thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--No, Coronavirus Tests Will Not Be Available Online 'Within Days', Chief Medical Officer Says

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus antibody testing kits will not be available to order online “within days”, the UK’s chief medical officer has clarified.
Professor Chris Whitty, who is advising Boris Johnson’s government on tackling the disease, said the crucial tests would first be for “critical uses”, such as working out whether NHS staff and frontline key workers are immune.
Advertisement
Doctors and scientists must figure out whether the 3.5m antibody tests the government has bought actually work, Whitty stressed.
It comes after Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England, raised hopes at a Commons committee hearing by suggesting the mass of tests would be available for sale on sites like Amazon as early as next week.
England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty ASSOCIATED PRESS
“I do not think, and I want to be clear, that this is something will suddenly be ordering on the internet next week,” Whitty said, appearing alongside the prime minister at a press conference in Downing Street.
Advertisement
“Once we’re confident of which tests work, and how many therefore we’ve got available to use, there is a hierarchy of things that we need to do,” he said.
“We need to start off by answering that critical question (...) what proportion of people get this without any symptoms, because that has big implications for the way we then manage this - that’s a very early priority.
“Then we need to make sure we can get NHS workers tested to work out who is immune, or almost certainly immune, to this infection, and who isn’t, and we will basically go out in kind of a graded way from there.”
He underlined that the wider public were not the first priority for tests, adding: “We need to go through the evaluation, then the first critical uses, and then spread it out from that point of view. We need to do that in a systematic way.”
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. PA
Advertisement
The antibody tests identify where somebody has already contracted the virus, fought it off and is now immune. They will be a key weapon in the fight against the disease, which some people contract and experience no symptoms.
But the government has also faced criticism that not enough testing is available for patients ill with symptoms, to differentiate whether they have Covid-19 or a regular cold or flu.
Johnson used the press conference to say the government was “massively ramping up our testing programmes” and hoped to be conducting 250,000 tests a day “very soon”.
The UK death toll from the disease stands at 437, while more than 8,000 have been infected.
Prof Whitty said there were shortages along many supply chains in the production of tests because “every country in the world is simultaneously wanting this new thing”.
He added: “It’s not that there is no testing going on, what we need, clearly, is to be able to scale it up.”
Advertisement
Whitty went on to talk about the unprecedented pressure the NHS would be under due to coronavirus.
He said it will be a “close run thing” for the service and that the government was expecting demand for critical care beds to rocket in the next fortnight.
He said: “That’s entirely what we expect to happen and that’s what will happen over that time.
“Clearly demand is going to go up because of coronavirus.”
He also said there was no guarantee, despite the stringent measures brought in to try and reduce the spread of Covid-19, that the NHS would not be overwhelmed.
He said: “The measures that have been announced – that all of us have to do, if the NHS is going to get through this without exceeding its capacity – and the fantastic work by my colleagues in the NHS to increase supply, that is the way we will narrow this to the smallest possible gap over the next three weeks.
“We do think that if everybody sticks to staying in your household unless absolutely essential, this gap will probably be manageable by the NHS.
“But we cannot guarantee that and nobody that is sensible would wish to guarantee that.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Love Island's Olivia Attwood Says Being 'Contained' In Villa Was 'Worse' Than Coronavirus Isolation

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
Love Island star Olivia Attwood has claimed being “contained” in the villa was “worse” than coronavirus isolation.
The reality star, who appeared on the third series of the ITV2 show in 2017, said she found living in the luxury Mallorcan residence with no contact with the outside world harder than the current lockdown situation in the UK.
Advertisement
Olivia Attwood on Love Island ITV
Speaking to the MailOnline, Olivia said: “The only thing I can compare this to is Love Island. We were more contained, there was more control. In the villa, you couldn’t call anyone or go for a walk. If anything, it was worse because I couldn’t speak to any of my family or go on my phone.
“Obviously there was a big cast and they were constantly playing games with us so we never really got the chance to be bored. It was hot and there was a swimming pool, but we were contained.”
She continued: “Right now I can speak to my genuine friends and I’m not just stuck with a bunch of strangers. You couldn’t call anyone or go for a walk – but with coronavirus, you can walk outside your front door as long as you’re in the guidelines.
Advertisement
“You can make whatever food you want and have a glass of wine, whereas in Love Island you ate when you were told to eat and you had minimal alcohol.”
Olivia was in a relationship with Chris Hughes during her time on the ITV2 reality show ITV/Shutterstock
However, Olivia, who is now a regular on The Only Way Is Essex, says she is “nervous” about the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s everything, not having any routine, not knowing if it’s going to be three weeks or three months,” she said. “I’m not good with not being mentally busy, so I am worried about it.”
Love Island is due to return to ITV2 in the summer, but there has been much speculation as to whether the series will go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
Originally, ITV had planned to air two series of the hit reality show in 2020 following record-breaking ratings last year, with its first-ever winter run concluding last month.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--More Than 400,000 People Volunteer To Help NHS Through Coronavirus

LOADING ERROR LOADING
More than 400,000 people have answered a call to volunteer for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic in 24 hours, Boris Johnson has announced.
The prime minister thanked the 405,000 who have helped the government exceed its target of 250,000 volunteers in just one day.
Advertisement
GPs, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, NHS 111 advisers and social care staff will all be able to request help for at-risk patients through a call centre run by the Royal Voluntary Service, which will match people who need help with volunteers who live near them.
Johnson told a Downing Street press conference: “They will be driving medicines from pharmacies to patients; they will be bringing patients home from hospital; very importantly they will be making regular phone calls to check on and support people who are staying on their own at home.
“And they will be absolutely crucial in the fight against this virus.
“That is already in one day as many volunteers as the population of Coventry.
“And to all of you, and to all the NHS staff who are coming back to the service, I say thank you on behalf of the entire country.”
Sign up now to get The Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing, by email.
More than 35,000 extra NHS staff have also answered the call to help the UK fight the virus.
The number includes more than 11,000 recently retired health professionals - some 2,660 doctors, more than 2,500 pharmacists and other staff and 6,147 nurses.
Advertisement
Around 5,500 final-year medics and 18,700 final-year student nurses will also “move to the frontline” next week.
I’m so proud of the British public. Within 24 hours, 405,000 people have answered the call to be an NHS volunteer. All part of the national effort to tackle #coronavirus.
Thank you - each and every one. pic.twitter.com/Y3eTabfBlx — Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) March 25, 2020
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick meanwhile confirmed that councils had agreed to provide free car parking for NHS and social care workers during the crisis.
They will be able to park in street parking bays and council-owned car parks without worrying about cost or time restrictions.
“It’s a small gesture of our gratitude to those working round the clock to save lives,” Jenrick said.
Advertisement
📢Today I’ve agreed with local councils in England to provide free car parking for our #NHS and social care workers as they fight #coronavirus 🚘 1/3 — Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) March 25, 2020
At the press conference, Johnson said the country is coping “very well” in the face of the “most challenging circumstances”.
Replying to a question about how well the UK was coping, Johnson said that “never in our history has the government put its arms around people in the way we are doing now to help them get through this time”.
He added that a tailored package of support would be announced on Thursday to help self-employed people.
The PM said: “I do think when you look at the sheer scale of what the government is doing to get this country through, we will cope and are coping very well indeed under the most challenging possible circumstances.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Watch Live: Boris Johnson Gives Daily Coronavirus Briefing

Watch Live: Boris Johnson Gives Daily Coronavirus Briefing
Following yesterday’s announcement of a temporary hospital and 250,000 NHS volunteers, Boris Johnson gives his daily update. Much excitement today has been centred round a nearly-ready antibody test and the last PMQs before parliament’s recess.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--‘No Masks, No Showers, No Soap’: Prisoners Say Coronavirus Is ‘Spreading Unchecked’ In Women’s Jails

