thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Coronavirus Is Forcing Me To Self-Isolate With My Now Ex-Husband

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When I’ve experienced break-ups in the past, I’ve stopped seeing that person for a while. After all, it’s what would you usually expect to do when you split with somebody significant, isn’t it? To make it a ‘clean break’; to give yourself time to get used to your ‘new normal’. To lick your wounds. In some cases, I’ve needed to cut off contact with my exes completely, knowing that to keep in touch would only prolong the inevitable heartbreak and keep me in mourning.
But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, and the rules around social distancing, this time round I can’t do any of these things. Instead, I now find myself in near total isolation with my kids… and my newly-separated ex-husband.
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When the lockdown was first announced, I was worried we might be at each other’s throats. No longer bound by the ground rules most couples use to protect their relationship: warm hugs, kisses, ‘date nights’ and saying sorry after cross words. I feared that when we were no longer sharing a bed, the essential time for ‘pillow talk’ – where you go through your stresses at the end of the day – would leave us both feeling angry, hurt and alone.
But while I’m understandably anxious about my rather ‘unique’ situation, I’m hopeful, too.
Ask me again in a month, but so far, so good. Our split has been amicable, devoid of acrimony, jealousy or resentment. All that killed our relationship was a loss of romantic love. We still care for each other deeply, and we live together well – we cook and watch Netflix at the same time, but sleep in separate rooms.
“We’ve got through the first couple of weeks since the schools shut, but as the lockdown continues, I’m worried it’ll get trickier and more suffocating...”
The main issue is that rules around ‘social distancing’ leave us without any alternative options; no places of escape, no cherished nights out with other people to keep us sane. There’s also no prospect for either of us to pursue a new romantic relationship… though perhaps putting that on ice, after the breakdown of a marriage, is sensible anyway, in the short-term.
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In many ways, what we’re having to do – exist in isolation with each other – hasn’t even hit us properly, yet. We’ve got through the first couple of weeks since the schools shut, but as the lockdown continues, I’m worried it’ll get trickier and more suffocating.
I’m concerned that our fragile peace – which we’ve worked hard at maintaining – may break down now that we’re spending so much extra time together. We are going to need to put in some serious boundaries around shared duties and activities with the kids to make sure we feel like we’re getting our own time and space. We’re going to need to ‘structure’ our activities, whilst also carving out ways to get ‘time out’ – from our children, and each other. To go for a run in the park, or to switch off and hide away in our respective bedrooms.
Most importantly, we’ll need that time to be apportioned fairly so there’s no build-up of resentment over ‘who’s doing more’ at home, particularly with the children. One thing I’m determined not to do is argue loudly behind closed doors. It might sound counterintuitive, but observing everyday disagreements – the way conflict is expressed and resolved – can give kids a healthier model of relationships. I don’t want this to be any different now we’re no longer a couple, but at the same time I worry that without that ‘protection’, we’re at risk of bickering more than we did before.
“Now that there’s no pressure to ‘pretend’ to be happy, we’ve relaxed hugely. If anything, we’re getting along better than we have done for years...”
I know I’m not the only one who’s concerned about our unprecedented, indefinite confinement – even friends in steady partnerships have admitted feeling worried about the toll of spending so much time together. One friend said she thought lockdown would place “unbearable strain” on her marriage. I’ve found myself speculating whether, once this crisis is over, there’ll be statistics to show an increase in pregnancy rates – or divorces. It could go either way, and like so many things with this virus, we can’t predict how any of us are going to come out of it at the other end.
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My situation may seem particularly cruel, or perverse – but perhaps I’m one of the lucky ones. Now that there’s no pressure on myself or my (ex) husband to ‘pretend’ to be happy, we’ve relaxed hugely. If anything, we’re getting along better than we have done for years: we’re used to each other and comfortable in each other’s company, we live together well, and we co-parent successfully.
Coronavirus may mean we’re going to spend more time together than we would’ve chosen following the breakdown of our marriage, but I’m hopeful that it’ll force us to forge a new life – as housemates, and friends.
And perhaps we’ll find comfort in our very strange ‘new normal’, at a time when nothing feels normal.
Robin is a freelance journalist, writing under a pseudonym
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Quick Activities Parents Can Do With Their Kids During Lockdown

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Parenting little kids, it can be said, is about getting through the day with your wits intact.
And as many of us are now firmly in week two of self-isolation, parents are turning to quick, attention-grabbing activities with their kids to help pass the time. Maybe it’s a compact at-home “indoor playground”; maybe it’s a good, ole-fashioned card game (looking at you, Go Fish); maybe it’s a scavenger hunt.
So HuffPost Parents asked not only our community of parents from the newsroom but also our Facebook community for advice and ideas to help the kids (and us) get through it all.
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Take it outdoors
“I created a neighbourhood walk bingo board and an “out for a drive” bingo board. They were a big hit with my 2- and 4-year-old. Happy to share! Very easy to make and can be adapted to where you live. Some items on the driving one included a dump truck, fire truck, mail truck, etc. We drove around for about 40 minutes eagerly looking for them all!” ― Elise Daigle
“My kids wanted to help me while I was planting seeds. So I gave them each a bucket of dirt and some “seeds” and let them dig and plant in their own buckets. It would be ideal to do this outside if it’s nice, but it was cold & rainy here in Maryland so I just let them make a mess on a tarp-covered table.” ― Emily Shea
“Set up a car wash. Bucket of clean water, bucket of soapy water, unused toothbrushes, and small towels. Then they bring the toy cars through the car wash. Keeps my 4-year-old busy for at least 45 minutes.” ― Robin Withall Chesnut
“Fire drill. Make them leave the house as quickly as possible and stay in the garden while I’m checking everyone is out (having a cuppa in peace).” ― Joanne Mitchell
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Get crafty
“I’m an artist, so luckily we have a lot of paint and art supplies on hand. We painted signs of encouragement for our neighbourhood and posted them at our tree facing the road. We have done some drawing and making our own board games. Art is therapy!” ― Brooke Elkins
“We make our own play dough: 2 c flour; 1 c salt; 4 tsp cream of tartar; 2 tbsp oil; 2 c water; and food colouring of your choice. Blend dry ingredients, heat oil and water on medium heat and blend in dry ingredients until the dough forms. Then add food colouring. The process of making it is quick and cheap ― and it keeps the kiddos busy much, much longer.” ― Samara Mackereth, head of video, HuffPost UK.
Try a scavenger hunt
“Fun art; shared drawings; zentangles can be done by several people taking turns. Found object mandalas: start with a treasure hunt to collect six of something and then arrange them on table or floor in a circular pattern; finger paint in pudding or applesauce ― works even for olders who are open. String yarn all through the hall and living room and see who can go through the maze without touching the yarn.” ― Jayne Heetderks
“Try an indoor scavenger hunt. There’s a bunch of great lists on Pinterest! Create a spot where they have to put all the things, make them do one at a time, then make them put it all away.” ― Rebecca Zamon, manager of audience development, HuffPost Canada
“My kids are 4 and 5, and we enjoy kitchen scavenger hunts. Find something taller than you, then shorter than you. Then find something red (and any other colour). Find something shaped like a rectangle, etc. Can be used for every room. The kids have a blast and I totally count it as ‘learning time’ and give myself a pat on the back 😂” ― Eileen Conlon Blanco
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Go back to basics
“I’m working from home, which is challenging. A great idea I had to get silence during a conference call was to give my 6-year-old measuring tape and ask her to measure all her toys and chart it on a sheet of paper. She was so busy seeing which toy could ride the imaginary roller coaster that the silence continued even after the call!” ― Kerry Phillips
“My 3-year-old was jumping all over me and I needed a break, so I gave him a hug and asked him for a favour: Can he find me three blue Legos? He said OK, then ran off and spent 30 minutes playing by himself! 😱 He eventually brought me the blue Legos, so then I sent him for two yellow ones. 😂😂 It worked the next day too!” ― Carrie Mess
“We each get a cup of juice/water and we count the sips. Mommy gets her special juice. Keeps everyone busy for a good 30 minutes, the rest of the day everyone is busy dashing off to go pee so, ‘bingo!’” ― Awelani Nemukombame NB
“A friend, who is also a mother of two, posted a picture on Instagram of a ‘mystery jar’ for her kids to play with. The kids will pick a piece of paper out of the jar and have to do the activity; it’s anything from ‘do a puzzle’ to ‘do 2 worksheets.’ I tailored it a bit and added ‘get a sweet treat,’ ‘do jumping jacks.’ It’s an easy thing to get the kids out of a funk or split up the moments.” ― Kate Auletta, senior editor, HuffPost Parenting & Culture
“I froze a bunch of small toys in ice cubes and let my kids “excavate” them. They loved it and spent easily a half-hour quietly and happily destroying ice.” ― Rae Elegant
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“I let my 6-year-old son play with an entire can of shaving cream in the bathtub and write his letters/numbers/pictures with his finger. Then he took a shower to rinse it all and also bathed himself. Dual-purpose, lol.” ― Kristin Janae
“Simon Says! Simon says do 30 jumping jacks.” ― Jeffie Chenault
“We get our farm animal toys ‘muddy’ (with cocoa powder + water) and then give them a bath in soapy water with an old toothbrush!” ― Anna Joy Tough
“Somebody once told me that in any difficult situation with my kid, I should add water. As funny as it sounds, it has helped me a lot. So today, when things started to get rough, I asked our son (3) if he wanted to take a bath. Lifted his mood instantly and gave me a few moments of calm.” ― Jana Romeo
“We built a fort! Fully equipped with Christmas lights and everything. Joy for days.” ― Emily Trcalek
“Red Solo cups and pingpong balls have kept my kids entertained for hours!” ― Sarah Bizzaro
Catherine Delahaye via Getty Images When all else fails, draw.
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Try practically anything else
“A friend of mine made a dice-rolling game, where you roll a 1 and have to do 10 jumping jacks, roll a 2 and you have to do 10 squats, etc. We started doing it too. The kids think it’s hysterical.” ― Kate Auletta
“Our group of moms started a story time FB Live where we read stories. We each take turns reading while others tune in. The real fun is watching the kids be total maniacs while we are trying to read. Lolz.” ― Kristy Laufer Nelson
“I swear by: Cosmic Kids or other Yoga YouTube videos; making brownies or cookies; having a music band out of pots and pans (while you have your headphones on); virtual Disney rides; Google Earth ‘I’m feeling lucky’ and learn about some new place; longer baths; we’ve been watching ‘MasterChef Junior’ and ‘America’s Test Kitchen for kids’ and then have my older daughter help meal plan; make them sort socks as a matching game.” ― Kate Palmer, head of HuffPost Life
“Trying to find STEM activities: toothpick and marshmallow building, float or sink with different items, pattern block pictures and graphing along with arts and crafts, outdoor time when we can, and our daily structured school time. Not always easy but we’re making the best of it and staying positive! Playing music throughout the day helps a lot too.” ― Keri Rinaldi
“I showed my 6-year-old the Cha-Cha Slide and the Macarena from when I was younger and he loves it. We now do it anytime we are feeling antsy to get the wiggles out!” ― Roya Malaekeh
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“My 20-minute activities are: Run races (and mix it up: race your kids, time each other, skip vs. run, do the chicken dance while you run, etc.); GoNoodle.com (pick 5-6 and do them with your kids and laugh and kind of get some exercise), and tic-tac-toe (and let them win enough times to make it last 20 minutes).” ― Hillary Frey, executive editor, HuffPost
“Most days I owe my sanity to dance-offs with the kids courtesy of Alexa.” ― Stephanie Wiseman


