thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Coronavirus Testing Firm Forced To Furlough Staff As Government 'Ignores' Offer To Help NHS

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
A UK coronavirus testing firm says it has been forced to furlough staff because the government has “ignored” its offers to supply test kits to the NHS.
Advertisement
Cumbrian-based medical diagnostics company Better2Know says it could provide at least 2,000 coronavirus test kits a week but has been stonewalled despite its persistent attempts to offer its support to government.
The company provides Covid-19 home testing kits and has already delivered a large order for one NHS trust in early April.
But since then the firm has had to furlough seven of its 16 staff, with the government paying 80% of their wages, because there is not enough testing work to keep them employed.
That is despite the government’s desperate scramble to hit its self-imposed target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April – a benchmark it now seems likely to miss.
Advertisement
The company has also been forced to apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan under the government backed scheme to stay afloat.
“Despite our clear and direct offer to help government, they do not seem to want us,” said Anthea Morris, co-founder and director of Better2Know.
“We are watching the business that we have built up over 10 years die, and we have to rely on government grants to keep our workforce going, when our skills are apparently so in demand.”
The Better2Know team outside the company's headquarters in Cumbria Better2Know
Better2Know has been producing home test kits for a decade as a private provider of testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) such as HIV and chlamydia, and it has been selling Covid-19 home test kits since February.
Advertisement
The company builds sample collection kits that can be posted through a letterbox and then send it back to its private lab for analysis. This type of antigen test has been a vital tool in the national testing programme to assess whether NHS staff are safe to work.
However, over the last month the government has come under fire for failing to offer sufficient quantities of testing to NHS workers and Better2Know says its attempts to offer its services during that time went unanswered.
“Despite regularly offering these resources to [health secretary] Matt Hancock and the Department of Health and Social Care from the beginning of this crisis, our offers have fallen on deaf ears, without receiving any acknowledgement or request for more information,” said Michael Asher, co-founder and chief exec.
“We are now facing the prospect of furloughing additional staff when we could have been working at capacity, helping government more quickly overcome this pandemic and save lives.”
Better2Know's co-founders Michael Asher and Anthea Morris Better2Know
Advertisement
The firm has also contacted NHS trusts, regional ambulance services, the fire brigade and 152 care homes to offer its testing service.
Morris says she has spent an average of an hour a day researching and pursuing contacts and thinking about different ways the firm can play its part either locally or nationally.
“I would be pleased to at least be told that our services were not required and that I did not need to make a further offer, but in this time of national crisis we want to do everything we can to help,” she said.
Asher accused the government of overlooking smaller regional firms in the roll-out of coronavirus testing, saying it has missed out on vital capacity as a result.
“The government is trying to come up with single national solutions but the problem with medical diagnostics is it’s a complicated affair and it’s very, very difficult to organise logistics,” he said.
Advertisement
″What the government is lacking is quick wins. They could say: ‘Look, we’ve made good headway in Cumbria and Lancashire in our partnership with Better2Know, we’ve made good headway in Norfolk with our partnership with somebody else’ – at least then people would see the government was doing things proactively.”
He told HuffPost UK he contacted Public Health England directly at the end of March when there was still severe pressure on testing availability to offer the firm’s assistance.
Employees assembling Better2Know's Covid-19 home test kits Better2Know
The government later set up a webpage for companies offering testing and PPE to get in touch and Better2Know applied through this official page on April 8.
Some 20 days later, on Tuesday this week, the DHSC replied thanking the company for its correspondence and talking about the public testing options but not referencing its specific bid.
Advertisement
On Wednesday, the company submitted a ministerial question in a final attempt to get a fuller response from the government.
It said: “We have been offering medically approved and accredited Covid-19 home testing throat swab kits to the NHS and the government regularly since the beginning of the pandemic and so far have been ignored, even though demand and government targets are currently too high for the NHS’s testing supplies. Why will you not accept our help?”
Better2Know has been making Covid-19 test kits since February Better2Know
Alongside this, the firm has written to MPs David Morris and Tim Farron, with Farron, who represents the constituency where Better2Know is based, replying to say he recognised the importance of what they were offering.
Farron said he would write to secretary of state Matt Hancock to highlight the firm’s proposal, saying they “could do a significant amount to help the government meet its 100,000 tests per day target”.
Advertisement
The DHSC has ramped up testing capacity over the last week, but the latest figures show it reached just over 52,000 coronavirus tests on Tuesday.
The government says it is working with companies across the public and private sectors to scale up testing.
“We welcome all offers of support and that is why we have set up a clear and easy process by which these can be made and carefully considered,” said a DHSC spokesperson.
“We currently have sufficient supply of viral detection test kits, including swab test kits, but we keep a record of offers and will go to back to suppliers if our supply chain needs change,” the spokesperson added.
The DHSC has already announced it is working with a number of larger companies to deliver testing, including Amazon, Boots and test makers Randox and Thermo Fisher.
Advertisement
Private companies have been criticised for “unethical behaviour” over the sale of Covid-19 tests online when there has been a national shortage for the NHS.
But questions have persisted about whether the government has moved quickly enough to take full advantage of commercial testing capacity.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on April 1 said the availability of additional testing facilities “must be explored urgently”, adding that the life sciences industry has mobilised in an unprecedented way to supplement NHS and Public Health England capacity.
Better2Know, which has its headquarters in Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria, has been trading in the UK for over 10 years and works in 20 countries globally.
The company says it would also be able to assist the government with antibody testing, which detects whether somebody has already recovered from Covid-19.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Love Island Summer Series Looks Unlikely, Following Latest Comments From ITV Boss

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media .
Click ' I agree ' to allow Verizon Media and our partners to @ @ @ @ @ to access your device and use your data ( including location ) to understand your @ @ @ @ @ measure personalised ads .
We will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products @ @ @ @ @ we use your data in our Privacy Centre .
Once you confirm your privacy choices @ @ @ @ @ changes at any time by visiting your Privacy dashboard .
Click 'Learn more ' to @ @ @ @ @ Media and our partners collect and use data .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Things are not looking good for the summer series of Love Island, following the latest comments from ITV boss Kevin Lygo.
Earlier this year, the reality show aired its first ever winter series, which was supposed to have been the first of two editions that would air in 2020.
Advertisement
However, in light of the coronavirus outbreak and current lockdown restrictions, it’s been heavily speculated the summer run – due to film in Mallorca, Spain –would not be going ahead as planned.
In the last few weeks, there have been conflicting reports quoting “sources” and “insiders” as to whether the show would be going ahead, with a recent rumour claiming it could be moved to a location in the UK.
The stars of this year's Love Island ITV2
While ITV has remained tight-lipped on the matter, the broadcaster’s chief addressed the matter during an appearance at the online version of the Edinburgh TV festival – and things are not looking good.
Advertisement
“We’re right approaching the moment with Love Island of is it feasible, will Majorca open its doors to hundreds of production people arriving?” Lygo said. “Will there have to be quarantine? All these things.
“And so we have to factor all of that in and also, what signal might it be sending out if we’re doing a show where everybody is crammed together slathering over each other, and the rest of the world is told don’t go near anyone in the park?”
“I’m a little uneasy about that,” he added. “So we will make a decision in a proper way quite soon, but it affects a lot of people, a big commercial impact for us, there’s 200 people working on that show.”
Love Island host Laura Whitmore ITV/Shutterstock
Lygo also said that while producers looked into moving the show to a location in the UK, this would not be explored any further.
Advertisement
“I don’t think making it in the UK, it would be the same show,” he explained.
A Love Island rep had no further comment when contacted by HuffPost UK.
The first winter series of Love Island – won by Paige Turley and Finn Tapp – was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, and came to an end in February.
It was also the first to be hosted by Laura Whitmore, after previous host Caroline Flack stepped down.
Caroline sadly took her own life on 15 February, with Laura paying live tribute to her during the live final.
Laura had been expected to return to front the summer edition, which was due to head back to the Mallorcan villa that has featured on the show since 2017.
Advertisement
During the same session, Lygo spoke about the future of ITV’s soaps, revealing that at the current rate that Emmerdale and Coronation Street are being aired, the former will run out of episodes in May, and the latter in June.
He also confirmed The Masked Singer would definitely be back for a second UK run in 2021, although it could well go ahead without a studio audience.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Watch Live: Boris Johnson Returns To Lead Daily Coronavirus Conference

Watch Live: Boris Johnson Returns To Lead Daily Coronavirus Conference
The prime minister Boris Johnson is back to give the latest coronavirus update after recovering from the disease and his partner Carrie Symonds announcing the birth of a baby boy yesterday. It also comes with government under pressure to hit its target of testing 100,000 people per day by the end of April.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Tory MP Calls For Buses To Take People To Coronavirus Testing Sites

