Boris Johnson warns lockdown lifting does not mean life is going back to normal
Boris Johnson has said life cannot go back to normal after restrictions are lifted on 19 July, warning: “This pandemic is not over”.
The removal of legal restrictions on social and economic life “should not be taken as an invitation for everybody to have a great jubilee of freedom from any kind of caution or restraint”, Mr Johnson said at a Downing Street press conference on Monday.
In an abrupt change in tone from ministerial comments earlier this month, the prime minister urged Britons to be “cautious” in using their new freedoms.
“We cannot simply revert to life as it was before Covid,” he said. “This pandemic is not over. This disease continues to carry risks for you and your family.”
Quoting deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, Mr Johnson urged English people not to “tear the pants out of it” next week. And he repeated his own advice that people should not be “demob-happy” on 19 July.
Earlier on Monday health secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that mandatory social distancing and face coverings will be scrapped in England from 19 July in the final stage of the government’s roadmap out of coronavirus lockdown, with the health secretary asking MPs: “If not now, when?”
Meanwhile, The Independent understands that the test and trace service is “panicking” as it scrambles to fill thousands of vacant contact-tracing positions ahead of a summer wave feared to bring 100,000 cases a day, with private firms Serco and Sitel asked to recruit up to 7,000 new call centre staff with no clinical training and on substantially cheaper rates than those made redundant en masse in May.
It comes as scientists sound the alarm over rising hospital admissions, with Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits on the government’s advisory Nervtag committee, warning “we are all very concerned about the very rapid rise” in hospitalisations – now in their hundreds each day and, according to one Public Health England official, at risk of hitting 3,000 per day if cases rise in line with government estimates.
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Homeless veteran who lost everything to the pandemic wins the vaccine lottery
For Sung-ha Jou, a 44-year-old Air Force veteran, one disaster kept leading to the next during the coronavirus pandemic, writes Julie Zauzmer.
He lost his job during the early weeks of the pandemic, then eventually his home, his van and his other sources of support.
By the time coronavirus vaccines became widespread, Mr Jou was arriving, destitute, at a D.C. homeless shelter.
Meanwhile, the District of Columbia was putting in place an initiative that several states and cities across the country have tried: lotteries with big-ticket prizes, including in D.C. a free car and $10,000 (£7,000) grocery store gift cards, to induce reluctant residents to get their coronavirus vaccines.
On his first day at the shelter, Mr Jou got a vaccine. And this week, he learned to his great surprise that he had also won the lottery.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 21:05
France makes Covid vaccine mandatory for health workers
All French health care workers must receive their Covid-19 vaccine jabs by 15 September, President Emmanuel Macron has ordered.
In a televised address to the nation, the French president announced new rules requiring anyone wanting to get into a restaurant, shopping mall, cinema or board a train will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test.
Vaccinations would not be compulsory for the general public but encouraged, he added.
“We must go towards vaccination of all French people, it is the only way towards a normal life,” Mr Macron urged.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 20:46
Warning of post-Covid ‘immunity debt’ as babies are hospitalised with RSV virus usually seen in winter
Health experts have reported seeing an increased number of young children and babies contracting a respiratory illness, as they warn the uptick could be due to coronavirus restrictions lifting, writes Danielle Zoellner.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a health advisory last month warning about the increase of children contracting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
RSV, which typically spikes during the winter months, can cause severe illness in children five years and younger and older adults.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 20:29
Fears London could be hit hardest once Covid restrictions lifted with half a million over-50s unvaccinated
Fears have been raised that London could be hit hardest once all Covid restrictions are lifted on 19 July due to the high number of over-50s in the capital who have not had a Covid vaccination.
More than 20 per cent of over-50s in 16 out of the capital’s 33 boroughs have yet to have a single vaccine dose, writes Samuel Lovett.
Amid rising rates across the city, there are a total of 554,620 Londoners in this age group who have not been vaccinated, meaning they are not protected against the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 20:10
FDA to issue new warning of rare autoimmune disorder developing from Johnson & Johnson vaccine, report says
The FDA was expected to issue a new warning about a rare autoimmune disorder developing in people after they received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, The Washington Post reports.
Guillain-Barre, the rare autoimmune disorder, causes the immune system to attack the nerves.
About 100 preliminary cases of Guillain-Barre have been detected in Americans after they received one in the more than 12.8 million Johnson & Johnson doses distributed according to the publication.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 19:51
You can’t save the economy without protecting the people
In a week’s time, we will finally emerge from our 16-month mask-wearing lockdown.
It is hardly surprising that many people are determined to celebrate as if it were the end of a war — VC (Victory over Covid) Day perhaps, instead of the VE Day and VJ Day of 1945. But in this case, the war is not over, writes Phil Thorton.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 19:33
Dutch PM apologises for relaxing Covid restrictions too soon as cases surge
The Dutch prime minister has apologised for relaxing Covid restrictions after acknowledging that his government had moved prematurely amid surging case numbers, writes Tom Batchelor.
Mark Rutte said the lifting of lockdown measures had been the result of “poor judgement” and admitted that easing the rules “turned out not to be possible in practice”.
Coronavirus infections in the Netherlands have jumped to their highest level this year in recent days after the government decided to fully reopen bars, restaurants and nightclubs two weeks ago.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 19:14
Pupils set to be given advance notice of 2022 exam topics after Covid disruption
Pupils are set to be given advance notice of exam topics and greater choice in some GCSE subjects to compensate for disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, writes Zoe Tidman.
The government has put forward suggestions for changes next summer, after formal exams have been cancelled for two years in a row due to coronavirus.
Among the suggestions for next summer’s exams include giving students a choice of topics to answer questions on in GCSE English Literature, History and Ancient History, as well as a choice of content for Geography.
This would help “free up teaching time” and reduce pressure on students for GCSE subjects commonly taken subjects, the government said.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 18:56
Face coverings ‘compulsory for parliamentary staff but not MPs’
Parliamentary staff will be required to wear masks after 19 July but MPs will not, reports HuffPost UK.
A leaked memo emailed to MPs states that staff would be “required” to use face coverings until parliament heads for its summer break next week.
However MPs will only be “encouraged” to wear masks after the government lifts all Covid restrictions on July 19.
One staff member working in the palace told the website: “It’s literally one rule for them…”
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 18:37
Coronavirus summer wave could lead to hundreds of daily deaths within weeks, officials warn
A summer wave of coronavirus may lead to hundreds of daily deaths within weeks, government officials have warned.
Government officials, having studied modelling for the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), believe the ending of restrictions from next week could lead to between 1,000 and 2,000 hospital admissions a day within weeks, with up to 200 deaths daily now thought to be likely.
The size and scale of infections, hospitalisation and deaths will depend on how the public responds to measures being eased from 19 July, writes Shaun Lintern.
Leonie Chao-Fong12 July 2021 18:19
