
19th Aug 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Depression in the UK officially doubled during lockdown
The number of people suffering from depression symptoms in the UK doubled when the country was under a COVID-19 lockdown, official figures show. Almost a fifth of British adults — 19.2 per cent — were likely to be experiencing some form of depression in June 2020, according to a survey of more than 3,500 people carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released on Tuesday. Prior to the pandemic, fewer than one in ten said so. "Today's research provides an insight into the mental health of adults during the coronavirus pandemic. Revisiting this same group of adults before and during the pandemic provides a unique insight into how their symptoms of depression have changed over time," Tim Vizard, the ONS' principal research officer, said in a statement.
19th Aug 2020 - Euronews
Lockdown makes life tougher for those in rehab
Ever since Victoria declared a state of emergency on 16 March, almost every event or gathering was cancelled or postponed so as to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. While this was an inconvenience for some, it was a loss of income for others. But for an even smaller community, restrictions meant the loss of an essential tool needed for drug and alcohol recovery: social interaction. And now that Melburnians have entered into a six-week-long period of isolation with stage four restrictions in effect, it is going to be even tougher for those who require a strong social network to combat substance use.
19th Aug 2020 - Independent Australia
Ireland ramps up COVID-19 restrictions again as cases surge
Ireland significantly tightened its nationwide coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday to try to rein in a surge in cases, urging everyone to restrict visitors to their homes, avoid public transport and older people to limit their contacts. A spike in cases over the last three weeks, after Ireland had one of Europe’s lowest infection rates for several weeks, pushed its 14-day cumulative cases per 100,000 of population to 26, and led to the first local lockdown last week. The 190 new cases on Tuesday, the second highest daily rise since early May, took the rate of growth in the last two weeks to the fourth highest in Europe and meant infections would inevitably spread to the most vulnerable if it continued, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said.
19th Aug 2020 - Reuters
S. Korea tightens restrictions in Seoul area to tackle virus surge
South Korea on Tuesday ordered nightclubs, museums and buffet restaurants closed and banned large gatherings in and around the capital as a burst of new coronavirus cases sparked fears of a major second wave. The country's "trace, test and treat" approach to curbing the virus has been held up as a global model, but it is now battling several clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches. Authorities reported 246 new infections on Tuesday, taking South Korea's total to 15,761, the fifth consecutive day of triple-digit increases after several weeks with numbers generally in the 30s and 40s.
19th Aug 2020 - FRANCE 24
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullMost parents are worried about their kids' educational growth in lockdown
Two-thirds of parents are worried their child will be below grade level in the fall — as a result of the classroom time lost due to COVID-19, according to new research.
The survey of 2,000 parents with school-aged children revealed 65% are concerned about their child being behind due to the disrupted 2019-2020 school year. The average parent surveyed said their child lost about eight weeks of classroom learning at the end of the school year. And while the majority of parents said their child's district continued with distance learning for all or part of the rest of the school year — through video calls or educational worksheets — 13% said their child didn't have any form of continued distance education. Commissioned by The Genius of Play and conducted by OnePoll, the survey looked at what parents have done to keep their child learning this summer, and what their thoughts are for school starting back up in the fall.
18th Aug 2020 - Yahoo! News
Coronavirus: Fewest weekly deaths in England and Wales since lockdown began, latest figures show
England and Wales have recorded the lowest weekly number of deaths from coronavirus since lockdown was imposed towards the end of March, the latest figures show. There were 152 fatalities from Covid-19 in the week up to 7 August, according to the Office for National Statistics. It marks the lowest number of deaths from the disease since the week ending 20 March saw 103 fatalities – just before Boris Johnson brought in strict lockdown measures. The new figures also show that the UK’s true death toll – taking in up-to-date statistics from Scotland and Northern Ireland – has now surpassed 57,000 people, based on death certificates mentioning Covid-19.
18th Aug 2020 - The Independent
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe South West companies finding success during the Covid-19 pandemic and UK lockdown
The UK is in the deepest recession since records began and the West of England, like the rest of the country, is reeling from the impact of the pandemic. Businesses from all industries have been hit, with major sectors in the region such as aerospace, tourism, hospitality and retail particularly affected.
17th Aug 2020 - Business Live
Coronavirus: UK lockdown loneliness strikes women and younger workers most
Women and younger workers are the two groups most likely to have been adversely affected by feelings of loneliness while working remotely, according to a new study. Half of women and nearly three-quarters (74%) of younger workers said they had felt lonely in lockdown according to research conducted by Totaljobs. Social distancing, working from home and endless screen time has meant it is inevitable that experiences of loneliness will spike, the recruitment website said. The poll of 2,000 UK workers found that almost half (46%) of UK workers have experienced loneliness and social isolation during lockdown. More than half of workers agreed that the majority of their social interactions happened in the workplace. Employees are facing what Totaljobs calls a “social silence” when it comes to interactions with colleagues.
17th Aug 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
Child marriages in Maharashtra soar during lockdown
When Mitali Sathe stepped out of her home in Latur decked in a yellow sari, the mehendi and green glass bangles gave her away. A member of an adolescent girls' protection group spotted the 15-year-old before her marriage to a man four decades her senior. After her elder sister's death, Mitali was the sacrificial bride on offer to the 50-year-old widower: he needed her to care for the children. With their earnings as seasonal labourers cut off and the daughter out of school due to the pandemic, Mitali's parents saw this as a way out. However, timely intervention halted the wedding and led to the suitor's arrest.
17th Aug 2020 - The Times of India
Covid-19 lockdown extended in Bihar till September 6
The Bihar government has once again decided to extend the lockdown till September 6, owing to the rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the state. The state’s home department issued an order in this regard on Monday. The lockdown was imposed from July 16 to July 31 and later extended till August 16. The orders issued on July 30 for the containment of Covid-19 would be prevalent across the state. No public transport would be allowed to ply in areas falling under lockdown norms, but there would be no bar on construction activities besides transportation of goods, state officials said. Air and rail travel have been allowed to continue and offices, banks, and other offices would function with minimal staff strength, they added.
17th Aug 2020 - Hindustan Times
Lockdown deaths in India ignite debate on police brutality
For two and a half minutes the popular Indian radio DJ described in graphic detail what she said was the torture and killing of a father and son in police custody. The father was arrested for flouting coronavirus lockdown rules by keeping his mobile phone shop in southern India open past curfew, Suchitra Ramadurai alleged in a video posted to her Instagram. The man’s son went to check on him at the police station and both were beaten so badly they were still bleeding when they appeared before a judge the next day. Three days later, on June 23, they were both dead.
17th Aug 2020 - The Associated Press
Lockdown extended in Bihar till September 6 as Covid-18 cases spike
The Bihar government has extended the lockdown to control the spread of Sars-Cov-2, which causes Covid-19, till September 6 amid the rising number of cases in the state, according to a report on Monday. HT’s sister publication Hindustan said the home department issued the extension order after a high-level meeting. The order issued on July 30 will be effective, Hindustan reported. The previous order, which was issued till August 16 under which religious places in Bihar were not allowed to open, will stand. Prohibition on religious, political, social or cultural events and restrictions on bus services have been upheld. Commercial and private establishments have been allowed to open but parks, gyms and educational institutions will remain closed as before, Hindustan reported.
17th Aug 2020 - Hindustan Times on MSN.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullArgentina sticks with COVID-19 lockdown focused in and around Buenos Aires
Argentina extended until Aug. 30 restrictions taken against the coronavirus, President Alberto Fernandez said on Friday, affirming that the country's lockdown would continue in its current form in an around capital city Buenos Aires.
16th Aug 2020 - Reuters
Argentina sticks with COVID-19 lockdown focused in and around Buenos Aires
Argentina extended until Aug. 30 restrictions taken against the coronavirus, President Alberto Fernandez said on Friday, affirming that the country’s lockdown would continue in its current form in an around capital city Buenos Aires.
16th Aug 2020 - Metro US
New Zealand COVID-19 outbreak grows, Australia still struggles
New Zealand on Saturday reported seven new cases of the coronavirus as a lockdown in the country’s biggest city, Auckland, was extended on Friday in response to the country’s first coronavirus outbreak in months. Six of the seven new cases have been linked to the cluster responsible for all the previous community cases, while one case was being investigated, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a media briefing in Wellington. The new cases bring New Zealand’s total infections since the start of the year to 1258, while the number of currently active cases stands at 56. Twenty two people have died so far.
15th Aug 2020 - Reuters
Britons go green in lockdown lessons
Surveys have revealed an uptick in environmentally friendly behaviors during the lockdown in the United Kingdom, including gardening, cycling, and meal planning, and transport consultancy Sia Partners has reported a 60 percent reduction in passenger vehicle emissions. Research conducted by Manchester and Cardiff universities suggests that most Britons intend to maintain a greener lifestyle when society starts to open up again. Out of 1,800 people surveyed in the study, 63 percent said they spent nothing on clothes and footwear from March to May, up from 9 percent over the three months before lockdown. There has also been a marked increase in meal planning, a small but detectable reduction in meat consumption, and 92 percent of those surveyed said they are now wasting less food.
15th Aug 2020 - ChinaDaily USA
Coronavirus: New Zealand extends Auckland lockdown after cluster of COVID-19 cases found
Coronavirus restrictions in New Zealand's biggest city are being extended for another 12 days after more cases were discovered. New Zealand reported the new outbreak after more than 100 days since its last case was recorded, and had largely returned back to normal. But this week an Auckland family tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the city back in to a three-day lockdown, with freight being investigated as a possible cause.
14th Aug 2020 - Sky News
After 146 Days in Lockdown, Argentina’s Virus Problem Is Getting Worse
Argentina’s coronavirus fight is taking a turn for the worse as the nation that implemented one of Latin America’s strictest lockdowns sees deaths surge anyway.
South America’s second-largest economy reported 303 Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, a record that was double the prior day’s tally. It’s quickly climbing in the ranks among the deadliest outbreaks over the past week on a per capita basis. In the past seven days, Argentina reported 22.5 deaths per million people compared with 28.1 in Brazil and 23.4 in the U.S., the world’s biggest hot spots. Total deaths have now surpassed 5,000 since the pandemic began. Worse still, concerns are mounting that real case and death tallies may actually be much higher. The number of coronavirus tests coming back positive has been hovering around 40% for the past week, similar levels to Mexico where testing levels have been deemed insufficient. The World Health Organization recommends that countries aim for 5% or less for 14 days straight before reopening economies
14th Aug 2020 - BNNBloomberg
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullUK's poorest 'skip meals and go hungry' during coronavirus crisis
The coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on the nutritional health of the UK’s poorest citizens with as many as one in 10 forced to use food banks, and vast numbers skipping meals and going hungry, according to the government’s food safety watchdog. Food insecurity has shot up even further since lockdown as people’s income reduced, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said, heightening the risk both of malnutrition and obesity as struggling families adopted highly restrictive “basic sustenance” diets that largely cut out healthy foods.
13th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Longer lockdown drove UK to one of deepest recessions in Europe
The UK can now claim the dubious distinction of having suffered one of the highest death tolls from coronavirus in Europe — and also one of the deepest recessions.
The second quarter’s 20.4 per cent fall in gross domestic product, shown in official data on Wednesday, was the biggest drop in output in any main European economy over the period. Although a recovery from April’s low point picked up speed in June, output remains 22.1 per cent below its level at the end of 2019.
This makes it the sharpest recession in the G7, and second only to Spain among European peers over the first half of the year — a period that captures national lockdowns that began earlier in some countries.
13th Aug 2020 - Financial Times
Goa Lockdown News: Police to Crackdown on Night Parties Amid Pandemic as Section 144 Continues to be Imposed
The top cop's comments came days after a house party organised at a villa in the coastal village of Arpora turned into a streetside brawl after youngsters attending the event got embroiled in a brawl with a local gang.
13th Aug 2020 - India.com
Coronavirus in India: Did men do more housework during lockdown?
Dr Rahul Nagar, a Delhi-based dermatologist, says there's always been "a very clear division of labour" in his home. His wife, also a doctor, did the cooking and was the primary carer for their child. Like most middle-class Indians, they employed a part-time help who did the cleaning and dishes, while Dr Nagar did little bits and pieces. But then came the pandemic - and as Covid-19 cases began to rise, India went into a strict lockdown and their domestic helper was unable to come to work.
"Pre-lockdown, for every five hours of work my wife did, I did one hour. But this pandemic has been a bolt from the blue," says Dr Nagar.
13th Aug 2020 - BBC
Cancer cases surge amid COVID-19 lockdowns
Hundreds of Australians are at great risk of cancer and other serious illnesses because fear of COVID-19 and the current lockdowns has been keeping people from seeking medical help. Chief Medical Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre David Speakman said there would likely be “a wave of diagnosis from cancer and a whole lot of other medical conditions that have been missed or not attended to because of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Cancer Council Australia reported a 40 per cent drop off in cancer referrals than was usual at this time of year. Mr Speakman told Sky News host Chris Kenny people had been ignoring symptoms and choosing not to see a doctor for fear of contracting the killer virus.
13th Aug 2020 - Sky News Australia
Portugal keeps Lisbon under stricter COVID curbs until end-August
The Portuguese capital and its surrounds will remain under tougher anti-coronavirus restrictions than the rest of the country until at least the end of August, the government said on Thursday. Portugal has reported 53,223 infections and 1,764 deaths from the coronavirus, much lower than many other European countries including neighbouring Spain, where more than 28,500 have died. But although the sunny southern European nation initially won praise for its quick response to the pandemic, a steady count of several hundred new cases per day in and around Lisbon in June and July, after the end of a nationwide lockdown, prompted authorities to re-impose some curbs. Even as the number of infections in Lisbon has fallen again, the government wants to take it slow, especially when some of Europe’s top soccer teams are in the city for a special ‘Final Eight’ UEFA Champions League mini-tournament.
13th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullWorst recession on record strikes UK as coronavirus lockdown shrinks economy by 20 per cent
The UK’s economy has fallen into the worst recession on record, with coronavirus pushing down spending and output. Between April and June, the size of the economy reduced by 20.4 per cent, according to data released by the ONS.
12th Aug 2020 - iNews
India's COVID-19 lockdown threatens efforts to stop spikes in child marriage
When the police knocked on the door as 15-year-old Muskaan prepared to head to the temple in their village in northern India, the bride-to-be was distraught. With a sick father and unemployed brother, Muskaan believed that getting married to a distant relative’s son would alleviate the financial burden on her family and offer a better future. Yet a tip-off to the authorities in June by local activists concerned about a spike in early marriages during India’s coronavirus lockdown led to Muskaan’s wedding being called off, while her parents were charged under child marriage legislation. “When my father fixed my marriage, I agreed,” Muskaan, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said by phone from her village in Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Yet she said she would have preferred to go to school if possible.
12th Aug 2020 - Reuters
Dutch government plans to tighten coronavirus quarantine measures
The Dutch health minister plans to introduce mandatory home quarantine for people identified by local authorities as having been in close contact with somebody infected with coronavirus, and for travellers returning from high-risk countries. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to politicians that mandatory quarantine could be imposed if people refuse to isolate voluntarily. The move comes amid rising infection rates in the Netherlands and an unwillingness among some people to adhere to social-distancing measures and cooperate with contact tracing. "Mandatory quarantine is a tough measure but justified. Quarantine stops the spread of the virus so sticking to the rules is crucial," Mr de Jonge wrote.
12th Aug 2020 - Irish Independent
Peru's President: Nationwide curfew on Sundays to prevent COVID-19 contagion
President Martin Vizcarra on Wednesday announced the return of mandatory social immobilization (curfew) on Sundays due to a rebound in COVID-19 infections in Peru. In this sense, the Head of State affirmed that the corresponding Supreme Decree will be published in the official gazette El Peruano on Thursday. It will prohibit family and friends meetings that usually take place on the seventh day of the week. "Starting this Sunday, we are going to return to mandatory immobilization on Sundays. We think that it is preferable to take a step back, only on Sundays, in order to generate a sense of responsibility for all and then regain the conditions that we all would like to have," he expressed.
12th Aug 2020 - Andina - Agencia Peruana de Noticias
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullFrance extends ban on mass gatherings to October 30: PM
The renewed spread of coronavirus in France could become harder to control without a collective effort to stop a rise in the infection rate, its prime minister said on Tuesday. The public was becoming careless, Jean Castex warned, speaking shortly before health authorities said new daily infections were up by 1,397 over 24 hours, almost twice as much as Monday, to reach 204,172. “If we don’t act collectively, we expose ourselves to the heightened risk that the rebound in the epidemic becomes hard to control,” Castex said during a visit to a hospital intensive care ward in southern France. A health ministry statement also reported 15 new deaths in hospital due the disease, compared to an increase of 16 over a three-day period between Monday and Saturday, with the total death toll standing at 30,354.
11th Aug 2020 - Reuters
Bhutan in virus lockdown for the first time
Bhutan has been largely shielded from coronavirus but on Tuesday, the remote Himalayan kingdom famous for measuring gross national happiness went into lockdown for the first time. The country of 800,000 people between India and China has recorded just 113 novel coronavirus cases and is one of the few nations to report zero deaths. The lockdown ordered in the early hours of Tuesday allows only essential services for an initial five to six days, said Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, a doctor who continues to practise on weekends.
11th Aug 2020 - Medical Xpress
Bhutan orders first coronavirus lockdown as cases hit 113
Bhutan ordered its first nationwide lockdown on Tuesday after a returning resident tested positive for coronavirus after being discharged from quarantine and coming into close contact with people in the capital Thimphu. The case took the total in the tiny Himalayan kingdom to 113, still the lowest in South Asia, and it has yet to record a fatality. Bhutan, which is heavily reliant on high-end tourists, banned tourism in March after an American visitor tested positive for the virus, and ordered a three week mandatory quarantine for everyone returning from abroad. The lockdown was ordered after a 27-year-old Bhutanese woman, who returned from Kuwait and was discharged from quarantine after testing negative, tested positive at a clinic on Monday.
11th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Bhutan in virus lockdown for the first time
Bhutan has been largely shielded from coronavirus but on Tuesday, the remote Himalayan kingdom famous for measuring gross national happiness went into lockdown for the first time. The country of 800,000 people between India and China has recorded just 113 novel coronavirus cases and is one of the few nations to report zero deaths. The lockdown ordered in the early hours of Tuesday allows only essential services for an initial five to six days, said Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, a doctor who continues to practise on weekends.
11th Aug 2020 - Medical Xpress
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Australia records deadliest day but fewer new infections
Australia has recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic amid a second wave of infections in Melbourne. Victoria state - of which Melbourne is the capital - reported 19 deaths on Monday. Victoria has now seen about two-thirds of Australia's total 314 deaths and approximately 21,400 cases. But the number of daily infections - though still in the hundreds - has dropped in recent days, prompting hope that a strict lockdown is working. Melbourne's second lockdown began over a month ago, but residents have been subject to a night-time curfew and stricter requirements since 3 August.
10th Aug 2020 - BBC
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in full97,000 children reportedly test positive for COVID-19 as schools gear up for instruction
Nearly 100,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics finds. Just over 97,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus from July 16 to July 30, according to the association. Out of almost 5 million reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S., CBS News' Michael George reports that the group found that more than 338,000 were children. Vanderbilt University's Dr. Tina Hartert hopes increased testing of children will help determine what role they play in transmission, as school districts around the country return to some form of school. She is leading a government-funded study that saw DIY testing kits sent to some 2,000 families.
9th Aug 2020 - CBS News
Whitmer extends coronavirus emergency through Sept. 4
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday extended Michigan’s coronavirus emergency through Sept. 4, enabling her to keep in place restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. The governor, whose administration earlier this week said new cases had recently plateaued, noted that they still remain higher than nearly two months ago and that many students will return to in-person instruction over the next month. The seven-day statewide average is up six-fold since June 10, to about 700 cases per day, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. The rate of tests coming back positive also has trended higher since early June.
7th Aug 2020 - Associated Press
El Salvador supreme court rebukes president's decree to reopen economy
The constitutional chamber of El Salvador’s Supreme Court of Justice on Friday declared an executive decree that would establish protocols for the gradual reopening of the economy as unconstitutional. President Nayib Bukele and Congress have clashed over how to manage the pandemic and the country’s gradual reopening. Bukele had released an executive decree on July 29 that set out a calendar for a gradual reopening of the poor Central American economy.
But in its ruling, the court stated that the new measures “contradict constitutional parameters established” earlier to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
8th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Eerie sight of thousands of freshly dug graves in Johannesburg cemetery
Fresh graves were photographed at Olifantsveil Cemetery outside Johannesburg. South Africa is not coping with its high amount of coronavirus cases and deaths. Experts believe there are many more cases and deaths going unreported in SA
8th Aug 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullColombia's long virus lockdown fuels anxiety and depression
In the Colombian capital of Bogotá, the mayor’s office reports that suicide attempts are up 21% since the start of quarantine, with psychologists also reporting a rise in new patients.
6th Aug 2020 - Buenos Aires Times
The South Koreans left behind in a contact-free society
Digital technology has helped South Koreans cope with the pandemic. But the elderly have been left behind in the new contact-free era. Like many people around the world, Lee Ye-rin has spent most of the last few months alone at home. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 32-year-old office worker now works remotely from her apartment in Seoul; she avoids going to the gym by training at home and streams films on her TV rather than going to the cinema. She reads e-books instead of going to the library, which has been closed during the pandemic anyway. “I have rarely eaten out since the outbreak,” Lee says. “Instead, I order a variety of takeaway meals and even ice-cream for dessert on a delivery app. When I am fed up with that, I order ingredients from the grocery store and cook at home.”
6th Aug 2020 - BBC
N. Korea's escalating virus response raises fear of outbreak
North Korea is quarantining thousands of people and shipping food and other aid to a southern city locked down over coronavirus worries, officials said, as the country’s response to a suspected case reinforces doubt about its longstanding claim to be virus-free. But amid the outside skepticism and a stream of North Korean propaganda glorifying its virus efforts, an exchange between the country and the United Nations is providing new clarity — and actual numbers — about what might be happening in North Korea, which has closed its borders and cut travel — never a free-flowing stream — by outsider monitors and journalists.
6th Aug 2020 - The Associated Press
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directs aid to town under lockdown over 'virus concerns'
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un directed his government agencies to act immediately to stabilise the livelihoods of residents in a city locked down over coronavirus concerns, state media reported Thursday. North Korea declared an emergency and locked down Kaesong near the inter-Korean border in late July after finding a suspected virus case there. It hasn't confirmed yet if the person tested positive and still says the country hasn't had a single case of COVID-19, a claim questioned by outside experts.
6th Aug 2020 - The New Indian Express
Strict lockdown measures raise suspicions of virus outbreak in North Korea
North Korea is quarantining thousands of people and shipping food and other aid to a southern city locked down over coronavirus worries, officials said, as the country’s response to a suspected case reinforces doubt about its longstanding claim to be virus-free. But amid the outside scepticism and a stream of North Korean propaganda glorifying its virus efforts, an exchange between the country and the United Nations is providing new clarity — and actual numbers — about what might be happening in North Korea, which has closed its borders and cut travel — never a free-flowing stream — by outsider monitors and journalists.
6th Aug 2020 - The Asian Age
Proportion of COVID-19 contacts reached by English tracing scheme falls
The proportion of the contacts of positive COVID-19 cases reached by England’s test and trace system fell in its latest week, the health ministry said, adding that the decline was partly due to local health protection teams handling outbreaks. The Department of Health said 4,642 positive cases were transferred to the system in the week to 29 July, of whom 79.4% were reached and asked to provide their contacts. Some 19,150 people were identified as coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive and of these 72.4% were reached and asked to self-isolate, it said, a decrease from 76.2% in the previous week
6th Aug 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullLockdown having 'pernicious impact' on LGBT community's mental health
The coronavirus lockdown has provoked a mental health crisis among the LGBTQ community, with younger people confined with bigoted relatives the most depressed, researchers found. A study of LGBTQ people’s experience during the pandemic, by University College London (UCL) and Sussex University, found 69% of respondents suffered depressive symptoms, rising to about 90% of those who had experienced homophobia or transphobia. Around a sixth of the 310 respondents to the Queerantine study said they had faced discrimination during the pandemic because of their sexuality. The rate rose to more than a third among those living in homes where they were not open about their identity. Almost 10% of people reported they felt unsafe in their homes. The study’s co-author, Laia Bécares, deputy director of the centre for innovation and research in wellbeing at Sussex University, said the pandemic was having a “pernicious impact” on the LGBTQ community’s mental health, with younger trans and non-binary people suffering more discrimination and reporting the highest levels of depression.
5th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
America must readjust as lockdown bites business
The rash of cold feet has not generally extended beyond the US. Globally, only 593 deals had been withdrawn, down 9 per cent year on year. That’s partly because laws outside America make it much harder for a buyer to claim conditions have changed so much that it justifies pulling out of a deal. The Takeover Panel, which governs British M&A, made this abundantly clear back in 2001, when it knocked back WPP’s claim that it should be allowed to drop its offer for Tempus because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. US-based payments group WEX is due in a British court in September to test that high barrier as it tries to break its deal to purchase two systems from Travelport, citing the pandemic. Lawyers say that they would be surprised to see many European deals falter because of Covid-19. “Europe is still a market where if you do a deal, you are locked-in,” says one top M&A lawyer. “People are looking not at walkaway rights but at financial adjustments.”
5th Aug 2020 - Financial Times
'I had to hide myself again': young LGBT people on their life in UK lockdown
The experiences of LGBTQ people across the UK during lockdown have been as diverse as the community itself. Married and cohabiting older gay men and lesbians have mainly felt the pandemic has had no more impact on them than on their heterosexual peers. But for many of the more than 200 respondents to the Guardian’s callout, the past few months have brought significant challenges, including weeks of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, increased isolation and deteriorating mental health. Younger LGBTQ people reported that lockdown meant being confined with families who were unsupportive or hostile. Kate, a 24-year-old bisexual demi-girl, meaning she identifies as a woman but not completely, said moving from her flat in Glasgow back into her childhood home in Ayrshire had meant hiding her sexuality again.
5th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Uganda's tough approach curbs COVID, even as Africa nears 1 million cases
Uganda’s crumbling public hospitals, doctors’ strikes and corruption scandals make its success in the fight against the new coronavirus all the more unlikely. But the nation of 42 million people has recorded just over 1,200 cases and five deaths since March, a strikingly low total for such a large country. As the number of cases in Africa approaches one million, Uganda’s experience shows what can be accomplished when a government with a firm grip on power acts quickly and enforces a strict lockdown. But its success came at a cost, critics say. Jobs were lost, and economic growth is set to plunge to as low as 0.4% in 2020, from 5.6% last year, according to the World Bank.
5th Aug 2020 - Reuters
N.Y., N.J. and Conn. to require travelers from 35 states to quarantine
Travelers from 35 states are now required to quarantine for 14 days when traveling to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, per New York state's health department.
What's new: New York City will set up bridge and tunnel checkpoints to enforce the quarantine order, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, per the Wall Street Journal.
Why it matters: The tri-state area, the original hub of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., has successfully flattened its curve and is reopening. Officials fear, however, that the surge of cases in others states across the country could erase progress.
5th Aug 2020 - Axios.com
India's fatality rate hits its lowest since first lockdown despite case surge in some states
The Union Health Ministry in India announced that the country is now registering its lowest Covid-19 fatality rate since the first national lockdown was imposed in March. The fatality rate dropped to 2.1 percent while the recovery rate is now double the number of active cases, a good indicator that the country is on the right track in its battle with Covid-19. Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Rajesh Bhushan, stated “This is the first time after the first lockdown that the fatality rate is at its lowest, at 2.1 percent. The fatality rate has seen a progressive decline and it is continuing, which is a good sign".
5th Aug 2020 - AS English
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullLack of special border measures before UK coronavirus lockdown was 'serious mistake'
The government’s failure to impose special border measures such as mandatory self-isolation in the run-up to the UK coronavirus lockdown was “a serious mistake” that significantly increased the pace and scale of the epidemic, MPs have concluded in a damning report. Between January and mid-March, non-mandatory guidance to self-isolate for 14 days was issued to travellers from designated high-risk countries, including China, Iran and Italy, but not Spain. Yet on 13 March this guidance was withdrawn. Evidence suggests thousands of new infections were brought in from continental Europe in the 10 days between the withdrawal of guidance and the introduction of lockdown on 23 March, the home affairs select committee says in the report. “It is highly likely that this contributed to the rapid increase in the spread of the virus in mid-March and to the overall scale of the outbreak in the UK,” the MPs say.
4th Aug 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullLess than half of people in England understand current lockdown rules
Levels in Scotland and Wales have also fallen but are higher than those in England, with reported levels of understanding at 75% and 61% respectively. Complete understanding has fallen even further, with only 14% of adults in England reporting understanding the rules completely as lockdown eased, compared to 18% in Wales and 27% in Scotland.
3rd Aug 2020 - Medical Xpress
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Aug 2020
View this newsletter in fullCalifornia becomes first state to hit half a million coronavirus cases
More than half a million people have tested positive for the coronavirus in California, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. California is the first U.S. state to hit 500,000 cases. More than 9,000 people have died from coronavirus in California, and more than 6,000 people are currently in the hospital or an intensive care unit, according to state data published Friday morning. In mid-July, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions to try and ease the spread of the virus. Bars, breweries, restaurants, wineries, movie theaters and other indoor businesses that "encourage mixing of individuals beyond immediate households and make physical distancing and wearing face coverings difficult" were ordered to close. Counties that are on the state's monitoring list for three or more consecutive days were also ordered to close indoor operations, including fitness centers, places of worship, indoor protests, personal care services, salons, and malls.
1st Aug 2020 - CBS News
Fewer than half of adults understand the current coronavirus lockdown rules, study suggests
Fewer than half of people in England understand the current coronavirus rules, a study has revealed. Researchers found that as measures eased at different rates across the UK, levels of understanding of what is and what is not permitted dropped, particularly among younger adults. University College London (UCL) research conducted on more than 70,000 adults showed that 45 per cent only had a “broad understanding” of the current rules in place.
1st Aug 2020 - Evening Standard
Spike in Covid-19 cases puts reopening of pubs at risk amid worries over spread of virus
Pubs may have to agree to shorter opening times and limits on customer numbers as a price for reopening. Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said at least 19 cases over the two days have been identified as community transmission with an unknown source, while 20 cases remain under investigation. "We may be beginning to see more cases which we cannot link to outbreaks or close contacts. The National Public Health Emergency Team will continue to monitor this situation closely over the coming days," he said. The Irish Dog Foods factory in Naas, which was the centre of a large outbreak, remained closed yesterday for a deep clean
1st Aug 2020 - Irish Independent
Germany adds 3 coronavirus-hit Spanish regions to quarantine list
Germany on Friday (July 31) added three northern Spanish regions to its list of high-risk destinations, meaning anyone arriving from those areas will have to produce a negative coronavirus test or go into quarantine for 14 days. Germany's Foreign Ministry said it had toughened up its warning against travel to the regions of Catalonia, Navarre and Aragon following a spike in Covid-19 cases there. The move comes after Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control added the three regions to its high-risk list.
