Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

17 Sep

17 September 2020

A series of daily updates for CHO members regarding relevant updates pertaining to Coronavirus from home and abroad.

Key Announcements:

  • Government figures report that yesterday there were 3,991 confirmed new cases of Coronavirus, bringing the total to over 378,000. 20 people sadly lost their lives yesterday, after testing positive for the virus.
  • Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce new restrictions for 2 million people across the north east of England following a spike in coronavirus cases. Hancock will appear in the Commons at around 11.00am to make his statement. The impacted areas are said to be Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland. New rules will reportedly include a ban on socializing with anyone outside your household and a 10 p.m. curfew on pubs, restaurants and other licensed premises.
  • Nick Forbes, the leader of Newcastle city council, has confirmed ” additional, temporary restrictions” in the North East, but denied that the new measures constitute a full lockdown.
  • In an interview with the Sun , the Prime Minister said he wanted to save Christmas by “flattening the second hump on the camel” . He also confirmed that a nationwide curfew could be imposed if the rule of six doesn’t work but rejected a full second lockdown. He added that a “winter rescue package” of £546 million to fight the virus in care homes would be unveiled shortly.
  • The Guardian reports that Justice Secretary Robert Buckland is facing calls to resign over government plans to override international law. This comes following the resignation of Lord Keen, who had served as the advocate general for Scotland.

Regional /Devolved

  • Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull remain in a more severe local lockdown, with certain businesses unallowed to reopen. The restrictions have now become law, with Police able to take action against those that break these rules.
  • In Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and Pendle , people are also not allowed to see those outside of their home or support bubble. Certain venues and business can now reopen, including casinos, indoor gyms and ice rinks.
  • In Bolton, people are not allowed to see those outside the home socially, and businesses and venues such as those listed above are not allowed to reopen. Certain other venues (cinemas, beauty salons and playgrounds) are now on a curfew, only operating from 10am-5pm.
  • Businesses and venues are permitted to reopen in Leicester City. The next review of local restrictions will take place by the 24th of September.
  • For further information on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, follow each link.
  • Politico reports that Health Secretary Matt Hancock will today announce new restrictions for 2 million people across the north east of England.
  • Labour leader Keir Starmer, who has been confirmed to be COVID-free, will arrive today in Edinburgh. The journey marks his first visit to Scotland since becoming leader, where he will b e visiting research facilities.
  • In Wales, a local lockdown will be imposed in the county of Rhondda Cynon Taf from 6.00pm today. Consequently, people will not be able to enter or leave the area without a reasonable excuse, such as travel for work or education. All licensed pubs, bars and restaurants will also have to shut by 11.00pm every day.

International

  • Australia has recorded its lowest one-day rise in Covid cases in nearly three months, with 35 new cases having been confirmed in the past 24 hours.
  • In New York , Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to furlough himself and staff for a week, without pay, to ease a $7bn budget crisis in the city.
  • India has reported a global record jump in daily coronavirus infections with 97,894 cases in the last 24 hours. As of yesterday, there have been over 5 million cases in the country.

Stakeholders

  • Unite secretary for London Pete Kavanagh has expressed concern that ” more draconian measures in the capital ” will be enforced unless the “current rules on social distancing and mask wearing are adhered to properly “.
  • Dr Mary Bousted , Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union has criticised the Government following the results of a YouGov survey that indicated that those in the teaching profession feel unsupported and unappreciated. “It is deplorable that the actions of Government and the Department for Education during a national crisis have left school leaders, teachers and educational professionals feeling both unsupported and with worsening mental health”, she said.

Unconfirmed reports

  • The Times reports that a local lockdown is not far off in London. Chris Smyth reports that ” pubs and restaurants around the country face early closing times to slow coronavirus infections, with London’s public health chief warning of a ‘local curfew’ in the capital.”
  • The Telegraph reports that office workers across the country will ” be given a ‘work from home’ order within a fortnight if the ‘rule of six’ fails to bring down coronavirus infection rates.”