news--2020-06-09--Coronavirus: Pubs won't open for another month as retail is warned on lockdown easing

Pubs and hairdressers will not be able to serve customers again for at least another month , the business secretary has confirmed while warning retailers over their conduct ahead of next week 's reopening of non-essential stores in England .
Alok Sharma said during the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing that shops found not to be following rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 face being issued with enforcement notices .
He told reporters : `` I can confirm today that retail outlets which have been required to be closed will be able to open their doors again from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comply with the COVID-secure guidelines we published on May 25 .
`` This is the latest step in the careful restarting of our economy and will enable high streets up and down the country to spring back to life . ''
However , the minister poured cold water on hopes of a wider reopening for consumer-focused businesses later this month when he confirmed it would be 4 July `` at the earliest '' before pubs , bars , restaurants and hairdressers could return .
There had been speculation earlier in the week that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handed a lifeline of an earlier-than-planned restart because Boris Johnson was worried about the toll the virus crisis was taking on jobs .
The move comes as the Daily Telegraph reported that the two-metre rule has been omitted from draft guidance on reopening pubs and restaurants .
Instead , the government proposals refer to `` wider spacing '' between customers and installing safeguarding measures , raising the prospect that officials are preparing to change the rule .
According to the paper , a draft of the guidance seen by Propel , the hospitality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into shift teams and the `` use of radios or telephones or other electronic devices when sending orders from service areas to kitchens '' .
However , no specific requirement on the distance required between tables has been stipulated in the document , which instead makes reference to `` wider spacing '' and the use of screens and barriers where appropriate .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Mr Sharma said : `` I know there 's been a lot of speculation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen these parts of the economy and I completely understand why we 're all so keen to get them back up and running , and I absolutely share that enthusiasm .
`` But we continue to follow the road map which set out our ambition to reopen these sectors from 4 July at the earliest . ''
One headache for landlords and owners is the two-metre rule for social distancing which , Mr Sharma said , was being kept under review .
He said he was to lead five new recovery round tables @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work on helping the UK economy recover as the government continues financial support for businesses and wages amid the disruption .
The Treasury had earlier confirmed that almost £35bn in loans had been dished out under its three major support schemes .
It was also revealed that the number of workers furloughed under the Job Retention Scheme had hit 8.9 million people - a quarter of the UK workforce .
`` We will work shoulder to shoulder with our businesses as we get ready for our economic fightback , '' Mr Sharma said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were afoot to make it harder for Chinese state entities to buy up large stakes in UK companies following reports a new takeover law was on the way .
The minister said , in a response to a journalist 's question : `` I think it 's important that we protect our critical assets , that is what we do through the Enterprise Act currently .
`` Of course we will look to see through the forthcoming bill , when it comes through , how we might improve upon that . ''

Pubs and hairdressers will not be able to serve customers again for at least another month, the business secretary has confirmed while warning retailers over their conduct ahead of next week's reopening of non-essential stores in England.
Alok Sharma said during the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing that shops found not to be following rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 face being issued with enforcement notices.
He told reporters: "I can confirm today that retail outlets which have been required to be closed will be able to open their doors again from Monday 15 June so long as they comply with the COVID-secure guidelines we published on May 25.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:17 Business secretary: Pubs and restaurants not opening yet
"This is the latest step in the careful restarting of our economy and will enable high streets up and down the country to spring back to life."
However, the minister poured cold water on hopes of a wider reopening for consumer-focused businesses later this month when he confirmed it would be 4 July "at the earliest" before pubs, bars, restaurants and hairdressers could return.
There had been speculation earlier in the week that the hospitality sector was set to be handed a lifeline of an earlier-than-planned restart because Boris Johnson was worried about the toll the virus crisis was taking on jobs.
The move comes as the Daily Telegraph reported that the two-metre rule has been omitted from draft guidance on reopening pubs and restaurants.
Instead, the government proposals refer to "wider spacing" between customers and installing safeguarding measures, raising the prospect that officials are preparing to change the rule.
According to the paper, a draft of the guidance seen by Propel, the hospitality industry newsletter, encourages staff to split into shift teams and the "use of radios or telephones or other electronic devices when sending orders from service areas to kitchens".
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However, no specific requirement on the distance required between tables has been stipulated in the document, which instead makes reference to "wider spacing" and the use of screens and barriers where appropriate.
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Mr Sharma said: "I know there's been a lot of speculation about when we might be able to reopen these parts of the economy and I completely understand why we're all so keen to get them back up and running, and I absolutely share that enthusiasm.
"But we continue to follow the road map which set out our ambition to reopen these sectors from 4 July at the earliest."
One headache for landlords and owners is the two-metre rule for social distancing which, Mr Sharma said, was being kept under review.
He said he was to lead five new recovery round tables to feed directly into the government's work on helping the UK economy recover as the government continues financial support for businesses and wages amid the disruption.
Image: M&S is among retailers planning to reopen clothing halls in England on Monday
The Treasury had earlier confirmed that almost £35bn in loans had been dished out under its three major support schemes.
It was also revealed that the number of workers furloughed under the Job Retention Scheme had hit 8.9 million people - a quarter of the UK workforce.
Image: Boris Johnson had originally said pubs would not open before 3 July
"We will work shoulder to shoulder with our businesses as we get ready for our economic fightback," Mr Sharma said.
He also appeared to confirm plans were afoot to make it harder for Chinese state entities to buy up large stakes in UK companies following reports a new takeover law was on the way.
The minister said, in a response to a journalist's question: "I think it's important that we protect our critical assets, that is what we do through the Enterprise Act currently.
"Of course we will look to see through the forthcoming bill, when it comes through, how we might improve upon that."


news--2020-06-09--Vacation Rentals: Watchdog scrutiny sees refund policy reversal at holiday rental firm

Scrutiny by the competition regulator into the holiday accommodation sector has led to change in policy at a holiday lets firm .
The Competition and Markets Authority 's investigation into cancellations and refund policies in the tourism industry has led Vacation Rentals to begin offering refunds to its customers .
It said the firm behind Hoseasons and Cottages.com voluntarily changed its policy after originally failing to offer refunds to all customers whose trips were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The CMA said Vacation Rentals has now given a `` formal commitment '' that customers will have the option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was only one of a number of companies that had been reported to the CMA 's COVID-19 Taskforce that was set up to monitor problems facing consumers as a result of the pandemic and the lockdown .
Andrea Coscelli , chief executive of the CMA , said he hopes other firms in the sector will similarly follow suit .
Mr Coscelli said : `` Our COVID-19 Taskforce is working hard to ensure that consumers get what they are entitled to , so it 's good news that Vacation Rentals has agreed to offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We know the pandemic is presenting businesses with challenges too , but it 's not right that people are being left hundreds or even thousands of pounds out of pocket - on top of having to sacrifice their holidays .
`` Consumer protection law exists for a reason ; businesses must observe the law or face the possibility of enforcement action . ''
The CMA said its COVID-19 Taskforce has so far received around 4,500 reports about holiday rental companies in the UK , with complaints about Vacation Rentals making up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ setup the taskforce after it received numerous complaints where consumers were being pressured to accept vouchers for holiday accommodation which can only be used during a more expensive period .

Scrutiny by the competition regulator into the holiday accommodation sector has led to change in policy at a holiday lets firm.
The Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into cancellations and refund policies in the tourism industry has led Vacation Rentals to begin offering refunds to its customers.
It said the firm behind Hoseasons and Cottages.com voluntarily changed its policy after originally failing to offer refunds to all customers whose trips were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The CMA said Vacation Rentals has now given a "formal commitment" that customers will have the option of a full refund.
The firm was only one of a number of companies that had been reported to the CMA's COVID-19 Taskforce that was set up to monitor problems facing consumers as a result of the pandemic and the lockdown.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:13 Confusion over holiday refunds for consumers
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said he hopes other firms in the sector will similarly follow suit.
Mr Coscelli said: "Our COVID-19 Taskforce is working hard to ensure that consumers get what they are entitled to, so it's good news that Vacation Rentals has agreed to offer people the refunds they are due.
More on Cma Price marking concerns in all grocery retailers examined, Competition and Markets Authority says
"We know the pandemic is presenting businesses with challenges too, but it's not right that people are being left hundreds or even thousands of pounds out of pocket - on top of having to sacrifice their holidays.
"Consumer protection law exists for a reason; businesses must observe the law or face the possibility of enforcement action."
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:13 Planning your staycation?
The CMA said its COVID-19 Taskforce has so far received around 4,500 reports about holiday rental companies in the UK, with complaints about Vacation Rentals making up a significant proportion of those.
The regulator setup the taskforce after it received numerous complaints where consumers were being pressured to accept vouchers for holiday accommodation which can only be used during a more expensive period.


news--2020-06-09--Coronavirus: Quarantine critics given 'private assurances' air bridges will be introduced in weeks