31st Jul 2020 - The Straits Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 31st Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCommunity Circles: The lockdown lifesavers connecting hundreds across Lancashire
When you’re an organisation dedicated to helping people connect and come together to explore hobbies, interests, and experiences together, a global pandemic resulting in lockdown and social distancing can safely be described as a bit of an issue.
30th Jul 2020 - Lancashire Post
Coronavirus: Why some people want to keep working from home
Bedrooms, kitchen counter-tops and dining tables became the new way of working for millions of people. According to the ONS, 30% of adults in the UK were exclusively working from home at the start of July. From 1 August, employers in England can allow staff back into offices at their own discretion when they feel it's safe to do so. But now it's time to return to those communal workplaces, research from Eskenzi suggests that 91% of the UK's office workers would like to work from home at least part of the time. So why are so many office staff keen to keep working from home?
30th Jul 2020 - BBC
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullAnother escape from managed isolation in Auckland
The Minister in charge of isolation facilities Megan Woods says another person managed to escape from the Crowne Plaza in Auckland after tailgating a staff member. She said the man was apprehended by police after only making it 50 metres from the hotel. "They didn't even make 50 metres. Security and the police were on to it and it really does show the work of having the police on site. "They could be immediately brought back into the facility. This is an example of the systems working as they should.
30th Jul 2020 - RNZ
North Korea tells foreigners in capital to follow rules amid coronavirus crackdown
Following the announcement that North Korea is investigating its first possible coronavirus case, authorities reminded foreigners living in Pyongyang to abide by anti-coronavirus measures, the Russian embassy there said on Wednesday. North Korea’s foreign ministry circulated a notice on Tuesday telling foreigners not to leave the city, hold large meetings, and to wear masks, among other rules, the embassy said in a post on its Facebook page. North Korea declared a state of emergency and introduced tougher curbs against the coronavirus, state media reported, after it locked down the town of Kaesong, on the border with the South, to tackle what could be its first publicly confirmed infection.
29th Jul 2020 - Reuters
International students turn to food banks in lockdown
Hundreds of international students in the UK have turned to food banks after part-time work and funding from families dried up during lockdown. Some have been unable to pay their course fees and have been threatened with suspension by their universities which would result in their visas being cancelled. The Newham Community Project in east London, volunteers are feeding up to 600 students, most in their early 20s. "They're going through a lot of hardship," says organiser Elyas Ismail. "This is their first time abroad," he adds. "They're in a bad way."
29th Jul 2020 - BBC
Kazakhstan extends coronavirus lockdown until mid-August
Kazakhstan has extended its lockdown over the novel coronavirus for two more weeks until mid-August and the restrictions will then be eased gradually, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Wednesday.
29th Jul 2020 - Reuters
Colombia coronavirus quarantine to be extended until Aug 30
Colombia’s national lockdown to curb infections of the new coronavirus will be extended by one month until the end of August, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 267,300 coronavirus cases and 9,074 deaths. “Obligatory preventative isolation, as the general concept, will continue until August 30,” Duque said in his nightly broadcast. This is the eighth time the lockdown has been extended. Duque declared a national lockdown in late March to slow the spread of coronavirus across the Andean country.
29th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Victoria announces more than 700 new Covid-19 cases, 13 deaths
The 723 cases mark the highest daily tally of the pandemic in the Australian state, shattering the previous single-day total by almost 200 cases. Today, 13 new deaths were announced, another daily high. They were three men and three women in their 70s, three men and two women in their 80s, and two men in their 90s. From midnight Sunday, face coverings will be mandatory throughout Victoria. The government will also impose restrictions on face-to-face gatherings in some regional local government areas from midnight tonight. "It's inconvenient, it's challenging, but it's essentially stage four for Melbourne, and it's something we can do in regional Victoria without causing significant economic cost, but getting a really significant public health benefit," Premier Daniel Andrews said at a media briefing.
29th Jul 2020 - RNZ
Covid-19: New Victoria cases to be 'doorknocked' by military - Premier
The 723 cases mark the highest daily tally of the pandemic in the Australian state, shattering the previous single-day total by almost 200 cases. Today, 13 new deaths were announced, another daily high. They were three men and three women in their 70s, three men and two women in their 80s, and two men in their 90s. From midnight Sunday, face coverings will be mandatory throughout Victoria. The government will also impose restrictions on face-to-face gatherings in some regional local government areas from midnight tonight. "It's inconvenient, it's challenging, but it's essentially stage four for Melbourne, and it's something we can do in regional Victoria without causing significant economic cost, but getting a really significant public health benefit," Premier Daniel Andrews said at a media briefing.
29th Jul 2020 - Radio New Zealand
Leicester lockdown decision deadline changed by Government
The deadline for a decision to be made on future of the Leicester lockdown has been moved forward to July 30. The original date the Government said it would review restrictions in the city and Oadby and Wigston by was Saturday, August 1.
The last review also took place on a Thursday, which could explain why the date has been changed.
28th Jul 2020 - Leicestershire Live
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullNorth Korea steps up coronavirus prevention after first possible infection
North Korea introduced tougher curbs against the coronavirus on Tuesday, state media reported, after it locked down the town Kaesong, on the border with the South, to tackle what could be its first publicly confirmed infection.
28th Jul 2020 - Reuters
UK lockdown life: Binge eating, more alcohol, less exercise
People have been binge eating, drinking more, exercising less and suffering increased anxiety during COVID-19 lockdowns, according to preliminary findings of a UK study on Monday, with knock-on impacts likely on rates of obesity and mental illness. An online survey of around 800 adults in England who were asked about their health and habits during late June and early July found a stark rise in negative mental health, coupled with unhealthy eating and drinking, poor sleep and less exercise. Younger adults appeared to be disproportionately suffering from sadness and anxiety, while 46% of survey participants said they had been less active during lockdown. Many also reported binge eating or said they were eating more unhealthy, processed snacks and drinking more alcohol.
28th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullReview finds people from BAME backgrounds more likely to get Covid-19 fines than white people
An independent review has found men from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds were more likely to be handed fines for breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules compared to white men of the same age. The review, conducted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), found there was “disproportionality” in the issuing of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) by forces in England and Wales. It found people people from BAME backgrounds were handed fines at a rate of 1.6 times higher than white people between March 27 and May 25, with black and Asian people 1.8 times more likely to be handed penalties.
27th Jul 2020 - Manchester Evening News
'What about us?' Canada home care workers' lockdown heroics neglected
Personal care workers provided a vital service to their elderly and vulnerable clients, but face precarious terms and low wages
27th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
South Korea says defector who fled to North 'did not have' Covid-19
South Korea has said that a defector who recently fled to the North does not appear to have contracted Covid-19, a day after Pyongyang imposed a lockdown near the border, claiming the man was its first recorded case of the illness. North Korean state media reported on Sunday that the 24-year-old man, who was reportedly in quarantine, was displaying symptoms of coronavirus after returning to his homeland across the border separating the two Koreas last week.
27th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: North Korea announces state of emergency and lockdown in border town after first suspected case
North Korea has announced a state of emergency and a lockdown in a border town after someone with suspected coronavirus illegally crossed the border with South Korea, according to the country’s state media. Kim Jong-un has imposed a lockdown on the city of Kaesong – which is close to the border with South Korea – warning “the vicious virus” may now have infiltrated the secretive country, state media said on Sunday. The patient will be North Korea’s first official coronavirus case if the authorities confirm they definitely have tested positive for the virus.
27th Jul 2020 - The Independent
North Korea introduces lockdown in signs of 'first' coronavirus case
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un placed the city of Kaesong near the border with South Korea under total lockdown after a person was found with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, saying he believes “the vicious virus” may have entered the country, state media reported on Sunday. If the person is officially declared a virus patient, he or she would be the North’s first confirmed coronavirus case. North Korea has steadfastly said it has no single virus case on its territory, a claim questioned by outside experts.
26th Jul 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Coronavirus: Defector who fled to North Korean lockdown did not have Covid, Seoul says
A defector who led to a lockdown in North Korea due to infection fears did not have coronavirus when he crossed the border from South Korea, according to officials. Alarm was raised in Pyongyang on Sunday after a man who had previously defected to South Korea was suspected to have Covid-19 when he got to Kaesong City after illegally swimming across the border.
26th Jul 2020 - The Independent
North Korea declares emergency over suspected Covid-19 case
North Korea has declared an emergency and a lockdown in a border town after a person suspected of having coronavirus returned from South Korea after illegally crossing the border, state media has said. If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by North Korean authorities. Kim Jong-un convened an emergency politburo meeting in response to what he called a “critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country”, the North’s KCNA state news reported. A person who defected to South Korea three years ago returned across the fortified border that divides the two Koreas to the town of Kaesong this month with symptoms of Covid-19, according to KCNA.
26th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe Coronavirus Unleashed Along the Amazon River
The virus swept through the region like past plagues that have traveled the river with colonizers and corporations. It spread with the dugout canoes carrying families from town to town, the fishing dinghies with rattling engines, the ferries moving goods for hundreds of miles, packed with passengers sleeping in hammocks, side by side, for days at a time. The Amazon River is South America’s essential life source, a glittering superhighway that cuts through the continent. It is the central artery in a vast network of tributaries that sustains some 30 million people across eight countries, moving supplies, people and industry deep into forested regions often untouched by road. But once again, in a painful echo of history, it is also bringing disease.
25th Jul 2020 - The New York Times
Iran Says Medics Exhausted in Battle against Coronavirus
Iran reported 216 new deaths from the novel coronavirus on Sunday, calling on its citizens to observe health protocols more closely to ease the burden on exhausted medical staff. The Islamic republic announced its first COVID-19 cases on February 19, and the outbreak quickly became the Middle East's deadliest. Declared coronavirus deaths have surged since the end of June and claimed more than 200 lives nearly every day in the past week, including a record 229 on Tuesday. "Our biggest concerns are the infection and fatigue of medical staff," health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a televised briefing on Sunday. "We can help them and prevent the spread of the disease" by observing basic guidelines such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing, she added. Iran said earlier this month that 5,000 health workers had been infected with the novel coronavirus and 140 had lost their lives.
26th Jul 2020 - Voice of America
Mass COVID-19 screenings begin in Pakistan provincial prisons
Detention facilities in the province are currently overfilled, with more than 17,600 people incarcerated in 24 prisons built to accommodate 13,000. Half of Sindh’s prison population is housed in two jails in Karachi. In June officials at one of them — Karachi Central Jail — said a quarter of the prisoners there had tested positive for COVID-19. “This is a big problem for us. They are hugely overcrowded, and it’s very difficult to manage them,” Kazi Nazeer Ahmed, the inspector general of prison police in Sindh, told Arab News. “We were a bit worried that COVID-19 might spread like wildfire in such a situation,” said Dr. Rafiq Khanani, president of the Infectious Disease Society of Pakistan, who oversees the country’s testing programs.
26th Jul 2020 - Arab News
Arrivals to the UK from Spain must quarantine for two weeks | ITV News
Anyone arriving in the UK from Spain must quarantine for 14 days, it has been announced, after the government reacted to a spike in the country's cases of coronavirus. Spain has been removed from the government’s list of safe countries to travel to, the Department for Transport confirmed, meaning anyone arriving from there must self-isolate for two weeks. Spain is feared to be "already" tackling its second wave of coronavirus, one of the country's leading experts warned, and restrictions have been reimposed there in an attempt to stem a new spike in cases.
As such, the Foreign Commonwealth Office is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain
25th Jul 2020 - ITV News
Gujarat records highest 1,110 Covid-19 cases in day; 21 deaths
Gujarat on Sunday saw the highest single-day spike of 1,110 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state tally to 55,822, the Health department said. Gujarat on Sunday saw the highest single-day spike of 1,110 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state tally to 55,822, the Health department said.
26th Jul 2020 - Deccan Herald
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Domestic abuse helpline sees lockdown surge
More than 40,000 calls and contacts were made to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline during the first three months of lockdown, most by women seeking help, new figures show. In June, calls and contacts were nearly 80% higher than usual, says the charity Refuge, which runs the helpline. And as restrictions ease, there is a surge in women seeking refuge places to escape their abusers, the charity says.
The government says it prioritised help for domestic-abuse victims in lockdown.
23rd Jul 2020 - BBC
Women did majority of childcare in UK lockdown, study finds
Women did significantly more in terms of childcare during lockdown compared to men, new figures reveal. According to a study from the Office for National Statistics, women in households with children under 18 carried out an average of more than three hours a day of childcare compared to just two hours for men. The research also found that one in three women home-schooling their children in lockdown said their mental health had suffered as a result.
23rd Jul 2020 - The Independent
Ukraine extends lockdown until Aug. 31
Ukraine’s government on Wednesday extended a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic until Aug. 31, but it will allow separate regions to ease the regime if warranted. Ukraine imposed strict restrictions in March and partially eased them in May to help an economic recovery. The government extends the lockdown monthly, requiring people to wear masks and adhere to strict norms in restaurants and public places. But there have been worryingly high levels of new infections in recent weeks, which authorities attribute to a reluctance to wear masks and observe social distancing.
23rd Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Turkish parliament gives Erdogan authority to extend layoff ban for a year
Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved a law allowing President Tayyip Erdogan to extend a layoff ban imposed to combat the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic until July 2021. The layoff ban was first imposed in April for three months. With the new law, Erdogan will be allowed to extend the ban by three months each time until June 30, 2021.
23rd Jul 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullBritish pupils 'struggled to continue learning at home'
A majority of British children struggled to continue learning at home during the lockdown, a report says. The Office for National Statistics research found that of the 52% who struggled, three-quarters of parents gave a lack of motivation as a reason. The research, based on weekly household surveys between April and June, also found women's well-being was being more adversely affected than that of men. It also showed wide disparities in what families were able to do. The ONS researchers carried out nationally representative surveys of more than 12,000 people in Great Britain between 3 April and 7 June about their experiences of home-schooling during the coronavirus pandemic.
22nd Jul 2020 - BBC
Bogota mayor extends virus lockdown after govt refuses
The mayor of Bogota said she would expand a coronavirus lockdown from Thursday to cover five million residents of the Colombian capital after the government refused to authorize a total shutdown. Since July 13, with the health crisis worsening, the city of eight million has been under a series of rotating lockdowns by groups of neighborhoods, covering 2.5 million of the population at a time. Bogota mayor Claudia Lopez on Tuesday said she would extend the measure so the lockdowns overlap to cover more of the population from July 23 to August 14.
22nd Jul 2020 - FRANCE 24
Rich Russians fuel private jet demand to skirt virus lockdown
For high-flying Russians used to spending summer holidays at Mediterranean resorts or in London penthouses, coronavirus restrictions that closed borders and grounded flights have made international travel a distant dream. Yet many of Russia's super-rich who hold second passports or residence permits abroad have discovered an elegant way of bypassing anti-virus measures to reach second homes in London, Cyprus, Monaco or Nice: private jets. Privately-operated flights from Moscow's airports more than doubled between April and mid-June, the RBK business news portal reported in late June citing sources at two of Moscow's airports.
22nd Jul 2020 - FRANCE 24
COVID-19 deaths are rising once again. What's driving the increase?
"What we saw after about two weeks was the older population starting to catch up again," McDeavitt said, though he pointed out that there is no scientific data yet to link younger partiers with older patients. "Presumably, younger people were going out and getting infected, and then bringing that back to parents and grandparents," he said. "Young people are generally fine," said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician and president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine. "They're not always, but if they give it to grandma, that's a problem." Indeed, McDeavitt said, more severe outcomes still tend to be among older people and people with underlying conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
22nd Jul 2020 - NBC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus pandemic 'showing no signs of slowing down' in Americas - PAHO
Carissa Etienne told a virtual briefing from PAHO's Washington headquarters that some Central American nations were seeing their highest weekly increase of cases since the virus landed, and that because of the high burden of infectious diseases and chronic conditions in the Americas, three out of 10 people - 325 million - were at "increased risk" of developing complications from COVID-19. "The impact of co-morbidities on the spread of the virus should be a clarion call to every country in the Americas: Use data to tailor your response and make health your top priority," she said.
21st Jul 2020 - Devdiscourse
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullStarving and sleeping on the streets: The reality of life for women seeking asylum in lockdown Britain
Women who have sought asylum in the UK have been forced to go without food and sleep outside or on buses during the coronavirus crisis, a report has found.
The study, carried out by a coalition of women’s organisations, warned that the public health emergency has made asylum-seeking women more at risk of hunger and ill health. The coalition Sisters Not Strangers, which includes organisations working with refugee women around the UK, found that three-quarters of women seeking asylum went hungry during the Covid-19 crisis, including mothers who found it difficult to find food to give their children.
20th Jul 2020 - The Independent
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullEl Salvador to postpone second phase of economic reopening, ...
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on Sunday that he would postpone the second phase of the country's economic reopening, slated to begin Tuesday, after evaluating inputs from experts and the Salvadoran health ministry. Just on Saturday, the president had reiterated his intention to move forward with the next stage of restarting the economy. "After listening to the opinions of experts and above all, the Ministry of Health ... I have decided to suspend Phase 2 of the economic reopening," Bukele wrote in a post on Twitter. Bukele and El Salvador's congress have clashed over how to manage the pandemic. Lawmakers have so far refused to approve a request from Bukele's government for new emergency measures to restrict the movement of people.
20th Jul 2020 - Thomson Reuters Foundation News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullIllegal groups in Colombia using violence to enforce lockdowns
Illegal armed groups are imposing strict COVID-19 quarantines in parts of Colombia where the state has a weak presence, threatening and even killing those who don't comply, Human Rights Watch warned Wednesday. At least nine people have been assassinated in recent months for either refusing to abide by the restrictions or actively opposing them. One man, community leader Edison Leon, was killed in June after sending a letter alerting local authorities that members of a group called “La Mafia” were forcing residents to staff a health checkpoint in Putumayo.
16th Jul 2020 - CTV News
UK sheds 650,000 jobs during coronavirus lockdown
The UK has shed more than half a million jobs during the coronavirus lockdown while employees worked fewer hours and earned less despite the government rolling out numerous measures to support the economy. The number of UK payroll employees fell by 650,000 in June compared with March, a 2.2 per cent fall, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics based on tax data. The statistics body said, however, that the rate of decline in employment had slowed in June compared with May. “There are now almost two-thirds of a million fewer employees on the payroll than before the lockdown, according to the latest tax data,” said Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the ONS.
16th Jul 2020 - The Financial Times
A Residential Area Remains on Lockdown in Beijing, China
An upscale residential area remains on semi-lockdown in Beijing on Thursday, July 16, 2020. China reported just one new confirmed case of the Covid-19 in the past 24 hours and two asymptomatic cases, as the U.S. struggles to fight the rising infections and deaths across the country.
16th Jul 2020 - UPI.com
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullColombian cartels killing those who don't obey their Covid-19 lockdowns
Human Rights Watch calls on government to do more to protect civilians after at least eight murdered by armed groups
15th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
Online tutoring improves disadvantaged school pupils performance and wellbeing in lockdown
A Bocconi University and Harvard program also raised disadvantaged pupils' aspirations, wellbeing and socio-emotional skills, showing that the educational gap can be addressed even with limited resources
15th Jul 2020 - EurekAlert!
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullHouse-to-house check on COVID-19 patients in Philippines
Philippine police will go from house to house in search for COVID-19 patients who should be isolated in quarantine facilities to boost efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, an official said Tuesday. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 patients should not be in home quarantine unless they have their own room and bathroom and if they do not have vulnerable family members. "So with the help of the local government units, the police will go house to house and we will take the patients to Covid isolation facilities.” “You are endangering the lives of other people when you stay at home,” he added.
“You will get well faster, it’s just 14 days in quarantine and food is free.” Ano urged the public to report to authorities if they know someone who was infected to help stop the spread of the virus
15th Jul 2020 - Qatar-Tribune.com
Grassroots help for homeless, drug addicts thrives in lockdown S. Africa
While some of the nation's homeless shelters have made headlines for harsh living conditions and police brutality, others have become unexpected havens for some residents. "I found paradise here," said Matthew Nxumalo, 35, a mechanic who is also on the methadone program, which has helped some 200 people in different shelters since the beginning of the lockdown. "Nobody else thought about us until we arrived here, but I feel like I've been given a second chance," Nxumalo told the Thomson Reuters Foundation before he gathered firewood in the bushes next to the bowling green to light an evening fire.
14th Jul 2020 - The Jakarta Post
Portugal keeps parts of Lisbon under coronavirus lockdown
Portugal’s government said on Monday five areas on the outskirts of Lisbon will remain under a partial lockdown put in place two weeks ago to tackle a worrying wave of coronavirus cases. People living in 19 civil parishes of Greater Lisbon are allowed to leave home only to buy essential goods such as food or medication, or to travel to and from work. “Although the coronavirus incidence rate has improved in these 15 days, it has not yet reached a stage where we would reevaluate measures,” Cabinet Affairs Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva told a news conference.
14th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Italy to extend anti-COVID measures to July 31: health minister | English.news.cn
Italy's Minister of Health Roberto Speranza said the country will continue enforcing some restrictive measures at least until the end of this month. "We must not retreat one inch on prevention," Speranza said. The minister also said that authorities are keeping a watchful eye on all arrivals from abroad, including migrants landing on Italy's shores. The country will maintain a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days for everybody arriving from outside the European Union, Speranza said.
14th Jul 2020 - Xinhua
Germany eyes local travel bans to prevent 2nd virus wave
Helge Braun, who is Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff and tasked with coordinating the government's pandemic response, said Germany is considering local travel bans for areas that see a sudden, unexplained surge in virus cases.
"Our measures are appropriate to preventing a second big wave," Braun told The Associated Press in an interview at the Chancellery in Berlin. "But this requires us to stay the course, not get careless in our measures and maintain our respect for the virus." Germany has managed to flatten the curve of infections to three per 100,000 inhabitants a week - a very low rate by international comparison. The country of 83 million has reported just over 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 9,077 deaths since the start of its outbreak.
14th Jul 2020 - ABC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullBathers banned from Rio's beaches as Brazil starts to take coronavirus seriously
Brazil reported 631 deaths yesterday bringing its overall death toll to 72,100
Beaches in tourist hotspot Rio de Janeiro are open for exercise and water sports
Municipal police officers were pictured removing sunbathers who flout the rules
13th Jul 2020 - Daily Mail
The women who can't get an abortion in lockdown
India's grinding national coronavirus lockdown complicated life for women trying to access safe abortions, and now cities are bringing back restrictions, reports Menaka Rao. In the last week of May, a 20-year old college-going woman in India's capital, Delhi, found out that she was pregnant. The woman, Kiran, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, had already taken abortion pills on the advice of a friend who was a doctor. But they did not work and so, her only option was a surgical abortion.
India, however, was still under lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. It had enforced some of the world's most severe restrictions, stopping air travel, trains and buses, and confining people to their homes as much as possible.
13th Jul 2020 - BBC
Germany's sex workers demand to go back to work as coronavirus ban continues
Prostitutes in Germany are demanding the right to get back to work. The country’s brothels remain closed following the coronavirus pandemic. Brothels have reopened in surrounding countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium.
13th Jul 2020 - CNBC
COVID-19 lockdown: A breeding ground for domestic abuse
Behind closed doors, the dark underbelly of domestic violence is thriving as more people are locked down at home, writes Anushka Britto. While some of us watched the exponential curve of COVID-19 cases and deaths rising around the world – including Australia – I was keenly aware of other curves also rising. I watched the unintentional adverse impact of keeping people at home.
13th Jul 2020 - Independent Australia
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in full20 areas most at risk of a new coronavirus outbreak exposed in leaked document
There are fears the areas in England could face new local lockdowns - with three, Sheffield, Bradford and Kirklees, noted as needing "enhanced support" in the Public Health England chart. A leaked report has detailed 20 areas in England which are believed to be most at risk of a fresh coronavirus outbreak.
12th Jul 2020 - Mirror Online
The lost families of lockdown
Invisible, ignored and at risk, these are the lockdown children politicians don’t discuss. Now charities and medics are 'gravely concerned' about the toxic impact of the pandemic on an already desperate situation. Jen Williams reports.
29th Jun 2020 - Manchester Evening News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullHolidaymakers left fuming as Foreign Office tells ALL tourists not to go on cruises due to coronavirus risk - after previously urging only over-70s to avoid them - just as restrictions on travel are lifted
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) urges against travel on cruise ships
Government previously urged over-70s to avoid cruise ships due to coronavirus
The FCO says new position comes following advice from Public Health England
Consumer groups has warned decision will lead companies to cancel sailings
10th Jul 2020 - Daily Mail
UK universities receive record number of applications in lockdown
A record 40.5% of all 18-year-olds in the UK have applied to go to university, with numbers rising significantly during lockdown, according to the university admissions service Ucas. It is the first time that more than four out of 10 students (40.5%) had applied by 30 June to go to university and the figures will offer some comfort to universities bracing themselves for the Covid-19 aftershock. At the same point in the admissions cycle last year, the figure was 38.9%, and Ucas points out that between mid-March and the end of June, when the pandemic was at its height in the UK, applications rose by 17%.
9th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
Traffic fell more in Britain than in any other European country during lockdown
They compared traffic data for February with records for March to June. UK came out bottom for post pandemic recovery out of 19 European countries. Recovery in major cities London, Belfast and Manchester also proved anaemic
9th Jul 2020 - Daily Mail
Palestine tightens lockdown after recording 2 new COVID-19 deaths
Palestine tightened the precautionary measures all over the West Bank on Wednesday after recording two new COVID-19 deaths, raising the total fatalities to 24 since March 5. On Wednesday, a full lockdown dominated the West Bank after the Palestinian government decided earlier to extend it for another five days to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of National Economy announced earlier on Wednesday that it fined 15 owners of industrial and commercial establishments for not abiding by the precautionary measures to combat coronavirus. The Palestinian police also announced that they had shut down 121 stores, seized 55 vehicles, and arrested 13 citizens for not abiding by the state of emergency and lockdown.
9th Jul 2020 - China.org.cn
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullColombia coronavirus lockdown extended until Aug. 1
Colombia's national lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus will be extended by just over two weeks until Aug. 1, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 124,400 cases of the novel coronavirus and 4,359 deaths. Duque declared a national lockdown in late March to slow coronavirus infections across the country. While thousands of businesses have begun reopening, the lockdown was due to be lifted on July 15. "After analysing the country and considering we have cities where the rate of cases has accelerated and grown, as well as the mortality rate, we have continued to work on preserving the mandatory preventive isolation as the general concept," Duque said in a nightly televised broadcast.
8th Jul 2020 - YAHOO!
Sharp increase in UK child sexual abuse during pandemic
“Our pursuit of high-risk online offenders has been unrelenting during lockdown,” says Charles Yates, the NCA’s deputy director. But these figures could be the tip of the iceberg. “The full scale will only be revealed once children return to schools and have more access to trusted adults, and the tech industry brings back human moderators [who check their platforms for illegal content],” he says. Even then, it may take some time. Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at NSPCC, warns that it may not be until 2021 that we will know the full impact. “What we’re likely to see here is a long tail of disclosures [in autumn].”
8th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
Bristol creates more new companies during lockdown than any other UK city
Bristol created more online companies during lockdown than any other UK city, new research has revealed. According to website building service Web Eden, the city had the largest number of company website registrations, followed by Leicester, London, Manchester, Gloucester and Birmingham. Web Eden analysed internal data between March and June 2020 to see where businesses were set up.
8th Jul 2020 - Bristol Post
FEATURE-With schools closed, child labour on the rise in lockdown Uganda
Every morning soon after dawn, 10-year-old Moses leaves home carrying trays of hard-boiled eggs and walks for half an hour to sell them outside a petrol station in the Ugandan city of Gulu. With schools closed indefinitely since the nation went into a strict lockdown to fight COVID-19 in March, Moses is among some 15 million Ugandan children at risk of being forced to work as families are pushed towards extreme poverty, charities say.
8th Jul 2020 - Reuters
Colombia coronavirus lockdown extended until Aug. 1
Colombia’s national lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus will be extended by just over two weeks until Aug. 1, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 124,400 cases of the novel coronavirus and 4,359 deaths. Duque declared a national lockdown in late March to slow coronavirus infections across the country. While thousands of businesses have begun reopening, the lockdown was due to be lifted on July 15. “After analysing the country and considering we have cities where the rate of cases has accelerated and grown, as well as the mortality rate, we have continued to work on preserving the mandatory preventive isolation as the general concept,” Duque said in a nightly televised broadcast.
8th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullFree ambulance helps save mothers and babies in Kenya lockdown
As soon as Kenya introduced a coronavirus curfew, Dr. Jemimah Kariuki, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Nairobi's Kenyatta Hospital, started seeing more death and complications. "Every time I went to the hospital it was fewer numbers but more complications...and when women died alone in childbirth, I was like 'in 2020?' You are dying? Alone?," she said. Mothers in labour and their babies die more frequently during disease outbreaks in Africa. Women are either too afraid of infection to give birth in hospitals, or drivers are too afraid to take them if police are enforcing movement restrictions. That means disruptions to health systems caused by COVID-19 could result in an additional 1.1 million additional child deaths and 56,700 maternal deaths in low and middle-income countries, a study by Johns Hopkins researchers showed.
7th Jul 2020 - SwissInfo.ch
Pandemic accelerating, global peak still to come: WHO chief
After a record number of new COVID-19 cases were reported worldwide over the weekend, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that the pandemic is worsening despite some regions having appeared to slow its spread.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that the world has "clearly not reached the peak of the pandemic" and the "outbreak is accelerating." Ghebreyesus acknowledged that while the number of infections appears to have levelled off globally, some countries such as the United States and Brazil continue to see a surge in cases.
7th Jul 2020 - CTVNews.ca
How many children at risk? UK health visitors count the cost of lockdown
Since lockdown, many services in England have had to stop or severely restrict face-to-face appointments in homes as health visitors have been redeployed to other healthcare roles. This has led to concerns about being able to pick up on vital clues about people’s mental health, particularly new mothers; children’s development; and domestic violence. “We expect children are having a difficult life in households with domestic abuse,” says Jacky Syme, a service development manager at Bedfordshire community health services. “The level has gone up, we’ve seen it on the ground.” Calls to the UK’s national domestic abuse helpline have reportedly risen by 66% during lockdown and visits to its website increased by 950%. Demand for beds in refuges has also rocketed. “There is a lot of concern around vulnerable children behind closed doors,” says Cheryll Adams, chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting.