Women inside Britain’s jails have claimed horrific sanitary conditions are putting them at risk of coronavirus infection, suggesting Covid-19 is now affecting a significant number of female prisons.
HuffPost UK has been told inmates are reportedly being held on lockdown for 23 hours a day with no exercise or activities, and that they lack sufficient access to soap, hot water and other basic sanitary supplies.
Advertisement
The Ministry of Justice denies this, saying soap is “available” at every women’s prison, and that it is keeping hot water and exercise available wherever possible.
It said there have currently been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in any women’s prisons.
But inmates say they are seeing other prisoners with symptoms of coronavirus, such as coughing and high fevers. Women say no testing is being carried out and they are using communal showers and being held in cells less than two metres apart.
Prison campaign organisation The View has demanded urgent action from government and the temporary release of all low-risk female prisoners to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in jails.
“Screws don’t wanna work. They got no masks and neither do we. No soap. No shower. No hot water. Please let people know how bad it is.”
Advertisement
A cell in HMP Bronzefield women's prison Tim Ockenden - PA Images via Getty Images
The shocking accounts from women directly inside prisons, seen by HuffPost UK, paint a dismal picture of a lack of infection control.
One prisoner at HMP Downview in Surrey said the system had “completely broken down”.
“There are a lot of women coughing and with very high fevers,” she said. “They are being given paracetamol. No one is testing us.
“Many staff are really worried and they are doing the best they can but they have no PPE [personal protective equipment] and are having to bring food to very sick women in their cells.
“There is no hand sanitiser and no soap unless you buy it off canteen and it is a quid. I get £10 a week for everything including phone credit. We have no hot water in the cells that gets hot enough and we are only allowed to access the hot water dispenser twice a day.”
Advertisement
She said women were scared.
“It has completely broken down, I feel really helpless,” she said. “No visits and I don’t want to use the PIN phone which is coughed all over and used by 60 other women.
“They are not cleaning properly and everyone is really worried. Women are being taken to hospital and not coming back. It’s three days since one was taken and we have not heard anything about her.”
Another woman at the same jail said: “Guv [governor] here has ordered lockdown.
“Twenty-three-hour bang up, screws [officers and wardens] don’t want to work and they got no masks and neither do we. No soap. No shower. No hot water. Please let people know how bad it is.”
The Ministry of Justice denied that 23-hour lockdowns were in use in prisons.
A prison service spokesman said: “No prisoner has been confined to their cell for 23 hours each day and access to hot water, phone calls and exercise is being maintained wherever possible in the current circumstances.
“There is soap available at all 12 women’s prisons.
“We are working closely with Public Health England and following their advice when it comes to testing those with symptoms similar to those of Covid-19.”
Advertisement
A female prisoner at HMP Bronzefield in Middlesex explained some of the inherent sanitary risks inmates were facing.
“The worst part is lack of staff meaning poor cleanliness in communal bathrooms. Women use sanitary towels on the toilet seat to make it less hard, but then [it’s] not easy to remove.
“Also, the walls are covered in congealed toothpaste when women are moved from cell to cell, due to it being used to stick photos up. So you have to clean the walls.”
The hospital ward at HMP Bronzefield women's prison Tim Ockenden - PA Images via Getty Images
Female inmates are also reporting that all education programs have been shut down and mental health appointments cancelled due to staff shortages.
Advertisement
Another prisoner at HMP Bronzefield said there had three suicide attempts in one night during 23-hour lockdown.
“It is dire in here, so many women self-harming and they not taking nothing seriously,” she said. “Three suicide attempts in one night because of the 23-hour bank up. No shower for three days. I can smell myself.”
Another female prisoner at HMP Send in Surrey spoke of the strain.
“My mental health is in the bucket,” she said. “Took 16 months to see the psychiatrist and get on the right medication and now all mental health appointments are cancelled till further notice.
“I spend the whole day, alone and crying in my cell. I want to die. What is the point? I am coughing my guts out and no one here cares. The staff are kind but they can’t give us medication. The nurse won’t come and see me. I don’t know what to do.”
HMP Downview is a women's closed category prison Andrew Aitchison via Getty Images
Advertisement
Another prisoner at HMP Newhall in West Yorkshire said women are scared to be moved to the hospital wing.
″Healthcare has basically shut down. [They are] sending women to hospital chained up and no one wants to go because we are afraid if we go to hospital we will get the virus there, if we don’t already got it. What can I do?”
Another prisoner at HMP Drake Hall in Staffordshire said: “They are dragging women to seg [segregation] forcing them to leave their belongings and no phones. The fact they can’t call home or anything is just crazy.”
The View, which publishes a campaigning magazine written by and for women in the criminal justice system and their families and supporters, says it is concerned that lives are potentially at risk from Covid-19.
Editor of The View magazine Clare Simms, herself a former prisoner, told HuffPost UK: ”When the coronavirus started, and we started hearing women had no hot water, no soap, we thought: ‘Hang on a minute – we can’t just sit here and watch this.’
Advertisement
“We have women who have been sentenced to prison, not to death, and they are going to die.
“Women are being taken to the hospital and the prison service is not saying anything about that. They’re not releasing any figures about infection in women’s prisons when we know that it’s happening.
“So women are going to die and children are going to be deprived of their mothers.”
She claims women showing symptoms of coronavirus such as a dry cough and high fever are being reported in seven of England’s 12 female prisons – Bronzefield, Downview, New Hall, Styal, Send, Eastwood Park and Drake Hall.
“Cells are not two metres apart, a cell is less than 1.6 metres, so they’re going to contaminate themselves, each other and prison staff,” said Simms. “Prison staff are going take it home. And eventually all these women are going to be released, and then they’re ticking time bombs, aren’t they?”
Women prisoners eating a prison canteen Liba Taylor via Getty Images
The risks in prison canteens were also stark, she said.
“The other thing is prisoners serve food to other prisoners and they’re not wearing PPE, and some of them are clearly ill, have clearly got symptoms. All of that food will be contaminated.”
Advertisement
Simms slammed the government over the unfolding situation, saying it was a humanitarian issue and that prisoners should be temporarily released.
“Every other western country is doing it – even Iran has let 80,000 prisoners go,” she said. “Even Ireland has let thousands and thousands of prisoners go home. Why isn’t the UK doing it?
“The really strict prison systems are letting people go home as a humane response to a pandemic but we’re just locking them down and locking them in.”
The View has called for the government to urgently implement the temporary release of all low-risk prisoners, known as furlough.
New York’s notoriously tough Rikers Island jail is due to release 300 non-violent inmates on furlough. And British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was placed on temporary release from Tehran’s Evin prison as Iranian authorities sought to clear crowded jails.
Advertisement
So far the UK government has not considered such measures.
Justice secretary Robert Buckland leaves the Cabinet Office following a meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra to discuss coronavirus Aaron Chown - PA Images via Getty Images
However justice secretary Robert Buckland told the Commons Justice Committee at a hearing on Tuesday that he has not ruled out releasing low-risk prisoners and people who can be managed in the community.
He said he was “keen” to make use of release on temporary licence – where prisoners are let out for short periods after a risk assessment.
Simms said that about 80% of women are imprisoned for non-violent crimes and only about 400 of the total 3,800 female prison population are considered dangerous to themselves or to society.
She said women in prisons are also more susceptible to tuberculosis, asthma and other respiratory diseases due to underlying physical and mental health conditions, adding that “of course, the coronaviruses is a respiratory disease”.
Advertisement
She believes the government should use any temporary release programme as an opportunity to test wider use of community sentences, to ease pressure on England’s overcrowded and understaffed jails.
The Prison Reform Trust calculates that around 20,000 prisoners – almost a quarter of the total – are held in overcrowded conditions.
The View’s wider campaign focuses on the argument for decarceration in the female prison population as it is small and can be well managed.
“What we’re saying is, if the Ministry of Justice can release a majority of women and show that it can be done sensibly and sanely and safely, the public might fall behind a general decarceration principle,” said Simms.
“Prison is just meant to be isolation from society, it’s not meant to be a daily breach of your human rights.”
Advertisement
More than 70 people including prominent academics, writers and peers have signed an open letter from The View to government demanding immediate action to reduce the risk of Covid-19 in the English prisons.
It calls for the government to ensure all prisoners are informed on the status of Covid-19 and their rights, for best-practice sanitation and social distancing techniques in prisons, and for early release of low risk female prisoners.
Green Party peer Natalie Bennett has signed the open letter to government Matthew Horwood via Getty Images
Green Party peer baroness Natalie Bennett, who is one of the signatories to the open letter, said: “Our overcrowded and terribly under-resourced prisons are clearly at high risk for the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is both humane, and in the public interest in reducing the spread of the virus, to release the most vulnerable prisoners, including women, the young and those who are nearing the end of their sentences.
Advertisement
“We should also be emptying immigration detention centres, holding people not accused of any crime, often in the most dreadful conditions.”
MP David Lammy supported The View’s call for the mass decarceration of low-and medium-risk female prisoners, saying: “In my decades of experience as an MP I have met hundreds and hundreds of women in prison.
“Every single one of them has a story and I can tell you from what they told me, that every single one of them was there because of a man.
“This country needs to rethink urgently its approach to imprisoning mothers and vulnerable women. Not one woman was not there because of a man.”
The Ministry of Justice said daily routines in prisons had significantly changed as they had in wider society in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
A prison service spokesperson said: “These are uniquely challenging times and we have all had to significantly change our daily routines to save lives – prisoners and prison staff are no different.
“Our absolute priority is to protect life and we are working closely with Public Health England and changing prison regimes to reduce the spread of the virus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Love Lockdown: How New Couples Are Navigating Coronavirus Together