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Dedicated buses should be provided by the NHS to help people who do not have cars get to coronavirus test sites, a Tory MP has said.
Advertisement
Alexander Stafford called on ministers to help people with Covid-19 symptoms stay away from public transport to stop them infecting other people.
The Rother Valley MP told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast it was the “duty” of vulnerable people and their families, NHS workers with symptoms and others to go and get tested.
But he said the government’s testing capacity, which stood at more than 77,000 as of Tuesday, was not being used fully, with just 52,429 tests carried out that day on 33,445 people.
Stafford suggested a “dedicated bus service” or “dedicated transport service” run by the local health authority should be made available.
Advertisement
Justice secretary Robert Buckland has admitted the government will probably fail to hit its target of testing 100,000 people per day for coronavirus by the end of April.
Stafford stressed the government could not force people to get tested “North Korea-style” but suggested ministers should encourage and make it easier for the right people to use up the capacity.
He said: “Let’s be honest, everyone is saying we want more tests, we need more tests and we do.
“But if you say to someone get in your car, drive to a site, wait for some time, have a swab put in you which isn’t that pleasant, suddenly a lot of people say - well maybe someone else can do it.”
A soldier from 2 Scots Royal Regiment of Scotland assists at a Covid-19 testing centre at Glasgow Airport, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. PA
He said those without cars have been put in a difficult situation as much of the government’s capacity is currently at more than 30 drive-in test sites.
Advertisement
Ministers are also rolling out mobile testing kits and home test kits.
But currently people with symptoms are struggling to access testing, Stafford said, noting that his nearest site was more than two hours away by public transport.
“Because people are told not to use public transport, understandably when they have got symptoms, asking them to get on public transport potentially with other people maybe going to work, with the symptoms, potentially infecting people to go to a testing site which may be an hour away by the bus - in my constituency it’s over two hours away by public transport - suddenly you’re having a huge knock-on effect,” he said.
“So it’s maybe about finding a better service to get people to the sites.
“I don’t know whether there’s a dedicated bus service or dedicated transport service, run by the local health authority, to actually get those people so they don’t have to go on public transport, so they don’t have to use their car if they don’t have it, and actually take them to the testing site.
“Like all these things, it’s all very well having the sites and the tests, you have got to look at a whole holistic approach of how to encourage people to be there and make it easier and safer for them to do so.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--How To Stay Physically And Mentally Fit During Lockdown

We’re all experiencing a very different time in our lives, with many of us having to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We can no longer nip out to the gym, swimming pool or national parks for our usual exercise, and working from home means we’re sitting more than we’re used to.
And this is a stressful time mentally, adapting to a substantial lifestyle change. It’s natural to worry about our family and friends who may be vulnerable or isolated, our own health, our employment, our keyworkers, and the future.
It’s a time when we need to take care of both our physical and mental health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched its #HealthyAtHome campaign to support us in doing just that.
Advertisement
Here are some of its helpful tips and advice.
UnitoneVector via Getty Images
Staying physically active
To maintain heart health, muscle strength and flexibility, the WHO recommends that all healthy adults do 30 minutes of physical activity a day, while children should be physically active for one hour. Even in lockdown there are plenty of ways of achieving this, and with video conferencing technology, remote friends and family can join in, too. Try:
Online exercise classes From Joe Wicks’s popular daily 9am workouts to your local Pilates teacher streaming sessions, there’s a huge choice of online sessions for aerobic, strength and flexibility exercises. Check out these fitness apps.
Dancing to music A disco in the living room will do, but if you’re missing club nights and festivals, check out United We Stream – DJ sets streamed nightly from Berlin’s coolest clubs - and Glastonbury on BBC iPlayer.
Advertisement
Playing active video games Dust off that Wii Fit in the back of the cupboard to get competitive and moving in front of the TV.
Skipping A favourite training aid for many professional boxers, skipping workouts build endurance, speed, coordination and rhythm in a limited space.
Muscle strength and balance training All you need is a mat and some online instruction to build muscle strength and improve balance. Walking up and down stairs and doing some stretching exercises also help.
With many of us working from home on unsuitable kitchen and dining chairs, and probably watching a lot of television, it’s important to remember that too much sitting is bad for us. Sit at your desk correctly (or stand to work) and make sure you get up, move around and do some stretches every 30 minutes. Set a timer on your phone and get up when it goes off.
UnitoneVector via Getty Images
Advertisement
Looking after our mental health
The WHO says there are lots of things we can do to look after our own mental health and to help others who might need some extra support and care.
Keep informed, but be smarter about your news intake It’s important to listen to national and local government advice and news through trusted media channels, including @WHO social media. But too much daily exposure to rolling news feeds, commentary, speculation and chat can leave you feeling anxious, distressed and helpless. Check the news only at certain times of day, perhaps just once or twice.
Have a routine Tempting as it may be to stay in your pyjamas all day eating biscuits and going to bed at 2 am, keeping to your pre-COVID routine is beneficial for mental health. Get up and go to bed when you normally would, shower and dress, eat regular, healthy meals and take daily exercise – why not try these yoga poses to help anxiety? Stick to a cut-off point with work and build some enjoyable activities into your day.
Social contact Lockdown can make us feel isolated, lonely and miserable. It’s important to phone, message or video call loved ones regularly, and check in on people you haven’t heard from for a while. Take inspiration from these people feel more connected during lockdown.
Watch your alcohol intake It’s tempting to drink too much to deal with pandemic anxiety, fear, boredom or loneliness. The WHO recommends we limit or avoid alcohol; drinking has no protective effect against viruses and may increase infection risk, and you might forget to take precautions such as washing your hands. It goes without saying that recreational drug use isn’t recommended.
Advertisement
Screen time and gaming While these can be relaxing and fun in moderation, too much screen time without breaks can impact mental health. Seek out social media accounts that are positive, feel-good or make you laugh; mute negative ones and call out fake news.
If you have a mental health problem Continue taking any medication and keep in touch with your carers and specialists for support during confinement at home.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--What Is Remdesivir, The Drug Hailed As A Possible Coronavirus Treatment?

Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
With millions of people around the world under lockdown because of Covid-19, the race is on to find a drug or vaccine that will stop the virus – which has killed more than 225,000 people – in its tracks.
Advertisement
Amid all the tests and trials, in the past few days you may have heard of one drug being hailed as a possible treatment for coronavirus – remdesivir.
On Wednesday, officials testing the effect of the drug on Covid-19 called preliminary results from a US trial “highly significant”, with evidence suggesting it could cut down the duration of coronavirus symptoms by almost a third.
“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which ran the trial.
“This will be the standard of care,” he added.
What actually is remdesivir – and what impact does it have on coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know.
Advertisement
So, what is remdesivir?
Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that was originally developed to treat Ebola – a virus with a fatality rate of around 50%.
It was dropped from Ebola trials after other drugs were found to be more effective in treating the disease.
But the experimental drug – which is produced by US pharmaceutical company Gilead – has been revived as a potential treatment for coronavirus.
Unlike a vaccine, which would prevent people from developing the disease, it is hoped remdesivir could be used to treat the symptoms of the virus.
Scientists thought it could be used to fight Covid-19 after animal trials showed it had some impact fighting Mers and Sars – other strains of coronavirus that also cause respiratory issues in humans.
Advertisement
What did the US-led trial show?
Beds on a ward at the Nightingale Hospital North West set up in the Manchester Central Convention Complex ASSOCIATED PRESS
Remdesivir was tested in a US-led international clinical trial, with more than 1,000 Covid-19 patients in hospitals around the world taking part.
During the trial, patients were given the antiviral drug – or a placebo – every day for 10 days while they remained in hospital.
The first results from the trial showed that the recovery time of coronavirus patients given remdesivir was almost a third faster than those given a placebo.
The NIAID – which carried out the trial – said remdesivir coronavirus patients recovered in 11 days, compared to 15 days for placebo patients.
Advertisement
In the study, scientists defined recovery as a patient being well enough to come off oxygen, being discharged from hospital or returning to normal activity levels.
Preliminary results also showed a trend toward better survival rates for the drug – 8% of patients given remdesivir died, compared to 11.6% in the placebo group.
However, scientists admitted that the difference was not significant enough that they could be sure it was down to the effect of the drug.
According to Reuters, the full results of the trial could come by the middle of May.
But didn’t a remdesivir trial in China fail?
If it feels like you heard about remdesivir before the results of the clinical trial were published on Wednesday, it’s probably because you did.
Just a week ago, the BBC – among others – published the story: “Hopes dashed as coronavirus drug remdesivir ‘fails first trial’.”
Advertisement
It was about how draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organisation revealed that a Chinese trial of remdesivir had found the drug ineffective in treating coronavirus and reducing Covid-19 deaths.
However, Gilead insisted that the trial in Wuhan was terminated early because of low enrolment, and was therefore not statistically meaningful.
On Wednesday, the authors of the study themselves wrote in The Lancet that the true effectiveness of remdesivir remained unclear for this reason.
Leader of the research Professor Bin Cao said it was not the outcome his team had hoped for but added that he recognised they were limited in the patients they could sign up.
Nonetheless, the Chinese study has led some scientists to question the effectiveness of remdesivir.
What don’t we know about the drug?
Gilead Sciences headquarters in Foster City, California Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Advertisement
While the preliminary results of the US-led remdesivir clinical trial are hopeful, there are still a lot of things that are unknown about the anti-viral drug.
The Guardian quotes Dr Elena K Schneider-Futschik – from the University of Melbourne’s department of pharmacology and therapeutics – saying it was not clear who might benefit from the drug.
“It might highly depend on when and at what stage of the infection patients receive the drug,” she said. “We can say it is currently not clear who is benefiting from remdesivir.
“Is it helping patients who would have recovered anyway, recover quicker? Is remdesivir more beneficial for younger compared [with] older patients? At what stage of the infection does treatment yield the best outcomes?”
Professor Mahesh Parmar – who oversaw the EU portion of the trial – said scientists would continue to gather data while the early results are reviewed by regulators.
Advertisement
“These results are very promising indeed,” Parmar said. “They show that this drug can clearly improve time to recovery.
“Before this drug can be made more widely available, a number of things need to happen: the data and results need to be reviewed by the regulators to assess whether the drug can be licensed and then they need assessment by the relevant health authorities in various countries.
“While this is happening, we will obtain more and longer term data from this trial, and other ones, on whether the drug also prevents deaths from Covid-19.”
If the drug is successful, will it be available for everyone?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made it clear it wants any treatment or vaccine for coronavirus to be made available to people in countries across the world – not just the populations of rich countries.
On Friday, the public health agency announced a £6.5bn programme to unite and speed up access to safe, affordable and universal coronavirus vaccines and medicines.
Advertisement
The Access to Covid Tools Accelerator programme will be officially launched on May 4.
“Past experience has taught us that even when tools are available, they have been not been equally available to all – but we cannot allow that to happen,” said WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Meanwhile, Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations – of which WHO is an agency – said a vaccine or treatment must be safe, affordable and “available for everyone, everywhere”.
“In an interconnected world, none of us is safe until all of us is safe,” he said. “Coronavirus anywhere is a threat to all of us everywhere.”
The UK has said it will support the accelerator programme.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Boris Johnson’s Back, But Is He A Hawk Or A Dove?