7th Jul 2020 - The Guardian
No distance learning for 12.7% of students in lockdown
Italy's communications regulator AGCOM said Tuesday that 12.7% of Italian students did not have access to distance learning during the coronavirus lockdown. It said this figure was "unacceptable for an advanced democracy". The authority said the pandemic has exacerbated "pre-existing social and digital inequalities" and risked "compromising the slow process of digitalization" in Italy. It said the problem was especially serious in Italy's less wealthy southern regions. The authority said Italian families' "inadequate" technological resources were "a significant obstacle and an unacceptable condition in the case of access to essential services such as education
7th Jul 2020 - ANSA
Study from Uni.lu: Luxembourgers satisfied despite lockdown
A study whose results were published by the University of Luxembourg analysed the impact of the confinement on several countries. The results were surprisingly positive in Luxembourg. The study investigated the impact of the lockdown (or similar measures) in Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. Individuals in Luxembourg increased time spent for children’s care and for household chores. According to the report, "Luxembourg experienced the highest increase of 2.65 hours on average in childcare."
7th Jul 2020 - RTL Today
Displaced Yazidis head back to Sinjar as lockdown bites
Hundreds of Yazidi families driven from their hometown of Sinjar in northern Iraq years ago are now returning as the impact of coronavirus lockdown measures makes their lives in exile even harder. Many have lost their jobs and aid from donors in Sharya, where they have been living since they fled Sinjar in 2014.
Mahma Khalil, the mayor of Sinjar but now in exile in Dohuk in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, said more than 1,200 displaced families have returned from their temporary homes to Sinjar since June. Most had relatives their who serve in the military or police, he said.
7th Jul 2020 - Arab News
Displaced Yazidis head back to Sinjar as coronavirus lockdown bites
Hundreds of Yazidi families driven from their hometown of Sinjar in northern Iraq years ago are now returning as the impact of coronavirus lockdown measures makes their lives in exile even harder. Many have lost their jobs and aid from donors in Sharya, where they have been living since they fled Sinjar in 2014. Mahma Khalil, the mayor of Sinjar but now in exile in Dohuk in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, said more than 1,200 displaced families have returned from their temporary homes to Sinjar since June. Most had relatives there who serve in the military or police, he said. Overrun by Islamic State in 2014 and liberated by an array of forces the following year, little has been rebuilt in Sinjar.
7th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullIndia surges in cases as virus slams US hospitals
India's major cities including New Delhi and Mumbai are the hardest-hit, and critics say too few tests are being conducted and that many COVID-19 infections are likely to go undiagnosed. The surge has forced authorities in India to convert hotels, wedding halls, a spiritual centre and even railway coaches to help provide care to coronavirus patients
6th Jul 2020 - Bangkok Post
Lockdown Extension News Today: These Districts Are Under Complete Shutdown For a Week From Today
To combat the spread of coronavirus pandemic, several states have announced a week-long complete shutdown for certain districts from July 6, Monday. The lockdown would continue to remain in force these areas till July 12-13 and only essential activities will be allowed
6th Jul 2020 - India.com
The North Korean refugees supplying PPE to care homes
Jihyun Park and Timothy Chow understand the meaning of hardship. Both suffered under the brutal North Korean regime, enduring famine, the deaths of family members and imprisonment in forced labour camps - before fleeing and eventually receiving asylum in the UK. Wanting to give something back to the country that gave them safe haven, the pair have teamed up with other members of the North Korean community to donate a total of 7,000 sets of personal protective equipment to seven care homes in the north of England. "I escaped North Korea two times," says Jihyun, who lives in Manchester. "The first time I only escaped as far as China where I was married off to a farmer and effectively became his slave. I was later sent back to North Korea and forced to work in a labour camp in the mountains."
6th Jul 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Australia's economy brutalised by pandemic lockdowns, report finds
The coronavirus pandemic has brutalised Australia's economy as lockdowns are tipped to bring major financial downturns this calendar year, a new report has found. The country's economy is expected to shrink by an overall three per cent, however Victoria's economic output alone will fall by 3.5 per cent, followed by Tasmania and Western Australia, the Deloitte report says. "Even though this is turning out to be a better year than expected, it's still a shocker," Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics told 9News.
6th Jul 2020 - 9News
Countries around the world in fresh or extended lockdowns
As Melbourne enforces fresh lockdown measures this week, countries around the world - from Spain to Ireland, Israel to El Salvador - are also extending or reinstituting their own lockdown measures to keep a lid on the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. In the US, rising cases in 39 states cast a shadow over Fourth of July holiday celebrations, while President Trump claimed that 99 per cent of cases were "totally harmless".
6th Jul 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
South Africa's boozy church struggles with COVID lockdown rules
When South Africa began easing its coronavirus lockdown in May, it allowed religious worshippers to gather in groups of up to 50, but maintained a ban on people assembling to drink alcohol. That’s a problem for the “Gabola” church — the name means ‘drinking’ in the local Tswana language — for whom a tipple is an integral part of their religious worship. Founded just two years ago, the church tried to hold its usual meetings in local bars, called shebeens, to praise God while downing whisky, but they soon got arrested, its leader and self-styled ‘pope’ Tsietsi Makiti, 55, told Reuters. “They can arrest us until Jesus comes back,” said Makiti, wearing a bishop’s mitre with a miniature bottle of spirits hanging off it. But he added they had been moving services from place to place to avoid a run-in with the authorities.
3rd Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullTaj Mahal remains shut as India reports record daily virus cases
The jump in infections came as local authorities in northern Agra city said the Taj Mahal, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, would remain closed to visitors even though the national government said it had permission to reopen on Monday.
6th Jul 2020 - The Economic Times
Israel, Palestinians face new restrictions amid virus surge
Israel said Sunday it has ordered thousands of people into quarantine after a contentious phone surveillance program resumed while Palestinians in the West Bank returned to life under lockdown amid a surge in coronavirus cases in both areas. Israel’s Health Ministry said Sunday “many” messages had been sent to Israelis following the renewed involvement of the Shin Bet domestic security agency. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that more than 30,000 people were notified they must enter quarantine since Thursday. Just weeks ago, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank appeared to have contained outbreaks after imposing strict measures early on during a first wave of infections. But after reporting just a handful of new cases a day in early May, both areas have experienced a steady uptick in cases following an easing of restrictions.
5th Jul 2020 - The Washington Post
Mexico's coronavirus death toll surpasses 30,000
Mexico reported 523 more coronavirus deaths on Saturday, pushing its tally to 30,366, overtaking France to become the fifth-highest in the world. The health ministry also reported 6,914 new infections and a total of 252,165 confirmed cases.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell reiterated that the actual number of infected was probably significantly higher. “We knew from the beginning that the cases we report here do not represent the total number of people with COVID-19 in Mexico,” he told a regular news conference. “Neither Mexico nor any other country in the world aims to make an exhaustive count.”
5th Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
West Footscray COVID-19 sign chilling echo of Checkpoint Charlie as Melbourne suburb enters lockdown
COVID-19 sign with similar layout to Checkpoint Charlie raised in Melbourne. Sign warns residents they are entering COVID hotspot at West Footscray. The caution is translated from English into Russian, French and German.
4th Jul 2020 - Daily Mail
Leicester lockdown map: What areas are included, and what are the rules?
Leicester has become the first city in Britain to be placed in a local lockdown after public health officials voiced concern at the city’s alarming rise in Covid-19 cases.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday night, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that from Tuesday 30 June, non-essential shops in the city will be forced to close, and starting from Thursday 2 July, schools will be shut to all but the most vulnerable children, as well as the children of key workers. Residents have been advised to "stay at home as much as you can", while members of the public outside of the city have been told to avoid all non-essential travel to the region. The lockdown, which was signed off by Boris Johnson, was a difficult decision to make, the Health Secretary said. He told Parliament: "I know that this is a worrying time for people living in Leicester and I want you to know you have our full support." "We do not take these decisions lightly but with the interests of the people of Leicester in our hearts."
4th Jul 2020 - The Telegraph
Brazil registers 37,923 new cases of coronavirus, 1,091 ...
Brazil recorded 37,923 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as 1,091 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. Brazil has registered more than 1.5 million cases since the pandemic began, while cumulative deaths total 64,265, according to the ministry
4th Jul 2020 - Thomson Reuters Foundation News
Australia sets up suburban checkpoints to contain Melbourne virus hotspots
Australian police set up suburban checkpoints in new coronavirus hotspots in Melbourne on Thursday as authorities struggled to contain new outbreaks in the country's second-largest city, even as travel restrictions eased elsewhere. Images published by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday showed police flagging down cars in suburban streets after 36 suburbs in Melbourne in Victoria state went into lockdown following a spike in new infections there. The state reported 77 new cases on Thursday, up slightly from the previous day and in line with two weeks of double-digit daily increases. "I'm obviously concerned about the outbreak, and I'm pleased that the premier has taken the action he's taken by putting in place the lockdown for the outbreak in those suburbs," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a televised news conference, referring to the Victorian state government.
2nd Jul 2020 - The Jakarta Post
Kazakhstan Back Under Lockdown After Coronavirus Spike
Kazakh authorities have reimposed lockdown in what is Central Asia’s largest country after a rapid increase in coronavirus cases, as more than 42,000 people have been affected. The country’s government announced Thursday the second lockdown as part of an online joint briefing chaired by the country’s prime minister, Askar Mamin, saying the ‘‘preventative measures’’ in Kazakhstan will last until July 19. Authorities banned the use of public transport operating between regions and limited public transport activities in the cities. Any interactive events, such as entertainment, sports and other public events, as well as family and commemorative events are banned. Around 80 percent of employees should continue working from home, except for essential workers, according to the new order.
2nd Jul 2020 - Caspian News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullSindh extends ‘smart’ lockdown until July 15 to control rising COVID-19 cases
On the recommendations of the Sindh government, the home department has extended the date of ‘smart’ lockdown throughout the province until July 15. The notification issued on Wednesday said that in continuation of the order issued on June 1 and “for the same reasons recorded therein” by the Sindh government under Section 3(1) of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act, 2014, the home department has extended the lockdown until July 15. The sectors that will remain closed are educational and training institutes, marriage halls, business centres, expo halls, all contact sport and indoor sports clubs, indoor gyms and sports facilities, sporting tournaments, restaurants, cafes (excluding takeaway and home delivery), theme, amusement parks and arcades, beauty parlours and spas, cinemas and theatres, public processions and gatherings of all nature, shrines, tourism and tourist hotels, and interprovincial transport. However, the intercity transport shall be opened as per the inputs from the Sindh Transport Department, keeping in view the petition by transporters in the high court.
2nd Jul 2020 - MSN
Colombia tops 100,000 coronavirus cases, nears 3,500 deaths
Colombia's confirmed coronavirus infections tipped across the 100,000 case threshold on Wednesday, as the country's quarantine measures roll on and intensive care units fill. Confirmed coronavirus cases now number 102,009, the health ministry said, 54,941 of which are active. Some 3,470 people have died.
Wednesday also marked the highest-ever daily increase in confirmed cases with an uptick of 4,163.
2nd Jul 2020 - The Jakarta Post
'Cuddle curtains' are going global amid the coronavirus pandemic
Social distancing during lockdowns has ruined the beauty of the hug. But many people have come up with a way to hug safely, the “cuddle curtain.” The idea has caught on and is now being seen across the world.
2nd Jul 2020 - CNBC
French Guyana struggles with three-month Covid-19 lockdown measures as cases still on the rise
Almost two months after French government lift the coronavirus lockdown measures in mainland France, French Guyana has seen an alarming spike of Covid-19 cases and measures such as curfews were put back in place. The territory shares kilometres of borders with Brazil, the hardest-stricken country in Latin America. Meanwhile, the situation is “under control” in mainland France, the government says even though 200 clusters were identified.
2nd Jul 2020 - FRANCE 24
Coronavirus cases spike in Serbia with 359 new infections | Daily Sabah
Serbia on Thursday reported 359 new coronavirus infections and six deaths, marking a new spike within a persistent upward trend which has forced the return of some restrictions on public life. The country had seemed to be on the verge of bringing the COVID-19 epidemic to a close, with the number of new cases in the low double-digits in late May and early June. But since then, new outbreaks have hit Belgrade and the town of Novi Pazar, where local health services were quickly overwhelmed. Infection numbers began to rise after the government fully relaxed restrictions, even becoming the first European country to allow spectators at football matches, with one game drawing a crowd of more than 20,000 people.
2nd Jul 2020 - Daily Sabah
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullZurich quarantines nearly 300 nightclub revellers after six people contract COVID-19
Zurich’s health authority said on Saturday it had ordered a 10-day quarantine for almost 300 guests and staff of a nightclub after a reveller tested positive for the coronavirus and had been proven to have infected others during his outing. The man was at the Flamingo Club on June 21 and tested positive for COVID-19 on June 25, the statement said. Five other people who were at the club with him have also tested positive since, it said. As other European countries who have eased restrictions, Switzerland has seen a rise in new coronavirus infections. This week, the number of new infections has increased daily from 18 on Monday to 69 on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.
2nd Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
US daily coronavirus cases jump by more than 50,000 for first time
The number of new US coronavirus cases surpassed 50,000 for the first time ever on Wednesday, propelled by record rises in some of the most populous states, including California and Texas. The surge in cases has increased concerns about the speed at which the disease is spreading in emerging US hotspots ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend. A further 52,982 people in the US tested positive for coronavirus over the past 24 hours, according to Covid Tracking Project, topping the previous record increase from June 26 by more than 8,600. Throughout the month of June, the daily case rate in the US rose 105 per cent.
2nd Jul 2020 - Financial Times
Pet shop speakeasy busted in Brazilian city
The shutters were down, but the pub chatter in the midst of a coronavirus quarantine gave the game away: a crowded Brazilian bar under the cover of a pet shop with no pets. Municipal authorities in the city of Petropolis said they discovered the speakeasy on Friday after neighbors complained. Inspectors found 16 patrons drinking beer, none of them wearing a mandatory mask or keeping to social distancing rules. "The owner served customers behind a closed door. They came in through the adjacent pet shop," a city spokesman said.
1st Jul 2020 - Reuters on MSN.com
Brazil shuts down bar disguised as pet shop to skirt lockdown
A pet shop with no pets has been busted for being a front for a bar in Brazil. Municipal authorities in the city of Petropolis said they discovered the speakeasy after neighbours complained. Inspectors found 16 patrons drinking beer, none of them wearing a mandatory mask or keeping to social distancing rules.
1st Jul 2020 - SBS News
'Utter abandonment' of special needs families during lockdown
Families of children with special educational needs have felt "utterly abandoned" during school closures, an MPs' committee has been told. Witnesses told the education committee those with extra educational, physical or emotional needs had seen support "fall off a cliff" amid lockdown. Risk assessments linked to Covid-19 had been used by some schools to prevent SEND pupils attending, it heard. There was also concern national catch-up plans do not mention SEND children. Witnesses from the special educational needs and disability (SEND) world painted a bleak and disturbing picture of life for pupils with additional needs.
1st Jul 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Colombian mayor shops son to police for breaking lockdown
The mayor of a town in Colombia has been praised after he turned his own son in to the police for breaking a curfew imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Carlos Higgins Villanueva said he had to set an example. "My family are the first who have to respect the rules," he tweeted. There have been more than 95,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Colombia and more than 3,300 people have died.
1st Jul 2020 - BBC
Child obesity risk as lockdown causes increased snacking among teenagers
Lockdown has had a mixed impact on healthy eating among young people, with teenagers finding new enjoyment eating as a family but reporting increased snacking, research has found. Over 1,000 14 to 19 year-olds from England were surveyed by the anti-childhood obesity campaign Bite Back 2030 and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.
1st Jul 2020 - iNews
Colombia tops 100,000 coronavirus cases, nears 3,500 deaths
Colombia’s confirmed coronavirus infections tipped across the 100,000 case threshold on Wednesday, as the country’s quarantine measures roll on and intensive care units fill. Confirmed coronavirus cases now number 102,009, the health ministry said, 54,941 of which are active. Some 3,470 people have died. Wednesday also marked the highest-ever daily increase in confirmed cases with an uptick of 4,163. The mayor of the country’s capital Bogota said over the weekend the city should prepare for a stricter lockdown as ICUs reached 70% capacity, but ruled out tougher measures after the national government turned over hundreds of additional ventilators.
1st Jul 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Jul 2020
View this newsletter in fullVenezuela Tightens Quarantine in COVID-19 Hotspots amid Record Daily Case Count
The Venezuelan government has toughened lockdown measures in hotspot localities as the COVID-19 pandemic picks up. Starting Monday, 30 percent of the country will return to a strict quarantine after a month of easing restrictions , in which a range of enterprises were allowed to reopen across the country on a week-on-week-off basis, including banks, hardware stores and dentists.
30th Jun 2020 - MENAFN.COM
Coronavirus crisis deepens in US as restrictions return and cities go back into lockdown
The US state of Arizona has shut down bars, movie theatres, gyms and water parks, while leaders in several US states have ordered residents to wear masks in public. The moves are a dramatic policy shift amid an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases nationwide. California has ordered bars in Los Angeles and six other counties to close as the city emerges as a new epicentre in the pandemic.
30th Jun 2020 - 7NEWS.com.au
India's Modi warns of coronavirus 'negligence' as some cities extend lockdowns
India’s prime minister on Tuesday warned citizens against flouting rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, as he extended a vast social security scheme until November. Several Indian cities prepared to extend their lockdowns to combat the spread of the infection on Tuesday, with daily new cases in the country remaining close to 20,000. “Ever since (easing of restrictions) started in the country, negligence in personal and social behaviour has been increasing,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address, adding citizens were ignoring guidelines on social distancing and hand washing. Under pressure for leaving the poor to fend for themselves early in a stringent lockdown that began in March, Modi also announced the extension of a scheme providing free food grains to 800 million Indians, at a cost of around $12 billion.
30th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
German lockdown extended after abattoir outbreak | News
Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia state extended its coronavirus lockdown on a district hit hard by an outbreak at a slaughterhouse, but lifted the restrictions on a neighbouring area. The districts of Gütersloh and Warendorf last Tuesday became the first in Germany to go back into lockdown since the coronavirus shutdowns began easing in May, affecting more than 600,000 people. It was the country’s first big setback in tackling the pandemic. Armin Laschet, the state’s premier, said that Gütersloh would remain on lockdown until July 7 “as a precaution”, even if testing showed only a limited spread of the virus from the slaughterhouse to the wider population.
30th Jun 2020 - The Times
Covid-19 lockdown sees many young Kiwi children fall behind on vaccine schedule
Doctors' clinics in New Zealand are struggling to get children their routine vaccinations after Covid-19 lockdown saw many missing appointments and falling behind in their immunisation schedule. Some GP clinics still haven’t been able to get in touch with families who missed out, leaving doctors around the country worried about the potential fallout. Vicky Maiave, a Turuki Healthcare nurse in South Auckland, says her clinic had a lot of phone calls from families asking if they could bring their babies to get vaccinated, and despite them saying yes, they all chose not to. Home visit offers have also been turned down. “Mums who have had babies over the Covid period have chosen not to come in and get their babies vaccinated because of the fear of bringing their baby out." Children in New Zealand get injections for diseases such as chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella and whooping cough as early as six weeks old to four years.
30th Jun 2020 - 1News
Daily coronavirus cases in India near 20,000 as Mumbai extends lockdown
India reported close to 20,000 fresh novel coronavirus cases for the second day running on Monday, as the financial hub of Mumbai extended its lockdown by a month. There were 19,459 new cases reported in the previous 24 hours, according to data from India’s federal Health Ministry released on Monday. That is down slightly from Sunday’s record of 19,906, but still sign cases in the country are yet to subside. India lags only the United States, Brazil and Russia in total cases. More than 16,000 have now died from the disease caused by the virus since the first case in India in January — low when compared to countries with similar numbers of cases. But experts fear its hospitals will be unable to cope with a steep rise in cases.
30th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
India's daily coronavirus cases at about 20,000 as some cities extend lockdowns
India’s prime minister on Tuesday warned citizens against flouting rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, as he extended a vast social security scheme until November.
30th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Eight states added to New York governor's quarantine order
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday ordered people arriving from any of an additional eight states to quarantine for 14 days amid the coronavirus pandemic. The eight new states are California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee, all of which are contending with growing caseloads, Cuomo said in a statement. The order has been in place for eight other states since June 24. The order applies both to visitors and New Yorkers returning home from one of the states. Those found breaching the quarantine order could face fines, Cuomo has said.
30th Jun 2020 - CNBC
Coronavirus case in refugee camp on US-Mexico border raises alarm
An asylum seeker has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a sprawling encampment just steps from the US-Mexico border in Matamoros, underscoring the challenges migrants face in protecting themselves from the pandemic. After showing symptoms of the virus last Thursday, the migrant and three family members were placed in isolation and tested, Global Response Management (GRM), a nonprofit providing medical services in the camp, said in a statement.
When results came back on Monday, the migrant who had displayed symptoms tested positive and the relatives had negative results.
30th Jun 2020 - AlJazeera
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCOVID-19: Asian New Zealanders experienced high rates of anxiety, depression during lockdown - survey
According to new research the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has been tough on the mental wellbeing of Asian New Zealanders. The New Zealand Asian Mental Health and Well-being report, commissioned by charity Asian Family Services, found high levels of anxiety and nervousness, as well as racism. The research surveyed 580 Asian New Zealanders across the country and found almost 44 percent of them experienced some form of mental distress since level 4 lockdown. Nervousness and anxiety are the most widely experienced (57 percent), followed by little interest or pleasure in doing things (55.2 percent), uncontrollable worrying (47.4 percent) and feeling down and hopeless (44 percent).
29th Jun 2020 - Newshub
Sudan extends coronavirus lockdown in Khartoum state
Sudan is extending a lockdown in the state of Khartoum aimed at curbing the spread of the new coronavirus by one week until July 7, the government spokesman said on Sunday. From July 8 there will be a gradual return to normal, though a night curfew will be imposed from 6 p.m. until 5 a.m., Faisal Salih told Reuters. Sudan has confirmed 9,258 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 572 deaths. Authorities have extended the closure of Khartoum’s international airport until July 12.
29th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Arizona governor closes bars, gyms and movie theaters for a month
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said bars, gyms, movie theaters, waterparks, and tubing rentals will shut down for 30 days, as coronavirus cases continue to soar in the state. The measure is meant to help ease the strain on the state's healthcare system.
29th Jun 2020 - Business Insider
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullMexican health ministry confirms 4,410 new coronavirus cases, 602 deaths
Mexico’s health ministry on Saturday reported 4,410 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 602 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 212,802 cases and 26,381 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
28th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
AP Interview: Delhi minister says city faces virus challenge
The acting health minister of India's capital said that New Delhi is facing a shortage of “trained and experienced” health care workers, providing a major challenge in a city that is the epicenter of the country's coronavirus outbreak. With over 77,000 cases, New Delhi has been hit harder than any other Indian city. Infections had been projected to rise to half a million by the end of July in Delhi, the territory that includes the capital. With the rate of infections slowing down, the number has been revised to 400,000, and Acting Health Minister Manish Sisodia said he was hopeful that it could be less. “But we can’t be under any illusions,” he told The Associated Press in an interview on Saturday, when India's total caseload passed half a million. “The availability of medical staff is a big challenge that (other) states need to address as well."
28th Jun 2020 - ABC News
Texas and Florida close bars after explosion of COVID-19 cases
The governors of Florida and Texas closed down the bars Friday to slow down the spread of the coronavirus that has been rampaging at record levels through their states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the bar shutdown as the state health department reported 8,942 new COVID-19 cases, shattering the previous record of 5,508 set just two days ago. But DeSantis, who has been resisting calls to slow down the reopening of his state, left it to Halsey Beshears, the Secretary of Department of Business and Professional Regulation, to convey his message in a tweet
26th Jun 2020 - NBC News
Texas governor orders bars to close amid surge in virus cases
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered bars to close on Friday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the second most populous state in the country. As Abbott outlined a series of measures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 in Texas, the chief executive of Harris County, the state's largest, issued a stay-at-home advisory and raised the threat level to Level 1, or "severe." Under Abbott's executive order, bars are required to close but may continue to provide delivery and take-out service.
26th Jun 2020 - FRANCE 24
Asia Today: India's cases spike again to near half-million
India neared half a million confirmed coronavirus cases Friday with its biggest 24-hour spike of 17,296 new infections, prompting a delay in resumption of regular train services of more than a month. The new cases took India’s total to 490,401. The Health Ministry also reported 407 more deaths in the previous 24 hours, taking its total fatalities to 15,301. The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at 57.43%. Also, deaths per 100,000 stood at 1.86 against the world average of 6.24 per 100,000, it said. The actual numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher due to a number of reasons including limited testing.
26th Jun 2020 - The Associated Press
Record rise in virus cases as Ukraine warns of 'serious wave'
Ukraine on Friday reported a record daily increase in coronavirus cases as authorities warned lockdowns may have to be re-imposed if people continued to flout restrictions. Health authorities recorded 1,109 new coronavirus infections in the previous 24 hours, bringing Ukraine's total to more than 41,000. "People have ceased to comply with restrictions," Prime Minister Denys Shmygal wrote on his Telegram channel late Thursday. "If we want to preserve the economy and not quarantine the country, the only way is to adhere to restrictions together." Ukrainian officials have repeatedly complained that people are ignoring social distancing and other safety rules after anti-virus restrictions were eased last month.
26th Jun 2020 - Medical Xpress
Millions of Yemeni Children May Starve Amid Pandemic, UNICEF Warns
Millions of children could be pushed to the brink of starvation as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across war-torn Yemen amid a "huge" drop in humanitarian aid funding, the UN children’s agency warned Friday. The stark prediction comes in a new UNICEF report, “Yemen five years on: Children, conflict and COVID-19.” It said the number of malnourished Yemeni children could reach 2.4 million by the end of the year, a 20 per cent increase in the current figure.
26th Jun 2020 - Haaretz
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Young people 'more anxious during lockdown'
The number of young people experiencing anxiety has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, a study has found. Bristol-based Children of the 90s asked 7,000 people across two generations about their mental health and lifestyle before and during lockdown. The study found the number of 27-29 year olds experiencing anxiety rose from 13% to 24% and they were more anxious then their parents. Underlying conditions and financial worries may be behind the increase.
25th Jun 2020 - BBC
Illegal lockdown parties hosted in online rentals
Lockdown parties hosted in properties booked via online sites, including Airbnb and Booking.com, are putting "communities at risk", the Bed and Breakfast Association has said. Hosts and residents have complained of groups of up to 30 breaking social-distancing rules and taking drugs. BBC News has been told of several such parties in the past month. Airbnb said it had gone further than its rivals to protect public health during the pandemic. However, last week a man was stabbed at a party in a south London property police believe had been rented out via the platform.
25th Jun 2020 - BBC
Victorians with disabilities speak of 'lifetime lockdown' due to inaccessible public transport
The coronavirus pandemic has seen lockdown restrictions applied across Australia, forcing people to find new ways to interact, work and travel. But barriers like this are nothing new for the thousands of people with disabilities across regional Australia who struggle with unreliable access to public transport.
25th Jun 2020 - ABC News
Roma across Europe seen as police target in lockdown
Roma communities across Europe have become a police target in lockdown, a report found on Wednesday, amid a sharpening global focus on racial equality and law enforcement. The report by Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, said Roma communities had faced tougher quarantines than citizens who posed a greater health risk. People returning from places with high rates of the new coronavirus - such as Italy - were not targeted by authorities with the same stringent measures as Roma communities, who were quarantined en masse in whole apartment blocks or streets, Amnesty researcher Barbora Cernusakova said.
25th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullDisneyland Resort delays reopening of Anaheim theme parks amid COVID-19 concerns
Disneyland Resort announced on Wednesday that it will delay the reopening of the theme parks and hotel. There was no new date given. "The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4. Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials," Disneyland said in a statement. Disneyland employee unions had asked the state to delay the park's expected reopening in July out of concerns for health and safety.
25th Jun 2020 - KGO-TV
Colombia extends coronavirus lockdown measures until July 15
Colombia's lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus will continue until July 15, President Ivan Duque said in a nightly broadcast on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 73,500 cases of coronavirus and 2,404 deaths. "The current conditions of obligatory isolation, where we are returning to productivity and moving towards the re-opening of businesses, will continue as they are today until July 15," Duque said. Duque first declared a national quarantine to control the spread of the new coronavirus in late March. While certain restrictions have been relaxed, the quarantine was due to lift on July 1
24th Jun 2020 - MSN
Twitter tackles violent upsurge against women in lockdown
Twitter has launched a new prompt to fight gender-based violence in response to a surge in sexual assaults and domestic attacks during lockdown, a company official said on Wednesday. The social network said the feature, currently available in 11 countries, directs users to local helpline services if they search for terms such as “domestic violence” or “sexual assault”. “This is the first time that this notification prompt has been made available in multiple locations in multiple languages,” said Kathleen Reen, a senior director of Twitter in Asia-Pacific.
24th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Virus lockdown could fuel radicalisation, Europol warns
Coronavirus lockdowns could radicalise more terror suspects, the EU’s police agency warned Tuesday (23 June), saying both right and leftwing violence were on the rise. The pandemic’s worldwide economic and social impacts could escalate existing discontents, Europol director Catherine De Bolle said as she unveiled the organisation’s latest terrorism trends report. “These developments have the potential to further fuel the radicalisation of some individuals, regardless of their ideological persuasion,” De Bolle said in the report. “Activists both on the extreme left and right and those involved in jihadist terrorism attempt to seize the opportunity the pandemic has created to further propagate their aims.”
24th Jun 2020 - Euractiv.com
The real reason lockdown is exhausting
Whether schooling children at home or facing many months living alone, lockdown has proven to be challenging for large numbers of people. At the start of May people in many countries, including the US, India, Canada, Japan, France and Germany, were in favour of lockdown measures being prioritised to protect health rather than the economy. About two-thirds of Britons said they could cope well with a lockdown that lasted until July, but might struggle with much more. More recent polling, however, suggests that adherence to lockdown measures began to wane even before restrictions were eased. Clearly, people’s patience has been tested.
Video calls, bizarre dream-filled nights’ sleep and reduced exposure to daylight have all been blamed for lockdown lethargy. But another unforeseen problem could be tiring you out – the disruption to your daily habits. With daily routines shaken up – and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future even after restrictions are eased – we are now making many more little decisions about our daily lives. This can cause “decision fatigue”.
