thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-18--Nine Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

Concerns over the coronavirus pandemic have led to major changes around the globe as the rate of infection grows.
The Department of Health and Social Care said on Wednesday that 104 people in the UK were known to have died after testing positive for the virus, including three in Scotland and two in Wales.
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Meanwhile the number of people to test positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am is 2,626, up 676 from 1,950 at the same time on Tuesday, according to the Gov.uk website. The figure includes a baby who tested positive for Covid-19 at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston in Norfolk.
Confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have topped 200,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Here are the latest developments.
Closure of schools over coronavirus
Exams will not take place as planned in May and June after the announcement that schools in England will close until further notice for most pupils.
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The announcement came on the same day that the Welsh and Scottish governments revealed that schools in the two nations would close early for the Easter break, with doors set to close by Friday at the latest.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told MPs: “I want to provide parents, students and staff with the certainty they need.
“After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon they will remain closed until further notice.
“This will be for all children except to those of key workers and where children who are most vulnerable.”
Despite calls by the government for Brits to socially-distance themselves from one another, schools have so far been advised to remain open.
Brits in Spain told to return
(AP Photo/Joan Mateu) ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Britons in Spain have been urged by the Foreign Office to return before March 24, when all Spanish hotels will close.
In a statement, it said: “The Spanish government have confirmed that all hotels will close in Spain from Tuesday 24 March.
“We therefore advise British travellers in Spain to contact their tour operator or airline as soon as possible, to arrange their return journey home before this date.”
Another MP diagnosed with coronavirus
Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, said on Twitter: “After a six-day wait for results I have just been informed I have tested positive to Covid-19.
“I was tested on the last day the NHS was still conducting community testing.
“If we are to beat this then we need to take the @WHO advice and “Test, Test, Test”.”
A total of six MPs have tested positive.
Tributes paid to UK’s youngest victim
Craig Ruston Me and my MND
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Father-of-two Craig Ruston, from Kettering, died on Monday, six days after he became ill with a chest infection that was confirmed as Covid-19.
The 45–year-old had been fighting motor neurone disease (MND).
His wife, Sally, said he was “a wonderfully kind and caring person...he welcomed everyone”.
Craig had been writing a popular blog about living with MND following his diagnosis in in 2018.
71 people in the UK have known to have died in the outbreak. Ming Yeung via Getty Images
Filming and events suspended
In a statement about EastEnders, the corporation said: “In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice. The decision was made after the latest government update.
“We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England. We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible.”
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Glastonbury 2020 has been cancelled and will be an “enforced fallow year”, the festival organisers have announced.
We are so sorry to announce this, but we are going to have to cancel Glastonbury 2020. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily pic.twitter.com/ox8kcQ0HoB — Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) March 18, 2020
Criminal trials to be delayed
Criminal trials longer than three days that were due to start before the end of April will be postponed.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, it was announced that the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett – the most senior judge in England and Wales – has decided no new trial should start in any crown court unless it is expected to last no more than three days.
The statement said the impact of the public health emergency on the operation of the courts has been under “constant review”, and that criminal trials pose “particular problems in a fast-moving situation” because of the involvement of many participants including the judge, jurors, defendants, lawyers, witnesses and court staff.
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Supermarkets introduce limits on purchases
Newport, Wales UK - September 29, 2011: Sainsbury's shop sign at the Crindau store, Newport Gwent. susandaniels via Getty Images
Sainsbury’s customers will only be able to buy a maximum of three of any grocery product and a maximum of two on the most popular items such as toilet roll, soap and UHT milk.
Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, will impose restrictions on all customers to buying a maximum of three products per line from Thursday, as it copes with the high demand from the coronavirus pandemic, the company has announced.
Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy also limited the sale of hand sanitiser.
Why do people panic buy? We asked a psychotherapist to explain.
Doctors fear they’ll die over lack of kit and testing
Frontline hospital staff fear that doctors and nurses will die because of NHS guidance that they do not need to wear full protective equipment when caring for virus patients.
Senior doctors said they believed the advice was because of equipment shortages rather than best practice.
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They have commented that hygiene levels on wards were falling below standards because people were stealing hand gel from the end of patients’ beds.
Earlier, we asked frontline health workers what worries them about the crisis. Here’s what they said.
Wealthy people are paying for private testing
After failing to access testing through the NHS, more than 2,000 people have ordered a £375 home testing kit from a Harley Street clinic in London, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
Additionally, some 60 firms including oil and telecoms companies, have purchased them for their staff.
There is an ongoing concern that the coronavirus outbreak is dividing the rich and poor.
Liam Evans, campaigns officer at charity Turn2us, told us: “If you are living paycheque to paycheque, you will not have the ability to buy food in bulk, or if you do not have a freezer, you will be unable to store food for a long time.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--5 Confusing Messages From Boris Johnson's Coronavirus Press Conference

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Boris Johnson gave his fourth daily Downing Street press conference of the coronavirus crisis on Thursday. The briefing lacked the seismic shifts revealed on the previous three, where announcements about avoiding pubs and restaurants, a £350bn rescue package and closing schools re-shaped British life as most know it.
However, there were vital updates being communicated to the public that appeared confused and confusing as the prime minister, sometimes in a rambling manner, attempted to strike a more upbeat tone.
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Despite the number of deaths in the UK rising to 144 and little sign of the numbers abating, Johnson focussed on the prospect of “turning the tide” on the disease within 12 weeks. But this was just one of a number of mixed messages that emerged from a session that lasted just 20 minutes.
Easier to be a commentator, but the contrast between Gordon Brown's breadth, ideas and remorseless drive on BBC Radio 4 this morning with Boris Johnson's inchoate performance this evening was striking. — Patrick Wintour (@patrickwintour) March 19, 2020
1. What will happen in 12 weeks?
In the live TV news conference, Johnson told the nation he is “absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country” and the tide can be turned within the next 12 weeks.
“I’m conscious as the days have gone by that people will want to know how long we’re expecting them to keep it up,” he told reporters.
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“I think, looking at it all, that we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks and I’m absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country.
“But only if we all take the steps that we’ve outlined, that is vital, that’s how we’re going to reduce the peak and once we’ve achieved that and I think that we will, if we take the steps I’ve said, then the scientific progress that we’ve been making will really start coming into play.”
But after follow-up questions, it was unclear what “turning the tide” actually meant.
Slightly confusing message from Boris Johnson
At the beginning of his press conference 'we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks'
He subsequently said: 'I cannot tell you by the end of June we will be on a downward slope. It's possible' — Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) March 19, 2020
He said he could not guarantee that by the end of June the peak would be on a “downward slope”, an admission that the illness could still be spreading.
He said: “Now I cannot stand here and tell you that by the end of June that we will be on the downward slope. It’s possible but I simply can’t say that that’s for certain, of course not, we don’t know where we are, and we don’t know how long this thing will go on for.
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“But what I can say is that this is going to be finite, we will turn the tide, and I can see how to do it within the next 12 weeks.”
2. What did 250,000 tests refer to?
Almost as an afterthought, Johnson said the authorities were also “massively increasing” testing on people who may currently have coronavirus, with daily testing going “from 5,000 a day, to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up at 250,000”.
Mass testing appeared to have become official UK policy with little notice. But the PM was corrected by chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty, who pointed to a more modest 25,000 figure.
WOW!@peston: Prime Minister, you came up with this very interesting figure of 250,000 tests. Perhaps you could say more on that.@BorisJohnson: I’ll pass that ball straight to Chris.@CMO_England: PHE are hoping to ramp up the number of tests to 25,000pic.twitter.com/W73ltbcuh3 — Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) March 19, 2020
What a shambles?!
The PM just mistook the figure of 25,000 #COVID19 tests Public Health England are “ramping up to” with “250,000 tests.”
The Taiwanese govt have a fine of $100,000 for spreading #FakeNews #coronavirus news.
Is it time to set-up a cross-party #covid19UK team? pic.twitter.com/8vGbppX3me — Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) March 19, 2020
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Johnson also said the government plans to purchase antibody tests to detect if someone has had coronavirus, and said this could be a “gamechanger” in the UK’s response to the illness.
The PM said “hundreds of thousands” of kits could be bought if the tests prove effective, with negotiations currently ongoing. So is that the 250,000 figure he was referring too?
3. Is London going to be under lockdown?
Despite rumours swirling around the capital for the previous 24 hours, Johnson insisted there is “no prospect” of grinding the capital’s public transport to a halt or telling Londoners they cannot go to work amid fears a lockdown is going to be imposed.
By contrast, a day earlier he said nothing had been ruled out when asked if the city was going to be shut down. The PM acknowledged there had been some “misunderstanding” over his plans.
“There is no prospect of us wanting to stop public transport in London or stop the Tube or the buses,” he said on Thursday.
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He added that ministers are “not going to be telling people that under no circumstances” can they go to work “if they really need to”.
But, again, there was room for confusion. In some areas, Johnson said there is evidence to suggest people are ignoring social distancing advice, with some still socialising in bars and restaurants - so the government “may need to go further”.
Pubs are open. Don’t visit pubs. That’s the message. Eh? — Jane Garvey (@janegarvey1) March 19, 2020
He added: “We are going to want people to avoid gatherings where they can transmit the disease. We are absolutely emphatic about that. And if it becomes necessary to do more to ensure that, then we certainly will do so.”
4. When will workers get help?
Johnson urging businesses to “stand by your employees” was another key message, as mass lay-offs are possible following the economic slowdown caused by shutdowns and social distancing.
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On Tuesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £350bn support package was focused on businesses, with little help for staff facing the prospect of being laid off and unable to pay the bills.
At his press conference, Johnson insisted there would be no repeat of the 2008 crash when the banks were bailed out and those who really suffered were ignored.
Despite European countries and even America effectively saying they will write cheques to hard-hit workers, there was little explicit on what that help might be. Sunak will make further announcements on Friday, the PM said, but businesses appeared to be going ahead and ignoring Johnson’s pleas.
This is categorically not what @BorisJohnson meant when he urged businesses not to take precipitate action by sacking staff. https://t.co/AIeOGBadxZ — Robert Peston (@Peston) March 19, 2020
5. Will there be more live press conferences?
The daily press conferences were only introduced on Monday, and followed a torrent of criticism over “confusing” and “dangerous” anonymous briefings to last Sunday’s newspapers.
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But has the PM already tired of them? “
“I think there may be a moment where we start to do this remotely,” Johnson said, appearing to refer to journalists being spaced out in the briefing room to observe social distancing guidance. “I don’t know what the plan is.”
.@SamCoatesSky absolutely right to say that it looks like these vital press conferences may at risk. They are the only way to scrutinise the PM. Won’t work if lobby have to email in their questions in advance if they are done remotely. — Ayesha Hazarika (@ayeshahazarika) March 19, 2020
Johnson picked up the unease among reporters about “some sort of remote press conference”.
“Can you live with that? Ah, I see you are worried you cannot ask questions,” he told them. “I see your anxiety.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--The First Brexit-Free Podcast In Four Years, Featuring Andrew Griffith MP

The First Brexit-Free Podcast In Four Years, Featuring Andrew Griffith MP
A truly unprecedented week in Westminster, as prime minister Boris Johnson told the country to stay at home as Britain begins to edge towards the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. The public were urged to stay away from pubs, theatres, schools and work from home to try protect those more in immediate risk from Covid-19.The monumental change to how we live now has shocked markets worldwide, with the government announcing £350 billion of measures to help businesses and those unable to work. Is it enough though and what more can the government do?Joining Arj Singh, Paul Waugh and Rachel Wearmouth, and keeping a safe social distance, is Conservative MP Andrew Griffith.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--'Whitehall Complexity Makes It Harder For Government To Respond Quickly To Coronavirus'

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The complexity of Whitehall makes it difficult for the government to react more quickly to the coronavirus pandemic and communicate exactly what is happening to the public, a Tory MP has said.
Andrew Griffith, a former No.10 adviser to the prime minister, told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast the crisis shows why Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings want to reform the civil service to make it more responsive.
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He suggested the reason the government has not been able to provide more immediate clarity on the status of GCSE and A-level exams, cancelled due to school closures, is because there are a “whole bunch of different levels and arms-length bodies involved in that conversation”.
But he praised the government’s response to a hugely complex issue, urging the public to get used to a “flow” of information rather than ministers “descending from Mount Sinai with a tablet of stone”.
Griffith, who worked as PM’s chief business adviser in Downing Street and lent his £9.5m Westminster townhouse to the Johnson leadership campaign last year, said: “This has taught us that we have actually federated a lot of important parts of delivering in Whitehall.
“So you remember in early January, just before the reshuffle, there was a lot of talk about how you restructure Whitehall and the best part of that was a focus on really delivering for ordinary folk up and down the country.
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“Some of the time it’s taken to respond to some of these things do speak a little bit to that Whitehall reform agenda.
“The reason we can’t come out immediately and say what’s going to happen about exams, about college admissions, is because you’ve got a whole bunch of different levels and arms-length bodies that are involved in that conversation – it’s not what we always would have thought of as the department of education.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson with his senior aide Dominic Cummings as they leave Downing Street, central London. PA Wire/PA Images
The Arundel and South Downs MP also urged the public to be more patient for information.
“Often government communications historically has been quite staccato – here I am, I’m descending from Mount Sinai with a tablet of stone, and this in one go is everything you need to know.
“I think for a crisis of this complexity one of the things we are going to see is you have to think of those as more of a flow – so there’s an economic flow, there’s a flow about what’s going to happen in education, there’s a flow about the knock-on impacts through the health and social care system.
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“We have to get used to a rhythm with how we are communicated with, but it won’t be all in one go.”
He added: “We’re in a position where things have moved at an unprecedented speed and this is a highly complex issue.
“I think the government has got it about right.”
Sign up now to get The Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing, by email.
Griffith, formerly chief operating officer at Sky, also praised Johnson’s ability in “storytelling” and getting to the “human at the heart” of the crisis, while admitting it would be an “emotional drain”.
“In my experience he’s very resilient, he’s good at listening and then as you have to be, being decisive – ‘I’ve heard the different points of view, I’ve heard the science, I’ve heard the advice, and now this is how we have to act,’” he said.
“But he also cares a lot.
“It’s very easy, I think, from his time in journalism, which is about storytelling and has essentially the human at the heart of it, in my experience. He’ll project very quickly from the abstract, which is a lot of the advice that’s given, to the personal in terms of how that would affect an individual or a particular part of society.
“I think his leadership is good in this but it’s quite an emotional drain every day having to take these decisions.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--More Than One Million People Sign Petition For NHS Staff To Be Tested For Coronavirus

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A petition for frontline NHS staff to be tested for Covid-19 has reached a million signatures.
Started by junior doctor Rebecca McCauley, it expresses fears that NHS staff who are experiencing cough or cold symptoms could potentially be passing coronavirus onto vulnerable patients.
It also points out: “I’m a junior doctor, currently working in an emergency assessment unit. My cough is minor, and it’s March, so quite common to get a cough... but how do I know it’s not COVID-19? The truth is I don’t.
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“So now I have to ask... do I stay off work for 7 days, leaving a shortfall of staff and putting further strain on the already strained NHS, when the likelihood is that I don’t actually have COVID-19?
“Or, do I go to work with my minor cough (as I would normally) and risk potentially spreading COVID-19 to all of the sicker patients I see on a daily basis?”
It comes amid frustrations about the government’s position on testing after the World Health Organisation (WHO) said countries must “test, test, test”.
Boris Johnson told a press conference on Thursday: “We’re massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now and ramping up daily testing from 5,000 a day, to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up at 250,000. [...]
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“That knowledge of where the virus is will make a huge difference to our management of the disease and our ability to reduce disruption and economic difficulty.”
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty echoed the prime minister, saying: “The key thing that we need to do is get this testing out. [...] Get the NHS workers so we can test them quickly and then, if they’ve got it, fine, they continue but they know they’ve had it once. If they’ve not got it, they can come back to work, or if the reason they’ve stayed at home is that someone else in their family has got the symptoms, we would test them and see if they’ve got it.”
McCauley added: “I am petitioning for prioritisation of testing for NHS staff... so that those who need to stay away do so, with a clear conscience, and those who can work can do so, with a clear conscience.”
Signatory Anne Callaghan wrote: “This is just total common sense – incredible someone has to start a petition to get it done.”
Amanda Henshaw added: “I am a nurse and my priority is to protect patients and families. I need to know if I am safe to work.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Boris Johnson Predicts UK Can 'Send Coronavirus Packing In 12 Weeks' If Public Takes 'Ruthless' Acti

Boris Johnson Predicts UK Can 'Send Coronavirus Packing In 12 Weeks' If Public Takes 'Ruthless' Action

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Boris Johnson said the UK could “turn the tide” of the coronavirus outbreak in the next 12 weeks, but only if the public follows government advice to avoid gatherings.
The prime minister asked for “ruthless, determined, collective action” to “reduce the peak” of the virus by early June.
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But he told a press conference in Downing Street on Thursday that if people ignored the advice then “nothing is ruled out” when it came to imposing stricter restrictions, especially in London where the outbreak has so far hit hardest.
“We don’t know where we are and we don’t know how long this thing will go on for,” he said. “We do need very energetic, concerted effort to follow the medical advice.”
On Thursday morning No.10 said the capital will not be locked down like other major cities around the world.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said there was “zero prospect” of a ban on travelling in and out of the capital.
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Johnson also revealed the first British patient had been put in a randomised trial for a treatment for Covid-19.
He said the government was “in negotiations” to buy a so-called antibody test.
“If it works as its proponents claim, then we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kits as soon as practicable,” he said. “Because obviously it has the potential to be a total gamechanger.”
Some 137 people in the UK have died after testing positive for the virus, including six in Scotland, two in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, according to the latest Department of Health and Social Care figures.
Johnson said: “I’m conscious as the days have gone by that people will want to know how long we’re expecting them to keep it up.
“I think, looking at it all, that we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks and I’m absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country.
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“But only if we all take the steps that we’ve outlined, that is vital, that’s how we’re going to reduce the peak and once we’ve achieved that and I think that we will, if we take the steps I’ve said, then the scientific progress that we’ve been making will really start coming into play.”
Earlier today, the government’s top scientific advisers warned young people not to be complacent over Covid-19 as they urged the public to keep up social distancing measures.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Quarantined Man Runs Marathon On Balcony Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

It was a marathon effort to keep fit and stave off boredom amid the coronavirus lockdown in France.
Elisha Nochomovitz spent 6 hours and 48 minutes running 26.2 miles around the 7-metre balcony of his apartment in Toulouse on Tuesday, just as a 15-day nationwide ban on people leaving their homes (apart from essential outings) came into effect.
Video shared online shows the 32-year-old restaurant worker, who is currently furloughed from his job, running repeatedly up and down the small space. In all, he completed around 6,000 laps.
#Coronavirus : près de Toulouse, il court un marathon sur son balcon https://t.co/J7S1ViB4aP pic.twitter.com/gzrDKFkleV — France Bleu Occitanie (@bleuoccitanie) March 19, 2020
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“I wanted to bring something playful to the containment,” said the seasoned marathon runner, who has 36 such races under his belt.
“I saw pictures of people going out of their homes for jogging. But if everyone does the same, we will all end up outside,” he told HuffPost France, noting how it was the first time he hadn’t been bothered about recording a lengthy time.
“Part of my goal was to kill as much time as possible,” he said.
With French authorities reportedly considering extending the lockdown beyond its initial 15 days, Nochomovitz said he was now mulling over his next stay-at-home challenge.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Coronavirus Shows Elites Are Wreaking Havoc On The Climate — It's Not You And Me

Job losses, poverty and isolation are not the price we must pay for decarbonising the economy. PA Images via Getty Images
We are in the midst of a crisis. The exponential spread of Covid-19, the virus that has killed thousands globally, is challenging almost every aspect of our daily lives. From our work commute to a Sunday roast with the family, social distancing and self-isolation measures are making us behave, move and work in radically different ways. In fact, we are having to unlearn many of our everyday habits in order to adjust to this new world, with no end in sight.
The restrictions on movement and public gatherings, which vary in their stringency from nation to nation, mean that we are travelling less and leaving planes, cars, buses and boats at a standstill. Beyond the economic shock of reduced movement, which has seen tens of thousands of jobs brought into question in the aviation and transport industries, there have also been environmental consequences.
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China, for example, has seen its carbon emissions fall by nearly a quarter while it has been occupied with halting Covid-19, with a 70% reduction in domestic flights. In Europe, images of crystal-clear water in the infamously filthy canals of Venice have been circulating online and in the media, as well as satellite imagery showing the falls in noxious air above the continent. In more extreme cases, deer are flocking to the streets of Nara in Japan and wild boar are roaming nonchalantly through Italian streets.
As humans have retreated into isolation, nature seems to be returning. And as the air has become cleaner and emissions have nose-dived, a loud chorus of people have been wilfully proclaiming: “Nature is fighting back! We are the virus!”
Such an argument is both misplaced and dangerous. It falsely asserts that the way our economy, and therefore society, is organised is the default for humanity and that job losses, poverty and isolation are the price we must pay for decarbonising the economy. It also contends that the damage wrought by our extractive, fossil-fuelled economy is a responsibility equally shared by all of humanity — it isn’t.
“The choruses proclaiming that humanity is in fact the virus on Earth fail to grasp the extent of global inequalities and how they relate to emissions”
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This crisis has highlighted the fundamental flaws of our economic system, where inequality has risen, wages have stagnated and where job insecurity is so rife that many millions will now find their livelihoods thrown into chaos. This, in turn, will mean mounting debts, late rents and delayed mortgage payments, pushing people further and further into uncertainty. Of course, some governments are moving to soften these blows as best they can with a range of policies, such as mortgage holidays and rent relief, but these will provide only temporary respite. The fact remains the same: our current economic system is unravelling.
The choruses proclaiming that humanity is in fact the virus on Earth fail to grasp the extent of global inequalities and how they relate to emissions. The responsibility for the lion’s share of global emissions falls on the global elite: half of global emissions can be traced back to the richest 10% of humanity. If we are to compare human activity to a deadly virus, we need to be more specific: it’s the activities of the rich within an exploitative economic system. Billions of people live side by side with the natural world in ways where both thrive. Most of humanity is not the problem.
But when cracks begin to show, they can let the light in. Society has already begun to rally together in the face of this crisis, using ingenuity to find new ways to work, organise and connect in the face of unprecedented circumstances. Mutual aid networks have popped up around the country, providing community care where the government has long been absent. We have adapted to this new world and we are doing things differently.
In the wake of Covid-19, these are the things we must remember. The current economic system is not only unsustainable, wreaking havoc on our environment, but it is failing to protect us from economic shocks, downturns and stock market crashes, putting untold pressures on our ability to meet our basic needs.
The economy must be rebuilt, reshaped and reimagined after this crisis in order to prevent the next one. We need to thread resilience through every aspect of our economy, for example by ensuring that the prosperity of communities does not hinge on polluting our air and oceans. The steps taken by governments worldwide to halt the pandemic shows there is the political will and the finances to transform society; we just need to provide the imagination.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Watch Live: Boris Johnson Gives Daily Coronavirus Update

Watch Live: Boris Johnson Gives Daily Coronavirus Update
As the coronavirus death toll continues to rise, the prime minister gives his daily conference. He is expected to address confusion around a London lockdown and upcoming school closures which were announced yesterday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--‘Everything Is On Hold’: How Coronavirus Turned Our Lives Upside Down

In a matter of just weeks, coronavirus has left the lives of people up and down the UK looking drastically different.
While scores of elderly people, pregnant women and those with medical conditions are preparing to distance themselves for the next few months, thousands have decamped to work from home, and schools are closing their doors from Friday.
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But for some, it isn’t just daily commutes and bottomless brunches that have been disrupted. Major milestones in life have been turned upside down, too.
From weddings and graduations to house moves and funerals, this is what Brits’ rites of passage look like in a coronavirus-hit world.
The Move Abroad
Carlos Rebelo and his dog Prince Supplied.
Carlos Rebelo and his young family were meant to be moving to Brussels in May. But the coronavirus outbreak has separated him from his wife and son and left his life “on hold”.
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With so much to do before their relocation to Belgium, Carlos – who is a vet – had decided to send his toddler son to stay with his parents in Portugal.
As flights to the country began to be cancelled because of the disease, Carlos’ wife and son made the trip while he remained in the UK. Since then, Portugal has implemented rules which mean everyone entering the country from the UK must self-isolate for two weeks.
“We’re not sure when – or if – my wife will be allowed to come back,” Carlos said.
“Meanwhile, we have tonnes of furniture to sell, as well as our car, and our new landlords in Brussels are demanding official documents and a deposit, which we cannot provide at this moment.”
To make matters worse, with the couple’s original plans being to move gradually to Brussels, they will be paying rent on two properties from April.
“We are unable to get a bank account in Belgium if we’re not registered there, and we can’t register because their register services are interrupted,” Carlos said.
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“We are trying to delay the move, but there are already new tenants moving into our flat in the UK in May, so we need to leave by then.”
“Our whole life is on hold. The separation just makes it worse. What worries me is that we both know enough about epidemiology to understand how dire the situation in the UK will get in the upcoming weeks.
“We’re afraid we will lose a lot of our savings and not be allowed to travel to other countries.”
The Wedding
Phil Crooks had planned to marry his fiancée Emma on May 30 Prakasit Khuansuwan / EyeEm via Getty Images
It’s not just Carlos’s plans for the coming months that are up in the air. Phil Crooks – a shop worker and union representative – was due to marry his fiancée Emma on May 30.
The couple had been planning their big day for 18 months and had invited about 80 people.
“We are still waiting for all our RSVPs, but we’re not expecting them all to come,” Phil said. “My cousin already declined at the start of the pandemic, which is fair enough as she and her husband have young children.
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“My brother lives in Toronto and we had already told him we would understand if he couldn’t be there – even before the Canadian government imposed the new travel restrictions.”
At the moment, the pair are hoping to go ahead with the wedding as planned – but the uncertainty is taking its toll.
“We’re in limbo,” Phil said. “We are already stressed out about finding the money to pay for it all and all the work it’s taken to pull it together for the date. Now it might not happen at all.
“We already wanted to get over the line and start married life. But at this point, we just want our lives back from this thing.”
The Honeymoon
Ruth Barrett and her husband Jordan were supposed to be going on honeymoon to the Maldives on Saturday Nigel Playle
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With their wedding on March 6, Ruth Barrett and her husband Jordan were able to tie the knot before coronavirus drastically hit life in Britain.
But they found out on Tuesday that their honeymoon to the Maldives – which was supposed to begin on Saturday – had officially been cancelled.
“It was incredibly stressful as Tui were telling us we could go and if they say that, you can’t get the money back,” Ruth, who is a PR manager, said. “But after the announcement yesterday, they finally let us cancel it.”
The couple had thought about booking a break in the UK. “But it’s too risky,” the 32-year-old said. “We’re both back at work instead and pitching in to see how we can help.
“As cheesy as it sounds, aside from having supplies in the house, the most important things aren’t material.
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“This isn’t the start to marriage we envisioned, but we’re not ones to pass up a challenge. So many people have it worse right now and those are the people we should be helping.”
Celebrating A Birthday
Carrie Rose was supposed to go to Dublin for her birthday Supplied.
For 27-year-old Carrie Rose, the start of the government’s clampdown on socialising and going out to work coincided with her birthday on Tuesday, which was also St Patrick’s Day.
She had planned to go to Dublin to celebrate with her friends. But instead, she worked from home alone.
“I woke up that morning and cried,” she said. “I’m panicking at the situation anyway but the isolation and loneliness is horrible.
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“It’s a day when I’m normally surrounded by people, but I was alone. I tried to remind myself that there’s worse things going on than being alone on my birthday – but I live alone too so it makes it worse.”
She added: “I went and panic-bought wine and gin. If I’m being locked in, I’m being locked-in drunk.”
But three of her colleagues surprised her by turning up at her house with a birthday cake and balloons.
I love my team! They surprised me today. I felt so down and couldnt believe when they rocked up at my house 🥰💖 pic.twitter.com/0BepGd5JKc — Carrie Rose (@CarrieRosePR) March 17, 2020
“When they came, it felt like a moment of care and support,” Carrie said. “A selfless act.
“You could tell they were cautious but they put that to the side for an hour to have cake and a wine with me. It felt amazing. I got emotional.”
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The PhD Celebration
Amanda McDonald Ramsay Supplied.
For the past six years, Amanda McDonald Ramsay has been working on her PhD thesis in politics and law.
With her deadline looming in less than two weeks, the coronavirus outbreak has added even more stress to the situation.
“I had to devote loads of time to researching the coronavirus situation to stay safe,” said Amanda, a student at the University of Bristol.
“I had to gather compelling evidence to launch an intensive lobbying campaign to persuade my parents – who are 76 and 78 – to cocoon. My dad is in one of the highest risk groups at nearly 80 and he has had pneumonia before.”
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Meanwhile, she has asked her sister to buy her food and supplies so she doesn’t have to leave the house and chance getting sick before her deadline.
But it’s not just writing her thesis that has changed because of Covid-19 – her plans to celebrate have also dramatically altered.
“I am mindful of having too much alcohol because I want to keep my immune system strong,” she said. “But I will probably book in individual FaceTime slots with my best friends and have a glass with them.”
After that, she plans to mark the moment by getting out into the community and helping those who are struggling because of the outbreak.
“I am joining up with a local greengrocer to deliver shopping to those who are self isolating or vulnerable in some way,” Amanda explained. “I organised that with him just this morning.”
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The Funeral
For others, coronavirus has had an impact on far less happy occasions. Ash Percival, an entertainment reporter at HuffPost UK, is due to attend his 94-year-old grandma’s funeral on Friday.
“At present, things are still going ahead – but we have had a lot of people saying they now won’t be coming,” he said.
“A lot of elderly people are obviously staying away and we’ve got a few extended family members who have underlying health conditions who are choosing to stay away too.
“My grandma’s niece was meant to be coming from up north, but she’s just finished chemotherapy so isn’t coming.”
The funeral is now set to be attended by six direct family members and five other people.
“We’ve also been told as part of Covid-19 measures that we will not be allowed to touch the coffin and will have to remain behind the curtain at all times,” Ash said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Frontline Social Workers Visiting Vulnerable And Elderly Face Lack Of Equipment And Guidance

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Frontline social workers in the UK have been given no personal protective equipment (PPE) or hand sanitiser, but are still expected to make home visits to vulnerable and elderly clients amid the coronavirus pandemic, HuffPost UK can reveal.
What’s more, they are having to devise their own policies on how to keep their clients safe during the pandemic in the absence of any clear guidance from the government.
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Dorothy, a frontline social worker for a local authority in the midlands with children and families, says the government is not telling the councils that employ the staff what they should be doing. That means no one, down to the workers on the ground, knows either.
Social workers say they have been left trying to help their clients without any protective measures to guard either party from contracting Covid-19 Valeriy_G via Getty Images
She said: “As a service, the same as the other emergency services, we are there for the families if they need us, but we have to find a safe way of doing it without PPE or anything in place. It makes it very difficult.”
Dorothy says she has been left to write a Covid-19 contingency plan for every family, meaning low-risk people can be contacted by WhatsApp if necessary while higher-risk people who need more urgent support can still continue getting home visits.
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But if there is a concern about domestic abuse in the household, such as a violent parent or partner, checking in digitally will not suffice.
“How do we know if we are not able to see?” she said.
“If those risks are that high and we have to have oversight for children, then we are really wanting to do those visits.
“We have to be mindful that families have a right not to want us in their home if they need to self-isolate.
“It’s a very tricky one. We are trying to carefully balance the need to provide the safety and the service for the children, without leaving them at risk of harm, but also not putting them at risk of exposing them to any bacteria that we might not be aware we are bringing into their home.”
Though plans are changing on a daily basis, at present Dorothy’s department are keeping home visits to a minimum where possible, holding meetings over the phone where necessary.
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But she added: “Every day I’ve gone into work and things have got tighter and tighter and tighter so I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow I get an email telling me something different.”
Another manager of social care services at a large UK council told HuffPost UK that Public Health England had issued advice on Friday saying carers could continue to help vulnerable people, so long as they wear PPE.
“The problem is we haven’t got any yet,” he said, adding the same is true for councils and private companies that have been outsourced care work.
“Care workers are washing people’s faces, in the nitty gritty. If you can’t shower for yourself, carers have got to get pretty close to you to do that for you.
“There’s a lot of people with dementia too: they’ve not going to tell you they’ve got a high fever and a cough. A lot of them don’t even know what their name is.
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“There will be people who could be symptomatic but very unwell anyway, and care workers who can’t wear PPE because they haven’t got it.”
He fears the lack of testing means that there many people who need care could be infecting their carers, and vice-versa
“These are care workers who get paid £10 an hour. Why would they take that risk? Eventually carers are going to say they’re not doing it. Managers of agencies I speak to are absorbing a huge amount of anxiety from their care workers.
“Because carers struggle to have a voice to speak out, we’re putting them at risk and they could spread it in the community. It correlates with how the care industry has been treated for years. It’s a forgotten industry.”
He believes there’s also a more general problem about the vagueness of the UK government’s advice.
“They’re shutting bars and restaurants around the world for people who are asymptomatic, but here we’re sending carers to look after people who are very unwell generally – and with a significant number of people with undiagnosed coronavirus,” he said.
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At time of publishing, the Department for Health and Social Care had not responded to requests for comment on the matter.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Coronavirus Outbreak: 29 More Deaths Confirmed In England, Bringing UK Total To 137

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A further 29 patients in England have died after testing positive for coronavirus, NHS England said.
As of 9am on Wednesday, a total of 56,221 people had been tested – 53,595 of them negative and 2,626 positive.
There have been six deaths in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.
A statement from NHS England said: “Patients were aged between 47 and 96 years old and had underlying health conditions.
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“Their families have been informed.”
The total number of people to have died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK now stands at 137.
The first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with coronavirus was announced on March 5.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).
The strain that has recently emerged is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans. The respiratory disease it causes has been named Covid-19 by the WHO.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people, the WHO says.
The first cases identified were among people connected to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China.
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Experts believe the virus is spread in cough and sneeze droplets. The virus can survive on surfaces for several hours, but it is unclear exactly how long for.
Government scientists say a small proportion of people will pass on the virus while having no symptoms themselves.
General medical advice is to wash your hands with soap and hot water more often. Do this for at least 20 seconds each time.
The NHS says people should also wash their hands when they get home or arrive at work. Hand sanitiser can be used if soap is not available.
Anyone with coughs and sneezes should catch them in a tissue, which is then put in a bin. Wash your hands afterwards.
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People should also avoid close contact with people who are unwell, and avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth if their hands are not clean.
Initial symptoms include fever, cough, tightness of the chest, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--My Place Or My Place? How We’re Still Socialising In The Pandemic

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This is the week the UK government magnificently acted on health advice put out 2.5 eons ago by such no-mark outfits as the World Health Organisation and urged its citizens to avoid all but the most necessary contact with others. In the wake of this bold, decisive act of leadership, and as workplaces – and now schools – close across the land, housebound workers are scrabbling about for ways to maintain some semblance of a life.
The conundrum of how best to get on with work matters doesn’t seem the most pressing thing on everybody’s list: dispiritingly for ‘the man’, it turns out a great many of us are perfectly able to do our job without going into an office and sitting down at a computer for a fixed period of eight hours, breaking off only to sing happy birthday to Sandra.
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No, the key concern for most of us seems to be how to pursue our leisure activities and keep up healthy spirits, which have always – traditionally-speaking – relied on human contact for sustenance. And with such a range of platforms now available to us, initiatives seem to be springing up everywhere.
In my own case, I have a Skype scheduled for this afternoon, a WhatsApp hangout planned for this evening (I believe with video), a meeting with my book group tentatively arranged on Google Hangouts for later in the week, and a mooted RuPaul’s Drag Race watch-along at the weekend with my usual RPDR crew.
There’s a Covid-specific WhatsApp group in place among our consenting friends to discuss the virus without boring or unduly worrying those in other discussions. I am also trying a new approach, for me at least, of making little online ‘care packages’ (the phrase is odious, but what can you do) for people to look at or listen to every day – these are posts which include links to articles, songs, films, recipes, perhaps a podcast; maybe some pictures.
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Difficulties remain for staying in contact with the elderly, who are of course mostly shut out of internet-based hang-outs. My own grandmother (92), a beneficiary of IT lessons for the elderly, is a dab-hand at FaceTime, but the same cannot be said for all older people. This question becomes harder with grandparents categorised as at-risk and unable to see or care for their grandchildren. It’s notable most technologies skew younger and isolation is surely an even greater concern during this time (though here are some suggestions of how you can help an older friend or relative).
However, reading groups, and finding ways to watch TV together, seem to be highest on the priority list for those setting up new initiatives with friends.
Emily, 28, who lives in Belgium, has set up a new pan-European book group with four people she recruited on ‘philosophy Twitter’ (yes, it exists). One of them had work access to hangout app Zoom, “much better than Skype in terms of the quality of the calls” apparently. “We chatted for about two hours, drinking and chain smoking,” she adds. “One person used the ‘white board’ function on the app to draw a portrait of one of the other participants.”
fizkes via Getty Images
Alcohol continues to feature heavily in many people’s plans. It’s there in the London-based book group that Claire joined, which has now gone online and will be meeting on Google Hangouts. “We’ll stick to the allocated time and date and everyone who can will dial in. The only thing we’ll miss is the excessive cheese and wine – that can be consumed individually of course,” says Claire whose group is currently reading Bernardine Evaristo’s Booker-winning Girl, Woman, Other – a significantly less on-the-nose pick than Emily’s group, which has plumped for The Plague by Albert Camus.
Not giving up the booze either is Cadi Rhys, 29, in Wales, whose book group has reconvened on WhatsApp – where the literary criticism comes in the comments. But the shape, format and platform of everyone’s meet-ups seem to vary wildly.
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“Internet or virtual friendship is real, it’s not a Plan B or second best option.” - Alice, 33
In London, playwright Krystina is looking at Discord to host her writers’ group – the app, mostly used by gamers, also beats Skype for video chat, she says – and the group have been sharing documents with each other online, too. Kevin, 38, and a teacher, opted to use Google Classroom to set his friends a quiz at the weekend, which included such questions as “Name the middle Spider-Man” and “Where was I born?” He admits it was no equivalent to the real thing. “We’re all very funny and good at using phones but you don’t get the same kind of chat or laughs when there’s the e-delay involved, do you?”
But Alice, 33, a social media exec from London, disagrees, arguing: “Internet or virtual friendship is real, it’s not a Plan B or second best option. Video calls are so much better than phone calls. Right now, people who are used to only socialising IRL and meeting new friends locally, might like to look to the people who’ve been making – and maintaining! – friendships online forever.”
For this reason, Alice set up an online ‘pub’ which opened its virtual doors for the first time on Monday night, hours after the prime minister recommended we stay away from bricks-and-mortar drinking establishments. We salute Alice for abandoning wholesale the pretence of being there to discuss a book.
So what went down? “I just set up a Google Hangout link and invited friends (who’d asked) via email. I set it to not show other invitees, as some people didn’t know others on the call and I’m mindful of privacy not to share email addresses. We had about 10 of us chatting for an hour or so that first night. From London, Worthing, Liverpool, Glasgow, and a train out of Paddington!”
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Watching TV together – the commonplace activity of hanging out with friends to enjoy a film or show – is also catching on, albeit more slowly due the obvious technological challenges. How does everybody talk at once, or at all? Part of the pleasure of hangouts is the chance to see other people, hear their voices and use one’s own.
Nevertheless, Netflix have already brought in NetflixParty, an application to replicate the experience of watching TV with pals, and it’s proving popular. The app launches the movie or show simultaneously for viewers and has a chat function to work alongside the viewing. Perhaps not ideal for Citizen Kane, but practically tailor-made for screaming about the costume choices of drag queens: I’ll be trialling it this weekend with episode 4 of Drag Race.
With this week’s announcement from Universal Studios that its films will be made available on demand, day-and-date with their theatrical release – as cinemas close, along with theatres and pubs, coronavirus seems to be furthering the pre-existing acceleration of our online lives. It now remains to be seen to what extent our communal lives will follow.
Given the prevailing uncertainty over how long this crisis is set to last, we will all have to find ways to maintain our friendships. The sort of hang-out where one can dip in and out, in the background of other day-to-day activities – whether work, childcare, or basic sustenance – seems to be the future.
Alice has now made her hang-out a standing daily invite, from 7-10pm. “My hope is that whoever is around will drop in to the call for a little while and chat,” she says. “I’ll probably have it on tonight while I’m making dinner.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Tory MPs Slam Boris Johnson Over Failure To Pay Wages Of Workers Hit By Coronavirus

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Tory MPs have joined Labour in warning that millions of people face losing their jobs unless the government acts swiftly to pay benefits and wages directly to workers hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak faced calls to intervene immediately, with former business secretary Greg Clark warning that firms were making “irreversible” decisions to lay off staff and ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith demanding welfare support.
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With many Britons fearing income cuts or job losses in coming days, Conservatives lined up in the Commons to call for urgent action.
The calls came as Labour urged the creation of a Danish-style wage subsidy, with leadership favourite Keir Starmer demanding a minimum income guarantee for workers and former PM Gordon Brown attacking the government’s response to date.
Sunak unveiled a £350bn package of emergency loans and grants for business on Tuesday, while offering the prospect of new forms of “employment support” in coming days.
However, the new scheme - which HuffPost UK understands will involved national insurance cuts for employers - has yet to materialise and anger boiled over in the Commons as Conservative MPs insisted on immediate intervention.
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As junior Treasury minister John Glen was dragged before MPs, former cabinet minister Clark said firms were “facing a crisis” as revenue is “collapsing”.
Clark said the government’s system of loan guarantees provides “no reason to keep staff employed”.
He said “large numbers of people will be unemployed” if the government does not act immediately, adding that the nation should be “paying the wages” of people for the next few weeks in order to prevent redundancies.
“With revenue collapsing and no knowledge of when normal trading can resume, [companies] see no choice but to lay off workers now. The loan scheme the Chancellor announced on Tuesday is not enough to prevent that,” he said.
“These businesses have no idea when they will be able to pay back the debts that they would incur. It provides no reason to keep staff employed. In fact the reverse - because the smaller the wage bill, the less would have to be borrowed.
“On Tuesday, the Chancellor promised there would be employment support but as each day goes by, businesses are making decisions that will be irreversible. If the Government does not act immediately, large numbers of people will be unemployed.”
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Clark suggested that instead of firms paying payroll taxes to the government, “that flow should now be reversed with the nation paying the wages of people for the next weeks if, and only if, they continue to employ their staff”.
Former work and pensions secretary Duncan Smith, who oversaw the introduction of Universal Credit, said benefit rates should be changed and waiting times reduced to offer assistance to people on the welfare system.
Veteran Brexiteer Sir Bernard Jenkin said the chancellor’s measures were “simply not going to be enough”. “The government had to “say something today” to reassure the public.
Tory backbencher Peter Aldous added that the state “must support payroll costs far more directly as other European countries are doing”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) alongside Chancellor Rishi Sunak during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. PA
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Treasury minister John Glen admitted that measures outlined so far “will for some not feel at this point sufficient”. But he stressed that any reforms “need to be effective and work.”
Millions of working parents face job losses from Monday, when schools close their doors to their children, unless they are ‘critical workers’ needed to help the NHS or food retailers.
Former PM Brown, who led the government during the 2008 financial crash, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the scale of the crisis now facing the country was “unprecedented” and called for international co-operation instead of “populist nationalism” to protect workers.
“They’re afraid of catching the virus, or their family members catching the virus, and they’re afraid of their livelihoods and their family incomes being lost,” he said.
Shadow Treasury minister Peter Dowd said Denmark had its first coronavirus case on February 27 and New Zealand its first case on February 28, four weeks after the UK and yet both had comprehensive job protection plans in place. “We’ve announced nothing to secure people’s jobs and wages,” he said.
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Starmer urged a national “Income Guarantee Scheme” to combat economic impact of coronavirus.
“We have all heard tragic stories of people expecting to be laid off work or see their incomes fall. Days into this crisis ministers are still several steps behind where they need to be in order to reassure people facing a loss of income.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Parents, Here's How To Stay Positive About School Closures

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When the announcement came that schools in England were to shut their doors on Friday, with no current plans to re-open, my heart sank.
Like so many other parents, the idea of being in indefinite self-isolation with my children – aged three and eight – is overwhelming, to say the least. At times, it feels downright horrifying.
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I adore them, of course. I love spending time with them. But most mornings, I’m glad to send them off to school. It gives me a few hours of peace from the constant bickering over who gets to choose that morning’s TV programme, or from hearing the word “Mummy!” 350 times in a row, starting at 6am.
Having time apart helps me value the time we spend together – without it, I’m worried I’ll turn into the cranky version of myself that my children refer to as, “Grumpy Mummy”, with sidelong glances at each other.
Catherine Falls Commercial via Getty Images
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And I know it’s not unusual for me to feel this way. Emma Thomas, chief executive of mental health charity YoungMinds, says the uncertainty around Covid-19 and how it will impact families is likely to be just as unsettling for parents as it is for children.
“We know this is a particularly difficult time for parents,” she says. “Many are worried about the impact that school closures, insecurity and illness could have on the wellbeing of the whole family. It’s imperative we work together during this period of instability and look after each other’s physical and mental health.”
I understand, of course, that it’s vital to stick to the latest guidelines in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. But after hearing the school closures announcement, I was increasingly worried for the mental wellbeing of the mums and dads who now can’t work – or escape their kids.
Until, that is, a good friend of mine pointed something out I simply hadn’t thought of, before: the bright side of school closures.
“I’m actually so excited,” my friend Gemma Walmsley tells me. “This is the time for us all to get back to basics. Reconnect with nature and teach our kids that life is simple.
“We can eat better and live in a less gluttonous way. It’s made me realise that life isn’t a given. We need to work to stay healthy – mentally and physically.”
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Gemma, who has two children aged six and seven and lives in Hertfordshire, says she’s planning to keep her kids outside as much as possible.
“I’m passionate about the potential, now that schools are closed,” she says. “Getting out into large, open spaces is easy. Don’t drive, walk. Forget homework. Everyone has a green space within walking distance of their home, and little kids can get there in a buggy.
“We should try not to give up hope. This is an amazing time for change.”
Her words resonated with me; they made me pause. Because she’s right.
Yes, school closures will be hard. And yes, there’ll be days where time will seem like it’s standing still, and we’ll be yearning for a return to the daily grind. But our schools and teachers are working hard to provide as much structure as they can for kids who are about to find themselves out of class.
We will get through this. All of us. With a little help from the local park, or forest, or even just standing out on the front step, alone; breathing in all that hope.
In times like this, we need to adapt to our new ‘normal’ – whether it’s learning how to better cope with our kids at home, sharing teaching tips and school worksheets between friends, or getting creative with video calls between our kids and their mates. This is new to us. Let’s tackle it head-on.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Netflix Urged To Stop Streaming In High Definition Amid Increased Demand On Internet

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Netflix has been urged to stop streaming shows in high definition due to the increased pressure on the internet during the coronavirus pandemic.
EU officials are concerned about the strain that is being placed on bandwidth as many people stay at home amid the outbreak.
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Millions of households are currently using the internet to work from home, stream content, video chat with friends and enjoy internet gaming, but European Commissioner Thierry Breton has urged people and companies to ”#SwitchtoStandard definition when HD is not necessary” in a bid to keep steady internet access running.
Onfokus via Getty Images
According to Deadline, Breton called Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on Wednesday, asking the streaming service to serve only standard definition content to users during peak times.
In a statement he released after the call, Breton said: “Streaming platforms, telecom operators and users, we all have a joint responsibility to take steps to ensure the smooth functioning of the internet during the battle against the virus propagation.”
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A Netflix spokesperson later told CNN: “Commissioner Breton is right to highlight the importance of ensuring that the internet continues to run smoothly during this critical time.
“We’ve been focused on network efficiency for many years, including providing our open connect service for free to telecommunications companies.”
The streaming giant said it already’ adjusts the quality of streams to available network capacity’.
Meanwhile, online gaming services have reported short-term outages, amid increased demand.
According to the Guardian, Nintendo Online – used for multiplayer games on the Switch console – was down for almost nine hours on Tuesday.
Xbox Live, the online service for the console, has also suffered short-term outages, with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, confirming that “usage is up on almost everything”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Millions Will Live With Mould, Mice And Damp During Coronavirus. We Deserve A Rent Freeze

That three-month mortgage holiday will not be afforded to tenants who find themselves unable to pay their rent during this period. Getty Images
Coronavirus has tightened its grip around the globe and the slow, ineffective response from the UK government has left little room to breathe for the most vulnerable in our communities. This includes renters who have been left in the dark by emergency government announcements over the last two days.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been widely praised for announcing a three-month mortgage holiday which would relieve those affected by Covid-19 but failed to mention the 4.5m households who are currently renting. Renters’ rights organisations have been criticised for jumping the gun in calling for more. Instead, we are told we should give the government time — they have an entire country to govern during the peak of a global pandemic.
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That same time will not be afforded to tenants who find themselves unable to pay their rent during this period.
There are millions of people in the private rented sector who are in precarious employment. Zero hour contracts and low-paid work coupled with anti-trade union laws have made it difficult to organise for better rights meaning that it is hard to get by — at the best of times. We are already seeing people having their hours reduced due to Covid-19 or, in the worst cases, losing their jobs. People will be making themselves sick by going to work because they can’t afford to take any time off. There is now a genuine fear for so many that they don’t know when their next paycheque will come in.
In advising as many people as possible to work from home, the government has also failed to acknowledge its understanding of the quality of homes in the private rented sector. Millions of people across the country are living with mould, damp, mice and cockroaches, or shared bathrooms and kitchens with multiple people. Telling renters to self-isolate and stay at home for their health is not ideal when their homes are also making them unhealthy. We need homes fit to live in.
Pressure from renters’ rights organisations since Sunak’s announcement has forced the prime minister to announce a ban on all evictions in both the private and social rented sector for the next three months. This is good, and will relieve anxiety for people who have been worrying that, as well as being jobless, they may also find themselves homeless due to something that was entirely not their fault.
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“There is now a genuine fear for so many that they don’t know when their next paycheque will come in.”
But the announcement didn’t go far enough. The attitude propelled by the government in announcing a mortgage holiday but no rent freeze is that renters are second class citizens. It feeds an already incredibly imbalanced power dynamic where landlords are afforded an entire wealth of rights and tenants should be happy with the crumbs that fall from the table. Renters are expected to be thankful and celebrate that we won’t be made homeless during a global health crisis when in reality, this should be the bare minimum.
The government is expecting people to rely on the goodwill of their landlords to pass the mortgage holiday onto them and be flexible about when they receive their rent over this period. Anyone who has rented in the private sector will know that more often than not, that goodwill doesn’t exist. Tenants Union UK are already seeing landlords demanding April’s pay weeks early, which the majority of people are in no position to do; or seeing landlords harass their tenants to make sure rent and bills are paid on time. Prior to the announcement banning evictions, many people were being served Section 21 notices asking tenants to leave the property in two months’ time.
Following the ban on evictions for the next three months, we need legislation put in place to freeze rents for all those unable to pay due to Covid-19. An increase in Statutory Sick Pay and Universal Credit are the right things to do, but without a rent freeze this money is going directly into the pockets of landlords. We cannot, once again, afford to bailout the richest at the expense of the poorest.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Coronavirus: 'Zero Prospect' Of London Lockdown, Says No.10

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Downing Street has said there is “zero prospect” of travel in and out of London being restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The prime minister’s spokesperson moved on Thursday to quash rumours of a stringent lockdown of the capital, although up to 40 Tube stations are already expected to close.
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Number 10 did not rule out making an order to forcibly shut restaurants and bars as part of the government’s bid to stop the spread of the disease.
French-style laws that see people fined for ignoring restrictions on travel or social gatherings were also deemed a possibility.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “There are no plans to close down the transport network in London and there is zero prospect of any restriction being placed on travelling in or out of London.
“It’s not happening.”
While there are expected to be further restrictions on the capital, where the contagion is at its worst, the spokesman went on to criticise “irresponsible” reporting about how severe they may be.
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A London Underground sign against the night sky. Dozens of stations on the Tube network could be closed from Thursday following the outbreak of Covid-19. PA
It comes after the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed on Wednesday that 105 people in the UK have died after testing positive for the virus, including three in Scotland, two in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.
As part of his daily press conference setting out the UK’s fight against coronavirus, Boris Johnson announced UK schools would be closed after Friday and said that “further and faster” measures may be needed from government in the coming days.
Some 20,000 troops have been put on standby to fill support roles, but the PM’s spokesman stressed they will not begin enforcing law and order.
Jobs the army could be asked to do include driving oxygen tankers and supporting logistical efforts by government departments to respond to the disease.
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The spokesman added: “Maintaining public order is the responsibility of the police, and there are no plans to use military personnel for public order during the coronavirus pandemic.”
The spokesman went on to underline advice for people to work from home where possible and not travel, go to social gatherings or visit pubs or restaurants unless necessary.
Asked for more details on plans for the capital, the spokesman said: “What we’re focused on is ensuring as many people as possible take the advice and don’t unnecessarily put themselves in a position where they could be spreading coronavirus.”
Asked directly if pubs and shops could be forced to close, he said: “We do want people to follow the advice we’ve given in relation to limiting unnecessary social contact. I made a particular remark in relation to some of the reporting about travel, some of the language which has been used which I think has been deeply unhelpful and has unnecessarily worried people.”
The government will publish emergency legislation today, which is likely to include temporarily handing the police powers to detain those who have the virus should they refuse to self isolate.
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Chancellor Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, is meeting with businesses, Labour and unions to form a support package for workers.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Mum Channels Coronavirus Anxiety Into Relatable Comics

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In the midst of the chaos and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, a mum channelled her anxiety into a series of relatable comics.
Alison Wong has been drawing comics since she was a child, but when she became a mother, she created her own strip, New Mom Comics. Her latest instalment finds levity in the many ways the novel coronavirus has upended life as she knows it.
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Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
“I felt like everywhere I looked was anxiety-provoking news, and my friends were all worried,” Wong told HuffPost. “I wanted to bring some humour to people’s lives, to bring a bit of a break in everyone’s feed. I felt like I had a responsibility to help in some small way.”
The coronavirus-related comics find the humour in social distancing with her 2-month-old and 5-year-old, supermarket chaos, and more. She also paid tribute to workers who still have to report for duty in this time.
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
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For Wong, finding light moments in the midst of trying times is therapeutic.
“I started New Mom Comics when I had my first child, because I realised that new parents had a lot of anxiety,” she explained. “I wanted to bring some humour to the daunting experience of new parenthood and compiled a comic series of the first year. I think the experience might have also helped me here, as I’m trying to pull out something positive in a rather stressful time.”
As Wong’s family shelters in place in the Bay Area, there have been challenges, but she maintains her positive attitude.
“We’re fortunate that my husband can work from home, but it can get a bit crazy in the house,” she noted. “We are taking it one day at a time. In the last week, I feel like every day had a new update that drastically changed our lifestyle.”
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
Wong said the social media response to her coronavirus-related comics has been “amazing.”
“I have friends from around the world acknowledging how they needed these right now,” she explained. “Like, ‘Thank you so much for this. It’s the perfect balm for a tense and uncertain time.’”
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Ultimately, she’s glad she can provide some respite from the intensity of the global crisis.
Said Wong, “I hope people can have a break from all the news ― to have a laugh and bond with a friend around humor, and not fear.”
Keep scrolling and visit Wong’s Instagram and Facebook page for more comics.
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
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Alison Wong/New Mom Comics
Alison Wong/New Mom Comics


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Windrush Scandal Was 'Foreseeable And Avoidable', Says Review – As Victims Still Await Compensation

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The Windrush scandal was “foreseeable and avoidable” and victims were let down by “systemic operational failings” at the Home Office, according to an official report.
But one victim told HuffPost UK the government’s apology rings hollow and that she is still waiting to be compensated for years of lost work – while bills mount up.
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Published on Thursday, the Windrush Lessons Learned review criticised Home Office staff and government ministers for an ongoing failure to take responsibility for mistakes made.
The report was handed to the Home Office by its author, Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams, on Wednesday after just under two years of work.
Home secretary Priti Patel made a statement to the House of Commons on the review and its recommendations on Thursday morning.
She said people from the Windrush generation were subject to “insensitive treatment by the very country they called home”.
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Patel told the Commons: “As this review makes clear, some members of this generation suffered terrible injustices spurred by institutional failings spanning successive governments over several decades – including ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the race and history of the Windrush generation.”
Patel said there was an “ongoing mission” to put this right, adding: “Lives were ruined and families were torn apart, and now an independent review has suggested that the Home Office’s institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness to the issue of race and the history of the Windrush generation contributed to this. This is simply unacceptable.”
The home secretary added: “People have spoken to me about the indignity and inhumanity they still feel today by the experience of being made to feel unwelcome in their own country.
SOPA Images via Getty Images
“They have described their experiences as unthinkable and unimaginable. However, there are people across the UK and even some members of this House – including myself and the shadow home secretary [Diane Abbott] – for whom this is unfortunately all too relatable.
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“There are lessons to learn for the Home Office but also society as a whole.”
The home secretary also apologised for the suffering inflicted on the Windrush generation.
Windrush victim Glenda Caesar came to Britain, aged three months, in 1961 from Dominic and has lived in the UK ever since.
Despite legally living and working in the UK, she he was sacked from her job as an administrator in a GP’s practice in 2009 and denied unemployment benefits.
Patel’s Commons speech strikes Caesar as disingenuous.
“Everything being put in place is to soften the blow that they have already placed,” she told HuffPost UK.
“There was no mention of how quickly they are going to help the people affected now – their main interest is to make their department look good for the future.”
Glenda Caesar Supplied
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Patel promised funding for grassroots organisations that assist victims of the Windrush scandal.
“Apologies and implementing funds into grassroots organisations is not helping those who are suffering right now and it will never compensate for the rejection felt by us,” Caesar, said.
“It will never repair the unstable financial situation that the government has left us in.”
Regarding the ongoing concerns about compensation for those affected by the scandal, the Hackney resident – who is yet to see any money – said the Windrush Taskforce had been unhelpful.
“They seem to be dragging their feet on compensation payments,” she said. “It is all well and good the home secretary telling people to come forward to get what they are entitled to – but those who have already are still being asked to submit more documentation and being told to wait [...] with no deadline, and the bills are mounting up or still overdue.”
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said that the opposition front bench was not given a copy of the report by the home secretary ahead of her statement.
Abbott said: “Sadly, the home secretary didn’t feel able to share a copy of the review with the opposition front bench. I’ve never been in this situation before where a home secretary has put forward a major report of this kind and didn’t want to share it with the opposition front bench, obviously under complete discretion.
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“As it happens, I had to go into the home secretary’s office in parliament to obtain this copy. It is almost as if the home secretary didn’t want full parliamentary scrutiny.”
“This is coming forward at a very difficult time for the nation as a whole but on this side of the House, we will be coming back to the issues raised in this report because the Windrush scandal wasn’t just a mistake – it wasn’t just something that happened because people didn’t read the rules properly,” Abbott added.
“It was rooted, as Wendy Williams points out, in the systemic culture of the Home Office and failure of ministers to listen to the warnings they were given about what could be the effects of the hostile environment on people perfectly legally entitled to be here.
“So I have heard her apology, but people will believe her apology when they see her genuinely seek to implement the recommendations in this review.”
Michael Braithwaite UNISON
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“What happened was down to institutional racism; the review should have called it that instead of ‘institutional ignorance’,” said Michael Braithwaite, a former special needs teaching assistant, who migrated to the UK from Barbados in 1961.
The 62-year-old lost his job after being classified as an illegal immigrant.
He said: “There’s no difference between what Priti Patel said and Amber Rudd: apologies, sympathy, empathy but no real explanation about why it was caused and who caused it.”
Braithwaite said he still “doesn’t feel safe” in Britain even after collecting documents confirming his right to be in the UK in 2019.
“It’s not just about what happened, it’s about what’s still happening now. There are people out there who are destitute and suffering,” he said.
“The scandal was deliberate, it was a way of getting rid of the Windrush generation. I still don’t feel safe. They’re saying things but nothing is being done; it’s been how many years now.”
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It is hard to imagine a worse time for it to be published. For the sake of all those black British citizens who were deported, detained, made homeless, jobless, denied healthcare housing and welfare by their own government, we cannot allow this news to be buried. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) March 19, 2020
Labour MP David Lammy said the publication of the Windrush report could not have come at a “worse time” and that the Home Office needs to be rebuilt “brick by brick”.
He tweeted: “The Windrush Lessons Learned Review is a brutal indictment of the Home Office, which shows it is wholly unfit for the society it is supposed to serve. The Windrush scandal was not an innocent mistake, but a systemic pattern of appalling behaviour.
“When the problem is institutional, the only solution is to tear out the ruined foundations and rebuild the institution brick by brick. This is what the Home Office needs.
“We must end the Hostile Environment immediately; create a new purpose and culture at the department based on the rule of law, openness and diversity; and fundamentally rebuild the Home Office so that its staff realise their job is to resolve people’s problems, not create them.”
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“It is hard to imagine a worse time for it to be published. For the sake of all those black British citizens who were deported, detained, made homeless, jobless, denied healthcare housing and welfare by their own government, we cannot allow this news to be buried,” he added.
Members of the Windrush generation (left to right) Sarah O'Connor, 56, who arrived from Jamaica in 1967; Anthony Bryan, aged 60, who arrived from Jamaica in 1965; Paulette Wilson, 62, who arrived from Jamaica in 1968; Sylvester Marshall, 63, who arrived from Jamaica in 1973, and Elwaldo Romeo, 63, who arrived from Antigua in 1959, during a photocall in Westminster, London. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images) Yui Mok - PA Images via Getty Images
Prominent Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon told HuffPost UK: “the review is more than lessons learnt, it is an indictment of the nature and impact of structural racism in government and how politicians and senior civil servants over the years have failed to have a duty of care and respect to the Windrush generation”
We now need effective leadership from the Prime Minister to swiftly implement the 30 recommendations [set out in the review] with independent oversight of the Home Office.”
Conservative Theresa May, formerly home secretary and prime minister, told the Commons: “May I first of all associate myself with the unqualified apology which the home secretary has given to the Windrush generation.
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“I have given my own apology previously but I do so again today.
“This generation came here, they were British, they were here legally, they worked to build our country and they should not have been treated in this way, and I recognise the commitment has given to ensuring the Home Office learns the lessons set out in this review.”
Previous leaked extracts of the review said the home office had been “reckless” with a “defensive culture” over how it handled immigration.
The Times reported that the phrase “institutional racism” had been present in an earlier draft but removed - however, that change appears to have been temporary, as the full published document contains the phrase.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--20 Years After The Simpsons Predicted Donald Trump's Presidency, What Else Did The Show See Coming?

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During its three decades on the air, The Simpsons has become famous for its social commentary, its impressive roster of celebrity guest stars and, of course, its zany sense of humour.
Interestingly, though, in recent years it’s also proved to be something of an oracle.
Fans of The Simpsons have pointed out a number of things featured in episodes of the animated sitcom that have, in later years, come to fruition in the real world.
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Perhaps the most famous of these so-called Simpsons “predictions” is Donald Trump’s presidency, which the show first joked about in Bart To The Future (2000).
The episode – which aired 20 years ago – included a sequence set in the future, which saw Lisa taking over as US leader from an off-screen “President Trump”, more than a decade before the then-reality star would beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
As the iconic moment (in an episode which, incidentally has frequently been listed among the show’s worst ever) reaches its 20th anniversary, here are some more “predictions” that The Simpsons called years before the would ever happen in the real world...
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The three-eyed fish (1990)
Blinky the three-eyed fish became one of the show’s most iconic symbols in its early years - so much so that it’s actually one of the tokens in a special Simpsons version of Monopoly.
Blinky first appeared in the season two episode Two Cars In Every Garage And Three Eyes On Every Fish, having mutated as a result of nuclear waste from Mr Burns’ power plant.
In the end, Marge served Blinky to Mr Burns for dinner, in front of Springfield’s press, ultimately sabotaging his run for governor.
But while Blinky was intended as a joke, a three-eyed fish was actually discovered in Argentina in 2017, found near – you guessed it – a nuclear power plant.
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Our verdict: Blinky was probably more of a cautionary tale than a prediction, but we still think we can say that The Simpsons called this one (even if the discovery of a three-eyed fish near a nuclear plant is far from call for celebration).
The baby translator (1992)
In the episode Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes?, Homer is reunited with his half-brother Herb Powell, having brought his hugely successful car company to its knees in a previous series.
The second part in the Herb Powell saga sees him getting back on his feet with the invention of a baby translator, throwing out such lines as ”lavish attention on me”, “entertain me” and the classic “I’ve soiled myself, how embarrassing”.
Sure enough, an app was developed in 2015 that actually claimed it could tell you what a baby was specifically crying for.
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Our verdict: This definitely qualifies as a Simpsons prediction, although we’d be interested to know whether or not the episode was actually an inspiration for the invention itself.
The Super Bowl (1992, 1993 and 1994)
Fox
This is one of The Simpsons’ most immediate predictions, but also the most impressive.
In 1992, the episode Lisa The Greek sees Homer growing close to Lisa when she begins correctly guessing the results of various sports games, which he then places bets on.
When Lisa finds out, she’s hurt, telling Homer that if the Washington Redskins win the Super Bowl, she no longer loves him, and if the Buffalo Bills do, she does.
Ultimately, it’s the Buffalo Bills who win, just as they did in real-life just days later.
Even more spookily, the following two years the episode was re-dubbed with the two teams competing in the Super Bowl, and Lisa guessed correctly on both of those occasions too.
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Our verdict: What can we say? Three definite Simpsons predictions.
Autocorrect (1994)
If you thought Autocorrect fails were a recent invention, one actually appeared in The Simpsons way back in the mid-1990s, when Dolph’s Newton changes his memo to “beat up Martin” to “eat up, Martha”.
Almost 20 years later, it was revealed that Apple’s engineers used this gag as their inspiration to really nail their Autocorrect software when they first launched the iPhone.
In fact, Apple’s former director of engineering for iOS claimed that when developing the iPhone keyboard, the team used to specifically refer to Autocorrect fails as “eat up, Marthas”.
Our verdict: It probably doesn’t quite count as a prediction when the episode actually inspired the event itself, but it’s close enough.
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Facetime and smart watches (1995)
The futuristic episode Lisa’s Wedding – which, hilariously, is set in 2010 – includes a scene in which a 23-year-old Lisa rings home to tell her parents the exciting news of her engagement using a “picture phone”.
Now, granted, Facetime doesn’t quite look how The Simpsons envisaged it (surely rotary phones were already on their way out in the 90s, why would they suddenly make a comeback 15 years later?), but they weren’t exactly a mile away from the mark.
Later, in that same episode, Lisa’s then-fiancé Hugh is seen using his watch as a phone, pre-empting the Apple watches that would become popular more than 20 years on.
Our verdict: TV and watch-communication weren’t exactly the wildest predictions, but we have to hand it to The Simpsons yet again, because it did predict them both.
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Disney buys 20th Century Fox (1998)
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A throwaway gag in the 1998 episode When You Dish Upon A Star included the above scene, poking fun at Disney’s ever-growing power in the entertainment world by suggesting they’d acquired 20th Century Fox.
Well, in March 2019 that’s exactly what happened, with Disney buying 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures (it was recently reported that both would be renamed following the merger).
The Simpsons has poked fun at Disney countless times over the years – making it even funnier that the animated yellow family are now one of the star attractions of the corporation’s streaming service.
Our verdict: Yep, a definite Simpsons prediction.
Toys R Us shuts down (2004)
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When Toys R Us went into administration in 2018, many suggested this was another case of The Simpsons making an accurate prediction, based on a scene from the episode Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples And Teens And Gays.
The moment in question sees Springfield’s childless adults going on a rampage, smashing up a ball pit in Krusty Burger and turning the backwards “R” in the Toys R Us logo around, much to the younger generation’s upset.
Our verdict: We have to be honest, this one is a reach. First of all, Toys R Us didn’t go into administration after any sort of riot, and even if it did, the residents of Springfield don’t actually shut the shop down, just alter its logo.
Faulty voting booths (2008)
The 2008 Treehouse Of Horror special fell right around the time of the Obama vs. McCain election in the US, so the show took the opportunity to poke fun at the ongoing saga.
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At the beginning of the episode, Homer is seen entering a booth and trying to register a vote for Obama, only for the machine to do the exact opposite (“six votes for President McCain”).
The scene ends, ridiculously, with Homer being sucked into the machine and killed, which we’re happy to say was not the part that ended up coming true.
However, four years later, several voting machines would end up being recalled in the US, after votes were registered for Mitt Romney when citizens were trying to re-elect Obama.
Our verdict: Obviously this was intended as a satirical gag, so we’re not sure how much we can call it a prediction, even though we can’t deny an element of it did end up coming true.
Bengt R. Holmstrom wins the Nobel Prize (2010)
Fox
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Back in 2016, your friend and ours Bengt R. Holmstrom, the Finnish economist, earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to Economic Sciences.
Six years prior, his name appeared on The Simpsons when the kids of Springfield ran a sweepstake for that year’s Nobel Prize, with Millhouse backing Holmstrom for the win.
Our verdict: It did take six years for it to come true, but The Simpsons’ prediction – or, rather, Millhouse’s – was dead on this time around.
America beats Sweden at curling in the Winter Olympics (2010)
The Simpsons was clearly on a bit of a roll in 2010, calling not just a future Nobel Prize winner but an Olympic victory for the USA.
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In the 2010 episode Boy Meets Curl, Homer and Marge join a curling team with Principal Skinner (and his iconic mother, Agnes) eventually bagging a gold medal for the US, ahead of Sweden.
Eight years later, and the USA would do just that at the Winter Olympics in 2018.
Our verdict: The USA’s Winter Olympics win was genuinely a surprise, particularly over Sweden, so we have to call this one an actual Simpsons prediction.
Game Of Thrones ending (2017)
Fox
The Simpsons dedicated an entire episode to quest sagas like Game Of Thrones and Lord Of The Rings back in 2017, with the series premiere The Serfsons.
While the episode was largely dismissed for being gimmicky (the entire thing is set in an alternate universe called Springfieldia) it did capture people’s attention two years later, when one scene was awfully reminiscent of the divisive Game Of Thrones series finale.
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Our verdict: A dragon recklessly destroying everything was a bit of an easy shot, but they did kind of predict it, so we’ll give this a half-point.
And finally, one thing The Simpsons did not predict...
Coronavirus (1993)
When reports of the coronavirus outbreak first surfaced in 2020, many fans on social media began drawing parallels between the pandemic and the Simpsons episode Marge In Chains, in which much of Springfield is struck down by the fictional Osaka flu.
However, this was dismissed by the episode’s writer, Bill Oakley, who branded the comparisons “gross”.
“I don’t like it being used for nefarious purposes,” he explained. “The idea that anyone misappropriates it to make coronavirus seem like an Asian plot is terrible. In terms of trying to place blame on Asia — I think that is gross.” All 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available to stream Disney+ from 24 March. HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-19--Government Will Not Enforce Social Distancing At Supermarkets

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Ministers will not enforce social distancing in supermarkets despite a wave of panic buying and hoarding in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the environment secretary has said.
George Eustice said Italy had tried restricting the number of people in shops but it was “counterproductive” as “they just had hundreds of people huddled together at the entrance”.
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It comes amid reports that the government is about to place London into lockdown, with claims that police could be asked to guard supermarkets as large queues form outside stores and items like toilet roll and pasta sell out.
Labour’s Bill Esterson asked the government to implement “enforced social distancing” in supermarkets, arguing overcrowding was “undoubtedly adding to the spread of the coronavirus”.
But at Defra questions in the Commons, Eustice said: “We will not do that measure. It was something that was done in Italy with a restriction on the number of people in stores and what they found was they just had hundreds of people huddled together at the entrance to the store, and it’s counter-productive.”
People queue to shop at Sainsbury's supermarket in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, where the store had announced that the first hour of opening would be for elderly and vulnerable customers. PA
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The environment secretary stressed there was “significant resilience in our food supply chain” and that there is not a shortage of food.
He said: “There isn’t a shortage of food, the challenge that we’ve had is getting food to shelves in a time when people have been purchasing more.
Eustice also appeared to confirm that supermarket staff would be on a list of key workers whose children would still be allowed to go to school to let their parents continue working.
Replying to Labour’s Jim McMahon, the environment secretary said: “Later today the government will be announcing those jobs defined as key workers.
“But I can assure him we fully recognise that over 25% of staff generally working in the food supply chain have children of school age.
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“That’s recognised and something that will be reflected when that list is published.”
Eustice said the government was working with supermarkets to ensure food banks that are vital for families who cannot afford to buy enough supplies remain stocked.
Ministers are also looking at relaxing competition law to ensure supermarkets can collaborate to ensure supply for food banks, stores and home deliveries.
“On the issue of food banks, as I said, we are in discussions with supermarkets about this. We have also had discussions with them around competition law and will take whatever action is necessary to ensure they can jointly plan their approach to the matters,” he said.