London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral opens online book of remembrance for Covid-19 victims
London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral has opened an online book of remembrance for victims of the coronavirus outbreak, which it says will one day become a physical memorial in the building. Prince Charles recorded a video message to support the “Remember Me” project, saying the pandemic...
It’s just past 8:30 a.m. in London and 1 p.m. in Mumbai. Here’s what you may have missed
If you’re just joining us, here are the latest developments on the global coronavirus pandemic. India spikes: The country recorded more than 6,000 new cases in 24 hours — its biggest single-day jump during the pandemic South Korea nightclub cluster: At least 215 cases have...
UK borrowing soars to cope with impact of virus
The government borrowed £62.1bn in April, the highest monthly figure on record, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It underlines the cost of coping with the coronavirus pandemic through jobs schemes and loans, and is higher than many economists forecast. The cost of...
British healthcare workers take part in global trial of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine
British healthcare workers are taking part in a global clinical trial to test the effectiveness of anti-malarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine against coronavirus. About 40,000 frontline workers and staff from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America who have close contact with Covid-19 patients will take...
Boris Johnson promises contact tracing system will be up and running in the UK by June 1
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that the UK’s contact tracing program will be in place by June 1, seemingly contradicting one of his ministers who had earlier said the scheme wouldn’t be as widespread “as we would like” by that date. Johnson told...
More than 42,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the UK
More than 42,000 people have died from coronavirus in the United Kingdom, according to data released by England’s office of national statistics and numbers published by NHS England. According to the provisional data, at least 42,402 people have died from the disease since the outbreak...
Nearly 10,000 people with coronavirus died in care homes in England and Wales
Almost 10,000 people with Covid-19 died in care homes in England and Wales in the week ending May 8, the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Tuesday in a report. A total of 37,375 deaths involving Covid-19 were registered in England and Wales between...
UK adds 160 new coronavirus deaths
The UK recorded 160 new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total deaths to 34,796 as of Sunday evening local time, the British government announced Monday. More than 246,000 have tested positive so far, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Twitter. Meanwhile, loss of...
UK missing between 50,000-70,000 Covid-19 cases, says head of symptoms study
The UK is likely missing between 50,000-70,000 Covid-19 cases because it has not updated its list of coronavirus symptoms, a professor who leads the Kings College London Covid Symptom Tracker app said Monday. Professor Tim Spector told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that his team’s...
Protesters arrested in London during anti-lockdown demonstration
At least 13 protesters participating in an anti-lockdown demonstration in London have been arrested, the British Metropolitan Police told CNN on Saturday. Dozens of people who had gathered in Hyde Park to protest against the government’s emergency coronavirus restrictions were met by police officers attempting...
Life after lockdown: How the coronavirus pandemic is changing the way Britain builds
For a couple of weeks last month in the UK, Thistle MultiFinish building plaster, which usually retails at just over £5, was being sold on the black market for between £35 and £40. “I started getting calls from people I haven’t heard from in years...
Coronavirus: Italy to lift travel restrictions as lockdown eases
Italy’s government has signed a decree that will allow travel to and from the country from 3 June, as it moves to ease its coronavirus lockdown measures. It will also allow travel between the regions – which has so far been tightly restricted – from...
More than 27% of care home deaths in England and Wales were caused by coronavirus
More than a quarter of all care home resident deaths recorded in England and Wales during March and April were caused by coronavirus, according to official data released Friday. Between March 2 and May 1, Covid-19 was a cause for 27.3% of total deaths in...
Outcry from unions over plan to reopen England’s schools in June
Britain’s largest trade unions have called on the government to reconsider its plan to partially open English schools on June 1, over health and safety concerns for teachers. The UK government currently hopes to partially reopen schools in England next month but its clash with...
UK could face ‘many, many outbreaks’ – WHO envoy
Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organization’s special envoy for Covid-19, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK needs to be “very careful” in opening up from lockdown as it still has “a lot of virus around”. “As soon as movement does restart...