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Those first throes of a new relationship are a heady mix of excitement, insecurity and trepidation. When are you next meeting? Where do you both stand? Does the other person feel the same as you? Where is this even going?
But around the UK, people involved in budding romances are being forced to put their cards on the table a little sooner than expected. In Tuesday night’s briefing, the UK’s deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, urged couples who are not currently cohabiting to either “test the strength of their relationship” by moving in together, or be prepared for a long period of time apart.
Advertisement
Relate counsellor Dee Holmes says that it’s only natural to feel uncertain about the latest advice, whether you’ve recently started dating someone or you’re in a more established relationship, but yet to co-habit.
“During the early stages of a relationship it’s common to want spend a lot of time together. You may miss each other even if you’re just waiting a few days for your next date, so not knowing when you’re next going to be able to meet up will be hard,” she tells HuffPost UK.
FG Trade via Getty Images
Advertisement
To decide the best course of action for both of you, she advises checking in with each other about how the briefing made you feel – and avoid making assumptions about what the other person wants.
“Talk through what it means for you emotionally and practically,” she says. “It could be you decide to move in together during this period of isolation. Maybe you were both ready to do that anyway. For other couples, you may not feel ready or like this is practical.”
After three successful dates with a guy she met on Bumble, Amelia Evans, 22, from Leeds, has decided to date him remotely. Before the lockdown, the pair went for drinks, then drinks with dinner – but coronavirus sped things up.
“Our third and last date was cooking dinner together at my house last Wednesday as we were reluctant to go out and about. I wouldn’t normally do this so soon!” says Evans. “The dates all went well and it seems such a shame that things are effectively on pause for the foreseeable.”
Amelia Evans Amelia Evans: 'Things are effectively on pause for the foreseeable.'
The health advice didn’t really come as a shock to Evans who says she was anticipating it anyway. “However, moving in together is not an option, even if it sounds like a it could be a fun and time effective way of seeing if you are really compatible,” she says. “I predict a new dating programme coming out soon...”.
Advertisement
She and her new love interest plan to just “see how things unfold for now”.
“I’m sure we can’t just continue to text for weeks so we will maybe have to start Facetiming or calling,” she says. “Anyway if it works out it will be a great story to tell... right?”
Jamie Stevenson, 50, who’s based near Portsmouth, is also in limbo. He went on his first date in almost 18 years five weeks ago, hitting it off with the woman he was introduced to through a friend. However, they’ve decided it’s too soon – and too complicated – to move in together.
The pair each have two children and co-parent with their exes. They’d already decided to keep the households apart “to protect each other and the kids”, but the government’s advice yesterday has left them feeling “unsettled”.
“I’m less anxious, but my girlfriend is more so,” he says. “Staying apart is hard, and we have spoken about moving into one house but practically that’s difficult. Also we have to consider the risks for our exes, as we still share care and they’re both key workers.”
Advertisement
Stevenson isn’t too worried about the longterm impact on his new relationship, saying the pair plan to talk every day via text, video and calls. “We’re both determined to support each other and keep our relationship alive,” he says.
But coronavirus has accelerated the moving in process for other couples.
Kym Darby and her partner Steve Morris began dating in September last year and planned to move in together this summer. The pair had reconnected after divorce, having dated each other 17 years ago.
When coronavirus began to hit the news in January – and other countries started implementing lockdowns – the couple stepped up the house-hunting, finding their Staffordshire barn in February and moving in on 3 March.
Kym Darby Kym Darby and partner: 'We followed our own minds and hearts.'
Co-habiting after just a few months hasn’t been completely smooth sailing, but Darby has no regrets. “It’s adjusting as we are both strong characters, but we feel so lucky we went for it – it’s the best decision we ever made,” she says.
“We would have found all this lockdown unbearable. We knew everyone around us at the time thought it was too soon, but we followed our own minds and hearts and went for it.”
Advertisement
“You’re likely to get to know things about your partner that would have taken much longer to find out usually.” - Dee Holmes, Relate
The current situation is new and strange to all of us. Dee Holmes at Relate says if you want to go into isolation with your partner but they aren’t sure, try to understand their reasons rather than taking it as a sign that there’s something wrong with the relationship.
“It could simply be they aren’t ready or that they live in a crowded flat share so it isn’t practical for you to move in,” she says. “It’s likely you’ll feel under a lot of pressure as you’ll need to make a decision pretty quickly about what you want to do.
“Whatever you decide, stick to government guidelines. Visiting each other isn’t ok for now, so it’s either going to be a case of isolating together or staying apart until this passes and keeping in touch using technology.”
There will be strange aspects to deal with – perhaps you’ve not yet met each other’s friends or family – and won’t do for a while now. On the plus side, it could be a good test for your new relationship. “You’re likely to get to know things about your partner that would have taken much longer to find out usually,” says Holmes. “Things like how they are in a crisis, whether they are supportive and perhaps what some of their biggest fears and hopes are.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Health Care Workers Around The World Are Dying To Save Us From COVID-19

LOADING ERROR LOADING
In the province of Brecia, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, a 73-year-old doctor named Gino Fasoli came out of retirement to help treat patients amid the growing crisis.
On March 6, he told his brother that he was feeling unwell, with a headache and fever. By March 10, his condition had worsened. “I can’t speak,” Fasoli said. Soon, he was transferred to the hospital, where he tested positive for COVID-19. Doctors were unable to save him.
Advertisement
“At 8 o’clock on the 14th they called me from the hospital to tell me he was dead,” his brother said.
On Tuesday, Italy’s federation of doctors announced that 24 doctors have died so far from the coronavirus. According to Italy’s national health institute, 4,824 health care workers have been infected, twice as many as in China.
In Spain, the health ministry announced this week that out of 40,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, 5,400 — nearly 14% — are medical professionals. In France, five doctors have died from the virus as well.
“We are at the end of our strength,” said Dr Romano Paolucci, who came out of retirement to help the Oglio Po hospital near Cremona, one of the worst-hit towns in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. “We do not have sufficient resources and especially staff, because apart from everything else, now the staff are beginning to get sick.”
Advertisement
As the number of coronavirus cases grows across Europe and the United States, health care workers on the front lines say they feel like they are being treated like “cannon fodder,” as the head of a British professional group put it.
“I’m risking my life and the life of my family,” said Joan Pons Laplana, a nurse who works for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. “I’m going to work, because I love helping other people. But I want the government to equip me properly – it feels like they’re sending soldiers to fight with water pistols. It’s unbelievable.”
Staff member assigned to coronavirus testing at the Molinette hospital in Turin, Italy, on March 17, 2020. Diego Puletto via Getty Images
“The main problem is the supply itself, which is one of the most dramatic points of this crisis,” Francesco Rocca, president of the Italian Red Cross, told HuffPost Italy.
“It is not only about masks, but also about overalls, face shields, everything you need to protect yourself with. No matter how careful you are when dressing and how much the vehicle is sterilised after each service, it is always a difficult situation.”
Advertisement
Rocca said that at least four Red Cross volunteers were in intensive care in Lombardy, and several dozen were quarantined.
The situation in Europe stands as a stark warning for what health care professionals in the United States are likely to face as the number of coronavirus cases increases, hospitals become overwhelmed, and supplies of personal protective equipment dwindle.
Already, two emergency room doctors ― one in New Jersey and one in Washington state ― have been hospitalised in critical condition because of coronavirus. And in New York, where the number of coronavirus cases has soared, hospitals have been burning through about 40,000 masks a day — about 10 times the normal amount — and have begun limiting staff members to just one each day.
“If we run out of it, it’s like sending a soldier into war where everyone else has armor and we don’t have armor,” said Dr Joseph Habboushe, an emergency room physician at NYU Langone Medical Center.
Columbia University chief surgeon Dr Craig Smith wrote in a note to colleagues this week: “To think we could mimic Italy seemed risible a week ago. Not today.”
Advertisement
California is also scrambling to obtain protective gear for health care workers and first responders, reaching out worldwide and working with locals to ratchet up production as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep through the nation’s most populous state.
The state is looking at ways of acquiring some 1 billion sets of gloves, along with hundreds of millions of gowns, surgical masks, and face shields, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday.
“It’s going to take an heroic effort,” Newsom said.
Without protective gear, doctors and nurses may be forced to choose between their jobs and their own health, and the health of their family members.
“I’ve got an immunocompromised husband. Without PPE I put him at risk every single day. If this is not sorted soon then I’m off,” one doctor in the United Kingdom told the Doctors’ Association UK.
“The government needs to protect frontline health workers and in return they will give 100%,” said Dr Rinesh Parmar, the group’s chair. “But the government hasn’t kept its side of the bargain with NHS staff by not having enough PPE available to safeguard the health of doctors and nurses.”
Advertisement
Some doctors have continued to work despite a lack of protective equipment, however.
In Madrid, HuffPost Spain spoke with two nurses aides at the Infanta Sofia Hospital, who said that they were making their own personal protective equipment, and that their colleagues in the ICU were overwhelmed.
“There are elderly people dying alone and some of the nurses break protocol to hold their hands,” one of the nurses said.
The hospitals in Madrid are so overcrowded that they have had to open a temporary care facility in the city’s fairgrounds.
In Italy, Marcello Natali, a 57-year-old doctor, tested positive for coronavirus while working in the town of Codogno, in the northern part of the country. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to a hospital in Milan for treatment, but he later died.
In an interview with Euronews, Natali said he had had to work without gloves.
“They have run out,” he said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Home Coronavirus Antibody Tests Available To Order 'Within Days'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The public will be able to conduct coronavirus antibody tests at home within a matter of days, rather than weeks and months, MPs have heard.
Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England (PHE) told the Science and Technology Committee on Wednesday that 3.5m tests had been bought and would be available in the “near future”.
Advertisement
She said the tests would also allow key workers – like doctors and nurses – to go back to work if they have developed antibodies.
Peacock explained a small number of tests would be tested in a laboratory before being distributed via Amazon and in places like Boots.
Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England (PHE) speaking to MPs via video link. Parliament
“Once we are assured that they do work, they will be rolled out into the community,” she told MPs.
“Testing the test is a small matter, and I anticipate that it will be done by the end of this week.
“In the near future people will be able to order a test that they can test themselves, or go to Boots, or somewhere similar to have their finger prick test done.”
Advertisement
Asked whether this meant it would be available in a number of days, rather than weeks or months, she said “absolutely”.
But her comments were later contradicted by the UK’s chief medical officer, who said coronavirus antibody testing kits will not be available to order online “within days”.
Professor Chris Whitty, who is advising Boris Johnson’s government on tackling the disease, said the crucial tests would first be for “critical uses”, such as working out whether NHS staff and frontline key workers are immune.
A spokesperson for Boots cautioned that these kits were not yet available.
“We are keen to work with the government to explore opportunities to support COVID-19 testing and to support the NHS in any way we can,” the spokesman said.
“However we do not have any type of COVID-19 tests in our stores. Customers should not make a trip to a Boots store or pharmacy for this purpose.”
Advertisement
The news came after a coronavirus expert told MPs current predictions were that the NHS would be able to cope if strict measures continued to be followed.
Professor Neil Ferguson, who is recovering from Covid-19 himself, said it was clear that the country could not be in lockdown for a year, and that “the long-term exit from this is clearly the hopes around a vaccine”.
He said pressure on the NHS due to the outbreak will peak in the next two to three weeks.
An electron microscope image made available by the US National Institutes of Health in February 2020 showing the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 ASSOCIATED PRESS
“The challenge that many countries in the world are dealing with is how we move from an initial intensive lockdown… to something that will have societal effects but will allow the economy to restart,” he said.
“That is likely to rely on very large-scale testing and contact tracing. It should be stated that the entire world is in the very early stage of developing such strategies.”
Advertisement
The committee heard that the current strategy aim is to suppress transmission indefinitely until other counter-measures are put in place, including a vaccine.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Jim Carrey Hits Donald Trump With NSFW Coronavirus Cartoon