Boris Johnson’s Back, But Is He A Hawk Or A Dove?
Boris Johnson capped off an eventful April as prime minister with the birth of his son with partner Carrie Symonds, two days after returning from three weeks off with severe coronavirus. Has the last month changed the prime minister’s outlook on the crisis? Top of his to do list is when and how to end the lockdown so the country can begin to get back to some semblance of normality, with Johnson’s deputy Dominic Raab was cautious not to discuss while he held the reins of government. Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth, new Conservative MP for Rother Valley Alexander Stafford gives an insight into the government’s Covid-19 strategy, as well as whether he thinks Sir Keir Starmer can reclaim red wall seats like his for Labour.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--UK Records 482 More Coronavirus Hospital Deaths In 24 Hours

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The number of people who have died in UK hospitals after contracting coronavirus has risen by 482 in 24 hours.
The increase consists of 391 in England, 60 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and nine in Northern Ireland.
Official UK-wide figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have not yet been released, so the total is taken from each nation’s individual reporting.
Advertisement
It brings the working total to 26,579.
But the government tally, when it is released later today, will be significantly higher as it now includes deaths in care homes and the community. Here’s a quick primer on what all the different numbers mean and how to understand them


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--The Five Lockdown Tests: What Are They And Will The UK Meet Them?

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The government has set out five tests to determine whether the UK is ready to lift, or begin lifting, the coronavirus lockdown measures.
Advertisement
We are some way off hitting them all. But what progress has been made? And how far off are we from the targets?
Test 1: The NHS has the capacity to provide critical care right across the UK
The first test is whether Britain has the capacity to look after those seriously ill with coronavirus – which can be measured by spare beds in intensive care.
Hospitals have not been overwhelmed by patients so far in the pandemic, and in some places have been aided by the opening of the new NHS Nightingale sites.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday that there were 3,190 spare critical care beds in the health service, and that in most parts of the country the number of people in hospital with coronavirus is beginning to fall.
Advertisement
Covid-19 accounts for around 40% of such beds being currently in use, with the numbers of people being admitted to hospital with Covid-19 dropping by 16% from more than 18,000 admitted to around 15,000 during the pandemic.
This test, therefore, appears to have been met.
Test 2: A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from coronavirus
Scientists estimate that England’s daily hospital death toll peaked around April 8, and it has been slowly but steadily falling since.
But the picture is less clear when deaths in the community are included, with some suggestions that deaths in care homes may still be increasing.
On Wednesday, coronavirus was linked to 26,097 deaths in the UK to date in a figure that also – for the first time – included deaths in care homes and in the community.
It represents 3,811 more deaths than those previously counted in hospitals for the same period.
The new total means the UK has one of the highest fatality rates in Europe.
After just a day of this extra data, more is needed to be clear whether this test has been met.
Test 3: The rate of infection has decreased to manageable levels across the board
The “R” value – or infection rate – is now thought to be somewhere between 0.5 and 1, meaning that each person infected with the virus passes it on to, on average, less than one other person.
Advertisement
This in turn means the total number of cases is falling. But if R rises above 1, there could be another steep rise in infections.
It is likely this test has been met across the board, but the government will be extremely anxious to ensure the rate of infection does not rise again.
Test 4: Operational challenges including testing and PPE are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand
Expanding coronavirus tests is a key measure for the government. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images
On Thursday, justice secretary Robert Buckland admitted the government will probably fail to hit its target of testing 100,000 people per day for coronavirus by the end of April, despite promises to the contrary by Hancock.
Advertisement
Speaking to Sky News, Buckland said currently 52,000 people were being tested each day, but added capacity was “rising”.
“Even if we don’t hit it, and it’s probable that we won’t, we will in the next few days,” he said of the 100,000 pledge.
It will not become clear until Friday at the earliest whether the target has been missed.
And while more than a billion items of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been distributed, concerns over shortages remain – particularly among care home staff. For starters, the government hasn’t been able to say how much PPE is actually needed, while acute shortages earlier this month saw an extraordinary instruction to NHS trusts to re-use supposedly single-use equipment, or to downgrade the PPE they were telling staff to use.
Given the global spread of the disease, operational challenges in sourcing PPE may continue for some time. So far, this test does not appear to have been met.
Test 5: Confidence that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections (that overwhelms the NHS)
Prime minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he would not risk a second peak in the disease by relaxing restrictions too quickly.
But Downing Street came in for questioning a day later when it published its “five tests” document with altered wording, leading to speculation the government is preparing to ease the lockdown restrictions.
Rather than stating that ministers had to be confident an adjustment would not “risk a second peak of infections”, the wording was changed to say no weakening of restrictions would be made that would risk a second peak that “overwhelms the NHS”.
Easing the lockdown will almost certainly lead to more infections and deaths until a vaccine is available, but the NHS will not be considered to be overwhelmed if it maintains critical care capacity (as in point 1).
Hancock said during the No.10 press conference on Tuesday that the NHS had coped with the first peak of infections, which is thought to have occurred around Easter.
Advertisement
The government’s scientific advisers are presenting a series of options to ministers about easing lockdown measures, a combination of which would keep the R value below 1.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Boris Johnson Will Finally Face Coronavirus Questions – Make Them Tough

