thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--My Father Is A Former Inmate. Stop Comparing Quarantine To Prison

Getty Images HuffPost UK
Ellen DeGeneres – broadcasting from home a few weeks ago for the first episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” after a three-week hiatus – told the world that coronavirus self-isolation was “like being in jail. It’s mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days, and everyone here is gay.”
I didn’t find the joke funny at all. DeGeneres was self-isolating in her mansion in Beverly Hills – a house with square footage most of us can only dream of. And inside that mansion, lit by the California sun, DeGeneres has many choices – and access to care if she needs it – unlike the real inmates who are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at an alarming rate.
And it’s not just DeGeneres. If you take a look at any social media platform, you’ll see thousands of posts comparing coronavirus self-quarantine to a prison sentence, as if it’s even remotely comparable.
Advertisement
The quarantine-as-jail comparison cuts through me. It’s not because quarantine isn’t deeply challenging – in particular for those with mental illness, without income or with an abusive partner. It’s because we simply don’t get to be that reductive.
I have two immediate family members who have served prison sentences, one for 13 years and one for five. There is no way for me to understand their incarceration, but I have felt the reverberations of their lack of freedom.
My father went into Riverfront State Prison in Camden, New Jersey, from 1994 to 1999 – during my formative years. I was ten. Like a ghost, he simply vanished, and letters kept us loosely tethered. He became abstract to me at that young age. A memory.
My former stepfather was also released from prison just last year after 13 years.
Both served time for nonviolent crimes, a result of a system that punishes people – rather than rehabilitates them – for mental health crises and drug addiction issues. Both have my full compassion.
Advertisement
Knowing their experiences led me to work for PEN America’s Prison Writing Program while I was in graduate school, and that program gave me the opportunity to encourage incarcerated people to write poetry and stories, and to share resources with which they could learn about writing.
DeGeneres – and the many people tweeting about their so-called prison of self-isolation – are discounting the reality of the incarcerated.
Where we have books, television, a phone and a window – many of us even venture out for solo walks and outdoor time – many incarcerated people find themselves crammed into tiny, dark, dank spaces without options, without protective masks or gear and, for many, without medical treatment.
When DeGeneres used her platform and privilege to joke about the experiences of incarcerated people, I talked to my father.
“Dad,” I said. “What the hell? What would you even say to that?”
My father replied: “At home, you are surrounded by loved ones, and you have the freedom to express yourself physically and mentally.” And even in quarantine, he added, “you are able to choose whether you want to lie down or sleep or eat or bathe. Whenever you want.”
Advertisement
In prison, my father said, “you are surrounded by dangerous people, treated like the worst scum by your jailers, and you have no freedom, no rights and no choice.”
My father told me about the time someone started a fight with him. He defended himself and was punished by being put into solitary confinement for two weeks – with a broken jaw. When he finally received medical attention, his jaw was wired shut, and he was thrown back into the hole.
“In prison,” my father said, “you’re living in a cell not fit for an animal — let alone a human being – sharing space with a stranger that doesn’t care if you live or die. You live with only survival on your mind.” For incarcerated people today, he said, “they are extremely vulnerable – with no access to relevant facts regarding the pandemic.”
My father summed it up clearly, honestly and painfully: “Ultimately, at home you still have choices and you have access to information.”
So if it isn’t clear yet, life in quarantine is difficult, yes – but it is not the same as life in prison. And when we use our language so flippantly – even if our intentions are to joke – we diminish the suffering of the incarcerated, many of whom received unfair prison sentences based on racism or because they did not have the money to defend themselves.
Advertisement
While DeGeneres lounges in her massive mansion in the hills, a telemedicine call away from any sort of medical help or mental health care, a click of a button away from ordering a protective mask, cosseted with the luxury of outdoor space, sunlight, movement and food delivery, I think of the 92% of inmates in an Indiana prison who tested positive for Covid-19. I think of the sick inmates who won’t get tested or treated and of the inmates who will die alone in dingy cells.
In the end, this crisis affects all of us, especially the most at-risk populations. Many — but not all — incarcerated people are in prison for heinous crimes, but we still have an obligation to use our language responsibly. We are not “stuck” inside our homes. We are staying safely inside our homes so that we can flatten the curve and so that the medical system can catch up with the numbers.
Language matters. It is a powerful tool for change and for advocacy, and we each — on whatever platform we have—must live up to our responsibility to speak with accountability and respect.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Covid-19 Testing Plummets To 69,000 Tests A Day Due To 'Technical Issue'

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 .

Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has admitted Covid-19 testing has fallen to below 100,000 a day, putting it down to a “technical issue.”
Speaking to Sky News on Thursday, Lewis reiterated the prime minister’s pledge to create capacity for 200,000 tests a day by the end of the month but revealed that an issue at the laboratories responsible for the tests had hampered the government’s plans.
Advertisement
“Well, we are determined and we are confident that we can get to the capacity of 200,000 a day by the end of the month,” Lewis said.
“I would just stress as well, the capacity level has remained at over 100,000 over the last few days, the number of tests conducted, yes, you’re absolutely right has fallen below 100,000 it was about 69,000… 69,500 yesterday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
“But there has been a bit of an issue at the labs, there’s been a technical issue. That’s not surprising with a completely new test and a new diagnostics system we’ve put in place.
Advertisement
“But that technical issue is now dealt with so we’ll see that capacity and demand levels coming up.
“But the capacity has remained over demand and above 100,000.”
Lewis refused to disclose how much money was spent on a shipment of gowns flown in from Turkey which were deemed unusable.
Describing them as “not of the quality that we feel is good enough for our frontline staff”, Lewis said: “Well, when we’re securing PPE from around the world you do it based on a set of standards that you’re looking to acquire to, but obviously once it’s here we check that it is good enough for what we want to use, and in this instance some of this PPE turned out not to be good enough.”
He continued: “There was a view that it was good enough PPE, it is only when it has got here that teams have looked at it again and taken a view that it is not up to the right standard and they’ve decided not to use it.
“I think it is right that if we have got particular standards for what we want our frontline staff to be able to have access to we make sure we stick to that.
“If something isn’t right, if we’re not even sure about it then I think it is better to be safe and not use that product and stick with products we are confident are the right products and the right standards.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Florence Pugh Hits Back At Critics Of Zach Braff Relationship

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Make the most of your time in lockdown with a daily dose of celebrity news and guides to the best shows. Sign up to the entertainment newsletter.
Florence Pugh has hit back at critics of her relationship with fellow actor Zach Braff, who is more than 20 years her senior.
Advertisement
It’s fair to say that the 24-year-old is on something of a roll in her career, winning praise last year for her performance in the surreal horror Midsommar, and an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Amy March in Little Women.
However, her personal life has also had people talking in recent times, namely because of her relationship with the 45-year-old Scrubs star.
In a new interview with Elle magazine, Florence has responded to her detractors, insisting that strangers on social media “have no right” to comment on her private life.
Florence Pugh in the new issue of Elle UK Elle/PA News
Advertisement
“I have the right to hang out and be with and go out with anyone I want to,” she said.
“I’ve always found this part of what people do really bizarre. I’m an actor because I like acting and I don’t mind people watching my stuff, but people have no right to educate me on my private life.”
She continued: “I know that part of being in the spotlight is that people might invade your privacy and have opinions on it, but it’s bizarre that normal folk are allowed to display such hate and opinions on a part of my life that I’m not putting out there.
“It’s a strange side of fame that you’re allowed to be torn apart by thousands of people even though you didn’t put that piece of you out there.
“My point to all this is that isn’t it odd that a stranger can totally tear apart someone’s relationship and it’s allowed?”
Zach Braff at an Oscars after-party earlier this year Toni Anne Barson via Getty Images
Advertisement
The British star is currently on lockdown with Zach in Los Angeles, and when sharing a photo of him in honour of his birthday, she specifically disabled comments on the post.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Elon Musk Corrects Grimes' Explanation Of Son's Name And Grimes Fires Back

Elon Musk chose the wrong time to correct Grimes’ explanation of their newborn’s name.
The couple, who announced the birth of their baby boy on Tuesday, chose an unusual moniker for their son: X Æ A-12 Musk.
Grimes explained the name in a tweet, saying that the X stood for “the unknown variable,” and that Æ was a reference to both love and artificial intelligence.
Advertisement
The singer also shared that the A-12 is a “precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent.”
Unfortunately, she made a slight error in her tweet, which the SpaceX CEO was all too quick to point out.
•X, the unknown variable ⚔
•Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)
•A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent 🤍
+
(A=Archangel, my favorite song)
(⚔🐁 metal rat) — ꧁ ༒ Gℜiꪔ⃕es ༒꧂ 🍓🐉🎀 小仙女 (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020
“SR-71, but yes,” Musk said in a reply to his girlfriend’s tweet, correcting where she’d referred to their favourite reconnaissance aircraft as the SR-17.
Grimes had a quick comeback that put Musk in his place.
“I am recovering from surgery and barely alive so may my typos b forgiven but, damnit,” she said. “That was meant to be profound.”
Advertisement
I am recovering from surgery and barely alive so may my typos b forgiven but, damnit. That was meant to be profound 🦔 — ꧁ ༒ Gℜiꪔ⃕es ༒꧂ 🍓🐉🎀 小仙女 (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020
Musk quickly tried to correct himself with an emoji-laden compliment.
U r a powerful 🧚♀👸 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2020
If only the two would tweet out a video on how to pronounce their son’s name. Grimes did give it a little more context, saying that she thinks the name “sounds like the name of the main character in the story” and that “he vibes with that.”
At the very least, it sounds like something that would trend on Twitter.
But, of course, the most important thing is that mum, dad and little X Æ A-12 are happy and healthy.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Bank Of England Gives Dire Warning Of UK Recession Due To Coronavirus