The UK’s 4 countries take a divided approach to coronavirus crisis
The UK’s coronavirus crisis has reignited one of the country’s most bitter political debates: Can the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland survive as a union of four nations? On Sunday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the country from 10 Downing Street...
UK antibody test a ‘positive development’
A test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials in England. Public Health England called the antibody test, developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, a “very positive development”. The blood test looks for...
It’s just past 9:30 a.m. in London and 1:30 p.m. in Karachi. Here’s what you may have missed
More than 4.2 million people have been infected by Covid-19 worldwide, including at least 291,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. If you’re just joining us, here are the latest developments from around the globe: Virus hits British business: The UK economy shrank by 2%...
Transport for London expects to lose nearly $5 billion and calls for government to step in
London’s transport operator is in a “critical” financial situation and needs to reach an agreement with the government in the next 48 hours, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport Heidi Alexander said Tuesday. Alexander told a Transport For London (TFL) finance committee that the local government...
UK Railway ticket office worker died from COVID-19 after being spat on
A British railway ticket office worker has died from Covid-19 after being spat on while she was working at Victoria station, in central London, her union, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), revealed on Tuesday. Belly Mujinga, 47, had an underlying health condition and on...
Proportion of Covid-19 deaths in British nursing care homes increases
The proportion of all coronavirus related deaths in nursing care homes and private homes in England and Wales is increasing, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS). Meanwhile the proportion of deaths occurring in hospitals in England and Wales is decreasing. In the...
Irish government under fire over COVID-19 deaths in care homes
The Irish government is coming under mounting pressure over the number of deaths in care homes. Residential and community care facilities including nursing homes now account for more than 62 per cent of COVID-19 deaths, according to recent figures released by the Department of Health....
UK prime minister announces “careful steps” to ease stay-at-home order
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled the “careful steps” the government will take to ease the emergency restrictions implemented as part of the nationwide lockdown, relaxing the government’s stay-at-home order and allowing some people to return to work. “From this Wednesday, we want...
Leaders of UK’s devolved nations reject Boris Johnson’s “stay alert” guidance
The leaders of the United Kingdom’s devolved nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – have rejected Boris Johnson’s revised coronavirus guidance, which now advises citizens to “stay alert” as opposed to “stay-at-home” to control the outbreak, the Press Association (PA) reported Sunday. According to...
It’s 8a.m. in London and 4p.m. in Seoul, here is the top coronavirus news for today
Global infections rise above four million: There are now 4.02 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus around the world, as cases rise rapidly in Brazil and Russia. The death toll globally is now at least 279,329, according to Johns Hopkins University. UK PM to...
France, Spain and UK prepare to ease lockdowns starting Monday
In Spain regions where hospitals can show they’re able to handle a possible second wave of coronavirus infections will be allowed to loosen their lockdown starting Monday. In some areas, mostly rural ones, bars and restaurants will be allowed to open up half of their...
Crisis in UK care homes “has gone on for too long,” UK opposition leader says
The leader of Britain’s Labour Party, Keir Starmer, says the UK needs to do “everything” to protect the most vulnerable from the novel coronavirus, especially those in care homes, he wrote in an op-ed marking VE day on the The Daily Telegraph newspaper. “We have...
UK government fails to reach 100,000 daily coronavirus tests for the fifth day in a row
UK government has failed to complete 100,000 daily coronavirus tests for the fifth day in a row, with 86,583 tests carried out on Wednesday and 69,463 on Tuesday. The last time that threshold was reached was Friday, when 105,937 tests were completed, according to the...
UK will likely drop stay-at-home message this weekend, official says
The UK’s lockdown measures are still being debated and nothing is finalized, but the country’s stay-at-home message is likely to be eased this weekend, an official familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The official said changes would likely include allowing Britons to expand their social...
British doctors are buying their own PPE and relying on donations, medical association says
Nearly half of UK doctors surveyed by the British Medical Association said they had to buy their own personal protective equipment or rely on donations during the coronavirus epidemic. The BMA, a trade union for British doctors, said it surveyed 16,000 doctors in the UK,...