L ND N

 Sunday, December 27, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 27th December #coronavirus

• EU launches mass vaccination programme
• Boxing Day footfall two-thirds lower than normal
• 999 calls in London exceeding spring peak
• South Africa passes 1 million cases
• British skiers flee Swiss quarantine
• more hospital beds occupied than in April
• first NHS patient has second jab
• NHS faces unprecedented pressure
• Essex declares major health incident
Oxford vaccine approved & set for mass roll-out
• many more areas raised to tier 3 or tier 4
• only the Scilly Isles in tier 1 (nobody in tier 2)
• secondary school term to start two weeks late
• second doses to be delayed (from 2 to 12 weeks)
• "Covid loves a crowd" - stay home on NYE
• new variant raises R by 0.4-0.7
• police break up New Year parties
• 'nail-biting' weeks ahead for NHS
• all London schools to remain closed
• India approves Oxford vaccine

Worldwide deaths: 1,750,000 → 1,830,000
Worldwide cases: 80,000,000 → 84,000,000
UK deaths: 70,405 → 74,570
UK cases: 2,256,005 → 2,599,789
Vaccinations: 963,208 → 1,296,432
FTSE: down 1% (6502 → 6460)



20 things that happened w/b 20th December #coronavirus

• 17 million Britons enter tier 4 lockdown
• daily cases at record high
• Dover/Eurotunnel closed to accompanied freight
• 40 countries ban travel from the UK
• supermarkets say no short term shortages
• Joe Biden vaccinated on live TV
• new variant is 'everywhere' in UK
• 3000 lorries now stuck in Kent
• first cases in Antarctica
• France reopens border for those who test -ve
• calls to use single vaccine dose, not two
• tough restrictions on arrivals from SA
• 2% of Londoners have the virus
• schools may need to close in January
• Trump blocks coronavirus stimulus package
• no Christmas gatherings for 43% of England
• Queen's broadcast - "you are not alone"
• SE England & East Anglia → tier 4
• mainland Scotland & NI back into lockdown
• new variant detected across Europe

Worldwide deaths: 1,680,000 → 1,750,000
Worldwide cases: 76,000,000 → 80,000,000
UK deaths: 67,075 → 70,405
UK cases: 2,004,219 → 2,256,005
Vaccinations: 650,714 → 963,208
FTSE: down ½% (6529 → 6502)



20 things that happened w/b 13th December #coronavirus

• think carefully about Christmas risk (NHS)
• legal battle over closure of Greenwich schools
• London, most of Essex & some of Herts → tier 3
• new virus variant may be causing faster spread
• month-long lockdowns in Germany/Netherlands
• pressure to review 5-day Christmas bubbles
• redundancies hit a record high
• 130,000 vaccinated in first week
• Wales advises smaller Xmas bubbles
• Scotland advises shorter Xmas bubbles
• PM advises a merry little Christmas
• 11,000 missing +ve tests in Wales
• furlough scheme extended by a month
• French president tests positive
• tier 3 spreads across SE England
• schools overwhelmed by new testing plans
• 90% of hospital beds are full
• new virus variant 70% more transmissible
tier 4 lockdown in London & SE England
elsewhere Christmas restricted to one day

Worldwide deaths: 1,600,000 → 1,680,000
Worldwide cases: 71,300,000 → 76,000,000
UK deaths: 64,026 → 67,075
UK cases: 1,830,956 → 2,004,219
Vaccinations: 650,714
FTSE: down ¼% (6546 → 6529)



20 things that happened w/b 6th December #coronavirus

• overcrowded Nottingham Xmas market closes
• vaccine rollout 'a marathon not a sprint'
• Trump's chief lawyer admitted to hospital
• stay-at-home order in California
• cases rising in Wales (not rest of UK)
• record grocery sales in November
first NHS patient receives vaccine
• world watches Margaret Keenan, 90, get her jab
• Oxford vaccine is safe and effective
• calls for London to enter tier 3
• a few patients allergic to Pfizer vaccine
• record daily death toll in US
• economic rebound slows further
• NHS waiting lists 100× longer than normal
• Canary Isles back on quarantine list
• France introduces curfew after 8pm
• self-isolation reduced from 14 to 10 days
• vaccine not a short-term solution (WHO)
• 5-day Xmas break a mistake, experts say
• highest restrictions eased in Scotland

Worldwide deaths: 1,520,000 → 1,600,000
Worldwide cases: 66,100,000 → 71,300,000
UK deaths: 61,014 → 64,026
UK cases: 1,705,971 → 1,830,956
FTSE: down 0.06% (6550 → 6546)

 Sunday, November 29, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 29th November #coronavirus

• new tier system will end on 2nd February (PM)
• "risk of a third wave in the new year"
• Santa's grottos can open if Covid-secure
• 4 weeks of lockdown has cut cases by a third
• shops can open 24h a day (except Sundays)
• Lewis Hamilton tests positive
• Arcadia in administration; Debenhams to close
• no plans for 'vaccine passport'
• 55 Tory MPs vote against tiered system
Lockdown 2 ends, tiers return
Pfizer vaccine authorised in UK
• PM "sure and certain" of normal life by spring
• students testing negative start travelling home
• first vaccine doses arrive in UK
• quarantine lifted for 'high value' travellers
• pubs in Wales barred from selling alcohol
• small crowds return to football matches
• tests for care home visitors ineffective
• Russia begins vaccinations
• Sir Keir self-isolates again

Worldwide deaths: 1,450,000 → 1,520,000
Worldwide cases: 61,800,000 → 66,100,000
UK deaths: 58,030 → 61,014
UK cases: 1,605,172 → 1,705,971
FTSE: up 3% (6387 → 6550)



20 things that happened w/b 22nd November #coronavirus

• strengthened tiers will follow Lockdown 2
• borrowing 'cannot go on indefinitely'
• Oxford vaccine 70% effective
• daily tests offered in lieu of self-isolation
• 'Covid Winter Plan' published
• gyms and all retail to reopen next week
• fans to be allowed at outdoor sport
• UK Christmas: 3 households can mix for 5 days
• ...but be careful, say national leaders
• Russian vaccine "up to 95% effective"
• economy to shrink 11% this year
• economic emergency "only just begun"
• 99% of England placed in top two tiers
• only Cornwall, Scillies and IoW in tier 1
• MPs angered by blanket restrictions
• R dips below 1
• Northern Ireland goes back into lockdown
• Black Friday sales significantly down
• vaccine rollout minister appointed
• free vitamin D for 2½m