Great Britain, England, City of London, Bank junction in the financial centre of London with view of the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange Manfred Gottschalk via Getty Images
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The Bank of England has warned over an economic hit from coronavirus of close to 30% by the summer as it left interest rates at the historic low of 0.1% after recent emergency action.
Advertisement
The Bank said it expects gross domestic product (GDP) to fall by around 3% in the first three months of 2020 and then plunge by a further 25% in the second quarter, although it cautioned over uncertainty over the forecasts.
In its first official outlook on the toll taken on the UK economy by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bank cautioned over a “very sharp” fall in GDP over the first half and a “substantial” hike in unemployment.
It said the fall should be temporary and that activity should “pick up relatively rapidly” as lockdown is eased, but added that it would “take some time” for the economy to recover.
The Bank’s nine-strong Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to hold rates at 0.1%.
It also kept its quantitative easing (QE) programme to boost the economy unchanged at £645 billion after unleashing another £200 billion of bond-buying in March.
Advertisement
But two members of the MPC voted to increase QE by another £100 billion in a sign that more may be on the way soon.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Coronavirus: How UK Lockdown May Ease And Four Other Stories You Need To Know

PA
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The lockdown will start to ease on Monday but no one can agree how, and racist attacks on people of Chinese heritage have skyrocketed.
Advertisement
So far 30,076 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, the latest figures show.
Statista
Anti-Chinese abuse skyrockets during coronavirus outbreak
Racist attacks against people of Chinese heritage have soared in the UK since the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report.
Victims describe being spat at, physically abused and told to “f*** off back to China” in experiences that made them feel “shocked” and “anxious”.
Advertisement
Over a third of people of Chinese heritage had experienced anti-Chinese racism in public places, while 20% of those surveyed say they had encountered increased racism in the workplace.
The study, which was led by Professor Binna Kandola and included a survey of more than 400 people and interviews with 29 participants, warned that these attacks could once again increase when the lockdown is lifted.
Read the full report here.
Lockdown to be eased but reports disagree on how and when
On Wednesday Boris Johnson hinted he will announce a limited return to pre-pandemic life in an address to the nation on Sunday, with new measures set to come in as early as Monday.
But just how far these will go is still up for debate.
Reports suggest changes could include unlimited exercise, the return of some sports, park picnics, and the opening of pub and cafe gardens – but people would still be required to remain two metres apart.
The move could also see the government scrap its “stay home” slogan, and encourage people to wear face coverings on public transport and in crowded places as some return to work, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Advertisement
The Daily Mirror went a step further, outlining “five steps to end of lockdown” which would see pubs and restaurants opening with social distancing measures by the end of August, and all other establishments such as gyms by the end of October.
In an indication of the changed approach, Public Health England said it was “reviewing all communications materials in anticipation of moving to the next phase of the government campaign”.
Free school meal vouchers ‘not working’
Supermarket vouchers issued to parents of children normally entitled to free school meals have been failing at checkouts, the BBC reports.
Advertisement
The scheme, set up in March, is supposed to ensure those on lower incomes can feed their families while the coronavirus lockdown keeps schools closed.
The vouchers – for £15-a-week for each eligible child – had been set above the £11.50 currently paid to schools for the cost of providing free meals.
But the scheme has been beset by problems, with some schools unable to register. Parents are now reporting they’ve been left “humiliated” at supermarket checkouts after the vouchers failed to scan.
One told the BBC: “It was embarrassing, everyone was looking at us.”
It is estimated that 1.3 million pupils are currently entitled to free meals.
Much-vaunted PPE shipped from Turkey fails safety tests
A shipment of 400,000 gowns from Turkey shipped to Britain amid much government fanfare has reportedly been impounded in a warehouse after falling short of UK standards.
The personal protective equipment (PPE) was flown into the UK by the RAF last month but has been held in a government warehouse near Heathrow, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Advertisement
The paper said inspectors deemed the equipment to be faulty.
Issues over the supply of protective equipment such as gowns and masks for health workers have plagued the government throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Under huge pressure, the government announced in April that it had managed to source a substantial supply of gowns from Turkey, which, after an initial delay, was flown into the UK on April 22.
It is not yet clear whether the government will pursue a refund over the order.
Trump U-turns on coronavirus task force because he ‘didn’t know how popular it was’
Just a day after saying he would wind it down, Donald Trump has said his administration’s coronavirus task force will continue, because he’s since realised how ‘popular’ it is.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, Trump came close to admitting that his plans to dissolve the advisory group were a mistake.
“I had no idea how popular the task force is until actually yesterday,” Trump said. “When I started talking about winding it down, I got calls from very respected people saying, ‘I think it’d be better to keep it going. It’s done such a good job. It’s a respected task force.’ I knew it myself, but I didn’t know whether or not it was appreciated by the public, but it is appreciated by the public.”
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Trump Says He Didn't Know How 'Popular' Coronavirus Task Force Is

LOADING ERROR LOADING
After reversing course on winding down the coronavirus task force, President Donald Trump said he didn’t realise Americans liked it so much.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, Trump came close to admitting that his plans to dissolve the task force were a mistake.
Advertisement
“I had no idea how popular the task force is until actually yesterday,” Trump said. “When I started talking about winding it down, I got calls from very respected people saying, ‘I think it’d be better to keep it going. It’s done such a good job. It’s a respected task force.’ I knew it myself, but I didn’t know whether or not it was appreciated by the public, but it is appreciated by the public.”
Trump’s plans to wind down the task force, a team of health and government officials overseeing the US response to COVID-19, were widely criticised as an attempt to shirk responsibility for the crisis by passing it onto state and local leaders, potentially shielding him from any blame over the country’s response in the lead-up to the November election.
Trump backed down from his plans Wednesday morning, tweeting that “the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN.”
He also said that he may “add or subtract people” from the committee. One of the additions is Iowa’s state epidemiologist, Dr Caitlin Pedati, who accepted the offer from Trump on Wednesday.
Advertisement
Newly initiated White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany wouldn’t offer any details on whose idea it was to disband the task force. When a reporter asked her about it, she referred him to Trump’s other remarks and said the president “decided that the coronavirus task force is here to stay.”
Trump’s reversal comes after the task force had already reportedly started winding down. NBC News reported Tuesday that the task force had already stopped meeting every day and that the meetings it has held have been shorter.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Yale Epidemiologist Slams US Coronavirus Response: 'Close To Genocide By Default'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A Yale epidemiologist pulled no punches with his searing assessment of the United States’ botched handling of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting it is now “getting awfully close to genocide by default.”
“How many people will die this summer, before Election Day?” tweeted Gregg Gonsalves, co-director of Yale’s Global Health Justice Partnership, on Wednesday morning, the day after President Donald Trump said the White House’s coronavirus task force would be wound down despite case numbers still rising. (Trump, however, tweeted later Wednesday morning that the group “will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN.”)
Advertisement
“What proportion of the deaths will be among African-Americans, Latinos, other people of colour?” asked Gonsalves. “This is getting awfully close to genocide by default. What else do you call mass death by public policy?”
How many people will die this summer, before Election Day? What proportion of the deaths will be among African-Americans, Latinos, other people of color? This is getting awfully close to genocide by default. What else do you call mass death by public policy? #COVID19 #coronavirus — Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) May 6, 2020
In later tweets, Gonsalves confirmed he was serious with his suggestion.
“What is happening in the US is purposeful, considered negligence, omission, failure to act by our leaders,” he wrote. “Can they be held responsible under international law?”
And I am being serious here: what is happening in the US is purposeful, considered negligence, omission, failure to act by our leaders. Can they be held responsible under international law? — Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) May 6, 2020
Advertisement
“So, what does it mean to let thousands die by negligence, omission, failure to act, in a legal sense under international law?” Gonsalves added.
So, what does it mean to let thousands die by negligence, omission, failure to act, in a legal sense under international law? #COVID19 #coronavirus — Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) May 6, 2020
COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has now killed upwards of 72,000 people in the US. There are more than 1.2 million confirmed cases nationwide, more than any other country in the world.
On Sunday, Trump said up to 100,000 people could eventually die from the virus. A week earlier, he said there would be up to 60,000 fatalities.
A draft Federal Emergency Management Agency report over the weekend, however, showed there could be 3,000 deaths daily by June 1.
Advertisement
Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx, members of the White House’s task force, have also previously suggested that between 100,000 and 240,000 people could die from the virus in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website how “current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups.” Almost one-third of those who have died from the disease in the US are Black, according to an Associated Press analysis.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--UK Accused Of Caving To US Demands For Trade Talks Secrecy