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Jim Carrey isn’t done with doodling Donald Trump after all.
The actor-artist in January announced a self-imposed ban on creating politically charged cartoons that he’s previously used to scorn the president, members of his administration and his allies.
Carrey made an exception on Tuesday, however, with this NSFW coronavirus-themed artwork of the president:
Advertisement
As cases of COVID-19 double every three days in NYC, the President reassures Wall Street that he can handle the important tissues. pic.twitter.com/DZcULploo1 — Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) March 24, 2020
It followed Carrey’s scathing portrait of Richard Burr, the senator who reportedly sold stocks after receiving private congressional health briefings about the threat posed by the virus.
Trump has been widely criticised for the haphazard response to the pandemic that in the US has infected more than 54,000 people and killed 784.
Advertisement
The outbreak has forced millions of people worldwide into lockdown and sent stock markets tumbling, prompting Trump on Tuesday to express his hope that the US would be back open for business in time for Easter – a time frame that health experts said would be detrimental to halting the spread of the virus.
Carrey, who is a vocal opponent to additives like mercury in vaccines but denies being an anti-vaxxer, vowed on Monday to grow a beard “until we all go back to work,” promising to post updates “so you can marvel at the miracle of my meaningless transformation.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Karen Hauer Says She And Kevin Clifton 'Weren't Ready' For Marriage And Break Up Was 'A Long Time Co

Karen Hauer Says She And Kevin Clifton 'Weren't Ready' For Marriage And Break Up Was 'A Long Time Coming'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Karen Hauer has said she doesn’t think she was “ready” to marry Kevin Clifton.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional tied the knot with her former co-star in 2015, and the couple announced their split three years later.
She has now admitted she feels the pair moved too fast in their relationship, describing their break-up as being “a long time coming”.
Advertisement
Speaking to Closer magazine, Karen said: “When I look back, I don’t think we were ready for marriage.
“We were still growing as performers, as people, as lovers, and sometimes you just can’t find the right way to fix things.”
Karen Hauer and Kevin Clifton pictured in 2016 Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
Karen continued: “The year we broke up was traumatic and heartbreaking.
“It was a shock for us both, but I think it was something that was a long time coming and we ignored the signs.
Advertisement
“We both had different schedules, long working days, and we just didn’t see each other very much.”
Kevin has since embarked on a relationship with his former Strictly partner Stacey Dooley, with who, he lifted the Glitterball Trophy in 2018.
Kevin with Stacey Dooley Aaron Chown - PA Images via Getty Images
Karen is also now in a relationship with singer David Webb, and says she is close friends with Stacey, having just finished a Strictly live tour together.
“I love her to bits,” she said. “We get on very well. It won’t be weird to see us all hanging out together as couples.”
She added: “I admire and respect Kevin and I know he feels the same about me. He will always be my friend.
Advertisement
“My separation from Kevin led me to a path of prioritising myself and sorting myself out and making changes. I used to think I had to be the perfect girl with the perfect hair and always smile. Now I feel grounded and comfortable with who I am.”
Kevin announced he was quitting Strictly Come Dancing after seven years earlier this month.
He and Karen joined the BBC ballroom show together in 2013.
Read the full interview in this week’s Closer, on sale now.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Boris Johnson Hints At Crackdown On Coronavirus Black Market Profiteers

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Boris Johnson has suggested he will legally crack down on black market sellers profiteering from the coronavirus pandemic.
The prime minister said the government “should” be looking at legislation to clamp down on black marketeers clearing shop stocks and then attempting to sell the goods on for vastly inflated prices, often online.
Advertisement
The coronavirus crisis has sparked panic buying in the UK as the country has moved into a lockdown over the last 10 days.
But Tory MP Alexander Stafford has seen evidence of black market profiteering, insisting that products like baby milk, toilet roll, hand sanitiser and other items can often be found for sale online at vastly inflated prices.
He has written to the PM asking for a simple amendment to competition law to stop profiteering, comparing the situation to Second World War “spivs” who operated in the black market in response to rationing.
At prime minister’s questions, he urged Johnson to “stamp out the disgusting scourge of black market profiteering”.
Advertisement
The PM replied: “Profiteering is something we should be looking at from a legislative point of view in this house as has happened before in this country.
“The supermarkets do have adequate supplies. Our supply chains, as well my friend knows, are very good.
“We’ve relaxed delivery hours, but it is very, very important that everybody in their shopping acts reasonably, and considerably for other people.”
Speaking after PMQs, Johnson’s official spokesman said shops which artificially inflate prices will face action from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the most severe of which is an unlimited fine.
But he did not say whether the government would bring forward new legislation to combat individual or other black marketeers.
Advertisement
The spokesman told reporters: “We are facing what is a health emergency and nobody should be seeking to profiteer from it.
“During this crisis we have seen tremendous examples of public kindness and altruism, those are the examples which people should be following - not seeking to exploit this for financial gain.”
Sign up now to get The Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing, by email.
Stafford himself has attempted to buy a £15 baby thermometer but found it had sold out at almost all major online stores, including Boots, Argos, John Lewis, Superdrug, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Lloyds Pharmacy and Asda.
The only product he could find was available on eBay for £130, he told HuffPost UK.
The Rother Valley MP is proposing an amendment to the Competition Act 1998 to make clear that it will be illegal for “individuals” to directly or indirectly impose unfair purchase or selling prices or other unfair trading conditions.
Johnson did not reveal details of what action the government could take.
It came as Liberal Democrat leadership candidate Layla Moran called for what party sources called a “Sports Direct clause” to deter businesses from behaving badly during the crisis.
Advertisement
She called for all Covid-19 grants and loans to contain a clawback mechanism to withdraw support if firms ignore advice or treat staff badly.
The MP has also called for HM Revenue and Customs to set up a hotline to allow their staff to whistleblow their business for not complying with government rules during the pandemic.
Her call came after Sports Direct attempted to remain open despite Johnson ordering a lockdown, and Wetherspoons boss Tim Marti told 40,000 employees he would not pay them until the government fulfils its promise to cover 80% of affected workers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Jeremy Corbyn Says His 'Voice Will Not Be Stilled' As He Prepares To Step Down As Labour Leader

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not be silent once he steps down as Labour leader.
“My voice will not be stilled,” Corbyn told MPs on Wednesday. “I will be around. I will be campaigning. I will be arguing and demanding justice for the people of this country and indeed the rest of the world.”
It came after Boris Johnson paid tribute to Corbyn for his “service to the party and indeed the country” since 2015 in the “very difficult job” of leader of the opposition.
Advertisement
Wednesday was Corbyn’s last appearance at PMQs, as parliament is set to rise for recess at the end of the day.
Labour is due to announce Corbyn’s replacement as leader on April 4.
Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, is seen as highly likely to beat Corbyn ally Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy to the top job.
Speaking in the Commons, Johnson said: “Perhaps I could begin by pointing out that this is the honourable gentleman’s last prime minister’s questions and it would be appropriate for me to pay tribute to him, his service to the party, and indeed the country over the last four years in a very difficult job.
“We may not agree on everything but no one can doubt his sincerity and determination to build a better society.”
Advertisement
Corbyn thanked Johnson for his “very kind remarks” but added it appeared “he was talking as if it was some kind of obituary”.
After Corbyn made clear he was not going to disappear from political debate just because he was no longer leader, Johnson observed this would be “warmly welcomed by his successor”.
John McDonnell, the outgoing shadow chancellor, recently also warned critics of the Corbyn project that the left of the party was “not going away” and would “play a different role”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Coronavirus Pressure On NHS To Peak In Three Weeks, Top Scientist Says