Worldwide deaths: 1,380,000 → 1,450,000
Worldwide cases: 57,800,000 → 61,800,000
UK deaths: 54,626 → 58,030
UK cases: 1,493,383 → 1,605,172
FTSE: up ¼% (6351 → 6367)



20 things that happened w/b 15th November #coronavirus

• 'normal life back next winter' thanks to vaccine
• Test & Trace tell PM to self-isolate
• testing capacity will double in 2021
• US vaccine 95% effective (UK hasn't bought any)
• PM working from home, 'feeling great'
• tier system may need strengthening
• political will to 'save Christmas'
• 11 areas in Scotland raised to tier 4
• PPE contracts: £10bn awarded without tendering
• Hull has UK's highest rate of infection
• head of Test & Trace now self-isolating
• Oxford vaccine showing good results
• New York closes schools
• rescue package for UK sport
• Brexit talks suspended after +ve test
• NI relaxes lockdown... for one week
• infection rates levelling off
• UK setting up vaccine hubs
• R still (just) above 1
• curfew introduced in California

Worldwide deaths: 1,310,000 → 1,380,000
Worldwide cases: 53,700,000 → 57,800,000
UK deaths: 51,766 → 54,626
UK cases: 1,344,356 → 1,493,383
FTSE: up ½% (6316 → 6351)



20 things that happened w/b 8th November #coronavirus

• scaled-back & distanced Remembrance Sunday
• Manchester hospitals suspend non-urgent care
• Wales ends its 17-day firebreak
• Biden's team planning ahead for the pandemic
Pfizer vaccine 90% successful in trials
• "life could return to normal by Spring"
• "several more hurdles for vaccine" (PM)
• record number of redundancies this summer
• Wales cancels next summer's exams
• 'lockdown' is the word of the year
• testing operation to get students home for Xmas
• UK death toll passes 50,000
• economy out of recession (still down on March)
• surge in infections in Sweden
• long waits for hospital operations
• Yorkshire Ripper dies in prison from virus
• Dominic Cummings departs Number 10
• R decreasing but still above 1
• Divali goes digital
• Britons warned not to become complacent

Worldwide deaths: 1,250,000 → 1,310,000
Worldwide cases: 49,600,000 → 53,700,000
UK deaths: 48,888 → 51,766
UK cases: 1,171,441 → 1,344,356
FTSE: up 7% (5910 → 6316)



20 things that happened w/b 1st November #coronavirus

• Test and Trace app set threshold too high
• England lockdown 'may last more than 4 weeks'
• Prince William contracted virus in April
• increased help for the self-employed
• lockdown a 'medical and moral' responsibility (PM)
• everyone in Liverpool to be tested
• UK death rate 10% higher than usual
• shops extend hours/pubs offload beer
US election - outcome unclear
• M&S suffers first annual loss
• 38 MPs vote against lockdown 2
Lockdown for four weeks across England
• furlough scheme extended until March
• new rapid test misses half of cases
• Danish mink hosted virus mutation
• Denmark/Sweden/Germany → quarantine list
• infection rate may be stabilising
• UK bans visitors from Denmark
• St Paul's Cathedral gets £2m culture grant
Joe Biden announced as US president

Worldwide deaths: 1,180,000 → 1,250,000
Worldwide cases: 45,800,000 → 49,600,000
UK deaths: 46,555 → 48,888
UK cases: 1,011,660 → 1,171,441
FTSE: up 6% (5577 → 5910)

 Sunday, October 25, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 25th October #coronavirus

• Spain introduces night-time curfew
• Wales anticipates another firebreak in January
• row about free school meal vouchers, again
• Nottinghamshire → tier 3
• Tory MPs call for roadmap out of lockdown
• study says antibodies decline rapidly
• sharp rise in deaths across Europe
• Staffordshire → tier 2
• 'too early to say what Christmas rules will be'
• Heathrow no longer Europe's busiest airport
• 2/3 of businesses at risk of insolvency
• second national lockdown in France
• 100,000 catching virus every day
• E Yorks → tier 2, W Yorks → tier 3
• Melbourne emerges from four month lockdown
• ½ million in England had virus last week
• Govt trying to avoid blanket measures
• cases now well above worst-case scenario
4 week lockdown across England from next week
• furlough scheme extended by a month

Worldwide deaths: 1,150,000 → 1,190,000
Worldwide cases: 42,400,000 → 45,800,000
UK deaths: 44,745 → 46,555
UK cases: 854,010 → 1,011,660
FTSE: down 5% (5860 → 5577)



20 things that happened w/b 18th October #coronavirus

• police allowed access to test and trace data
• Manchester still refusing to join tier 3
• Italy tightens the rules
2½ week "firebreak" lockdown in Wales
• high level restrictions for 6 weeks in Ireland
• 'tsunami' of new infections in Belgium
• Heathrow - tests for those flying to Hong Kong
• tier 3 imposed on Greater Manchester
• ..."a game of poker with people's lives”
• Melania Trump still has lingering cough
• South Yorkshire is next into tier 3
• Chancellor offers extra aid for tier 2
• Scots told to prepare for 'digital Christmas'
• Stoke, Coventry and Slough → tier 2
• Test and Trace needs to improve (PM)
• Scotland to introduce 5-tier system
• PM hopes families can celebrate Xmas together
• Warrington → tier 3
• Polish president tests positive
• yet another (small) anti-lockdown protest

Worldwide deaths: 1,110,000 → 1,150,000
Worldwide cases: 39,500,000 → 42,400,000
UK deaths: 43,579 → 44,745
UK cases: 705,428 → 854,010
FTSE: down 1% (5919 → 5860)