Travel and hospitality firms opposed to the government 's coronavirus quarantine say they have been given `` private assurances '' that air bridges will be introduced by the end of this month .
Under new rules brought in on Monday , travellers and returning Britons arriving in the UK by plane , train or ferry must self-isolate for 14 days .
There are some exceptions , including for road haulage and freight workers , medical professionals travelling to help fight coronavirus and seasonal agricultural workers .
Ministers argue the policy will help avoid a second peak of COVID-19 , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Airlines have described it as `` unlawful '' and `` ineffective '' , with three of them - British Airways , easyJet and Ryanair - beginning legal proceedings .
A number of Conservative MPs have also expressed opposition , while some of the UK 's top scientists have cast doubt on the effectiveness of a quarantine .
Air bridges would allow travellers arriving from countries where the risk of being infected with COVID-19 is deemed to be low to avoid having to self-isolate for 14 days .
An announcement from the government could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first review of the quarantine is due to take place .
A group of more than 500 businesses is urging ministers to give clarity on the measure .
The Quash Quarantine coalition includes travel firms Inghams and Travel Republic , and London hotels the Ritz and the Dorchester .
Spokesman Paul Charles said the group has `` received private assurances from senior government sources that travel corridors will be in place from 29 June '' .
He added : `` We urge the government to signal to the travel industry publicly and urgently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as amend FCO [ Foreign and Commonwealth Office ] advice on non-essential travel . ''
Mr Charles said the group was mulling whether to take its own legal action against the quarantine or join the proceedings launched by BA , but would prefer that air bridges are `` confirmed as soon as possible '' .
`` The industry needs urgent visibility on a timetable for travel to begin again , '' he said .
A government spokesperson told Sky News : `` It 's important to remember what these measures are all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second peak of this deadly virus - and that means managing the risk of cases being imported from abroad .
`` We are exploring a range of options to increase travel , underpinned by the evidence shows is safe , including examining how international travel corridors could safely open up routes . ''

Travel and hospitality firms opposed to the government's coronavirus quarantine say they have been given "private assurances" that air bridges will be introduced by the end of this month.
Under new rules brought in on Monday, travellers and returning Britons arriving in the UK by plane, train or ferry must self-isolate for 14 days.
There are some exceptions, including for road haulage and freight workers, medical professionals travelling to help fight coronavirus and seasonal agricultural workers.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:07 UK brings in travel quarantine measures
Ministers argue the policy will help avoid a second peak of COVID-19, but it has proven to be controversial.
Airlines have described it as "unlawful" and "ineffective", with three of them - British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair - beginning legal proceedings.
A number of Conservative MPs have also expressed opposition, while some of the UK's top scientists have cast doubt on the effectiveness of a quarantine.
Air bridges would allow travellers arriving from countries where the risk of being infected with COVID-19 is deemed to be low to avoid having to self-isolate for 14 days.
An announcement from the government could come around 29 June, when the first review of the quarantine is due to take place.
A group of more than 500 businesses is urging ministers to give clarity on the measure.
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The Quash Quarantine coalition includes travel firms Inghams and Travel Republic, and London hotels the Ritz and the Dorchester.
Spokesman Paul Charles said the group has "received private assurances from senior government sources that travel corridors will be in place from 29 June".
He added: "We urge the government to signal to the travel industry publicly and urgently that this is the case, as well as amend FCO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] advice on non-essential travel."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 6:30 Ryanair CEO slams new quarantine measures
Mr Charles said the group was mulling whether to take its own legal action against the quarantine or join the proceedings launched by BA, but would prefer that air bridges are "confirmed as soon as possible".
"The industry needs urgent visibility on a timetable for travel to begin again," he said.
A government spokesperson told Sky News: "It's important to remember what these measures are all about - protecting public health, avoiding a second peak of this deadly virus - and that means managing the risk of cases being imported from abroad.
"We are exploring a range of options to increase travel, underpinned by the evidence shows is safe, including examining how international travel corridors could safely open up routes."


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: KPMG chair warns of 'economic disaster' toll

One of the City 's most prominent bosses has warned that the `` economic disaster '' caused by the coronavirus pandemic risks surpassing its human toll , arguing that `` a vaccine is the only known exit strategy '' .
Sky News has seen a memo sent by Bill Michael , KPMG 's UK chair , to the accountancy firm 's staff this week which sets out in stark terms the scale of the challenge facing Britain 's economy as it plots a path to recovery .
Mr Michael , who is himself recuperating at home following treatment in hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK workforce that they faced `` a huge paradigm shift in the way we live and work '' .
`` In the absence of [ a vaccine ] , there is no 'exit ' or a return to normal , '' Mr Michael wrote .
`` It appears a vaccine is many months away - too long for an economy to survive a lockdown .
`` At some point , we run the risk that the economic disaster will transcend the human one .
`` The difficult judgments governments face is to strike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and our economy .
`` This will necessarily be a time of trial and error on an unprecedented scale . ''
The KPMG chief said , however , that the firm was `` well-placed to help '' .
Mr Michael 's remarks reflect the undercurrent of anxiety among business leaders and politicians that the risk of permanent `` scarring '' of the economy is growing as the lockdown continues .
Among the potential long-term consequences of the pandemic highlighted by Mr Michael 's memo are `` a radical re-evaluation '' of global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He added that the UK 's soaring national debt , caused by a slump in the economy and the cost of rescue packages , would present `` enormous challenges to our fiscal policies with far-reaching consequences on our tax system '' .
The big four accountancy firm has been a contractor on the NHS Nightingale hospital in London 's Docklands , as well as working on emergency public sector contracts such as the Department for Work and Pensions ' Project Shield .
Like its rivals , however , it is wrestling with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its consulting operations .
That decline has prompted KPMG to tell partners that they face pay cuts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds as it seeks to conserve cash .
Sky News reported earlier this month that its 620 UK partners have been warned that their 2020 pay packages will be reduced by around 25 % as a result of the pandemic .
Last year , the elite group received average remuneration of £629,000 .
The pay cuts are expected to save around £75m this year .
The COVID-19 crisis has created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firms - also made up of Deloitte , EY and PricewaterhouseCoopers - because the consequent slowdown in business activity has come at the same time as they are braced for a structural overhaul of their operations .
PwC has said it would delay partner promotions and bonuses , while EY is also cutting pay , but has vowed not to pursue compulsory redundancies .

One of the City's most prominent bosses has warned that the "economic disaster" caused by the coronavirus pandemic risks surpassing its human toll, arguing that "a vaccine is the only known exit strategy".
Sky News has seen a memo sent by Bill Michael, KPMG's UK chair, to the accountancy firm's staff this week which sets out in stark terms the scale of the challenge facing Britain's economy as it plots a path to recovery.
Mr Michael, who is himself recuperating at home following treatment in hospital for COVID-19, told KPMG's 18,000-strong UK workforce that they faced "a huge paradigm shift in the way we live and work".
"In the absence of [a vaccine], there is no 'exit' or a return to normal," Mr Michael wrote.
"It appears a vaccine is many months away - too long for an economy to survive a lockdown.
"At some point, we run the risk that the economic disaster will transcend the human one.
"The difficult judgments governments face is to strike a balance between the health of our people and our economy.
"This will necessarily be a time of trial and error on an unprecedented scale."
The KPMG chief said, however, that the firm was "well-placed to help".
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Mr Michael's remarks reflect the undercurrent of anxiety among business leaders and politicians that the risk of permanent "scarring" of the economy is growing as the lockdown continues.
Among the potential long-term consequences of the pandemic highlighted by Mr Michael's memo are "a radical re-evaluation" of global supply chains across goods and services.
He added that the UK's soaring national debt, caused by a slump in the economy and the cost of rescue packages, would present "enormous challenges to our fiscal policies with far-reaching consequences on our tax system".
The big four accountancy firm has been a contractor on the NHS Nightingale hospital in London's Docklands, as well as working on emergency public sector contracts such as the Department for Work and Pensions' Project Shield.
Like its rivals, however, it is wrestling with a sharp downturn in revenues across important parts of its consulting operations.
That decline has prompted KPMG to tell partners that they face pay cuts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds as it seeks to conserve cash.
Sky News reported earlier this month that its 620 UK partners have been warned that their 2020 pay packages will be reduced by around 25% as a result of the pandemic.
Last year, the elite group received average remuneration of £629,000.
The pay cuts are expected to save around £75m this year.
The COVID-19 crisis has created a major headache for the big four firms - also made up of Deloitte, EY and PricewaterhouseCoopers - because the consequent slowdown in business activity has come at the same time as they are braced for a structural overhaul of their operations.
PwC has said it would delay partner promotions and bonuses, while EY is also cutting pay, but has vowed not to pursue compulsory redundancies.
KPMG declined to comment on Tuesday.