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Pressure on the NHS due to the coronavirus outbreak will peak in the next two to three weeks, one of the top scientists advising government has predicted.
Professor Neil Ferguson, who is himself recovering from the disease, said if Boris Johnson’s lockdown is effective then demand for intensive care units beds could be “within capacity” and may start to decline.
Advertisement
But Imperial College London’s top epidemiologist, who sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee advising ministers, cautioned his prediction was based on Brits strictly following the rules.
He also said the UK could “easily” see a second wave of the virus in the summer unless ministers ramped up testing and tracing from April.
Ferguson, who gave evidence to the Commons’ science and technology committee via video link on Wednesday, warned that while Covid-19 has spread throughout the UK, there were “hotspots”, notably in Derby and Nottingham, where people “seeding” the virus had arrived from abroad.
Ferguson said there was uncertainty but “if the current measures work as we would expect them then we will see intensive care demand peak in approximately two to three weeks and then decline thereafter”.
Advertisement
He also predicted that the stress on the NHS would be “within capacity” if people in the UK followed the strict measures.
A message thanking the National Health Service staff is shown on a screen at Bournemouth Pier. Steve Parsons - PA Images via Getty Images
He said: “There will be some areas that are extremely stressed but we are reasonably confident – which is all we can be at the current time – that at the national level we will be within capacity.”
It comes as health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that London’s Excel centre, which is usually used for large-scale conferences, would be transformed into a 4,000-bed military field hospital.
The capital has so far been the worst-hit part of the country, and Ferguson said between 5% and 10% of the capital may contract the virus – which could amount to some 1m people.
Advertisement
Ferguson said scientists were focusing testing and mapping the virus’s spread.
He added: “We clearly cannot lock down the country for a year.
“The challenge that many countries in the world are dealing with is how we move from an initial intensive lockdown [...] to something that will have societal effects but will allow the economy to restart.
“That is likely to rely on very large-scale testing and contact tracing. It should be stated that the entire world is in the very early stage of developing such strategies.”
Prof Neil Ferguson giving evidence to the Commons' science committee from home. Press Association
Johnson has said he will review the enforced lockdown – which has seen gatherings of more than two banned and people permitted only “absolutely essential” travel – in three weeks’ time.
But he has stressed restrictions may be in place for three months, or even longer.
In rare positive news about the outbreak, Ferguson said curbs on Brits introduced by the government could tip Covid-19 from a growing epidemic to a declining epidemic.
Advertisement
He said the hope of the SAGE members was that once the lockdown is lifted, the infection can be kept at manageable levels.
“There will be some resurgence of transmission but the hope is that by employing more focused policies to suppress those local outbreaks, we can maintain infection levels at low levels in the country as a whole indefinitely,” he said.
“It remains to be seen how we achieve this and how practical it proves to be.”
He said it was “plausible” that Covid-19 could behave like other coronaviruses and transmission could be lower in summer months, but perhaps not by more than 10% to 20%.
Ferguson said countries trying to cope with the contagion were looking to China, which was lifting its lockdown, to see what would happen next.
But he added: “The long-term exit from this is clearly the hopes around a vaccine.”
Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at the University of Oxford, later told MPs that vaccine could be ready in as little as six months.
Advertisement
He said, however, that a timescale of 12-18 months was more likely to get a vaccine through the testing stages and into mass production.
“The estimates of one year to 18 months, it would certainly be very likely that we will have different candidates in that time that would have been through all that testing,” he said.
“I think it’s certainly possible with some candidates to be much, much sooner, maybe even this year to have a lot of data on whether they work and whether they can be useful for populations.”
He said there should be support for firms to take the risk to invest in upscaling manufacturing before testing is completed.
Asked whether 12 months was the earliest possible time that a vaccine could be ready he said: “I believe that six months is possible, but it needs a lot of things to fall in place in order for that to happen, including for the upscaling to go well, for the trials to be conducted in a way that allows us to demonstrate that there is efficacy.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-25--Nine Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

A third of the world’s population is now under some form of lockdown, after India imposed restrictions on its 1.3bn citizens in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The latest official figures show:
8,077 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus
422 people had died as of Tuesday. On Wednesday, five further deaths were announced in. Wales, seven in Northern Ireland and six in Scotland, taking the total number in the UK to at least 440.
Here’s what you need to know today:
Will home coronavirus antibody tests be available to order ‘within days’?
There was confusion over whether the public will be able to conduct coronavirus antibody tests at home within a matter of days, rather than weeks and months, as MPs were told.
Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England (PHE) told the Science and Technology Committee on Wednesday that 3.5m tests had been bought and would be available in the “near future”.
She said the tests would also allow key workers – like doctors and nurses – to go back to work if they have developed antibodies.
Peacock explained a small number of tests would be tested in a laboratory before being distributed via Amazon and in places like Boots.
Advertisement
However, at a later Downing Street press conference, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty dismissed the claims Prof Whitty said members of the public would not be buying these tests via the internet next week.
He stressed that frontline NHS workers would need the tests first so they could get back to work if they have had already had the virus.
Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus
Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus and is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, Clarence House has said.
The Prince of Wales is 71, putting him in one of the high-risk categories, according to government guidance.
The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has also been tested but does not have the virus, PA Media reports. The couple are currently self-isolating at home in Scotland.
Advertisement
A Clarence House spokesperson said: “He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”
Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, in the background, leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier this month. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Charles’s last public engagement was on March 12, but he did have a number of private meetings with Highgrove and Duchy individuals, all of whom have been made aware.
A source said his doctor’s most conservative estimate was that the prince was contagious on March 13, which is after he last visited the Queen.
UK diplomat dies in Hungary
Steven Dick, 37, the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, has died after contracting coronavirus, the Foreign Office has said.
Advertisement
In a statement, his parents Steven and Carol Dick said: “Steven was a much-loved son, grandson and nephew. He was kind, funny and generous.
“It was always his dream to work for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and he was very happy representing our country overseas.
“We are devastated by his loss and ask for privacy at this tragic time.”
Deputy British ambassador Steven Dick, 37, died yesterday after contracting coronavirus. He was a really nice bloke and a great diplomat. Last week he told me he had the virus but was feeling fine. Awful. pic.twitter.com/d88iTDIOSF — Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 25, 2020
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “I am desperately saddened by the news of Steven’s death and my heart goes out to his parents Steven and Carol.
“Steven was a dedicated diplomat and represented his country with great skill and passion. He will be missed by all those who knew him and worked with him.”
Advertisement
Death toll in Spain passes China
The disease’s death toll in Spain has shot up by more than 700, overtaking China as the second worst-hit territory. It is now behind only Italy.
Spain recorded a record daily increase of 738 deaths, pushing it to 3,434 overall and past China’s 3,285, the country’s ministry of health said.
Infections rose by 20% to 47,610. More than 5,000 have recovered.
Spain’s health system is overwhelmed, with hotels being converted into hospitals and a Madrid ice rink being used as a temporary morgue.
The country’s lockdown is expected to be extended for another fortnight to April 12.
400,000 people sign up to be NHS volunteers
More than 400,000 people have signed up to be volunteers for the NHS in a massive public response to the coronavirus crisis.
Boris Johnson thanked the 405,000 who have helped the government exceed its target of 250,000 volunteers in just one day.
Advertisement
GPs, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, NHS 111 advisers and social care staff will all be able to request help for at-risk patients through a call centre run by the Royal Voluntary Service, which will match people who need help with volunteers who live near them.
I’m so proud of the British public. Within 24 hours, 405,000 people have answered the call to be an NHS volunteer. All part of the national effort to tackle #coronavirus.
Thank you - each and every one. pic.twitter.com/Y3eTabfBlx — Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) March 25, 2020
The PM told a Downing Street press conference: “They will be driving medicines from pharmacies to patients; they will be bringing patients home from hospital; very importantly they will be making regular phone calls to check on and support people who are staying on their own at home.
“And they will be absolutely crucial in the fight against this virus.
“That is already in one day as many volunteers as the population of Coventry.
“And to all of you, and to all the NHS staff who are coming back to the service, I say thank you on behalf of the entire country.”
Anyone who is over the age of 18, fit and healthy and non-symptomatic can offer their time to the scheme.
Advertisement
Read the full report here.
NHS medics fear for their families
As the UK descends into an emergency lockdown, NHS staff say the standard of protective equipment on the frontline of the outbreak is leaving them scared to go to work – and terrified they might infect their families.
“I’m risking my life and the life of my family,” said Joan Pons Laplana, an NHS nurse on the frontline.
“I’m going to work because I love helping other people. But I want the government to equip me properly – it feels like they’re sending soldiers to fight with water pistols. It’s unbelievable.”
NHS nurse Joan Pons Laplana. Supplied.
According to Public Health England advice, medics should wear a specially fitted respirator mask in areas where “aerosol producing procedures” like tracheotomies and intubations are taking place, as well as a long-sleeved gown and eye protection.
Advertisement
In other instances where medics are coming into contact with patients who have – or are suspected to have – coronavirus, advice states they should wear a surgical mask, apron and disposable gloves.
But like many of the medics HuffPost UK spoke to, Joan said he did not think this kind of equipment was sufficient – and that it felt “inevitable” he would contract Covid-19.
Read the full HuffPost UK report here.
On the breadline in the UK
The prospect of facing weeks, possibly months, with children off school due to the coronavirus outbreak is daunting for most parents. But for those struggling financially, the future looks particularly stark.
With schools across the UK closed to all students except the families of key workers, parents are suddenly having to provide extra food for their youngsters who are now at home all day.
And they face another challenge, too: trying to simply access food and essentials, after stockpiling emptied shelves in supermarkets and shops.
Advertisement
Before the outbreak of Covid-19, figures showed almost one in every three children in the UK to be living in poverty, but the escalating situation is forcing desperate families to choose between feeding their children and paying their bills.
Single mum Hannah Graham revealed to HuffPost UK how she is planning to give herself meal replacements in a bid to have enough money to feed her hungry children.
Read the full HuffPost UK report here.
Some construction sites to close
Housebuilders Bellway and Persimmon are shutting construction sites despite being allowed to stay open amid the lockdown as demand from new buyers plummets.
Newcastle-headquartered Bellway said it was closing its 200 building sites by the end of Friday, with site managers only allowed onto developments to maintain security or to hand over keys to buyers.
This is a construction site in Leicester today. This isn’t social distancing. Why won’t the government tell this firm to send its workers home NOW for their protection #StayAtHomeSaveLives https://t.co/HZEdkpT4Fm — Jonathan Ashworth (@JonAshworth) March 25, 2020
Advertisement
Charles Church builder Persimmon confirmed it is also starting an “orderly shutdown” of its construction sites, following the lead of rivals Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments.
Persimmon said it would continue with essential work only, making partly-built homes safe, where otherwise customers could be left in a vulnerable position.
Tube trains still busy on Wednesday morning
For the third day in a row, pictures have circulated on social media of busy tube trains despite the current UK lockdown.
One person saying he was an NHS worker on his way to “look after immune compromised cancer patients” said social distancing was being made impossible and asked Transport for London (TfL) to “get your shit together”.
On my way to look after immune compromised cancer patients to make sure that they get their chemotherapy. The tube is packed with social distancing impossible 😡 get your shit together TFL. We need more people to stay at home and more trains running in morning and evening peak 😡 pic.twitter.com/TJe6TOrFca — Barry Trimble (@noisybaz) March 25, 2020
Advertisement
Five hundred British Transport Police officers patrolled the railway network on Tuesday to remind passengers only essential travel is permitted.
Concerns about overcrowding on the London Underground sparked a row between the government and Sadiq Khan on Tuesday.
The Tube is operating at around 50% of its normal capacity during peak times.
Health secretary Matt Hancock claimed there is “no good reason” why Transport for London (TfL) reduced Tube frequencies, and it should be running in full so passengers are “spaced out”.
But a spokesperson for the London mayor insisted ministers have been told “countless times” that TfL cannot run a full service due to levels of staff sickness and self-isolation.
Elsewhere...