International trade secretary, Liz Truss, leaving the Cabinet Office. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Ministers stand accused of caving to Washington’s demands for secrecy over US-UK trade talks after it emerged some papers will not be made public until five years after a deal is signed.
Advertisement
Letters between negotiators from both sides reveal that “proposals”, “explanatory material, emails” and other “substantive information” will “be held in confidence” for half a decade after a deal comes into force.
The agreement is similar to curbs put on the doomed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks between America and the EU, and could mean plans, reports and minutes of meetings which have huge implications for the British economy cannot be revealed.
In a letter to his US counterpart, UK chief negotiator Oliver Griffiths agrees that “anyone given access to this information will be warned that they cannot share the information with individuals not authorised to see the information”.
It adds: “This information will be held in confidence for five years after a US-UK trade agreement enters into force, or five years after the close of negotiations related to such an agreement.”
Advertisement
It comes as US-UK talks opened via video conference on Wednesday, with trade secretary Liz Truss saying a deal could “help our economies bounce back from the economic challenge posed by coronavirus”.
Nick Dearden, director of the trade campaign group Global Justice Now, told HuffPost UK it “isn’t standard practice to insist on lengthy periods of secrecy even after a deal has been signed”.
He said while there was no “gold standard”, the talks between Washington and Brussels would be more open, adding: “This five-year secrecy clause may be what the US administration wants, but it’s up to the UK to say set out its own criteria.
“Either Britain has just given into the US here - which doesn’t bode well for how these talks will go - or they’re actually quite happy with these secrecy requirements because it will protect them from accountability for a trade deal which they know to be deeply unpopular.”
“As the UK is finding out size matters in trade and already on the first tango the dance is led by the American quickstep, with their unnecessary secrecy, even though it would be our trade deal too,” - Angus MacNeil, chairman of the international trade committee
Advertisement
While the UK has published its negotiating objectives, the vast majority of terms are thrashed out behind-closed-doors.
Angus MacNeil, who chairs the Commons’ international trade committee, also called for more transparency.
“As the UK is finding out size matters in trade and already on the first tango the dance is led by the American quickstep, with their unnecessary secrecy, even though it would be our trade deal too,” he said.
“Governments have to take their populations with them in a democracy and populations don’t like to be kept in the dark, that was seen with TTIP which again involved the US.”
The government said agreeing terms on confidential documents was standard practice and that negotiators had committed to updating the public after every round of talks.
Advertisement
David Henig, director of the UK Trade Policy Project think tank, said the fierce backlash to TTIP meant countries were more transparent by choice.
He said: “Negotiations used to be very secret, but TTIP and TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) controversies changed things, and that turned out to be helpful for trade deals. For the EU and other countries it is becoming increasingly typical to share significant levels of detail up to and including draft texts.”
HuffPost UK was told the agreement would not affect the Freedom Of Information Act, but it was not clear whether any requests for documents could be answered within the five-year limit.
A Department for International Trade spokesperson said: “We are committed to an open and transparent approach to trade negotiations and will report on the outcome of every negotiation round to ensure the public, parliament and interest groups are informed of progress.
“These documents set out arrangements between the UK and US governments on handling confidential information. This is standard practice ahead of trade negotiations.”
Advertisement
After talks began on Tuesday, both sides vowed to quickly seal a deal despite Covid-19.
The talks, to be conducted virtually, will involve over 300 US and UK staff and officials in nearly 30 negotiating groups, Truss and US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said after the first round.
“We want to strike an ambitious deal that opens up new opportunities for our businesses, brings in more investment and creates better jobs for people across the whole of the country,” Truss said. “As the prime minister has said, the UK is a champion of free trade and this deal will make it even easier to do business with our friends across the pond.”
Lighthizer, meanwhile, said Trump’s administration was aiming to “negotiate an ambitious and high-standard trade agreement” that will “support good-paying jobs and substantially improve opportunities for trade and investment”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--'My Dad Doesn’t Feel Safe': Anti-Chinese Abuse Skyrockets During Coronavirus Outbreak

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Racist attacks against people of Chinese heritage have soared in the UK since the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report.
Advertisement
Victims describe being spat at, physically abused and told to “f*** off back to China” in experiences that made them feel “shocked” and “anxious”.
Over a third of people of Chinese heritage had experienced anti-Chinese racism in public places, while 20% of those surveyed say they had encountered increased racism in the workplace.
The study, led by Professor Binna Kandola and included a survey of more than 400 people and interviews with 29 participants, warned that these attacks could once again increase when the lockdown is lifted.
Liam* noticed a rise in anti-Chinese sentiment when the virus first broke out in China at the beginning of the year, but was not too worried at first.
Advertisement
It was not until the end of February when the British-born former lecturer felt the racism hit home.
His elderly father was taking his usual walk in his residential neighbourhood in Manchester when a group of teenagers shouted “coronavirus” and coughed directly into his face.
Now Liam’s parents, who are in their 70s and have lived in the area for nearly two decades, are afraid to leave the house.
“My dad doesn’t feel safe anymore, and my mum is afraid of being targeted,” he said.
The study also showed examples of people of Chinese heritage being verbally abused and receiving death threats.
One man claimed he had stopped travelling on public transport before lockdown because he was “feeling so uncomfortable”.
Advertisement
Prof Kandola said these recent incidents were bringing back childhood memories of anti-Chinese sentiments from long ago.
“For a lot of British-born Chinese, it was a sense that this was something they had grown up with,” he told HuffPost UK.
Until this year, Leah* had thought these incidents had been relegated to her past.
“Before the virus, I don’t think I experienced much racism for a long time,” the British-born Londoner said. “I thought it had gotten a lot less than when I was young.”
However since the outbreak began, she has experienced several incidents at her workplace which have left her feeling “hypersensitive” to anti-Chinese racism.
“I’ve always felt really proud of my Chinese culture,” she said. “Now I don’t feel like I can speak up at work.”
Advertisement
Reports of anti-Chinese racism have escalated since the coronavirus outbreak, in Europe and the US as well as the UK.
On Tuesday it was revealed that the rate of hate crimes against Chinese people between January and March was nearly three times that of previous two years.
At least 267 offences were recorded in the first three months of 2020, according to freedom of information data released to Sky News.
Juinn Tang: “This is my way of standing up. I’ve been too passive for too long.” HuffPost UK
Juinn Tang, from Cambridgeshire, is positive that racism against people of Chinese heritage has risen in the past few months.
Advertisement
Before the outbreak began, the British-born IT manager described his “normal” experiences of racism as coming from children.
“They would pull their eyes into slants and make ‘ching chong’ noises,” he said.
Since January, he has seen anti-Chinese sentiments from adults, for example when a man muttered the word “coronavirus” at him as he was walking through a car park outside a Tesco’s in Peterborough.
A few days later, he saw a woman swerve immediately away from him along a supermarket aisle.
Although the 43-year-old describes these incidents as “mild”, he admits that his wife - who is also Chinese - now worries about his safety when he goes food shopping.
The study said those who had reported experiencing cases of anti-Chinese discrimination were left with feelings of shock, fear, paranoia and anxiety.
All the people the study spoke to who have experienced racism in the recent months pointed to anti-Chinese remarks made by high-profile figures, such as when US president Donald Trump called Covid-19 a “Chinese virus”.
Advertisement
“It’s down to words,” said Liam. “It can influence the public and what language they pick up on.”
Among the Chinese community in Britain, many have felt their experiences of racism dismissed or not taken seriously.
“There is a perception among victims of anti-Chinese abuse that the only way the media will pay attention is if someone is killed,” said Prof Kandola.
When Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan mocked the Chinese language in January, more than 1,600 people called to complain to the broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Juinn was one of them.
Where once he was more accepting of so-called “normal” experiences of racism, he says the rise in anti-Chinese attacks have changed his attitude.
“This is my way of standing up,” he said. “I’ve been too passive for too long.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--How Long Does It Take To Recover From Coronavirus?