news--2020-04-20--Coronavirus diary – Jeremy Thompson on life under lockdown

Jeremy Thompson is a former Sky News presenter in his seventies .
He is documenting how the coronavirus lockdown is impacting his everyday life in a personal diary .
To catch up , read about what happened during week one , week two , week three and week four .
As we began this shutdown saga in Spain over a month ago - before legging it home to London - I 'm interested to hear the Spanish government is daring to ease up the shutters .
While friends in Andalusia insist the personal restrictions are still stiflingly tight , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end their `` extreme economic hibernation period '' .
Some non-essential businesses are being allowed back to work .
The rest of Europe will watch with bated breath to see what impact it has in one of the countries worst hit by the virus .
Still in Spain , green-keepers have been spotted mowing our course for the first time .
A glimmer of hope for my golfing buddies .
Such is their desperation to get back on the tee , the ﬁrst round back ( whenever that is ) will be something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Meanwhile , good friends Olive and Bruce describe an unexpected brush with the law when they were pulled over by police for cycling in Richmond Park .
It had all been okay the week before .
However , the Old Bill had grown tired of tightly packed pelotons of boy racers in tight Lycra cluttering the Easter roads and decided to ban all park bikers above the age of 12 .
Our sedate pedalling pals just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I see from my threadbare diary - now known as `` this-is-what-you-should-have-had '' - that I was due a haircut today .
To avoid looking like Tom Hanks in Cast Away , I message my hairdresser Lucy for some trimming tips .
With delightful optimism , she re-books me for mid-May .
It 's my first new diary entry for weeks .
It 's another sunny spring morning in southwest London - perfect for a good walk now the Easter numbers have thinned .
There 's a new outdoor etiquette afoot as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - two metres to the left , two metres to the right , hold your breath , smile , mumble hello , then hurry past .
An unspoken code of crossing in the park and parting on pavements as we observe the new parameters of pandemic .
Walking past the pitch at Hampton Hill , I muse on how cricket might look when it emerges from hibernation .
Under SD Rules - Social Distance now superseding Duckworth Lewis Rules - field placements will be a headache .
You can have a wicket keeper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ batters will have to run either side of the wicket .
Bowlers will need to be extra careful with their follow-throughs .
Then there are the umpires .
Where on earth do they stand ?
Not cricket , but corona .
`` Anyone can catch it , anyone can spread it , '' is the latest government message on the radio .
It 's a fair point .
We know people of all ages who 've been infected .
One good mate has just had his first beer after a miserable three weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tells me coronavirus knocked him sideways like nothing else he 's ever had .
He lost loads of weight , felt exhausted and could n't move from his bed for nine days .
And he 's fit and in his 40s .
For a lot of folk we 're in touch with , their greatest concern is for elderly relatives , especially those in care homes .
They feel the frail , separated from their loved ones , are more vulnerable than ever and their carers left short of defences and resources .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ young .
Friends talk emotionally about being unable to visit and cuddle their grandchildren .
As a distraction from such worries , friends in Chester have rediscovered the challenge of Monopoly .
Though the only set they could buy online was a Leicester edition .
The family are now navigating such city landmarks as the King Richard III Visitor Centre , Leicester City FC , the cathedral and the National Space Centre .
On a more serious note , Derek , a shipping and transport expert , says he 's been tracking global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apps .
While the skies over Europe show only sparse plane movement , the USA airways are still criss-crossed with thousands of ﬂights a day .
And yet America has the highest death toll from coronavirus .
Go ﬁgure .
Talking of flying , that reminds me to get on with my next task : trying to recoup cash already spent on a raft of trips this year .
In those pre-plague days , we booked 12 flights on three different continents .
Only one airline is showing signs of grudgingly giving a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our cash with limpet-like determination .
You can rebook flight dates or ask for vouchers towards future travel .
But you ca n't get your money back .
We should have been flying to Vietnam today .
On a new flight app , I even track the plane flying overhead on its way out of Heathrow , though I 'm having my doubts that we 'll ever make that trip .
The news that some schools are opening up again in Denmark , and Germany plans to follow suit , is already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UK for government to set a ﬁrm reopening date .
Their worries are two-fold : that their children are missing out on vital schooling and that their work options are restricted by having the kids at home all day .
Former news colleague Nicola reminds me a lot of educators are still hard at work .
Her teacher daughter has been in school running holiday clubs for key workers ' children and doing full days of virtual teaching online .
There are many similar tales .
That 's encouraging .
My sister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Valley , tells me her church choir is still practising , but now they 're harmonising via Zoom .
Her daughter , Emma ( my niece ) , has a different sort of musical challenge in her corner of north London .
A bagpiper has started playing from his front garden in the next street at a `` spectacular '' volume .
He 's even sent out lyrics on the local WhatsApp group encouraging everyone to sing Amazing Grace during Thursday 's clap for carers .
The rest of the activities in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the heartening community spirit emerging throughout the UK .
People exchanging food and garden plants , cooking for each other , helping elderly neighbours and offering their skills to tutor each other 's children .
I upgrade to a saucepan this week .
More noise , more appreciation .
# saucepansupport Some good news .
Son Adam , who we should have been staying with in Ho Chi Minh City from today , has ﬁnally been allowed out .
He says there are still no fatalities from the virus in Vietnam .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fewer than 300 cases all told .
Extraordinary figures , probably down to the rigidly enforced lockdown imposed by the state .
So Adam and wife Fi are finally liberated from their small apartment for the first time in a month and allowed out to the shops and for walks .
What a relief .
In conversation with Pearlie on her sunset rooftop perch in Cape Town , she explains that the government ban on the sale of booze seems to have led to a positive drop in the murder rate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side , domestic abuse is rising and South Africa 's unemployment rate , already unofficially around 40 % , is growing fast , with homeless shelters springing up in most cities .
It 's Friday - our now regular dinner date .
For a moment I think of making it a black tie do .
But I 've never really liked DJs .
So we settle for smart casual .
Chef Alex 's takeaway is as good as ever .
That brings me on to a romantic story of long distance lovers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ video link date night .
He and his girlfriend chat while cooking separate dinners-for-one - him in London , her in Switzerland .
They eat the meals in front of their respective laptops and then sit down to watch the same movie - 1000km apart .
Distance makes the heart grow fonder , as the old saying almost goes .
I 'll say one thing for this enforced lockdown - I have n't felt this fit in years .
We 're sticking at pilates twice a day and I 'm slowly getting better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of a `` clunkclick '' man , despite the gentle online exhortations of Katja or Kelly to `` melt and ﬂow '' .
But then my bones have seen seven decades of action .
As well as exercising , I 've been devouring more books than ever .
A couple I read this month touched on the 1961 testing of the Soviet Union 's notorious Tsar Bomba , the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created .
It could so easily have turned the Cold War into a red hot war .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young to cover that story .
But it made me think about the many threats to humanity I have reported on over the past 50 years .
The Cold War and its conclusion , the fall of the Berlin Wall .
Tiananmen Square and the uprising of 1989 .
Two Gulf Wars , the Balkan conflict , civil wars in Africa , Asia and the Middle East .
The genocide in Rwanda and 9/11 , followed by two decades of global terror .
And a host of natural disasters - tsunamis , floods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But I admit I have never covered anything as universally threatening as coronavirus .
An insidious , invisible enemy which gives a whole new meaning to asymmetric warfare .
The limbo of lockdown goes on .
It 's intriguing to see what effect this enforced isolation is having on friends .
Graham , one of England 's best-known cricket photographers , has spent a working lifetime capturing great sporting moments around the world without once , that I can recall , commenting on the turf they were playing on .
Since being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's had a Damascene moment and been converted to gardening and all things green .
Graham admits he can now be found tending his beds by floodlight and watering flowers for two hours at a time .
He spoke to us with almost religious fervour about the joys of a newly found weeding tool .
Bob in Melbourne reports back that life on their street has never been more socially together , while physically apart .
Neighbours are swapping fun videos , helping each other out and enrolling in classes from art to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking forward to another three weeks of lockdown at the very least .
Perhaps after that , some pandemic `` prisoners '' may be eligible for parole .
Though I 'm starting to think of us oldies as `` lifers '' .
If Ant and Dec are at a loose end , maybe they 'd like to front a new reality show .
They could call it `` I 'm a Corona Captive Get Me Out of Here ! ''

