Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

01 Oct

1 October 2020

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

Key Announcements:

  • Research led by Imperial College London indicates that the transmission rate may be slowing in England. The REACT1 report estimates that over 1 in 200 people across England have Covid 19, and that the R rate has decreased from 1.7 to 1.1. However, it also shows that the infection rate has substantially increased across certain age groups and regions.
  • The Prime Minister told a press conference yesterday that the country was at a “critical moment” and that the Government would “not hesitate” to put further restrictions in place if necessary.
  • There were 7,10 8 new cases in the UK yesterday and 71 deaths.
  • The Government’s contribution to the furlough scheme has reduced before it ends on the 31st October. From today, the Government will pay 60 percent of wages up to a cap of £1,875. From 1st November the scheme will be replaced by the Job Support scheme which aims to support “viable jobs which provide genuine security.”
  • A BBC report shows that British Business Bank, which supervises the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, warned back in May about the “very significant fraud and credit risks”.
  • Jeremy Corbyn and Stanley Johnson have breached the current Covid restrictions. Boris Johnson’s father was seen in a shop without a mask, and Jeremy Corbyn attended a 9 person dinner party.

Regional /Devolved

  • Merseyside is expected to become the next area to face a local lockdown, with ministers meeting very shortly to decide the measures.
  • Politics Home have produced a Live Local Lockdown map , highlighting the different restrictions in place across the UK.
  • New restrictions in Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham (North Wales) come into place today at 6pm.
  • Northern Ireland’s health minister is expected to recommend the introduction of further lockdown restrictions, after cases per 100,000 nearly doubled this week.

International

  • Italy is reportedly considering extending its state of emergency until January 2021. The measures extend extensive powers to the Government and were due to expire in mid-October.
  • Spain has put Madrid into lockdown. Under new measures, Madrid’s regional borders will close to visitors for non-essential trips and social gatherings will be limited to 6 people. Greater Madrid currently accounts for over one third of cases in Spain. The lockdown has been disputed by Madrid’s regional government.
  • South Africa has reopened its borders to other African countries today but will remain shut to tourists from around 50 other nations, including the UK.

Stakeholders

  • The Labour Party have warned that almost three million people could face unemployment when the Job Support Scheme comes in. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said that “millions of jobs are at risk because he’s forcing small businesses to choose which staff to keep and which to fire.”
  • Swim England have said they welcome discussions around the reopening of leisure centres, stating that they play a “pivotal role” in people’s mental and physical wellbeing.