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds announce birth of son Associated Press
So Boris Johnson will finally face some questioning today, when he appears at his first Downing Street briefing since he was taken ill with coronavirus. I would much prefer to see him in the Commons, facing Keir Starmer and other MPs, and I believe he should have volunteered a statement to the Commons on his first day back.
As we will have to wait for that, journalists have a special responsibility today. Any question about babies or flypasts, or which allow him simply to repeat whatever he says in his opening remarks, or launch into war rhetoric and homilies, is a wasted question.
Advertisement
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Johnson will be reporting on the outcome of this morning’s cabinet meeting, and hopefully giving some kind of route map for the future management of the crisis. The early indications are there will be no easing of the lockdown, but I suspect they are keeping something up their sleeves so they can at least indicate forward direction of travel.
The media, as we have seen on the testing issue, have a tendency to opt to report a new pledge ahead of proper scrutiny of the here and now, so should be wary. Today is a day to get some straight answers to straight questions about where we are now, and how we got here.
I hope at least some of the questions below are asked:
Although France was far quicker to respond to the crisis than the UK, President Macron has nonetheless apologised to the French people for mistakes made early in the handling of the crisis. Would you now do the same, and do you not think if you did so the public might be more trusting of advice you give now to continue with the lockdown? Is the fact that we are going to be held longer in lockdown related to the fact that we were one of the countries to go last into it? On what possible basis could you describe as an “apparent success” the UK heading to the top of the European death league table? On what possible basis can you describe as an “apparent success” the fact that the UK has one percent of global population, and almost 20 per cent of global Covid deaths? Can you name some of the NHS workers who have died? Have you written to their families, as previous prime ministers have written to the families of soldiers killed in battle? Do you agree with those nurses and doctors who have said they do not appreciate the constant language of war used by politicians, and, in particular, what do you say to Nicki Credland, chair of the Association of Critical Care Nurses, saying this: “We are not martyrs, angels or heroes. We are critical health professionals who simply want to do the job that we chose safely and with respect.” Or Doctor Rachel Clarke: “We’re not soldiers. We didn’t sign up to die for a cause. We don’t want Red Arrows, medals, jingoism or war rhetoric. We want masks, gloves, gowns and visors. Could you actually focus your minds on that please?” It is now over a month since you told the House of Commons that care home workers would have the PPE they needed “by the end of the week.” By the end of which week will that pledge be fulfilled? Was it deliberate trickery not to include care homes in the daily calculation of death rates, and does this not underline that you have consistently relegated the care home sector to the level of second class service? On how many occasions since you became Tory leader have you committed to setting out long-term plans for the care sector? Are we not seeing the consequences of your failure actually to do so right now? What is actually happening in care homes that the rate of transmission is higher than elsewhere? Which minister is directly in charge of analysing what appears to be the biggest problem area right now? When you committed to 250,000 tests per day, was that a slip of the tongue? And will you apologise on behalf of the government for the failure to meet the pledge of 100,000 tests by today? What is the point of these repeated moving pledges when so few of them are met and yet nobody is held accountable? Chancellor Merkel explained recently the consequences of different stages of easing lockdown in terms of the R factor, what each stage would mean in terms of increasing the rates of infection. Could you do something similar for us now? What investigation is being done into whether the high incidence of Covid in Liverpool is related to the football match you allowed to go ahead, attended by almost 3,000 people from Madrid, which was already in lockdown? Are you aware that the organisers of the Cheltenham race festival say your encouragement that it should go ahead was a prime reason in their decision not to cancel? Will you therefore accept at least some responsibility if people contracted the illness, and died, as a result of attending at a time so many other countries had already banned large events? What, specifically, have you learned from seeing how other countries have managed the crisis? Would you congratulate Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand, where the government appears to have defeated the virus? Do you wish we too had “gone early and gone hard?” When you said we would “send the virus packing in twelve weeks” what did you mean by that, and have we sent it packing? Given the scale of the crisis, and the economic challenge it poses, do you not accept that all but the most ideological of Brexiteers would see sense in pushing back the deadline on talks to agree our future relationship with the EU? Whilst we all accept you must focus on what is happening now, and how you deal with it, given the scale of loss of life, do you agree there must be a judge-led independent inquiry into the crisis once we are through the worst?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Flag-Bearer Video-Bombs BBC Interview Before Awkwardly Trying To Flee

LOADING ERROR LOADING
An unidentified flag-bearer was faced with an incredibly high-pressure scenario on live TV on Thursday lunchtime – hide or flee?
Secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Patrica Scotland, was being interviewed on BBC News when it quickly became apparent her studio prep hadn’t quite been up to speed.
Advertisement
As the camera cut to her, a masked man carrying a flagpole was still shimmying it into position and giving it a quick rustle to provide an appropriate backdrop.
It was at exactly this point that he realised he was on live TV.
BBC News
Faced with either leaving or simply hiding behind the flagpole, the unidentified gent attempted to make a dignified exit before hitting his foot on something on the way out.
To top it off he then continued looking over his shoulder even after exiting the room.
At least the streaming incident didn’t have the potential for the diplomatic fallout that enveloped Wales last week.
Advertisement
The Senedd, the country’s national assembly, has been holding its sessions via the video conferencing system Zoom as a result of coronavirus social distancing measures.
On Wednesday, health minister Vaughan Gething was being asked questions about the Welsh government’s response to the outbreak by Assembly Member Jenny Rathbone.
After he finished his contribution, Gething was heard off-camera talking about Rathbone, his Welsh Labour Party colleague.
He asked an unidentified person: “What the fuck is the matter with her?”
We have the first great Parliamentary Zoom disaster, courtesy of @vaughangething in the Welsh Assembly pic.twitter.com/bqa9rCxj6s — Alain Tolhurst (@Alain_Tolhurst) April 22, 2020
The presiding officer, Elin Jones, could then be heard saying: “I think Vaughan Gething needs to turn his microphone off. Vaughan Gething needs to turn his microphone off.”
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Britney Spears Confesses To Ultimate 'Oops' Moment After Accidentally Burning Down Home Gym