24th Jun 2020 - BBC
Colombia extends coronavirus lockdown measures until July 15
Colombia's lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus will continue until July 15, President Ivan Duque said in a nightly broadcast on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 73,500 cases of coronavirus and 2,404 deaths. "The current conditions of obligatory isolation, where we are returning to productivity and moving towards the re-opening of businesses, will continue as they are today until July 15," Duque said. Duque first declared a national quarantine to control the spread of the new coronavirus in late March. While certain restrictions have been relaxed, the quarantine was due to lift on July 1
24th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 24th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow the world’s strictest lockdown affected India
An analysis of countries with the highest Covid-19 cases shows most of them have not relaxed lockdowns without a decline in daily cases. In fact, some continue with the strictest measures even after several days of fall in cases or have only reduced the stringency marginally. Those who haven’t followed these two paths seem to find it difficult to continue reducing daily cases. To be sure, this could also mean that a lockdown, although necessary, isn’t a sufficient enough measure to contain the infection. On June 18, 15 countries with the most Covid-19 cases in descending order were: United States, Brazil, Russia, India, United Kingdom, Spain, Peru, Italy, Chile, Iran, Germany, Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico, and France. Most of these 15 countries can be categorised into two groups based on the daily number of cases (we consider a seven-day rolling average to smooth out daily fluctuations): those with a rising number of cases, and those that have seen a decline in daily cases.
23rd Jun 2020 - Hindustan Times
Domestic abuse reports soar in Hampshire as police called to 7,950 incidents since coronavirus lockdown began
Figures obtained exclusively by The News have today revealed the county’s force has responded to a massive surge in domestic incidents during the coronavirus lockdown. Hampshire police have attended 7,950 reports since stay-at-home measures were announced in March, an increase of almost 500 compared to the same period last year. The worrying spike comes amid calls from abuse charities for the government to accelerate plans to create a new national strategy to combat the violence during the pandemic
23rd Jun 2020 - The News, Portsmouth
Generation COVID: The Spanish learners lost to lockdown
Out of 31 pupils in one of Madrid teacher Clara Mijares’ online classes last month, eight were missing. Two had not been seen for some time, she said, adding that this is a fairly typical ratio these days for her lockdown sessions for 12 to 16-year-olds. Some of those who had made it to that pastoral meeting of El Espinillo secondary school in Madrid kept their webcams disabled. They were in no rush to answer when she asked how they were doing. “Don’t just say ‘good,’” she coaxed the screen of 13-year-olds. “Use another word.” Eventually, more considered responses trickled through her speaker: Tired. Bored. Haven’t left home for exercise. Prefer to stay indoors. “The charm of being in a class has been lost,” Mijares said.
23rd Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 23rd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullPolice die enforcing Latin America's strictest lockdown as Peru's futile strategy unravels
When Peru introduced one of Latin America's strictest lockdowns, national police brigadier David Rodriguez was sent to the streets of Lima to enforce the new guidelines. Just one month later the 55 year-old was struggling to breathe in the police clinic, pleading desperately on social media to be moved to an intensive care unit and for more oxygen. He died shortly after. “They’re the ones sent out to protect others from the virus and they end up infected themselves,” his daughter Krystell Rodriguez told The Telegraph. According to the country’s interior minister, nearly 10,000 police officers have contracted Covid-19 on duty in the country and 170 have died. The numbers not only present a grim picture of Peru's futile fight against Covid-19, but also the tragedy at the heart of the surging crisis in Latin America, the global epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.
22nd Jun 2020 - The Telegraph
Coronavirus: Poorer households funding lockdown with debt, says think tank
Lower-income households are using savings and borrowing more during the coronavirus lockdown, while richer families are saving more as eating out and trips abroad are banned. That's according to research from the Resolution Foundation, a think tank. Lower-income households are twice as likely as richer ones to have increased their debts during the crisis, it said. Workers in shut down parts of the economy have average savings of £1,900, it found. That compares to the £4,700 buffer of someone who has been able to work from home during the lockdown.
22nd Jun 2020 - BBC
Will PH wave banner the longest and last lockdown in the world?
It is manifestly time for our government to survey the global pandemic map and reflect on where we are in the struggle to surmount the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). By the 30th of June, counting from March 16, the Philippines will have the incontestable honor of claiming the longest lockdown/ quarantine in the whole world — 106 days. At the rate that the advisory Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is hemming and hawing on the crisis, the country will probably also be the very last to surrender the lockdown as national policy. Our thoughts turned to these questions as we digested some of the latest developments on the international front, which collectively point to a massive policy change in fighting the pandemic.
22nd Jun 2020 - The Manila Times
'I felt depressed and didn't see anyone for four weeks' - Generation Z 'loneliest' age group during lockdown
Generation Z has been the loneliest age group during the coronavirus pandemic, with nearly three-quarters of people aged up to 25 admitting to feeling lonely since April, according to exclusive data. The study, by Kaspersky research group, involved 10,500 people across 12 European countries, and Japan, and was part of Loneliness Awareness Week. It found that 68% of people in this age demographic felt lonely during the lockdown, compared to just 37% of the Silent Generation - those aged 75 and over.
22nd Jun 2020 - Sky News
COVID-19: PM Imran defends stance on complete lockdown as virus cases surge past 182,000
Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again defended his decision not to impose a complete lockdown in the country despite strong criticism, saying that Pakistan's circumstances were different from Wuhan city and Europe. Speaking about the havoc that the coronavirus has wreaked on Pakistan's economy, the prime minister said that he had not been in favour of imposing a lockdown as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done.
22nd Jun 2020 - The News International
Australian state extends state of emergency over virus
Australia's second most populous state Victoria has extended its state of emergency for four more weeks to 19 July, as it battles a spike in coronavirus infections with a pick-up in community transmission. The move came a day after the state announced it would reimpose restrictions capping visitors to households to five people and outdoor gatherings to ten, starting tomorrow. The limits had been relaxed on 1 June to allow up to 20 people in households and public gatherings. Victoria reported 19 new infections today, the fifth day of double digit-rises. The state has now had 1,836 total confirmed cases, or a quarter of the cases in Australia, since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted.
22nd Jun 2020 - RTE.ie
‘I'm broken’: how anxiety and stress hit millions in UK Covid-19 lockdown
Nashaba Matin is a single mother with three daughters: Kaya, 17, Amber, 15, and Natalia, 13. She is also an NHS doctor, working full-time on the Covid-19 wards of the Royal London Hospital. Exhausted by her work, Matin has relied on her eldest daughter to provide a protective wing over her younger sisters. “I think they’ve all had to grow up a lot,” she says.
21st Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullMorocco opens field hospital after spike in virus cases - The Jakarta Post
A new field hospital in eastern Morocco will from Sunday receive around 700 COVID-19 patients following a sharp spike in infections in the kingdom, the government said. Morocco reported a record single-day rise in novel coronavirus cases on Friday after an outbreak was detected in fruit packing plants in eastern Kenitra province, prompting Rabat to tighten restrictions in the region. The North African kingdom reported more than 500 cases on Friday, mainly in Kenitra, having recorded on average fewer than 100 new COVID-19 infections daily since confirming its first cases in early March
21st Jun 2020 - The Jakarta Post
Victoria State Extends State of Emergency to Slow Virus Spread
Australia’s Victoria State will extend its state of emergency to July 20 after an up-tick in cases of coronavirus. The four-week extension “allows the Victorian government to continue to enforce physical distancing and isolation requirements,” according to a statement on the state premier’s website. Victoria recorded 19 new cases from Saturday to Sunday, the fifth day of double-digit increases and the most of any Australian jurisdiction, after hitting a two-month high of 25 on Saturday. On Saturday, state premier Daniel Andrews announced that the number of visitors permitted to homes will be reduced to five from Monday.
21st Jun 2020 - Bloomberg Quint
Coronavirus: Why the new 'normal' is merely a thin veneer
It now looks likely the UK will suffer a longer lockdown than European neighbours, a worse economic hit and a higher death toll. Schools will stay stubbornly closed to millions until September - leaving children bored and lonely, and parents wondering how many hours of TV is acceptable to watch in a day. The economic reality of lockdown is starting to cut through, and on Sunday we'll be speaking to the head of the TUC, Frances O'Grady, to talk about what it means for workers and the chef Ottolenghi to discuss the impact on the food and hospitality industry.
20th Jun 2020 - Sky News
U.K. lowers coronavirus alert level to 'epidemic' from 'exponential'
The Joint Biosecurity Centre recommended the Covid-19 alert level should move to level 3 - a Covid-19 epidemic is in general circulation - from level 4. The United Kingdom has a Covid-19 death toll of more than 50,000 based on official data including fatalities where it is mentioned on death certificates, making it one of the worst hit countries in the world.
20th Jun 2020 - CNBC
Coronavirus: five ships detained in UK over welfare fears for crew
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has made an urgent intervention in the growing crisis over the welfare of 1,500 crew on five cruise liners, which British port authorities have detained after a raid on Friday. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was detaining five of six ships it inspected on Friday morning over serious concerns about the welfare of the crew, some of whom have been stranded for three months in Essex.
20th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Mexico virus cases, deaths continue high, reopening remote
The planned next stage of reopening of businesses in Mexico appeared to be put off once again Friday, as new confirmed cases and deaths continued at near-record levels. The Health Department reported 5,030 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 647 more deaths, both numbers down just slightly from Thursday. The daily death toll has been hovering around 700 for much of this week, while the daily case load increase has hovered near 5,000. Mexico now has 170,485 confirmed cases and 20,394 deaths, though both numbers are considered undercounts due to extremely limited testing. The country had been hoping to authorize a broad new round of openings for businesses like hotels, restaurants and shopping malls. But authorities in Mexico City, which has been hardest hit by the pandemic, said hospital occupancy and case numbers had not decreased to the point where reopening malls and street markets would be possible. The city has about 70% of its hospital beds occupied.
19th Jun 2020 - Houston Chronicle
Brazil issues new guidelines for meatpackers as coronavirus pandemic ravages plants
The Brazilian government on Friday published new guidelines for meatpackers after a spike of COVID-19 cases at food plants, including keeping workers at least one meter apart, but labor prosecutors criticized the steps as inadequate. No testing is required under the ministry of agriculture’s new rules, which were issued after consultations with the labor prosecutor’s office. A prosecutors’ representative said the guidelines ignored key recommendations made by the office that specified minimum distancing of 1.5 meters between workers in common areas of the plant, as well as mass testing. The prosecutors’ recommendations also addressed the quality of face masks required for use, physical distancing and testing protocols.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that meatpacking workers be spaced at least six feet (two meters) apart. In addition to distancing employees, Brazil’s ministry of agriculture said companies should also monitor those with coronavirus symptoms and immediately remove for 14 days anyone suspected of having been infected. They should also track any workers who came in contact with affected employees, it said.
19th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Coronavirus: Brazil tops one million cases
Brazil's health ministry said the country surpassed one million confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday, with total deaths fast approaching 50,000 as it struggles with a tense political climate and worsening economic outlook. Brazil confirmed its first case of the virus on February 26. It has spread relentlessly across the continent-sized country, eroding support for right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and raising fears of economic collapse after years of anaemic growth.
19th Jun 2020 - AlJazeera
Argentina battles coronavirus spike as pandemic grips poverty-hit 'villas'
The early success Argentina had in slowing the pandemic is in the balance, with new cases soaring in recent weeks and a new daily record set on Thursday. The total has more than doubled to nearly 38,000 since the start of June, though it still stands well below the number of cases in neighboring countries including Brazil and Peru. The official death toll is nearing 1,000, while President Alberto Fernandez was put into partial isolation at his official Olivos residence this week due to the risk from rising cases. The government, unnerved by the recent surge, has moved to contain the spread. Some villas have faced periods of mandatory isolation, while authorities have done mass testing programs, first in Villa 31 and then in other vulnerable areas. "Thanks to these tests we are now learning about the number of infected we have," said Daniel David López, a resident of the Fuerte Apache villa and president of the Santa Clara football club.
19th Jun 2020 - MSN.com
Ireland says international quarantine to remain at least until July 9
Ireland’s 14-day quarantine for people arriving from other countries will remain in place at least until July 9 and the government will review the issue at a meeting next week, acting prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday. “My ambition ... is to reopen between countries where the virus is as suppressed as it is here, but we want to do that in a coordinated fashion with other European countries, but that hasn’t quite happened yet,” Varadkar told journalists.
19th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullTension in Peru amid coronavirus lockdown
Tension on the streets of Lima, Tuesday, as riot police tried to remove hundreds of street vendors. Many vendors fought back… but were pulled away despite their efforts. Authorities took the forceful approach amid a nationwide lockdown to combat the country’s coronavirus outbreak. With over 230,000 cases of the virus and over 6,500 deaths in Peru, President Martin Vizcarra on Monday said the crisis was unprecedented. ''We knew this disease was going to generate a most serious crisis in our history, never before seen and that it was going to affect health, economy, employment, that is to say, the whole of society.” Peru’s economic activity sank over 40 percent year-on-year in April, its worst-ever percentage drop in output, as the lockdown slammed the brakes on key industries, like mining.
18th Jun 2020 - Yahoo News
Peru overtakes Italy in total cases of coronavirus
Peru topped 240,000 total cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, surpassing hard-hit Italy, government data showed, even as the pace of infections has begun to moderate in the South American nation. Peru moved quickly to lock down its citizens as the pandemic took hold in early March. But cases nonetheless exploded in May, reaching a peak of more than 8,000 per day late in the month. More than 7,000 Peruvians have died from the disease, the government reported. Peru has the second highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Latin America, behind Brazil, and the seventh highest globally. The Americas have become the epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak, logging nearly 4 million infections and 204,000 deaths. Peru, Chile and Brazil have been particularly hard hit in recent weeks.
18th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Coronavirus lockdown brings extra challenges for people with disability
But for many Australians living with a chronic illness or disability, social isolation is still their main way of staying healthy and safe, and the challenges posed by the virus are far from over. "It's frustrating hearing people go 'I really want a haircut' and I'm like, 'I really want my quality of life back'," says Emily McIntyre. Emily, 29, lives with what she describes as invisible disabilities. Her health conditions mean her immune system is compromised, which puts her at a high risk of both contracting COVID-19 and getting extremely ill if she does get it. She says she hopes Australia learns some lessons from lockdown, because she's terrified of it happening again.
18th Jun 2020 - ABC News
Virus cases reduce by 90pc in area under lockdown
The enforcement of smart lockdown has begun to bear fruit as it was revealed on Wednesday that the number of coronavirus cases reduced by 90 per cent in an area of the federal capital which was sealed on March 13. “Around 100 cases were being reported daily from Sector G-9, but after enforcement of smart lockdown the number of cases has reduced to 8-9 per day. It is nothing but benefit of the lockdown as the movement of people has been minimised,” Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqat told the media. He said no one was being allowed to unnecessarily go inside or outside the area under lockdown and even movement was being discouraged to reduce the chances of human to human transmission of the deadly virus.
18th Jun 2020 - Dawn
Chile tightens lockdowns as country exceeds 200,000 coronavirus cases
The Chilean government on Wednesday announced a tightening of lockdowns and “maximum” movement restrictions in its capital Santiago as the country´s confirmed coronavirus caseload exceeded 200,000. The total number of coronavirus cases was 220,628 cases, the health ministry said in a briefing, after officials said yesterday they had discovered 31,412 confirmed cases that had not been added to the tally previously, and announced 4,757 freshly-confirmed cases overnight. In a joint briefing by the health, interior and defence ministries, the government said residents of Santiago would be granted permission to leave their homes just twice a week instead of the five times amid concerns that lockdowns of up to three months in some parts of the capital had not succeeded in stopping the spread of the virus.
18th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Kazakhstan tightens COVID-19 restrictions, former president tests positive
Kazakhstan said on Thursday it would tighten coronavirus-related restrictions during the coming weekend and an aide said former President Nursultan Nazarbayev had tested positive for COVID-19. Shopping malls, markets and parks will be closed in big cities on June 20-21 and additional hospital beds will be made available for COVID-19 patients, the government said, citing a worsening of the outbreak in the Central Asian country. It also ordered all provinces to broaden testing for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The spread of the virus has accelerated in the nation of 19 million since it ended a nationwide lockdown last month. Kazakhstan had reported about 23,000 cases as of Friday, with 100 deaths, up from about 5,000 at the end of its lockdown.
18th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Sudan extends lockdown in Khartoum state to June 29
Sudan has extended a lockdown in the state of Khartoum to June 29 as it tries to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, its Security and Defence Council said on Wednesday. Khartoum state, including the capital, is the Arab African country’s most populous. Curfew hours will remain unchanged, from 3 p.m. until 6 a.m., the council said in a statement issued after approving the recommendations of its Supreme Committee for Health Emergencies. Sudan will start a process to bring back stranded expatriates through flights and border crossings starting from Sunday, the statement said. Those who do not have medical certificates proving that they are not carrying the virus will be transferred to quarantine centres until being tested, it added.
18th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Sharp learning curve for bosses as WFH goes global
Two weeks into the coronavirus lockdown and Sergei Holmeckis, a boss at Deutsche Telekom’s Czech operations in the city of Brno, was frustrated with staff video calls. His team didn’t like turning on their cameras and the discussion was stilted. “I started to show them my cat,” Holmeckis said. “It showed the human side of me more and really changed the perception. It got people to switch on their cameras and be more engaged.” Such tactics obviously won’t appeal to everyone. But they do show how the world’s biggest experiment in working from home is forcing managers to reassess their methods - especially as surveys predict higher levels of remote working post-pandemic.
18th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Peru becomes epicentre of global Covid-19 pandemic after surpassing Italy's number of cases
Peru has surpassed Italy’s number of coronavirus cases, making Latin America the current epicentre of the global outbreak. The country’s number of confirmed infections stands at 240,908, the second-highest after Brazil’s tally of almost a million. There are more than four million confirmed infections across the region but health experts believe the true figure is much higher.
18th Jun 2020 - Evening Standard
Coronavirus UK: Major outbreak hits meat factory in Wales
One quarter of workers at the 2 Sisters meat factory are now self isolating. The factory in Anglesey, North Wales, produces meat for takeaways and shops. The 2 Sisters group is one of the largest producers of chicken in Britain. Officials confirmed they are dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak at the factory
17th Jun 2020 - Daily Mail
Colombia virus cases still rising despite swift lockdown
Colombia acted swiftly to lock down early and yet cases there keep on rising. The country is now beginning to ease restrictions, although strict conditions have just been reimposed in parts of the capital Bogota. It is taking its toll on many families who have been displaced by the decades-long guerrilla war, now living hand to mouth. Our Latin America correspondent Guillermo Galdos reports. Filmed by Marcel Mettelsiefen and produced by Juan Camilo Cruz Orrego.
17th Jun 2020 - Channel 4 News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullColombia projects 41,000 coronavirus deaths before end of 2020
Colombia’s government informed the Constitutional Court that it expects the coronavirus to kill more than 41,500 citizens before the end of the year, local media reported Tuesday. Between March 6 and Tuesday, the National Health Institute (INS) had registered 1,801 confirmed deaths of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The real number of deaths is believed to be much higher and, according to the Health Ministry, is projected to reach 41,500 by the end of December. The number is considerably lower than the 220,000 and 310,000 who the INS in March projected to have died before mid-June had the government of President Ivan Duque not imposed a lockdown.
17th Jun 2020 - Colombia Reports
Colombian government aid during the coronavirus pandemic
Like many countries, Colombia has set up a system of subsidies for those who are worst off. However – and perhaps unsurprisingly given the scale of the problem – distributing aid has not been straightforward. Announced in April, the Ingreso Solidario aims to give over 3 million families three payments of COP$160,000, a total of COP$480,000 per family. The idea is to reach people who are not covered by existing programs such as Familias en Acción, Protección Social al Adulto Mayor, and Jóvenes en Acción. Given the lockdown will soon enter its third month, COP$480,000 is a little over half the monthly minimum salary of COP$877,803 and comes to about COP$5,000 per day.
17th Jun 2020 - The Bogota Post
Peruvians strive to make a living amid lockdown
The government established one of the first and strictest lockdown measures in the region, but desperation for food and money is forcing people to risk their lives.
17th Jun 2020 - AlJazeera
Police in England and Wales far more likely to fine BAME people in lockdown
Police enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in England and Wales were almost up to seven times more likely to issue fines to black, Asian and minority ethnic people than white people, figures show. Data from police forces shows 17 were more likely to issue a penalty notice to BAME people than to white people. Two forces, Northumbria and Merseyside, were not. One senior chief constable said bias and lack of trust from certain communities may have played a role, as well as demographics. Officers had discretion on when to issue fines, and police said they followed an approach of trying to avoid enforcement, known as the four Es – engaging, explaining and encouraging, before considering enforcement. Figures obtained by Liberty Investigates, part of the civil liberties group Liberty, and the Guardian, give a force-by-force breakdown. The figures are yet to be officially released and had been requested by the home affairs committee investigation into race and policing, which met on Wednesday.
17th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
More than 100,000 carers 'forced to use food banks in UK lockdown'
Elderly spouses caring for each other and parents caring for disabled children are twice as likely as the general public to have used a food bank since lockdown, research has shown. The report, which experts said should “shock the nation”, found that more than 100,000 people doing unpaid caring for older, disabled or seriously ill relatives had been forced to use food banks since start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures paint a worrying picture of carers, especially those aged between 17 and 30, being under intolerable pressure. Almost 229,000 told researchers they have had someone in their household go hungry during lockdown.
17th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Tension in Peru amid coronavirus lockdown
Tension on the streets of Lima, Tuesday, as riot police tried to remove hundreds of street vendors. Many vendors fought back… but were pulled away despite their efforts. Authorities took the forceful approach amid a nationwide lockdown to combat the country’s coronavirus outbreak. With over 230,000 cases of the virus and over 6,500 deaths in Peru, President Martin Vizcarra on Monday said the crisis was unprecedented. ''We knew this disease was going to generate a most serious crisis in our history, never before seen and that it was going to affect health, economy, employment, that is to say, the whole of society.”
16th Jun 2020 - YAHOO!
Virus-hit Peru GDP plummets 40 percent
Before March, the Andean country registered 127 months of consecutive growth.
Despite a lockdown in place since March 16, Peru is the second worst-hit country in Latin America after Brazil, with nearly 230,000 cases and almost 7,000 deaths from COVID-19. The centrist government of President Martin Vizcarra rolled out a series of economic measures including an aid package to more than 6.5 million homes. However, Vizcarra was later forced to extend the current quarantine until June 30, making Peru's one of the world's longest lockdowns.
16th Jun 2020 - The Jakarta Post
Syrian refugees profoundly hit by COVID-19 economic downturn
The number of vulnerable refugees who lack the basic resources to survive in exile has dramatically surged as a result of the public health emergency. The refugee hosting communities in countries in Syria’s neighbourhood experience similar hardships. Many refugees have lost what were already meager incomes, forcing them to cut down on the most basic needs, including food and medication. Refugee households are taking on additional debt and are not able to pay their rent anymore., Serious protection risks are growing, including risks of child labour, gender-based violence, early marriage and other forms of exploitation.
16th Jun 2020 - UNHCR
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 17th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: 612,000 UK workers lose their jobs during lockdown
Early estimates suggest 163,000 people lost their jobs in May, on top of 449,000 the previous month, as the coronavirus crisis lockdown took its toll on the UK economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data covering the number of paid employees showed a fall of 2% since the country entered effective hibernation in March. It released the experimental data as its own figures showed a leap in the so-called claimant count - jobless claims applications through Universal Credit.
16th Jun 2020 - Sky News
Coronavirus: Job cuts warning as 600,000 roles go in lockdown
The number of workers on UK payrolls dived more than 600,000 between March and May, official figures suggest. Meanwhile, the number of people claiming work-related benefits - which includes the unemployed - was up 126% to 2.8 million. The early estimates reflect the impact of around six weeks of lockdown in which large parts of the UK were shut. But economists say the full effect on employment will not be felt until wage support schemes end in October. "The slowdown in the economy is now visibly hitting the labour market, especially in terms of hours worked," said Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS)."
16th Jun 2020 - BBC
Saudi Arabia faces perilous hajj call as coronavirus spikes
Saudi Arabia is expected to scale back or call off this year’s hajj pilgrimage for the first time in its modern history, observers say, a perilous decision as coronavirus cases spike. Muslim nations are pressing Riyadh to give its much-delayed decision on whether the annual ritual will go ahead as scheduled in late July. But as the kingdom negotiates a call fraught with political and economic risks in a tinderbox region, time is running out to organize logistics for one of the world’s largest mass gatherings. A full-scale hajj, which last year drew about 2.5 million pilgrims, appears increasingly unlikely after authorities advised Muslims in late March to defer preparations due to the fast-spreading disease. “It’s a toss-up between holding a nominal hajj and scrapping it entirely,” a South Asian official in contact with Saudi hajj authorities said.
16th Jun 2020 - The Japan Times
'Dying of hunger': Zimbabwe street vendors hit by coronavirus clampdown
Martha Kahari was already struggling to make ends meet after Zimbabwe’s coronavirus lockdown forced her to stop selling second-hand clothes and tomatoes at the side of the road in the capital Harare. Then the council came to tear down her stall. Since April, local authorities in Zimbabwe’s major cities have demolished thousands of illegally built structures that vendors like Kahari use to sell their wares, in what authorities have said is an effort to legitimise informal trade in the city. With her stall destroyed, the 40-year-old disabled mother of two has given up hope of being able to afford rent or pay back the money she borrowed to buy the stock she planned to sell once the lockdown was lifted.
16th Jun 2020 - Reuters
More than 600,000 lose work in UK as COVID hits jobs market
The number of people on British employers’ payrolls fell by more than 600,000 in April and May as the coronavirus lockdown hit the labour market, and vacancies plunged by the most on record, data showed on Tuesday. The jobless rate unexpectedly held at 3.9% over the three months to April, but that was largely due to the government’s huge job retention scheme and a rise in the number of people not classed as unemployed as they were unable to seek work in lockdown. During the same period there was a record slump in Britain’s overall economic output. Economists polled by Reuters had mostly expected a jump in the unemployment rate to 4.7%.
16th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Peru archbishop fills cathedral with portraits of Covid-19 victims
Lima cleric covers walls and pews with thousands of photographs while criticising health system ‘based on business and not on mercy’
15th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Virus Exposes Weak Links in Peru’s Success Story
President Martín Vizcarra followed the best advice when the coronavirus arrived in Peru. He ordered one of Latin America’s first and strictest lockdowns, and rolled out one of the region’s biggest economic aid packages to help citizens stay home. He shared detailed health data with the public, rushed to add hospital beds and ventilators and increased testing. With robust public coffers and record-high approval ratings, Mr. Vizcarra’s centrist government appeared well prepared to face the pandemic. Yet instead of being lauded as a model of disease control, Peru has become one of the world’s worst coronavirus hot spots — its hospitals overwhelmed, its people fleeing the cities. The crisis has marred Peru’s veneer of economic progress, exposing the deep-rooted inequality and corruption that have thwarted its pandemic response.
12th Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 16th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Woman jailed for lockdown party attack on officers
A woman has been jailed for assaulting three police officers who were called to a party attended by about 30 people, despite the coronavirus lockdown. Nerys Williams, 32, of Carneddi, Bethesda, Gwynedd, admitted three charges of assaulting an emergency worker. Llandudno magistrates jailed her for a year with 26-week sentences for each offence but two running consecutively.
15th Jun 2020 - BBC
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullEcuador struggles to secure enough virus test supplies
Fears of a second wave of coronavirus have sparked a global scramble for influenza shots from countries that hope to vaccinate great swathes of the population to reduce pressure on their health services. Health officials in the UK are considering whether to offer flu shots to everyone as part of planning for a resurgence of coronavirus in the autumn, but with other countries hitting on the same strategy, demand for flu vaccines has soared. Mass immunisation would aim to slash the number of people hospitalised with the flu this winter, giving the NHS a better chance of coping with any surge in Covid-19 patients that follows the easing of lockdown restrictions. The flu vaccine does not protect against coronavirus infection. One flu vaccine manufacturer, Sanofi, said it had been approached by the UK and other countries about boosting their orders of flu shots for winter 2020-21 but warned that it would struggle to ramp up production in time.
14th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Caring for coronavirus COVID-19 patients in Tegucigalpa | MSF
As numbers of COVID-19 cases rise in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, a team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has started caring for patients with severe symptoms of the disease in an annex of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH). Working in coordination with Honduran health and emergency authorities, MSF teams aim to prevent the capital’s hospitals from becoming overcrowded. In the hospital annex, which has been adapted into a specialist 20-bed coronavirus ward, the MSF medical team is caring for patients who need oxygen support. Patients are transferred there from local hospitals and from two other coronavirus wards set up within the university, where mild and asymptomatic patients are being cared for by staff from the Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Department. The MSF team is also providing patients and their families with psychological support over the telephone. As of 11 June, a total of 7,360 COVID-19 cases have been officially confirmed in the country; 23 per cent of them in the Francisco Morazan department, where Tegucigalpa is located.
13th Jun 2020 - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International
Coronavirus patients 'treated worse than animals': India court
Supreme Court also expresses concern over handling of bodies as cemeteries and crematoriums hold hurried last rites.
12th Jun 2020 - AlJazeera
Ukraine leader cancels meetings, trips after wife tests positive for coronavirus
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy cancelled face-to-face meetings and visits and will limit his contacts to a close circle after his wife tested positive for coronavirus, the presidential press service said on Friday. “Face-to-face meetings... are excluded in the coming days. Participation in mass events is also excluded, working trips outside the capital of Ukraine are cancelled,” the press service said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, Olena Zelenska said she had tested positive for coronavirus but her husband and their two children had tested negative. “Today I received a positive test for coronavirus. Unexpected news. Especially considering that I and my family continue to follow all the rules - masks, gloves, a minimum of contacts,” Zelenska wrote on Facebook.
12th Jun 2020 - Reuters
US Embassy Riga donates approximately $200,000 in tests and lab equipment to Latvian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health
U.S. Ambassador John Carwile presented the Latvian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Health with two tranches of COVID-19 test-kits and associated lab equipment, supporting 4,000 tests. The United States’ contribution (approximately $200,000) to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) solidarity fund financed the tests, which will bolster Latvia’s capability to detect, isolate, and limit the spread of the coronavirus. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks and Minister of Health Ilze Vinkele accepted the donation on behalf of the Latvian government. Upon presenting the donation, Ambassador Carwile said, “By taking early action, Latvia has done an excellent job reducing COVID-19 cases and protecting its residents. We are pleased to support the government’s continuing work by funding these important test kits and to show our continued commitment to our good friend and ally, Latvia.”