20 things that happened w/b 11th October #coronavirus

• second national lockdown possible
• Trump claims he's now immune
• three Nightingale hospitals on standby
3-tier lockdown restrictions introduced
• Liverpool placed in 'Very High' tier - pubs closed
• scientists warn measures are insufficient
• unemployment at 3 year high
• confirmed case of reinfection in Nevada
• Sir Keir proposes 3 week circuit breaker
• PM defends regional restrictions
• NI closes schools for 2 weeks (& pubs for 4)
• Wales bans visitors from tiers 2 & 3
• London, Essex and York move to tier 2
• Italy joins the quarantine list
• masks required in Scottish workplaces
• Manchester holds out against joining tier 3
• R is between 1.3 and 1.5
• fast turnaround tests due in a few weeks (PM)
• month-long curfew in nine French cities
• Israel eases second lockdown

Worldwide deaths: 1,070,000 → 1,110,000
Worldwide cases: 37,000,000 → 39,500,000
UK deaths: 42,760 → 43,579
UK cases: 590,844 → 705,428
FTSE: down 2% (6016 → 5919)



20 things that happened w/b 4th October #coronavirus

• London Marathon for elite runners only
• Cineworld to close all cinemas
• "bumpy through to Christmas" (PM)
• numerous other White House staff test positive
• Trump briefly leaves hospital for a motorcade
• 15841 cases uncounted (& not followed up)
• Trump 'feeling really good' - leaves hospital
• PM looks ahead to a post-Covid UK
• hospital admissions jump by 25%
• shortage of tests across the NHS
• intensive care filling up in Paris
• pubs to close for 2 weeks in central Scotland
• new 3-tier restrictions expected on Monday
• getting Covid "a blessing from God" (Trump)
• cafes/bars in Brussels closed for a month
• economy still 9% below pre-pandemic levels
• cases have 'increased rapidly' (ONS)
• new Job Support Scheme will pay 2/3 of wages
• delayed honours list recognises care workers
• Northern mayors say govt support insufficient

Worldwide deaths: 1,030,000 → 1,070,000
Worldwide cases: 34,700,000 → 37,000,000
UK deaths: 42,317 → 42,760
UK cases: 480,017 → 590,844
FTSE: up 2% (5902 → 6016)


 Sunday, September 27, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 27th September #coronavirus

• three more Welsh counties face lockdown
• cases at 40 UK universities
• ban on socialising in pubs in the NE
• WHO develops quick low-cost test
• calls to end 10pm pub curfew
global deaths pass 1 million
• PM misquotes new NE restrictions
• four more Welsh counties face lockdown
• students won't face Christmas quarantine
• Speaker demands greater Parliamentary say
• PM calls for "collective forbearance"
• growth in cases could be slowing
• new restrictions in Merseyside
• Poland and Turkey added to quarantine list
• SNP MP broke self-isolation rules
President Trump tests positive
• "everyone got a bit, kind of complacent" (PM)
• President Trump taken to hospital
• latest Bond film postponed again, to April
• conflicting reports on Trump's health

Worldwide deaths: 990,000 → 1,030,000
Worldwide cases: 32,700,000 → 34,700,000
UK deaths: 41,971 → 42,317
UK cases: 429,277 → 480,017
FTSE: up 1% (5842 → 5902)



20 things that happened w/b 20th September #coronavirus

• Singapore issues Bluetooth tracking devices
• 20% of UK population under local restrictions
• 'last chance saloon' before a 2nd lockdown
• if no action, 50000 daily cases by mid-October
• four more Welsh counties locked down
UK virus alert level rises from 3 to 4
• pubs & restaurants must close by 10pm
• "if you can work from home you should do so"
• "we've reached a perilous turning point" (PM)
• new rules are "for perhaps six months"
• household visits banned in Scotland
• daily cases continue to rise rapidly
• NHS COVID-19 app (finally) launches
• Chancellor announces new Job Support Scheme
• only 28% of tests turned round in 24 hours
• virus spreading in university accommodation
• tighter lockdowns in Cardiff, Swansea & Leeds
• Tesco limits sales of toilet roll & pasta
• R number rises to 1.2-1.5
• 2m deaths worldwide 'not impossible' (WHO)

Worldwide deaths: 950,000 → 990,000
Worldwide cases: 30,600,000 → 32,700,000
UK deaths: 41,759 → 41,971
UK cases: 390,358 → 429,277
FTSE: down 3% (6007 → 5842)



20 things that happened w/b 13th September #coronavirus

• care homes warned of rise in infections
• 2nd lockdown in Israel leads to resignations
• UK tests being sent abroad for analysis
• Rule of Six comes into effect
• Labour leader self-isolating
• no tests available in top 10 hotspot areas
• unemployment up, redundancies accelerating
• Home Secretary attempts to define 'mingling'
• entire Irish cabinet self-isolates
• inflation tumbles to 0.2%
• Rhondda goes into isolation/lockdown
• 'very serious situation in Europe' (WHO)
• new restrictions across NE England
• test demand 'significantly outstripping' capacity
• national 'circuit break' restrictions discussed
• London's New Year fireworks cancelled
• new restrictions across NW England
• UK now seeing "inevitable" second wave (PM)
• everyday interactions need to be "dialled back"
• PM plans hefty fines for breaking self-isolation

Worldwide deaths: 920,000 → 950,000
Worldwide cases: 28,600,000 → 30,600,000
UK deaths: 41,623 → 41,759
UK cases: 365,174 → 390,358
FTSE: down ½% (6032 → 6007)



20 things that happened w/b 6th September #coronavirus

• "the economy needs to have people back at work"
• sudden spike in UK cases (2988 is highest since May)
• India overtakes Brazil to be 2nd-worst hit
• Health Secretary wags finger at young people
• seven Greek islands added to quarantine list
• tests unavailable (or ridiculously far away)
• sudden rise in cases "a great concern"
• lockdown cuts off Caerphilly
• the arts are at a "point of no return"
• many people requesting tests "inappropriately'
social gatherings over 6 to be banned
• new rules "for no longer than we have to"
• PM suggests mass daily testing by the spring
• Portugal back on quarantine list
• masks mandatory in shops in Wales
• test and trace app coming on 24th September
• R now between 1 and 1.2 (or higher)
• restrictions on socialising in Birmingham
• daily cases have doubled since this time last week
• looks very much like a second wave...