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--David Beckham Blames Wife Victoria For Farting During Candid Instagram Video

LOADING ERROR LOADING
With most people stuck at home and trying to fill their time while the country is on lockdown, it’s often the small things that amuse us most.
And it seems that’s certainly the case for David Beckham, who has been making some rather rude jokes at his wife Victoria’s expense.
Advertisement
The couple have been busying themselves baking, with Victoria sharing a video of her and David cooking a lemon drizzle cake on her Instagram Story.
However, the video was interrupted by an unfortunate noise, which Becks was quick to pin on Posh.
Victoria and David Beckham have been baking to keep themselves entertained Instagram
Laughing, an off-camera Victoria could be heard saying: “That’s the dog! That was the dog making that noise.”
“Don’t lie,” David was heard shouting. “Seriously, we know you had baked beans for lunch.”
Their cookery session then got back on track with Victoria showing off the end result in an additional post, calling their efforts a “success”.
Advertisement
She added: “I think it’s one of those cakes that tastes better than it actually looks.”
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
Before the lockdown was imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic, the couple celebrated their eldest son Brooklyn’s 21st birthday party earlier this month.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Sir Elton John To Host Star-Studded 'Living Room Concert' To Benefit Those Affected By Covid-19

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Sir Elton John is set to host a star-studded benefit concert in aid of charities helping those affected by coronavirus.
While the Rocketman singer will be on hosting duties during iHeartRadio’s Living Room Concert For America, a number of big-name artists will be performing sets from their own homes.
Advertisement
We're paying tribute to the front line health professionals and local heroes who are helping to fight the spread of COVID-19 with our iHeartRadio Living Room Concert For America this Sunday on @foxtv. ❤
More details: https://t.co/AagguA5Hox #iHeartConcertOnFox pic.twitter.com/aAVbdVYGyu — iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) March 25, 2020
Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys and country star Tim McGraw will also be performing, with iHeartRadio teasing that more names are still to be announced.
During the live event, tributes will be paid to those “on the frontlines” who are helping prevent the spread of coronavirus, while those who tune in are encouraged to donate to the charities Feeding America and First Responders Children’s Foundation.
Advertisement
iHeartRadio has insisted that the performances will be filmed using the artists’ mobile phones and their own equipment “to insure the safety of everyone involved”.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of stars have been forced to cancel their live shows, including several on the bill, like Mariah, Billie Eilish and Sir Elton.
Sir Elton John Albert L. Ortega via Getty Images
The crisis has affected all areas of the entertainment industry, including here in the UK, where a number of TV shows have halted production, and films have had their release dates pushed back.
iHeartRadio’s Living Room Concert For America will be streaming live on Sunday 29 March from 1am UK time.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Lee Mack Self-Isolates After Being Ill For 10 Days, But Proves He Hasn't Lost His Sense Of Humour

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Lee Mack has revealed he is self-isolating with his family amid the coronavirus pandemic, after feeling unwell for the last 10 days.
Fortunately, though, it doesn’t sound like he’s lost his sense of humour.
In a statement, the comedian’s spokesperson confirmed that while he had “not been tested for the virus”, he has been staying indoors with his wife and children after feeling ill for more than week.
Advertisement
“He said the worst symptom so far is the avalanche of jokes about him Not Going Out,” Lee’s representative joked.
“He laughed on day one but now it’s day 10 it’s becoming a struggle.”
Lee Mack Joe Maher via Getty Images
Not Going Out, of course, is the sitcom created by and starring Lee, alongside Sally Bretton and Tim Vine.
Last year, the show was commissioned for three more series by the BBC, keeping it on our screens until at least 2022, with a one-hour special also airing on Christmas Eve.
Advertisement
Since the pandemic, a number of stars have revealed that they have either tested positive, or have been self-isolating after showing symptoms.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Love Island's Olivia Attwood Clarifies Comments About Villa Life And Coronavirus Isolation

Olivia, who appeared on the ITV2 show’s third series in 2017, has insisted she was not comparing the two experiences, explaining that she just finds it “easier” to be at home, where she has more access to entertainment.
Advertisement
Posting on her Instagram Story, the reality star wrote: “Just to clear up. There is NO comparison between what is going on and Love Island. I was asked if it felt the same as being stuck in the villa, and I said it’s easier to be at home because at least you can use your phones and go out for walks.
“But I absolutely was not comparing the two. Love Island was honestly one the best times of my life and what is going on right now is beyond horrendous, and we all just need to do our part, and follow the guidelines we have been given.”
Olivia Attwood Lia Toby via Getty Images
In an accompanying video, Olivia continued: “I hope that makes sense. I was trying to make the point that at home we have so many things to entertain ourselves with – we can watch TV, go on the internet, go for walks.
Advertisement
“There’s people on the front line who are putting their health at danger every day for us, and all we’ve been asked to do is stay the fuck indoors. It’s not a lot to ask.”
“Feeling a bit deflated because I was talking with good intent,” she added.
Olivia appeared on Love Island in 2017 ITV
In an interview with the MailOnline, Olivia had been quoted as saying: “The only thing I can compare this to is Love Island. We were more contained, there was more control.
“In the villa, you couldn’t call anyone or go for a walk. If anything, it was worse because I couldn’t speak to any of my family or go on my phone.
“Obviously there was a big cast and they were constantly playing games with us so we never really got the chance to be bored. It was hot and there was a swimming pool, but we were contained.”
Advertisement
She continued: “Right now I can speak to my genuine friends and I’m not just stuck with a bunch of strangers. You couldn’t call anyone or go for a walk – but with coronavirus, you can walk outside your front door as long as you’re in the guidelines.
“You can make whatever food you want and have a glass of wine, whereas in Love Island you ate when you were told to eat and you had minimal alcohol.”
Love Island is due to return to ITV2 in the summer, but there has been much speculation as to whether the series will go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally, ITV had planned to air two series of the hit reality show in 2020 following record-breaking ratings last year, with its first-ever winter run concluding last month.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus - 26 March
The UK government orders 10,000 ventilators from Dyson, Spain converts an ice rink into a makeshift morgue, The US Senate approves a historic economic bailout of $2 trillion dollars and in Hanoi, a shop owner has created the “coronaburger”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Public Transport Packed During Coronavirus Lockdown

Public Transport Packed During Coronavirus Lockdown
Public transport continues to be full of commuters, despite the UK being in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. Footage shows trains packed with people at rush hour as a reduced tube service operates in London, sparking calls for ministers to ban all non-essential travel to help stop the spread of the virus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Woody Allen Accuses Timothée Chalamet Of 'Denouncing' Him To Improve His Chances Of Winning An Oscar

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Woody Allen has accused Timothée Chalamet of only “denouncing” him in order to better his chances of winning an Oscar.
In 2017, the two worked together on the film A Rainy Day In New York, which also starred Elle Fanning, Jude Law and Selena Gomez.
Advertisement
However, following the rise of the Me Too movement in 2018, Timothée admitted his regret about working with the director.
He also revealed he was splitting the entire salary he received for the film between three charities, including the Time’s Up fund, which helps women who have experienced workplace harassment with their legal costs.
Timothée Chalamet at the premiere of Little Women, in which he also starred Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
“I don’t want to profit from my work on the film,” he explained in a statement posted on his Instagram page.
Advertisement
“I want to be worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with the brave artists who are fighting for all to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
In his recently-released memoir, Allen responds to the young actor’s statement for the first time, suggesting he only “denounced” him because he was up for an Oscar at that time.
“Timothee afterward publicly stated he regretted working with me and was giving the money to charity, but he swore to my sister he needed to do that as he was up for an Oscar for Call Me By Your Name, and he and his agent felt he had a better chance of winning if he denounced me, so he did,” Allen wrote.
It should be noted that Timothée’s statement came out exactly a week before he was nominated for the Oscar for his performance for Call Me By Your Name, meaning he was not aware that he was up for the Academy Award at the time he spoke out against Allen.
Advertisement
HuffPost UK has contacted Timothée Chalamet’s publicist and is awaiting a response.
Woody Allen in 2017 Vera Anderson via Getty Images
Woody Allen has always maintained his innocence in light of repeated accusations from Dylan Farrow that he molested her when she was a child.
In 1992, he was investigated over a claim that he had sexually assaulted her at the family’s Connecticut home, though prosecutors did not charge him over the allegations, which he claims had been fabricated by his former partner Mia Farrow.
Last year, Allen ended a legal battle with Amazon, after they shelved A Rainy Day In New York in the wake of the Me Too movement.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--One Third Of All TFL Staff Sick Or Self-Isolating Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Sadiq Khan Says

