Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

16 October 2020

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

Key Announcements:

• Yesterday morning it was announced that London would be moving into tier 2 (high) restrictions, coming into effect this evening at midnight. Other areas moving into tier 2 include Essex, York, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Erewash in Derbyshire, Elmbridge in Surrey, and Barrow in Furness, Cumbria. This means that over half of the population in England will be living under high or very high Covid restriction measures.
• The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has resisted the Government’s insistence that the region take up stricter lockdown measures and enter tier 3. Burham said the Government should offer a “fair and full furlough” scheme; and has implied the Government were treating the region unfairly, or like “canaries in the coalmine for an experimental regional lockdown strategy.”
• In Northern Ireland, pubs, restaurants and cafes have been asked to close from 6pm this evening under new coronavirus restrictions. In a Stormont press conference which took place yesterday, Finance Minister Cory Murphy announced that a new support scheme would be available for Northern Irish firms.

Regional/ devolved

• The Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, has shut borders to travellers from English coronavirus hotspots; coming into effect this evening. This means the on movement ban now includes tier two and three areas in England, all of North Ireland, and the Scottish central belt.
• Liverpool is currently the city with the highest number of coronavirus infections in England and is operating under tier 3 (very high) restrictions. The Mayor, Joe Anderson, said yesterday that a two-week half term was being considered as way of assisting with pressures on teachers and the rising infection rate.
• In Scotland , expanded rules for mandatory face coverings will come into place on Monday. This means that individuals will need to wear coverings in areas such as corridors and communal facilities in workplaces.
• The Mayor of Burnley, Wajid Khan , has told Sky News that it was “safe to say” that Lancashire would be moving into tier 3 restrictions. In the meantime, discussions continue between the Government and local leaders around issues such as financial support.

International

• The WHO has asked governments in Europe to “step up” and take action on rising infection rates across the country. In France, a night-time curfew is to be imposed on Paris and other cities coming into place on Saturday following a further 30,621 cases were yesterday confirmed.
• Managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva , has said that international cooperation on coronavirus vaccines could speed the pace of global economic recovery, adding $9tr to world income by 2025.
• Italy, the Vatican and San Marino have been added to the UK quarantine list , coming into effect on Sunday at 4am. This is whilst Crete has been removed from the list.

Stakeholders

• Chair of the LGA has written in response to the latest NHS Test and Trace figures that the system was “failing”. Cllr Ian Hudspeth compared Test and Trace with the success of local public health teams that have been able to “reach the vast majority of complex cases assigned to them.”
• The Institute of Directors has said that business leaders are fearful of a “double hit” from the pandemic and from a no-deal Brexit.
• The NHS Confederation have responded to the Nuffield Trust’s briefing on Brexit and Coronavirus, and has said that “If there is no deal and other agreements are not implemented, it will mean uncertainty and be potentially risky for patients and the health sector in the UK and in Europe .”