Worldwide deaths: 875,000 → 920,000
Worldwide cases: 26,700,000 → 28,600,000
UK deaths: 41,549 → 41,623
UK cases: 344,164 → 365,174
FTSE: up 4% (5799 → 6032)


 Sunday, August 30, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 30th August #coronavirus

• concerns over students returning to universities
• Notting Hill Carnival goes digital
• several cases on flight from Greek island
• Eat Out To Help Out scheme ends
• calls to delay next year's exams
• concern over increase in cases in Scotland
• back to school... back to work?
• visiting restrictions imposed in Glasgow
• Hong Kong starts mass testing
• 40% of UK deaths were in care homes
• retreat on easing Manchester lockdown
• shortage of Track & Trace tests
• US expects vaccine at start of November
• Eng/Wales/Scot/NI quarantine lists diverge
• Batman (actor) tests +ve during filming
• Eat Out To Help Out used 100m times
• testing at airports wouldn't help (PM)
• civil servants should return to the office
• anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne
• tougher lockdown measures in Bolton

Worldwide deaths: 840,000 → 875,000
Worldwide cases: 24,800,000 → 26,700,000
UK deaths: 41,498 → 41,549
UK cases: 332,752 → 344,164
FTSE: down 3% (5963 → 5799)



20 things that happened w/b 23rd August #coronavirus

• campaign to persuade parents that school is 'safe'
• increased fines for organisers of mass gatherings
• Tesco add 16000 home delivery jobs
• Scottish high schools to require face coverings
• 1st confirmed case of patient being re-infected
• 1st known UK case was on 21st February
• England follows Scotland on masks in schools
• millions of workers may not return to the office
• Usain Bolt tests positive
• 1 in 4 jobs to go at Gatwick Airport
• low paid to get £13 a day to self-isolate
• Jamaica and Switzerland join quarantine list
• outbreak at Norfolk poultry factory
• Paris makes masks mandatory
• highest number of new cases for 2 months
• Pret to cut quarter of its workforce
• restrictions eased in parts of NW England
• risk to children is 'vanishingly small'
• up to 85,000 deaths in worst case winter scenario
• virus badly affecting several Pacific islands

Worldwide deaths: 800,000 → 840,000
Worldwide cases: 23,000,000 → 24,800,000
UK deaths: 41,423 → 41,498
UK cases: 324,601 → 332,752
FTSE: down 1% (6001 → 5963)



20 things that happened w/b 16th August #coronavirus

• shielding ends in Wales
• Public Health England to be replaced
• New Zealand delays election
• Ryanair cuts flights
• A levels, belatedly, to match teacher assessment
• MP's wife to head PHE replacement
• M&S to lose 7000 jobs
• masks compulsory in French workplaces
• NI at risk of 'a slippery and treacherous slope'
• Florida death toll passes 10,000
• ONS to test 150,000 people a fortnight
• GCSEs match teacher assessment
• fewer test results ready in 24 hours
• Portugal off the quarantine list, Croatia on
• government debt exceeds 100% of GDP
• ban on socialising in Blackburn/Oldham/Pendle
• R value may have risen above 1
• eviction ban extended for another month
• pandemic "could be over in two years" (WHO)
• virus "will be with us forever" (SAGE)

Worldwide deaths: 770,000 → 800,000
Worldwide cases: 21,300,000 → 23,000,000
UK deaths: 41,361 → 41,423
UK cases: 317,379 → 324,601
FTSE: down 1% (6090 → 6001)



20 things that happened w/b 9th August #coronavirus

• "moral duty" to reopen schools (PM)
• Brazil passes 100,000 deaths
• soft play reopens in Wales
• 'suppress, suppress, suppress' (WHO)
• contact tracing team to be reduced by 6000
• retail sales rise, employment falls
• Russia registers first vaccine
• 10m Ate Out To Help Out last week
• 4 cases in NZ (after 100 days with none)
• France "going the wrong way"
• UK in recession after 20% quarterly fall
• Govt reduces deaths total by 5400*
• 13% of Londoners have antibodies (6% nationally)
• examless A-level awards prove unsatisfactory
• outbreak at Northampton sandwich factory
• France added to UK's quarantine list
• tourists in France scramble home
• UK cases levelling off (ONS)
• bowling alleys, casinos and theatres re-open
• South Africa eases lockdown

Worldwide deaths: 720,000 → 770,000
Worldwide cases: 19,500,000 → 21,300,000
UK deaths: 46,566 → 41,361*
UK cases: 309,763 → 317,379
FTSE: up 1% (6032 → 6090)



20 things that happened w/b 2nd August #coronavirus

• Melbourne under curfew
• employers now contributing to furlough
• PM considers response to second-wave scenarios
• opening schools in September "a priority"
• virus now 'extraordinarily widespread' in US
• 90 minute tests for hospitals and care homes
• Eat Out to Help Out scheme begins
• test and trace not yet good enough for autumn
• exam-less grades for Scottish pupils
• localised lockdown in Aberdeen
• UK 'underestimated virus threat from Europe'
• cases rising in France, Spain and Greece
• Govt has bought 50m unusable NHS masks
• downturn less bad than feared (Bank of England)
• Belgium added to UK quarantine list
• India is the third country to pass 2m cases
• stricter lockdown measures in Preston
• masks required in museums, churches, etc
• ¾m care home test kits recalled
• redundancies up fivefold

Worldwide deaths: 680,000 → 720,000
Worldwide cases: 17,700,000 → 19,500,000
UK deaths: 46,193 → 46,566
UK cases: 303,952 → 309,763
FTSE: up 2% (5897 → 6032)


 Sunday, July 26, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 26th July #coronavirus

• tourist industry hit by Spain→UK quarantine
• Westminster Abbey announces redundancies
• masks mandatory on public transport in Wales
• health strategy to tackle obesity
• pet cat tests positive
• UK economy might not recover until 2024
• "signs of a second wave in Europe" (PM)
• Belgium re-tightens social restrictions
• Govt refuses to loosen Spanish quarantine
• "Young people must do more" (WHO)
• Barclays want their staff back in the office
• self-isolation increased from 7 to 10 days
• lockdown solidarity 'starting to fray'
• England has Europe's highest % of excess deaths
• Trump suggests delaying Presidential election
• home visits suddenly banned in NW England
• PM postpones further easing of lockdown
• "we need to pull back a bit" (CMO)
• to reopen schools, pubs may have to close
• shielding ends