12th Jun 2020 - leta.lv
Volkswagen, Audi on hold as Mexico's Puebla state not ready to reopen
Mexico’s Puebla state, where German automaker Volkswagen and its luxury brand unit Audi have major plants, said it is not ready to reopen its automotive sector due to ongoing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Puebla’s Governor Miguel Barbosa signed a decree on Friday stating that the conditions for return of the automotive and construction sectors are not favourable, according to a statement published on the state’s Twitter account. Barbosa, an ally of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has said he wants to reopen the state’s economy but not if that means people’s lives will be at stake. The Mexican unit of Volkswagen AG had previously said it was ready to resume operations in Puebla and the state of Guanajuato on June 15.
12th Jun 2020 - Reuters UK
Brazil President Embraces Unproven ‘Cure’ as Pandemic Surges
President Jair Bolsonaro hailed hydroxychloroquine as a godsend while he railed against quarantine measures and other best practices, undermining the country’s coronavirus response.
13th Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Poland and Sweden are the only EU countries who have not passed COVID-19 peak: ECDC
Poland and Sweden are the only EU countries to have not yet passed their COVID-19 peak, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) flagged on Thursday. "The initial wave of transmission has passed its peak in all countries apart from Poland and Sweden," the ECDC wrote in its latest rapid risk assessment.
12th Jun 2020 - Euronews
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullIndonesia coronavirus cases could double to 60k in two weeks
Indonesia's coronavirus case count could double to more than 60,000 infections in the next two weeks as testing becomes more widespread, according to Professor Amin Soebandrio, the director of Jakarta's Eijkman Institute of Microbiology. Australia's near neighbour recorded more than 1000 cases for two days in a row, a new record, a little more than two weeks after the major religious holiday of Idul Fitri. The spike in cases has prompted epidemiologists to call on the national government to rethink the easing of social restrictions.
11th Jun 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
170 police officers die of coronavirus in Peru: minister
At least 170 police officers in Peru have died after contracting the coronavirus while enforcing the South American nation's pandemic lockdown, the interior minister said Thursday. Almost 10,000 officers have been infected with the disease as they enforced social distancing measures during Peru's 12 weeks of stay-at-home orders. "We have 9,900 infected personnel and 170 deceased personnel. That is the figure that we currently have despite the efforts being made," Interior Minister General Gaston Rodriguez told reporters. A further 4,000 police personnel, deemed vulnerable for reasons of age and health, were complying with mandatory quarantine, he said
11th Jun 2020 - FRANCE 24
Peru's cases of coronavirus surpass 200,000
Peru's Health Ministry has confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 200,000, with 5,738 deaths. A spokesman for the ministry said there were now a total of 203,736 coronavirus cases. The country registered its first case on March 6 and has seen a surge amid a rigorous testing regime, but also high levels of poverty and informal labor complicating self-isolation efforts. Some Peruvian hospitals have run out of oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients.
11th Jun 2020 - Radio Havana Cuba
Inside a Mexican intensive care unit battling COVID-19
Mexico has reported a record daily rise of more than 4,800 cases of the coronavirus and more than 15,300 people there have died. Doctors and nurses on the front lines have been protesting over a lack of training and protective equipment as they treat patients. Al Jazeera’s John Holman reports from an intensive care unit in Mexico City.
11th Jun 2020 - AlJazeera
'We're forgotten.' Mexico City paramedics say government failing to support them amid the pandemic
In response to CNN's request for comment regarding allegations of improper PPE gear, the federal agencies that manage the paramedics said proper equipment is provided. They declined to provide numbers on how many staff have contracted Covid-19 or have died from it. CNN interviewed seven paramedics and one doctor who work in Mexico City public ambulances, belonging to two different sections of the country's Health Ministry. All eight said they feel a sense of betrayal because they argue the government has not helped to keep them safe.
11th Jun 2020 - CNN
IMF approves additional $111.06 mln to Rwanda to address COVID-19 pandemic
The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday it had approved an additional $111.06 million disbursement to Rwanda to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy. “Rwanda’s economic outlook has worsened since the approval of the first (Rapid Credit Facility) request on April 2, 2020, leading to a further downward revision in the 2020 GDP growth forecast from 5.1 to 2.0 percent due to deepening of the COVID-19 impact,” the IMF said in a statement. The funding brings total IMF COVID-19 support to Rwanda to $220.46 million, it said, and will help finance the country’s urgent balance of payments and budget needs. The central African country implemented one of Africa’s strictest lockdowns to try to stem the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, including shuttering some businesses, closing borders and schools. Authorities have since begun to gradually open up the economy, although some restrictions remain.
11th Jun 2020 - Reuters
In Yemen, coronavirus is killing off the educated elite
Already ravaged by war and famine, Yemen is suffering another blow to its future as the coronavirus kills off dozens of the country's top public servants, academics and the most educated. While a lack of widespread testing is masking the true scale of the crisis, scores of doctors, academics, engineers, politicians, judges, lawyers and business leaders, as well as high-ranking members of the Houthi militia, are thought to be among the dead as the virus spreads. It is a devastating blow for a county that has already suffered six years of civil war, further scuppering hopes for recovery as the government and institutions will struggle to fill the skills gap. The loss of leading members of society has also taken a toll on public morale.
11th Jun 2020 - The National
Coronavirus COVID-19 has made Yemen's health system collapse complete | MSF
“At first, there were many volunteer doctors and nurses around,” remembers Dr Nizar Jahlan, “but when they knew that cases were coming to the hospital, they all disappeared.” This is how the story of COVID-19 began in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting the Ministry of Health to run the city’s principal centre to treat the new coronavirus and is planning to expand that support in the coming weeks. “At the beginning we faced many difficulties; the hospital lacked almost everything that it needed, but we brought in what we could in terms of drugs, and personal protective equipment to start activities,” said Dr Jahlan, who is MSF’s Medical Activity Manager for the project. “But then we faced problems in finding enough doctors and nurses willing to work in the hospital.”
11th Jun 2020 - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International
WHO warns pandemic accelerating in Africa
The speed the new coronavirus jumped from 100,000 to 200,000 confirmed cases in Africa shows just how quickly the pandemic is accelerating on the continent, the World Health Organization said Thursday. According to an AFP tally, Africa topped the 200,000 mark on Tuesday. "It took 98 days to reach the first 100,000 cases, and only 18 days to move to 200,000 cases," Doctor Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, told a video briefing hosted by the UN press association in Geneva.
11th Jun 2020 - FRANCE 24
Africa's Coronavirus 'Hotspots' in South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon: WHO
Africa will have a "steady increase" in COVID-19 cases until a vaccine is developed and strong public health measures are needed in current "hotspots" in South Africa, Algeria and Cameroon, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. "Until such time as we have access to an effective vaccine, I'm afraid we'll probably have to live with a steady increase in the region, with some hotspots having to be managed in a number of countries, as is happening now in South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon for example, which require very strong public health measures, social distancing measures to take place," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's Africa regional director, told a Geneva briefing.
11th Jun 2020 - News18
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullArgentina's Coronavirus Infections on Rise, Exceeds 1000 New Cases Per Day
Argentina last week extended a mandatory lockdown in Buenos Aires, which accounts for the country's highest concentration of confirmed infections. Other areas have moved to "mandatory and preventive social distancing." Much of the nation had been under a shelter-in-place order since March 20. The country has a commercial flight ban until Sept. 1, one of the world's strictest travel measures during the pandemic.
10th Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Burundi president dies of illness suspected to be coronavirus
The outgoing president of Burundi has died of a sudden illness, suspected by many to be Covid-19. The cause of Pierre Nkurunziza’s death was described as a heart attack in a government statement. The 55-year-old was due to stand down in August following elections last month. It was unclear exactly when he died. A government statement said the president, a keen sports enthusiast, had attended a game of volleyball on Saturday but fell ill that night and was taken to hospital. The former footballer’s health improved on Sunday but “surprisingly, on morning of Monday June 8, 2020, his health suddenly deteriorated and he had a heart attack”. The statement described Nkurunziza’s death as “unexpected” and asked people to remain calm. Seven days of mourning have been announced.
10th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Colombia & Peru: Assisting thousands of Venezuelan refugees amidst COVID-19 - Colombia
Humanity & Inclusion is supporting more than 2,000 Venezuelans in Medellín, the second largest city in Colombia, in conjunction with Medellín city council. Our teams provide them with psychological support by organizing one-to-one and group sessions, and help them complete legal formalities to access basic services such as health care. We also organize sports and cultural activities to strengthen the social cohesion and social and cultural inclusion of Venezuelans in Medellín. Our teams run similar activities in Bogota and Barranquilla on the Atlantic coast.
10th Jun 2020 - ReliefWeb
Bulgaria extends epidemic emergency on COVID-19 until end of June
The Bulgarian government on Wednesday approved the extension of a nationwide epidemic emergency until June 30 in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. The epidemic emergency took effect on May 14 with a duration of one month, replacing the state of emergency which was implemented on March 13. The implementation of anti-epidemic measures has contributed to slowing down the COVID-19 epidemic in the country and reducing pressure on the healthcare system, the government said in a statement. "The prolongation of the epidemic emergency will help slow down and limit the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic by applying temporary anti-epidemic measures," the statement said. Meanwhile, it would improve the preparedness of the health care and other systems to respond to a subsequent wave, the statement said.
10th Jun 2020 - Xinhua
Nobel laureate Mukwege quits DR Congo Covid-19 team, blasts govt response
Nobel winner Denis Mukwege on Wednesday said he had resigned as head of a coronavirus taskforce in an eastern province of DR Congo, blaming organisational problems, outpaced strategy and slow testing. Mukwege, a DR Congo gynaecologist who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his work against sexual violence in war, was appointed on March 30 to lead a committee in South Kivu province. Panzi Hospital, where Mukwege treats abused women, is also located in the province. In a statement, he said there had been "weaknesses in organisation and clarity between the various teams in charge of the response to the pandemic in South Kivu." "We are at the start of an exponential... curve (in infections) and we can no longer apply a strategy that would be purely preventive," Mukwege said.
10th Jun 2020 - France 24
Why Kenyans are begging their president for freedom
In our series of letters from African journalists, Joseph Warungu captures the frustrations of Kenyans who have been pleading with the government to ease the measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19. "Mr President, we beg you - please, please set us free!" These are not the words of people held in detention or mandatory quarantine after being roughed up by Kenyan police for not wearing face masks. Instead, it is the cry of many Kenyans who cannot stand the lockdown measures anymore. Before President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation on Saturday, social media had been awash with memes, pleas and videos urging him to ease the lockdown measures
10th Jun 2020 - BBC
Peru in mourning: ‘The virus has changed everything’
The country reeling from pandemic is on track for one of the longest lockdowns in the world. There are many reasons for Peru’s brutal coronavirus numbers, not least its informal labour force. While this is an issue across Latin America and the whole developing world, it is particularly acute in Peru. The IMF says 70 per cent of employment is informal, against a Latin American average of 54 per cent. Many Peruvians say they have to break lockdown to work and survive.
10th Jun 2020 - Financial Times
Mexico Coronavirus Peak Still Weeks Away, Pandemic Czar Says
New coronavirus cases in Mexico are expected to keep rising, a top health official said on Tuesday, even as the government pushes a gradual reopening of the economy launched at the beginning of this month. "We still haven't reached the maximum point," Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told a morning news conference. "For several more weeks, we will keep announcing there are more cases today than yesterday." His assessment was largely echoed by officials from the World Health Organization and its Pan American Health Organization during a webcast news conference later in the day. While Mexico has yet to reach peak infections, they said, officials should boost testing before any wide-scale economic reopening and stick to safety measures, including social distancing.
9th Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 10th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullWHO urges two-week lockdown, more tests
While expressing concern over the hasty lifting of restrictions, the WHO in a letter to the four provinces stated Pakistan did not meet any of the prerequisites for opening of the lockdown. It also alerted Pakistan to its high positivity rate, underlining seriousness of the Covid-19 situation and poor efforts of the government in this regard. As a strategy to help contain the massive transmission of coronavirus, the WHO recommended to the provinces to impose two-week lockdown. “WHO strongly recommends the two weeks off and two weeks on strategy as it offers the smallest curve,” the letter said
10th Jun 2020 - Dawn
Lockdown has changed the parameters of personal space – so where do we go from here?
We have never been more aware of personal space; the houses we are confined to, the two-metre-distance we maintain, the proximity of urban living. Zoe Beaty asks what this will mean long-term
9th Jun 2020 - The Independent
Schools reopening: Why primary schools in England may not open fully until September under new UK lockdown plans
Schools have said classroom sizes, social distancing regulations and inadequate staff numbers mean they cannot accommodate all pupils
9th Jun 2020 - iNews
Excess deaths in UK under coronavirus lockdown pass 63,000
ONS figures show fewest weekly coronavirus deaths in England and Wales for eight weeks. Hundreds more deaths from Covid-19 in the north-west of England and in care homes have driven up the number of excess fatalities since the UK went into lockdown to more than 63,000, a toll believed to be greater than those anywhere else except the US. The number of deaths from the virus in England and Wales fell to 1,822 in the last week of May, the fewest for eight weeks, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But the numbers remain relatively high in the north-west, where there have been fears of a resurgence of the virus.
9th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Nine million UK children off school for six months will be 'lost generation'
Union leaders tonight warned that a return to school in September could not be taken for granted. Education Secretary Mr Williamson admitted the disruption could leave kids needing “a year or more” of support to catch up. It came as the UK death toll rose by 286 to 40,883. Children’s Commissioner for England, Ms Longfield warned “the education divide is broadening... almost a decade of catching up on that gap may be lost”. She said: “The risk I am most concerned about is that of a generation of children losing over six months of formal education, socialising with friends and structured routine... The Government need to face up to the scale of damage this is doing to children and scale-up their response.”
9th Jun 2020 - Mirror Online
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 9th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in full'Hunger is worse than corona': Sudanese demand end to lockdown
Sudan is facing growing demands to end the restrictions from a population mired in poverty and facing annual inflation of nearly 100 percent - as well as fielding complaints that promised aid for poorer Sudanese has failed to materialise. "We demand that the lockdown is lifted immediately so that we can ... get on with our lives, because hunger is worse than corona," said Othman, who is a daily wage earner. The government said the lockdown, extended in the capital Khartoum until June 18, has helped to stem the spread of the virus. Sudan has reported 6,081 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, with 359 deaths.
8th Jun 2020 - AlJazeera
Abu Dhabi extends ban on movement in and out of the emirate and between cities
Abu Dhabi will extend by one week a ban on movement in and out of the emirate and between its major cities introduced on June 2, the local government media office said on Monday. The ban applies to all residents of Abu Dhabi, the largest member of the United Arab Emirates federation, with exceptions made for those working in vital sectors. Movement within, but not between, the mentioned cities of al-Ain, al-Dhafra and Abu Dhabi is allowed outside the hours of a nightly curfew already in force to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
8th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Two sides of the coronavirus crisis in Spain: One half of the country has five times as many cases as the other
Phase 2 areas reported nearly four times as many coronavirus deaths in the last week as those in Phase 3
8th Jun 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Spain’s macro study shows just 5.2% of population has contracted the coronavirus
A second set of tests conducted in Spain as part of a macro coronavirus study show that 5.2% of the population has developed antibodies after exposure to the virus, according to results released on Thursday. This is up just 0.2 percentage points from the results of the first wave of the study, which were released on May 13. The results indicate no major resurgence of the virus in this period, and confirm geographical variations observed the first time around. They also underscore the role of asymptomatic spreaders and the greater presence of the coronavirus in large cities. The eight-week seroprevalence study is being conducted by the Carlos III Health Institute, a public research agency. It comprises three waves of testing on a random sampling of households across Spain, and is due to end in late June. Between May 18 and June 1, researchers tested 63,564 individuals, a large sample size compared with similar studies conducted worldwide.
8th Jun 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Thailand reports 7 more coronavirus cases, all in quarantine
Thailand confirmed seven new coronavirus infections and no new deaths on Monday, with the new cases found in quarantine, taking the country to two weeks without a local transmission. Thailand has reported 77 cases in the past 14 days and all were contained after being imported from overseas, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration. The total number of confirmed cases stands at 3,119, with 58 deaths.
8th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Honduras extends coronavirus curfew by one week to June 14
Honduras has extended a curfew by one week through June 14 in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, security ministry spokesman Jair Meza said on Sunday. Meza made the announcement on national television even as the Central American country is about to begin the gradual re-opening of its economy on Monday.
8th Jun 2020 - Reuters
Chile COVID-19 toll jumps sharply after new cases added
Chile revised its death toll linked to the novel coronavirus outbreak sharply higher on Sunday, adding fatalities from databases that previously had not been included.Health Minister Jaime Mañalich said 653 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 had to be counted, bringing the total number to 2,290. That included 96 new deaths announced in the Sunday daily report. Chile has one of the highest numbers of cases in Latin America, which has become an epicenter of the pandemic even as countries worldwide have begun to reopen. Brazil, Peru and Mexico have also been hard hit by the virus.
8th Jun 2020 - Deccan Herald
Thailand 'State of Emergency' may be extended
The state of emergency may be extended while schools and airports will reopen and there will be long holidays next month, according to Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam. “It is possible to extend the imposition of the emergency decree. It is being considered. The choice is to either extend or end it. However, measures will be reduced. For example, the curfew will be lifted and crowd gathering will be allowed. The emergency decree may remain in effect for the sake of swift solutions,” Mr Wissanu said.
8th Jun 2020 - Pattaya Mail
Coronavirus: UK daily deaths drop to pre-lockdown level
The UK has recorded its lowest daily rise in the number of coronavirus deaths since before lockdown on 23 March, latest government figures show. A further 55 people died after testing positive with the virus as of 17:00 BST on Sunday, taking the total to 40,597. This included no new deaths announced in both Scotland and Northern Ireland for the second consecutive day. However, there tends to be fewer deaths reported on Mondays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend. The number of new UK cases on Monday - 1,205 - is also the lowest number since the start of lockdown.
8th Jun 2020 - BBC
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus tracked: How badly the UK compares with the rest of Europe
With the second highest death toll from the Covid-19 coronavirus in the world, reports this week claimed that the UK had more daily deaths than the whole of the EU combined on a recent day, despite its population being just one seventh of the size. While the actual figures are close, the data used in the graphic has a number of flaws that reveal that to be inaccurate. The government’s daily coronavirus press conference no longer includes a slide comparing the UK’s coronavirus death toll to other countries. The chart was removed on 10 May, after the UK overtook Italy to become the country with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 deaths in Europe.
7th Jun 2020 - The Independent
Coronavirus infection rate in UK is second highest of any major European country
The level of infection and the deaths in all these countries are now coming down, but not all are improving at the same pace. In the UK and Sweden, the number of daily confirmed cases remains high and the shape of their epidemic is diverging from those of Spain, France and Italy.
7th Jun 2020 - Sky News
Pune Cantonment Board to open on June 8; virus zones stay locked down till month end
The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has decided to open area that falls under its jurisdiction on June 8, 2020, after nearly two-and-a-half months of lockdown. The decision was taken during a specially convened meeting by the board administration where the general body passed a resolution to the effect. The lockdown will be implemented on a staggered basis in the non-containment zones.
Seven containment zones will be under lockdown till June 30. These are, Bhimpura, Modikhana, Bacchu Adda, Ghorpadi, New Modikhana, Gawli adda and Shivaji market.
6th Jun 2020 - Hindustan Times on MSN.com
Nepali climbers and support staff destitute after Everest closure
Nirmal Purja, the record-breaking Nepali mountaineer who is currently in lockdown in Winchester, is among a number of climbers attempting to raise funds for colleagues. He was concerned for the climbing community based in Nepal. “The community there is suffering. Some people don’t even have food to put on the table. It’s the saddest thing,” he said. Some of the large international mountaineering companies have continued to pay their staff but others have not, and there has been little support for the network of support staff that provide backup services to the international expeditions. The more experienced guides tend to be well paid and have savings that allow them to manage the interruption in their income, Purja said, but the lower-paid cooks and porters have found the disappearance of a year’s salary very difficult.
6th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Covid 19 coronavirus: New Zealand 'a week away' from Italy-style health system crash before lockdown
New Zealand was a week away from a Italy-style "health system meltdown" because of Covid-19 just days before the decision was made to lock the country down. The revelation is contained in a startling letter by Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners medical director Dr Bryan Betty, where he also warned it would take just several infected people several days to cause a "potentially exponential increase in cases again". Betty sent the letter to GPs on Thursday night. In it, he praised their work in confronting the virus and helping avoid a crisis.
"New Zealand has done incredibly well to avoid a Covid-19 crisis, which I believe is in large part due to general practice," he wrote.
6th Jun 2020 - The New Zealand Herald
Paul Workman: Locked down in London, Day 75
You might consider this as well: Wuhan recently tested 10 million people in 19 days, worried about a second wave of COVID-19. The U.K.’s “world-beating” track-and-trace system won’t even be fully operational until the autumn. It’s been a slow start.
It appears a number of the 25,000 people hired as trackers have been somewhat idle. One of them said he’s spent the last two weeks sitting in his garden “sunbathing, drinking and chilling with my pals.” This is the government that has now ordered people to start wearing face coverings on public transit—as of June 15. That leaves a lot of people asking—why wait until June 15?
5th Jun 2020 - CTV News
UK coronavirus death toll passes 40,000, R rate climbing
The Manchester Evening News reported that the R (disease reproduction) number in northwestern England is now above 1, the highest rate across England. An R value over 1 means the disease can spread rapidly throughout the population again. The numbers came from scientists at Public Health England and Cambridge University. The rise will provoke further debate over the speed at which the government is lifting the lockdown. There is evidence the R number “has risen in all regions and we believe that this is probably due to increasing mobility and mixing between households and in public and workplace settings,” the analysis said.
5th Jun 2020 - Anadolu Agency
Japan's coronavirus entry ban disrupting lives of foreign residents
Kady, who asked for her last name to not be used in this story, is one of the roughly 3 million foreign residents of Japan who have been affected by the entry ban. Many are frustrated at how wide a net the measures cast. All foreign nationals, including permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals that have traveled to any of the listed countries within the last two weeks, are being denied entry. "It blows my mind that we tax-paying residents are being treated the same as tourists and are unable to return to our homes," said a 37-year-old Australian, who asked to remain anonymous. She has been unable to return since traveling back to Australia with her toddler for Christmas and to undergo medical treatment.
5th Jun 2020 - Kyodo News Plus
Beware the dangers of COVID-19 fatigue
Like statistics, science-based decision-making doesn’t seem to be a high priority in Quebec. The premier and his trusty public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda, seem more excited about announcing relaxed rules for socializing than wrestling with a highly contagious virus. Soon after Quebec permitted outdoor gatherings of 10 people from three different households last month, its public health institute published updated epidemiological models suggesting that even in best case scenarios, the odds were 50 per cent that deaths would increase in Montreal by July. The response to the models? Crickets. Perhaps it’s unsurprising that the science behind Quebec’s response is shaky when Dr. Arruda is ready to ignore the 80 per cent of Quebec’s almost 5,000 dead who perished in nursing and retirement homes. Arruda recently told a TV interviewer that if it weren’t for long-term care, “we would have a situation in Quebec that’s extraordinary.” That’s like a surgeon telling you that other than the terrible complications, the operation was a huge success.
5th Jun 2020 - iPolitics.ca
Six Months of Coronavirus: Here’s Some of What We’ve Learned
At first, it had no name or true identity. Early in January, news reports referred to strange and threatening symptoms that had sickened dozens of people in a large Chinese city with which many people in the world were probably not familiar. After half a year, that large metropolis, Wuhan, is well-known, as is the coronavirus and the illness it causes, Covid-19. In that time, many reporters and editors on the health and science desk at The New York Times have shifted our journalistic focus as we have sought to tell the story of the coronavirus pandemic. While much remains unknown and mysterious after six months, there are some things we’re pretty sure of. These are some of those insights.
3rd Jun 2020 - The New York Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 5th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: 'I can't get lifeline cancer trial in lockdown'
Because of lockdown, most trials have stopped taking on new patients or have halted completely. "If you've got advanced cancer it's often a lifeline for you," said Lesley. "You're basically taking away a life or death option." What began as a persistent cough for Lesley was eventually diagnosed as metastatic breast cancer.
Scans showed the disease had spread to her lungs, liver and bones, and later to her brain. By October 2015, she was told to put her affairs in order as she had exhausted most forms of NHS treatment. However after being accepted for the last place on a drugs trial, Lesley said she felt a difference almost immediately.
4th Jun 2020 - BBC
Chris Whitty says lockdown 'is not over' as he sets out UK's multi-layered defence against coronavirus
The UK's chief medical officer has explained the UK's 'multi-layered' response to coronavirus and why the lockdown is not over yet. Professor Chris Whitty said the nation will have to 'live alongside' COVID-19 for many months, which is why we need a 'multi-layered defence' against it. He went on to set out a number of measures that will remain in place to explain that the lockdown is 'not over', despite an easing in England last Monday (June 1). Some schools have reopened, many non-essential traders have been allowed to open and up to six people can now meet outdoors.
4th Jun 2020 - Manchester Evening News
Coronavirus lockdown halts surge in UK slavery
The number of suspected modern slavery victims identified in the UK has fallen for the first time in four years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Home Office has said. Officials said the decrease “is understood to have been influenced by the effects of restrictions implemented in the UK as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic”. The UK’s national referral mechanism (NRM), the official system through which victims of modern slavery are identified and provided with support, received 2,871 referrals of potential victims in the first quarter of 2020 – a 14% fall from the previous three months. This is the first quarter-on-quarter fall since 2016.
4th Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Queues for Spain's food banks swell as coronavirus cases dwindle
Queues for food banks have swollen in Spain as the coronavirus crisis has left hundreds of thousands of people teetering on the edge of poverty. the coronavirus lockdown, now in its 13th week, made it impossible for Mediavilla to get a job, and with a second newborn boy in tow, she and her mother Alicia rely on the help of a group of parishioners called Maria Auxiliadora, or Mary of Succour. The volunteers, who are associated to Santa Anna church in central Barcelona, gathered funds to provide Mediavilla’s son Julian with special glasses. They also helped her land a job as an admnistrative assistant in a laboratory, which she began last week.
4th Jun 2020 - Reuters Africa
Chile prolongs Santiago lockdown as daily virus deaths rise
Chile's government said Wednesday it was prolonging a three-week shutdown of the country's capital Santiago as the COVID-19 death toll reached a new daily record. Health officials said 87 people had died in the previous 24 hours, and nearly 5,000 new infections were recorded. The South American copper-exporting nation has now registered more than 113,000 infections and 1,275 deaths. Health Minister Jaime Manalich confirmed the government was extending a three-week lockdown of the capital for another week.
4th Jun 2020 - FRANCE 24
Covid-19: Concern about emotional impact of lockdown in care homes
The commissioner for older people has expressed concern about the lack of social contact in care homes. Eddie Lynch told the Stormont health committee that he was worried about the emotional impact on residents.
4th Jun 2020 - BBC
Lockdown prompts surge in Germans seeking help for alcoholism
When the coronavirus lockdown started in Germany, all Marco wanted to do was get drunk. The musician from Berlin, 38, was downing roughly a bottle of gin every night. “I was like, why not, come on! It’s quarantine, let’s party!” But as the days went on, he started to see things differently. “Because of quarantine you’re forced to look at yourself and realize, wait a second, this is not OK. This is actually a problem, this is addiction.” Marco — speaking on condition of anonymity — reached out to a local Alcoholics Anonymous group and made the decision to get sober after 20 years of drinking heavily almost every night
4th Jun 2020 - The Japan Times
Met feared 'serious disorder' if lockdown rules were enforced at racism protest
Britain’s top officer has said police feared there would be violence if they tried to intervene with protesters in London angered by the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of an American officer. Demonstrators at protests in London on Sunday and Tuesday flouted coronavirus lockdown rules on how many people can gather together. But the Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, said that with feelings running high over the police brutality case in the US and because of the effects of the coronavirus lockdown, officers feared serious and violent disorder if they stepped in to enforce lockdown rules.
3rd Jun 2020 - The Guardian
South Africa's lockdown: a great start, but then a misreading of how society works
When South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown began on 27 March, opposition from some quarters was inevitable. What was not expected was that the most vehement resistance would be aimed at a ban on selling tobacco products. Only around 1 in 5 South Africans smoke and previous government limits on smoking were not controversial. The ban generated such heat because, when the government began relaxing the lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that tobacco sales would be allowed. Then, at the apparent prompting of the minister responsible for lockdown rules, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the decision was reversed; the ban is still in force.
3rd Jun 2020 - The Conversation Africa
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 4th Jun 2020
View this newsletter in full‘Stigmatized, segregated, forgotten’: Colombia’s poor being evicted despite lockdowns
Hundreds of Bogotá’s poorest residents are caught between two brutal forces: a nationwide quarantine that makes working impossible and authorities forcing people from homes they say were unlawfully built. “In the middle of a pandemic the authorities are breaking all protocols without a care for how it affects us,” Don Pacho said, as a pack of his 15 dogs barked around his partially destroyed home overlooking Colombia’s capital. “They’ve got us stigmatized, segregated and forgotten.”
3rd Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Met police twice as likely to fine black people over lockdown breaches – research
The Met, which covers London, issued 973 fines between 27 March 2and 14 May. White people, who make up 59% of London’s population, received 444 fines, or 46% of the total; black people, who make up 12% of London’s population, received 253 fines, or 26%. Asian people, who make up 18% of London’s population, received 23% of the fines. Analysis for the Guardian by Dr Krisztián Pósch, a lecturer in crime science at University College London, shows a clear disproportionality. Posch said: “Compared to their share of the population, people from a black ethnic minority were 2.17 times more likely to receive a fine and Asians around 26% more likely. In comparison, whites were 23% less likely to be fined.”
3rd Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Record numbers used UK food banks in first month of lockdown
Poverty campaigners have called for an emergency cash support scheme to help struggling low-income households after UK food bank charities reported that the first full month of coronavirus lockdown was their “busiest ever”. The charities said their experience of record food bank use in April, following a huge surge in food aid in March, showed it was clear that current social security safety net measures were not enough to prevent poorer families being swept into destitution. The Trussell Trust, the UK’s biggest food bank network, said it gave out 89% more food parcels in April, compared to the same month last year, while the Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan) recorded a 175% increase over the same period.
3rd Jun 2020 - The Guardian
The Latest: Minority Londoners targeted under lockdown rules
Spanish lawmakers have voted to extend for two additional weeks the state of emergency that allows the government to restrict movement and other rights as part of its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says Spain has “overcome the worst of the pandemic” and declared that he won’t seek further extensions beyond the end date of the special powers at midnight on June 21.
3rd Jun 2020 - The News-Gazette
S. African court declares lockdown regulations "unconstitutional"
A South African court ruled on Tuesday that the COVID-19 lockdown regulations in the country are "unconstitutional" and "invalid." "Some of the regulations promulgated by the government simply did not meet the rationality test in preventing the spread of COVID-19," the North Gauteng High Court said in its ruling. The court gave the government 14 days to amend and republish the regulations to avoid infringing on people's rights. The court decision followed an application by the Liberty Fighters Network, which asked the court to declare the national state of disaster, established under the Disaster Management Act, "unconstitutional and unlawful."