News about the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19, is more scary than reassuring. We hear a lot about death counts, terrifying symptoms and new infections, and less about recovery.
But people do get better ― in fact, more than one million people around the globe (and counting!) are considered recovered from Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
But how long does it take to reach that point? And what are some signs that you’re healthy again? Here’s what we know:
Advertisement
Those who get ‘mild’ cases can expect to start to recover after about 14 days
If you get a case of coronavirus where you’re able to stay home and not need emergency medical care, this is considered “mild.” Symptoms typically include a fever, some shortness of breath and a cough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also added a loss of taste and smell, chills, headaches and a sore throat to their list of possible symptoms.
If this is the worst you get (and we don’t mean that in a minimising way, those symptoms are hell), you can expect to start to recover from the disease after about 14 days, according to initial data from China published in a report by the World Health Organization.
However, it can take longer to completely get rid of your symptoms. The data only notes that the two-week recovery time is an average, not a guarantee. Some reports also suggest that issues like a cough may linger.
An important note: This is the time frame from the onset of your symptoms, the day when you first start to feel sick. You could have been infected or contagious before that, as experts estimate it takes two to 14 days for symptoms to appear.
Advertisement
That ― along with the fact that some symptoms can last for weeks, even if you generally feel better ― is why it’s so important to isolate yourself when you’re sick and keep in touch with your doctor. It’s crucial that you follow a physician’s advice and minimise the spread of the virus as much as possible.
For those with a more severe case of Covid-19, recovery could take a few weeks to over a month
For those who are “severe or critical,” the average recovery time was about three to six weeks, according to the World Health Organization report. However, it’s also been reported that it could take as many as eight weeks to months to feel somewhat normal again, depending on how harsh your symptoms were during the illness.
Covid-19 cases in this category usually get worse about a week to 10 days after the onset of symptoms, and typically occur because of the “backfiring” of your immune system. In its effort to fight off the virus, your immune response may cause collateral damage to the body. People who experience this may have trouble breathing or get pneumonia or lung-related problems. Some may need hospitalisation because of breathing troubles, where they might receive oxygen therapy.
Then there are the even more severe cases. According to the World Health Organization, it’s estimated that globally about 1 in 20 people infected with coronavirus may require intensive care. This may include being put on a ventilator to assist with breathing if it’s too difficult to do on your own.
In recovery situations like this, it may take up to 12 to 18 months before you’re able to feel back to normal, the BBC reported. You may need assistance with rebuilding muscle and could experience other problems, like post-traumatic stress disorder, which will require help and attention.
Advertisement
Symptoms like fatigue may linger long after you’ve been discharged or are considered recovered, according to the BBC. If you were in an intensive care unit, you may also experience trouble breathing for a while.
Nuthawut Somsuk via Getty Images Recuperation periods from Covid-19 vary; in cases that have required intensive care at a hospital, 12 to 18 months may be needed before for a full recovery.
Some signs that you’re recovered from Covid-19
The disease is unpredictable, so recovery signs can be confusing or different for everyone. Sometimes you may even start to feel better only to feel worse a few days later, which usually happens around week two of symptoms.
The CDC defines recovery as three days with “no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.”
For those who may not have had symptoms but tested positive for Covid-19, the CDC said you can discontinue self-isolation after waiting 10 days following your first positive test to make sure you don’t develop symptoms.
Advertisement
However, it’s best to remain vigilant and act like you’re still contagious if you do need to leave the house. According to the CDC, “because symptoms cannot be used to gauge where these individuals are in the course of their illness, it is possible that the duration of viral shedding could be longer or shorter than 10 days after their first positive test.”
If you’re somehow able to get tested again for Covid-19 and your results are negative, you can assume that you’ve recovered and can discontinue isolation.
All that said, everyone’s recovery timeline and experience is slightly different. Make sure you check in with your doctor regularly for the best guidance on your condition.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Everyone's Writing The Same Coronavirus Email Greeting. Do This Instead.

Nipitphon Na Chiangmai / EyeEm via Getty Images It's best if email check-ins about how people are doing are opt-in conversations.
“I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during this crazy time!” began an email from a publicist who was following up on a request. My work inbox today is filled with similar messages from people who don’t know me, initially inquiring about my survival during the coronavirus pandemic and then addressing deadlines and other business.
I’m not alone in receiving more concern-filled emails from colleagues, acquaintances and strangers right now:
Advertisement
Emails now be like: I hope you are staying safe, sheltered in place, stocked with toilet paper, and healthy during these absolutely unprecedented, wild, chaotic, terrifying times. Just wanted to follow up- — zoom school of clownery '21 (@_chismosa_) March 26, 2020
Personally, I’m at a loss as to how exactly I should address the current crisis when reaching out by email, even to people I interact with regularly.
For the moment, I’ve settled on “I hope you’re doing as well as can be expected right now” when I’m initiating the first correspondence with someone since the outbreak.
How I used to begin work emails: Hi!
How I begin work emails now: pic.twitter.com/XaDAyNWHQ1 — Hannah Long (@HannahGraceLong) April 22, 2020
Advertisement
But should I and other professionals be including “Hope you’re doing well” intros every time? Do I sound cold and unfeeling if I don’t mention the coronavirus in work correspondence with strangers and acquaintances? The pandemic is raising new questions around email etiquette.
“Emails before coronavirus were often brusque and demanding and a little bit soulless,” said Randy Malamud, an English professor at Georgia State University and author of the book “Email (Object Lessons).”
Now, asking how you’re doing in an email may mean actually wanting to know how you’re doing, and if you need some flexibility these days.
“There are many more important things than how we write email. But email is one of the things we do. And we do it a lot,” Malamud said. “Even there, we should be sensitive to the fact that some very routinized ways of writing and communicating are being changed, need to change.”
It’s okay to feel fatigued by the constant “Hope you’re doing well.”
At this stage of the pandemic, Covid-19 doesn’t need to be an icebreaker for work email communications, said Lisa Orbé-Austin, a licensed psychologist and executive coach.
Advertisement
“Most people are feeling like they don’t want to engage in this chitchat around Covid,” she said. “If you know something specific is going on in their life about Covid, then you may want to ask that, but as a point of general conversation, I think people are feeling fatigued by it.”
Recognise that how you communicate via email with another professional depends completely on whether your relationship is close or distant.
“Allow yourself flexibility to be responsive to individual situations. Allow yourself to not do the same rote ‘How are you doing? Hope you’re safe and well,’” said Orbé-Austin.
Don’t go overboard with expressing concern. The more distant your relationship, the more acceptable it is for you not to press for information that you wouldn’t normally be getting. “With people you don’t know more [about], it’s probably a cue to you that you probably shouldn’t be continuing to ask,” Orbé-Austin said.
When in doubt, try making the coronavirus an opt-in topic for people who want to engage, while giving others the option not to process Covid-19 with work contacts. “Pay attention to cues you’re receiving from the engagement back,” Orbé-Austin said.
Advertisement
But do leave an opening for colleagues to share their struggles.
If composing emails was an autopilot activity before the pandemic, you should recognise that it may require more thought and consideration now.
“It is getting more important as it replaces the interactions we can’t have anymore because we’re isolating,” Malamud said. He noted that even in a routine email interaction, a colleague could have some “very non-routine things they need to communicate.”
Malamud advises offering an opening in your emails that invites colleagues to share if they need your help with deadlines and deliverables. He does this in emails to his students after he mentions their assignments, writing, “Please let me know if this is hard for you for whatever reason.”
“It’s nothing rhetorically brilliant. It just leaves the door open for the possibility that the person receiving the email will have unusually challenging reasons for being unable to respond to the email the way they normally would,” he said. In response to his open-ended request, students have told Malamud about caring for sick relatives, lacking access to computers, and struggles with unemployment impacting their school work.
When people actually tell you how they’re doing, Malamud said it’s okay to circle back to these conversations “as necessary, as appropriate.” That’s part of the new consideration about how the pandemic is changing email correspondence, he said.
Advertisement
Both formulaic emails and clichéd “hope you’re doing well” intros land differently now.
“You didn’t use to have to think about it that much. When someone said, ‘Hope you’re going to have a good weekend,’ it dignifies no response or ‘yep.’ This is different from that,” Malamud said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--The Coronavirus Test Can Throw Up 'False Negative' Results – Why?

