The UK coronavirus outbreak may be slowing according to early signs, a top epidemiologist has said. Lockdown measures appeared to be having an effect, Prof Neil Ferguson said.
It came after the deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, warned may be six months until Britain can return to normal life, and the country’s death toll passed 1,200.
NHS officials have admitted that its supply chain is “overwhelmed” by demand for protective gear and a national task force is being set up to coordinate its distribution. Meanwhile, EastJet has grounded its entire fleet due to travel restrictions imposed by governments around the world.
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Tokyo calls for social distancing
Residents of Tokyo have been asked to stay away from bars and music venues.
Governor Yuriko Koike has ramped up her calls for social distancing as the Japanese capital braces for a rise in cases.
The number of infection cases in the densely-populated metropolis has climbed to 443 cases as of Monday, the local government said.
Northern Ireland prisoners released
Northern Ireland is to release some of its serving prisoners to prevent coronavirus outbreaks in jails.
There is yet to be a confirmed case of coronavirus in the region’s prisons but justice minister Naomi Long said that, in anticipation both of that moment and strained staffing levels, she now “considers it necessary to release some prisoners early”.
“In doing so, I recognise that to release a prisoner before he or she has completed their full sentence is a significant decision which should only be taken when there is no alternative,” she said.
“Such a move is contrary to the ethos of the justice system and will cause distress to victims and their families. However, in the context of the pandemic we are facing, and to ensure as far as possible the safety and wellbeing of staff and those in our care, it is, I believe, an appropriate and reasonable step.”
Man tasered after ‘coughing on police’
Metropolitan Police officers have tasered a man who allegedly deliberately coughed at them and claimed he was infected with coronavirus, writes Kate Ng.
The force’s firearms command said on Twitter the suspect walked up to officers who were sat in a car in Haringey, north London, and “shouted that he had coronavirus before deliberately coughing saliva all over them”.
Trump tweets
Donald Trump has been retweeting praise and attacking Democrats again.
Meanwhile, one of his top advisers has been on TV.
South Korea to pay families
South Korea will make emergency cash payments to all but the country’s richest families, then plan a second supplementary budget next month in a bid to ease the drawn-out economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Moon Jae-in said on Monday.
Mr Moon, after an emergency meeting with economic policymakers, said an “emergency disaster relief payment” of up to 1 million won (£661) would be made to all households except the top 30 per cent by income, totalling some 9.1 trillion won (£6bn).
Officials said they would prepare another extra budget worth 7.1 trillion won (£4.7bn) for parliamentary approval in April and that some small- and medium-sized companies would be exempt from paying utility bills starting this month.
UK testing below target despite government claims
Testing for coronavirus remains below the target of 10,000 a day, despite ministers’ claims over the weekend that the milestone had been passed, writes Andrew Woodcock.
Public Health England announced on Monday morning that the latest daily figure for antigen tests – which identify people currently infected – was 9,114, while health minister Helen Whately said that around 7,000 a day were carried out over the weekend.
Children’s charity sees huge rise in pleas for help
A children’s charity has reported a 1,100-per-cent increase in applications for its emergency cash fund during the first week of the coronavirus lockdown.
Aberlour Child Care Trust said many families were struggling to buy essentials and pay for utilities.
Following an urgent appeal launched on 18 March 18, more than £88,000 has been raised by members of the public.
The trust is the largest children’s charity that is solely Scottish and usually helps more than 7,500 families a year.
As well as financial difficulties, the charity has experienced an increase in requests related to domestic abuse.
Big Bozza
The PM has been hard at work from home, he says.
He posted an image of his face looming over his colleagues on a large TV.
Senators investigated over stock sell-offs
The US Department of Justice is investigating several senators for highly profitable stock transactions they made in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, apparently after being briefed on how badly the US and its economy might be hit, writes Andrew Naughtie.
Spain update
Of the more than 85,000 people who’ve tested positive for Covid-19 in Spain, 12,298 are health workers, authorities have said.