3rd Jun 2020 - China.org.cn
Hong Kong extends coronavirus lockdown amid protests over new Chinese law
Hong Kong has been praised for the way it has contained the coronavirus. However, a new cluster of cases has propelled the government into extending restrictions. This extension comes amid protests about a new law being imposed by the central government.
3rd Jun 2020 - Global Village space
Here’s the data that shows the UK’s lockdown is falling apart
As restrictions eased, and Dominic Cummings revealed details of his Barnard Castle eye test, the lockdown has collapsed
3rd Jun 2020 - Wired UK
COVID-19 fattens wallets as Australians embark on saving spree in lockdown
Australians ramped up their saving efforts during the coronavirus pandemic and saw their bank accounts swell, according to national data released by Bankwest on Wednesday. Analysis of savings account data from the end of March to mid-May found median balances were up 45 per cent from the pre-COVID period and up 56 per cent year-on-year.
3rd Jun 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
New Zealand on verge of eradicating virus
New Zealand is on the verge of eradicating the virus from its shores after it notched a 13th straight day with no reported new infections. Only a single person in the nation of 5 million people is known to still have the virus, and that person is not hospitalized. However, it remains likely that the country will import new cases once it reopens its borders, and officials say their aim remains to stamp out new infections as they arise. The country has already lifted many of its virus restrictions and could remove most of those that remain, including limiting crowd sizes, next week. Just over 1,500 people have contracted the virus during the outbreak, including 22 who died.
3rd Jun 2020 - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Australian councils struggle with huge rise in household rubbish during Covid-19 lockdown
Councils around Australia have seen a huge increase in volumes of household rubbish and dumping of waste triggered by a combination of more online shopping, home improvements, international workers returning to their home countries and a clearing out of unwanted possessions during the coronavirus lockdown. Streets across the country have been littered with items discarded by households either unable or willing to dispose of them any other way.
3rd Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 3rd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhat India's lockdown did to domestic abuse victims
“Most of the time, women don’t want to leave an abusive spouse - they ask us how to teach them a lesson or make them behave better,” Ms Varma says. That’s because of the stigma attached to divorce in India - few families would support daughters who want to walk out of abusive marriages, especially if they have children, as Tara does. And leaving to go stay in a shelter or with parents is especially hard during the lockdown when transport has been limited. "Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives" accounted for 32% - nearly a third - of all crimes against women registered by the police in 2018, the last year for which data is available.
2nd Jun 2020 - BBC
Indian coronavirus death toll surpasses China's, and rising, despite strict nationwide lockdown
With more than 190,500 Covid-19 infections reported as of June 1, 2020, India has become the seventh worst-hit country in the ongoing global pandemic. Despite a strict nationwide lockdown, the country’s coronavirus death toll has quadrupled in less than a month to surpass the number of deaths seen in China.
2nd Jun 2020 - South China Morning Post
UK protesters accuse police of targeting black people during lockdown
Organisers of anti-racism protests in the UK have accused the police of unfairly targeting black people during the lockdown and called for further demonstrations this week. Protests took place in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Nottingham on Saturday and Sunday against the killing last week of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minnesota, which has led to widespread unrest across the US. As well as showing solidarity with demonstrators in the US, Britons have expressed anger and frustration at the increased use of stop and search during the lockdown in areas with large black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations.
1st Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 2nd Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullThousands Defy Lockdown in Europe to Protest Outside U.S. Embassies Over George Floyd's Death
Thousands of people in the U.K. and Germany defied coronavirus lockdown measures to gather at rallies showing solidarity with protesters in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd. Both the U.K. and Germany have started to ease the lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, but public gatherings remain banned amid fears of a second wave of infections. Despite the U.K. government's measures, people ventured outside for rallies in London and Manchester this weekend to support protesters in the U.S. following a week of unrest triggered by Floyd's death on Monday.
1st Jun 2020 - Newsweek
Spain to extend lockdown to 21st June - El Pais
Spain's prime minister said on Sunday the country needed 15 more days of lockdown until June 21 "to finish with the pandemic once and for all", and he would ask parliament to approve a final two-week extension to the stay home rule. "We have almost achieved what we set out to do," Pedro Sanchez told a press conference, as he expressed his intense relief that the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Spain, one of the nations hardest-hit by the virus, had fallen dramatically. From June 21 a national state of emergency will end and with it the lockdown, allowing citizens to move freely
1st Jun 2020 - YAHOO!
Belgian prince apologises for lockdown party in Spain
A Belgian prince has apologised after being caught breaking Spain’s lockdown rules by attending a party, where he became infected with Covid-19. Prince Joachim, nephew of King Philippe of the Belgians and 10th in line to the throne, said on Sunday he deeply regretted his actions and would accept “all the consequences”. The prince has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Belgian media, after attending a private party in Córdoba on 26 May attended by friends and family. According to Spain’s El Confidencial, which broke the story, 27 people had attended the event, at a time when gatherings with a maximum of 15 guests were permitted.
1st Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Russia's COVID dissenters: Underground bars, gyms and hair salons flout tough quarantine rules
Another St. Petersburg bar, Depeche Mode, was also jammed with people socializing and drinking on a recent weekend night. There was no physical distancing and not a face mask or bottle of hand sanitizer in sight. "The [virus] fear is somewhere on the back burner," said bar owner Danya Lipovestsky. "For people, it's easier for them to come here to this underground bar to chat and forget the fear that we're all going to die. "Even me, I come here even though I am totally in the risk zone with asthma," he said. "I'm scared but to hell with it. It's just better to be here."
1st Jun 2020 - CBC.ca
COVID-19 lockdown worsens violence against women
The scourge of domestic violence has intensified during the lockdown period and the Prime Minister and religion must strongly condemn it, writes Dr Ray Barraclough.
31st May 2020 - Independent Australia
Coronavirus lockdown leaves hundreds of thousands of migrants without food in Russia
An estimated 11 million migrants live in Russia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In 2019, 5 million of these were from the former Soviet countries of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Most of these immigrants do low-paid, manual jobs, working on construction sites, warehouses and markets and as cleaners and restaurant workers. As the pandemic intensified in mid-March, Russia and the Central Asian countries closed their borders, stranding thousands of migrants. Hundreds found themselves trapped at Russian airports, sleeping among the baggage counters, after their flights were indefinitely canceled. Many migrants were already living on the breadline, without savings and with unsecured jobs. When the lockdowns began, many of those jobs vanished instantly, without compensation and with no hope of even temporary support from employers.
31st May 2020 - ABC News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 1st Jun 2020
View this newsletter in fullClacton-on-Sea: 'British common sense is saving us from Covid, not the government'
Sunbathers in seaside town say if lockdown works, it won’t be because of ‘confusing and hypocritical’ official advice
1st Jun 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus lockdown: UK faces 'very sensitive moment' as rules ease despite high number of new cases
Britain faces a "very sensitive moment" as new lockdown rules come in to force in England and Wales on Monday, ministers and leading scientists have warned.
Dominic Raab said the Government was prepared to reimpose strict lockdown measures at a local level if cases of coronavirus are seen to start rising again. Many leading experts, including some of those who advise ministers, believe that the UK is lifting its lockdown too quickly while Covid-19 continues to exact a heavy toll.
31st May 2020 - iNews
Nearly 17,000 fines issued in England and Wales for alleged lockdown breaches
Nearly 17,000 fines for alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules have been issued by police in England and Wales, latest figures show. The provisional data from the National Police Chiefs' Council shows a total of 16,947 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), including 15,552 in England and 1,395 in Wales, were recorded by forces up to May 25. But since lockdown measures were eased on May 13, the number of penalties have plummeted with a total of 841 fines handed out by forces in England.
29th May 2020 - Evening Standard
Government rejected radical lockdown of England's care homes
An 11-point plan proposing “a further lockdown of care homes” was submitted to Downing Street on 28 April by officials at Public Health England (PHE), as fatalities peaked in care homes and the virus spread to half of homes in the worst-affected areas. They urged ministers to “use NHS facilities and other temporary accommodation to quarantine and isolate residents”, and to “consider whether staff can move into the care home for the next four weeks”. But neither of the proposals, recommended as “high impact”, were included in a subsequent action plan on infection control announced by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, last week.
29th May 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Lockdown rules 'unfair on many families'
The changes to the coronavirus lockdown rules in Wales are not fair on people living away from their families or in rural communities, some of those affected have said. From Monday, two households will be allowed to see each other outside but will be asked to stay local - within five miles as a "general rule". Some families told BBC Wales this makes it impossible for them to meet up. First Minister Mark Drakeford said some unfairness was inevitable.
29th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: only half of UK adults 'strictly' sticking to lockdown rules
The ongoing UCL Covid-19 study, launched in the week before lockdown, now shows that "complete" compliance of following government recommendations, such as social distancing and staying at home, has decreased in the past two weeks - declining from an average of 70 per cent of people who were "completely" adhering to just over 50 per cent. Compliance levels among younger adults were even lower, with only 40 per cent "completely" complying with lockdown rules.
29th May 2020 - iNews
Moscow court jails journalist for one-person protest during coronavirus lockdown
A Moscow court on Thursday jailed a prominent anti-Kremlin journalist for a one-person protest during the city’s coronavirus lockdown, sentencing him to 15 days in prison. Ilya Azar, a journalist at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, which is critical of the Kremlin, was detained by police on Tuesday as he stood alone outside the Russian capital’s police headquarters to protest against the criminal prosecution of a popular blogger. Such one-person protests are usually legal in Russia, but Sergei Sobyanin, the city’s mayor, has banned public events during the coronavirus epidemic and said that people only have the right to leave their homes for specific tasks, which do not include political protests. A court on Thursday found Azar guilty of repeatedly breaking protest legislation and ordered him jailed for 15 days.
29th May 2020 - Reuters
Lockdown breach fines plummet as restrictions ease
The number of fines for breaches of lockdown rules has plunged since measures were eased, with just 841 handed out by police in England, new figures show.
A total of 16,947 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), including 15,552 in England and 1,395 in Wales, were recorded by forces up to May 25, according to provisional data released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). There were 1,019 issued in England during the latest two-week period, between May 12 and 25 – although the figure is likely to be revised upwards as more fines are reported – compared to 4,967 during the previous fortnight.
29th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Online child abuse rising during lockdown warn police
Reports of obscene online material more than doubled globally to more than four million between March and April. The US-based Center for Missing and Exploited Children said some of that rise related to one especially horrific and widely-circulated video. In the UK, where 300,000 people are considered a threat to children, there were nearly nine million attempts in the last month to access child sexual abuse websites which had been previously blocked by the Internet Watch Foundation. The anti-child abuse charity which reports sites to internet service providers, says that since the lockdown began there has been an 89% drop in site deletions by the tech companies.
29th May 2020 - BBC
How to stop people going to crowded beaches this weekend
With over 24,000 confirmed cases, weeks of restrictions on movement and a crippled economy in need of revival, Ireland is emerging from lockdown. As the numbers of daily infections and mortalities decrease, and we move tentatively towards easing restriction measures, there is the ever-present risk that complacency, fatigue and lack of compliance could rebound and force us back into extensive lockdown again. The welcome announcement by Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan that "we have effectively extinguished the virus from the community,' was accompanied by the risk requirement that there is "no certainty we can keep this virus suppressed."
29th May 2020 - RTE.ie
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 29th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullLockdown violators using Cummings as excuse, say police
Lockdown rule-breakers are using the controversial actions of the prime minister’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings, as an excuse, a police and crime commissioner has warned. The West Midlands PCC, David Jamieson, revealed he had received intelligence that officers are getting “pushback” from members of the public breaching Covid-19 containment measures after Downing Street’s defence of Cummings’ 264-mile lockdown trip. It comes as a leading human rights lawyer told the Guardian people fined for breaching lockdown rules may try to complain about penalties or protest about paying them by referencing Cummings’ excuses, which include the claim that he drove to a beauty spot in order to test his eyesight.
28th May 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus lockdown breakers telling police 'if it's okay for Cummings, it's okay for us', says crime commissioner
David Jamieson says the scandal has made it "almost impossible for officers to be able to carry out their job effectively".
28th May 2020 - Sky News
UK asylum applications fall sharply during lockdown
The number of applications for asylum in the UK has plunged during the Covid-19 pandemic, figures show, as global restrictions have disrupted travel. In the first four weeks of the UK lockdown, 800 applications were lodged, a fall of 69% from the 2,500 made in the preceding four weeks. The number of asylum applications had been steadily rising since 2018. The number of applications granted or rejected also fell as interviews with applicants and most decision-making was stopped. There were 300 initial decisions made in the first four weeks of the lockdown, about a sixth of the number before the emergency measures.
28th May 2020 - The Guardian
Mobile data shows which European countries took lockdown seriously
It then released aggregated data on time spent at each of the six location types for the past several months, compared to a baseline: the five-week period between January 3 and February 6 2020. To the extent that no special events happened during this time, the change from the baseline after this reflects people’s collective response to the pandemic and the lockdowns. Using the Google data, we then created the following graphs, comparing the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Greece between mid-February and early May. To get a smoother image, we calculated a seven-day moving average. Countries are also ranked and coloured in the graph legends according to their average reaction over the whole period (meaning a country’s colour can differ between graphs).
28th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Lockdown is worsening people’s dermatillomania and making their skin picking compulsion feel inescapable
While the causes behind dermatillomania, also known as excoriation disorder, are complex, an unexpected side effect of the coronavirus pandemic is that it has triggered and worsened skin picking, alongside a fresh fear over how the behaviour’s resulting open wounds and constant touching could put sufferers at increased risk of catching Covid-19. It’s hard enough not to react to warnings about touching your face by immediately touching your face – now imagine you have a compulsive disorder that can make it feel impossible to stop poking, scratching, and picking. Being confined to the home, no longer going out to a workplace or to see friends or family, allows the secretive habit of skin picking to thrive.
28th May 2020 - Metro
Coronavirus has created a 'lockdown generation', with one in six young people forced to stop working
International Labour Organisation said it has disproportionately hit the young. Figures show 17.1 per cent of young people globally have stopped working. ILO chief Guy Ryder said a lot of young people will 'simply be left behind'
28th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Coronavirus: Man denies operating Japanese restaurant from home during lockdown despite large advertising sign above property door
A man has denied running a Japanese restaurant from his home despite neighbours’ complaints and what appears to be a large advertising sign above the door of the property. Norwich City Council said it will open an investigation after the restaurant reportedly sold takeaways during lockdown.
28th May 2020 - The Independent
Rise in child porn cases during coronavirus lockdown in Australia
Child abuse and the spread of child pornography is on the rise as more Australians access the dark web. Police say there has been a disturbing increase in Australians downloading and sharing illegal images during the coronavirus lockdown period. The Australian Federal Police is working with Home Affairs, telcos and other agencies on how best to "deliver a stronger punch into the dark web", commissioner Reece Kershaw told a parliamentary committee today.
28th May 2020 - Nine News Australia
Lockdown Fuels Interest in Learning Among Remote Workers
Employers should reignite learning and development programs for home workers
Questionmark, the online assessment provider, is encouraging employers to reignite investment in learning and development programs. The call comes as research reveals a wave of enthusiasm among remote workers for online learning to improve their professional and personal skills.
28th May 2020 - Yahoo! News
Parent shaming video confronts alcohol consumption during coronavirus lockdown
The cliches adults use to justify their alcohol consumption have been turned on their head, with a new video campaign from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. Because Carly and Matt are primary school age children. And in a simulated Zoom meeting they are seen toasting their mates Noah, Lilly, Jason and a dozen others, mimicking the behaviour of the adults around them.
28th May 2020 - 7NEWS.com.au
'It sucks': homeless Victorians asked to help pay for lockdown hotels
The Council for Homeless Persons, Victoria’s peak body for homelessness care providers, confirmed that some rough sleepers were being asked to co-pay for their rooms, with some paying up to half of the cost of the accommodation, potentially several hundred dollars a week. Some of those who have been placed in motels and hotels said this system felt unfair, given the huge number of returned travellers whose hotel accommodation is being paid for in full by the Victorian government. “Am I allowed to say it sucks?” said Adam Bollingmore, who was sleeping rough in Melbourne before being placed in a motel by service provider Launch Housing.
28th May 2020 - The Guardian
Scotland's 'Covid Capital' has five times as many deaths as New Zealand
Coronavirus deaths in Scotland's worst hit area are now five times higher than the entirety of New Zealand. Deaths in Inverclyde, which has been dubbed the country's 'Covid Capital', continues to surpass the rest of the country, recording 14 Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people. Now, it has emerged that the area's total death toll is five times the total number of coronavirus deaths in New Zealand. Last week, the death rate in Scotland's poorest community went up by three, taking the total to 109.
28th May 2020 - HeraldScotland
Ahead on penalties: Victoria leads nation on COVID-19 lockdown fines
Victorians have been fined for breaking coronavirus rules at almost triple the rate of any other state or territory, with almost 6000 people each receiving a $1652 penalty since COVID-19 restrictions were imposed. Information obtained by The Age shows the number of fines in Victoria is nearly three times the number issued in Queensland and four times greater than in NSW – a state with more coronavirus cases and deaths than its southern counterpart.
27th May 2020 - The Age
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 28th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Parents of disabled children 'cut off and ignored'
The coronavirus lockdown has placed additional pressure on many families. But what happens if you lose your work, your support network, and have a disabled child to care for? "You know what? It's needs must," says Gail Bedding, from near Grayshott in Hampshire. "We needed to pay the bills, we needed to pay the mortgage - and suddenly there's no money coming in." Gail's work has stopped - but there's another bigger factor dominating her life. She's the mother of a severely disabled 16-year-old son, Fergus, who is completely dependent on the care of his family. He is in a wheelchair, non-verbal and fed through a tube.
27th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Britons increase TV and cooking time in lockdown - but lowest earners spend even longer at work
If you believed social media, most of us spent the first month of lockdown either baking sourdough or being outraged about the lack of toilet paper in supermarkets.
But according to an Office of National Statistics (ONS) report, the reality was even more sedentary than that - trapped at home because of COVID-19, we travelled less, slept more and watched more TV. The online study looks at exactly how people in England and Wales saw their day-to-day lives change between 28 March and 26 April during the coronavirus lockdown, compared with 2014 to 2015.
27th May 2020 - Sky News
Domestic violence calls for help surge 66% as coronavirus lockdown continues, U.K. charity says
The charity that runs Britain's national domestic abuse helpline, Refuge, says demand for its services since under the national coronavirus lockdown has continued to rise, with calls to its helpline jumping 66% since stay-at-home measures were implemented in March and visits to its website up 950%. "The window for women experiencing domestic abuse to reach out for help is ordinarily very limited — with this window narrowing further when isolating with an abusive partner," Refuge said in a statement. "This spike in demand points to the sheer number of women affected."
27th May 2020 - CBS News
Coronavirus UK: Police powerless to stop 300 people at lockdown rave
Police attended a lockdown rave of some 300 people but couldn’t break it up due to the ‘sheer volume’ of intoxicated revellers. Dozens of officers stormed the mass gathering in the Paston area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. They were initially called at 8.20pm on Monday to reports of seven or eight cars and 20 to 30 people gathering on a road. They found hundreds more then they arrived and decided there were insufficient numbers to safely move people on from the area. Just after 10pm the ambulance service contacted police to say someone had suffered minor injuries after being struck by a vehicle.
27th May 2020 - Metro.co.uk
Coronavirus: 'Mums do most childcare and chores in lockdown'
Mums appear to be doing most of the housework and childcare during lockdown, according to a new study. Research suggest that in homes where there is a working mother and father, women are doing more chores and spending more time with children. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and University College London (UCL) interviewed 3,500 families. They found that mums were only able to do one hour of uninterrupted work, for every three hours done by dads. "Mothers are doing, on average, more childcare and more housework than fathers who have the same work arrangements," said Lucy Kraftman, a research economist at the IFS.
27th May 2020 - BBC South East Wales
Coronavirus: Lockdown measures could widen gender pay gap in UK
Mothers are much more likely than fathers to have lost their job since the beginning of the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown, a development that could widen the gender pay gap, according to new research. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that mothers are 1.5 times more likely to have quit or lost their job since the lockdown was imposed in March. Because women are also more likely to have been furloughed, they are nine percentage points less likely to be currently working for pay than fathers, the research found. The IFS warned that there was a risk that the differences could result in “larger detrimental effects” on the career progression and earnings of mothers than of fathers.
27th May 2020 - Yahoo Finance UK
‘The support has fizzled out a bit’: frontline workers on lockdown easing
In early April, frontline workers including a bus driver, a care home manager and a cemetery worker spoke to the Guardian about their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Two weeks later we checked in to hear how they had been coping with the peak of the virus. Now, another month on, with lockdown restrictions easing, we catch up with the workers to see how things have changed.
27th May 2020 - The Guardian
The Spanish Government is in Talks for the “Last Lockdown” Extension-But will Spain be Ready by Then?
The Spanish government is considering the 6th state of alarm extension but Ministers are worried that Spain is not fully ready yet. Consider this for a moment, the whole of Spain has been in various states of lockdown since the 14th of March this year. Thousands of people had sadly died, some sufferers are still in hospital fighting the disease, others have recovered but still bear the marks of a battle they never want to fight again. Last week, Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez, asked for a further month for the emergency lockdown to continue but he was out-voted and had to accept 14 days instead.
27th May 2020 - Euro Weekly News
S.African migrants face hunger, xenophobia during virus lockdown
Even as a strict lockdown to slow the coronavirus pandemic is eased, many foreigners living in this country have no work and are hungry. South Africa is the continent's second-largest economy and a magnet for millions of refugees and migrants from elsewhere. But the vast majority of them depend on day-to-day work -- and this informal source of income catastrophically dried up from one day to the next because of the lockdown. In a country considered by the World Bank to be the most unequal in the world, many of these luckless people now have nothing. "I see a lot of community members suffering because of this lockdown," said Alfred Djang, a 50-year-old lawyer who left the Democratic Republic of Congo 19 years ago. Some had been working in shops, "they were selling things on street corners, but they are not allowed to do it anymore," Djang said
27th May 2020 - FRANCE 24
Private jet demand rises as wealthy Russians spend lockdown in West
Some private jet companies have seen a rise in demand from wealthy Russians who want to spend time in the West during the coronavirus crisis but who were unable to take commercial flights amid tight restrictions by airlines and governments.
27th May 2020 - Reuters
179 Pakistan nationals, stranded in India due to lockdown, repatriated via Attari-Wagah border
As many as 179 Pakistan nationals, who were stranded in India due to COVID-19 lockdown, were repatriated via Attari-Wagah border on Wednesday.
27th May 2020 - Asian News International
'Health must come first': Gym owner slams lockdown rules allowing alcohol and gambling while gyms stay shut and even YOGA is banned
'Health must come first': Gym owner slams lockdown rules allowing alcohol and gambling while gyms stay shut and even YOGA is banned. A gym owner has slammed reopening pubs and gaming venues ahead of gyms. Up to 50 customers will be allowed in NSW pubs and restaurants come June 1. The state government has also given beauty salons the green light to reopen. The NSW Government has not indicated when gyms across the state will open
27th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 27th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullClosed bathrooms afflict US homeless in coronavirus lockdown
U.S. lockdown closures leave hundreds of thousands of rough sleepers without access to soap and water, putting them at increased risk of infection, advocates say
26th May 2020 - Thomson Reuters Foundation News
Care home creates a drive-through so families can visit their loved ones safely during lockdown
Gracewell of Ascot set up a drive-through for people to visit loved ones safely
The Berkshire care home keeps residents outside while visitors stay in their cars
Many of the cars were decorated cheerfully with balloons, flags and drawings
26th May 2020 - Daily Mail
UK records lowest number of hospital deaths since lockdown began
The UK’s coronavirus death rate has fallen to its lowest point since the lockdown began in March after another 77 people were confirmed dead. NHS England today recorded 59 more deaths in hospitals – but this does not take into account other settings like care homes. Across all settings, Scotland announced three more deaths, while Wales had seven and Northern Ireland had eight.
26th May 2020 - Metro
UK food banks see demand soar up to 325% during lockdown with many children affected
Of those depending on food banks, 67% cited Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions as the cause of their visit and some of the hardest hit cities include London, Bristol, Bournemouth and Sheffield
26th May 2020 - Daily Mirror
Coronavirus: A day of lockdown for young people in the UK
It’s week ten of lockdown in the UK, after restrictions were introduced on 23 March to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Some of these measures have started to be lifted but others remain in place. Though the impact has been felt by everyone, young people are one of the demographics hit hardest - with traditionally smaller incomes and living spaces. So how are they coping? We asked young people across the UK to document a day in their life.
26th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Hairdressers offer virtual appointments in lockdown
Hairdressers have been offering virtual appointments to help people style their hair at home. Stylists are using apps including FaceTime, Zoom, and YouTube to provide customers live one-to-one advice and tutorials. While salons have already reopened in France and Germany, hairdressers in the UK expect to remain closed until July.
26th May 2020 - BBC
Europe’s elite skewered for lockdown double standards
Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen apologized on Sunday after he and his wife were caught by police breaking curfew rules at a restaurant. The country's coronavirus restrictions include the mandatory closing of restaurants and bars at 11 p.m., but police said the couple still had drinks at their table after midnight Van der Bellen said on Twitter that he had gone out to eat for the first time since lockdown began with his wife and two friends. "We lost track of the time while chatting and unfortunately overlooked the hour," he wrote. "I am sincerely sorry. It was a mistake. If the restaurant host suffers any damage from this, I will take responsibility for it."
26th May 2020 - POLITICO
Russia reports record coronavirus deaths, recoveries
A man in a face mask on a Moscow Metro train. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin made mandatory wearing face masks and gloves in public places and on public transport since May 12. The self-isolation regime is extended in Russia through May 31 in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.
26th May 2020 - AFP on MSN.com
I'm 21 and have had chemotherapy during lockdown. I was one of the lucky ones
When I was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the beginning of February, my mind immediately turned not to the illness and pain I knew would have to endure, but to the sadness of putting my life on pause. I could never have predicted that the world would end up putting its life on pause with me. My treatment – an intensive chemotherapy regimen – began on 4 March and finished on 12 May, coinciding closely with the UK lockdown which began on 23 March and is looking to be relaxed over the coming weeks. I have been lucky that, despite Covid-19, treatment at my Teenage Cancer Trust unit has been able to go ahead without interruption. Most adult patients from my hospital have been transferred to a local private hospital. Other cancer patients have not been so fortunate.
26th May 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus: Clamp-down on barbers offering lockdown haircuts
Thirty barber shops in Kent have been ordered to cease trading after a BBC investigation found businesses offering haircuts during lockdown. Trading standards issued prohibition notices to premises suspected of breaking legislation intended to halt the spread of coronavirus. It came after BBC South East found that 19 of 50 barbers contacted by phone were still offering appointments. Hairdressers and barbers are not expected to reopen before 4 July. "What these select number of barbers are doing is unfair, said Steve Rock, of Kent County Council Trading Standards.
26th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Russia remains in lockdown as cases top 350,000
Moscow remains "at serious risk" and its coronavirus lockdown has been extended until May 31, according to its mayor, Sergey Sobyanin. Sobyanin has also made the wearing of masks and gloves in public places mandatory.
26th May 2020 - Euronews
New Mum Diagnosed With Breast Cancer During Lockdown Urges Others To Get Symptoms Checked
Health experts concerned as number of people seen by doctors for suspected cancer in March was 26,000 below expected figure.
26th May 2020 - Huffington Post UK
Coronavirus: drones used to enforce lockdown pose a real threat to our civil liberties
Some argue that the use of surveillance tools such as drones is a price worth paying if it helps to control the spread of infections. But drones offer a simplistic technological solution to a complex public health crisis. The overzealous deployment of surveillance drones risks damanging public trust in the police, in public bodies and in the lockdown measures. Many are also worried that using a health crisis to justify the introduction of public surveillance will enable it to continue after the emergency has passed. To prevent this scenario from unfolding, we need to have a serious conversation about the use and oversight over drones, how their use impacts on our rights, and their effectiveness in combating the pandemic. The actions taken during this pandemic, and the use of technologies that implement them, must be lawful, necessary, proportionate and time-limited.
26th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Soldiers deployed in Indonesia to enforce lockdown before reopening
Indonesia has deployed soldiers and police personnel to enforce the partial lockdown in a bid to bring the COVID-19 infections down as the country plans to relax restrictions to shore up the ravaged economy. Nearly 350,000 troops and police on Tuesday started guarding mall shopping centers, public transport and tourist attractions in the capital of Jakarta and three other provinces as well as 25 cities, Indonesian Military Chief Air Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto said. President Joko Widodo stressed that the soldiers and police personnel would make people abide by the protocols of social distancing so that the infection rate would continue to fall.
"Starting today (Tuesday), military and police personnel will be stationed in spots where mass usually gather to discipline the people, making them obey the health protocols," Jokowi, as the president is known, said when visiting a mass rapid transport station in Jakarta
26th May 2020 - China.org.cn
Lockdown 'really rubs against conservative predisposition for freedom'
US Studies Centre Research Associate Elliott Brennan says anti-lockdown protests in the US are gaining momentum in republican states which are democratically governed. Mr Brennan told Sky News anti-lockdown protests were most active in “states that went to Donald Trump in the 2016 election but have democratic governors that are largely being viewed as tyrannical in the way they are imposing these lockdowns”. “It really rubs against conservative predisposition for freedom,” he said. “We all know the United States is the land of the free and they’ve been told at the moment their freedoms are limited. “And for people who have been affected economically and just want to work to provide for their families, this is a really frustrating phenomena.”
26th May 2020 - Sky News Australia
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 26th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullPolice formally asked to investigate Dominic Cummings' trip during Covid-19 lockdown
Police have been formally asked to investigate a “plethora” of information surrounding Dominic Cummings’ controversial visit to the County Durham area during the Covid-19 lockdown.
25th May 2020 - The Scotsman
Coronavirus: Cummings row raises fears over future of lockdown
The PM's decision to back his chief aide's lockdown trip to Durham has sparked fears that the government's coronavirus message will be undermined. Some Tory backbenchers have called for Dominic Cummings to resign to ensure public confidence in future measures. The row comes as plans to further ease lockdown restrictions will be discussed at a cabinet meeting later. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said Mr Cummings "at no stage broke the law or broke the rules".