Worldwide deaths: 640,000 → 680,000
Worldwide cases: 15,800,000 → 17,700,000
UK deaths: 45,738 → 46,193
UK cases: 298,681 → 303,952
FTSE: down 4% (6123 → 5897)



20 things that happened w/b 19th July #coronavirus

• "we will not need another national lockdown" (PM)
• outbreak at Test and Trace centre in Lanark
• Govt signs deal for 90m vaccine doses
• France: masks compulsory in confined public spaces
• Oxford Uni vaccine trial results promising
• EU signs off on €750bn recovery plan
• it won't be over by Christmas, experts warn
• 25% of Delhi's population have had the virus
• Trump predicts pandemic will get worse
• masks compulsory in public in Melbourne
• handshakes are “probably out forever”
• visits to care homes allowed again
• shielding ends in Scotland
• first coronavirus death in Uganda
• 30m will be offered a flu vaccine this winter
• face coverings now compulsory in shops
• retail sales bounced back in June
• "We could have done things differently" (PM)
• indoor gyms, pools and leisure centres reopen
• Spain suddenly added to UK quarantine list

Worldwide deaths: 600,000 → 640,000
Worldwide cases: 14,100,000 → 15,800,000
UK deaths: 45,233 → 45,738
UK cases: 294,066 → 298,681
FTSE: down 3% (6290 → 6123)



20 things that happened w/b 12th July #coronavirus

• Trump finally seen wearing mask in public
• outbreak on Herefordshire farm - 200 in isolation
• mixed messaging on masks
• seven National Trust houses reopen
• immunity from virus may be short-lived
• "countries headed in the wrong direction" (WHO)
• face coverings to be compulsory in shops
• California reimposes indoor restrictions
• winter wave "could be much worse"
• Blackburn could be another Leicester
• PM promises an independent enquiry, later
• Oxford vaccine trial progressing well
• 650,000 jobs lost during lockdown, so far
• Leicester lockdown to be eased
• "anyone may use public transport" (PM)
• "hoping for the best but planning for the worst"
• in future, local not national restrictions
• "significant normality" by Christmas, maybe
• daily deaths data halted for statistical reasons
• 150 new virus clusters in Spain

Worldwide deaths: 560,000 → 600,000
Worldwide cases: 12,600,000 → 14,100,000
UK deaths: 44,798 → 45,273
UK cases: 288,953 → 294,066
FTSE: up 3% (6095 → 6290)



20 things that happened w/b 5th July #coronavirus

• job centre staff will be doubled
• clap to celebrate the NHS's 72nd birthday
• £1.5bn emergency funding for the arts
• Wales ends 5 mile travel limit
• Northern Ireland reopens beauty salons
• Scotland opens beer gardens and pavement cafes
• 80% of those testing positive have no symptoms (ONS)
• Trump pushes US schools to reopen
• Brazil's President Bolsonaro tests positive
• £30bn budget stimulus for jobs and the economy
• 'Eat Out To Help Out' (50% off in August)
• stamp duty cut with immediate effect
• Chancellor's plans 'not value for money'
• virus may spread by airborne transmission (WHO)
• reopening date set for pools, gyms and nail bars
• UK relaxes quarantine from 75 countries
• ONS estimate - one in 3,900 have the virus
• PM considering mandatory face masks in shops
• Belgium places Leicester on its red zone list
• cases accelerating in several US states

Worldwide deaths: 530,000 → 560,000
Worldwide cases: 11,100,000 → 12,600,000
UK deaths: 44,198 → 44,798
UK cases: 284,900 → 288,953
FTSE: down 1% (6157 → 6095)


 Sunday, June 28, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 28th June #coronavirus

• global cases pass 10m, global deaths pass ½m
• non-essential shops open in Scotland
• "the worst is yet to come" (WHO)
• virus spike sees Leicester locked down
• Broadway to stay dark until January 2021
• infrastructure programme to boost the economy
• planning laws loosened
• UK death rate returns to normal
• 'expect more Leicesters'
• thousands of job losses announced
• EU borders reopened to 15 'safe' countries
• two Southampton theatres to close permanently
• face coverings must be worn in Scottish shops
• number of UK cases falls 10% after reclassification*
• England lifts quarantine from 'low risk' countries
• "grab a drink and raise a glass" (HM Treasury)
• "let's not blow it" (PM)
hairdressers and pubs reopen
• many rush to drink and/or eat out
• nine Melbourne tower blocks totally locked down

Worldwide deaths: 495,000 → 530,000
Worldwide cases: 9,900,000 → 11,100,000
UK deaths: 43,514 → 44,198
UK cases: 310,250 → 284,900*
FTSE: down 0.03% (6159 → 6157)



20 things that happened w/b 21st June #coronavirus

• outbreak at Anglesey chicken plant
• pandemic is far from over (WHO)
• face coverings mandatory on transport in Scotland
• non-essential shops reopen in Wales
• shielding to end in July
• major easing of lockdown from 4th July
• social distancing reduced to "one metre plus"
• pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers to open
• social distancing legislation becomes 'guidance'
• daily news conferences end
• number of cases accelerating in the US
• many UK councils fear bankruptcy
• "too much mingling could set the UK back" (PM)
• 1 in 14 care home residents have died
• WHO warns of resurgence in (Eastern) Europe
• heatwave crowds - major incident at Bournemouth
• Texas and Florida roll back reopenings
• 'air corridors' to boost European travel
• "most SAGE evidence is ignored or politicised"
• cases soaring in Delhi

Worldwide deaths: 460,000 → 495,000
Worldwide cases: 8,700,000 → 9,900,000
UK deaths: 42,589 → 43,514
UK cases: 303,110 → 310,250
FTSE: down 2% (6292 → 6159)



20 things that happened w/b 14th June #coronavirus

• Govt to review 2m distancing rule
• German holidaymakers return to the Canaries
• face coverings mandatory on public transport
• shoppers rush back to the high street
• Isle of Man scraps social distancing
• school meal vouchers extended through summer
• Dexamethasone cuts death risk for seriously ill
• Royal Ascot goes ahead behind closed doors
• hospitals in Delhi overwhelmed
• NHS tracing app will be ready “for the winter”
• Premier League returns (with a nil nil draw)
• Bank of England pumps £100bn into economy
• test & trace app switched to Google/Apple model
• contact tracers fail to reach 25% who test +ve
UK alert level lowered from 4 to 3
• UK debt now exceeds size of economy
• £1bn of funding for educational catch-up
• Brazil second country to exceed a million cases
• road traffic back at 75% of normal
• enormous hints that 2m will become 1m