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Why Boris Johnson Now Needs To Under Promise And Over Deliver On Coronavirus

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Promises, promises
There was a telling bit of television on the BBC’s News Channel on Wednesday. It didn’t occur during the daily No.10 press conference on coronavirus, but a few hours earlier when presenter Jane Hill was handed the latest news about UK ventilator numbers.
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“Just a few details coming through about the issue of ventilators...coming from Downing Street....the first batch being produced by a consortium of companies will come out this weekend will include...we are told, er, about THIRTY devices...we have been double checking this, but it does seem to say 30.”
Hill’s puzzlement [watch HERE] was because many have suggested that Britain needs an extra thirty thousand ventilators to cope with this pandemic in coming weeks. And she could be forgiven for wondering if a few zeros were missing from today’s latest number.
The figure was accurate however. During the Lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesman had told us “we expect that first batch to be up to 30 ventilators”, though he added “with hundreds more from that particular consortium to follow in the coming weeks”. “There are thousands more ventilators in the pipeline from other manufacturers and suppliers who are rapidly working on new devices,” he stressed.
Few can doubt the engineering elan of those who are working round the clock to get these new models of ventilator into production. But given that the UK still only has 8,000 actual rather than potential breathing machines, and the number of patients hospitalised is already over 10,000, it’s no wonder many are worried.
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It was Michael Gove, during his own press conference on Tuesday, who had boasted that from this weekend “the first of thousands of new ventilator devices will roll off the production line”. Gove said the word ‘of’ so quickly and indistinctly that at first many thought he had suddenly announced “the first thousands” of the devices would be churning out this weekend like so many tractors in a Stalin-era factory. That strange phrase ‘the first of thousands’ felt odd yesterday and it looks singularly ill-judged now.
Thirty is more a trickle than a flood of life-saving machines. And it was all the more embarrassing when Donald Trump’s adviser Deborah Birx took pity on the UK overnight, saying she was “worried” about the mere 8,000 ventilators we have.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
And appearing to over-promise and under-deliver is a wider problem for the government on coronavirus. It was three long weeks ago that ministers said they would increase testing from 5,000 to 10,000 a day. That milestone was finally reached this weekend, but even then it turned out to be a ‘capacity’ rather than actual tests done.
Stung by what was happening in South Korea and Germany, it was exactly two weeks ago when Boris Johnson used a prime minister’s question time (remember those?) to pledge he would ramp up to 25,000 a day. In one particularly odd moment, Johnson even riffed on the possibility of 250,000 tests per day (he was eliding antibody tests with antigen tests).
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Yet today it was obvious that, as with ventilators, progress was painfully slow. We learned that just 2,000 NHS front line staff had been tested so far for coronavirus. With 500,000 frontline staff in total and a quarter of them estimated to be forced to self-isolate at home, that worked out as a tiny 1.6%.
The whole problem with personal protective equipment for NHS staff has similarly been dogged by early overconfidence about the logistics needed to get masks and gowns to the frontline in both the NHS and social care.
Tonight’s press conference with business secretary Alok Sharma and Public Health England’s Yvonne Doyle was the worst so far for clarity. Neither of them had coherent answers on the testing delays or even on the wider exit strategy. On testing, it may be time for ministers to just admit there was a problem with over-centralisation (PHE tried to go through one big lab rather than the German approach of lots of smaller ones) early on. In a hastily-packaged Twitter video tonight, the PM bigged up testing as if the UK had led the pack rather than lagged behind.
If the bottleneck is global competition for swabs and reagents, just tell us (as No.10 and ministers failed to today) when they were first ordered. If we are still short of 8,000 ventilators on order from overseas, again just tell us when they were first ordered and what the bid was for. Honesty and transparency (even about failures) is better than the blancmange of blather we saw at the presser today.
Of course, it’s worth saying that the public and we in the media often crave a certainty that often can’t be given in this fast-moving situation. But that’s why perhaps it’s better not to make rash promises, and instead explain what the overall strategy really is (if more community testing really is the aim, it’s not clear).
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Johnson was after all elected last year because he was seen by enough voters as a man who would keep his promises on Brexit. ‘Getting Covid-19 done’ is not like passing a Brexit bill with a majority of 80. The PM is due to exit his own self-isolation this Friday. But he needs to explain his coronavirus exit strategy for the country, and fast. To use his own phrase, he needs to ‘level with us’ more about his gameplan.
Quote Of The Day
“This is the way through, this is how we will unlock the coronavirus puzzle. This is how we will defeat it in the end.”
Boris Johnson on why testing matters
Wednesday Cheat Sheet
A further 563 deaths from coronavirus have been recorded in the UK over 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,352.
Nearly a million people (950,000 to be precise) have applied for universal credit in the fortnight since Boris Johnson asked them to stay home, the Department for Work and Pensions revealed.
Ministers are working to allow the Commons sit virtually if the UK is still in coronavirus lockdown after the Easter break. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle called for a “virtual” parliament until social distancing measures are lifted.
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The government lifted its 15% cap on NHS staff testing in hospitals - as Downing St confirmed that only 2,000 people out of 500,000 frontline NHS England workers had received such tests.
A “passionate” top doctor who returned from retirement to help the UK fight coronavirus has died after becoming infected with the disease. Dr Alfa Saadu died on Tuesday and his son Dani said in a social media post that he had been fighting Covid-19 for two weeks.
A new London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study suggested the lockdown could be working, with the number of people infecting others reducing.
The COP26 climate change conference due in Glasgow in November has been postponed. Wimbledon has been cancelled too.
What I’m Reading
Scotland After The Alex Salmond Trial - Tortoise
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Major COP26 Climate Change Summit In The UK Postponed Due To Coronavirus

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The major COP26 climate change summit due to be held in Glasgow has been postponed due to coronavirus.
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The UN climate change conference is the latest major event to fall victim to the pandemic, after the Tokyo Olympics, Euro 2020 and Wimbledon.
The decision to postpone came after Downing Street held talks on Wednesday night with the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), and the news first emerged via a tweet from Finland’s climate change minister Krista Mikkonen.
The talks would have been the biggest international summit the UK had ever hosted, with 30,000 delegates including heads of state, climate experts and campaigners brought together to agree coordinated action to tackle climate change.
The postponement could leave Glasgow facing a significant economic hit.
Boris Johnson has made the summit a major priority, appointing cabinet minister Alok Sharma as COP26 president after sacking ex-energy minister Claire Perry O’Neill from the role.
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The world is facing an unprecedented global challenge & countries are rightly focusing on fighting #COVID19.
Due to this, #COP26 has been postponed.
We will continue working with partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis & agree a new date 🌍 — Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) April 1, 2020
Sharma said: "The world is facing an unprecedented global challenge and countries are rightly focusing on fighting Covid-19.
"Due to this, COP26 has been postponed.
"We will continue working with partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis and agree a new date
Mikkonen said it was the “right decision, but work must continue.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Coronavirus: Universal Credit Applications Skyrocket To 950,000 Since Lockdown In UK