Switzerland figures
The Swiss death toll from coronavirus has reached 295 people, the country’s public health bureau said on Monday, rising from 257 people on Sunday. The number of confirmed cases increased to 15,475 from 14,336 on Sunday, it added.
Trump claims hospitals stealing masks
Donald Trump made an unfounded claim that hospitals have been stealing masks, despite US states demanding more medical supplies to manage the coronavirus pandemic, writes Gino Spocchia.
As US cases of the coronavirus neared 140,000 on Sunday, the president told reporters assembled at the White House that “something was going on” with the supplies of medical masks.
Nurses’ union outraged over lack of PPEThe Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said it was “unacceptable” that some staff are treating patients without personal protective equipment.
Dame Donna Kinnair, its chief executive and general secretary, said: “The government is finally prioritising Covid-19 testing for NHS staff, including social care, but it is completely unacceptable that weeks into this crisis there are colleagues in all settings – hospitals, community or care homes – who have not been provided with personal protective equipment.
“I am hearing from nurses who are treating patients in Covid-19 wards without any protection at all. This cannot continue. They are putting themselves, their families and their patients at risk.”
Air New Zealand warns it will downsize
Greg Foran, chief executive of Air New Zealand, has written to passengers warning that the airline will shrink, writes Simon Calder.
He wrote: “The harsh reality is that most countries (including New Zealand) will rightly take a cautious approach to opening their borders again.
“International tourism flows make up around two thirds of Air New Zealand’s revenue, which means the lack of incoming tourists also has a flow-on effect on our domestic network.
“In that light, it is clear that the Air New Zealand which emerges from Covid-19 will be a much smaller and largely domestic airline with limited international services to keep supply lines open for the foreseeable future.
“We expect in a year’s time, we will be at least 30 percent smaller than we are today. We will need to reduce the size of the workforce by up to 3,500 roles.
“These are unprecedented and challenging days. However, I am confident that by taking the necessary measures now, Air New Zealand will get through this difficult situation and one day return to serve all our destinations at home and many more around the world.”
Kinnock scolded by police on Twitter
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock was scolded by police for visiting his father Neil Kinnock on the former Labour leader’s birthday, writes Adam Forrest.
Mr Kinnock said he and his wife, the former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, had visited his parents’ London home for his dad’s 78th birthday and “sat in their front garden for a socially distanced celebration”.
Cruise cancellations
Cruise lines P&O Cruises and Cunard have announced they have extended the suspension of sailings up to and including 15 May.
The firms were previously due to resume operating on 11 April.
European rail disruption
Via Simon Calder:
The April edition of the European Rail Timetable is reporting: “All international services are cancelled in and out of Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland and Switzerland.
“Slovenia and Croatia have cancelled all rail services. In Spain, services are greatly reduced with reservations on medium and long distance services capped at 30 per cent capacity to allow for social distancing.
“A similar situation of reduced public transport will be found elsewhere around the world.”
‘Why isn’t the PM delaying Brexit?’
Why is Downing Street insisting that the nation’s top priority has to be breaking as many links as possible with Europe instead of focusing all government resources on coronavirus? writes Denis MacShane.
With the prime minister sick with Covid-19 – as well as his chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost – surely the time has come for Boris Johnson to practise a little political distancing and lock down the more fervent of his anti-European associates like Michael Gove and Dominic Raab.
A new poll shows two out of three voters want Johnson to put Brexit on hold until the coronavirus crisis, now expected to run well into the summer or even later, is resolved.
Northern Ireland warning on domestic abuse
Northern Ireland’s main domestic violence charity has called for more resources as it braces itself for a surge in the number of cases due to coronavirus.
Women’s Aid urged a “guaranteed commitment” from Stormont following restrictions imposed on movement and official encouragement to stay at home.
Police are also gearing up for more cases of domestic violence.
Abortion teleconferencing plan
Women will be able to access abortions after a teleconference with their doctor, obstetricians have announced. They said that the Department of Health had confirmed the plan.