bortonia via Getty Images
We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
People taking coronavirus tests may get a negative result back – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re clear of the virus.
Advertisement
Reports suggest tests are coming back with “false negatives”, where people are effectively told they don’t have Covid-19, despite continuing to struggle with symptoms.
The main type of test used in the UK – and around the world – is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, where a sample is taken by swabbing the nose and/or throat, and then tested in laboratories. People can have this in hospitals, as well as via drive-through centres and home testing kits.
So how accurate are they – and what could cause a “false negative” result?
What do we know about testing accuracy?
Different studies have shown varying levels of accuracy for the PCR tests – and experts don’t agree on how accurate they are at this stage.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist and expert in molecular oncology from Warwick Medical School, tells HuffPost UK: “We estimate that, at best, [the test is] 75% accurate. That is, for every 100 people who are tested who are actually infected, you’ll miss probably, on average, 25 people and they will come out as false negatives.”
Advertisement
With the UK government aiming to carry out 100,000 tests a day at this point, it could mean as many as 25,000 are coming back with a false result.
But the accuracy is improving, says Dr James Gill, a GP locum and honorary clinical lecturer at the University of Warwick. Where the test once had about a 20-30% false negative rate, he believes it’s now nearer to around 5-10%.
Other experts HuffPost UK asked were unable to put a figure on the accuracy of these tests. Alexander Edwards, associate professor in Biomedical Technology at the University of Reading, says: “The reason I – and many others – won’t cite specific accuracy data is there are so many studies [looking into this], and the methods used are often different, and this makes a big difference to the number,” he explains.
“I can’t say, ‘This test is 80% accurate and that test is 95% accurate’ – it’s far more complicated than a single number.”
Advertisement
A study from China back in February, which compared chest CT scans and RT-PCR tests, concluded that chest CTs “had higher sensitivity for diagnosis of Covid-19”. Of the 1,014 patients tested, 59% had positive RT-PCR results, and 88% had positive chest CT scans.
Among the patients whose RT-PCR results came back negative, 75% then showed positive on the chest CT scans.
What could cause false negative results?
Prof Young believes sampling error plays a part. “The way you take the sample with swabs in the nose and throat is very inaccurate – and indeed, having seen some of this on the TV where people are driving into these testing centres and you see the swabs being taken, I’m very concerned they’re not actually swabbing correctly,” he says. Dr Gill agrees: “It’s a swab that requires some experience to do well, certainly without being uncomfortable.”
At the moment, the tests in widespread use rely on three things: the right sampling, extracting the sample once you’ve got it in the right way, and a correct analysis of it in laboratories. A more accurate sample could be taken in a person’s saliva, Prof Young suggests, rather than their nose and throat.
There’s also a biological issue that may cause false negatives. When you sign up for a test, you’re told to take it within three days of developing symptoms. This is because the virus moves around your body. In the early days of developing the virus, it might stick around in your nasal passage or the back of your throat, but as the days pass, it will begin to move towards your lungs.
“The longer you have the condition, the virus migrates and it goes down into your lungs,” says Dr Gill. “So even though you’re coughing, you’ve got the fever, we might not be able to get the swab because it might not be there anymore. It might’ve gone down to the lungs. That’s one reason we can miss it.”
Advertisement
“The way you take the sample with swabs in the nose and throat is very inaccurate.” - Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist and expert in molecular oncology
Another factor causing false negative test results is very simply that you can test negative one day, then pick up the infection, and a few days later test positive.
There are many ways diagnostic tests can give incorrect results, says Prof. Edwards, but by no means does this mean the testing service is bad. “I’d say the UK testing system is built on very solid foundations,” he says. “We have strong systems in place to make the tests as good as possible. We have very high standards. But there are fundamental barriers to ‘perfection’.
“Although no tests are perfect, they are still most often correct, and incredibly important and useful.”
Advertisement
What to do now?
NHS England said in a webinar that GPs and other NHS staff who have tested negative for Covid-19 should not return to work if they still have symptoms, Pulse Today reported.
Advertisement
Meanwhile a spokesperson for Public Health England (PHE), which is responsible for testing in hospitals, tells HuffPost UK: “No test is 100% sensitive. False negatives may occur occasionally and there are a number of factors that can affect the result of PCR tests, including the quality and type of sample taken, the timing of the sample in relation to the illness as well as the test performance. Like any diagnostic test, results should be interpreted in the context of the clinical presentation.”
If you’re unsure whether to go back to work after receiving a negative result, it’s a matter of listening to your body. “If you’ve got a temperature, you’re coughing, you’re feeling unwell, you’ve lost your sense of smell and a bit of paper says ‘You’ve not got it’, how much weight are you going to put on that?” says Dr Gill.
Giving a real-world example, Dr Gill explains: “We had a consultant in one of the ITU [intensive treatment unit] departments at the start who developed a cough, and somebody said: ‘Well, let’s go and get you tested.’ He said: ‘No, I’ve got to be off for 14 days.’ And they said: ‘No, we need you.’ He said: ‘Yes, but what happens if the test comes back negative? I could take out the entire ITU department.’”
Prof Young and Prof Edwards believe we need to carry out more than one test on people with suspected coronavirus to get a more accurate picture.
“The bottom line is it’s not 100% accurate and you could argue well, most tests aren’t,” says Prof Young. “But if we’re going to rely on it to make decisions about who should go back into the frontline or who should come out of lockdown or isolation, then the only approach is to have more than one test.”
Advertisement
If you’re still coughing and have a temperature after a test result comes back negative, speak to your GP. The advice will likely be that you need to stay at home and continue self-isolating. “We will always be informed by the results we’re getting,” adds Dr Gill, “but we will treat the person in front of us.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--My Family Live In Four Countries, But Coronavirus Has Brought Us Closer Together Than Ever

HuffPost UK Getty Images
Sat with my dad when the news filtered through that coronavirus was no longer contained to China, my main preoccupations were embarrassingly prosaic: how was I going to battle Storm Ciara to fly home from London to Barcelona? What Valentine’s Day gift I was going to buy my partner?
Fast-forward two months and, naturally, my concerns are more profound. Dad lives thousands of miles away and, observing the lockdown following his organ transplant (I donated my left kidney last year), he’s on his own and going up the wall.
Advertisement
My two older sisters moved abroad years ago and have families in France and the United States. Sudden choices confronted each of us about where to ‘see out’ this emergency; every night our last waking thought is about how we’d reach Britain if either Grandma, who’s 96 and lives in a care home, or even worse, Dad, started to feel ill.
In 2019 BC (Before Coronavirus), our original plan was to all flock home to the UK for our annual shindig: my oldest sister and her baby boy from their adopted home in Los Angeles, and my middle sister and her son from Paris. We’re close, but we lost Mum years ago to cancer and we don’t often see one another, spread out as we are across different continents and dramatically different timezones.
Dad’s 75th birthday is approaching and my baby nephew soon turns one. Like so many other families we know, these celebrations will now take place online, truncated and without the familiar touch of loved ones’ warm embrace. Truth be told, we’re not the most tactile family – black humour and digs at one another’s expense regularly rule the day.
Dad and I have our evening chats, some of them grimmer than others but, conscious I won’t be able to see him until at least the lockdown ends, I never hesitate to tell him: “I love you”. What’s startling is hearing him, obstinately unsentimental, reciprocate. The other night, I found my voice breaking as I told him, “I wouldn’t be here without you”. I was quietly tearing up when he then replied, “I don’t know where I’d be without your help.”
Advertisement
Ever desperate for silver linings, I’m finding one peculiar benefit of the pandemic is the way it’s drawing our family closer, from the Pacific Coast to Poble Sec, where I am. We’ve rallied in a way we haven’t managed in easier times. My oldest sister has secured Dad shopping deliveries, and asked a friend of hers to set him up on a laptop. My middle sister signed him up to the government’s food parcel service, and I’ve asked an old university friend of Dad’s to reach out and encourage him to remain indoors.
I’ve wrestled with guilt of not being with him. My decision not to return to London wasn’t an easy one but I don’t have a home there, my partner is a French national, and even if I did return, I wouldn’t be permitted to walk beyond Dad’s front porch. There’s no straightforward decisions to be made when confusion reigns.
Transforming guilt into something more productive, I sent Dad my favourite memories of childhood holidays, of driving with him to Southend one bank holiday, both of us singing, rather improbably, along to Abba’s Fernando. I’ve whooped at seeing my baby nephew crawl and stand – in a video, of course – and played Scrabble over Facetime with my nephew in Paris (I bent the rules, to keep him happy and his mother too). All three of us organised a communal Zoom for the Jewish festival of Passover – always a time for sombre reflection – but this year, a chance for some cheer as well, as we shared Mum’s secret recipe for chicken soup and dumplings.
Extended family feel closer, if nothing else, because I’ve forced myself on them through a diet of regular phone calls. Until now, I’d never exchanged WhatsApp messages with my Uncle. I’m a genealogy geek, so after extensive research on my family tree, I’m even enjoying chats with a newfound long-lost cousin in Toronto.
We used to joke that our family only ever met at funerals and that we all ought to make an effort to see one another on happier occasions. I’m not sure this counts as one of those, but whether it’s borne out of fear or some other emotion, from now on, I’m determined to make all family contact meaningful. If it can’t be upbeat, it should at least be emotionally honest.
Advertisement
After all, none of us knows when, or how, this situation will end.
Andrew Kaye is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Twitter at @JKaye82


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--We're All In Lockdown Together – So Why Are Women Doing All The Grunt Work?

I am one of the many self-employed women thrust into full-time childcare. Getty Creative
Lockdown has exposed some hard truths about the way we’ve been living. Tube, work, gym – rinse and repeat – feels like a past life, and, for many of us, that’s a welcome change. But as radical as this period of necessary and important adaptation has been, I’m still patiently waiting for an overhaul of our gender roles at home.
Despite the majority of the workforce now clocking on from home, too many women are still being forced to shoulder the lion’s share of the housework. Tales of juggling Zoom meetings and client emails, while simultaneously getting a load of washing on, child on hip, are landing in my inbox daily. Others tell me they are spending hours cleaning, while husbands shut themselves away in studies. Worse, some women are being forced to take the difficult decision to quit work all together while they pick up the extra responsibility of homeschooling and caring for the kids.
Advertisement
Of course, it would be unfair to say that All Men are guilty of not pulling their weight in the home. But even in normal times, women shoulder, on average, 60% more unpaid work than men – so it’s hardly surprising this has been exacerbated by lockdown. But it is perplexing – and frustrating.
Why aren’t we sharing these tasks? What barriers are there to dividing the labour equally now that we’re all in the same choppy waters?
Naively, I had imagined that this pandemic could have been the great leveller between the sexes. But lockdown has compounded what many of us already knew – women are still too often relegated to a supporting role.
It doesn’t matter that we’re all now at home all day, or spending the same amount of time with the kids – care work is still seen as women’s work.
Advertisement
Of course, this isn’t a new problem. It’s just more visible. These are roles that are normally outsourced to other women – poorer, working class, often BAME women, who clean our houses and look after our children.
But lockdown has succeeded in exposing the lies we tell ourselves about gender equality. Yes, the pay gap does need fixing. Yes, more women need to get into STEM. Yes, men need to “do better” at being allies. But ultimately, as maddening as this sounds, homemaking is still seen as a woman’s default position, whether we’re conscious of it or not. And while care work – both paid and unpaid – remains chronically undervalued, we will still be shackled to the outdated notion that a man’s job comes first.
This pandemic will have far-reaching consequences on the way we live our lives moving forward – that much is now abundantly clear. Let’s hope that it won’t signal a decline in women’s worth.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Legal Threat Over Removal Of Protections For Children In Care During Outbreak

Education secretary Gavin Williamson arrives in Downing Street ASSOCIATED PRESS
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The government could face legal action after ministers used the coronavirus crisis to remove protections for children in care.
Advertisement
As reported by HuffPost UK last week, children’s minister Vicky Ford deployed executive powers to change the law so children in care are entitled to less contact from their social worker.
Ministers say the move is temporary and has been driven by under-pressure councils attempting to cope with social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But children’s charity Article 39 has called it an “outrageous attack on safeguards” and director Carolyne Willow has written to education secretary Gavin Williamson threatening court action if changes are not reversed.
The temporary regulations, brought in using executive powers, mean that instead of every six weeks, social workers can ‘visit’ - by phone or video call - “as soon as reasonably is practicable”.
Advertisement
Fostering panels, which bring together children with registered foster carers, have been scrapped, as has the need for care plans to be independently reviewed every six months.
All are seen as key, regular interventions which offer young people in the care system a voice.
The changes also temporarily mean adult care-givers working in homes do not need to be qualified.
Charities have questioned whether local authorities are behind the changes.
Willow said: “This is an outrageous attack on safeguards which have been built up over 70 years, often in response to terrible failures to protect children.
“Legal action is always a last resort but we consider that this is the only way to ensure the rights of children in care are quickly reinstated.
Children's minister Vicky Ford Empics Entertainment
″There is no obvious link between Covid-19 and the vast majority of the protections snatched away from vulnerable children. Indeed, since 2016 there have been three failed attempts by government to remove some of the most significant safeguards taken away this time – actions which were, in the past, strongly resisted by parliamentarians, care experienced people, social workers, children’s lawyers, charities and others.”
Advertisement
Labour has backed charities and Tulip Siddiq, shadow minister for children and early years, has put forward a motion in parliament.
She told HuffPost UK: “These changes are unnecessary and could put children in harm’s way. They must be revoked immediately, or at the very least withdrawn pending proper safeguards and scrutiny to make sure that children in care are protected.
“It is not acceptable to make sweeping reductions in children’s rights with very few safeguards and absolutely no parliamentary scrutiny. We understand the pressures that local authorities are under right now, but these measures could increase the risk of harm to children and the government has not produced any evidence to suggest they are necessary.”
Oliver Studdert, partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, helped to draft the letter to the education secretary.
He said the statutory instrument put forward by Ford removes “a number of the essential protections put into place by law to safeguard children in the care system”.
Advertisement
He added: “The government should not use the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to implement a large number of unnecessary and potentially dangerous changes to the way in which looked after children are supported. Many of the changes expose these children, who are some of the most vulnerable children in society, to additional risk.
“The regulations, which are widely opposed, have been rushed through without any meaningful attempt to consult, at a time where children in care are likely to be in need of greater levels of support.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Why Boris Johnson May Not Get A VE-Shaped Recovery From Covid-19

Dominic Raab during today's media briefing in Downing Street. PA
You’re reading The Waugh Zone, our daily politics briefing. Sign up now to get it by email in the evening.
R we being served?
Dominic Raab’s No.10 press conference was meant to be a holding event, the tantalisingly light hors d’oeuvres before the British beef of Boris Johnson’s main course. But thanks to a combination of academic number-crunchers and devolved government leaders, the dinner party didn’t quite go as planned.
Advertisement
When he got up for his pre-bank holiday briefing, the first secretary clearly wanted a steady-as-she-goes message. Any changes to England’s current coronavirus lockdown would be “modest, small, incremental and very carefully monitored”, he said. When the PM addressed the country on Sunday, he would set out “appropriate measures to be taken at appropriate milestones, subject to very clear conditions”, he added.
Raab was so keen to smooth the path for his boss’s modest good news that he seemed to forget at first to announce that in fact he was formally (as required by law) extending the current lockdown, at least for another three days. He was frank enough to repeat that making “even the smallest of changes to the current guidance will be a point of maximum risk”. Yet it was when he started appearing to play down that risk that things started to get messy.
Raab revealed that the R (the reproduction number for the virus’s transmission rate from person to person) now stood at “between 0.5 and 0.9”. That 0.5 is the lowest that any government figure has given since this whole crisis began, so it felt like good news. So good that perhaps it creates space for the PM to credibly talk about those small returns to normality.
Yet national statistician Sir Ian Diamond, on his debut at these No.10 events, proceeded to give us the bad news. That upper estimate of 0.9 is actually dangerously close to 1, the point at which one person transmits this virus to someone else. Anything above one, as every minister has told us, means a new increase in its spread.
Advertisement
Diamond went further, in backing up evidence to MPs earlier by Professor John Edmunds of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who had revealed that the most recent figures put the R number between 0.75 and 1.0, whereas a few weeks ago it was 0.6 or 0.7.
The stats chief then effectively ruined all that careful No.10 pitch-rolling, by saying Prof Edmunds “is right that R has probably gone up just a little bit” and - wait for it - “that is driven by the epidemic in care homes”. To cap it all, Diamond said that his personal view was “social distancing and maintaining it over the next few weeks is going to be central to reducing the pandemic.” No wonder Raab tried to sweeten the pill, saying “Soooo, overall R is down. But there’s obviously, clearly a challenge that remains in care homes.”
After all that, just how can the government start easing the lockdown this weekend? How can it meet its self-imposed test that it won’t do anything unless it is ‘confident’ the changes won’t risk a second peak of infections? Even if the number of deaths in care homes is coming down (as No.10 said today), a rising infection rate looks very worrying indeed.
Well, perhaps it’s all to do with the caveat to that test, doing nothing to risk “a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS”. First, the NHS has not been overwhelmed even during the worst of the crisis in early April (though it was close). And second, a new rise in R would result in tighter restrictions to quickly get things back under control, Raab made clear.
That rationale clearly hasn’t convinced the governments in Scotland or Wales. Nicola Sturgeon this morning made another three-week extension of the lockdown her main message, adding that dumping the ‘Stay Home’ mantra too soon would be “potentially catastrophic mistake”. Then the Welsh education minister added its schools would definitely not be opening on June 1, despite some reports that English pupils would start to go back then.
Advertisement
Of course, one of the main reasons for the PM’s push to ease the lockdown is pressure from the chancellor, many Tory MPs and employers for the economy to get going again. Today’s Bank of England study suggested an eye-watering 14% drop in GDP this year, but followed by the fastest, biggest recovery for hundreds of years. Even Rishi Sunak’s title for one of his interventions, ‘bounceback loans’, presupposes some kind of bungee-jump for firms and their staff.
But that ‘V-shaped’ recovery forecast is not shared by everyone. As former chancellor Alistair Darling pointed out, this could be a long haul, with higher unemployment possible for years. A sustained downturn would not just be an economic blow, it would be a political danger too for this government, despite its big majority. Even the Bank of England talked of long term ‘scarring’.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick was right to warn yesterday that the towns that voted Brexit and vote Tory in the north and midlands “are exactly the sorts of communities and economies that are likely to be most hit by the economic disruption”. It’s hard to ‘level up’ skills and investment if this virus is driving things downwards.
With VE Day’s 75th anniversary marked tomorrow, it feels as if Boris Johnson wants to follow it up with the first hint of a VE-shaped recovery, full of Brexit bravura and British exceptionalism.
One problem with that messaging is that it took decades for the UK to recover from the Second World War, (with rationing in place for nine years after its end). The other is that Germany ‘won the peace’ with an economy that outpaced ours. And now with a lower death rate from this awful common enemy, it’s Berlin that may ‘bounce back’ quicker than us once more.
Advertisement
Quote Of The Day
“We are not going to do anything that risks a second peak. We will advance with maximum caution in order to protect the NHS and to save lives.” - Boris Johnson to his Cabinet
Thursday Cheat Sheet
30,615 people in the UK have now died from coronavirus, up 539 on the previous day.
Some 86,583 people were tested for the virus on Wednesday, up on recent days but still the fourth day running that Matt Hancock’s 100,000-a-day target has not been met. Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries pointed to technical problems with a lab that had now been resolved.
With many people expected to flock outdoors this weekend, No.10 had to deal with the mixed messaging of telling them not to sunbathe just hours after newspaper front pages declared the the public could indeed spend more time outdoors from next Monday.
The economy could contract by 14% and unemployment could double as the Covid-19 pandemic plays out throughout the country, the Bank of England suggested.
Black people are four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white people in England and Wales, a new ONS analysis of mortality records found.
Advertisement
Labour extended by a week the time its NEC will have before choosing a new general secretary, on Tuesday May 26.
The NASUWT teachers union signalled that it did not want schools in England to return before September, citing safety fears for staff.
What I’m Reading
Got A Tip?
Send tips, stories, quotes, pics, plugs or gossip to waugh.zone@huffpost.com.
Subscribe To Commons People
Each week, the HuffPost UK Politics team unpack the biggest stories from Westminster and beyond.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--UK Rapper Ty Chijioke Dies After Contracting Coronavirus