25th May 2020 - BBC
Spain’s PM ponders need for potential sixth lockdown extension until end of June
The current lockdown extension will expire on June 7, and the sixth extension would potentially expire another 15 days later, during the latter part of June. “We are studying a sixth extension because it is our duty,” stated Sanchez in yesterday’s press conference. But he insisted it would depend on the country’s health and Covid-19 progress, and would make his decision after “listening to the experts and the regional heads”. During the last few weeks, Sanchez has found it increasingly more difficult to secure the support needed to extend the State of Alarm, particularly during this month. Opposition parties such as the far right Vox and Popular Party (PP) have either voted against or abstained from voting for more lockdown extensions, since the beginning of this month. They believe the Government can resort to other regulations and measures, instead of the current draconian measures to restrict the public’s movement.
25th May 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Russian women stuck in coronavirus lockdown hell as abuse surges
Ineta Akhtyamova's husband flew into a rage in late April, about a month into Moscow's coronavirus lockdown. She was preparing a meal in the small apartment she shares with her partner when he exploded, calling her names, hitting her and shouting at her to get out. "So off I went. I just could not take it anymore," said Akhtyamova, a 50-year-old singer who lost her income due to confinement restrictions. "I'm bad if I stay quiet. I'm bad if I talk. I'm bad if I make soup. I'm bad if I cook potatoes," she told AFP. When her partner hit her before, she would run to friends. This time she had nowhere to go. Friends were reluctant to take her in over fears of coronavirus infection, and two women's shelters turned her away because of Moscow's city-wide quarantine.
25th May 2020 - Channel NewsAsia Singapore
Russian Police to Probe Siberia Street Party
Authorities in Russia have opened an investigation into a street party that saw dozens gather in the center of Novosibirsk despite an anti-coronavirus lockdown in the Siberian city. The local investigative committee said it was launching the probe after photos and videos were posted online of young Russians dancing as music played from loudspeakers in the city's central Lenin Square in the night of Saturday to Sunday. The committee said more than 300 people may have joined the street party in the city of 1.5 million — Russia's third-largest — under lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
25th May 2020 - The Moscow Times
Russia’s small businesses left out in the cold by Covid-19
Small and medium-sized businesses such as Denis’s are trapped in the space between. For the whole of April they were forced by president Vladimir Putin to pay salaries to employees while also suspending their operations. Now they are subject to almost daily changes to local rules governing how they can operate, while waiting for state financial grants that pale in comparison with those offered in western countries. “We have got no loan vacations, no handouts,” Denis said, noting that Russia’s government has put companies such as McDonald’s on a list of entities which have been given permission to keep operating, but not enterprises such as his.
24th May 2020 - The Financial Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 25th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullMuslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr holiday amid curfews, coronavirus fears
Muslims around the world on Sunday began celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a normally festive holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, with millions under strict stay-at-home orders and many fearing renewed coronavirus outbreaks.
The three-day holiday is usually a time of travel, family get-togethers and lavish daytime feasts after weeks of dawn-to-dusk fasting. But this year many of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims will have to pray at home and make due with video calls.
Some countries, including Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, have imposed round-the-clock holiday curfews. But even where many restrictions have been lifted, celebrations will be subdued because of fears of the pandemic and its economic fallout. Saudi Arabia, home to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is under a complete lockdown, with residents only permitted to leave their homes to purchase food and medicine.
24th May 2020 - CBC.ca
Bolsonaro calls coronavirus a 'little flu.' Inside Brazil's hospitals, doctors know the horrifying reality
In Brazil's largest and most badly infected city, coronavirus has yet to peak, yet already the healthcare system is crumbling visibly around us. As doctors struggle valiantly to save lives, the country's President, Jair Bolsonaro, seems more focused on another sick patient: his country's economy. Brazil this week became the country with the second most infections worldwide after the United States, with more than 330,000 confirmed cases. But Bolsonaro, who once dismissed Covid-19 as a "little flu," has urged businesses to reopen, despite many governors stressing social isolation measures to slow the spread. In the huge intensive care unit (ICU) of Emilio Ribas Infectious Disease Institute in São Paulo, anger swirls among doctors when asked about their President's comments. "Revolting," says one. "Irrelevant" declares another.
24th May 2020 - CNN
Doctors Without Borders go from wars to fighting Covid-19 in Brazil's poorest areas
Previously Doctors Without Borders have been accustomed to acting in disasters, now the NGO finds itself offering assistance to homeless people fighting Covid-19 in Sao Paolo
24th May 2020 - Folha.uol.br
Nigeria to impose precision lockdown in coronavirus hotspots
Nigeria announced on Monday it would impose precisely targeted lockdown measures in areas that report rapid increases in cases of the coronavirus, while the phased reopening of the economy as a whole would go ahead more slowly than planned. The government extended a full lockdown in Kano state, the northern economic hub where authorities are investigating a spate of mysterious deaths. Kano has the second highest number of confirmed cases in the country after Lagos. The government said its phased reopening of strict lockdowns in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states would go more slowly than initially planned, and the current phase of gradual reopening would last a further two weeks.
18th May 2020 - Yahoo News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 22nd May 2020
View this newsletter in fullCompliance with UK lockdown rules has dropped to 60 per cent
More than half of young adults are no longer sticking strictly to the lockdown rules, according to a new survey. Researchers who questioned over 90,000 adults have found that “complete” compliance with Government safety measures, such as social distancing and staying at home, has dropped in the past two weeks from an average of 70% of people to under 60% who said they act this way. Less than 50% of younger adults are “completely” complying with lockdown rules, according to the University College London (UCL) study which looked at how adults are feeling about a range of issues during the pandemic. These include the lockdown, Government advice, their overall wellbeing and mental health.
21st May 2020 - Wales Online
Coronavirus: No more changes to NI lockdown restrictions yet
Stormont ministers have decided there will not be any further changes yet to lockdown measures in Northern Ireland. The executive met on Thursday to discuss its response to easing restrictions. Earlier this week, Arlene Foster said ministers would revisit whether relatives who do not live together could meet indoors. It is included in step one of the recovery plan, but the executive has not agreed to allow it to go ahead.
Their decision comes as a further seven Covid-19 related deaths have been recorded by Northern Ireland's Department of Health, bringing its total to 501
21st May 2020 - BBC
UK weather: Crowds hit beaches despite lockdown as Met Office confirms hottest day of the year
The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far – with people across the country journeying to jam-packed beaches and beauty spots to make the most of the sunshine for the first time since social distancing rules were eased. Temperatures hit a peak of 27.8C near Heathrow, up from the previous 2020 high set the day before when the mercury rose to 26.2C. And with the government having eased rules on trips outside – including those that once barred people looking to drive to far flung areas of natural beauty – thousands took to the nation’s shores with many of England’s top coastal areas appearing rammed with sunbathers.
21st May 2020 - The Independent
Coronavirus lockdown: Inspectors called to 20 water pollutions 'from DIY'
Inspectors have been called out to 20 incidents of water pollution caused by lockdown DIY in recent weeks. Staff from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency have investigated incidents caused by waste water linked to painting and decorating being disposed of incorrectly. It is believed the bulk of the problems occur when people use the wrong drain to get rid of material. There have been a number affecting the River Lagan at Dromore, County Down. The plumes of pollution are particularly hard to trace back to their origin as they are short-lived in nature.
21st May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Maximum lockdown penalties rise to £1,920 in Wales
Maximum penalties in Wales for breaching lockdown will rise to £1,920, the Welsh Government has confirmed. First Minister Mark Drakeford has faced calls to raise the penalties to deter breaches. Initial fixed penalties will stay the same at £60, but will double for each time someone is caught. But the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Dyfed-Powys Police said the changes to penalties do not go far enough.
21st May 2020 - BBC South East Wales
Online casino searches at 'all-time high' during lockdown
Search interest in online casinos has hit an all-time high in the UK since lockdown began, data show. Google Trends shows gambling has moved online amid the closure of physical gambling venues and cancellation of sports events. Problem gamblers told the BBC lockdown measures were a "recipe for disaster". Watchdog the Gambling Commission said there had been a rise in some online gambling, but there was no evidence yet of a rise in problem gambling.
21st May 2020 - BBC
Fewer young adults sticking to lockdown rules, UK study shows
More than half of young adults are no longer sticking strictly to UK lockdown rules, according to a survey. Researchers who questioned more than 90,000 adults found “complete” compliance with government safety measures, such as physical distancing and staying at home, had dropped in the past two weeks from an average of 70% of people to less than 60%.
21st May 2020 - The Guardian
What is it like to live on UK borders during lockdown?
After Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland refused to adopt the British government’s new “stay alert” slogan, instead opting to continue the original advice to “stay home”, the four nations’ approaches to coronavirus has begun to fracture.
For those living on the UK’s borders, this division has left them grappling with conflicting guidelines. We’d like to hear from those living on the borders about what the differing advice has meant for them.
21st May 2020 - The Guardian
'It's been life-changing': Ramadan during UK lockdown
As an intensive care doctor, Usman Ahmed is spending much of Ramadan looking after patients. But working night shifts with other Muslim colleagues makes the experience easier, he says. At the start of each shift, Ahmed and his colleagues break their fasts together with food brought from home or donated by charities. Just before sunrise, they take another break to have breakfast and prepare for another day of fasting. “This Ramadan has been an emotional time for me and I have had to observe unwell patients in intensive care and an increased number of deaths in hospital,” says Ahmed, 34, who works at Whittington hospital in Archway, London. “This has an emotional strain and I have been reflecting upon this during Ramadan.”
21st May 2020 - The Guardian
Spain MPs vote to extend lockdown until June 6
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez won parliamentary backing to extend the lockdown for another two weeks Wednesday, despite opposition from his rightwing opponents and protests against his minority coalition government. It was the fifth time the state of emergency has been renewed, meaning the restrictions will remain in force until June 6 in a measure passed by 177 votes in favour, 162 against and 11 abstentions. The measure has allowed the government to impose a strict lockdown on Spain's nearly 47 million population, significantly limiting the freedom of movement to fight the epidemic which has now claimed 27,888 lives. But the government's management of the crisis has drawn a barrage of criticism from righwing parties who have denounced its "brutal confinement", while several hundred protesters have hit the streets demanding "freedom" and Sanchez's resignation.
21st May 2020 - YAHOO!
Scandal of Spain´s Children Suffering from Depression Especially in Struggling Lockdown Families
Spain's children are suffering increased levels of depression caused by the coronavirus lockdown according to a leading children’s charity. Statistics have been published which say that 17 per cent of youngsters in Spain have felt low during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a larger percentage in economically-struggling families. The stark figures come from a survey conducted by Save the Children in April, at the height of Spain’s State of Alarm lockdown.
21st May 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Spain's PM asks parliament for 2 more weeks of lockdown
Spain’s government extended the country’s state of emergency for two more weeks despite criticism from opposition parties. The country’s lockdown, which started on March 14, will now last at least until June 7. The government argued that at least one more two-week extension will be needed to complete a cautious return of centralized control over health policy to the governors of its 17 regions. The parliament on Wednesday approved the extension request by 177 votes to 161, with 11 abstentions. The main opposition conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party voted against an extension to the state of emergency, which gives the government the power to restrict constitutional rights such as free movement and assembly. “The path we are on is the only one that can possibly beat the virus. Thanks to all the parliament members who have supported the state of emergency because with their vote they have saved thousands of lives”, prime minister Pedro Sánchez told parliament.
21st May 2020 - New Europe
What does Switzerland's lockdown look like? Iain Dale discovers
Switzerland shares a border with Germany, France, Austria and Italy - reporter Harriet Hadman told Iain that the southern part that borders with Italy was "very badly hit" and the virus was spreading over the border from mid-February. "Many of the hospitals along the border are staffed by hospitals that have to commute over every single day so that's made it incredibly difficult to close those borders completely. They've had to keep those healthcare workers going across," Ms Harman said. There has been a high rate of cases in Switzerland and the country has been "hit quite hard" - the top 10 country in the world for cases, though "way behind" the neighbouring countries. There have been over 1,300 cases out of eight million people - fortunately there are a high number of ICU beds, good hospitals and extremely good healthcare.
21st May 2020 - LBC 973 FM
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 21st May 2020
View this newsletter in fullUS economy risks 'permanent damage' from long lockdowns, Mnuchin warns
Mnuchin’s comments came in a joint appearance before the Senate banking committee with Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Appearing via video link, the pair offered a stark assessment of the fragile state of the economy and warned of worse to come. “I think the jobs numbers will be worse before they get better,” Mnuchin said, adding that the overall economy too was likely to weaken in the near term before starting to recover towards the end of the year.
20th May 2020 - The Guardian
Coronavirus US: New Jersey gym-goer arrested defying lockdown
Atilis Gym in Bellmawr reopened Monday, defying Governor Phil Murphy's order for non-essential businesses to stay shuttered to slow the spread of coronavirus.
One gym-goer was pictured wearing a face mask and a vest that read 'Only you can prevent dad bods' being led away in handcuffs by Bellmawr police Tuesday
Gym owners say the facility has introduced measures for people to return safely including only operating at 20 percent capacity
20th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Spain's leader asks parliament for 2 more weeks of lockdown
Spain’s prime minister appears before parliament on Wednesday to ask for its endorsement to extend the state of emergency that his government has used to rein in the country's coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 27,000 people. It would be the fifth two-week extension to the state of emergency, which is currently set to expire on Sunday. The government wants to extend it until June 7.
20th May 2020 - Associated Press on MSN.com
Complying with lockdown does become harder over time – here's why
Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser to the UK government, said that this delay was necessary because people would get “fed up” of following rules. Delaying the start of the lockdown, the theory went, would make sure the public wouldn’t run out of patience with the restrictions when the outbreak was at its worst.
The idea that the public would be susceptible to this “behavioural fatigue” prompted critique from some scientists as well as support from others. Was the government correct to think that adherence would fall over time?
20th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Russian Teenagers Found Partying On Goa Beach Amid Lockdown, Detained
A group of teenage Russians, including girls, was detained by police for partying on a beach in north Goa, an official said on Tuesday. The teenagers were found drinking and partying at an isolated area on Ashwem beach on Sunday in violation of lockdown norms and other government rules and were subsequently detained, he said. All the Russians who were detained by the Pernem police were found to be minors and in their teens, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (Mapusa) Gajanan Prabhudesai, citing personal details from their passports.
20th May 2020 - NDTV
'I miss dancing': Elderly South Koreans lament loss of 'playground' as senior discos shut
Yoon Ji-won, the ex-hotelier, says Korea’s young clubbers took away her “playground.” “Why should we suffer? We wore masks and put on sanitary gels before dancing. All of us were very careful not to get into any sort of trouble because we knew it could really kill us, you know, when you’re my age,” the 61-year-old said. Another jitterbug veteran who identified himself only as ‘Qingdao Wind,’ says he has moved from colatecs to hiking and camping because his dance friends are now spending time in Geomdansan, a mountain near Misari, east of Seoul. “I also like camping, but there’s nothing like gliding through the dance floor with a partner and some music,” he said.
20th May 2020 - Reuters
A U.S. Expat in China Weighs the Decision of Where to Shelter in Place
Chris Tuazon, a copywriter from California who resides in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen with his wife, Laura, their two daughters, and his mother-in-law, faced a conundrum similar to that of Defoe’s bachelor. Seeing the increasing number of covid-19 cases as the country began to shelter in place, Tuazon stayed awake at night, wondering if he should take his whole family back to the U.S. In the video above, Tuazon offers a visual journal of the eighty-odd days his family spent in lockdown, including their deliberations over whether to stay in China or travel to the U.S.
20th May 2020 - The New Yorker
Learning in lockdown across the globe: The challenges facing Shropshire's teachers and students
The transition to online learning has been tough enough for some, but international students at Acton Burnell's Concord College are having to learn from a variety of different time zones. While teachers have had to overcome significant challenges, commitment to studies have continued with one student in America even getting up at 2am to turn up for his virtual morning lessons. Just before Covid-19 struck, staff at the college had written a document focussing on ‘anywhere anytime learning’.
20th May 2020 - Shropshire Star
As lockdowns fuel domestic abuse, social media users fight back
When British teenager Kaitlyn McGoldrick heard domestic violence was increasing under lockdown, she posted a video on social media showing victims how to make a silent emergency call to police without their attackers finding out. “I just wanted to get the message out there that there are still places you can go,” said McGoldrick, 14, a volunteer police cadet whose post has had more than 50,000 views on the TikTok video-sharing platform. As the coronavirus measures trap victims under the same roof as abusers, the United Nations has called domestic violence a “shadow pandemic,” and the issue has led to a flurry of online campaigns by charities, celebrities and ordinary social media users. Inundated with positive responses to her video, McGoldrick plans to share more advice posts with backing from the local police youth volunteer group to which she belongs.
20th May 2020 - The Japan Times
Coronavirus: WA border lockdown set to be in place for months
Premier Mark McGowan claims Western Australia’s top health officer has advised to keep the border lockdown in place for another several months.
20th May 2020 - Nine News Australia
Lockdown poetry parties 'bring families closer'
A poet who specialises in health and wellbeing said poetry could help people feel "less alone" during the pandemic. Beth Calverley, from Bristol, created The Poetry Machine in 2015 to help people "put their feelings into words". During lockdown, she has worked online and with families and the hospital where she is also poet in residence. Bristol Royal Infirmary said her specially written poems "embodied everything we as staff are feeling for our patients and their loved ones". After almost all her pre-existing work until next year had been cancelled or postponed, Ms Calverley said the months ahead looked "very uncertain".
20th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus lockdown leaves international tourists stranded in Australia
The Colombian trio are not the only tourists stranded in Australia due to restricted international travel. According to the Department of Home Affairs, there are more than 110,000 tourists in the country. Many nations are in the process of repatriating their citizens but with air travel still heavily restricted and flight tickets often expensive, tourists remain in limbo about when they will be able to return home.
20th May 2020 - ABC News
Why I'm nervous about the end of lockdown
The role of heat and humidity - a subject of particularly passionate debate - is probably what worries me most, living in one of the southern hemisphere's few temperate countries. Of the 17 nations with more than 50,000 confirmed cases, only Brazil and India have been outside the temperate, arid and high-altitude zones that a climate-based model would suggest are most likely to encourage infection.
For much of the world, where spring is gradually turning to summer, seasonal variation in COVID-19's reproduction rate would offer the prospect of a welcome slowdown in the coming months. Here in Australia, though, a mild autumn is now giving way to the first bite of winter. As I step into the cool afternoon air onto a main street that's as busy as I've seen it in months, that's not a comforting thought.
20th May 2020 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Brazil coronavirus outbreak worsens as country could soon be No. 2 in cases
Brazil’s coronavirus outbreak worsened on Wednesday and the South American nation could soon have the second-highest number of cases in the world as the Health Ministry reported 888 new deaths and nearly 20,000 new infections in a single day.
20th May 2020 - Reuters
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 20th May 2020
View this newsletter in full‘Don’t Come’: Hawaii Enforces Strict Lockdown Measures
Being thousands of miles from the nearest continent and reachable almost exclusively by air travel puts Hawaii in a unique position to not just contain the virus, but potentially eradicate it there, said Dr. Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “By every metric that we follow they’ve done a terrific job in being able to stop the spread,” he said. “If you can get the community spread under control and you can implement strict screening of passengers, you really can stop the epidemic in their state.” Ige has signaled he plans to maintain the tough stance on arriving travelers, even as several parts of the mainland U.S. begin to reopen their economies. While the state has already begun to reopen recreational draws including some state parks, beaches and golf courses with social distancing measures, Ige last week said he planned to extend the travel quarantine through the end of June.
19th May 2020 - Bloomberg on MSN.com
Coronavirus: UK lockdown sparked steepest drop in working hours in a decade
Britain’s coronavirus lockdown triggered the steepest drop in working hours in a decade, according to official figures. The new figures lay bare the economic cost of the country’s efforts to control the virus, with millions of workers’ jobs and incomes taking a heavy hit. Total hours worked in the final week of March plummeted by 25% compared to the average over the previous three months. Prime minister Boris Johnson ordered Britain to go into lockdown on 23 March, leading many firms to temporarily shut up shop.
19th May 2020 - YAHOO!
UK unemployment claims soar amid coronavirus lockdown
UK unemployment claims soared by more than 69% in April after the coronavirus lockdown gripped the labour market, official figures revealed. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said that jobless claims under Universal Credit surged by 856,000 to 2.1 million in April, compared with the previous month. Official statisticians also said that early estimates for April 2020 indicate that the number of paid employees fell by 1.6% compared to March, as firms began to feel a greater impact from the lockdown.
19th May 2020 - The Scotsman
Lockdown Stringency Has Largest Impact in Spain, France, U.S.
A 10-point increase in lockdown stringency leads to a 4% drop in economic activity on average, according to Bloomberg Economics analysis of data from the Oxford Covid-19 Government Response Tracker. Yet the headline result masks differences between countries. In Spain, France and the U.S., unit increases in the stringency of lockdown appear to have a larger impact on activity, while in Canada, Australia, and Sweden, the impact seems to be smaller.
19th May 2020 - Bloomberg
Digital schooling is no ‘great leveller’ – education in lockdown is more divided than ever
Private school students are twice as likely to attend online classes than those in comprehensives, Shadim Hussain says. Suddenly democratising the internet doesn't sound so far-fetched
19th May 2020 - Independent
Coronavirus: The number of 'excess deaths' in care homes and hospitals compared with normal times is revealed
More than 20,000 more deaths have been recorded in care homes in England and Wales this year compared with the average.
19th May 2020 - Sky News
Wild protests break out in Chile over Covid-19 lockdown food shortages
Police and protesters clashed in Santiago on Monday amid a city-wide lockdown meant to stem the spread of the coronavirus as local officials warned that food shortages had hit one of the Chilean capital´s poorest neighborhoods. A group of protesters threw rocks, shouted and burned piles of wood along a street in the destitute neighborhood on Santiago’s southern fringe. Images on social media and local television showed police spraying tear gas and water cannons to disperse the growing crowd. The municipality said in a statement that families were going hungry in the poorest sectors of El Bosque, a neighborhood where many work informally, or not at all. The city district has been under quarantine since mid-April, city officials said in a statement.
19th May 2020 - FRANCE 24 English
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 19th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullIndia extends lockdown to May 31, to relax rules in some areas
India on Sunday extended a nationwide lockdown to May 31, as cases exceeded 90,000 and further clashes erupted between police and stranded migrants. Schools, malls and other public places will remain mostly closed, though rules will be relaxed in areas with low numbers of cases, according to an order from the interior ministry. "New guidelines have permitted considerable relaxations in lockdown restrictions," the ministry said in a tweet accompanying the order. Large gatherings are still prohibited, but outside of containment zones with high numbers of active cases "all other activities will be permitted", it said, potentially allowing commerce and industry to reopen across much of the country.
18th May 2020 - YAHOO!
UK on brink of mental health crisis because of lockdown
The UK could be on the brink of a mental health crisis as millions of Brits suffer the effects of lockdown. Studies and surveys are already showing the pandemic’s impact on mental health globally. Psychologists say children are anxious and increases in cases of depression have been recorded in several countries. Domestic violence is also rising, while health workers are reporting an increased need for psychological support
18th May 2020 - Metro
UK benefits ban leaves migrants struggling for food during lockdown
When Shabana Aslam’s husband, Irfan, was made redundant from his marketing job at a multinational entertainment company last month as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, the loss of the main household income left her wondering how the family would eat. The decision by Mr Aslam’s employer not to put him on to the UK’s job retention scheme meant the family’s monthly take-home pay fell 75 per cent, leaving the couple and their 11- and 13-year-old daughters to rely on Ms Aslam’s £1,300 monthly income as a teaching assistant. But rent alone comes to £1,400 a month and the couple are barred from claiming state benefits.
18th May 2020 - Financial Times
India extends lockdown as it surpasses China for most COVID-19 cases in Asia
India has extended a two-month-old lockdown by two weeks after reporting nearly 5000 new coronavirus cases but says restrictions could be eased in low-risk areas to boost economic activity.
18th May 2020 - SBS News
India extends lockdown to May 31
The Indian government has extended its nationwide lockdown to May 31. But it now allows states to ease restrictions and reopen some businesses in areas with low numbers of infections. The federal government announced the two-week extension on Sunday, the day the lockdown was to end. The move came as the country recently recorded about 4,000 new infections per day. The cumulative figure has surpassed 90,000.
18th May 2020 - NHK WORLD
India forced to extend lockdown for another fortnight as case numbers surge
While announcing lockdown 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it would come in a "completely different form", with new rules. "Corona will be with us for a long time but our lives cannot revolve around it. We will wear masks, we will follow the six-foot distance, but we won't let it derail our targets," Modi said. Lockdown curbs were loosened further in many parts of the country. In many cities, restaurants were allowed to operate takeaway services, while sports complexes and stadiums could host events without spectators, the home affairs ministry said. The fourth phase of the lockdown in India will start from May 18 and last till May 31.
18th May 2020 - YAHOO!
India extends COVID-19 lockdown after surge in cases
India on Sunday extended its nearly 2-month-old lockdown by two weeks after reporting nearly 5,000 new coronavirus cases, but said restrictions could be eased in low-risk areas to boost economic activity. After surpassing China on Saturday, India now has the most confirmed virus cases in Asia, with nearly 91,000. New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and some other key regions are still battling to control the rising curve of coronavirus infections. But the Home Ministry said low-risk areas will be allowed to restore economic activity.
17th May 2020 - CTV News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 18th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullBrazil Overtakes Spain to Be World’s Fourth-Most Infected Nation
The country added 14,919 cases, according to government data on Saturday, bringing its total to 233,142. It trails the U.S., Russia, and U.K. The numbers exceed those in Spain, which has a total of 230,698 cases and is planning to extend the state of emergency for a fifth time to combat the outbreak. Brazil’s new cases come as Vice President Hamilton Mourao and his wife are in self-isolation after a civil servant he came into contact with tested positive for Covid-19, according to a note sent by his press office. They are awaiting test results, which are expected on Monday.
17th May 2020 - Bloomberg
Mexico's president pushes back on government forecast coronavirus could impoverish millions
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pushed back on Thursday against a government report that forecast the coronavirus pandemic could drag millions of Mexicans into extreme poverty in Latin America’s second largest economy.
17th May 2020 - Reuters UK
Covid-19 Outbreak in Nigeria Is Just One of Africa’s Alarming Hot Spots
Dozens of doctors are infected and gravediggers are overwhelmed in Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city, where inaction led to an unchecked outbreak. Across Africa, other hot spots are emerging.
17th May 2020 - The New York Times
Kenya closes borders with Somalia, Tanzania to curb COVID-19 spread | English.news.cn
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday closed the country's borders with Somalia and Tanzania effective midnight as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. Kenyatta banned the movement of persons and passengers in and out of Kenya through the Tanzania and Somalia borders for 21 days following the rise of cross-border COVID-19 transmission. "In the last week, we have witnessed increased imported cases among individuals crossing into the country through our borders. These areas have become areas of grave concern," Kenyatta told the nation in a televised news conference in Nairobi. He said all drivers of the cargo vehicles shall be subjected to mandatory COVID-19 disease testing and will only be granted entry into the Kenyan territory if they test negative.
16th May 2020 - Xinhua
Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases top 50,000: ministry
The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia topped 50,000 on Saturday, the health ministry said. A ministry official reported 2,840 new cases, taking the cumulative total to 51,980. That was up from an average of around 1,500 new cases a day over the past week. The death toll in the kingdom increased by 10 to 302, the official said on state TV. Saudi Arabia recorded its first COVID-19 infection on March 2, several weeks after the initial outbreak in Asia.
16th May 2020 - Reuters UK
Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases top 50,000: ministry
The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia topped 50,000 on Saturday, the health ministry said. A ministry official reported 2,840 new cases, taking the cumulative total to 51,980. That was up from an average of around 1,500 new cases a day over the past week. The death toll in the kingdom increased by 10 to 302, the official said on state TV. Saudi Arabia recorded its first COVID-19 infection on March 2, several weeks after the initial outbreak in Asia.
16th May 2020 - Reuters UK
Mass testing won't happen in Mexico. That's the way the government wants it
Mexican health officials believe the outbreak will peak in this country no later than May 20, though some studies suggest it could arrive in late June, even as the country has one of the lowest testing rates in the world. "I don't think testing is a must," Lopez-Gatell said when asked if the country could re-open safely without more tests. "This doesn't mean we're resistant to testing, we will use testing but in a carefully planned manner." As of May 11, Mexico had only conducted 89 tests per 100,000 people, according to health ministry data. By contrast, the US tested at a rate nearly 32 times higher than that, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
16th May 2020 - CNN
No beds, packed morgues: Mumbai hospitals near collapse in war against coronavirus
Packed morgues, bodies in wards, patients forced to share beds and medical workers run ragged: Mumbai's war against coronavirus has pushed the Indian city's hospitals to breaking point. Ravi, 26, had to change his mother's diapers himself as she lay dying from the disease in the huge Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, better known as Sion. "They would just give us medicines and leave," Ravi (not his real name) told AFP. Staff in the 1,300-bed facility were "overworked and tired", he said, with sometimes three patients per bed.
16th May 2020 - The Straits Times
South African platinum miner Impala finds 19 coronavirus cases at mine
South Africa’s Impala Platinum said on Saturday it had detected 19 positive cases of the COVID-19 disease at its Marula operation in northern Limpopo province, and that it would close the plant until it had taken necessary health measures. “Implats has identified 19 positive cases during the week, all of them asymptomatic. Of these cases, 14 were identified as the result of proactive testing of employees returning to work. None of these employees had started work at the mine,” the firm said in a statement.
16th May 2020 - Reuters
Zimbabwe to maintain virus lockdown: president
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Saturday the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus would stay in place for the moment, but would be reviewed every two weeks. The restrictions have so far borne fruit as transmission has not been widespread and numbers remain lower than had been initial projections, he added. From more than 25,000 tests conducted, the country has so far detected 42 cases, four of which proved fatal. Mnangagwa said the World Health Organisation had classified coronavirus transmission in Zimbabwe as "sporadic, with one or more cases imported or locally detected
16th May 2020 - News24
Brazil: Coronavirus pandemic reaches dozens of Indigenous groups
The coronavirus pandemic has hit 38 Indigenous groups in Brazil, raising fears for populations that have a history of being decimated by outside diseases. "The virus is reaching indigenous territories across Brazil with frightening speed," the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples' Association (APIB) said in a statement on Friday.
16th May 2020 - AlJazeera
Coronavirus - Kenya: COVID-19 and lack of protective equipment threaten lifesaving care in Kenya
MSF teams too, however, crucially rely on the availability of PPE to protect patients and staff from the risk of infection. The global shortage of protective material may force even MSF to shut down our programmes – including emergency, lifesaving activities – if a reliable source of PPE is not rapidly found. This happens at the worst possible time. While the number of reported COVID-19 cases has remained relatively low so far, it is expected to increase, and so risks doing the number of indirect victims – those who couldn’t access essential medical care for other types of medical issues. With the rainy season approaching, the seasonal increase in respiratory disease is expected to make the situation even more challenging.