LOADING ERROR LOADING
We can think of a million and one reasons that we’ve used to get out of exercising in the past, but Britney Spears’ excuse has topped them all.
The chart-topping singer has revealed she’s been unable to use her home workout room of late, because she accidentally burned it down last year.
Advertisement
Britney admitted that the gym had caught fire after she lit “two candles” and “one thing led to another”.
In a video marking her return to the gym on Instagram, Britney said: “I haven’t been in here for like six months because I burned my gym down, unfortunately.
“I had two candles and, yeah, one thing led to another and I burned it down.”
Britney explained she only had two pieces of equipment left, before showing a variety of exercises, including lifting dumbbells and squats.
Advertisement
She shed further light on the fire in the video’s caption, writing: “It was an accident …. but yes …. I burnt it down.
“I walked past the door to the gym and flames BOOM !!!!!! By the Grace of God the alarm went off after that and yippy hoorah nobody got hurt.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-30--Eight Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Boris Johnson has led his first Downing Street press conference since returning to work, and scientists in the US have unveiled the first drug “proven” to block Covid-19.
Advertisement
According to the latest figures:
The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 26,711 – an increase of 674 over 24 hours.
As of 9am 30 April, there have been 901,905 tests with 687,369 people have been tested of which 171,253 tested positive.
As of 9am 30 April, there have been 901,905 tests, with 81,611 tests on 29 April.
687,369 people have been tested of which 171,253 tested positive.
As of 5pm on 29 April, of those tested positive for coronavirus across all settings, 26,771 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/thSbLqfexF — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 30, 2020
Here’s the latest:
UK ‘past the peak’ of coronavirus outbreak
Boris Johnson has confirmed the UK is “past the peak” of the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking in Downing Street, the PM said: “I can confirm today that for the first time we are past the peak of this disease.
“We are past the peak and on the downward slope. And we have so many reasons to be hopeful for the long term.”
Advertisement
The government will next week reveal plans for lifting the lockdown, he said, adding the crisis was “as though we have been going through some huge Alpine tunnel.
“And we can now see the sunlight and the pasture ahead of us.”
He went on to say the country must try to avoid “lasting economic damage” and that he would soon begin easing restrictions.
Boris Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street. PA
Face coverings ‘useful’ for protecting against Covid-19, says PM
Face coverings are “useful” to guard against against coronavirus, prime minister Boris Johnson has said.
The PM also hinted he will advise people to wear them, as he said they may give people “confidence” to go back to work.
Advertisement
It came as Johnson confirmed the UK was “past the peak” of the outbreak and that he would next week set out a “road map” to ending the lockdown.
Asked about the face coverings at Thursday’s Downing Street briefing on Covid-19, Johnson said: “What I think Sage [the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] is saying, and what I certainly agree with, is that – as part of coming out of the lockdown – I do think that face coverings will be useful both for epidemiological reasons but also for giving people confidence they can go back to work.”
Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam had previously poured cold water on the notion of people wearing masks, saying there was “no evidence that general wearing of face masks by the public who are well affects the spread of the disease in our society”.
1,800 jobs set to be lost as Oasis and Warehouse collapse
The high street brands are set to disappear as as SOPA Images via Getty Images
More than 1,800 jobs are set to be lost at Oasis and Warehouse as administrators said they were unable to rescue the company behind the brands.
Advertisement
Lockdown has had a disastrous impact on a number of well-known high street brands, with giants such as Debenhams also entering administration for the second time this year earlier in April.
Oasis and Warehouse went into administration earlier this month, with 200 workers were made redundant on Deloitte Wednesday, April 22.
The retailer was owned by Kaupthing, the failed Icelandic bank, and its own administrators had tried to sell Oasis Warehouse three years ago, but this was later abandoned.
Speaking at earlier in April Rob Harding, joint administrator at Deloitte, said: “Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on the entire retail industry and not least the Oasis Warehouse group.
“Despite management’s best efforts over recent weeks, and significant interest from potential buyers, it has not been possible to save the business in its current form.”
Advertisement
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca partnered with Oxford University to distribute Covid-19 vaccine
Trials are currently underway at Oxford University. ADRIAN DENNIS via Getty Images
The University of Oxford has partnered with pharmaceutical giant AstraZenenca for the potential development, manufacture and large-scale distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate that is currently being trialled in the UK.
The agreement was announced on Thursday, with the details set to be finalised in the coming weeks.
The move will allow for rapid vaccination around the world if the jab proves to be effective, the university said.
Human trials of the vaccine developed by the university’s Jenner Institute began last week, with hundreds of people volunteering to be part of the study, which received £20m in government funding.
Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, described the partnership with AstraZeneca as a “major force in the struggle against pandemics” for the foreseeable future.
Advertisement
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Bell said he hoped that some results from a human trial of the vaccine would be available by the middle of June.
Both partners have agreed to operate on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the pandemic, the university said, with only the costs of production and distribution being covered.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot told Today there was an agreement between companies within the pharmaceutical industry to help one another with production, and that the intention is to supply the vaccine free of charge during the pandemic.
Concerns about the affordability and eventual availability of a vaccine have previously been raised by leading charities such as MSF and Global Justice Now, who have called on the government to apply conditions to the funding given to pharmaceutical companies throughout the pandemic and regulations to be introduced to prevent monopolies from forming.
US scientists unveil first effective drug to treat coronavirus
Remdesivir has been announced as having a proven track record of blocking the virus. Meyer & Meyer via Getty Images
Advertisement
Scientists in the US unveiled the first effective treatment against coronavirus on Wednesday, hailing the discovery as a major medical advance amid the nation’s huge death toll.
The nation’s government has said it is working to make the experimental antiviral medication remdesivir – which has previously been used in the fight against Ebola – available to patients as quickly as possible.
“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious-disease expert. “This will be the standard of care.”
The US currently has by far the highest recorded number of confirmed cases and Covid-related deaths in the world.
More than 61,000 have died across the country, and health officials announced earlier this week that more than a million people had tested positive.
Advertisement
Abdel Babiker, professor of epidemiology and medical statistics at UCL, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “These are very encouraging results from the first large-scale randomised trial to report on any treatment of Covid-19.”
He said the group of adults admitted to hospital with advanced coronavirus who received remdesivir recovered “much faster” than the group that received a placebo.
Preliminary results also suggested a survival benefit, with a lower mortality rate of 8% for the group receiving the drug, compared with 11.6% for the placebo group, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD) said.
BAME NHS workers should be risk-assessed, NHS England says
NHS workers clap outside Newham University Hospital on April 23. Alex Pantling via Getty Images
NHS workers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds should be “risk-assessed” over concerns they could be at greater risk of coronavirus, new guidance suggests.
Advertisement
A letter from NHS England urges health trusts to make “appropriate arrangements”, which could include moving those from ethnic minority backgrounds away from the front line to non-patient facing roles.
The official guidance says UK data is showing these workers are being “disproportionately affected by Covid-19”.
Data from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre has suggested 34.5% of critically ill Covid-19 patients have BAME backgrounds.
This is despite just 10.8% of the population being black or Asian, according to the 2011 census.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said Public Health England had been asked by the Department for Health and Social Care to look into the issue.
He added: “In advance of their report and guidance, on a precautionary basis we recommend employers should risk assess staff at a potentially greater risk and make appropriate arrangements accordingly.”
Advertisement
It could mean BAME health workers being relocated to different roles within the NHS or ensuring they are adequately fitted with personal protective equipment (PPE).
The department of health and social care announced on April 16 that a review would take place to look into why BAME people were being affected disproportionately.
No new domestic cases reported in South Korea for the first time since nation’s virus peak
The nation hit the peak of the crisis in February. Chung Sung-Jun via Getty Images
South Korea has reported no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since February, the peak of the nation’s battle with Covid-19.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Thursday that they had seen just four new infections – all imported – taking the national tally to 10,765. The death toll rose by one to 247, while 9,059 have been discharged.
Advertisement
Of the total, 1,065 were imported cases, while more than 90% were Koreans, according to a KCDC statement.
The health authorities also concluded no local transmission occurred from a parliamentary election this month, where authorities took safety measures, including requiring voters to wear masks and plastic gloves when casting ballots.
“Twenty-nine million voters participated in the April 15 parliamentary election... Not one case related to the election has been reported during the 14 days of incubation period,” Yoon Tae-ho, director general for public health policy, told a briefing.
Yoon thanked staff and voters, who disinfected polling stations across the country and maintained a distance of one metre between each other.
After grappling with the first major outbreak outside China, South Korea has largely managed to bring the outbreak under control without major disruptions with a massive testing campaign and intensive contact tracing.
Advertisement
Captain Tom given colonel title to mark 100th birthday
The war veteran has been made an honorary colonel to mark his 100th birthday. JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images
Captain Tom Moore, who has raised £30m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden, has been made an honorary colonel to mark his centenary celebrations.
Chief of the general staff general Sir Mark Carleton-Smith made the appointment, which has been approved by the queen, in order to inspire the next generation of soldiers.
The war veteran has received more than 140,000 cards ahead of is big day on Thursday, which will also be celebrated with a Battle of Britain memorial flight flypast of a Spitfire and a Hurricane
Royal Mail has painted a postbox in Moore’s village NHS blue in tribute to his fundraising efforts.
The postbox, in Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire, has been decorated with a golden balloon.
He has also been honoured with a Royal Mail postmark, with all stamped post until Friday marked “Happy 100th Birthday Captain Thomas Moore NHS fundraising hero 30th April 2020.” Moore will not be leaving his house at all on Thursday and has asked that people stay at home and wish him a happy birthday from afar.
“It is quite extraordinary that I am turning 100,” he said.
“It is even more extraordinary that I am doing so with this many well-wishers and I am in awe at the response my walking has had.
“To everyone who has donated, sent birthday cards and messages, sincerely thank you. Please stay home, stay safe.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--BA Cabin Crew Have Put Our Lives On The Line During Coronavirus. Now I Feel Betrayed

Getty Editorial HuffPost UK
I found out from BBC News that I have a one in four chance of losing my job.
It was only then spelled out in black and white, in a hastily written email from the CEO of British Airways, Alex Cruz, telling us 12,000 employees will be laid off. As if the typos and errors in such an important email weren’t encouraging enough on their own, I now have no idea what the future holds for my career.
Being crew really was a dream job for me. Before joining British Airways I worked in dead end call centre jobs, where I’d spend the day on Facebook and hoping no one would answer their phone so I wouldn’t have to read out the script I had to repeat hundreds of times a day. Anyone who has ever worked in a mindless office job will know how crushingly boring and soul-destroying it can be. As the days dragged and I lived for the weekend, I felt like I was wasting my life.
Advertisement
It’s a cliché, but ‘crewlife’ really is living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget. The money is only okay, but no one does it for the pay – you do it for the perks. Travelling to exotic destinations, staying in five-star hotels, sipping kir royales by the pool and dancing til dawn in some tropical paradise, all while getting paid.
“I can’t help thinking this is a cynical ploy to take advantage of this global crisis to do what they’ve wanted to do for years.”
The only thing you had to do was chuck out a few chickens and beefs and after you got off the aircraft, you were pretty much on holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my customers and treated everyone like royalty. I always did my best to represent the brand in the best light, and was a proven top performer with plenty of recognition from customers and my employer. But what was the point of all that, when I’m now treated like nothing more than a cost to be cut at the first opportunity?
British Airways looked to be one of the airlines with the best shot of keeping jobs. I can’t help thinking this is a cynical ploy to take advantage of this global crisis to do what they’ve wanted to do for years: get rid of the expensive legacy crew and have everyone on the same contract to save money. Or maybe it’s a bluff to get the government to cough up some bailout money. Either way, staff like me are being, at worst, used as ploys, and at best, nothing more than numbers.
Advertisement
I always knew big companies like British Airways were ruthless and ultimately don’t give a damn about their staff – but it really galls me that over the past few months I have put my health and my life at risk, exposing myself and my family to a deadly virus to operate repatriation flights. Recently, I operated a repatriation flight to Goa with barely any PPE onboard – it was a 24-hour duty straight there, pick up the passengers and straight back. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck and it took days to recover.
“I was willing to do it because it felt like a privilege to bring these stranded British citizens home... But now I feel like an absolute mug.”
I was willing to do it because it felt like a privilege to bring these stranded British citizens home. One passenger grabbed my hand and said “thank you so much for picking us up,” and I was humbled by her gratitude. But now I feel like an absolute mug for having done it at all. I laugh at my stupidity, that I actually felt like I was helping the company out. There was a lot of talk of us ‘all being in it together’. The truth was British Airways was making money operating these government-chartered flights, and putting gullible crew at risk in the process. Fast forward to now and I have to find out, through the six o’clock news, we all have a chance of getting the chop.
I’m angry, I’m worried, and I have no idea what I will do if I lose my job. This crisis is showing us that the aviation industry will never be the same again, if it even recovers at all. Many of us believe air travel will be transformed dramatically: scaled down and expensive. As one person put it bluntly on Twitter: “The days of Vicky Pollards flying are over”.
For now, I’m trying not to think about it and push those fears to the back of my mind, but I feel sorry for my friends and colleagues who will struggle with mortgages and children. Despite everything they’ve done for BA, the company has decided to pile even more stress and worry on an already beleaguered staff.
Advertisement
It feels downright malicious.
The author is a British Airways cabin crew worker, writing anonymously


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--The Treasury Could Save the High Street – By Giving Everyone £100 Vouchers

The Treasury must help our high streets bounce back. AP
The much desired “V” shape recovery in consumption may well be illusory, but policy-makers must surely try hard to get there. Certain “offline” sectors could bounce back from lockdown relatively well – hairdressing, garden centres, pharmacies maybe. But for most on the high street, it could take many months as demand returns tentatively, especially from customers who have adapted to online alternatives for the first time.
This will doubtless compound the meltdown of Britain’s shopping streets. Stores were closing at an alarming rate before the crisis. A tenth of high street stores lay empty last October – well before coronavirus struck. Many familiar brands had ceased trading. How many retailers, landlords and town planners must yearn for such a figure now?
Advertisement
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Alas, we should not only be focusing on how many chains or individual shops end up winding up entirely, but rather count how many will open back up.
After three months of no income, many retailers may decide to wind up their companies entirely because the world of consumption is set to be so different.
Of those shops which do re-open, how they serve customers and what products they sell will have to be reappraised entirely by their owners.
Advertisement
“The government’s exit strategy cannot simply be about unwinding lockdown; it must also provide the financial adrenaline to jolt the economy back into life.”
Social distancing and mitigation measures are not incompatible with the gradual return of widespread business activities. Shops and workplaces will need to adjust significantly, varying hours, limiting customer proximity, protecting staff. The psychological impact of the lockdown will make many people wary of circulating for some time to come – and the shielding of vulnerable and older customers will itself reduce footfall for businesses probably for the rest of this year.
Can retail turnover recover in such an environment? Customers may refuse to wait for 20-30 minutes just to enter a store and even when inside, they won’t enjoy the process of shopping as before. It takes an incredibly patient shopper to queue up for ages and then be directed to follow arrows through a store, maintaining a distance of 2m from the person in front, particularly if only to buy one or two items. You may be discouraged from hanging around or touching and feeling the very products that you were interested in buying – lest you pass something on to someone else.
So, in order to survive, shops will hold fewer products – because sourcing them from wholesalers impacted by the virus and closed borders just can’t facilitate niche or specialist items. Thus a smaller range of products could lead to the ”ALDI-fication″ of what were bountiful retailers.
New ways to funnel customers through stores, following specified routes, picking, scanning and paying at self-service machines themselves before exiting through a different door could mean shopping without having any human interaction at all – the ”IKEA-fication” of stores.
Advertisement
All of this still won’t be enough to save retailing as we know it. The latest ONS statistics already show retail sales collapsing at the fastest rate on record, even when accounting for online goods.
Regulators and governments will have to step in. The government’s exit strategy planning cannot simply be about the process of release from lockdown; it must also provide the financial adrenaline to jolt the economy back into life. A rapid rebound may not be completely realistic, but that shouldn’t stop us striving for as close to the “V” shape recovery as possible.
Online businesses will be able to weather this storm more effectively than the high street, helped of course by lower overheads and no business rates. But when lockdown eventually ends, specific and tailored interventions to get the high street and ”offline″ businesses back on their feet must begin. Three measures in particular should form the basis of a time-limited high street reboot plan:
First, at the point of easing of lockdown, there should be a total relaxation of shopping hour restrictions including Sunday shopping, as some MPs have started to demand, so that customer “bunching” in a narrow range of hours can be eased, especially for that set of shops where very high demand for services is likely at the outset.
Second, we should actively encourage traffic into town and city centres for the first couple of months after lockdown, so there should be a nationwide suspension of town centre parking charges and an easing of parking and congestion charging restrictions to make it easier for the public to return to their shopping habits on the high street.
Advertisement
Third, the Treasury should introduce a time-limited High Street Voucher Scheme, worth £100 for each UK citizen, that can only be redeemed in offline retail premises (who normally pay business rates) within two months of the end of the lockdown phase. If the vouchers are not redeemed within those eight weeks, their value would cease. A “use-it-or-lose-it” incentive for everyone to return to the high street, following any adapted social distancing rules, would be the kickstart that the offline economy needs. The £7billion maximum cost of such a scheme could allow £200m for local authorities to administer and distribute vouchers rapidly. Vouchers are preferable because there is a risk that cash would simply be saved rather than spent. And voucher schemes have worked successfully in other times of economic recovery, for instance in Belgium with energy costs or with car scrappage schemes, which could also be considered again.
We cannot assume that the high street will bounce back unless policies actively drive footfall into our town centres and as soon as possible. Offering more debt to firms worried about their prospects simply cannot have the right stimulating impact. One-off interventions may cost the taxpayer in the short term, but tumbleweed town centres won’t generate revenues for the Exchequer any faster.
Exiting lockdown won’t be easy and safeguarding public health must be paramount. But now is the time to think through how best to inject new life into a dangerously ailing economy – especially our high street retailers who, once gone, may never return.
Chris Leslie was MP for Nottingham East and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2015


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--How To Help Others Affected By The Pandemic, Both Here And Abroad

LOADING ERROR LOADING
We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Coronavirus is impacting all areas of life right now, meaning that many people around the world are struggling in different ways.
Advertisement
For those of us able to keep our jobs and work from home, or go to work safely, it can be hard to know exactly how to help others at this time. Whether donating, volunteering or offering physical support, here’s how you can do that.
Donate to help the the world’s poorest nations
According to the United Nations, coronavirus threatens to hit the world’s poorest nations disproportionately, not just as a health crisis but as a social and economic crisis.
Former foreign secretary David Miliband has warned there are “only weeks to prepare” for coronavirus hitting poorer countries. In conflict-affected states like Yemen and Syria, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which Miliband is CEO of, suggests that up to 1bn could get coronavirus and up to 3m people could die from it.
To help, you can donate to the IRC’s emergency response fund, which is providing lifesaving programmes to vulnerable communities in 40 countries worldwide. Help Refugees is also raising money to increase medical support to refugee camps, provide emergency accommodation for those who are sick, and distribute thousands of bars of soap and bottles of hand sanitiser.
Advertisement
Financially support struggling families
At the end of March, national poverty charity Turn2us reported a 520% increase in pleas for help from people facing financial struggles due to the pandemic.
Thomas Lawson, the charity’s chief executive, said despite government measures, millions of people still don’t qualify for help. On top of this, those who are eligible may have to wait months for financial support to come through.
The charity launched an emergency appeal to help fund crisis grants of £500 to give to struggling families. Those with cash to spare can donate online. An incredible £1.7m has been raised so far, but with millions expected to be left jobless or on reduced incomes, every bit helps.
Get food to those who need it
Three weeks into the lockdown, the Food Foundation said 1.5 million Brits had reported not eating for a whole day because they had money struggles or couldn’t access food. And some food banks been running short of supplies or have faced closures due to volunteers falling ill.
Food Foundation director Anna Taylor told The Guardian the crisis is too big to be left to food banks and local authorities alone, and requires “urgent and substantial investment from central government”. In the meantime, charities are stepping up.
Advertisement
Feedback is rescuing produce that would otherwise go to waste from farms and diverting it to vulnerable members of society. People can volunteer to become gleaners (collecting produce from farms and distributing to those in need locally) or make a donation to help get food to those who need it.
For an easy and localised way to help, why not donate to your nearest food bank? Or volunteer with them? If you can’t travel to a food bank, it’s worth calling to see if there’s a way for donations to be picked up, or another way you can help.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS via Getty Images First Love foundation food bank co-founder, Aerold Bentley walks past goods for distribution to families, at the First Love foundation foodbank warehouse in Tower Hamlets.
Keep toiletries flowing to food banks and refuges
People are in need of hygiene essentials. The Beauty Banks scheme is desperate for soap and detergent, however it’s now only accepting monetary donations. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help those in need. The Hygiene Bank is also in need of urgent donations – you can text BASICS to 70085 to donate a fiver. And periods don’t stop because there’s a pandemic, so the Bloody Good Period is working hard to keep drop-in centres, refuges, homeless shelters and food banks topped up with sanitary products. However, they need financial support to pay for more products.
Support those with mental illness
A recent survey by Rethink Mental Illness, which needs donations to keep its support helpline running, revealed 80% of people living with mental illness are finding the coronavirus pandemic has made their mental health worse.
Advertisement
The Samaritans says the coronavirus crisis is “the biggest challenge [it] has ever faced” and has issued an emergency appeal so it can continue to support those who phone its helpline. Even before the crisis hit, its 20,000 volunteers were answering a call for help every six seconds. Donations help fund training for more volunteers and keep calls free of charge to those who phone up.
Those struggling with mental illness and facing financial hardship can apply to the Mad Covid fund, which is offering grants of up to £200 for those who need a buffer. You can donate to help keep the fund topped up.
fairywong via Getty Images
Donate blood or plasma
People are still encouraged to give blood during the lockdown, but as coronavirus cases grow, the number of people eligible to give blood could decrease. “Please keep donating. Blood donation is essential to saving lives,” says the NHS.
If you’ve recovered from coronavirus, your blood could provide a key ingredient that may help treat others who are critically ill with Covid-19. Researchers working with NHS Blood and Transplant are asking people who’ve had the virus, and are now healthy, to donate blood plasma as part of a clinical trial to find an effective treatment. Find out more.
Support the NHS
Clapping every Thursday is a nice way to thank our care workers, but there are other things we can do to show support. A crowdfunding campaign to buy urgent PPE, set up by NHS doctors, has reached over £2m, with actor James McAvoy pledging his support by donating £275,000. You can donate online.
Another team of people have created an initiative supporting NHS staff on the frontline. Help Them Help Us works on a donation model: you donate money and it goes towards PPE, as well as counselling and psychological services, childcare, and transport to and from work for NHS staff. It has raised over £1m in four weeks but needs continued support. You can donate, or find out more. Experts have warned that for those on the frontline, the unique challenges of Covid-19 are pushing NHS workers to breaking point and that a PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) crisis looms for the NHS. Project5.org offers wellbeing and mental health support for healthcare workers. It’s in need of £50,000 in donations to continue to support staff – find out how you can help.
Help those with pets
As more people face financial crisis, charities are bracing themselves for the number of animals in their care to rise – particularly as many of them had to halt adoption during lockdown.
The RSPCA is continuing to rescue animals facing cruelty and neglect. The charity is facing a funding shortfall due to the pandemic and is calling for urgent donations. Staff have been assisting owners who are self-isolating by taking pets to the vets, or looking after pets while owners are in hospital with the virus.
If you know of someone who is sick with coronavirus and has a pet, you could offer to walk – or care for – their pet while they are self-isolating.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--BBC Reveals Full Schedule For Eurovision, With A Surprise Treat For Fans

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The BBC has revealed it has a treat in store for Eurovision fans, after revealing the full schedule for what should have been the night of this year’s live final.
For the last few weeks, there’s been a bit of confusion among fans about what the broadcaster would be showing in place of this year’s event, with the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) each planning their own alternative broadcasts.
Advertisement
While most of Europe had committed to airing the EBU’s Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light in place of the live final, the BBC last month insisted they would be showing their own special, titled Eurovision: Come Together on BBC One that night, while Europe Shine A Light would be available to watch on the iPlayer.
However, they have now apparently backtracked on this plan, revealing that both specials would be airing.
The UK's Eurovision commentator Graham Norton BBC
On Friday morning, the BBC revealed its full schedule plans for the night of 16 May, which will kick off at 6.30pm with Eurovision: Come Together.
Advertisement
Fronted by UK commentator Graham Norton, the 90-minute show will feature highlights from past Song Contests, and an interview with James Newman, who was supposed to have represented us in Rotterdam this year.
This will be followed by Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light at 8pm, which will celebrate all of the acts who were supposed to compete in the final in 2020.
All 41 acts will also come together for a “unifying performance” of Katrina And The Waves’ Love Shine A Light, the last song to win the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK
HuffPost UK has contacted the BBC for comment about the change to their planned schedule.
Completing the scheduling line-up will be The A-Z Of Eurovision and TOTP2 Goes Eurovision!, which will air back-to-back on BBC Two from 10pm.
Eurovision was supposed to take place in Rotterdam this year, following Duncan Laurence’s win for The Netherlands in 2019.
Advertisement
Reigning Eurovision champion Duncan Laurence Vyacheslav Prokofyev via Getty Images
However, the event was cancelled altogether as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Explaining why they chose to axe Eurovision rather than postponing or working around the restrictions, an EBU rep said: “The current situation across Europe is likely to remain uncertain for the coming months and at this stage we cannot guarantee we would be able to stage an event of this size with this many stakeholders later this year.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--We're Still In Danger Of Lockdown Riots Unless We Can Keep A Lid On The Tinder Box

Pedestrians walk across Hammersmith Bridge Getty Editorial
Boredom, isolation, fake news and financial concerns – there’s a lot at play right now when it comes to the physical and mental wellbeing of the British public.
And we need a much more reasoned argument when it comes to the Coronavirus crisis if we’re to keep the potential for social unrest in check.
Advertisement
Increasingly in modern society we’re seeing the polarisation of opinion. And the current pandemic is no different.
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
We’ve already seen mass protests in some American states, with people creating blockades with their vehicles to demonstrate their unhappiness with the current quarantine measures.
In the UK, on the one hand we’ve got “stupid” people going out into the parks, seemingly against government advice. On the other hand, we’ve got people venturing out into the only green space near their homes because they don’t have a garden and simply have nowhere else to go.
Advertisement
Coronavirus is, however you look at it, a real class issue, where social isolation is being coupled with marginalisation through economic means.
Even if the ideologies and reasoning behind people’s ire are coming from a good place, there is still a danger of creating a form of mob mentality.
And that is potentially leading to a time of great unrest – where police and policymakers need to be extremely mindful that it doesn’t escalate into something more volatile, as we are now beginning to see in other countries.
Just look at the riots that spread across England in 2011.
They emerged, quite abruptly, due to questions about “justice” stemming from the death of Mark Duggan at the hands of the police.
That animosity filtered into communities who felt marginalised and unheard.
There were a lot of economic factors thrown in for good measure. David Cameron had scrapped the education maintenance allowance (EMA), a support system for young people staying in further education, and there was a general air of dissatisfaction.
Advertisement
While we are not necessarily on course for a repeat of 2011, and we’re probably past the peak of that being a likely occurrence, it is easy to recognise the parallels between then and now.
What we have here in 2020 are people who are genuinely concerned for the health of themselves and their families, worries compounded by economic factors.
Many are also finding it difficult just to walk into the supermarket to get everything they need right now.
Let’s not forget that we’re still in a period of austerity, we had the catastrophic roll-out of universal credit which has left a lot of people living under the breadline, you’ve got a benefits system which is struggling, to the point where people in work are still living in poverty, on top of a general anxiety around coronavirus.
Add to this access to 24-hour media while confined indoors, and a lack of access to social bonds and safe spaces.
Advertisement
Then factor in the poorest members of society being vilified for using green spaces where they have none at home. And what you’re left with is a coiled spring.
We need to be very careful about not letting that spring go off. So what can be done to help?
One key element for me is the continued good management of supermarkets.
We are, thankfully, seeing essential goods returning to shelves after a cessation of panic buying. We need to continue to make sure that the most vulnerable people in society have proper access to these basic necessities. Whether that involves more reliance on the Army or other measures, it’s absolutely crucial for the state of the nation.
There also needs to be clear – and honest – communication from the government. We need to avoid the social unrest which is currently escalating in some American states.
Let’s also aim to have a more open-minded debate about people’s behaviours and motivations – and that includes everyone from the keyboard warriors on Twitter to the authorities maintaining peace.
Put yourself in the shoes of others. Remember that those same outdoor spaces being fought over may be a refuge for people, not only in terms of mental health, but also because “home” may not be a safe place for many.
Advertisement
But by working together and remaining resilient, we can keep a lid on the tinderbox.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus Today

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus Today
President Trump again claims, without proof, that coronavirus started in a Wuhan lab. Boris Johnson signals the UK has now passed the peak and that he will next week set out plans for coming out of the lockdown. This is what you need to know about coronavirus today


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--Lord Alan Sugar Faces Backlash After Tweeting Out Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Lord Sugar is facing a huge backlash after posting details of a conspiracy theory about coronavirus on Twitter.
On Thursday, the Apprentice star raised eyebrows when he posted a tweet – which has since been deleted – suggesting that the virus had been man-made in a laboratory.
Advertisement
This has now been debunked by Full Fact, and while Lord Sugar has conceded the theory he shared was “fake news”, he has continued to defend his decision to tweet it, and keep the post up for some time.
Lord Alan Sugar NurPhoto via Getty Images
Initially responding to one of his detractors with the message “I just passed [the theory] on… I didn’t write it”, his tweets to critics became increasingly more irritated and sarcastic as time went on.
Advertisement
I just passed it on . I didn't write it https://t.co/qhYl55isjO — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 30, 2020
“Isn’t your slogan I didn’t write the headline. I didn’t write that either,” he told one journalist, who he then urged to “chill out”, later telling another Twitter user to “shut [their] face”.
Oh you are so wonderful. I wish I was as perfect as you. https://t.co/v7EFpycGHk — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 30, 2020
isn't your slogan I didn't write the headline. I didn't write that either . Someone sent it to me for god sake . Chill out will you. https://t.co/lynyQvxBDx — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 30, 2020
shut your face https://t.co/WouT8Wx6hc — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 30, 2020
Advertisement
You are so wonderful and correct and perfect just such a goody goody. I bet you are a bore. https://t.co/7UfJBMqHE7 — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 30, 2020
I told you . You are a wonder a miracle maybe even a saint. I will strive to be as good as you in future. https://t.co/SCy1YwU3p7 — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 30, 2020
However, Lord Sugar isn’t the only star who’s come under fire for sharing false theories about coronavirus in the last few weeks.
“I totally agree with everything you’re saying, but what I don’t accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true, when they don’t know it’s not true,” he said.
Advertisement
“No one should attack or damage [phone masts] or do anything like that, but it’s very easy to say it is not true because it suits the state narrative. That’s all I would say as someone with an inquiring mind.”
After being criticised by viewers and scientists, Eamonn read out a statement the following morning, insisting there was no evidence to suggest a link between 5G and coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Amanda Holden had previously found herself at the centre of a similar controversy when a link to a petition suggesting 5G is linked to coronavirus appeared on her Twitter page.
However, she insisted she had accidentally tweeted the link, and does not believe in 5G conspiracy theories.
“Amanda was sadly emailed a petition suggesting 5G is linked to coronavirus, did not know she’d accidentally tweeted a link to it, and does not believe in 5G conspiracies,” her rep said at time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--People In Poorest Areas Twice As Likely To Die From Covid-19 As Those In Affluent Areas

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The Covid-19 mortality rate in deprived areas of England and Wales is double that of more affluent places, new data from the Office for National Statistics reveal.
Advertisement
The ONS found that, in the most deprived areas of England, the age-standardised mortality rate of deaths involving Covid-19 was 55.1 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to just 25.3 deaths per 100,000 in the least deprived areas.
Wales saw a similar disparity in deaths – a mortality rate of 44.6 deaths per 100,000 in deprived areas, compared to 23.2 in well-off areas.
However, the local authorities with the highest age-standardised mortality rates for Covid-19 deaths were all in London.
In Newham, there were 144.3 deaths per 100,000 of the population – the highest mortality rate in the ONS data for any local authority.
Advertisement
It was followed by Brent, which had a rate of 141.5 deaths per 100,000, and Hackney, with a rate of 127.4 deaths per 100,000.
A man in a face mask leaves Hackney Central station Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
The ONS statistics were based on deaths that occurred between March 1 and April 17, and were recorded by April 18. Earlier statistics covering the same period published earlier this week included a slightly higher number of overall deaths as they included deaths that were recorded late.
Overall, after data was adjusted for size and age structure of the population, there were 36.2 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people in England and Wales.
Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the ONS, said: “By mid-April, the region with the highest proportion of deaths involving Covid-19 was London, with the virus being involved in more than four in 10 deaths since the start of March.
Advertisement
“In contrast, the region with the lowest proportion of Covid-19 deaths was the south-west, which saw just over one in 10 deaths involving coronavirus. The 11 local authorities with the highest mortality rates were all London boroughs.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--Dog Interrupts Live Weather Forecast, And Perhaps All News Should Be Like This Now

LOADING ERROR LOADING
With many studios in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve been treated to more than our fair share of home broadcast mishaps – but this one might be the best yet.
In recent weeks we’ve had a flag bearer video-bombing a BBC news interview and politicians interrupted by their children, but in the US it was a four-legged friend who stole the show during a live weather forecast.
Advertisement
Florida-based Fox News 13 meteorologist Paul Dellegatto was interrupted by his golden retriever Brody during a recent news segment and the clip has now been shared thousands of times online.
“The maps aren’t going to move because he whacked the computer with his hip,” Dellegatto explained as Brody wreaks havoc on the makeshift set.
“That wasn’t very smart,” he told Brody, who appeared not just in real life, but also in a framed picture behind the meteorologist.
The Tampa Bay area might have been forecast showers, but the outlook for Brody looked somewhat more promising, with Dellegatto promising: “We’re going to eat after this.”
Advertisement
But Brody didn’t stop at ruining the delivery. He also got involved with the technical challenge of filming for live TV through a pandemic, jumping in front of the camera whilst the segment is being filmed through a window.
Dellegatto explained: ″Craig [the cameraman] is hidden on the outside on the porch, and he’s got a blanket up so the reflection doesn’t get in the room here.
“Now he [Brody] can’t see Craig, so he’s going crazy trying to find him behind the blanket.”
According to the Fox 13 Youtube channel, the mishap actually took place earlier in April – with Dellegato now back in the studio – but the recent appearance of the clip online has seen it go viral.
Washington–based reporter Andrew Feinberg posted the clip to Twitter, writing: “This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news,” and it seems that thousands of people agree with him.
This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ — Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020
Advertisement
One Twitter user wrote: “Why have we been doing news any other way? What idiocy made us build sterile studios?
“I want to see everyone in their pyjamas with their pets and a glass of wine telling me how stupid everything is.”
This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ — Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--TV Presenter Raises Eyebrows As Semi-Nude Woman Is Spotted During Broadcast – And It's Not His Girlf

TV Presenter Raises Eyebrows As Semi-Nude Woman Is Spotted During Broadcast – And It's Not His Girlfriend

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A Spanish news anchor has raised eyebrows after a semi-nude woman was spotted in the background during a home broadcast… particularly as the mystery figure in question was not his girlfriend.
Alfonso Merlos was presenting a news segment from his home, when viewers spotted a half naked woman walking past.
Advertisement
And it wasn’t just the partial nudity that got people talking because the woman pictured was not actually his girlfriend, former Big Brother Spain contestant Marta López, but a fellow journalist Alexia Rivas.
Oh. Dear.
Alfonso Merlos and his... guest Estado De Alarma
While Alfonso kept his head down on the matter for a few days, he later broke his silence during an appearance on The Ana Rose Show.
Apologising to Marta, he also insisted that they had split up at the time of the broadcast in question, stating: “If you think that my attitude has not been correct or that there are things that I have not done well, I have no problem asking for forgiveness, although my goal was not to harm someone else.”
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Alexia has insisted she knew nothing of Alfonso’s past relationship, claiming to Socialité: “He told me he was single. We have been [seeing each other] three weeks.”
What’s more, though, is the fact that Spain enforced strict lockdown rules last month, forbidding anyone from going outside for anything other than absolute essentials, meaning he and Alexia had potentially broken social distancing laws.
However, this isn’t the only from-home broadcast that’s caused a stir in the last few days.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-01--Amanda Holden Unveils Debut Single Over The Rainbow To Support NHS Charities

LOADING ERROR LOADING
We’re still waiting on that Amanda Holden album we were promised last year, but we’re happy to say the Britain’s Got Talent judge has treated us to a little something to tide us over.
And as if that wasn’t enough, it’s all for a good cause.
On Friday, the 49-year-old released her debut single, a cover of the Judy Garland staple Over The Rainbow, with money raised from the track going to NHS Charities Together, which helps staff members working on the front line in the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
The release also coincides with a new rainbow t-shirt being sold at M&S, which is also raising money for the same cause.
Amanda Holden Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
Amanda said: “Life has taken a really funny turn but one thing that I think has become really clear is that we are all in this together. And more than ever, we’ve reconnected with love and hope during this time.
“This campaign and the NHS mean a lot to me because, as I’m sure you’ve read over the years, they’ve saved my life. They’ve saved my sister’s life after she was in a car accident. And, of course, our son Theo was born sleeping at an NHS hospital where all the staff were utterly extraordinary and treated us with so much empathy and love.
Advertisement
“So, I feel like I owe them so much. I feel like we all owe them a debt now and of course for the future to come.”
Revealing she actually recorded the cover last year, she continued: “It’s a song I used to sing as a girl with my nan and grandad and one I love to sing with my daughters, Lexi and Hollie.
“When Marks & Spencer and I were chatting last week we remembered this song and lyrically it feels more relevant now than ever.”
I'll be forever grateful to the NHS, I’m sure we all have a story as to why our health service is so special.
All proceeds from this song go to @NHSCharities & this is my little way to support those wonderful people 🌈 https://t.co/DWClfjJxsL#AllInThisTogether #OverTheRainbow pic.twitter.com/EWVsjtnw7M — Amanda Holden (@AmandaHolden) May 1, 2020
Over The Rainbow will be featured on Amanda’s debut album, which she said during her Heart radio show is now “on hold” due to the current crisis.
Advertisement
“My album was going to be released just before all of this happened, so it’s all on hold,” she told co-host Jamie Theakston. “And this was not going to be the first single, so it feels very interesting.
“It’s a completely different way to go but it’s for charity so we’re looking at it in a different way now, it’s not for me… it’s for the NHS because I owe them everything, I owe them my life.”
It’s a fitting song to be released in the current climate, when the rainbow has become a symbol of hope for many people around the world.