Jeremy Thompson is a former Sky News presenter in his seventies.
He is documenting how the coronavirus lockdown is impacting his everyday life in a personal diary.
To catch up, read about what happened during week one, week two, week three and week four.
Monday 13 April
As we began this shutdown saga in Spain over a month ago - before legging it home to London - I'm interested to hear the Spanish government is daring to ease up the shutters.
While friends in Andalusia insist the personal restrictions are still stiflingly tight, the authorities have decided it's time to end their "extreme economic hibernation period".
Some non-essential businesses are being allowed back to work. The rest of Europe will watch with bated breath to see what impact it has in one of the countries worst hit by the virus.
Still in Spain, green-keepers have been spotted mowing our course for the first time. A glimmer of hope for my golfing buddies.
Such is their desperation to get back on the tee, the ﬁrst round back (whenever that is) will be something of a scramble and a shamble!
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Meanwhile, good friends Olive and Bruce describe an unexpected brush with the law when they were pulled over by police for cycling in Richmond Park. It had all been okay the week before.
However, the Old Bill had grown tired of tightly packed pelotons of boy racers in tight Lycra cluttering the Easter roads and decided to ban all park bikers above the age of 12.
Our sedate pedalling pals just got caught unwittingly in the dragnet.
Tuesday 14 April
I see from my threadbare diary - now known as "this-is-what-you-should-have-had" - that I was due a haircut today.
To avoid looking like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, I message my hairdresser Lucy for some trimming tips. With delightful optimism, she re-books me for mid-May. It's my first new diary entry for weeks.
It's another sunny spring morning in southwest London - perfect for a good walk now the Easter numbers have thinned.
There's a new outdoor etiquette afoot as we do the "social distance dance" - two metres to the left, two metres to the right, hold your breath, smile, mumble hello, then hurry past.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:08 Raab announces UK lockdown extension
An unspoken code of crossing in the park and parting on pavements as we observe the new parameters of pandemic.
Walking past the pitch at Hampton Hill, I muse on how cricket might look when it emerges from hibernation.
Under SD Rules - Social Distance now superseding Duckworth Lewis Rules - field placements will be a headache. You can have a wicket keeper, but only standing back.
The batters will have to run either side of the wicket. Bowlers will need to be extra careful with their follow-throughs.
Then there are the umpires. Where on earth do they stand?
Image: Out for a walk in Bushy Park
Not cricket, but corona. "Anyone can catch it, anyone can spread it," is the latest government message on the radio.
It's a fair point. We know people of all ages who've been infected.
One good mate has just had his first beer after a miserable three weeks at home with the lurgy.
He tells me coronavirus knocked him sideways like nothing else he's ever had. He lost loads of weight, felt exhausted and couldn't move from his bed for nine days. And he's fit and in his 40s.
Wednesday 15 April
For a lot of folk we're in touch with, their greatest concern is for elderly relatives, especially those in care homes.
They feel the frail, separated from their loved ones, are more vulnerable than ever and their carers left short of defences and resources.
The other heartbreaking stories concern the very young. Friends talk emotionally about being unable to visit and cuddle their grandchildren.
As a distraction from such worries, friends in Chester have rediscovered the challenge of Monopoly. Though the only set they could buy online was a Leicester edition.
The family are now navigating such city landmarks as the King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester City FC, the cathedral and the National Space Centre.
On a more serious note, Derek, a shipping and transport expert, says he's been tracking global air traffic live on one of his apps.
While the skies over Europe show only sparse plane movement, the USA airways are still criss-crossed with thousands of ﬂights a day.
And yet America has the highest death toll from coronavirus. Go ﬁgure.
Talking of flying, that reminds me to get on with my next task: trying to recoup cash already spent on a raft of trips this year.
In those pre-plague days, we booked 12 flights on three different continents.
Only one airline is showing signs of grudgingly giving a refund.
The rest are hanging on to our cash with limpet-like determination. You can rebook flight dates or ask for vouchers towards future travel. But you can't get your money back.
Thursday 16 April
We should have been flying to Vietnam today. On a new flight app, I even track the plane flying overhead on its way out of Heathrow, though I'm having my doubts that we'll ever make that trip.
The news that some schools are opening up again in Denmark, and Germany plans to follow suit, is already leading to renewed calls from parents in the UK for government to set a ﬁrm reopening date.
Their worries are two-fold: that their children are missing out on vital schooling and that their work options are restricted by having the kids at home all day.
Former news colleague Nicola reminds me a lot of educators are still hard at work. Her teacher daughter has been in school running holiday clubs for key workers' children and doing full days of virtual teaching online.
There are many similar tales. That's encouraging.
Image: Showing support for the NHS
My sister Diana, in Kent's delightful Elham Valley, tells me her church choir is still practising, but now they're harmonising via Zoom.
Her daughter, Emma (my niece), has a different sort of musical challenge in her corner of north London.
A bagpiper has started playing from his front garden in the next street at a "spectacular" volume. He's even sent out lyrics on the local WhatsApp group encouraging everyone to sing Amazing Grace during Thursday's clap for carers.
The rest of the activities in her street are less rowdy, but speak of the heartening community spirit emerging throughout the UK.
People exchanging food and garden plants, cooking for each other, helping elderly neighbours and offering their skills to tutor each other's children.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:07 The 'Mancunian Motivator' keeping Brits fit
I upgrade to a saucepan this week. More noise, more appreciation. #saucepansupport
Friday 17 April
Some good news. Son Adam, who we should have been staying with in Ho Chi Minh City from today, has ﬁnally been allowed out.
He says there are still no fatalities from the virus in Vietnam. No new cases for over a week and fewer than 300 cases all told.
Extraordinary figures, probably down to the rigidly enforced lockdown imposed by the state.
So Adam and wife Fi are finally liberated from their small apartment for the first time in a month and allowed out to the shops and for walks. What a relief.
In conversation with Pearlie on her sunset rooftop perch in Cape Town, she explains that the government ban on the sale of booze seems to have led to a positive drop in the murder rate and road accident fatalities.
On the down side, domestic abuse is rising and South Africa's unemployment rate, already unofficially around 40%, is growing fast, with homeless shelters springing up in most cities.
It's Friday - our now regular dinner date. For a moment I think of making it a black tie do.
Image: A dinner date at home
But I've never really liked DJs. So we settle for smart casual. Chef Alex's takeaway is as good as ever.
That brings me on to a romantic story of long distance lovers.
A journalist mate tells me about his video link date night. He and his girlfriend chat while cooking separate dinners-for-one - him in London, her in Switzerland.
They eat the meals in front of their respective laptops and then sit down to watch the same movie - 1000km apart.
Distance makes the heart grow fonder, as the old saying almost goes.
Saturday 18 April
I'll say one thing for this enforced lockdown - I haven't felt this fit in years.
We're sticking at pilates twice a day and I'm slowly getting better at it.
Though I'm still more of a "clunkclick" man, despite the gentle online exhortations of Katja or Kelly to "melt and ﬂow".
But then my bones have seen seven decades of action.
As well as exercising, I've been devouring more books than ever. A couple I read this month touched on the 1961 testing of the Soviet Union's notorious Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created.
It could so easily have turned the Cold War into a red hot war. I was still at school then - too young to cover that story.
Image: Queues for the Post Office
But it made me think about the many threats to humanity I have reported on over the past 50 years.
The Cold War and its conclusion, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Tiananmen Square and the uprising of 1989.
Two Gulf Wars, the Balkan conflict, civil wars in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Apartheid.
The genocide in Rwanda and 9/11, followed by two decades of global terror.
And a host of natural disasters - tsunamis, floods, famines, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
But I admit I have never covered anything as universally threatening as coronavirus.
An insidious, invisible enemy which gives a whole new meaning to asymmetric warfare.
Sunday 19 April
The limbo of lockdown goes on.
It's intriguing to see what effect this enforced isolation is having on friends.
Graham, one of England's best-known cricket photographers, has spent a working lifetime capturing great sporting moments around the world without once, that I can recall, commenting on the turf they were playing on.
Since being locked down in rural Norfolk, he's had a Damascene moment and been converted to gardening and all things green.
Graham admits he can now be found tending his beds by floodlight and watering flowers for two hours at a time.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:01 Britain applauds its NHS heroes
He spoke to us with almost religious fervour about the joys of a newly found weeding tool.
Bob in Melbourne reports back that life on their street has never been more socially together, while physically apart. Neighbours are swapping fun videos, helping each other out and enrolling in classes from art to yoga.
So we end this week looking forward to another three weeks of lockdown at the very least.
Perhaps after that, some pandemic "prisoners" may be eligible for parole. Though I'm starting to think of us oldies as "lifers".
If Ant and Dec are at a loose end, maybe they'd like to front a new reality show. They could call it "I'm a Corona Captive Get Me Out of Here!"


news--2020-04-19--Coronavirus: This is how much traffic congestion has dropped in your city during lockdown