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The number of people applying for the universal credit welfare payment has surged in the two weeks since Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown, with 950,000 attempting to get hold of the benefit.
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The total in the aftermath of the drastic move to curb the spread of coronavirus is more than nine times higher the usual 100,000 applicants for a two-week period.
The surge reflects falls in income as well as unemployment as firms go bust or lay off staff because they cannot afford to wait for the governments’s bail-out scheme.
As businesses, shops, restaurants and bars are closed, the government has offered to pay 80% of employees’ wages if their company keeps them on - but there is no incentive for an employer to apply for this.
A YouGov survey on March 24 found that one in 20 people in Britain had already lost their job due to coronavirus.
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A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “With such a huge increase in claims there are pressures on our services, but the system is standing up well to these and our dedicated staff are working flat-out to get people the support they need.”
Universal credit is a benefit for working-age people that includes jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit and child tax credit.
Claimants wait five weeks for a first payment after applying for the benefit but can take out an advance loan to help during this time.
The seismic shift in the UK comes after the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefit shot up to a record high of over three million in the week ending March 21, dwarfing the previous peak of 665,000 in a week in 1982.
EMPICS Entertainment
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Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary, Margaret Greenwood, said: “The number of people now trying to claim universal credit is truly shocking.
“The government must wake up and take action, not leave people waiting days to verify their identity and five weeks to get the support they need.
“Advances are not the answer to the five-week wait, they are loans that have to be paid back, and nobody knows how long this crisis will last for. People need help now.”
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army has called for advance payments for Universal Credit claimants to be given as grants, not loans, to prevent a “coronavirus debt crisis”.
The Salvation Army said this could plunge thousands of citizens into debt, calling it a “point of critical failure that the government must address”.
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Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has seen a surge in benefits claims, with almost 950,000 new claims since March 16.
Rebecca Keating, the Salvation Army’s director of employment plus, said: “The universal credit loan system could cause a coronavirus debt crisis.
“Thousands of people who never thought they would have to rely on state support are now making a universal credit claim.
“Many of these will be forced to take out the bridging loan which will just move their money problems five weeks down the line.
“We are particularly concerned by those working on zero hour contracts that don’t have the same legal rights of other employees.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Boris Johnson Could Face Virtual Prime Minster's Questions If UK Is Still In Lockdown In Three Weeks

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Ministers are working with parliamentary authorities to ensure the Commons can sit virtually if the UK is still in coronavirus lockdown after the Easter break.
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That could mean Boris Johnson taking part in a “virtual” prime minister’s questions session until social distancing measures are lifted.
Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said the government was “exploring options” and that MPs’ role “must be fulfilled” despite the “unprecedented times”.
It came after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle urged the government to allow the Commons to sit via video link if the attendance of too many MPs is “not appropriate” when it returns on April 21.
Hoyle wrote to Rees-Mogg after numerous MPs had raised issues about how parliamentary scrutiny could continue during the crisis.
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“Once the House returns, if we are still in the grip of the crisis where the physical presence of members, or too many members, in the Palace (of Westminster) is not appropriate, I am keen that they should be able to participate in key parliamentary proceedings virtually, for example, oral questions, urgent questions, statements,” he said.
Boris Johnson speaks during prime minister's questions in the House of Commons PA
Rees-Mogg responded: “Parliament’s role of scrutinising government, authorising spending and making laws must be fulfilled and in these unprecedented times that means considering every technological solution available.
“We are exploring options with the parliamentary authorities in readiness for parliament’s return.”
Hoyle also urged Rees-Mogg to set out whether the Commons would return on its scheduled date of April 21, insisting it would be helpful for planning “given the growing scale of staff absence whether through social isolation or illness”.
The Speaker also asked if it would be possible for the government to set up a forum of MPs during the recess, possibly via select committee chairs, who could quiz senior ministers and officials on the crisis.
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“MPs are being swamped right now with questions and case work from distressed constituents who need answers,” he said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Four Key Coronavirus Questions The Government Failed To Answer At The Daily Briefing

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The World Health Organisation has been clear – the key message for countries tackling coronavirus is “test, test, test”.
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But the government has now failed for days to answer clearly why the UK is lagging woefully behind other countries like Germany in its testing for Covid-19.
Just 2,000 out of 1.2m NHS workers have been tested for the virus, while more widely the UK is operating under its 12,750-a-day capacity. The figures pale in comparison to Germany, which is carrying out hundreds of thousands of tests a week.
Ministers are also facing rising anger over the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers.
Business secretary Alok Sharma and Yvonne Doyle, director of health protection for Public Health England (PHE), were sent into the firing line at Wednesday’s Downing Street press conference to try address those concerns.
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But they failed to properly answer four key questions.
Why Germany has more tests
Sharma was asked to give a full and proper explanation of why Germany is able to test many more times the number of people than the UK – a question that has plagued the government for days.
Asked whether Germany had more labs and equipment, was perhaps making better use of universities or the private sector, or was even using a better or quicker test, Sharma would only say: “We of course look to see where we can learn throughout this process and of course we are working with industry and we are working with the scientific community to make sure we have maximum possible supplies.”
Targets for more tests
The pair were told that just 0.16% of NHS staff had been tested, and asked to name a target for this time next week.
Doyle said: “The intention there is to go from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. That will have to go on the basis of the priority identified as to which of these workers are actually needed in which settings, particularly where the sickest patients are.
“They will be tested first – that is the intention over the coming weeks.”
But we aren’t testing anything like tens of thousands of medics – just 2,000 NHS England staff have been tested so far.
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Elsewhere Doyle said there was capacity for around 3,000 tests a day for frontline NHS staff, insisting that will increase as the government gets closer to its 25,000-a-day target, while pointing out there will be five drive-in test centres which will provide additional capacity.
Exit strategy
The government was asked again how it intends to get out of the lockdown and whether mass testing would be a part of it.
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt is among many who believe it will be difficult for ministers to lift social distancing and isolation rules and forced closure of businesses without having a better idea of how many people have, or have had, the virus.
Sharma refused to reveal anything about the plan to get out of the lockdown, saying only: “People will understand across the country why we have put these restrictions in place and the prime minister was very clear they were for an initial three-week period and we would review them.
“But what’s also really important is that if we stop these too quickly, there is a possibility that that massive effort people have made across the country is wasted and we could potentially see a dangerous second peak.
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“We absolutely want to avoid that.”
Doyle added: “I think it is important to say we are looking at this through the scientific lens, as well as through modelling and through the information we are getting through clinical cases as to how this epidemic is progressing.
“We will be guided by that. We obviously want to make the right call at the right time on this and it is something that we have to keep reviewing every week.
“The testing strategy is to increase the amount of testing done not just in healthcare workers but in the population.”
She insisted the tests must be valid and then officials would work out how to use them along with technology.
“I think that will change as the phases of the epidemic change,” she added.
PPE
Unions have warned that the lack of PPE for health staff was a “crisis within a crisis”, and the pair were asked whether the government accepted it was putting workers into a dangerous situation and whether it would act urgently to keep them safe.
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Sharma replied: “Over the past two weeks we have delivered over 390m PPE products.
“We have ensured that these are being delivered to every GP practice, to dentists, community pharmacies, and there is also now a 24-hour NHS-run hotline where NHS and social care workers can call and request that PPE if it is needed.
“Of course we will continue to do as much as we can and more to get this equipment to the frontline.”
Doyle said it was “absolutely our commitment” to protect frontline staff and that PHE was in communication with clinical leaders, community leaders and trade unions who were “aware of our intention”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Watch Live: Business Secretary Alok Sharma Chairs Daily Coronavirus Conference

Watch Live: Business Secretary Alok Sharma Chairs Daily Coronavirus Conference
Business secretary Alok Sharma chairs the daily coronavirus conference as the prime minister Boris Johnson continues to self-isolate. It comes as the UK death toll rises to 2,352 and London sets to open its first field hospital with 4,000 beds making it the largest critical care facility in the world.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Wimbledon 2020 Tournament Cancelled Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

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Wimbledon 2020 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have confirmed.
The tennis tournament, due to begin on June 29, was called off completely by the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday, the first time since the Second World War.
In a statement, bosses said: “It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
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“The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.”
It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.https://t.co/c0QV2ymGAt — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 1, 2020
The possibility of holding the competition behind closed doors was deemed unviable. It comes despite postponement having been described as posing “significant risk and difficulty”.
More than half a million people descend on SW19, in south-west London, every year to see the sport’s top stars compete.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Socially Distant Dancing In The Street