LOADING ERROR LOADING
One in three Transport for London (TFL) workers are off sick or self isolating amid the coronavirus crisis, London mayor Sadiq Khan has said.
Despite the nation being placed under lockdown on Monday, sections of the London Underground have remained crowded at times with key workers forced to pack into tube carriages.
Advertisement
Pictures of crammed trains have provoked widespread anger about a lack of social distancing, with the reduced number of trains blamed for overcrowding.
There have been calls for the number of trains to be increased again, but Khan tweeted on Thursday to state that one in three TFL staff were off sick or self-isolating, writing “we cannot run more services”.
⚠ One in three @TfL staff are off sick or self-isolating: we cannot run more services
⚠ Employers: staff must work from home wherever possible to help protect our key workers who need to travel
⚠ If you have to go to work, please don’t travel at rush hour #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/67SmQ7q3kp — Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 26, 2020
The mayor also addressed a note to employers, writing: “staff must work from home wherever possible to help protect our key workers who need to travel.”
Advertisement
In a later tweet on Thursday morning, Khan announced that early-morning tube use was down 13% compared to Wednesday, and bus use reduced by a further 8%.
On Tuesday Khan clashed with No. 10, urging them to close building sites across the city so construction workers didn’t have to travel on the Underground.
Health secretary Hancock laid into Khan during a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday evening, claiming the Underground should be “running in full”, and there was “no good reason” for the packed carriages.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Reverend Richard Coles' Friends And Fans Get 'Happy Birthday Richard' Trending To Brighten His Day

Fans and friends of Reverend Richard Coles got the message “Happy Birthday Richard” trending on Thursday morning, to help brighten up the former Strictly Come Dancing star’s big day.
It’s been an especially difficult few months for the former Communards musician, whose civil partner and fellow reverend David Coles died last year, at the age of 43, after a long illness.
Richard acknowledged this in a Twitter post marking his birthday, writing: “Fifty-eight, widowed, lonely, locked-down, straitened, and fat... but NO ONE can take my kippers.”
Advertisement
It’s my birthday: fifty-eight, widowed, lonely, locked-down, straitened, and fat - but NO ONE can take my kippers. pic.twitter.com/D6WWwpaWIM — Richard Coles (@RevRichardColes) March 26, 2020
It didn’t take long for Twitter to become awash with messages from both his celebrity fans and supporters, so much so that “Happy Birthday Richard” became the top trend in the UK...
Happy birthday Richard hope you have a lovely day @RevRichardColes x — Rylan Clark-Neal (@Rylan) March 26, 2020
Happy Birthday Richard. You bring comfort & happiness to many, many people & we all hope you find a bit of both today. https://t.co/NzsfFbdhdR — James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) March 26, 2020
Advertisement
Happy Birthday, Richard! 😘 — Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) March 26, 2020
You missed out “much loved”. Happy birthday Richard — Ian Betteridge 🇪🇺 (@ianbetteridge) March 26, 2020
Happy birthday Richard, this should also read, intelligent, funny, loving, patient and kind and enjoy your kippers xx — Ange T (@angiebearkheath) March 26, 2020
Happy birthday Richard & all happiness to you ×. This too shall pass & you will look back & smile one day. Keep putting 1 foot in front on the other 🎂🎉🥂♥ — Carol (@carolst06907093) March 26, 2020
Happy Birthday Richard. What a lot you have been through, but you are loved by many ❤ https://t.co/j36Em5p0Ig — Jo Ritson🇪🇺❤🇪🇺 (@JoRitson) March 26, 2020
Advertisement
Happy Birthday Richard. Your life is unique & valued even the painful bits. Love and many happy returns. You rock. — Dominique Mylod (@DominiqueMylod) March 26, 2020
Happy birthday Richard. Enjoy your kippers and thankyou for being such a positive and kind influence on so many.
Love and light x — Mike Armiger - Education, Mental Health & Sport (@MikeArmiger) March 26, 2020
Happy birthday Richard - this day will be terribly sad for you ( and birthday’s shouldn’t be!) but you will get through this too! A wonderful self-indulgent dinner with a very good single malt is an absolute must! Sending love ❤ — Jo Pollitt (@JoPollitt5) March 26, 2020
Happy birthday Richard, enjoy those yummy kippers stay positive 💪 stay safe — Stella Nicholas (@Stelmarnic) March 26, 2020
Happy Birthday Richard! My gift is to you is to know you’ve inspired me and many others in these last few months. I work in a hospice as an OT. ❤ — Rhiannan Lewis (@happyrhia) March 26, 2020
Advertisement
It might not be the same but you are very popular on this website. Happy birthday Richard! — Luke McGee (@lukemcgee) March 26, 2020
Delighted to see Happy Birthday Richard trending in the UK this morning. @RevRichardColes never doubt that you are loved. https://t.co/3Srmlywhk4 — Susan Hoath (@Suziebells) March 26, 2020
The celebrity vicar, who appeared on Strictly back in 2017, entered into a civil partnership with David after the Church of England allowed it in 2005.
He and David lived together with their dogs – dachshunds Daisy, Pongo, Audrey and Horatio – in the vicarage of St Mary’s in Finedon, Northamptonshire.
Richard often spoke with love about David and their life together, particularly on his Radio 4 show Saturday Live and during his appearances on Radio 2.
Advertisement
Reverend Richard Coles Tim P. Whitby via Getty Images
In 2005, Richard was ordained into the Anglican priesthood, and lived a celibate life with David, a curate in a neighbouring parish.
Earlier this month, Richard spoke about the grief he was feeling in the wake of David’s death, saying the loss had left his future feeling “blank”.
“I got in the other night,” he said, “and fed the dogs and lit a fire and cooked some supper. I got into my pyjamas and had a nightcap. I then looked at my watch and it was 10 past six.
“I’ve had to subtract David from the future and that has taken all the future with it. It’s a bit blank. I think: ’What the fuck am I going to do? Play the accordion and go to bed at 10 past six, I guess. Of course, it’s not the end of my life. But it feels like it’s over sometimes.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Courteney Cox Is All Of Us As She Reveals She Is Binge-Watching Friends During The Coronavirus Outbr

Courteney Cox Is All Of Us As She Reveals She Is Binge-Watching Friends During The Coronavirus Outbreak

LOADING ERROR LOADING
If you’re currently working your way through all 236 episodes of Friends as you isolate from the coronavirus outbreak, then in you’re in very good company.
Courteney Cox, who played Monica in the hit US comedy, has revealed she is also doing just that – and it will hopefully be jogging her memory because she has admitted she doesn’t remember much about her time on the show.
Advertisement
During an appearance on a stripped-back version of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night US talk show, Courteney discussed how she is keeping occupied amid the shutdown in California.
Appearing via video link from her home, the actor revealed she has bought all 10 seasons of Friends, and is now busy making her way through them.
Courteney Cox Jean Baptiste Lacroix via Getty Images
“I decided during this time, people love the show so much, I decided to binge-watch Friends. I just started season one – it’s really good!” she said.
Advertisement
However, the 55-year-old star admitting her memories of actually being on Friends were foggy at best.
“I don’t remember even being on the show, she said. “I have such a bad memory.
“I remember obviously loving everybody there and having fun and I remember certain times of my life I was there but I don’t remember episodes.”
The Friends cast NBC via Getty
To test how bad her knowledge of Friends was, Jimmy had her go head-to-head with his cousin, a huge fan of the show, in a quiz.
Despite the questions all being Monica-related, Courteney was beaten 5-0.
Questions to which she did not know the answer included the identity of Monica’s first kiss and who peed on her leg in the season four episode The One With The Jellyfish.
Advertisement
Courteney also used her appearance on Jimmy’s stream to ask viewers to make a donation to the American Meals On Wheels charity.
She went on to confirm that filming for the long-awaited Friends reunion special had been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis.
Courteney was due to join her former co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer to shoot the programme on Monday and Tuesday, but it has been pushed back.
The Friends reunion special is still slated to be available at the launch of the HBO Max streaming service in May.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Striking Photos Show Empty Disney World As It Remains Closed During Coronavirus Pandemic