New data from TomTom has revealed a significant drop in the number of people driving on the UK 's roads during lockdown .
Traffic congestion has almost disappeared since the government advised people to stay at home in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
The chart below shows just how much congestion has decreased on London 's normally busy roads .
The pattern is repeated across the country , with fewer vehicles on the roads everywhere .
In the UK 's 25 largest cities congestion levels have dropped by an average of 57 % - from 73 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level at any given point is calculated by working out the extra time a driver will need to complete a journey due to traffic .
So if a trip takes 30 minutes on empty roads , but takes 45 minutes in traffic then the congestion level at that time is 50 % .
Data shared by location technology company TomTom shows that after the lockdown was announced the extra time drivers need to do a 30-minute trip went down by an average of 17 minutes .
This means that a 30-minute journey that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have taken just 35 minutes on 24 March ( 17 minutes quicker than before ) .
However , some cities have experienced even bigger drops in road use .
Congestion levels in Manchester are down by 83 % , with the extra time needed to complete a 30-minute trip decreasing by 22 minutes .
Brighton-and-Hove recorded a drop of 69 % between March 3 and March 24 , and the extra time needed to complete a 30-minute trip there decreased by 13 minutes .
The chart below shows the congestion level in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shade of blue on a given day , the longer the extra time drivers in that city would need to complete a 30-minute ride .
The chart shows that roads first started to be less busy in mid-March , when the government announced that it would be closing schools .
The day after the lockdown was announced congestion levels went down ever further , and have remained low ever since .
Over the Easter weekend there was almost no traffic in London , Birmingham and Manchester .
The pictures below compare the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Easter last year and this year - and show clearly how empty the roads now are .
There are four levels , with the red colour marking the highest and the grey colour representing the lowest level of traffic volume .
The use of public transport has also dropped , as many people are now working from home and not using it for their daily commute .
The Citymapper Mobility Index shows a 90 % fall in the number of people using the app to plan their journies .
It 's not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , footfall in retail areas is also significantly down as shops and businesses close their physical premises .
In March , footfall in retail destinations decreased by an unprecedented 41.3 % , compared to the same period in 2019 , according to Spingboard .
This is the lowest result since 2009 , when they first started publishing data .
The decline was even higher in several places , the number of high street visits declined by more than 50 % in Central London , Cardiff and Edinburgh .
Recreational locations such as museums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are even more clearly affected .
Data from our phones shows that the number of people in these areas was down by 81 % on April 11 , according to the Google Mobility Report .
People are also moving less through transit stations , workplaces and groceries and pharmacies compared to levels before lockdown ( during the five-week period Jan 3-Feb 6 , 2020 ) .
Meanwhile footfall in residential areas is unsurprisingly up , as more and more people stay at home and walk or run around their local area .
Largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UK , however there are significant regional discrepenacies in the way parks are being used .
Broadly fewer people are still going to parks than they were before the lockdown , but in some areas , such as Luton and Dundee , more people are going to the park than they were before the lockdown .
The numbers of people using the parks have also fluctuated with the weather .
Perhaps unsurprisingly , given the sunshine , park use overall increased on Easter Saturday compared to the previous two weekends under lockdown @

New data from TomTom has revealed a significant drop in the number of people driving on the UK's roads during lockdown.
Traffic congestion has almost disappeared since the government advised people to stay at home in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The chart below shows just how much congestion has decreased on London's normally busy roads.
The pattern is repeated across the country, with fewer vehicles on the roads everywhere.
In the UK's 25 largest cities congestion levels have dropped by an average of 57% - from 73% to just 16%.
The congestion level at any given point is calculated by working out the extra time a driver will need to complete a journey due to traffic.
So if a trip takes 30 minutes on empty roads, but takes 45 minutes in traffic then the congestion level at that time is 50%.
Data shared by location technology company TomTom shows that after the lockdown was announced the extra time drivers need to do a 30-minute trip went down by an average of 17 minutes.
This means that a 30-minute journey that took 52 minutes on the 3 March would have taken just 35 minutes on 24 March (17 minutes quicker than before).
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However, some cities have experienced even bigger drops in road use.
Congestion levels in Manchester are down by 83%, with the extra time needed to complete a 30-minute trip decreasing by 22 minutes.
Brighton-and-Hove recorded a drop of 69% between March 3 and March 24, and the extra time needed to complete a 30-minute trip there decreased by 13 minutes.
The chart below shows the congestion level in cities across the UK.
The darker the shade of blue on a given day, the longer the extra time drivers in that city would need to complete a 30-minute ride.
The chart shows that roads first started to be less busy in mid-March, when the government announced that it would be closing schools.
The day after the lockdown was announced congestion levels went down ever further, and have remained low ever since.
Image: A giant screen urges people to stay home on 26 March in Manchester
Over the Easter weekend there was almost no traffic in London, Birmingham and Manchester.
The pictures below compare the traffic volume in these three cities over Easter last year and this year - and show clearly how empty the roads now are.
There are four levels, with the red colour marking the highest and the grey colour representing the lowest level of traffic volume.
The use of public transport has also dropped, as many people are now working from home and not using it for their daily commute.
The Citymapper Mobility Index shows a 90% fall in the number of people using the app to plan their journies.
It's not just car drivers who are staying at home, footfall in retail areas is also significantly down as shops and businesses close their physical premises.
In March, footfall in retail destinations decreased by an unprecedented 41.3%, compared to the same period in 2019, according to Spingboard.
Image: A quiet St David's shopping centre in Cardiff on 23 March
This is the lowest result since 2009, when they first started publishing data.
The decline was even higher in several places, the number of high street visits declined by more than 50% in Central London, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Recreational locations such as museums, shopping centres, theatres and restaurants are even more clearly affected.
Data from our phones shows that the number of people in these areas was down by 81% on April 11, according to the Google Mobility Report.
Image: A near-empty rush-hour train from Tring in Hertfordshire to Euston
People are also moving less through transit stations, workplaces and groceries and pharmacies compared to levels before lockdown (during the five-week period Jan 3-Feb 6, 2020).
Meanwhile footfall in residential areas is unsurprisingly up, as more and more people stay at home and walk or run around their local area.
Largely, these trends have been similar across the UK, however there are significant regional discrepenacies in the way parks are being used.
Broadly fewer people are still going to parks than they were before the lockdown, but in some areas, such as Luton and Dundee, more people are going to the park than they were before the lockdown.
The numbers of people using the parks have also fluctuated with the weather.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the sunshine, park use overall increased on Easter Saturday compared to the previous two weekends under lockdown.


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Earnings growth and vacancies fell ahead of lockdown

Official figures have highlighted a fall in earnings growth and job vacancies in the run-up to the coronavirus lockdown that is expected to cripple the labour market .
Data released by the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) also showed the number of people in work growing more slowly and the jobless rate rising slightly to 4 % from 3.9 % in the three months to February .
Monthly unemployment benefit claims rose by 12,500 in the month to 12 March , a fortnight before the lockdown began , though economists had predicted a far higher surge .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fell by 52,000 to 795,000 during the three months to March - the first quarter of a year which is expected to result in a contraction for the UK economy given the start of the COVID-19 crisis .
The proportion of people in work hit a new record high at 76.6 % - but that covered the period from December to February when wage growth was also found to have slowed .
It hit an annual rate of 2.8 % in the period - its weakest since the three months to August 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3.1 % .
When bonuses were stripped out , pay growth was the slowest since July 2018 at 2.9 % .
Separate figures , also released by the ONS , showed growth in the number of people on companies ' payrolls slowed to 0.8 % in March from 1.1 % in February .
ONS labour market statistician David Freeman said : `` These experimental statistics show a softening picture in March , but cover the month as a whole including the period before the coronavirus restrictions were in place . ''
The lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labour market given earlier ONS predictions that a quarter of businesses had shut down completely by early April .
The Office for Budget Responsibility released a scenario last week that suggested the jobless rate could rise as high as 10 % , with an extra two million people losing their jobs under a three-month lockdown .
The government has responded , along with the Bank of England , to provide financial support for businesses and workers alike in a bid to limit the damage .
It was announced on Monday night that pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the Job Retention Scheme were lodged with HM Revenue and Customs on the first day for applications .
Howard Archer , chief economic adviser to the EY ITEM Club , said : `` The March labour market data being markedly better than expected does not dilute the importance of the government 's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and its implementation .
`` It is difficult to judge just how many jobs will be lost over the coming weeks .
Clearly , much will depend as to whether the vast majority of furloughed workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Official figures have highlighted a fall in earnings growth and job vacancies in the run-up to the coronavirus lockdown that is expected to cripple the labour market.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed the number of people in work growing more slowly and the jobless rate rising slightly to 4% from 3.9% in the three months to February.
Monthly unemployment benefit claims rose by 12,500 in the month to 12 March, a fortnight before the lockdown began, though economists had predicted a far higher surge.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:07 More than 140,000 firms apply for wages help
The figures showed the number of job vacancies fell by 52,000 to 795,000 during the three months to March - the first quarter of a year which is expected to result in a contraction for the UK economy given the start of the COVID-19 crisis.
The proportion of people in work hit a new record high at 76.6% - but that covered the period from December to February when wage growth was also found to have slowed.
It hit an annual rate of 2.8% in the period - its weakest since the three months to August 2018 and down from the previous figure of 3.1%.
When bonuses were stripped out, pay growth was the slowest since July 2018 at 2.9%.
Separate figures, also released by the ONS, showed growth in the number of people on companies' payrolls slowed to 0.8% in March from 1.1% in February.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:46 The Taxman explains furlough scheme aid
ONS labour market statistician David Freeman said: "These experimental statistics show a softening picture in March, but cover the month as a whole including the period before the coronavirus restrictions were in place."
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The lockdown is expected to prove catastrophic for the labour market given earlier ONS predictions that a quarter of businesses had shut down completely by early April.
The Office for Budget Responsibility released a scenario last week that suggested the jobless rate could rise as high as 10%, with an extra two million people losing their jobs under a three-month lockdown.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:35 Workers laid off despite furlough scheme
The government has responded, along with the Bank of England, to provide financial support for businesses and workers alike in a bid to limit the damage.
It was announced on Monday night that pay claims covering more than one million workers under the Job Retention Scheme were lodged with HM Revenue and Customs on the first day for applications.
Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY ITEM Club, said: "The March labour market data being markedly better than expected does not dilute the importance of the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and its implementation.
"It is difficult to judge just how many jobs will be lost over the coming weeks. Clearly, much will depend as to whether the vast majority of furloughed workers ultimately return to their jobs."