Worldwide deaths: 430,000 → 460,000
Worldwide cases: 7,700,000 → 8,700,000
UK deaths: 41,662 → 42,589
UK cases: 294,375 → 303,110
FTSE: up 3% (6105 → 6292)



20 things that happened w/b 7th June #coronavirus

• places of worship to reopen for private prayer
• mass gatherings at anti-racism protests
• daily death toll in Scotland hits zero
• quarantine begins for incoming travellers
• some dentists reopen
• New Zealand declares itself virus-free
• Govt drops plans to fully reopen primary schools
• 9m UK workers covered by furlough scheme
• Test and Trace system 'not fit for purpose'
• NHS waiting list growing fast
• virus could hit UK economy hardest
• 'support bubbles' for single adult households
• earlier lockdown would have halved death toll
• calls to cut 2m rule to 1m
• UK economy shrank by 20% in April
• approximately 1 in 1700 Britons infected (ONS)
• deprived areas hit twice as hard (ONS)
• Brazil's death toll now exceeds the UK
• Trooping the Colour cancelled
• fresh outbreak at Beijing food market

Worldwide deaths: 400,000 → 430,000
Worldwide cases: 6,800,000 → 7,700,000
UK deaths: 40,465 → 41,662
UK cases: 284,868 → 294,375
FTSE: down 6% (6484 → 6105)


 Sunday, May 31, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 31st May #coronavirus

• 200,000 daily testing target exceeded, allegedly
• sunny weekend = lockdown breaking down early
• 2.2m 'shielding' can leave the house again
• lockdown eased despite alert level remaining high
• schools reopen, but turn-out mixed
• racing at Newcastle kickstarts sport's return
• Spain reports no virus deaths today (UK still 100+)
• Govt criticised over use of testing data
• Parliament votes to abandon remote voting
• Business Secretary develops symptoms (but tests -ve)
• 14 day quarantine a 'killer blow' for travel sector
• record profits for teleconferencing company Zoom
• UK hosts virtual vaccine summit
• face coverings to be mandatory on public transport
• 40% of global deaths are now in Latin America
• WHO now encourages use of face coverings
• IoW MP apologises for going to barbecue
• regional R may be greater than 1
• do not assemble to join a protest (Gov)
• weekend press conferences discontinued

Worldwide deaths: 370,000 → 400,000
Worldwide cases: 6,000,000 → 6,800,000
UK deaths: 38,376 → 40,465
UK cases: 272,826 → 284,868
FTSE: up 7% (6076 → 6484)



20 things that happened w/b 24th May #coronavirus

• Cummings "followed instincts of every parent" (PM)
• Step 2 begins 1st June - schools to reopen
• Even the Daily Mail attacks Dominic Cummings
• Dominic explains his motives, but without apology
• Step 2: outdoor markets/car showrooms can reopen
• non-essential shops can reopen on 15th June
• polls show government support in decline
• Remdesivir shortens recovery time 'by four days'
• South America showing rapid increase in cases
• New Zealand now has no hospital cases
• Track and Trace launches in England and Scotland
• ... but won't be fully operational until end of June
• Durham police say Dominic Cummings broke the law
• from Monday, groups of 6 allowed to meet outdoors
• ...but groups of 8 in Scotland, from Thursday
• 10th (and final?) Clap For Carers
• Premier League to restart in three weeks
• too early to ease lockdown, say scientists
• Trump plans to withdraw the US from the WHO
• sport can resume behind closed doors from Monday

Worldwide deaths: 340,000 → 370,000
Worldwide cases: 5,300,000 → 6,000,000
UK deaths: 36,675 → 38,376
UK cases: 257,154 → 272,826
FTSE: up 1% (5993 → 6076)



20 things that happened w/b 17th May #coronavirus

• reopening schools in doubt over safety concerns
• most of Europe past virus peak
• hospitals in São Paulo overwhelmed
• loss of taste/smell added to UK symptoms list
• food industry seeks 'pickers who are stickers'
• tests now available to anyone with symptoms
• death toll in Brazil overtakes UK
• Trump is taking hydroxychloroquine
• inflation tumbled to 0.8% in April
• contact tracing to begin in June
• track and trace app delayed until June
• 17% of Londoners may have had virus
• Scotland to start easing lockdown next week
• UK buys 10m antibody tests
• global death toll accelerating
• 14 day quarantine for those entering the UK
• UK borrowing at record high
• Dominic Cummings broke quarantine while infected
• ...this was abhorrent behaviour/perfectly OK
• (and may also have driven to Barnard Castle)

Worldwide deaths: 310,000 → 340,000
Worldwide cases: 4,600,000 → 5,300,000
UK deaths: 34,466 → 36,675
UK cases: 240,161 → 257,154
FTSE: up 3% (5799 → 5993)



20 things that happened w/b 10th May #coronavirus

Stay Alert - Control The Virus - Save Lives
• PM announces conditional plan to ease lockdown
• nation tries to unravel what little has changed
• PM tries to clarify what he said yesterday
• rules now different in England to Wales/Scotland
• furlough scheme to continue for four more months
• death rate in care homes now falling
• after seven weeks, lockdown eases marginally
• England nudged back to work/golf courses reopen
• public urged to avoid public transport
• New Zealand back to (new) normal
• every country in Africa now affected
• UK economy shrank 2% in first quarter
• Govt approves Roche antibody test
• 0.27% of the population currently infected (ONS)
• coronavirus may never go away (UN)
• unions say June too early to be reopening schools
• plan to test all care home staff and residents
• anti-lockdown protesters gather in Hyde Park
• football restarts in the German Bundesliga

Worldwide deaths: 280,000 → 310,000
Worldwide cases: 4,000,000 → 4,600,000
UK deaths: 31,587 → 34,466
UK cases: 215,260 → 240,161
FTSE: down 2% (5935 → 5799)