Socially Distant Dancing In The Street

Socially Distant Dancing In The Street
In this street in Cheshire, neighbours are coming out into the street every morning to get their groove on during the coronavirus lockdown. Led by a local fitness instructor, the socially distant dancing aims to get people of all ages moving and offer a much-needed boost to morale.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Regus Accused Of Putting Employees' Health At Risk Amid Coronavirus Crisis

whitemay via Getty Images
Workspace provider Regus has been accused of placing employees’ health at risk by making them attend work even as UK authorities battle to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Regus, a global office space provider owned by International Workplace Group (IWG), has been asking employees to report to work in offices which have been deserted by clients responding to national lockdown.
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In a letter circulated to employees dated March 24, the company stated: “This letter is to confirm that IWG team members are still needed to report to work.
“As a global organisation, we service a considerable volume and breadth of customers across our network of over 3,000 business centres, many of which operate services that are considered an essential business.”
On Wednesday, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) called on the government to take further steps to protect workers who are still going into work.
Unions are concerned that many workers who can’t work from home are being exposed to unnecessary Covid-19 risk because their employers are not putting adequate safety measures in place, it has emerged.
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IWG letter Supplied
It comes days after HuffPost UK reported that the organisation had come under fire for charging rent on deserted offices to start-up businesses that had shut in line with government guidance, sparking concerns that it was putting “profit before welfare” amid a global health crisis.
While critics of Regus argue that it is a “non-essential” business and should close, a company spokesperson pointed out office spaces had not been listed in the government guidance on businesses that should cease operating.
One current employee, though, told HuffPost UK: “We’re not an essential service. We have maybe three or four essential spaces in London with an ambulance service in one, post office in another, those kinds of key workers in some – but that’s not the whole network. We don’t need a centre manager in every single one of those offices.
“It’s ridiculous.” There are 124 Regus offices in London.
In an astonishing email circulated to clients, seen by HuffPost UK, a representative of the global firm encouraged remaining workers in one office space to make the most of the empty car park in light of a number of businesses working remotely.
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They wrote: “A lot of clients are working from home so we are quite quiet at the moment. The car park is practically empty! Make the most of it, when this is all over I’m sure it’ll once again be impossible to park!”
The email signs off with the line “look after yourselves” giving rise to fears that Regus is approaching the coronavirus in a cavalier manner that is unbecoming of a corporate entity.
When asked about this, an IWG spokesperson told HuffPost UK that the email was not approved and believed to have been sent by a junior team member who was “trying to be helpful”.
Social media is awash with what appear to be complaints from disgruntled clients and staff members alike.
Just days ago, a group claiming to be employees created an online pressure group – called Regus Employees – claiming they have been “forced to work and risk their lives despite not being ‘key workers’.”
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5. WE FEEL SO GUILTY GOING TO WORK AS WE AREN'T HELPING OUR BELOVED NHS
6. PLS HELP US SHARE, EVEN OUTSIDE OF COVID 19, THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR EMPLOYEES, LEGLISATION, OR THEIR CLIENTS
7. WE'RE ALL SCARED FOR OUR LIVES — RegusEmployees (@EmployeesRegus) March 28, 2020
An IWG employee, who has asked to be anonymous, told HuffPost UK that morale is low among staff members and poor treatment is part of the workspace firm’s culture.
“It’s known that we are treated badly but after you’ve worked a company of Regus’ stature for a little while, you can go and work anywhere,” the employee said.
“All of these recent stories about Regus don’t surprise anybody. Everybody who works for Regus thinks it’s completely normal behaviour for the company because this is how they operate.”
The employee claimed a colleague was being made to go to work even though there was no one else in the office and they were the only person on the premises.
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“The person has to get on public transport every day, go into the office that’s empty, go home again – risking their health in the process,” the team member added.
The frustrated worker, who plans to leave Regus in the near future, also described scenarios in which other staff members are being advised to take unpaid leave or holiday if they wish to quarantine.
“Everybody’s in a position where they know how ruthless Regus is and many people won’t talk because they’re scared of losing their job – which is a normal occurrence on a daily basis, not just this coronavirus thing.
“Pretty much on a daily basis you’re made to feel that your job is on the line if you don’t comply with whatever they feel like telling you to comply with. That’s just how it is.”
@piersmorgan My wife is being told she must continue to work. She works in IWG/REGUS a service office provider were she will be in contact with other people. IWG/REGUS believe that in China and Italy they remained open and the staff have not caught any infection — chris mccarthy (@ChrisHermski) March 25, 2020
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With this said, the employee is not optimistic that speaking out will bring about accountability for the company.
“It won’t put a dent in their reputation because people still need offices and WeWork – it is a main competitor – has not got the capacity that Regus has. This will not make a difference whatsoever.
“But I would say that this is a new low for them.”
The IWG spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of any employee who does not feel happy at the company and would encourage them to raise any concerns via their line manager or our Employee Assistance Programme.
“We have over 12,000 employees globally and they are our greatest asset. We are so proud of all their efforts during these very difficult times.”
In correspondence seen by HuffPost UK last week, Regus informed a customer that its current priority is “ensuring continuity of service wherever possible including meeting our obligations to our landlords”, adding: “Therefore is it is important that we do not have a gap in payments during this time.”
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JHVEPhoto via Getty Images
Following our report about clients’ disgruntlement with Regus’ ongoing rent charges published last week, HuffPost UK understands that the organisation has since changed its policy and is now offering 50% off the next two months’ rent if customers agree to add three months onto the end of their leases.
Reacting to this move, a client told HuffPost UK that Regus is “using a global health crisis as a sales technique”.
Meanwhile, the organisation has also caved in to pressure to furlough some of its own employees. Prior to this, it was alleged that the company had been forcing those who are most at risk of contracting coronavirus to attend work.
HuffPost UK heard details of a heavily pregnant employee who was told she had to work from one of Regus’s offices despite her job being possible to do from home.
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It was said she is having to bring her maternity leave forward to avoid going into the office.
Another case involved a man who suffered from asthma, and lived with several underlying health conditions, allegedly being asked to work.
A spokesperson said: “we are not forcing anyone to work from our locations and have communicated extensively to our teams that, should they have any conditions that put them in the high-risk category, they should stay at home.”
Medical breathing mask on laptop for online work from home JoaBal via Getty Images
In correspondence seen by HuffPost UK, the workspace firm refused to ramp up its hygiene efforts, suggesting this measure would not make a difference to the transmission of Covid–19.
“Reminder: standard cleaning on a day to day basis will not be upgraded or enhanced. This does not prevent the spread of Covid-19,” it read.
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Deep cleans will only be carried out in offices where there has been a confirmed case of coronavirus, the company also advised.
“Several weeks ago, at the beginning of the outbreak, we set out a number of additional measures to ensure the safety of our customers and team members. For instance, we asked all our teams to increase cleaning in the centres and bulk ordered as many additional supplies as we possibly could,” a spokesperson said.
The prime minister put Britain on lockdown on March 23 as he outlined strict new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, ordering people only to leave the house for a few specific reasons.
On March 16, the PM had formally advised people to avoid “non-essential” contact and take precautions against spreading the virus.
@DavidLinden I believe IWG plc who run the brands @Regus_UK @spacesworks contacted you detailing how employees were "volunteering" to work during #coronavirus let me assure you that these "volunteers" were told to work or not be paid! #CoronaVillains #COVID19 — Craig (@baldywaldo) March 27, 2020
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An IWG spokesperson claimed the company was not “forcing” anyone to work from its locations – but a small number of team members have instead volunteered to do so.
“We are not forcing anyone to work from our locations,” the spokesperson told HuffPost UK.
“We do have a small number of team members who have volunteered to enter our locations for essential services only, such as mail forwarding, telecoms and internet maintenance.
“These services are vital for our customers who are working from home.”
The spokesperson added that working team members are entitled to a £350 stipend to their monthly salaries, so that they don’t have to take public transport to work.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--What's New On Netflix UK In April 2020? Here Are The Best Films And Series To Enjoy

There are loads of great new originals, classic series and movies to get stuck into during lockdown in the next few weeks...
ORIGINAL SERIES
After Life - Series 2 (24 April)
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Ricky Gervais’ critically acclaimed dark comedy returns for a second season, and character Tony is still struggling with immense grief for his wife.
Coffee & Kareem (3 April)
Taraji P Henson and Ed Helms star in this sitcom about a 12-year-old boy whose plan to hire a criminal to scare off his mum’s boyfriend backfires spectacularly.
Extracurricular (27 April)
Netflix
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Determined to escape a dead-end life, a gifted high school student turns to a world of serious crime to ensure he can pay for college.
Too Hot To Handle (17 April)
Your next dating show obsession has arrived. On the shores of paradise, gorgeous singles meet and mingle. But there’s a twist. To win a $100,000 grand prize, they’ll have to give up sex.
Cooked With Cannabis (20 April)
Long gone are the days of pot brownies and marijuana cookies. Today, the top chefs around the country and around the world are creating cannabis-infused culinary masterpieces. Here lies the most fun-filled, fascinating and mouth-watering cooking competition series that gives a whole new meaning to the word “baked”.
Time To Eat With Nadiya (27 April)
Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain brings us the perfect lockdown cookery show, as she shares a selection of delicious, stress-free recipes.
BOXSETS
The Vicar of Dibley - Series 1, 2 and 3, plus specials (Date TBC)
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The classic BBC comedy returns to Netflix. Dawn French stars in the leading role as the first female vicar to come to the small village of Dibley and its community of oddballs and eccentrics.
Life On Mars - Series 1 and 2 (Date TBC)
This classic BBC series tells the story of Sam Tyler (John Simm), a policeman in service with the Greater Manchester Police who wakes up in 1973 after being hit by a car.
DOCUMENTARIES
How To Fix A Drug Scandal (1 April)
A brand new docu-series that recounts the arrest and testimony of crime drug lab lab chemist Sonja Farak, who was found to be using the narcotics she was supposed to be testing.
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Circus Of Books (1 April)
A documentary that follows unassuming couple Karen and Barry Mason, who ran Circus Of Books, an LA porn store that became a hub for the local gay community, for nearly four decades.
MOVIES
Extraction (24 April)
Netflix
Chris Hemsworth stars as a hardened mercenary whose mission becomes a soul-searching race to survive when he’s sent into Bangladesh to rescue a drug lord’s kidnapped son.
Cadillac Records (1 April)
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Beyoncé stars as Etta James in this movie about the birth of Cadillac Records under the guidance of a Jewish immigrant from Poland, Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody).
Lethal Weapon 1-4 (1 April)
All four of the original Lethal Weapon movies, starring Mel Gibson, come to Netflix.
Django Unchained (25 April)
Quentin Tarantino’s western boasts a starry cast including Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L Jackson.
The Matrix trilogy (1 April)
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All three Matrix movies, starring Keanu Reeves, come to Netflix.
KIDS
The Willoughbys (22 April)
In this animated feature, four children abandoned by their selfish parents learn how to adapt their old-fashioned values to the contemporary world. And not a Holly in sight.
Starbeam (3 April)
When colourful villains come out to play, eight-year-old Zoey has the power to transform into StarBeam, a kid-sized superhero.
And there’s lots more, including...
1 April
Community, seasons 1 - 6
Nailed It!, season 4
Sunderland ’Til I Die, season 2
3 April
Money Heist, season 4
10 April
Brews Brothers
Tigertail
14 April
Chris D’Elia: No Pain
15 April
The Innocence Files
16 April
Fauda, season 3
Mauricio Meirelles: Generating Chaos
17 April
Rising High
Earth and Blood
Sergio
20 April
The Midnight Gospel
23 April
Peaky Blinders, series 5
29 April
Extracurricular
Date TBC
American Pie 1 & 2
Babe
The Breakfast Club
Catfish
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The Land Before Time
The Lego Ninjago Movie
The Martian


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--27 Really Funny Tweets About Quarantining With Pets

[quarantine]
Me: I’m sad.
My Dog: I’m happy!
Me: I can’t go to work.
My Dog: you don’t have to go to work!
Me: I’m stuck in the house all day.
My Dog: we get to be in the house all day!
Me: [sigh] hardest two weeks of my life.
My Dog: [tail wag] best two weeks of my life.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--We Should Focus On Reporting Domestic Violence, Not People Going For A Second Jog

After the introduction of necessary measures to stop the spread of Covid-19, campaigners warned of a spike in domestic abuse. Getty Images
“I hope you fucking die,” a man shouted from within his home on a pleasant spring evening. Then a series of loud thuds, small whimpers and angry grunts came through the gap in the sash window.
As per Women’s Aid’s advice, I rang 999, and told the police call handler the details — what I’d heard, where those blood-curdling noises had come from and why they concerned me.
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After the introduction of necessary measures to stop the spread of Covid-19, campaigners warned of a spike in domestic abuse. The current situation is horrific enough, as one in four women have been victims of domestic abuse and two a week are killed by male partners, exes or relatives. Over the past ten years, 13 times more women than men were killed by a partner or ex.
But three main factors have worsened the situation. First, being cooped up puts a strain on any relationship. Secondly, if victims follow the government’s rules to stay home, help the NHS and save lives, they’re trapped with someone who might very well want to end theirs. Thirdly, economic turmoil always correlates with an uptick in domestic violence and as the gears of our industries grind to a halt, very few of us can dodge the sparks flying.
In the past two weeks, eight women have been killed in so-called “isolated” incidents of suspected domestic violence. Women’s Aid have reported an increase in calls from victims, including those who are experiencing domestic violence for the first time.
This has to stop, we can all agree. And indeed, Home Secretary Priti Patel has informed the public that: “Whilst our advice is to stay at home, anyone who is at risk of, or experiencing, domestic abuse, is still able to leave and seek refuge. Refuges remain open, and the police will provide support to all individuals who are being abused — whether physically, emotionally, or otherwise.”
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There are big questions Patel still needs to answer. Will the government provide more resources for refuges, perhaps, like France, acquiring space within otherwise empty hotels? Brimming refuges were turning away women and children before coronavirus even made human contact. Now, during social distancing, it’s harder to count on sofa-surfing offers from friends and family.
“In the past two weeks, eight women have been killed in so-called “isolated” incidents of suspected domestic violence.”
And when will police forces show, not just tell us, how much they care about stamping out domestic violence? They’re fully capable of being meticulous: the surveillance drones, the dyeing of a turquoise lagoon to deter swimmers, the fine written up (and later retracted) for a shop owner who marked the pavement to encourage safe queueing, the warnings for shopkeepers to not sell inessential goods, the locking up of parks in cities’ most densely-populated areas…
Police doubtless need to enforce social distancing laws in order to maintain public health. But some of these measures are excessive and misplaced. Obviously, no force wants to be singled out by the press for allowing the public to flout social distancing rules — but all forces are too inured to announcing the deaths of innocent women.
Three hours after I reported those terrifying noises, the police returned my call to tell me the address I’d reported didn’t exist. It did, I insisted, until I was believed.
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As a passerby, I felt sure of myself in a way that shouldn’t be expected of a survivor. I told a local councillor my concerns, and he’s alerted the local Adult Safeguarding team. At a time when social workers — the soothing balm to officers’ bluntness — are reporting they’re not even able to carry out risk assessments at people’s homes right now, I felt it was my duty to do more to help this woman. I know not everyone’s on chatty terms with local government.
But we as the public have to do our utmost best to stop these tragedies. We can get a lot done; the Big Society is in full flow, the government’s NHS scheme counts 700,000 volunteers so far, and the Mutual Aid groups have countless members - in your local WhatsApp alone - to help those 1.5 million elderly, unwell and disabled get their shopping and medicine and so on.
We need to remember who else is vulnerable, though. Some women — pregnant women, elderly women victims of abuse — are lying at the intersection of Covid-19 and domestic violence risks. And many others, who aren’t on the list of humanity’s most endangered, are facing an indefinite period of torment and, yes, in some cases, too many cases, death.
Fundamentally, domestic abuse and its normalisation (including sick jokes at victims’ expense) has to end. In the meantime, while isolation causes a surge in these non-isolated incidents of male violence, survivors need safe routes out, an attentive police force to punish perpetrators and, more than ever before, support from their neighbours.
Because as much as domestic abuse is rising, so should our awareness of it. If we had any excuse to ignore what was going on before, we certainly don’t now. We’re all at home, on the other side of the wall from these horrors. It’s the police’s job to believe these women when they speak up, and it’s our duty to listen to them when they can’t say a word.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Coronavirus UK Death Toll Rises By 563 To 2,352

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A further 563 deaths from coronavirus have been recorded in the UK over 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,352.
It is the highest daily jump so far as the curve steepens – an increase of 31%.
Statista
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Meanwhile, as of 9am on Wednesday, 29,474 people in the UK had tested positive for the virus, out of a total 152,979.
Earlier this week, the Office for National statistics revealed the virus had accounted for 1% of all deaths in England and Wales in the week ending March 20 – 103 cases in total.
Those figures included people dying outside of hospitals whose death certificates mentioned Covid-19, including in combination with other health conditions.
But there appears to be a discrepancy between the UK-wide figure published by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and what the four individual nations are reporting.
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NHS England said 2,137 people had died in hospitals, Public Health Wales stated 98 deaths, the Scottish Government reported a total of 76 deaths, and Public Health Northern Ireland put their total at 30. The 2,341 deaths is 11 fewer than the total provided by the DHSC.
The individual nations reported an extra 486 deaths in England, 16 in Scotland, 29 in Wales, and two in Northern Ireland.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Just 2,000 NHS England Staff Tested For Coronavirus So Far, No.10 Admits

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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Just two thousand front-line NHS England staff have been tested for coronavirus, Downing Street has revealed.
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No.10 said all hospital trusts had been urged to use spare testing capacity to step up plans to get doctors, nurses, midwives and others back to work after self-isolating at home.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said 900 NHS staff were tested over the weekend as part of a pilot scheme and that as of Wednesday the total stood at “over 2,000”. “Staff will be getting results fed back to them over the next few days,” he said.
Some NHS trusts are reporting nearly a quarter of staff off having to stay at home with symptoms of the disease, or with family members who display symptoms.
The health service has 1.1m full-time equivalent staff and there are fears that large numbers are waiting for tests.
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But the spokesperson also confirmed thousands of tests were not being carried out every day, despite efforts to increase their number.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images
“Currently testing capacity stands at 12,750 [per day],” he said. “On Monday, 8,630 tests were carried out.
“A clear instruction has been sent to all NHS trusts that where capacity is available it should be used on testing front line staff.
“If there is capacity available it should be going on testing NHS staff. The issue is staff self-isolating. We want more testing to be carried out. It’s our intention to to significantly increase the numbers of tests.”
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The government has come under intense pressure to ramp up testing for the virus for patients and staff.
Boris Johnson and health secretary Matt Hancock promised that the daily testing figure would rise to 25,000 in mid-April.
Hancock has now moved to lift the 15% cap on the number of staff who can be tested each day. Until today, 85% of tests had to take place on patients, but NHS England said it was removing the 15% cap for staff “immediately”.
NEW: NHS England has sent a letter to all trusts saying govt has now lifted 15% cap on staff testing.
Asks CEOs to make sure full capacity used everyday (this follows lag between capacity of tests and actual tests carried out) pic.twitter.com/LXsVgx13CN — Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) April 1, 2020
Despite the World Health Organization’s advice for countries to “test, test, test”, the UK is lagging behind other countries such as Germany, which is testing 70,000 people daily.
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Cabinet minister Michael Gove admitted yesterday that a global shortage of reagents needed for the tests was restricting Britain’s capacity.
UK Public information poster from the NHS (National Health Service) with advice relating to the COVID-19 Coronavirus PoppyPixels via Getty Images
No.10 dismissed reports that chemicals firms had no problems with supply, pointing out that the UK In-Vitro Diagnostics Industry had said there was huge global demand.
“They say we working at pace in order to be able to distribute these reagents but none of this can be achieved overnight,” the spokesman said.
But No.10 sidestepped questions as to when the government had ordered the reagents needed for the tests, saying “we have been working throughout” to increase the number of tests carried out.
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It is understood that officials advise extreme caution around an early sample by NHS Providers that suggested only 15% of those staff self-isolating at home actually had the virus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Clap For Our Carers Is Back – And Will Continue Weekly Until The End Of Lockdown

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If you missed out on the nationwide round of applause for NHS staff and other key workers last week, don’t worry – it’s happening again. And again and again.
Annemarie Plas, the Dutch Londoner who spearheaded the event in the UK after seeing it happen in other countries, tells HuffPost UK it will now become a weekly occurrence until the end of lockdown. Every Thursday, at 8pm.
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“We will keep on doing this up until the end of the lockdown and are now doing our best to get up to speed with our communication,” the 36-year-old says.
In a show of support, ITV announced it will pause its usual programming on Thursday night, to allow viewers to participate in the event. TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan also reported that BBC One, Channel 4, Channel 5 and some local and national radio stations would be following suit.
Supplied Annemarie Plas
Plas decided to orchestrate #ClapForOurCarers after she heard friends and family members in her home country, the Netherlands, were doing something similar. And, having seen footage of people coming together for the same purposes in Spain and France, she thought: why not do this in the UK?
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She FaceTimed her friends to float the idea of ‘clapping for carers’ – including NHS workers, care workers, pharmacists and supermarket staff. They were all on board so she made a graphic for social media, set up a website, and started sharing it online.
The weekend prior to the first nationwide event, the campaign blew up – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Victoria Beckham were among many who pledged support. In the end, thousands of people all over the country took part. “It was a very emotional moment for me as I heard my neighbours that I haven’t seen for days on our (normally busy) road,” Plas, who works in sales and as a yoga instructor, told HuffPost UK after the first event. “It went from clapping behind windows, to hanging out of them, to people – in safe distance – outside shouting.”
“Hopefully it can give some strength and a boost to whoever needs it.” - Annemarie Plas
Plas wants people to spread the word to get as many of us as possible taking part every week. She encourages everyone to stand where they can while respecting social-distancing etiquette – be it doorways, windows, balconies, gardens or living rooms – at 8pm every Thursday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Bake Off Judge Prue Leith Claims The Way She Brought Up Her Children 'Would Not Be Acceptable Today'

Prue also explained how she came to meet her Cambodian daughter Li-Da, who was orphaned by the Khmer Rouge and adopted at 16 months.
She said: “When I was young, I just assumed, because all of my generation did, that I’d get married but then what happened was I got really interested in my business and I didn’t want it, you know marriage didn’t come into it.
“Then I fell in love with Ray and until I was 34 or 33, I didn’t care if we were married or not, it was lovely.
“But then my biological clock was ticking and ‘I’ve got to have a baby’ or I’d be too old and then – 35 was the cut off point. Then I desperately wanted a baby but until then I hadn’t been.”
Prue joined Bake Off in 2017, taking over from Mary Berry when the show made the jump to Channel 4.
She and Paul Hollywood can currently be seen on the new series of Bake Off.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-01--Ten Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

More than 25,000 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, just weeks after the first case in the country was confirmed.
According to the latest official figures:
A total of 2,352 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Tuesday, the Department of Health said, up by 563 from 1,789 the day before.
More than 25,000 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus – though the number of people actually infected is likely to be much higher.
Coronavirus Statista
Here’s the latest on Covid-19.
Unemployment skyrockets
The number of people applying for the universal credit welfare payment has surged in the two weeks since Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown, with 950,000 attempting to get hold of the benefit.
The total in the aftermath of the drastic move to curb the spread of coronavirus is more than nine times higher the usual 100,000 applicants for a two-week period.
The surge reflects falls in income as well as unemployment as firms go bust or lay off staff because they cannot afford to wait for the governments’s bail-out scheme.
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As businesses, shops, restaurants and bars are closed, the government has offered to pay 80% of employees’ wages if their company keeps them on - but there is no incentive for an employer to apply for this.
A YouGov survey on March 24 found that one in 20 people in Britain had already lost their job due to coronavirus.
Wimbledon is cancelled
Wimbledon 2020 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have confirmed.
The tennis tournament, due to begin on June 29, was called off completely by the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday, the first time since the Second World War.
It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.https://t.co/c0QV2ymGAt — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 1, 2020
In a statement, bosses said: “It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
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“The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.”
Later in the day, the major COP26 climate change summit due to be held in Glasgow was postponed due to coronavirus.
The decision came after Downing Street held talks on Wednesday night with the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), and the news first emerged via a tweet from Finland’s climate change minister Krista Mikkonen.
‘Asia’s largest slum’ reports first case of coronavirus
A slum in India home to 1.5m people has reported its first case of coronavirus, according to reports.
A 56-year-old man from Dharavi, a densely populated area in Mumbai, is undergoing treatment in hospital.
The country is facing a crisis of epic proportions as labourers and waste pickers – most of them homeless or too poor to afford a meal – are among the hardest hit by prime minister Narendra Modi’s three-week nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus.
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Most of the estimated 4m-plus homeless people in India have had no way of earning a living since the lockdown began on March 25. With streets deserted, even begging is not an option, Reuters reports.
A man offers water to a child of a migrant daily wage labourer as he and his family make the journey on foot to their village following the imposition of the country's lockdown. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Many wander aimlessly, some find refuge at homeless shelters where ranks of people sleep beside each other.
While the plight of India’s migrant workers has garnered headlines, with thousands forced to walk miles to reach home since the lockdown began, many aid workers say the millions of homeless in India face a bigger risk.
Officials say the shutdown is necessary to stem the spread of the coronavirus. India has reported more than 1,500 cases and 38 deaths from the outbreak.
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Prince Charles records video message after self-isolating
The Prince of Wales has made his first appearance since coming out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis, to record a video message in support of Age UK in response to the health crisis.
As Patron of @age_uk, The Prince of Wales shares a message on the Coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the older members of the community. pic.twitter.com/a6NEFPOtvQ — Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) April 1, 2020
Charles, who is patron of Age UK, said in the footage posted on royal social media accounts that he is now “on the other side of the illness” but is still in “a state of social distance and general isolation”.
Edinburgh’s August festivals cancelled
Edinburgh’s festivals have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Here’s a list of all the events, shows and festivals that have been axed so far.)
The Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, the Art Festival, the International Book Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have all been scrapped.
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Fergus Linehan, festival director, Edinburgh International Festival, said: “We are hugely disappointed to announce this cancellation but given the current outlook we believe it is the correct decision.
“The Edinburgh International Festival was born out of adversity – an urgent need to reconnect and rebuild. The current crisis presents all at the festival with a similar sense of urgency. Work begins straight away on a 2021 festival season that will boost both our spirits and our economy.”
Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s heart-breaking that the Fringe and our sister August festivals will not take place as planned this summer. However, having taken advice and considered all the options, we collectively believe this is the only appropriate response.”
Crowdfunder for funeral of 13-year-old boy soars past target to hit £55,000
A sign points towards a Coronavirus testing pod as an ambulance arrives at the A&E Department of Kings College Hospital in Camberwell Richard Baker via Getty Images
A crowdfunder for the funeral of Britain’s youngest coronavirus fatality has smashed its £4,000 target to raise £55,000.
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Any additional money raised will be given directly to the family, said the organiser of the donations page, Mark Stephenson.
A spokesperson for King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “Sadly, a 13-year old boy who tested positive for Covid-19 has passed away, and our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this time.
“The death has been referred to the coroner and no further comment will be made.”
Ismail’s family said they were “beyond devastated” by his death, in a statement released through a family friend.
“Ismail started showing symptoms and had difficulties breathing and was admitted to King’s College Hospital,” they said.
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“He was put on a ventilator and then put into an induced coma but sadly died yesterday morning. To our knowledge he had no underlying health conditions. We are beyond devastated.”
News of the boy’s death came on the same day that NHS England announced a 19-year-old without any underlying health conditions had also died after contracting Covid-19.
Woman fined after trying to use trains
A woman arrested for trying to travel by train despite the country’s lockdown has been fined £660.
Marie Dinou, 41, from York, was the first person to be arrested on the railways after police were given powers to enforce the country’s “stay at home” policy.
She was found “loitering between platforms” at Newcastle Central station on Saturday, and refused to explain to police why she was apparently trying to travel, British Transport Police said.
She appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday and was fined £660 for failing to comply with requirements imposed under the Coronavirus Act 2020.
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She was also ordered to pay a £66 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
GP surgery asks sickest patients to agree they won’t be resuscitated
Ambulances lined up outside the ExCel centre that is being turned into a temporary 4000 bed hospital known as NHS Nightingale ASSOCIATED PRESS
Llynfi Surgery, in south Wales, apologised after sending letters to some seriously ill patients underlining “several benefits” of completing “do not attempt CPR” forms.
The letter warns that, as hospitals are inundated with Covid-19 patients, those with serious conditions such as incurable cancer, motor neurone disease, and untreatable heart and lung conditions were “unlikely to be offered hospital admissions” and “certainly will not be offered a ventilator bed”.
It goes on to ask the patients to complete the form as “scarce ambulance resources can be targeted to the young and fit who have a greater chance” of recovering from the virus.
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The Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board issued a statement which said that it did not order the letter be sent and said the surgery has apologised for “upset” caused to patients.
“A letter was recently sent out from Llynfi surgery to a small number of patients,” a spokesperson said. “This was not a health board communication.
“The surgery have been made aware that the letter has caused upset to some of the patients who received it. This was not their intent and they apologise for any distress caused.
“Staff at the surgery are speaking to those patients who received the letter to apologise directly and answer any concerns they may have.”
Donald Trump warns Americans of ‘roughest weeks’ in country’s history
President Donald Trump at a coronavirus news briefing SIPA USA/PA Images
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Donald Trump has warned Americans to brace for a “hell of a bad two weeks” amid predictions from the White House that between 100,000 and 240,000 people could die after contracting coronavirus.
The president said it was a “matter of life and death” for American’s to heed the administration’s social distancing guidelines.
“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” Trump said.
“This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we’ve ever had in our country,” he added. “We’re going to lose thousands of people.”
The jaw-dropping projections were laid out during a grim, two-hour White House briefing.
Officials described a death toll that, in a best-case scenario, would likely be greater than the 53,000 American lives lost during World War I.
Meanwhile, the model’s high end neared the realm of possibility that Americans lost to the virus could approach the 291,000 Americans killed in World War II.
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The figures come after Trump extended the country’s social-distancing rules – despite having earlier suggested that the crisis would be over by Easter.
“You know 100,000 is, according to modelling, a very low number,” the president said of coronavirus deaths on Tuesday.
“In fact, when I first saw the number … they said it was unlikely you’ll be able to attain that. We have to see but I think we’re doing better than that.”
During the conference, Trump also criticised the UK’s earlier coronavirus policy, saying that at the time, a lot of people were suggesting countries “just ride it out”.
“If you remember, they were looking at that concept - I guess it’s a concept if you don’t mind death, a lot of death - but they were looking at that in the UK, remember,” Sky News reported the president saying.
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“All of sudden they went hard the other way because they started seeing things that weren’t good. They put themselves in a little bit of a problem.”
Trump added: “They have a name for it, but we won’t even go by the name - it would have been very catastrophic I think if that would have happened.”
Briton dies aboard coronavirus-hit cruise ship
The Zaandam cruise ship, where a Briton is among four people who have died ASSOCIATED PRESS
A British national is among four people who have died on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship embroiled in a bitter dispute over plans to disembark passengers in the US.
So far, two of the four people who have died on the Zaandam cruise ship have been confirmed to have had Covid-19.
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Meanwhile, nine other people onboard have tested positive for the virus and another 189 are suffering from flu-like symptoms.
“One of the deceased passengers is from the UK,” a spokesman for the Holland America cruise line, which operates the Zaandam, said in an email to the PA news agency.
“Due to US … laws, we cannot provide any additional medical and health details.”
The Zaandam, which is carrying more than 200 British nationals, and its sister ship the Rotterdam, passed through the Panama Canal on Monday after being denied entry to several ports.
Both ships are seeking to dock in Florida later this week.
The state’s governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that Florida’s health care resources were already stretched too thin by the coronavirus outbreak to take on the Zaandam’s caseload.
But during a news briefing on coronavirus, Donald Trump said he would tell DeSantis to allow the ship to dock, saying: “I’m going to do what’s right. Not only for us, but for humanity.”
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In earlier developments:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-02--Eddie Large, Of Little And Large, Dies Following Coronavirus Diagnosis

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Comedian Eddie Large has died at the age of 78, after contracting coronavirus.
Eddie – real name Edward Hugh McGinnis – was best known as one half of the comedy duo Little And Large, alongside fellow comic Syd Little.
He died in hospital, where he had been admitted for heart failure, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
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Eddie Large, who has died at the age of 78 Shutterstock
His agent told PA News: “His family were very sad not to be able to be in the same room as him, touching him, in the last week because of coronavirus.
“They were only able to speak on the phone which was obviously very sad for them.
“But they wanted to say thank you to the NHS which was fantastic throughout.”
In a Facebook post, his son Ryan wrote: “Dad had fought bravely for so long. Due to this horrible disease we had been unable to visit him at the hospital but all of the family and close friends spoke to him every day.”
“We will miss him terribly and we are so proud of everything that he achieved in his career with Syd and know that he was much loved by the millions that watched them each week.
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“RIP Dad. We love you and miss you, from all the family.”
Little And Large began their TV career in the early 1970s, first appearing on the variety talent search Opportunity Knocks, and later landed their own sketch series The Little And Large Show.
With comedy partner Syd Little in 1994 Dave Benett via Getty Images
Their show ran for 11 series between 1978 and 1991, with the duo also appearing in the ITV impressions show Who Do You Do?, alongside a host of other British stars.
In more recent years, Eddie appeared as himself on TV shows like Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Pointless Celebrities and All Star Mr & Mrs.
His final on-screen role was in 2010, appearing in an episode of the BBC comedy series Dappers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-02--The Workers 'Conned' And Forced To Take Holiday During The Coronavirus Lockdown

Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Workers across the country are being forced to take days off during the coronavirus lockdown, with little to do except take their daily exercise, “watch Netflix” or even just carrying on working.
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Several have contacted HuffPost UK to say they feel “upset”, “conned” and “frustrated”, describing employers’ decisions to enforce annual leave as “a slap in the face” and “unfair”.
The workers affected all said they were lucky to still be in a job during a crisis which has seen thousands laid off and even more furloughed, and understand employers are in a difficult position.
But few see why they should be forced to take days off when they cannot do anything and the government is advising firms to allow workers to carry over days off into 2021, meaning the impact could be more spread out.
Workers who spoke to HuffPost UK said they were worried about their mental health during long stretches at home with little to do, insisting their jobs gave their days structure and that they would not be able to relax.
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One said they were threatened with redundancy or having their wages held back if they did not agree to take annual leave urgently, while another said they will be forced to postpone their honeymoon for more than a year.
All of the employees felt their company bosses could have followed government advice to work through the problems with dialogue, with some complaining their company has always done the “bare minimum” and others warning of uproar if senior management take bonuses this year.
The government can do little about it other than urging employers to talk through the issues with their employees and reminding bosses that they must give workers advance notice of double the amount of time they are forced to take off.
Those affected work across many sectors, including manufacturing, accounting, professional services, education and retail.
One of the most high profile firms - Deloitte - made the decision on Tuesday to force staff to take 60% of their annual leave by the end of August and announced it in an email to employees from chief executive Richard Houston.
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The firm also argued the new government legislation was only designed to help key workers unable to take holiday because they are responding to the pandemic, insisting: “We are asking you to take a minimum of holiday by 31 August, not stopping you from taking holiday because of your role in responding to the crisis.”
Deloitte is one of the UK's 'big four' accounting firms Jack Taylor via Getty Images
But one worker, Matt, described it as “upsetting” to be ordered when to take time off, “especially given the stress that everybody is going through at the moment”.
They point out that plenty of employees will have been planning holidays towards the end of the year and will now not be able to take this time off.
Another Deloitte employee, David, said it would hit junior workers who study for exams towards the end of the year and take time off to revise.
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His section of the company also cannot take holiday in July, leaving him with “something like 25 days of holiday to take a little over 8 weeks”.
“It might have been fairer to explain to everyone the issues around scheduling and then to offer to defer some leave until 2021 and to ask people to voluntarily move holiday forward,” he said.
“To enforce it out of the blue doesn’t seem fair, or well thought out. it doesn’t feel great.
“And now they’ve deferred employee appraisals and promotions till the new year.
“I imagine if there’s a partner bonus this year, there’ll be a fair amount of unrest.”
David said he had considered using the time off to volunteer for the NHS but “realised that my bosses might not appreciate it”.
“Realistically, assuming we’re all still in lockdown, I’ll probably try to learn a new skill, either programming or a new language,” he said.
“Two solid weeks of having nothing to do isn’t particularly good for mental wellbeing”
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Janet works for a university that is forcing staff to take two weeks off over the Easter holiday.
“I’m really frustrated, as are a lot of people I know, as it just feels like a slap in the face to be made to use annual leave when not only do you not want to as you have things you need to do, but also when you can’t go out and enjoy yourself,” she said.
She said her employers are “justifying it as time to relax” but feels unable to while living in shared accommodation.
“Work has been something that’s keeping me going, it’s giving my day structure,” she said.
“I’m not exactly going to be able to rest. I think it’s really short sighted and assumes everyone lives with their family.
“I’ll be stuck indoors with housemates who wouldn’t be my first choice to spend time with.
“I think I will end up having to work anyway because I have things that I need to do, and I will want to keep myself occupied.”
John, another worker at the university, said: “I get that they don’t want 3,000 staff having an excess of leave that needs to be used up at once, but I think carrying it over is much fairer.
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“It’s not really annual leave when we are just sat at home during a pandemic.”
He went on: “It’s definitely going to be a long two weeks
“The way it was announced had a line of ensuring staff are rested and well.
“But I think two solid weeks of having nothing to do isn’t particularly good for mental wellbeing.”
A person loads Netflix on their TV as people in the UK are being urged to socially distance in response to the Coronavirus outbreak EMPICS Entertainment
Few of the employers forcing annual leave on staff consulted their employees before imposing the change.
But James, who works at a KFC franchise operated by Welcome Break motorway services, claims he was threatened with potential redundancy or having his wages withheld if he did not agree to use half of his annual leave by mid-April, when the government furlough scheme to pay 80% of workers’ wages kicked in.
He suggested this could be because employers are required by law to give twice the time off in notice before forcing employees to take leave.
“I feel conned out of the holidays as like most of the UK I am just sat at home not doing anything useful,” he said.
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Forcing annual leave on employees can have a knock on effect for their families as well.
Scott, who works for a large multinational accounting firm, cannot cancel three weeks of holiday he has booked before the end of June, including a two-week honeymoon which he cannot go on.
His holiday entitlement will be replenished after June 30 but “my wife’s holiday year runs to December, so she wont have enough days left for us to do it later in the year,” he said.
“It would really just leave postponing the honeymoon for a year.”
Asked how we would spend three weeks in lockdown, Scott said: “It will just be watching Netflix (if there is anything left to watch) and my daily allowed walk outside.”
Unions said companies must take advantage of the government’s furlough scheme instead of forcing the burden of the crisis on to workers.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Businesses should not be telling their workers to take holiday.
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The TUC's Frances O'Grady has held talks with the government on helping workers through the coronavirus crisis PA
“Support is available from March 1 through the job retention scheme that unions won from the government to protect workers.
“Unions won’t hesitate to call out employers who are not doing the right thing. And we will support our members in taking action when they break rules on workers’ rights.”
But the Institute of Directors’ Edwin Morgan said employers needed to take drastic measures to keep staff on.
“Coronavirus is putting businesses in an unprecedented situation, and these are the kinds of difficult decisions directors face in keeping the organisation afloat, while considering the position of both furloughed staff and those still working,” he said.
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“Part of leading an organisation is keeping your people on board, but that’s no easy task right now given the current circumstances.”
A Deloitte spokesperson said: “Our focus is on supporting our people and clients, protecting jobs and our business. In order to help us overcome some of the challenges ahead we’ve asked all our people to use 60% of this year’s annual leave allowance by 31 August.”
A Welcome Break spokesperson said: “All of our KFC units have been closed since Monday March 23.
“Due to the closure, all the Welcome Break KFC team members have been designated as ‘furloughed workers’ and will continue to receive 80% of their normal pay under the government’s job retention scheme.
“We appreciate this is a very difficult time and the situation is changing by the day so we are doing everything we can to support our team during this crisis.
“We offered a couple of options to our team members, and are assessing these regularly to ensure they receive the best remuneration package during this period.”
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A spokesperson for the business, energy and industrial strategy department said: “The government is committed to ensuring workers receive the time off they are owed.
“That is why we introduced new legislation last week so that workers who cannot take holiday due to the coronavirus will be able to carry leave over into the next two years and won’t miss out on their entitlement.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-02--Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus - 2 April
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to ramp up coronavirus testing and ensure more protection for NHS staff. Universal Credit applications have soared, with almost one million applications in the last two weeks. UN Climate Talks have been postponed to 2021 due to the outbreak and Wimbledon has been cancelled.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-02--Four Migrant NHS Doctors Are Dead. Can We Please Stop Turning Migrants Into Villains?