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Primark takes £284m hit on post-lockdown stock value

Primark 's parent firm says it has written down the value of the chain 's stock by £284m to reflect realistic pricing when stores re-open .
Associated British Foods ( ABF ) made the announcement alongside the group 's half-year results to 29 February which showed a 41 % plunge in pre-tax profits to £298m .
Operating profits were 38 % lower .
Primark 's 189 UK stores were closed on 23 March - in line with the lockdown imposed by the government to tackle the spread of COVID-19 and manage the load on the NHS .
ABF said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the halt to Primark 's business , the ramifications of the closures could be reflected in the results which showed a total provision for the group of £309m .
The company said : `` We have carefully reviewed the inventory on hand at Primark and , to reflect an expected lower net realisable value on some inventory when our stores reopen , this charge includes a £284m provision .
It has 376 Primark stores in total - all closed - and no online operation .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Spreaker It said a total of 68,000 staff had been furloughed across Europe and shops would not reopen until the coronavirus outbreak had been `` suppressed '' .
ABF said two of its employees had died from COVID-19 and another was in intensive care in the US .
It said it was too early to give guidance on its future financial performance but said cost-cutting would help it mitigate half the operating costs of Primark .
The company 's food and agriculture interests , which include sugar and ingredients , was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six-month reporting period Primark grew total UK sales by 2.7 % on the same six months last year .
The positive performance continued to reflect new store space as comparable like-for-like sales were down 1.7 % - with sales slowing considerably after Christmas .
Chief executive , George Weston , said : `` The group delivered an encouraging trading performance in the first half .
`` The rapid spread of COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives and the human tragedy that continues to unfold has shocked and saddened us all .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resilient group .
Our people are working hard to maintain supply from our food businesses .
`` Primark is managing through an extraordinarily challenging period after all of its stores closed in March and our management response to mitigate the cash outflows was swift and proportionate .
`` Although uncertainty remains , we have the people and the cash resources to meet the challenges ahead . ''

Primark's parent firm says it has written down the value of the chain's stock by £284m to reflect realistic pricing when stores re-open.
Associated British Foods (ABF) made the announcement alongside the group's half-year results to 29 February which showed a 41% plunge in pre-tax profits to £298m. Operating profits were 38% lower.
Primark's 189 UK stores were closed on 23 March - in line with the lockdown imposed by the government to tackle the spread of COVID-19 and manage the load on the NHS.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:24 The York high street adapting to lockdown
ABF said that while the half-year period did not cover the halt to Primark's business, the ramifications of the closures could be reflected in the results which showed a total provision for the group of £309m.
The company said: "We have carefully reviewed the inventory on hand at Primark and, to reflect an expected lower net realisable value on some inventory when our stores reopen, this charge includes a £284m provision.
It has 376 Primark stores in total - all closed - and no online operation.
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It said a total of 68,000 staff had been furloughed across Europe and shops would not reopen until the coronavirus outbreak had been "suppressed".
ABF said two of its employees had died from COVID-19 and another was in intensive care in the US.
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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:25 'This is not the end for Virgin Australia'
It said it was too early to give guidance on its future financial performance but said cost-cutting would help it mitigate half the operating costs of Primark.
The company's food and agriculture interests, which include sugar and ingredients, was a positive after solid demand.
For the six-month reporting period Primark grew total UK sales by 2.7% on the same six months last year.
The positive performance continued to reflect new store space as comparable like-for-like sales were down 1.7% - with sales slowing considerably after Christmas.
ABF shares closed 6% lower.
Chief executive, George Weston, said: "The group delivered an encouraging trading performance in the first half.
"The rapid spread of COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives and the human tragedy that continues to unfold has shocked and saddened us all.
"We are a strong, diversified and resilient group. Our people are working hard to maintain supply from our food businesses.
"Primark is managing through an extraordinarily challenging period after all of its stores closed in March and our management response to mitigate the cash outflows was swift and proportionate.
"Although uncertainty remains, we have the people and the cash resources to meet the challenges ahead."


news--2020-04-19--Coronavirus: Fears of beer shortage as carbon dioxide supplies fizzle out

There could be a shortage of beer and fizzy drinks in the US as supplies of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants run low .
Brewers and soft drink manufacturers use CO2 for carbonation - making drinks fizzy .
Ethanol producers capture CO2 as a byproduct and sell it to the food industry in large quantities .
But ethanol production - which is blended into the nation 's fuel supply - has fallen sharply due to the drop in petrol demand as a result of lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic .
Petrol demand is down by more than 30 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethanol output is affecting the food industry as a result .
Renewable Fuels Association chief executive Geoff Cooper said that 34 of the 45 US ethanol plants that sell CO2 have idled or cut production .
And CO2 suppliers have increased prices by around 25 % due to reduced supply , according to Brewers Association chief executive Bob Pease .
The trade group represents small and independent US craft brewers , who get about 45 % of their CO2 from ethanol producers .
Mr Pease added : `` The problem is accelerating .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our members about this . ''
He expects brewers will start cutting production in two to three weeks .
In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence on 7 April , the Compressed Gas Association ( CGA ) said production of CO2 had fallen by about 20 % .
It added that it could be down by 50 % by mid-April without relief .
Meat producers are also being affected as they use CO2 in processing , packaging , preservation and shipment .
For some Americans , the COVID-19 lockdown has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Olive Veronesi , a 93-year-old from Pennsylvania , recently went viral after a photo of her holding a sign that said `` I NEED MORE BEER !
! ''
was posted on Facebook .
The company that makes her favourite brand has now delivered 150 cans to her door .
Orion Melehan , chief executive of beverage company Life-AID in California , said two of his production partners are looking for alternative CO2 sources .
`` It does have us up at night figuring out what our options are , '' Mr Melehan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of unintended consequences . ''
: : Listen to Divided States on Apple podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Spreaker A spokeswoman for National Beverage Corp said the company sources from a number of national CO2 suppliers and does not anticipate a supply issue .
The Coca-Cola Company , SodaStream owner PepsiCo Inc , wine and beer seller Constellation Brands Inc and several bottling companies have not publicly commented on whether they will be affected by the shortage .
However , Denmark-based Carlsberg Group said that the company is `` almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with our sustainability program , create our own CO2 and capture it during the brewing process , '' spokesman Kasper Elbjorn said .