16th May 2020 - Africa News English
Coronavirus: Are African countries struggling to increase testing?
African countries have started to lift lockdown restrictions, raising fears that coronavirus infections could rise. The World Health Organization has said countries should consider their ability to test and trace before lifting lockdown. The continent has so far conducted 1.2 million tests since the start of the epidemic. But is that enough?
15th May 2020 - BBC
Mexico at 'peak moment' of coronavirus crisis after biggest daily rise in cases
Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell - an epidemiologist and Mexico's coronavirus tsar - described this as "the most difficult moment of the first wave of the epidemic". He said that the country "could not relax measures" in place to stem the spread of the virus, and instead needs to embrace a "new normal" to avoid another wave of infections. On Monday, some key industries - including mining, construction and automobile assembly - are scheduled to partially reopen. Mr López-Gatell stressed that the re-opening of these industries will be largely preparatory, with a broader restart of businesses not scheduled until 1 June. Government data released on Thursday also showed more than half of hospitals in the capital, Mexico City, were at capacity with coronavirus patients.
15th May 2020 - BBC
Hundreds die in Yemen of suspected coronavirus
More than 500 people have died over the past eight days in southern Yemen’s main city, Aden, many with breathing difficulties, raising fears the coronavirus is spreading out of control, feeding off a civil war that has left the country in ruins.
15th May 2020 - AP
'The ship is sinking': Bolsonaro battles to block foul-mouthed cabinet video
“This meeting is the perfect portrait of the Bolsonaro administration,” said Bruno Boghossian, a columnist for the Folha de São Paulo newspaper in Brazil’s political capital, Brasília. “Conspiracy theories, ideological issues, made-up battles, and culture wars – all right there at the heart of government.” The video of the supposedly private plenum on 22 April was unexpectedly thrust into the public domain by the resignation of Bolsonaro’s justice minister, Sergio Moro, two days later. Moro says the images contain key evidence supporting his allegation that Bolsonaro tried to meddle in federal police business and must be released as part of a supreme court investigation into those claims. The footage was privately screened for investigators this week but has yet to be made public. Even before its release, however, the video is casting a profoundly embarrassing, and potentially compromising light on Bolsonaro and the far-right administration he has led since January 2019.
15th May 2020 - The Guardian
Stigma, fears of quarantine hinder Kenya's COVID-19 fight
Mass testing for the novel coronavirus is under way in the worst affected areas of Kenya. But many are reluctant to be checked, for fear of being forced into quarantine. There is also a stigma attached to the virus and the disease it causes, known as COVID-19. Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi reports from the capital Nairobi.
15th May 2020 - AlJazeera
Taps run dry in Kenya's capital as coronavirus spreads
Heavy rains swept away the main water pipes running through forests in the Aberdare mountain range north of Kenya’s capital a week ago. Soon after that, the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company shut down a treatment plant feeding the city. Now huge swathes of Nairobi, from its slums to its well-heeled districts of Lavington and Kitisuru are struggling with little to no supplies, at a time when the government is ordering people to stay put and keep clean. “Will we deal with water shortage or the coronavirus? How can we survive without water when we are being told to wash our hands?” asked Wanjiru, a mother-of-two who also needs water to wash the vegetables she sells on her stall.
14th May 2020 - Reuters
Mexico’s Cartels Distribute Coronavirus Aid to Win Popular Support
Mexico’s drug cartels are in a war for the hearts and minds of poor Mexicans, providing them with food and supplies as they struggle to survive the economic meltdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Since the coronavirus struck Mexico, a plethora of videos and photographs uploaded to social media have shown what appear to be cartel operatives in about a dozen states handing out food packages marked with the logos of the different criminal groups to lines of Mexicans. In some cases the videos show the food being distributed by heavily armed men, driving in military-style trucks with cartel markings.
14th May 2020 - The Wall Street Journal
Coronavirus: Morgues and storage rooms are full of bodies. The true death toll in Mexico City is staggering
The number of people dying from the coronavirus pandemic in Mexico is five times higher than official government figures, according to health department insiders.
A Sky News investigations team working in the country's capital Mexico City has documented cremations and funerals and gained access to morgues and storage rooms full of bodies - all indicate the official data is wrong. In much of Mexico City, the second largest city in Latin America, there is virtually no social distancing, with open air markets and some businesses operating normally, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
13th May 2020 - Sky News
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 15th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullWashington mayor extends US capital's lockdown
Washington's mayor extended the US capital's lockdown on Wednesday (May 13) amid a stream of new COVID-19 cases, even as many parts of the country gradually reopen in a push to prevent further economic damage. The orders extend the city's home sheltering regime, which was set to expire Friday, to Jun 8, and came as similar measures were granted for the city's suburbs in the states of Maryland and Virginia. The two states are gradually reopening their economies, but have permitted communities near the capital - population: 700,000 - to open under different timelines, due to heightened levels of COVID-19. "The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 diagnoses has yet to fall and the number of daily deaths has failed to decline," Mayor Muriel Bowser said in her proclamation. "Community transmission of COVID-19 remains widespread throughout the district," she said, as well as "in the Maryland and Virginia areas near Washington."
14th May 2020 - CNA
Coronavirus: US Supreme Court overrules Wisconsin lockdown
The US State of Wisconsin will be re-opened, effective immediately, after the state's Supreme Court ruled its restrictions over-stepped the mark.
14th May 2020 - 9News
Russians Struggling to Survive Add Pressure to End Lockdown
Grigory Sverdlin has been doling out free meals from a night bus in Russia's second-biggest city for the best part of the past two decades, with Russians running out of money after six weeks of lockdown
14th May 2020 - Bloomberg
Strains in hard-hit Mumbai complicate India's coronavirus recovery
India’s lockdown, imposed March 25, is set to at least partially end May 18. Some restrictions on manufacturing, agriculture and self-employment were lifted May 4 to ease the burden on the poor and informal sector workers who comprise the majority of India’s workforce. Indian Railways also partially reopened to run special trains carrying migrant workers stranded in the lockdown who fled India’s big cities, including Mumbai, for their village homes. At least some of the passengers carried coronavirus with them, infection spikes in the states of Bihar and Orisha corresponding with their arrivals show.
14th May 2020 - The Japan Times
Japan suicides decline as Covid-19 lockdown causes shift in stress factors
The suicide rate in Japan fell by 20% in April compared with the same time last year, the biggest drop in five years, despite fears the coronavirus pandemic would cause increased stress and many prevention helplines were either not operating or short-staffed. People spending more time at home with their families, fewer people were commuting to work and delays to the start of the school year are seen as factors in the fall. In April, 1,455 people took their lives in Japan, 359 fewer than in April 2019. Suicide has been on a downward trend in Japan since peaking at more than 34,000 cases annually in 2003. Last year saw just over 20,000, and the large drop last month came at a time when there were fears of a fresh spike.
14th May 2020 - The Guardian
Cape Town becomes the centre of South Africa's virus pandemic
Cape Town has half of South Africa's coronavirus cases, making it the center of infection in the country
14th May 2020 - Bloomberg
Africa facing a quarter of a billion coronavirus cases, WHO predicts
Nearly a quarter of a billion people across 47 African countries will catch coronavirus over the next year, but the result will be fewer severe cases and deaths than in the US and Europe, new research predicts. A model by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional office for Africa, published in the BMJ Global Health, predicts a lower rate of transmission and viral spread across the continent than elsewhere, resulting in up to 190,000 deaths. But the authors warn the associated rise in hospital admissions, care needs and “huge impact” on services such as immunisation and maternity, will overwhelm already stretched health services.
15th May 2020 - The Guardian
Why is Russia's coronavirus death rate so low?
Russia has the world's second-highest number of coronavirus cases but has registered 10 times fewer deaths than Britain, France, Italy and Spain.So many are wondering: why is the country's mortality rate so low?. How they go about counting recorded cases....
15th May 2020 - The Economic Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 14th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullHow the coronavirus crisis destroyed work-life balance in Spain
The lockdown has given the 4.5 million families in the country with small children an overload of responsibility. Experts are calling for urgent measures
13th May 2020 - EL PAÍS in English
Coronavirus UK: Contract tracing may mean 770k self-isolate a day
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) made the estimate. They say for every 20,000 new cases each day, 770,000 people would be traced. Currently 3,000 cases are diagnosed per day but it is heavily under-reported. The study measured the impact of app-based tracing against manual tracing . Both methods are due to be implemented by health chiefs in the coming weeks.
13th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Coronavirus: Saskatchewan government detaining people who won’t self-isolate
The Saskatchewan government is detaining people who are allegedly not self-isolating and putting them in a place where prisoners who are awaiting bail or trial are usually held. According to the Ministry of Justice, the White Birch Remand Centre in Regina is being used as an “isolation centre” for those “unwilling or unable to follow the self-isolation orders established by the chief medical officer of Saskatchewan.”
13th May 2020 - GlobalNews.ca
South Sudan: Coronavirus cases confirmed inside UN civilian protection site
The UN Peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) told the UN Spokesperson’s Office on Wednesday that the appearance of cases within one of the camps in the capital was “not unexpected, given the rising number of cases confirmed within communities across the city.” “The UN continues to urge displaced people in the sites to follow prevention measures such as social distancing, handwashing, and isolating themselves if they become sick”, Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during the regular online briefing in New York.
13th May 2020 - UN News
Coronavirus: UAE announces 725 new cases, 511 recoveries
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday announced 725 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, as well as 511 new recoveries. The total number of cases in the country has reached 20,386 and the total number of recoveries has also reached 6,523. As many as 34,869 new tests have also been carried out, the ministry added. 3 people have succumbed to the illness, bringing the total number of deaths to 206 in the country. The UAE's daily testing average is equivalent to a four-month screening average in other countries, and the country has conducted over 1.5 million Covid-19 tests so far, the ministry had said earlier.
13th May 2020 - Khaleej Times
Madrid protests at continued lockdown as Spain starts to reopen
A top official in Madrid has called on Spain’s government to move faster to end the city’s lockdown, arguing that keeping residents at home as other areas start to ease restrictions serves little health purpose and will deepen the damage to the nation’s economy. Ignacio Aguado, deputy head of the Madrid regional government, said there would be severe consequences for unemployment and poverty if Madrid was left behind after half the country began phasing out the coronavirus lockdown this week.
13th May 2020 - Financial Times
Philippines extends lockdown in capital beyond 11 weeks
The Philippines on Tuesday announced an extension of a lockdown of its capital, Manila, to 11 weeks, stretching one of the world's strictest and longest community quarantines to June to try to contain coronavirus outbreaks.
12th May 2020 - YAHOO!
Putin's coronavirus crisis deepens with fatal hospital fire and spokesman's diagnosis
A fire in a hospital treating coronavirus victims claimed the lives of five patients and forced the evacuation of 150 people in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Tuesday, further testing the Russian government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic amid a growing crisis that has reached the Kremlin's inner circle. The St. Petersburg fire broke out on the sixth floor of an intensive care unit at the St. George Hospital, killing five coronavirus patients connected to ventilating equipment, the TASS news agency reported, citing medical personnel.
According to initial findings, the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in a ventilator or its malfunction, state news agencies said. The Investigative Committee, Russia's top law enforcement body, said a criminal investigation had been opened into the matter.
12th May 2020 - CNN
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 13th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullSouth Africa's coronavirus lockdown: Doubts creep in
We are now over six weeks into what remains one of the toughest lockdowns on earth, the government's health experts are predicting that the peak of the epidemic may still be two or three months away, infection numbers are surging in some regions, and the shocked silence and prompt conformity that greeted Mr Ramaphosa's early diktats has been replaced by an increasingly sceptical, angry, and politicised debate. A return to business as usual in this famously fractious nation? Perhaps. But South Africa is entering a long and difficult period in its fight against Covid-19.
12th May 2020 - BBC
Brazil's regional capitals bolster lockdown measures to curb COVID-19
Several of Brazil's regional capitals on Monday stepped up lockdown measures in a bid to fight the novel coronavirus, which has claimed more than 11,000 lives. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second-largest city and the one with the second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths after Sao Paulo, Mayor Marcelo Crivella announced a measure to restrict traffic in 10 districts starting Tuesday and banned the reopening of shops in the favelas. "We had an increase in cases at the start of May. Some people think that it was due to May 1 celebrations. It is very important to remember that we are only protected if everyone is using a face mask," Crivella said at a press conference.
12th May 2020 - China.org.cn
Coronavirus lockdown has made jury trials backlog even worse in courts - people are suffering, says Bar Council chair
Since we were in that courtroom together, Pinto, an experienced corporate crime barrister who works as a judge part-time, has become chair of the Bar Council. She is a member of the working group of senior legal figures who have been meeting once a week to discuss how trials can resume. The latest announcement is “very encouraging”, she says. But there was already a backlog of 37,500 cases from last year for English and Welsh courts to deal with, because of “very, very grave reductions in the budget over a decade or so and a complete lack of investment in the system”, Pinto tells i. Scottish courts could soon have another 1,600, and the backlogs are growing longer, potentially worsening victims’ traumas and leaving people’s lives in limbo.
12th May 2020 - iNews
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 12th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullSpike in China and South Korea figures while Germany feels lockdown tensions
China and South Korea reported new spikes in coronavirus cases, setting off fresh concerns in countries where outbreaks had been in dramatic decline, and new protests against pandemic restrictions erupted in Germany despite the easing of many lockdowns in Europe. In the United States, former President Barack Obama harshly criticised his successor Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster”. The United States has seen 1.3 million infections and nearly 80,000 deaths in the pandemic, the most in the world by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, health officials are anxiously watching to see just how much infection rates rise in a second wave as nations and states emerge from varying degrees of lockdown. China reported 14 new cases on Sunday, its first double-digit rise in 10 days.
11th May 2020 - ITV News
Germany: Politicians worry about radicalization at anti-lockdown protests
After a weekend of demonstrations across Germany, lawmakers worry that they are being used to spread far-right and anti-vaccine ideologies. Attacks on journalists and police have also been on the rise.
11th May 2020 - DW (English)
The UK reacts to new coronavirus lockdown rules: 'I live in Wales, I can't visit my family in England but if I lived in France I could'
Little Britain star Matt Lucas summed up the mood of the nation with an impersonation of Boris Johnson following his controversial speech to the nation last night about the lifting of some coronavirus lockdown rules. In a video posted on Twitter he said: "So we are saying don't go to work, go to work, don't take public transport, don't go to work. Stay indoors, if you can work from home go to work, don't go to work. Go outside, don't go outside. And then we will or won't something or other."
11th May 2020 - iNews
Coronavirus: French arrivals exempt from UK quarantine plans
Passengers arriving from France will be exempt from forthcoming UK coronavirus quarantine measures. Boris Johnson said on Sunday the rules would be imposed on people coming into the UK, to prevent Covid-19 being brought in from overseas.
As yet, no start or end date for the measures has been announced. The government has already indicated that people arriving from the Republic of Ireland will not be made to go into quarantine. However, the measures will apply to UK holidaymakers returning from other destinations
11th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: 'Do not drive from England to Wales to exercise'
People have been warned they are not allowed to drive from England into Wales for exercise as the two countries move to different lockdown rules. Rules have been relaxed in England, meaning people can "drive to other destinations". In Wales, people cannot travel "a significant distance" from home. Police forces in Wales have the power to fine people for making non-essential journeys and that includes those travelling from England into Wales.
11th May 2020 - BBC
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 11th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullThe law extending the state of health emergency in France re-adopted by Parliament
With the partial re-opening of much of France scheduled for 11th May the government extended its health emergency powers to allow it to manage the situation after the re-opening and cope with any eventuality
10th May 2020 - Liberation
What does the end of India’s Covid-19 lockdown mean for you?
The lockdown has not ‘killed’ the virus and was never going to. We will have to learn to live with Covid-19, possibly until 2022. What that means is that the easing of restrictions appears to be coming primarily because the country simply can’t afford to be shut for much longer. The effects on livelihoods and indeed lives would be too much, even if there is a clear explanation of what has changed now versus, say, three weeks ago. However, this lack of a clear approach leaves open the possibility that what are now cluster containment zones – areas with a high number of cases where full lockdowns remain in place – will continue to grow if case counts go up.
9th May 2020 - Scroll.in
Explained: India enforced one of the strongest lockdowns, here’s how it stacks up against other countries
University of Oxford quantifies that. The Stringency Index has found that India indeed had one of the strongest lockdown measures in the world — at a 100 score since March 22. It was relaxed slightly on April 20 after the government eased norms for certain workplaces in regions outside the red zones. It is among the metrics being used by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. The Tracker involves a team of 100 Oxford community members who have continuously updated a database of 17 indicators of government response. These indicators examine containment policies such as school and workplace closings, public events, public transport, stay-at-home policies. The Stringency Index is a number from 0 to 100 that reflects these indicators. A higher index score indicates a higher level of stringency.
8th May 2020 - The Indian Express
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 8th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullWhy lockdown rules aren't always the same around Italy
As Italy adjusts to phase two, the staggered reopening has been complicated by the highly decentralised government system which allows the country's 20 regions to layer on their own rules. Veneto and Calabria have thus been serving food and drink at bars and restaurants with outdoor seating since last week. The area around Genoa is thinking of reopening its beaches. Neighbouring Emilia-Romagna is keeping them closed - even to those who live by the sea. And fines for breaking the rules range from a maximum of 3,000 euros in most places to 5,000 in Lombardy. Such regional differences in the rules have been cause for confusion throughout the lockdown.
7th May 2020 - The Local Italy
Breaking A Sweat: Gyms Across Spain Weary About Re-Opening Under New Lockdown Limitations
Since the beginning of the quarantine most social and leisure activities have moved online, for example watching concerts or meeting up with friends has now taken place on the internet. Similarly, working out has been done virtually although since May 2, residents in Spain have had the opportunity to take to the streets to exercise. When it comes to sports installations or gymnasiums, which according to sources are the preferred source of exercise for around 5.5 million people in Spain, they will be allowed to reopen their facilities after Phase 1 of the de-escalation plan begins. For now, Phase 1 will allow these sports establishments to recommence individual sports activities with advanced bookings, no physical contact and closed changing rooms. Further on, in Phase 3, the gyms will be limited to 30 per cent capacity and changing rooms will remain closed.
7th May 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Spain approves fourth lockdown extension to May 25 as PM secures ‘last minute’ support from opposition parties
The country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez finally managed to secure enough ‘last minute’ support from the opposition parties to extend the country’s lockdown for a fourth time, despite many threatening to withhold their vote this time round (as reported). The lockdown extension will allow the government to restrict citizen’s movements to contain the coronavirus.
7th May 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Major Brazilian cities set lockdowns as virus spreads
São Luis became Brazil’s first major city to begin a coronavirus “lockdown” on Tuesday with another, Fortaleza, saying it would follow suit on Friday, as local health services struggle to cope with the pandemic. Tuesday’s lockdown measure covers São Luis and parts of three other municipalities with a total population of around 1.3 million people in the poor northeastern state of Maranhão. It forbids people from going outside except to obtain groceries, medications or cleaning supplies. Maranhão has not felt the brunt of the crisis, in contrast to the populous southeastern states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the interior state of Amazonas, where hospitals are overwhelmed and authorities have resorted to burying victims in mass graves. But with 4,227 confirmed cases and 249 deaths, Brazil’s poorest state is still dealing with a significant caseload.
7th May 2020 - Reuters UK
Brazil faces 'economic collapse' in 30 days due to lockdown: economy minister
Brazil could face "economic collapse" in a month's time due to stay-at-home measures to stem the coronavirus outbreak, with food shortages and "social disorder," Economy Minister Paulo Guedes warned Thursday. Brazil, Latin America's biggest economy, is also the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the region. But far-right President Jair Bolsonaro -- who appeared alongside Guedes, his free-market economics guru -- opposes stay-at-home measures to slow the virus, saying they are unnecessarily damaging the economy. "Within about 30 days, there may start to be shortages on (store) shelves and production may become disorganized, leading to a system of economic collapse, of social disorder," Guedes said. "This is a serious alert."
7th May 2020 - FRANCE 24 English
Brazil on Lockdown: New Rules for Most Heavily Affected Cities
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, northern and northeastern states have moved ahead and decreed lockdowns in municipalities with the imminent collapse of their health care systems.
7th May 2020 - The Rio Times
South African Business Wants Virus Lockdown Ended Within Weeks
Business For South Africa says up to 4 million jobs at risk - companies may need to consider cutting dividend, Kingston says. They are calling for the lockdown to end within weeks not months to avoid serious economic dislocation
7th May 2020 - Bloomberg
Anxious, stressed South Africans really battling under lockdown, says Sadag
Amid a protracted COVID-19 lockdown, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has been receiving more calls from people feeling anxious, panicked and stressed. A recent Sadag survey suggests that 55% had feelings of anxiety and panic and 46% were under financial stress and pressure. Before the lockdown, the group averaged about 600 calls per day - now it's between 1,200 and 1,400 calls. Sadag's Cassey Chambers said that besides people contacting them because of anxiety, panic and depression, they were also getting calls about stress related to accessing food parcels, food security, shelters, safety, social grants and UIF.
She said that calls were coming from employees and business managers.
7th May 2020 - EWN
COVID-19: Moscow Cases 'Likely Three Times Higher' Than Official Toll; Pakistan To Lift Virus Lockdown
The global death toll from the coronavirus has passed 260,000 with more than 3.7 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness. Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
7th May 2020 - Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty
Day 44 of coronavirus lockdown: Ground report from Indian cities
Here is a look at the latest updates on the outbreak of coronavirus across some of India's most important cities
7th May 2020 - The Times of India
People can’t help flouting lockdown laws – but why?
The last few weeks have seen endless reports of ‘covidiots’ flouting Government lockdown laws, which clearly state that we’re not allowed to meet up with friends or family from outside our household, and if we leave our homes for exercise or essentials we must keep two metres (6ft) away from others at all times. So far, police in England have issued more than 9,000 fines (CHK) under these new coronavirus laws – yet people are still flouting them. Although these rules are expected to be relaxed from next week, with a limit on exercise lifting and picnics and trips to rural areas to be allowed, police are concerned that this bank holiday weekend will spark another dangerous backlash against social distancing.
7th May 2020 - Metro
'We pray for this bad time to end': the steep cost of lockdown in South Africa
In country where half of population lives in poverty, coronavirus lockdown is causing mounting problems. “We had no chance to prepare, to get food, to get ready, to save some money. It is like I have been bound in chains … I understand it is [the same] for the whole world but we don’t know how or when we will solve [this disease],”
6th May 2020 - The Guardian
Spain’s Andalucia & Costa del Sol ask Government for changes to lockdown ‘outing’ timetable due to soaring temperatures
The Junta of Andalucia has approached the Central Government to request changes to the existing ‘outing’ timetable, announced last weekend, in order to protect families with young children from the soaring summer temperatures. Currently a parent can take out up to three children for an hour between the hours of 12pm and 7pm, but given the increasing heat the Junta is proposing a few changes to the existing lockdown ‘outing’ timetable.
6th May 2020 - Euro Weekly News
Spain’s parliament votes to extend lockdown powers
Spain’s parliament has granted a government request to prolong the extraordinary legal order that underpins the country’s lockdown after fierce clashes in parliament and a last-minute deal with an opposition party.
6th May 2020 - The Financial Times
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 7th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullLockdown continues: Australia's biggest state will NOT relax rules
New South Wales will not relax any coronavirus restrictions until next week but Queensland will allow five household members to visit another family in a home from Sunday. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said no restrictions will be relaxed in his state - and told reporters that he will not be visiting his own mother on Mothers' Day. On Friday the national cabinet will set out a three-step framework to ease the rules - but state and territory leaders will be able to choose when they implement the changes. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said rules in Australia's biggest state by population will not be changing until after the weekend.
7th May 2020 - Daily Mail
Coronavirus lockdown batters German services in April - PMI
Phil Smith, principal economist at IHS Markit, said the plunge in services business activity accelerated in April and that the rate of contraction was much worse than seen during the depths of the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.
"However, though manufacturing also suffered a record drop in output in April, the PMI surveys confirm that the decline in Germany's economy has been less severe than in France, Italy and Spain, where lockdowns have been more strict," Smith added. Germany took a further step on the long road back to post-coronavirus normality on Monday, with museums and hairdressers reopening under strict conditions, churches opening their doors for worshippers and more car factories resuming work. But more than a month after all but essential social and commercial life was suspended to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's politicians are at odds over how far and how fast to move. Despite first steps to ease restrictions, there is still a lot of uncertainty among businesses about the timing of further relaxation of measures and the health of demand going forward, Smith noted.
6th May 2020 - Reuters
Coronavirus lockdown: India jobless numbers cross 120 million in April
Scenes of desperate migrant workers, particularly daily-wage earners, fleeing cities on foot to return to their villages, filled TV screens and newspapers for most of April. Their informal jobs, which employ 90% of the population, were the first to be hit as construction stopped, and cities suspended public transport. But protracted curfews and the continued closure of businesses - and the uncertainty of when the lockdown will end - hasn’t spared formal, permanent jobs either. Large companies across various sectors - media, aviation, retail, hospitality, automobiles - have announced massive layoffs in recent weeks. And experts predict that many small and medium businesses are likely to shut shop altogether.
6th May 2020 - BBC
The head of Sweden's no-lockdown coronavirus plan said the country's heavy death toll 'came as a surprise'
The head of Sweden's coronavirus response said in a new interview that the country's high death toll had "come as a surprise" and was "really something we worry a lot about." The state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told "The Daily Show" that the Swedish strategy had still been successful in many ways. But he said the no-lockdown strategy was not a conscious decision in favor of more deaths — instead he said the outsize toll was not part of the plan.
About half of Sweden's deaths have been in nursing homes, which prohibit visitors. Tegnell said health officials had thought it would be easier to keep the disease away from them.
6th May 2020 - Yahoo!
As Coronavirus Lockdown Eases, Cypriots Still in Limbo
Birinci is one of thousands of Cypriots caught in limbo since the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north both imposed stringent lockdowns but without consulting each other.
"I think what has been lacking since the beginning is cooperation between the two sides," said Hakan Karahasan, another Turkish Cypriot badly affected by the lockdown.
6th May 2020 - U.S. News & World Report
Australia's coronavirus lockdown to cost $4bn a week in reduced economic activity – treasurer
The treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the current restrictions Australian governments have adopted to stop the spread of coronavirus – restrictions likely to taper down from this Friday – are resulting in a reduction in economic activity worth $4bn per week. Frydenberg will use a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday to warn the economic shock associated with Covid-19 will be both profound and prolonged, with Treasury estimating a 10 to 12% fall in gross domestic product during the June quarter alone.
4th May 2020 - The Guardian
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 6th May 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Robin Swann says lockdown debate getting ahead of itself
The debate about easing Northern Ireland's pandemic lockdown restrictions is "getting ahead of itself", the health minister has said. A further 17 Covid-19 related deaths in NI were reported by Robin Swann's department, bringing its total to 404.
The executive is holding talks about whether to relax any measures to curb the spread of the virus. "Call it my May Day alert," said Mr Swann, as he urged people to stay at home this bank holiday weekend.
5th May 2020 - BBC
Coronavirus: Cobourg, Port Hope staying the course on closures, restrictions for now
Northumberland County has not seen a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in quite some time now. As of May 5, the area has seen 13 confirmed cases — all of which have been resolved, according to numbers provided by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. But that doesn’t mean the Town of Cobourg and the Municipality of Port Hope are jumping at the idea of lifting restrictions and reopening facilities and amenities just yet.
5th May 2020 - Global News
Gov. Tom Wolf talks about coronavirus and reopening more of Pennsylvania
Wolf didn’t offer a timetable for opening another series of counties, including the southcentral part of the state. “There is no schedule,” Wolf said. Last week, Wolf had said some southcentral counties could be among the candidates for reopening, but he didn’t identify those counties. He didn’t offer any new hints in Tuesday’s media call. Wolf said the state hasn’t made a decision to remove the number of cases in nursing homes and prisons when examining counties for reopening. He did say those cases would be considered in making decisions. “The goal is to keep people safe,” Wolf said.
5th May 2020 - PennLive
Defying French lockdown lift, Guadeloupe says won't open schools now
Mayors in Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean, have voted against reopening schools next week as stipulated in plans drawn up in Paris for easing the coronavirus lockdown. The region, like France’s other overseas territories scattered around the world, is subject to French laws, but mayors have authority over schools. On Monday, they gathered in an extraordinary “territorial conference” with the archipelago’s departmental and regional presidents to discuss the reopening of schools. Of the 32 mayors, 29 voted against restarting classes when the lockdown starts to be eased in France from May 11, saying students should go back only in September.
5th May 2020 - Macau Business
Continued Lockdown - COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis - 30th Apr 2020
View this newsletter in fullCoronavirus: Irish restrictions extended until 5 May
The Republic of Ireland is to extend its Covid-19 restrictions for a further three weeks until 5 May. Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar made the announcement on Friday afternoon following a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency team.
Gardaí (Irish police) have set up more than 1,000 checkpoints in recent days to stop people breaking restrictions. There have been 288 Covid-19 related deaths in the country, while the death toll in Northern Ireland is 92.
30th Apr 2020 - BBC
UK coronavirus restrictions to roll into 'next year'
Restrictions on everyday life in the UK to slow the spread of COVID-19 are likely to be needed for the “next calendar year”, the country’s top medic said on Wednesday. Britain is in the fifth week of a lockdown that only allows people to leave home for essential work, food shopping, exercise and limited other reasons. Normal life will only return once an effective vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is available, Chris Whitty said at the government’s daily news conference.
30th Apr 2020 - 7NEWS.com.au
Gov. Baker Defends Decision to Keep Mass. Closed for 2 More Weeks
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday defended his decision to extend the state's stay-at-home advisory and non-essential business closures for an additional two weeks. The governor announced Tuesday that he was extending the shutdown from May 4 until May 18 and established an advisory board to come up with recommendations on how a phased reopening can take place. The decision upset some in the business community who are struggling to survive due to coronavirus restrictions.
30th Apr 2020 - nbcboston.com
What coronavirus restrictions are in place around the world?
Some countries are now easing strict lockdown conditions as the world continues to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The global death toll stands at more than 200,000, with close to three million people having been infected worldwide. As countries weigh up the risk of a fresh wave of virus cases against the need to kick-start their economies, here is the lockdown status in several nations
30th Apr 2020 - expressandstar.com
Some UK coronavirus lockdown restrictions could last until next year, No10 suggests
Boris Johnson's spokesman did not deny claims we could have to continue social distancing until 2021 - raising the bleak prospect of pubs shuttered beyond Christmas
23rd Apr 2020 - Mirror Online