As the nation mourns the death of many people and the four NHS medics from the Covid-19 pandemic, let us reflect on the vital contributions migrants bring to the UK. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Dr Alfa Saadu, Dr Habib Zaidi, Dr Adil El Tayar and Dr Amged El-Hawrani. These are the first NHS doctors to die from Covid-19 — we can but hope they will be the last. Like most NHS staff, the four doctors selflessly put themselves at risk to save the sick. Unfortunately, they have paid with their lives.
All four were of a minority race. There’s been some media coverage of their deaths, which is only right, but there is little mention of their migrant backgrounds. I don’t have a problem with that: people’s backgrounds, race or colour shouldn’t factor into the coverage. All people are equal. What troubles me, though, is that ethnicity and immigration status always take centre stage when a migrant commits a crime or does something wrong. ‘Man is hacked to death by his Syrian migrant ex-flatmate’, or ‘Afghan migrant stabbed ex-girlfriend to death’ — such headlines are common. This is often the same case as well with Muslims, and the four medics who died were Muslim, yet there has been little mention of that either.
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I came to the UK in 2005 from Malawi, with huge respect for this country, and I studied law in Newcastle. Unfortunately, after my family became involved in a prolonged battle with the Home Office over settlement matters, all my respect dissipated. We moved from Sunderland to Bolton and eventually Glasgow, where we got a bit of relief, at least for now.
My family’s extremely painful experience opened to me a whole world of the unappreciated, oppressed and marginalised migrant people in the UK. It was a world I never knew at all for all the ten years I lived here — until our ordeal. It is a world of poverty, anguish and uncertainty, unknown to most people. I must hasten to add that the horrible treatment we have had at the hands of the state is hugely contrasted with the sweetest fellowship we have enjoyed with individual British people.
More generally, my experience has taught me that we’re never allowed to see migrants as heroes, only as villains. We choose too often to pander to divisive voices, feed the stereotype of the violent migrant and ignore the benefits that migrants bring to this nation. The deaths of the four doctors have been a lost opportunity to make a positive case for immigration. And although the research shows that migrants give more to the NHS than they take from it, most people in this country believe the myth that ‘migrants heap pressure on the NHS’.
As Covid-19 peaks, tens of thousands of migrants are putting their lives in harm’s way by serving in the NHS and in the social care sector. The UK would not have been such a great nation without the migrant communities that contribute so much, as we saw with Windrush Generation migrants who were shipped into Britain to rebuild the country after the war but unjustly treated later.
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“We’re never allowed to see migrants as heroes, only as villains.”
While this could be a time of sober reflection on issues that really matter, worryingly Home Secretary Priti Patel and her department are not doing this. It’s very disheartening that even during this pandemic, migrants can be denied accommodation, charged extortionate amounts for healthcare and reported to the Home Office simply for trying to access what they need to keep themselves and those around them safe.
While Priti Patel urges only the ‘bright and the best’ migrants to the UK, we have seen those who were labelled ‘low-skilled’ suddenly transform into ‘key workers’ who are critical for our economy and safety. Many of these are undocumented migrants, care workers, nurses and cleaners who are treated poorly, yet they still want to serve selflessly in very dangerous environments.
As Covid-19 is devastating our nation, the Home Office could have made a positive and logical move by easing its oppressive rules against the migrant community who are doing so much to keep this country going. Such a move would not only give migrants a good chance to fight the virus, as we all need to do but also to freely offer their talents to the nation. While MOT exemptions have been made to cars, banks and councils suspend debt collection, and library book fines have been frozen, why not extend this understanding and compassion to fellow human beings?
Just ask the three people on the forefront fighting the pandemic in the country — Boris Johnston, Professor Chris Whitty, Matt Hancock — who are all in self-isolation after testing positive to the coronavirus: they will tell you that the virus is non-discriminating.
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As the nation mourns the death of many people and the four NHS medics from the Covid-19 pandemic, let us reflect on the vital contributions migrants bring to the UK — and that’s not just the work they do, but the value they bring to our communities as neighbours, friends and colleagues.
This is an opportune time to treat all migrants in the UK as permanent residents so that they have access to public services and can help fight the coronavirus outbreak. And this would be an appropriate tribute to all migrants who are losing their lives to the pandemic. Our chances of survival increase when we are in it together.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-02--Boss Trapped In Potato Filter For Video Meeting Is Peak Work-From-Home Gold

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The coronavirus-era adaptation to working from home is taking its toll on everyone, and now there’s a face for that struggle: Potato boss.
Lizet Ocampo is the political director of People for the American Way, a progressive advocacy organisation that works to build democracy by tackling right-wing extremism and encouraging civic engagement. Like many offices around the country, Ocampo’s is working remotely, conducting team meetings via video conference.
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In March, she fell victim to technical difficulties with the filters she had downloaded on Microsoft Teams and was forced to lead her call while appearing as a root vegetable.
“I just kind of gave up and stayed as a potato for the rest of the call,” Ocampo told BuzzFeed News.
Ocampo’s colleague, Rachele Clegg, shared the moment on Twitter:
my boss turned herself into a potato on our Microsoft teams meeting and can’t figure out how to turn the setting off, so she was just stuck like this the entire meeting pic.twitter.com/uHLgJUOsXk — Rachele with an e but pronounced Rachel (@PettyClegg) March 30, 2020
This incident apparently struck a chord; the post raked in hundreds of thousands of likes and retweets.
Fortunately for Clegg, who was momentarily concerned about how her boss would take the news she was now a Twitter-famous spud, Ocampo welcomed her newfound internet fame:
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I yam potato boss. You should see me in a crown, right @billieeilish? I yam glad this is making folks laugh at this time. Please stay planted at home and safe! For more needed laughs, follow my favorite comedian @cristela9 . Potate out. #HASHtag #PotatoBoss https://t.co/OxpidZc921 — LizetOcampo (@mlizetocampo) March 31, 2020
“The good news is that my boss, Lizet Ocampo, will not be sacking me tomorrow. We hashed it all out tonight and our team is still laughing with you all. STAY PLANTED AT HOME & welcome my potato boss,” wrote Clegg.
Other colleagues were relieved their boss owned her “spudden” fame:
No worrries about being sacked from @_jalinsky90 @PettyClegg and I, #potatoboss @mlizetocampo isn’t salty about her spudden fame! — Samantha Del Vecchio (@sam_del_vecc) March 31, 2020
The internet, of course, did as the internet does with their new potato queen, and turned her into a relatable meme:
You should see me in a crown, right @finneas?#HASHtag #PotatoBoss
For more laughs and enjoyment during this time, check out my new favorite podcast “We Bought a House” with @finneas and @ClaudiaSulewski pic.twitter.com/OIl7rdVYug — LizetOcampo (@mlizetocampo) March 31, 2020
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