There could be a shortage of beer and fizzy drinks in the US as supplies of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants run low.
Brewers and soft drink manufacturers use CO2 for carbonation - making drinks fizzy.
Ethanol producers capture CO2 as a byproduct and sell it to the food industry in large quantities.
Image: CO2 suppliers have increased prices by around 25% due to reduced supply
But ethanol production - which is blended into the nation's fuel supply - has fallen sharply due to the drop in petrol demand as a result of lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Petrol demand is down by more than 30% in the US, and the dwindling ethanol output is affecting the food industry as a result.
Renewable Fuels Association chief executive Geoff Cooper said that 34 of the 45 US ethanol plants that sell CO2 have idled or cut production.
And CO2 suppliers have increased prices by around 25% due to reduced supply, according to Brewers Association chief executive Bob Pease.
The trade group represents small and independent US craft brewers, who get about 45% of their CO2 from ethanol producers.
Image: Petrol demand is down by more than 30% in the US due to the coronavirus lockdown measures
Mr Pease added: "The problem is accelerating. Every day we're hearing from more of our members about this."
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He expects brewers will start cutting production in two to three weeks.
In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence on 7 April, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) said production of CO2 had fallen by about 20%.
It added that it could be down by 50% by mid-April without relief.
Meat producers are also being affected as they use CO2 in processing, packaging, preservation and shipment.
Image: Olive Veronesi, a 93-year-old from Pennsylvania, recently appealed for more beer on Facebook
For some Americans, the COVID-19 lockdown has already had an impact on beer supplies.
Olive Veronesi, a 93-year-old from Pennsylvania, recently went viral after a photo of her holding a sign that said "I NEED MORE BEER!!" was posted on Facebook.
The company that makes her favourite brand has now delivered 150 cans to her door.
Orion Melehan, chief executive of beverage company Life-AID in California, said two of his production partners are looking for alternative CO2 sources.
"It does have us up at night figuring out what our options are," Mr Melehan said. "It highlights the laws of unintended consequences."
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A spokeswoman for National Beverage Corp said the company sources from a number of national CO2 suppliers and does not anticipate a supply issue.
The Coca-Cola Company, SodaStream owner PepsiCo Inc, wine and beer seller Constellation Brands Inc and several bottling companies have not publicly commented on whether they will be affected by the shortage.
However, Denmark-based Carlsberg Group said that the company is "almost self-sufficient".
"We, in line with our sustainability program, create our own CO2 and capture it during the brewing process," spokesman Kasper Elbjorn said.


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Only a quarter of care workers are being tested for COVID-19

Carers have criticised the government 's roll out of COVID-19 tests after many workers were told to travel long distances to access them .
Last week Health Secretary Matt Hancock said all those in social care who needed a test would be able to get one after the sector said it was struggling to cope .
Since then , a handful of drive-thru sites have opened around big cities .
Care workers who show symptoms of COVID-19 must register online and travel to the test location and then wait two days for the results to come back .
Chloe Butler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been off work for a week with coronavirus symptoms .
She was told her nearest test centre was Leeds - a 140-mile round trip .
`` I was in shock when I was told how far I 'd have to go .
I do n't drive and I can not get a lift , so it means I ca n't access the test , '' she said .
`` I think it 's dangerous asking people to travel those kinds of distances when we 're being asked to limit our movements . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Quality Commission and , by the end of this week , all 30,000 care providers should have been contacted to identify workers eligible for testing .
Those workers will have to make their way to one of the nine drive-in test centres across England , although there are plans for a total of 17 in the next few weeks .
But figures obtained by Sky News show a low number of workers are being tested .
Only a quarter of those care workers eligible have managed to access them , according to data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ providers say tests are vital if staffing levels are to be maintained because they clear up who has COVID-19 and who has not .
That affects staffing numbers and levels of scarce personal protective equipment needed to care for a patient .
David Ramage , manager at the Dunollie Residential home in Scarborough , says it is vital for tests to be local .
He said : `` It is absolutely pointless asking people to travel sometimes hundreds of miles for tests .
We need tests to be delivered locally , preferable at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will we feel confident that our staff and residents are properly protected . ''
Roy Young , who runs two homes in Sheffield said it was hard to get staff tested .
`` We have n't seen any tests I 'm afraid .
I made the decision to lockdown my homes a month ago and we have had no coronavirus cases , '' he said .
`` These are unprecedented times and I appreciate everyone is working very hard , but this is really important that we get it right . ''
: @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Neither the Department for Health , Care Quality Commission or Public Health England were able to confirm to Sky News how many social care staff had been tested in the last week .
Professor John Newton , director of health improvement at Public Health England , said : `` The drive-in centres are not necessarily ideal for people working in a distributed system like care sector .
`` So although access is available in NHS labs and NHS settings , which is very widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of different ways of getting tests out to people both directly sending swabs to care homes and also mobile delivery .
`` So there are a number of ways we can get the swabs to the people rather than expecting that people come to the schools . ''
A method of getting tests to workers ' homes was being piloted , Prof Newton added .

Carers have criticised the government's roll out of COVID-19 tests after many workers were told to travel long distances to access them.
Last week Health Secretary Matt Hancock said all those in social care who needed a test would be able to get one after the sector said it was struggling to cope.
Since then, a handful of drive-thru sites have opened around big cities.
Care workers who show symptoms of COVID-19 must register online and travel to the test location and then wait two days for the results to come back.
Chloe Butler, a carer in Scarborough, has been off work for a week with coronavirus symptoms. She was told her nearest test centre was Leeds - a 140-mile round trip.
Image: Chloe Butler, a carer in Scarborough
"I was in shock when I was told how far I'd have to go. I don't drive and I cannot get a lift, so it means I can't access the test," she said.
"I think it's dangerous asking people to travel those kinds of distances when we're being asked to limit our movements."
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:17 Are front line NHS workers at greater risk?
Tests are being run by the Care Quality Commission and, by the end of this week, all 30,000 care providers should have been contacted to identify workers eligible for testing.
Those workers will have to make their way to one of the nine drive-in test centres across England, although there are plans for a total of 17 in the next few weeks.
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But figures obtained by Sky News show a low number of workers are being tested.
Only a quarter of those care workers eligible have managed to access them, according to data by the National Care Forum.
Care providers say tests are vital if staffing levels are to be maintained because they clear up who has COVID-19 and who has not. That affects staffing numbers and levels of scarce personal protective equipment needed to care for a patient.
David Ramage, manager at the Dunollie Residential home in Scarborough, says it is vital for tests to be local.
Image: Care home workers have said tests are vital to keep staffing levels high
He said: "It is absolutely pointless asking people to travel sometimes hundreds of miles for tests. We need tests to be delivered locally, preferable at the care home.
"Only then will we feel confident that our staff and residents are properly protected."
Roy Young, who runs two homes in Sheffield said it was hard to get staff tested.
"We haven't seen any tests I'm afraid. I made the decision to lockdown my homes a month ago and we have had no coronavirus cases," he said.
"These are unprecedented times and I appreciate everyone is working very hard, but this is really important that we get it right."
Podcast Podcast , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Podcast cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the This content is provided by, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enablecookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Podcast cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Podcast cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once
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Neither the Department for Health, Care Quality Commission or Public Health England were able to confirm to Sky News how many social care staff had been tested in the last week.
Professor John Newton, director of health improvement at Public Health England, said: "The drive-in centres are not necessarily ideal for people working in a distributed system like care sector.
"So although access is available in NHS labs and NHS settings, which is very widely distributed, we're piloting a number of different ways of getting tests out to people both directly sending swabs to care homes and also mobile delivery.
"So there are a number of ways we can get the swabs to the people rather than expecting that people come to the schools."
A method of getting tests to workers' homes was being piloted, Prof Newton added.


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Scientists in China find 33 mutations of virus in warning to vaccine developers

Scientists in China have discovered more than 30 mutations of the new coronavirus , which they say may partly explain why it has been more deadly in certain parts of the world .
Researchers from Zhejiang University said they have `` direct evidence '' that the virus `` has acquired mutations capable of substantially changing its pathogenicity '' .
The study was written by a team including Professor Li Lanjuan , one of China 's top scientists who was reportedly the first expert to propose a lockdown in Wuhan - where COVID-19 originated .
Samples were taken from 11 patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles east of Wuhan , between 22 January and 4 February during the early phase of the outbreak .
Using `` ultra-deep sequencing '' , researchers identified 33 mutations of the coronavirus - known as SARS-CoV-2 - of which 19 were new .
The deadliest mutations in the patients in the study had also been found in most patients across Europe , the South China Morning Post reported .
Meanwhile , the milder strains were the predominant types found in parts of the United States , such as Washington state , the newspaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients involved in the research had previously only been seen in one case in Australia , according to the study .
The researchers said the findings indicate `` the true diversity of the viral strains is still largely underappreciated '' .
They also warned vaccine developers need to consider the impact of these `` accumulating mutations ... to avoid potential pitfalls '' .
In the study , the researchers assessed the viral load - meaning the amount of the virus - in human cells after one , two , four and eight hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 48 hours later .
The most aggressive strains created up to 270 times as much viral load as the least potent type , the scientists found .
Prof Li and her colleagues said their findings also indicated that a `` higher viral load leads to a higher cell death ratio '' .
: : Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker Ten of the 11 patients involved in the study - which included eight males and three females aged between four months and 71 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse symptoms '' of COVID-19 .
They have all since recovered from the virus , according to the research which has been published by medRxiv .
The findings , which have not been peer-reviewed , were approved by Zhejiang University , the study said .
There have been more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases around the world and more than 170,000 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University , which is tracking the outbreak .

Scientists in China have discovered more than 30 mutations of the new coronavirus, which they say may partly explain why it has been more deadly in certain parts of the world.
Researchers from Zhejiang University said they have "direct evidence" that the virus "has acquired mutations capable of substantially changing its pathogenicity".
The study was written by a team including Professor Li Lanjuan, one of China's top scientists who was reportedly the first expert to propose a lockdown in Wuhan - where COVID-19 originated.
Image: Renowned Chinese epidemiologist Li Lanjuan was involved in the study
Samples were taken from 11 patients admitted to hospitals in Hangzhou, 470 miles east of Wuhan, between 22 January and 4 February during the early phase of the outbreak.
Using "ultra-deep sequencing", researchers identified 33 mutations of the coronavirus - known as SARS-CoV-2 - of which 19 were new.
The deadliest mutations in the patients in the study had also been found in most patients across Europe, the South China Morning Post reported.
Meanwhile, the milder strains were the predominant types found in parts of the United States, such as Washington state, the newspaper said.
One mutation found in five patients involved in the research had previously only been seen in one case in Australia, according to the study.
The researchers said the findings indicate "the true diversity of the viral strains is still largely underappreciated".
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They also warned vaccine developers need to consider the impact of these "accumulating mutations... to avoid potential pitfalls".
In the study, the researchers assessed the viral load - meaning the amount of the virus - in human cells after one, two, four and eight hours, as well as the following day and 48 hours later.
The most aggressive strains created up to 270 times as much viral load as the least potent type, the scientists found.
Prof Li and her colleagues said their findings also indicated that a "higher viral load leads to a higher cell death ratio".
Podcast Podcast , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Podcast cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the This content is provided by, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enablecookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Podcast cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Podcast cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once
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Ten of the 11 patients involved in the study - which included eight males and three females aged between four months and 71 years old - had "moderate or worse symptoms" of COVID-19.
They have all since recovered from the virus, according to the research which has been published by medRxiv.
The findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, were approved by Zhejiang University, the study said.
There have been more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases around the world and more than 170,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak.


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Job vacancies in UK have fallen by more than 40% amid lockdown

Job vacancies in the UK have fallen by more than 40 % since March as the coronavirus lockdown put the labour market in a `` deep slowdown '' , Sky News can reveal .
Analysis of data from job portals shows some sectors , including beauty and wellness , and hospitality and tourism , have experienced falls of 80 % in new jobs as hiring growth fell `` across almost every industry '' in the UK .
Adverts on Indeed , the search engine for jobs , started being withdrawn about a week before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of coronavirus .
Jack Kennedy , an economist at Indeed , said that ever since the government `` paused '' the economy over COVID-19 fears , the job market has been on `` rewind '' .
He added : `` These numbers point towards the UK entering a deep slowdown and with millions of people furloughed or losing their jobs . ''
Industries that depend on physical contact with customers have been hit worse than others .
The hospitality sector has come to a standstill as has airlines that are mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were enforced .
Although the fall in new job postings were recorded across the entire economy , sectors that were more readily able to adapt their employees to work from home , such as finance and IT , have seen a smaller decline in job adverts .
Data from the professional social media site LinkedIn shows the healthcare sector is the only exception with year-on-year growth of 14 % largely driven by immediate demand for frontline roles in hospitals , through to medical device and pharmaceutical companies .
Senior economist at LinkedIn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain devises its lockdown exit strategy , we 're seeing that the healthcare industry is still showing growth , and industries such as IT and software are weathering the storm to a certain extent , and currently offer the most likely opportunities for people looking for roles . ''
The demand shock created by the lockdown has impacted every region of the UK , but some regions more than others , the data shows .
Firms in a majority of the regions of the UK have at least halved their job vacancies while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the steepest fall in new hirings .
Although London is witnessing the biggest contraction of new jobs in a decade , the region appears to be reporting a smaller drop in new job listings .
The freeze in hiring comes even as more than 140,000 firms applied for the government 's job retention scheme launched to prevent mass redundancies caused by the lockdown and protect the economy in the long term .
Official figures have highlighted a fall in earnings growth and job vacancies even in the run-up to the restrictions .
Businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also leading the way in creating new jobs , according to data from the employment agency REED .
The company also said on average that 80 % of the jobs created in the UK since the epidemic began have been by healthcare firms , including government outsourcer Interserve , which is hiring staff to meet demands from the NHS for a temporary workforce at the network of hospitals set up to treat coronavirus patients .
Mr Kennedy added : `` One glimmer of hope we are seeing is that the pace of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eased over the past week , which hints at signs the jobs market may have bottomed out . ''

Job vacancies in the UK have fallen by more than 40% since March as the coronavirus lockdown put the labour market in a "deep slowdown", Sky News can reveal.
Analysis of data from job portals shows some sectors, including beauty and wellness, and hospitality and tourism, have experienced falls of 80% in new jobs as hiring growth fell "across almost every industry" in the UK.
Adverts on Indeed, the search engine for jobs, started being withdrawn about a week before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown on 23 March to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Jack Kennedy, an economist at Indeed, said that ever since the government "paused" the economy over COVID-19 fears, the job market has been on "rewind".
He added: "These numbers point towards the UK entering a deep slowdown and with millions of people furloughed or losing their jobs."
Industries that depend on physical contact with customers have been hit worse than others. The hospitality sector has come to a standstill as has airlines that are mostly unable to fly since the lockdown measures were enforced.
Although the fall in new job postings were recorded across the entire economy, sectors that were more readily able to adapt their employees to work from home, such as finance and IT, have seen a smaller decline in job adverts.
Data from the professional social media site LinkedIn shows the healthcare sector is the only exception with year-on-year growth of 14% largely driven by immediate demand for frontline roles in hospitals, through to medical device and pharmaceutical companies.
Senior economist at LinkedIn, Mariano Mamertino, said: "As Britain devises its lockdown exit strategy, we're seeing that the healthcare industry is still showing growth, and industries such as IT and software are weathering the storm to a certain extent, and currently offer the most likely opportunities for people looking for roles."
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The demand shock created by the lockdown has impacted every region of the UK, but some regions more than others, the data shows.
Firms in a majority of the regions of the UK have at least halved their job vacancies while companies in Scotland and Northern Ireland showed the steepest fall in new hirings.
Although London is witnessing the biggest contraction of new jobs in a decade, the region appears to be reporting a smaller drop in new job listings.
The freeze in hiring comes even as more than 140,000 firms applied for the government's job retention scheme launched to prevent mass redundancies caused by the lockdown and protect the economy in the long term.
Official figures have highlighted a fall in earnings growth and job vacancies even in the run-up to the restrictions.
Businesses in the capital and the South East are also leading the way in creating new jobs, according to data from the employment agency REED.
The company also said on average that 80% of the jobs created in the UK since the epidemic began have been by healthcare firms, including government outsourcer Interserve, which is hiring staff to meet demands from the NHS for a temporary workforce at the network of hospitals set up to treat coronavirus patients.
Mr Kennedy added: "One glimmer of hope we are seeing is that the pace of decline in new roles appears to have eased over the past week, which hints at signs the jobs market may have bottomed out."


news--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Before and after - How lockdown has changed smog-filled skylines

Before and after photographs from around the world have shown the effect the almost-global lockdown is having on pollution levels .
With far fewer planes in the air and cars on the road during strict measures to stop the spread of coronavirus , cities which were once filled with smog now look like they have much cleaner air .
Use the slider on the images below to see the before and after pictures .
The skyline in Venice , Italy , has become more visible , in a country which has some of the most severe lockdown restrictions .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in the city of Milan in the region of Lombardy which has been very badly hit by COVID-19 .
Where pollution once hindered the view of the Italian Alps , the mountain range is now clear to see .
In India , one of the most polluted countries in the world , the lockdown has almost completely revealed the blue skies above Delhi - where the smog normally meant you could not see very far at all .
Indonesia is another one of the world 's most polluted countries which has seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown restrictions .
Pakistan , the second most polluted country in the world , according to IQ Air , has also seen a transformative effect on its pollution levels .
In the capital Islamabad , despite the low light levels , you can see far further than before the coronavirus pandemic .

Before and after photographs from around the world have shown the effect the almost-global lockdown is having on pollution levels.
With far fewer planes in the air and cars on the road during strict measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, cities which were once filled with smog now look like they have much cleaner air.
Use the slider on the images below to see the before and after pictures.
The skyline in Venice, Italy, has become more visible, in a country which has some of the most severe lockdown restrictions.
One of the most dramatic changes can be seen in the city of Milan in the region of Lombardy which has been very badly hit by COVID-19.
Where pollution once hindered the view of the Italian Alps, the mountain range is now clear to see.
In India, one of the most polluted countries in the world, the lockdown has almost completely revealed the blue skies above Delhi - where the smog normally meant you could not see very far at all.
Indonesia is another one of the world's most polluted countries which has seen its skylines dramatically change thanks to the lockdown restrictions.
Pakistan, the second most polluted country in the world, according to IQ Air, has also seen a transformative effect on its pollution levels.
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In the capital Islamabad, despite the low light levels, you can see far further than before the coronavirus pandemic.