British rapper Ty when he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2004. Andy Butterton - PA Images via Getty Images
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Acclaimed rapper Ty Chijioke has died after being hospitalised with Covid-19 complications, HuffPost UK understands.
Advertisement
The Brixton-based artist, 47, was an influential figure on the UK music scene, releasing four successful albums, and gaining a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2004.
His death comes after the hip-hop MC, born Ben Chijioke, was admitted into hospital with medical complications related to Covid-19 and placed into a medically-induced coma.
According to an update on April 19, Ty was moved out of the intensive care unit and onto a ward while continuing to recovery.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, broadcaster and friend Jasmine Dotiwala paid tribute to the late rapper.
“Ty is a UK hip-hop legend that has championed the culture in all its many forms across many decades. He’s one of the torch bearers and flagstone icons of the culture who created his own music but also championed so many others,” she said.
Advertisement
“He always had time for everyone and was as serious as he could be funny but he was hilarious when he was ready to have a laugh and a joke about something.
“Ty was a very deep spiritual brother, he was private but he publicly loved and supported everyone and we shall always remember him and celebrate him.”
She added: “And when all of this is over, when we are able to go out and be free again, we will celebrate him with the biggest celebration and make sure that people don’t forget him, we will play his music loudly and walk through the streets rapping along with him. I hope he’s resting in peace.”
Shortly after his hospitalisation, a fundraiser was set up for the rapper by his close friend, Diane Laidlaw, while he battled for his life.
“Ty has been a beacon in helping the community, now he needs the community to be a beacon for him,” the GoFundMe page read.
Advertisement
“Ty (...) would give you his last penny if he had it to give. Always donating his time and energy to anyone that needs it. I can often hear him say ‘Let’s make this happen’. The original witty joker who would always make you laugh with his facial expressions and undercover sarcasm.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Olly Murs Apologises After Backlash To Pringles Tube 'Prank' On Girlfriend Amelia

Make the most of your time in lockdown with a daily dose of celebrity news and guides to the best shows. Sign up to the entertainment newsletter.
Olly Murs has apologised after receiving a backlash to a prank he played on girlfriend Amelia Tank on social media.
Advertisement
The singer was criticised by some after sharing a video on TikTok, which showed him pulling a supposed practical joke involving a Pringles tube.
It saw him removing the bottom of the crisp tube to apparently stick his penis in it, for Amelia to unwittingly touch as they sat down to enjoy a snack.
Amelia was heard calling him a “twat” after she reached inside the tube and recoiled.
Addressing the subsequent backlash on Twitter and his Instagram Stories, Olly wrote: “So I’ve had a few days to think about this, and wanted to apologise to anyone who has been offended by my social videos.
Advertisement
“My intention was only to make people smile and laugh during these trying times.”
Olly Murs posted this apology on Instagram Instagram
He added: “Am wishing you all a great bank holiday. Remember to #bekind #stayathome.”
Olly and Amelia have been on lockdown together at his Essex pad for the last few weeks, after going public with their relationship earlier this year.
Some of their other pranks have seen her flinging ham at his face as he played Fifa, and her sellotaping his phone to his head.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Coronavirus 'R' Rate Goes Up Again As Illness Is 'Concentrated' In Hospitals And Care Homes

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The coronavirus epidemic is now “concentrated” in hospitals and care homes, which is pushing up the overall rate of infection, one of the government’s scientific advisers has said.
Advertisement
The reproduction, or “R”, rate of the virus has actually risen over the last two weeks despite a decline in community transmission under lockdown, according to professor John Edmunds of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
This is because the epidemic is showing fewer signs of slowing down in hospitals and care homes where there is a “big problem”, and so the average is higher, he said.
Edmunds, who sits on the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), said the most recent estimates put the R rate between 0.75 and one, or just below one, with London at the lower end.
There was confusion as foreign secretary Dominic Raab told the Downing Street briefing that the R rate was lower – between 0.5 and 0.9, the lowest government estimate yet.
Advertisement
But national statistician Sir Ian Diamond then told the same briefing he would “not demur” from Edmunds’ estimate, admitting the R rate had risen.
He said: “It’s probably gone up just a little bit from these last estimates and that is driven by the epidemic in care homes, he [Edmunds] would say, and I would not demur from that.
“That is a real challenge to reduce the epidemic in care homes.”
The government is using the R number, which sets out how many other people one person with Covid-19 infects on average, to determine how far and how fast to lift the lockdown.
"Any changes that we make will be carefully monitored, if people don't follow the rules or if we see that the R level goes back up we will tighten the restrictions again. We will always retain the option to so" - Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
Latest: https://t.co/vyuiOjgrLq pic.twitter.com/NG4TpIM2Ik — SkyNews (@SkyNews) May 7, 2020
Ministers must keep the R rate below one or risk a rapid increase in the spread of the virus.
“It’s a big problem that we have in hospitals and care homes, but I think what’s happened is that the community epidemic has come down and that epidemic is now being concentrated in these settings,” Edmunds told the Commons science committee.
Advertisement
“Our data are not really good enough to give us any certainty about what the reproduction number really is in hospitals and it’s probably variable between one hospital and another, and care homes is even worse.”
Edmunds said the epidemic in the community had shrunk “really considerably” under lockdown, so “what we’re seeing is this continuing epidemic in hospitals and care homes”.
“What we are now measuring as the reproduction number is [...] to a significant proportion this residual reproduction, this residual transmission in these settings.”
Earlier, Diamond told the committee that the ramping up of Covid-19 tests in care homes should be used to build a study of the transmission and prevalence of the virus in those settings.
“I do believe that the epidemic in care homes is not going to go away in the short-term,” he said.
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said the rising R rate showed the government had failed to implement infection control at care homes.
Advertisement
Many warned care homes were highly vulnerable calling for a credible strategy to protect residents & care workers with PPE and accessible, regular testing.
If ‘R’ now increasing because of social care surely exposes govt failures to implement infection control in social care. — Jonathan Ashworth (@JonAshworth) May 7, 2020
He said: “Many warned care homes were highly vulnerable calling for a credible strategy to protect residents and care workers with PPE and accessible, regular testing.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--One Of Trump's Personal Valets Tests Positive For Coronavirus

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A personal military valet of President Donald Trump has tested positive for the coronavirus, the White House said Thursday.
“We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for coronavirus,” deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement after CNN first reported the news of the valet’s infection. “The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus, and they remain in great health.”
Advertisement
The unidentified man is a member of the US Navy and serves as one of Trump’s personal valets, according to CNN. He is part of an elite military unit that works in the White House and comes into close contact with Trump and his family.
The valet showed “symptoms” Wednesday morning, a source told CNN, which also reported that “the news that someone close to Trump had tested positive for coronavirus was ‘hitting the fan’ in the West Wing.”
The man’s diagnosis raises the possibility that Trump has been exposed to the coronavirus at the same time he and his administration have downplayed the pandemic’s magnitude.
The White House appears to be winding down its already insufficient response and is intent on reopening the economy — even as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise throughout much of the country.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Amanda Holden 'Glad' People Are Seeing 'A Good Side' To Piers Morgan: 'I Adore Him'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Make the most of your time in lockdown with a daily dose of celebrity news and guides to the best shows. Sign up to the entertainment newsletter.
Amanda Holden has said she is “glad” people are seeing a “good side” to Piers Morgan during the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
The Good Morning Britain presenter is usually highly divisive and often criticised for his opinions, but has won praise for his coverage of the virus on the ITV breakfast show.
In particular, Piers has been praised for the way he has held government ministers to account during interviews.
Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan Dave M. Benett via Getty Images
Amanda, who worked with Piers on Britain’s Got Talent until he quit as a judge in 2011, has said she “adores” the “brave” star because he “never, ever sits on the fence”.
Advertisement
Speaking to Metro, she said: “He is somebody that always puts things into perspective. He certainly makes me laugh, if I ever need any advice about anything, I think, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe that’s been written about me or said’, he’s always like, ‘Just think about the bigger picture or what it means’, and I adore him for that.’
“I know who he really is, he plays a pantomime baddie on GMB, but in reality he’s a very funny family man who does have huge opinions on things but is happy to listen, always happy to do you a favour.”
Piers and Amanda worked together on Britain's Got Talent from 2007 to 2011 PA
Amanda added that Piers was one of three men in her life, along with her husband and fellow BGT judge Simon Cowell, that she could always rely upon in a crisis.
She said: “If I was in dire straits I would pick up the phone to Piers and he knows I would do the same for him so he’s a proper friend and I’m glad people are seeing a good side to him.”
Advertisement
However, while many have been impressed with Piers’ interviews with government ministers during the crisis, his direct approach hasn’t been without controversy.
More than 3,000 complaints were made to the TV watchdog Ofcom following two interviews with Care Minister Helen Whately on GMB last month.
Another 600 viewers also complained about Piers’ interview with Health Secretary Matt Hancock on 16 April.
However, the regulator announced they would not be taking the matter any further, noting that Piers is “well-known for his combative interviewing style” and viewers would expect him to challenge senior politicians.
The presenter has since hit out at a supposed government ban on any active ministers appearing on GMB, calling it “pathetic and cowardly”.
Advertisement
The UK Govt has banned any ministers from appearing on @GMB after a series of them made complete fools of themselves in the face of basic & important questions.
This is a pathetic & cowardly response to THEIR shameful incompetence.
cc @BorisJohnson. @10DowningStreet — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2020
Piers tweeted on Thursday: “The UK Govt has banned any ministers from appearing on [Good Morning Britain] after a series of them made complete fools of themselves in the face of basic & important questions.”
Addressing the official Twitter accounts for Boris Johnson and 10 Downing Street, he continued: “This is a pathetic & cowardly response to THEIR shameful incompetence.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Lockdown Extended As PM Prepares To Unveil 'New Normal' On Sunday

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The coronavirus lockdown has officially been extended as Boris Johnson prepares to announce Britain’s “new normal” on Sunday.
Advertisement
Speaking at the Downing Street briefing, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said social distancing measures will remain in place this bank holiday weekend.
It comes as the prime minister prepares to make an address to the nation on Sunday in which he is expected to lift some – but not all – restrictions on Brits’ freedoms.
Raab said Brits must “keep going” and “stick to the plan”, adding: “There is no change in the rules today.”
He added” “For the moment it is really important, particularly as people look towards a warm bank holiday weekend, that we continue to follow the guidance in place at this time.”
Advertisement
Saying the PM would set out a “roadmap” with “milestones” for the next phase of rules, Raab said changes would be “modest, small, incremental and very carefully monitored”.
A Union flag in the window of a closed pub, as the country is in lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, in London, Thursday, May 7, 2020. Unlike the mass street celebrations in 1945, surviving veterans are marking V-E Day this year in virus confinement, sharing memories with loved ones, instead of in the company of comrades on public parade. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) ASSOCIATED PRESS
“To get this right, we have set milestones,” Raab said. “Some changes can confidently be introduced more quickly than others and some of those other ones will take longer to introduce.”
The foreign secretary also warned “the point at which we make even the smallest of changes” to the rules “will be a point of maximum risk” as the disease could easily begin to spread again.
The virus’s reproduction rate – the “R” – must be kept below one, experts have repeatedly said.
It comes after the foreign secretary said the UK was “past the peak” of the Covid-19 outbreak, but as power-holders bid to avoid a second spike in cases in the months ahead.
Advertisement
“We have come through the peak, but it’s a very delicate and, I have said before, a very dangerous moment, so we do need to proceed with caution,” Raab said.
“If we find in the future the R level goes back up or that people aren’t following the rules, we must have the ability then to put back measures in place.”
Raab also admitted there were “significant” problems with the spread of the virus in care homes.
PPE, social distancing, movement into facilities and testing were all issues ministers were examining, he said.
“We’ve definitely got a challenge in care homes,” he said. “The CQC [Care Quality Commission] data that came out, I think, yesterday showed that overall in care homes the number of deaths was down by over 300 on the last week, so that’s positive, but there’s still a very significant issue in care homes.”
On Thursday, the number of people who died across the UK after contracting coronavirus rose by 539 in 24 hours, bringing the working total to 30,615.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Ministers Seek Refund After 400,000 Gowns From Turkey Deemed Useless

An RAF Atlas, believed to be carrying a cargo of PPE, is unloaded at Brize Norton. Steve Parsons - PA Images via Getty Images
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Ministers are scrambling to secure a refund after 400,000 protective gowns flown in from Turkey were deemed to be useless.
Advertisement
The government paid Ankara a deposit for the personal protective equipment (PPE) as supplies for frontline NHS staff battling coronavirus dwindled.
Jetted in by the RAF, the shipment has now been impounded in a warehouse after the gowns failed to meet UK safety standards.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis admitted in an interview on Thursday that the items turned out to “not be of the quality that we feel is good enough for our frontline staff”.
Now, Downing Street has confirmed ministers are trying to get the UK’s deposit back from Turkey.
It is not yet known how much the UK has paid.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “All deliveries of PPE are checked to ensure the equipment meets the safety and quality standards our front line staff need.
Advertisement
“If equipment does not meet our specifications or pass the assurance processes, it is not distributed to the front line.
“An initial deposit was paid and the NHS is in discussions with the supplier over whether replacement gowns can be manufactured to meet our standards. If this is not possible a refund will be sought.”
The news is another blow in what has proved an embarrassing episode for the government and its efforts to provide PPE.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick answering questions from the media via a video link during a media briefing on coronavirus. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick had promised a “very significant additional shipment” of PPE from Turkey on April 18, saying it would arrive the next day.
Advertisement
Despite his claims, the jet’s arrival was delayed and after several delays, the RAF was deployed to Istanbul to fly it back to RAF Brize Norton on April 22.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the episode had shown “the absolute danger of making promises when you can’t be sure you can keep them”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We know the number of gowns or masks or aprons or the type or the quality of equipment is not always what it says in the box, and we have warned that setting targets that are not met or saying it is all going fine – when on the front line it manifestly in places is not going fine – undermines confidence.
“And it undermines confidence not just in our members and local leaders but among frontline staff.”
Justin Madders, Labour’s shadow health minister, meanwhile, said the government must put forward a “credible plan” to ensure PPE supplies.
He said: “This is the latest in a number of mistakes the government during its response to the pandemic.
Advertisement
“It is vital that the government produces a clear and credible plan for what comes next to avoid further serious missteps like this and ensure there is a secure and reliable supply of PPE moving forwards.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Watch Live: Dominic Raab Chairs Daily Coronavirus Briefing

Watch Live: Dominic Raab Chairs Daily Coronavirus Briefing
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab leads the daily press briefing to update on the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Could Lockdown Rob The UK Of 'The Next Stormzy'? With Tracy Brabin MP

Could Lockdown Rob The UK Of 'The Next Stormzy'? With Tracy Brabin MP
Boris Johnson went toe-to-toe with Sir Keir Starmer for the first time in PMQs this week, with Labour’s leader impressing many. But what is his long-term strategy and how is he managing the one thing he can control - the Labour party? Meanwhile as the prime minister prepares for a minor easing of the coronavirus lockdown, there is no end in sight for the UK’s theatres, music venues and comedy clubs. Could the country lose ‘the next Stormzy’ as working class artists turn away in search of cash?Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth, shadow culture minister Tracy Brabin discusses her new leader and the economic impact of the lockdown.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-07--Furloughed Staff Not 'Drinking Pina Coladas With Their Feet Up', Ministers Told

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The government has been accused of being “disrespectful” to furloughed workers by suggesting they are “addicted” to state subsidies and need to be “weaned off”.
Advertisement
Labour frontbencher Tracy Brabin told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that furloughed staff are not just sitting around “drinking Pina Coladas with their feet up, enjoying 80% of their salaries”.
The shadow culture minister also stressed that she would regard every viable business that goes bankrupt due to the coronavirus lockdown as a government “failure”.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said this week that the UK needs to “wean off” the job retention scheme which sees the state pay 80% of workers’ wages if they cannot work during the lockdown.
Government sources meanwhile controversially briefed that “people are addicted to the scheme”, despite bosses not workers deciding who goes on furlough.
Advertisement
Brabin told Commons People: “This idea that we’ve got to wean people off furlough, as if people are drinking Pina Coladas with their feet up, enjoying 80% of their salaries.
“Remember the cap is £2,500, 80% of a salary is a moveable feast.
“People aren’t on 80% of £2,500, they’re on 80% of their poor poverty wages as it is.
“And to say that we need to wean people off furlough is actually quite disrespectful.
“Every single viable productive business that goes bankrupt because of Covid is a failure on this government.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has since announced plans to wind down the furlough scheme from July.
UK businesses have applied for 6.3m workers to be furloughed at a cost of around £8bn.
Brabin said she feared “quite substantial job losses locally” and questioned how her constituents in Batley and Spen, West Yorkshire, would recover.
Craig Brough / Reuters
“The language from Rishi Sunak at the beginning was ‘whatever it takes’ and now it’s actually ‘it’s costing a bit too much, we’re going to start pulling back’,” she said.
Advertisement
“Who is going to be paying the price for that? It’s communities like mine.”
Brabin also warned that the UK will lose “the next Stormzy or Maxine Peake” because working class people will be the first to quit locked down cultural industries which are struggling to provide an income.
The MP urged ministers to create a “new deal” for the sector, which contributes more than £10bn a year to the economy but is in “absolute crisis” as it will be the last to leave lockdown.
“To be honest, we need a new deal,” Brabin said. “This is an absolute crisis for our sector.
“We need the government to have a real plan about how we’re going to come back.”
Stormzy with the Brit Award for best British male in the press room at the Brit Awards 2020 held at the O2 Arena, London. PA
She warned working class people in the arts “will be the first to fall out” as they will have no money coming in.
“They will be the first to say sack it off, we can’t make any money, I’m living on fresh air,” she said.
Advertisement