20 things that happened w/b 3rd May #coronavirus

• focus turns to how and when to reopen what
• contact tracing app to be trialled on IoW
• Govt misses testing target again
• Italy starts to ease lockdown
• Govt paying almost a quarter of workers' wages
• privacy concerns about new contact tracing app
• UK now has Europe's highest death total
• lead epidemiologist resigns over lockdown affair
• Germany reopens shops (masks compulsory)
• "It's time to reopen business" (Trump)
• PM hints lockdown could be eased from Monday
• newspapers widely leak next week's announcement
• PM urges caution ahead of lockdown announcement
• PPE gowns from Turkey are unusable
• VE Day anniversary commemorations under lockdown
• Wales to allow exercise more than once a day
• US unemployment rate rises to 15%
• 14-day quarantine proposed for air passengers
• Govt announces £2bn for walking and cycling
• garden centres can reopen next week

Worldwide deaths: 240,000 → 280,000
Worldwide cases: 3,400,000 → 4,000,000
UK deaths: 28,131 → 31,587
UK cases: 182,260 → 215,260
FTSE: up 3% (5763 → 5935)


 Sunday, April 26, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 26th April #coronavirus

• 3-10% of UK population may have been infected
• Birmingham's Nightingale hospital still empty
• NZ has successfully ended community transmission
• PM returns to work after 3 weeks
• "this is the moment of maximum risk" (PM)
• Small firms to get 100% govt-backed loans
• highest weekly death total since records began
• Germany may have eased lockdown too early
• testing to be extended to care homes
• PM's fiancee gives birth to son
• half global workforce in financial peril (UN)
• UK daily deaths figure now includes care homes
• record falls in CO2 emissions
• PM returns to daily press conference after 5 wks
• "we are now past the peak" (PM)
• Trump suggests virus originated in Chinese lab
• Govt unexpectedly hits 100000 daily tests target
• nobody's caught it twice, South Korea confirms
• death rates higher in poorer areas
• adults in Spain allowed outside again

Worldwide deaths: 200,000 → 240,000
Worldwide cases: 2,900,000 → 3,400,000
UK deaths: 20,319 → 28,131
UK cases: 148,377 → 182,260
FTSE: up 0.2% (5752 → 5763)



20 things that happened w/b 19th April #coronavirus

• "PM skipped five COBRA meetings" (Sunday Times)
• 6½m jobs at risk if lockdown continues
• delivery of PPE from Turkey delayed
• no plans to reopen schools any time soon
• Italy finally seeing fall in number of cases
• US oil prices turn negative
• weekly UK death total hits 20-year high
• Parliament returns, mostly virtually
• Germany eases lockdown; Spain extends it
• row over inadequate government preparations
• UK testing regime not up to speed
• Trump suspends immigration to the US
• "don't expect a return to normal life this year"
• over half of European deaths are in care homes
• Oxford University starts vaccine trial
• Trump muses on injecting disinfectant
• testing extended to all essential workers
• virus test website swiftly overwhelmed
• 'no evidence' recovery confers immunity
• road traffic levels rising again

Worldwide deaths: 155,000 → 200,000
Worldwide cases: 2,300,000 → 2,900,000
UK deaths: 15,464 → 20,319
UK cases: 114,217 → 148,377
FTSE: down ½% (5786 → 5752)



20 things that happened w//b 12th April #coronavirus

• Queen offers Easter message of hope
• PM discharged and recuperating at Chequers
• UK may have Europe's highest death toll
• Spain starts to loosen restrictions
• no plans to lessen UK lockdown this week
• concerns over high death tolls in care homes
forecast: UK economy to slump 35% by June
forecast: UK unemployment to rise by 2m
• Trump suspends US funding for the WHO
• 99 year-old army veteran raises £25m for NHS
• UK "probably" reaching the peak of its epidemic
• "only a vaccine will end social distancing"
UK lockdown will last at least three more weeks
• so far, Nightingale hospitals barely used
• Trump plans to reopen the US "in three stages"
• London Mayor calls for compulsory masks
• Romanians fly in to help pick British fruit
• NHS staff running out of protective gowns
• WHO warns antibody tests still unreliable
• Japan hit by fresh wave of infections

Worldwide deaths: 110,000 → 155,000
Worldwide cases: 1,750,000 → 2,300,000
UK deaths: 9875 → 15464
UK cases: 78,991 → 114,217
FTSE: down 1% (5842 → 5786)



20 things that happened w/b 5th April #coronavirus

• sunny parks raise lockdown fears
• Queen broadcasts to the nation
"We will succeed... we will meet again" (HM)
• PM admitted to hospital 'for tests'
• Several 5G masts vandalised
• PM taken into intensive care
• Dominic Raab takes control
• China records no new deaths
• Paris bans outdoor exercise
• first patients enter NHS Nightingale
• £750m support for UK charities
• PM 'improving and sitting up in bed'
• "the worst recession in almost a century" (IMF)
• too early to lift UK lockdown
• PM out of intensive care
• warm, sunny Easter weekend begins
• EU agrees €500bn rescue package
• lack of PPE putting NHS staff at risk
• PM "able to do short walks"
• USA death tally overtakes Italy

Worldwide deaths: 60,000 → 110,000
Worldwide cases: 1,150,000 → 1,750,000
UK deaths: 4313 → 9875
UK cases: 41903 → 78991
FTSE: up 8% (5415 → 5842)


 Sunday, March 29, 2020

20 things that happened w/b 29th March #coronavirus

• strict measures could last 'a significant period'
• all parts of UK 'on emergency footing'
• Italy and Spain have most global deaths
• Dominic Cummings tests positive
• £75m fund to fly home Britons abroad
• Forces policing lockdown inconsistently
• UK testing regime criticised
• contactless payment limit rises to £45
• Glasgow climate summit postponed
• Wimbledon cancelled
• Government sets target of 100000 tests per day
• known cases worldwide top 1 million
• World Bank sets up $1.9bn emergency fund
• weekly round of applause for NHS
• New York tells citizens to wear masks
• NHS Nightingale Hospital opens
• Spain now has more cases than Italy
• PM remains in self-isolation
• 'Stay at home' campaign as temperatures rise
"There will be a lot of death, unfortunately" (Trump)

Worldwide deaths: 30,000 → 60,000
Worldwide cases: 650,000 → 1,150,000
UK deaths: 1019 → 4313
UK cases: 17089 → 41903
FTSE: down 2% (5499 → 5415)



20 things that happened w/b 22nd March #coronavirus

"don't visit your mother on Mothers Day" (PM)
• (nation goes to parks and the seaside instead)
• 1½m most vulnerable told to isolate for 12 weeks
• Global economy will suffer for years to come (OECD)
UK goes into lockdown for at least 3 weeks
• public gatherings of more than two people banned
• "one form of exercise a day" permitted
• Summer Olympics postponed until 2021
• daily Govt press conference goes virtual
• launch of NHS Volunteers
• 4000 bed hospital established at ExCel
• situation worsening in Spain and New York
• Prince Charles tests positive
• unemployment skyrockets in USA
• government to pay 80% of self-employed income
• South Korea starting to ease restrictions
• nation applauds the NHS at 8pm
• PM and Health Secretary test positive
• testing to be rolled out to frontline NHS staff
• USA now has more cases than any other country

Worldwide deaths: 13,000 → 30,000
Worldwide cases: 300,000 → 650,000
UK deaths: 233 → 1019
UK cases: 5018 → 17089
FTSE: up 6% (5191 → 5499)



20 things that happened w/b 15th March #coronavirus

• many countries introduce lockdown measures
• now more cases outside China then within
• without action, 8m Britons could be hospitalised
"stop non-essential contact with others" (PM)
"stop all non-essential travel" (PM)
"avoid pubs, clubs and other venues" (PM)
• stay home for 14 days if member of household is ill
• £330bn financial rescue package announced
• foreigners abroad scramble to get home
• Euro 2020 and Eurovision delayed until 2021
• schools close until further notice/exams cancelled
• London transport services slimmed down
• interest rates cut from 0.25% to 0.1%
"we can turn the tide within 12 weeks" (PM)
• health service in Italy overwhelmed
• government to pay 80% of employees' wages
• pubs, cinemas and restaurants forced to close
• social distancing required "at least most of a year"
"be responsible when you shop" (Gov)
• NHS buys up private hospital capacity

Worldwide deaths: 5500 → 13000
Worldwide cases: 150,000 → 300,000
UK deaths: 21 → 233
UK cases: 1140 → 5018
FTSE: down 3% (5366 → 5191)



20 things that happened w/b 8th March #coronavirus

• "highly likely" virus will spread in a “significant way”
• worldwide recession anticipated
• country-wide quarantine in Italy
• new cases start to decline in China
• WHO says COVID-19 outbreak now a pandemic
• UK Health Minister diagnosed with virus
• Budget: £12bn stimulus in response to virus
• interest rates cut from 0.75% to 0.25%
• Trump suspends Europe → USA travel for 30 days
• UK strategy moves from 'containment' to 'delay'
"Many more families are going to lose loved ones" (PM) 
• schools/universities closed in many countries (not UK)
• panic buying of toilet roll/pasta/tinned food/etc
• continuous cough + fever = self-isolate for 7 days
• UK strategy is to "build up herd immunity"
• local elections postponed for 1 year
• professional football suspended until April 3
• London Marathon postponed until October
• several European countries close borders to visitors
• Spain and US declare state of emergency

Worldwide deaths: 3500 → 5500
Worldwide cases: 103,000 → 150,000
UK deaths: 2 → 21
UK cases: 206 → 1140
FTSE: down 17% (6463 → 5366)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               


<< click for Newer posts

click for Older Posts >>

click to return to the main page

click to return to my main blog

Powered by Blogger
lots of stuff about london

back to front page

my main blog

special features
E3 - local history month
oranges and lemons
olympic park 2007
great british roads
londoners of note
river westbourne
capital numbers
dome of doom
lea valley walk
olympics 2012
regent's canal
museums a-z
square routes
prime movers
silver jubilee
walk london
cube routes
metro-land
river fleet
tube week
piccadilly
bakerloo
meridian
textmap

on this site - London places
gherkin
beckton
temple bar
little britain
the Diana fountain
merton; enfield; islington
sutton; lewisham; southwark

on this site - London events
flash mob #1  #2  #3  #4
olympic torch relay
london marathon
new year's eve
open house
boat race

on this site - east London
olympics 2012
local history month
the real EastEnders
Routemaster farewell
Bow Road tube station
the old Big Brother house
the old Big Breakfast house

read the archive
Sep02  Oct02  Nov02  Dec02
Jan03  Feb03  Mar03  Apr03
May03  Jun03  Jul03  Aug03
Sep03  Oct03  Nov03  Dec03
Jan04  Feb04  Mar04  Apr04
May04  Jun04  Jul04  Aug04
Sep04  Oct04  Nov04  Dec04
Jan05  Feb05  Mar05  Apr05
May05  Jun05  Jul05  Aug05
Sep05  Oct05  Nov05  Dec05
Jan06  Feb06  Mar06  Apr06
May06  Jun06  Jul06  Aug06
Sep06  Oct06  Nov06  Dec06
Jan07  Feb07  Mar07  Apr07
May07  Jun07  Jul07  Aug07
Sep07  Oct07  Nov07  Dec07
Jan08  Feb08  Mar08  Apr08
May08  Jun08  Jul08  Aug08
Sep08  Oct08  Nov08  Dec08
Jan09  Aug09  Oct09  Dec09
back to main page

twenty london blogs
bitful
route 79
pixeldiva
londonist
onionbagblog
mad musings
samuel pepys
richard herring
linkmachinego
london rubbish
over your head
rogue semiotics
scorn and noise
in the aquarium
diamond geezer
london bus page
london 2012 blog
the last bus home
london daily photo
random acts of reality
london bloggers tube map

ten london links
poverty map 1899
london map 1827
smoke magazine
urban 75 london
panoramic views
street sensation
london ancestor
hidden london
london pubs
time out

ten east london links
where i live
visit eastside
east end photos
east end history
discover public art
cockney translator
greenwich meridian
tower hamlets history
the real albert square
docklands development

ten london transport links
future transport projects
clive's tube line guides
london underground
abandoned stations
various tube maps
london bus routes
london bus maps
disused stations
london walks
crossrail