LOADING ERROR LOADING
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Disney theme parks around the world have closed their gates. The impact of this closure is most striking at the company’s largest property at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida.
Advertisement
The resort’s four theme parks, two water parks, hotels, and shopping centres have been closed down since March 16. In its announcement, the company hoped to open by the end of the month, but that is looking less likely. On Tuesday, Orange County officials announced a shelter-in-place order for two weeks.
See the photos of an empty Walt Disney World resort below.
Above: Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park is seen empty on March 23, 2020.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
Walt Disney World toll plazas remain closed to the public on March 23, 2020.
Gregg Newton/Reuters
The Millennium Falcon spaceship sits amid empty streets at an empty Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park on March 16, 2020.
Advertisement
Gregg Newton/Reuters
An AT-AT walker looms over empty streets at the Star Tours attraction inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park on March 16, 2020.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
An aerial view of Disney’s Contemporary Resort hotel while closed on March 23, 2020.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
The golf course of the Four Seasons Orlando that is located on Walt Disney World property is closed.
Gregg Newton/Reuters
Advertisement
Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park is empty of visitors on March 16, 2020.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
An empty parking lot that is usually filled with cars from visitors who are planning on visiting the Magic Kingdom theme park.
Gregg Newton/Reuters
Empty streets inside Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
A view of the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World as it remains closed on March 23, 2020.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
Advertisement
Disney’s Epcot theme park as seen on March 23, 2020.
Alex Menendez via Getty Images
Disney Springs shopping areas remain closed to the public on March 23, 2020.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Top Trump Adviser Hit With Unexpected Fact-Check Live On Fox News

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday slammed New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s slow response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in his city while defending President Donald Trump.
But her attacks on de Blasio didn’t quite go as expected when Fox News host Martha MacCallum noted Trump himself followed a similar timeline.
Advertisement
Conway, who is counsellor to the president, went after de Blasio by noting his statements earlier this month urging New Yorkers to go out despite the pandemic threat, including this March 2 tweet:
Since I’m encouraging New Yorkers to go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus, I thought I would offer some suggestions. Here’s the first: thru Thurs 3/5 go see “The Traitor” @FilmLinc. If “The Wire” was a true story + set in Italy, it would be this film. — Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) March 3, 2020
New York is now the nation’s epicentre of the crisis, with nearly half of all the confirmed cases in the country.
“I think that’s absolutely true,” MacCallum said, adding that de Blasio wasn’t giving his citizens a “positive message” on how he’d lead the city through the crisis. But then MacCallum noted Trump made similar pronouncements at around the same time:
Advertisement
“But in terms of the things that you’re mentioning, you could probably match up some of those early March statements from him with also similarly optimistic statements from President Trump, although they’ve handled it very differently since then.”
Conway insisted there’s “no comparison” and said the administration had been working behind the scenes on the situation since Jan. 12.
However, Trump has also publicly downplayed the threat, especially in February and early March.
On Feb. 26, he said the country had 15 cases and predicted that “within a couple of days it’s going to be down to close to zero.”
And on March 9, he complained on Twitter that the flu kills more Americans but “Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-26--Six Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

The UK has ordered thousands of ventilators to help the NHS cope with coronavirus, and more than a thousand people have died in the US.
The latest official figures show:
At least 9,529 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK
521 people are now confirmed to have died, after both Scotland and Northern Ireland announced three further fatalities each on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, another six people in Wales have died. Some 107 more people died in England.
According to a global tally updated by John Hopkins University, the number of cases has grown to more than 472,000 worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 21,000.
Here’s what you need to know about coronavirus today:
Government announces coronavirus grants for the self-employed
A screen-grab of Chancellor Rishi Sunak speaking at a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus (COVID-19). PA
Self-employed people losing work over coronavirus will be handed emergency government grants worth 80% of their average income up to £2,500-a-month, Rishi Sunak has said.
The payments will be based on a self-employed person’s profits over the last one to three years and will be open to anyone with trading profits of up to £50,000.
Advertisement
However, the self-employed could be without support for another two months, with the money not due to arrive until the start of June.
Sunak said the scheme would be open for at least the next three months and that he would extend it, if necessary.
The UK missed out on the EU ventilator scheme because of an email mix-up
A government spokesperson blamed an “initial communication problem” for the UK missing the deadline to join four joint procurement schemes for equipment to tackle coronavirus.
A spokesperson said: “Owing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to join in four joint procurements in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
“As the [European] Commission has confirmed, we are eligible to participate in joint procurements during the transition period, following our departure from the EU earlier this year.
“As those four initial procurement schemes had already gone out to tender we were unable to take part in these, but we will consider participating in future procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time.”
Downing Street said on Thursday that 8,000 additional ventilators had been ordered by the government to boost the stock of 8,000 already available to the health service.
You can now be arrested for breaking lockdown rules
Two mounted police make their way over Westminster Bridge in London ASSOCIATED PRESS
People who continue to flout coronavirus lockdown rules can now be arrested as part of new powers announced by the Home Office.
Advertisement
Officers can also tell them to go home or leave an area, and can ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the law.
People who refuse to comply could be issued with a £60 fixed penalty notice, which drops down to £30 if it’s paid within two weeks.
Meanwhile, second-time offenders could be issued a fixed penalty notice of £120, doubling on each further repeat offence.
Those who do not pay the penalty can be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines.
Announcing the new enforcement powers, home secretary Priti Patel said: “The prime minister has been clear on what we need to do: stay at home to protect our NHS and save lives.
Advertisement
“All our frontline services really are the best of us and are doing an incredible job to stop this terrible virus from spreading.
“That’s why I’m giving the police these new enforcement powers – to protect the public and keep people safe.”
Second prisoner dies after contracting coronavirus
A 66-year-old man, who was serving a sentence at HMP Manchester, has died after contracting the virus. NurPhoto via Getty Images
A second serving UK prisoner has died after contracting coronavirus, a Prison Service spokesperson has said.
The 66-year-old man, who was serving at HMP Manchester, died in hospital on March 26.
He had been receiving end-of-life care for an underlying condition before he tested positive for Covid-19.
Advertisement
It comes after an 84-year-old man who was an inmate at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire died in hospital on March 22 after contracting coronavirus.
At least seven women's prisons have reportedly seen cases of the virus, HuffPost UK revealed on Wednesday, with inmates warning of horrific sanitary conditions.
One prisoner at HMP Downview in Surrey said the system had “completely broken down," with a lack of testing despite inmates allegedly displaying symptoms.
New field hospitals could be set up in Manchester and Birmingham
The Excel centre, where the NHS Nightingale Hospital is being set up ready for use next week. Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
Downing Street has indicated that additional coronavirus field hospitals are being considered around the UK.
Advertisement
The PM’s official spokesperson said 500 of the additional 4,000 beds created in the NHS Nightingale Hospital being set up in London’s Excel centre will be available for use next week.
Asked if convention centres in Birmingham and Manchester are also being considered, he said: “The current focus is on getting the Excel centre up and running as the NHS Nightingale Hospital.
“But NHS England is actively preparing for a number of scenarios as the outbreak continues and is working with clinicians and teams of military planners around the country.”
Pressed on whether this does mean more across the country, he said: “As I say, we are working with local health services all around the country.”
More than 650 new deaths in Spain as toll surpasses 4,000
More than 4,000 deaths linked to the virus have now been recorded in Spain. OSCAR DEL POZO via Getty Images
Advertisement
More than 600 people have died in Spain in the past 24 hours after contracting coronavirus, health officials have confirmed.
The country registered 655 fatalities in total, down from more than 700 on Wednesday.
The death toll from the pandemic in the country has now surpassed 4,000.
The overall number of coronavirus cases soared to 56,188 from 47,610 on Wednesday. The number of reported deaths from the virus rose to 4,089 from 3,434 on Wednesday, the ministry said.
UK orders 10,000 ventilators from Dyson
The government has ordered tens-of-thousands of ventilators to deal with the crisis. AXEL HEIMKEN via Getty Images
The government has ordered 10,000 ventilators from vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson to tackle the coronavirus crisis, the company’s billionaire founder has announced.
Some 30,000 ventilators have been ordered from a selection of British manufacturers, including Airbus, with production due to be given the green light next week, the Guardian reported.
Advertisement
In an email to staff, Sir James Dyson said his eponymous company has designed the “CoVent” at the request of Boris Johnson, and promised to donate 5,000 to the international relief effort. A thousand ventilators are believed to have already been pledged to the UK effort.
A team of engineers had been working on the design since receiving a call from the PM 10 days ago, Dyson said.
He added: “We have received an initial order of 10,000 units from the UK government, which we will supply on an open-book basis.
“We are also looking at ways of making it available internationally.”
Antibody tests won’t be available ‘within days’ as suggested
It had previously been suggested that the tests could be available to buy via Amazon as early as next week. DANNY LAWSON via Getty Images
Coronavirus tests will not be available ‘within days’ as was previously suggested, England’s chief medical officer has stated.
Advertisement
Professor Chris Whitty, who is advising Boris Johnson’s government on tackling the disease, said the crucial tests would first be for “critical uses”, such as working out whether NHS staff and frontline key workers are immune.
Before that stage, doctors and scientists must actually work out wether the 3.5m antibody tests bought by the government even work, Whitty stressed.
It comes after Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service at Public Health England, raised hopes at a Commons committee hearing by suggesting the mass of tests would be available for sale on sites like Amazon as early as next week.
“I do not think, and I want to be clear, that this is something will suddenly be ordering on the internet next week,” Whitty said, appearing alongside the prime minister at a press conference in Downing Street.
The news comes as Neil Ferguson, the Imperial College scientist whose research precipitated tougher government measures last week said that the virus death toll could now end up being “substantially lower” than the predicted 20,000, The Times reported.
Advertisement
Ferguson told MPs: “It [the deaths of those who would have died anyway due to underlying conditions] might be as much as half or two thirds of the deaths we see, because these are people at the end of their lives or who have underlying conditions.”
Earlier in the day: