buzzfeed--2020-05-09--How Boris Johnson Sided With "Doves" Over "Hawks" In His Government To Slow The UK's Exit From Lockd

How Boris Johnson Sided With "Doves" Over "Hawks" In His Government To Slow The UK's Exit From Lockdown

Cabinet “ doves ” have claimed victory in a monthlong battle that has raged at the top of government , securing a more cautious easing of coronavirus lockdown measures than sought by “ hawks ” who had wanted a rapid lifting of restrictions .
Ahead of Boris Johnson ’ s address to the nation on Sunday evening , where he will give details of a “ roadmap ” for the phased relaxation of lockdown measures , BuzzFeed News can reveal details of the deeply politicised and at times heated debate across Downing Street , cabinet , and the wider Conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scenes since the PM was discharged from hospital .
It can be revealed that : • Some senior Number 10 advisers , cabinet ministers , senior civil servants , and “ a clear majority ” of Tory MPs had initially lobbied for a “ rival ” exit strategy , privately arguing that the lockdown should be lifted more quickly than Johnson will announce tomorrow .
• But when Johnson returned after being hospitalised with the virus , he chose to back another group of Downing Street aides , senior ministers , and officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first ” approach .
His chief aide Dominic Cummings ’ view has also moved in favour of this position over the last few weeks .
• Most of the lockdown measures will remain in place after Sunday , with piecemeal changes to the number of times people can leave their homes and head to open spaces , followed by a staggered lifting of other restrictions , reopening schools and the wider economy over the following weeks if key data improves .
• Senior ministers have expressed fury at what one described as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media , accusing government hawks of trying to force Johnson into relaxing more measures , and claiming some newspapers were pursuing an anti-lockdown agenda because of fears about sales .
When the prime minister chairs a meeting of his top team on Sunday to finalise his announcement to the country that evening , he will face a cabinet , Downing Street , and party that has been riven by disagreement over what to do .
Johnson , who in March was initially extremely reluctant to impose a lockdown on Britain that went against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now one of the more reluctant to lift it , sources told BuzzFeed News .
While he has been criticised by opposition figures for being “ too slow ” to enter lockdown , the prime minister is now one of the leading doves — a group of senior Tories who want to prioritise preventing a second wave of infections over reopening the economy and ending restrictions on people ’ s daily lives .
The doves believe they have pushed back the general pace of how restrictions will be eased by around two to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked on by cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and cabinet office officials while Johnson was in hospital .
The most vocal member of this more cautious group has been the health secretary , Matt Hancock , whose internal positioning and handling of the government ’ s testing and tracing policies put him deeply at odds with some hawk advisers in Downing Street .
Hancock has been on the receiving end of multiple negative briefings from government figures , including a Sunday Times story calling him “ Matt Handjob ” and a Telegraph front page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 tests per day target .
The main argument put forward by the doves for a slower easing of measures is that the data shows the UK is simply not ready to come out of lockdown .
The latest advice from experts on the government ’ s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ( SAGE ) is that the number of new daily cases is still too high to countenance any significant lifting of restrictions without causing an immediate second spike in infections .
Any more than the most limited lifting of some measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the R0 — back above one , which SAGE has said would lead to the virus again spreading out of control .
While the UK ’ s capacity to test coronavirus cases has improved , its ability to contact trace remains inadequate to be able to accelerate the departure from lockdown .
SAGE has said the government needs to be able to test every new case , trace everyone they have been in contact with , test them as well , and then isolate those who have the virus .
The government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to do so , insiders said , and SAGE has warned it is not safe to drastically release measures until then .
“ The last thing we want is a to-me-to-you Chuckle Brothers situation where we have to go in and out of lockdown , ” a Whitehall source said , adding that ministers will look closely at what happens to Germany as it eases restrictions .
Serology data gathered in the last two weeks has also concerned government experts .
While chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said back in March that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population to eventually contract the virus , achieving “ herd immunity ” , it is currently believed that the percentage of those who have had it is in the low teens or high single figures .
This also raises the possibility of an extremely deadly second wave .
Cummings , who at the beginning of the pandemic was said to have endorsed the controversial herd immunity approach , has also become more dovish in recent weeks , allies of the PM ’ s chief aide said .
At one meeting , Cummings told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries which lifted their lockdowns following the 1918 flu epidemic had been hit by second waves that caused a larger economic hit than those who kept their restrictions in place .
This “ conversion ” in favour of ongoing lockdown surprised some present .

Cabinet “doves” have claimed victory in a monthlong battle that has raged at the top of government, securing a more cautious easing of coronavirus lockdown measures than sought by “hawks” who had wanted a rapid lifting of restrictions.
Ahead of Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on Sunday evening, where he will give details of a “roadmap” for the phased relaxation of lockdown measures, BuzzFeed News can reveal details of the deeply politicised and at times heated debate across Downing Street, cabinet, and the wider Conservative party that has taken place behind the scenes since the PM was discharged from hospital.
It can be revealed that:
• Some senior Number 10 advisers, cabinet ministers, senior civil servants, and “a clear majority” of Tory MPs had initially lobbied for a “rival” exit strategy, privately arguing that the lockdown should be lifted more quickly than Johnson will announce tomorrow.
• But when Johnson returned after being hospitalised with the virus, he chose to back another group of Downing Street aides, senior ministers, and officials who had called for a “safety first” approach. His chief aide Dominic Cummings’ view has also moved in favour of this position over the last few weeks.
• Most of the lockdown measures will remain in place after Sunday, with piecemeal changes to the number of times people can leave their homes and head to open spaces, followed by a staggered lifting of other restrictions, reopening schools and the wider economy over the following weeks if key data improves.
• Senior ministers have expressed fury at what one described as “weeks of insane briefing” to the media, accusing government hawks of trying to force Johnson into relaxing more measures, and claiming some newspapers were pursuing an anti-lockdown agenda because of fears about sales.
When the prime minister chairs a meeting of his top team on Sunday to finalise his announcement to the country that evening, he will face a cabinet, Downing Street, and party that has been riven by disagreement over what to do.
Johnson, who in March was initially extremely reluctant to impose a lockdown on Britain that went against his instinctively liberal political ideology, is now one of the more reluctant to lift it, sources told BuzzFeed News.
While he has been criticised by opposition figures for being “too slow” to enter lockdown, the prime minister is now one of the leading doves — a group of senior Tories who want to prioritise preventing a second wave of infections over reopening the economy and ending restrictions on people’s daily lives.
The doves believe they have pushed back the general pace of how restrictions will be eased by around two to three weeks, compared to provisional plans worked on by cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and cabinet office officials while Johnson was in hospital.
The most vocal member of this more cautious group has been the health secretary, Matt Hancock, whose internal positioning and handling of the government’s testing and tracing policies put him deeply at odds with some hawk advisers in Downing Street.
Hancock has been on the receiving end of multiple negative briefings from government figures, including a Sunday Times story calling him “Matt Handjob” and a Telegraph front page that quoted Downing Street sources slamming his 100,000 tests per day target.
The main argument put forward by the doves for a slower easing of measures is that the data shows the UK is simply not ready to come out of lockdown.
The latest advice from experts on the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is that the number of new daily cases is still too high to countenance any significant lifting of restrictions without causing an immediate second spike in infections.
Any more than the most limited lifting of some measures would risk sending the reproduction number — the R0 — back above one, which SAGE has said would lead to the virus again spreading out of control.
While the UK’s capacity to test coronavirus cases has improved, its ability to contact trace remains inadequate to be able to accelerate the departure from lockdown.
SAGE has said the government needs to be able to test every new case, trace everyone they have been in contact with, test them as well, and then isolate those who have the virus. The government is currently “weeks” away from being able to do so, insiders said, and SAGE has warned it is not safe to drastically release measures until then.
“The last thing we want is a to-me-to-you Chuckle Brothers situation where we have to go in and out of lockdown,” a Whitehall source said, adding that ministers will look closely at what happens to Germany as it eases restrictions.
Serology data gathered in the last two weeks has also concerned government experts. While chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said back in March that he expected around 60% of the population to eventually contract the virus, achieving “herd immunity”, it is currently believed that the percentage of those who have had it is in the low teens or high single figures. This also raises the possibility of an extremely deadly second wave.
Cummings, who at the beginning of the pandemic was said to have endorsed the controversial herd immunity approach, has also become more dovish in recent weeks, allies of the PM’s chief aide said.
At one meeting, Cummings told colleagues he had been reading about how countries which lifted their lockdowns following the 1918 flu epidemic had been hit by second waves that caused a larger economic hit than those who kept their restrictions in place. This “conversion” in favour of ongoing lockdown surprised some present.


buzzfeed--2020-02-27--People Are Sharing Proper Hand Washing Techniques Because Of The Coronavirus Outbreak

# Didyouknow that hand washing with soap is one of the most important and simple ways to prevent diseases and @ @ @ @ @ Watch our video by our Infection Prevention and Control Nurse , Helen Saraqi , to @ @ @ @ @ hands like a pro # HandHygiene

#Didyouknow that hand washing with soap is one of the most important and simple ways to prevent diseases and spreading germs to others. Watch our video by our Infection Prevention and Control Nurse, Helen Saraqi, to learn how to wash your hands like a pro #HandHygiene


buzzfeed--2020-03-20--Australia's Coronavirus Guru Is Taking His New Celebrity Status Seriously

Swan was a performer at university who did a lot of drama .
“ So it was a neat segue into journalism and then radio and television work , which he absolutely loves , ” she said .
“ He both loves it , I think , from an ego perspective and because he really does believe in the business of spreading health messages and messages of science .
It all works very much to suit his personality , I suppose , and his intelligence.
” Swan has long had pandemics on the brain .
In the early 1990s he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Channel Four Invisible Enemies ( also called Plagued ) a four-part series about new and emerging diseases , and the factors create the environment for a pandemic .
“ Norman has been fascinated by pandemics ever since I ’ ve known him .
He has told me for years that we were overdue a pandemic , ” Doogue said .
“ Well , here it is.
” Over the Australian summer , Swan filled in as host on RN Breakfast .
On Jan. 7 , he emailed Katie Hamann , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pneumonia in Wuhan that had infected 59 people , with seven critically ill. “ Worth keeping an eye on , ” was the subject line .
Now it is the world ’ s biggest story , and in Australia , Swan is at the centre of it .
Swan ’ s son Jonathan is himself a prominent reporter , known for breaking scoops on the Trump administration for US website Axios .
( He still calls his father to workshop and talk through strategies ahead of big interviews , including with Jared Kushner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president Barham Salih . )
According to Jonathan , his dad was “ built for it ” .
Explaining complicated concepts with credibility and authority for a large audience is “ what he ’ s been doing his whole career ” , he told BuzzFeed News .
Where others might be terrified of the scale of this , Doogue says Swan “ loves a crisis … He ’ s pretty unafraid .
He sort of boldly steps off .
It sometimes takes my breath away where he will step.
” As the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fine line between filling a gap left by the government and being in direct conflict with it .
Over the weekend , Swan fronted a video for the ABC , offering personal hygiene advice to avoid COVID-19 .
“ The nation thanks you , Norman , ” ABC presenter Michael Rowland tweeted when he shared Swan ’ s video .
The government only rolled out its own videos later that day .
Morrison and Murphy have been resolute that schools should stay open , arguing kids aren ’ t badly affected and closing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Swan has said they should close , and he has said so quite firmly : he declared that Australia was “ dicking around and we ’ ve just got to shut stuff down now ” , when asked about the issue on ABC television on Monday .
Many on social media have announced they trust Swan more than Murphy .
That sentiment is “ actually acutely embarrassing ” , Swan said , and not his intent “ at all ” .
He ’ s known Murphy for decades and has a healthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become so prominent because people are desperate for information .
“ I ’ ve not relished the role , ” Swan told BuzFeed News .
“ I ’ m prepared to step up for it , but I ’ ve not relished it .
It shouldn ’ t be me doing it .
Something is wrong if a medical journalist is the go-to person for this , that ’ s not right.
” He says the government should be using technology to communicate better , and publish more up-to-date information about infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a graph put together by a journalist .
“ [ The government ] seem to be frightened of scaring the public , but they ’ re scaring the public more by trying to not scare them , ” he said .
“ Because they feel that something ’ s being hidden and when you do that anxiety goes up.
” Swan thinks that if the government is asking people to flatten the curve , every day they should show people the curve .
People will see the impact their actions are having and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the week we ’ re not bending the curve , everyone will know we ’ re not managing , and say , ‘ OK yeah , we ’ ve got to stay home , we won ’ t go to the cafe ’ , ” he said .
“ Everybody understands nationally .
”

“It’s his moment,” Doogue told BuzzFeed News.
Swan was a performer at university who did a lot of drama. “So it was a neat segue into journalism and then radio and television work, which he absolutely loves,” she said.
“He both loves it, I think, from an ego perspective and because he really does believe in the business of spreading health messages and messages of science. It all works very much to suit his personality, I suppose, and his intelligence.”
Swan has long had pandemics on the brain. In the early 1990s he wrote and filmed for the UK’s Channel Four Invisible Enemies (also called Plagued) a four-part series about new and emerging diseases, and the factors create the environment for a pandemic.
“Norman has been fascinated by pandemics ever since I’ve known him. He has told me for years that we were overdue a pandemic,” Doogue said. “Well, here it is.”
Over the Australian summer, Swan filled in as host on RN Breakfast. On Jan. 7, he emailed Katie Hamann, who was producing the show, about a mysterious pneumonia in Wuhan that had infected 59 people, with seven critically ill. “Worth keeping an eye on,” was the subject line.
Now it is the world’s biggest story, and in Australia, Swan is at the centre of it.
Swan’s son Jonathan is himself a prominent reporter, known for breaking scoops on the Trump administration for US website Axios. (He still calls his father to workshop and talk through strategies ahead of big interviews, including with Jared Kushner, Tom Perez and Iraq’s president Barham Salih.) According to Jonathan, his dad was “built for it”. Explaining complicated concepts with credibility and authority for a large audience is “what he’s been doing his whole career”, he told BuzzFeed News.
Where others might be terrified of the scale of this, Doogue says Swan “loves a crisis … He’s pretty unafraid. He sort of boldly steps off. It sometimes takes my breath away where he will step.”
As the pandemic has unfolded, Swan has walked a fine line between filling a gap left by the government and being in direct conflict with it.
Over the weekend, Swan fronted a video for the ABC, offering personal hygiene advice to avoid COVID-19. “The nation thanks you, Norman,” ABC presenter Michael Rowland tweeted when he shared Swan’s video. The government only rolled out its own videos later that day.
Morrison and Murphy have been resolute that schools should stay open, arguing kids aren’t badly affected and closing the schools would have dire knock-on effects. Swan has said they should close, and he has said so quite firmly: he declared that Australia was “dicking around and we’ve just got to shut stuff down now”, when asked about the issue on ABC television on Monday.
Many on social media have announced they trust Swan more than Murphy. That sentiment is “actually acutely embarrassing”, Swan said, and not his intent “at all”. He’s known Murphy for decades and has a healthy respect for him.
Swan believes he has become so prominent because people are desperate for information. “I’ve not relished the role,” Swan told BuzFeed News. “I’m prepared to step up for it, but I’ve not relished it. It shouldn’t be me doing it. Something is wrong if a medical journalist is the go-to person for this, that’s not right.”
He says the government should be using technology to communicate better, and publish more up-to-date information about infection rates. He’s relying on a graph put together by a journalist. “[The government] seem to be frightened of scaring the public, but they’re scaring the public more by trying to not scare them,” he said. “Because they feel that something’s being hidden and when you do that anxiety goes up.”
Swan thinks that if the government is asking people to flatten the curve, every day they should show people the curve. People will see the impact their actions are having and respond. “And if by the end of the week we’re not bending the curve, everyone will know we’re not managing, and say, ‘OK yeah, we’ve got to stay home, we won’t go to the cafe’,” he said. “Everybody understands nationally.”


buzzfeed--2020-04-11--This Museum Challenged People To Recreate Artworks At Home, And I Highly Recommend You Take A Look

Since visiting an art gallery is out of the question , the folks over at the Getty Museum in Los @ @ @ @ @ a creative way to keep art lovers occupied — by challenging them to re-create famous @ @ @ @

Since visiting an art gallery is out of the question, the folks over at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles have come up with a creative way to keep art lovers occupied — by challenging them to re-create famous artwork at home.


buzzfeed--2020-04-01--The UK Missed Out On Thousands Of Extra Coronavirus Tests After A Communications Breakdown Between T

The UK Missed Out On Thousands Of Extra Coronavirus Tests After A Communications Breakdown Between Two Government Agencies

An “ appalling ” breakdown in communication between Public Health England and the government ’ s animal health agency may have reduced the UK ’ s coronavirus testing capacity by tens of thousands per week , according to internal documents and two scientists who work for the agency .
As the government faces mounting scrutiny over its lack of testing for COVID-19 , employees at the Animal and Plant Health Agency ( APHA ) told BuzzFeed News that they had been in discussions with Public Health England ( PHE ) about supporting coronavirus testing efforts for more than two months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use their equipment and expertise .
Evidence seen by BuzzFeed News shows that PHE sent APHA — the government agency that tests diseases among animals — conflicting information and requests about recruiting and training scientists , and using lab capacity and analytical equipment , suggesting shortcomings in planning and strategy that led to unnecessary delays .
In one internal email , seen by BuzzFeed News , APHA staff were told that increasing the country 's coronavirus testing capacity was `` work of the highest priority and importance for the UK '' .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ informed of training requirements in the last few days — eight weeks after PHE first contacted the agency about recruiting volunteers from among its staff to work on coronavirus testing .
One employee at APHA said the agency had the “ capacity to perform 40,000 tests a week for human coronavirus samples ” .
They described the government ’ s failure to use APHA to conduct testing as “ a scandal ” .
Another APHA scientist told BuzzFeed News : “ We ’ re not even getting a consistent message about what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the miscommunication with PHE was “ appalling ” .
Emails seen by BuzzFeed News show that PHE first contacted APHA at the end of January , requesting volunteers to help with a possible escalation in the coronavirus outbreak .
The request for additional support followed the template used during the Ebola crisis in 2014 .
But the APHA scientists told BuzzFeed News that , over the following two months , PHE failed to follow up on its request and then changed its mind about what it wanted help with , meaning that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increase testing capacity and train volunteers were wasted .
On March 20 , APHA staff were informed that PHE needed help setting up testing capacity at an APHA laboratory in Weybridge .
But four days later , PHE revised its request again , making a new call for volunteers at PHE ’ s own labs .
APHA staff were told that “ technical difficulties ” with the Weybridge lab meant it could take weeks to set up .
The emails do n't indicate what those technical difficulties were nor do they say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ APHA 's side .
It was only on Monday , March 30 , that the volunteers were informed that they would be contacted for training , with a view to being ready to work in the PHE and NHS labs by mid-April .
APHA would also “ loan critical analytical equipment ” to help increase testing numbers to `` 100,000 PCR tests a day in some new testing facilities which are being set up , '' staff were told .
Polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) tests are standard practice in labs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites in the patient , such as a swab taken from inside the nose .

An “appalling” breakdown in communication between Public Health England and the government’s animal health agency may have reduced the UK’s coronavirus testing capacity by tens of thousands per week, according to internal documents and two scientists who work for the agency.
As the government faces mounting scrutiny over its lack of testing for COVID-19, employees at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) told BuzzFeed News that they had been in discussions with Public Health England (PHE) about supporting coronavirus testing efforts for more than two months — but that PHE was still failing to use their equipment and expertise.
Evidence seen by BuzzFeed News shows that PHE sent APHA — the government agency that tests diseases among animals — conflicting information and requests about recruiting and training scientists, and using lab capacity and analytical equipment, suggesting shortcomings in planning and strategy that led to unnecessary delays.
In one internal email, seen by BuzzFeed News, APHA staff were told that increasing the country's coronavirus testing capacity was "work of the highest priority and importance for the UK".
But the agency's scientists were only informed of training requirements in the last few days — eight weeks after PHE first contacted the agency about recruiting volunteers from among its staff to work on coronavirus testing.
One employee at APHA said the agency had the “capacity to perform 40,000 tests a week for human coronavirus samples”. They described the government’s failure to use APHA to conduct testing as “a scandal”.
Another APHA scientist told BuzzFeed News: “We’re not even getting a consistent message about what they want us to do,” adding that the miscommunication with PHE was “appalling”.
Emails seen by BuzzFeed News show that PHE first contacted APHA at the end of January, requesting volunteers to help with a possible escalation in the coronavirus outbreak. The request for additional support followed the template used during the Ebola crisis in 2014.
But the APHA scientists told BuzzFeed News that, over the following two months, PHE failed to follow up on its request and then changed its mind about what it wanted help with, meaning that several weeks that could have been used to increase testing capacity and train volunteers were wasted.
On March 20, APHA staff were informed that PHE needed help setting up testing capacity at an APHA laboratory in Weybridge.
But four days later, PHE revised its request again, making a new call for volunteers at PHE’s own labs. APHA staff were told that “technical difficulties” with the Weybridge lab meant it could take weeks to set up.
The emails don't indicate what those technical difficulties were nor do they say whether they were on PHE's of APHA's side.
It was only on Monday, March 30, that the volunteers were informed that they would be contacted for training, with a view to being ready to work in the PHE and NHS labs by mid-April.
APHA would also “loan critical analytical equipment” to help increase testing numbers to "100,000 PCR tests a day in some new testing facilities which are being set up," staff were told. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are standard practice in labs. PCR samples can come from several different sites in the patient, such as a swab taken from inside the nose.


buzzfeed--2020-04-03--Oprah And Stedman Finally Reunited After He Was Quarantined In The Guest House And Their Reunion Is

Oprah And Stedman Finally Reunited After He Was Quarantined In The Guest House And Their Reunion Is So Goddamn Adorable

Last year , Oprah revealed that she 'd experienced a serious health scare after being diagnosed with pneumonia .
She @ @ @ @ @ recently suffered with a bronchial infection , both of which would put her at higher @ @ @ @ @ she were to test positive for it .
According to Oprah , Stedman was concerned @ @ @ @ @ the virus after returning from travelling , and so they decided it would be best @ @ @ @ @ for two weeks as a precaution .

In the video posted last week, Oprah said she'd been visiting Stedman twice a day, delivering his meals, leaving them on the doorstep. Even more adorably, Stedman would hang out of the window and wait for her to arrive so they could have what Oprah called "love-chats".


buzzfeed--2020-05-04--Chemsex Under Lockdown: Hook-ups Are Still Happening And Police Warn The Risks Are Greater Than Ever

People are still being arrested for chemsex-related offences during the coronavirus lockdown , even though the risks during this period are greater than ever , police officers and a senior probation official told BuzzFeed News .
With “ hookups still happening ” , apps “ still busy ” , and drugs still being dealt , one of the key differences is that the dangers are now more hidden , they said , heightening the impact on health and the chances of becoming a victim of crime .
“ The risk changes , ” one warned .
In an interview with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Metropolitan police team tackling chemsex-related crimes — Inspector Allen Davis and PC Richard Unwin — and Stephen Morris , the chemsex lead for the prison and probation service , set out a disturbing picture of offending amid the lockdown .
They described drug supplies being tampered with , an increase in grooming and online offences , sex workers being forced into using chemsex , and victims of sexual violence less likely to come forward .
And with empty streets and clubs shut , chemsex is going further underground , reducing the possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The unusual decision by Davis , Unwin , and Morris to detail what is now happening is two-fold , they said .
The first is to alert those involved to the distinct , often invisible vulnerabilities they may now face — while encouraging people to seek help from police or other services if needed .
The second point is to make clear to perpetrators that the policing surrounding this is not stopping : rapists , dealers , importers , those who deliberately overdose others , or men who beat their partners under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigated , they said .
Late last month , a 45-year-old man was found guilty at Isleworth Crown Court of sexual assault , administering a substance in order to sexually assault , theft , and the possession of a class C drug — and jailed for eight years and five months .
Carol Simon had approached a man coming out of the City of Quebec pub in central London , asked to share a cab home , followed him into his house , drugged and assaulted him , before stealing his phone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

People are still being arrested for chemsex-related offences during the coronavirus lockdown, even though the risks during this period are greater than ever, police officers and a senior probation official told BuzzFeed News.
With “hookups still happening”, apps “still busy”, and drugs still being dealt, one of the key differences is that the dangers are now more hidden, they said, heightening the impact on health and the chances of becoming a victim of crime. “The risk changes,” one warned.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, two key members of the Metropolitan police team tackling chemsex-related crimes — Inspector Allen Davis and PC Richard Unwin — and Stephen Morris, the chemsex lead for the prison and probation service, set out a disturbing picture of offending amid the lockdown.
They described drug supplies being tampered with, an increase in grooming and online offences, sex workers being forced into using chemsex, and victims of sexual violence less likely to come forward. And with empty streets and clubs shut, chemsex is going further underground, reducing the possibility of someone helping if something goes wrong.
The unusual decision by Davis, Unwin, and Morris to detail what is now happening is two-fold, they said. The first is to alert those involved to the distinct, often invisible vulnerabilities they may now face — while encouraging people to seek help from police or other services if needed.
The second point is to make clear to perpetrators that the policing surrounding this is not stopping: rapists, dealers, importers, those who deliberately overdose others, or men who beat their partners under the influence, will be pursued and investigated, they said.
Late last month, a 45-year-old man was found guilty at Isleworth Crown Court of sexual assault, administering a substance in order to sexually assault, theft, and the possession of a class C drug — and jailed for eight years and five months. Carol Simon had approached a man coming out of the City of Quebec pub in central London, asked to share a cab home, followed him into his house, drugged and assaulted him, before stealing his phone. DNA matching was used to find him.


buzzfeed--2020-03-05--Coronavirus Is Now Being Transmitted Between People In The UK. Here’s What That Means.

The first death from COVID-19 in the UK was announced late on Thursday , as the government ’ s chief medical officer said the disease was likely now being transmitted between people who had no connection to cases overseas .
The UK is moving to the second stage of its plan to tackle the novel coronavirus — which causes the illness COVID-19 — from the “ contain ” phase , which was effectively a bid to stop it spreading altogether , to “ delay ” , which aims to slow down its spread in order not to overwhelm the NHS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have on the virus in the UK .
The number of cases in the UK has risen to 115 , up from 85 on Wednesday .
That number was accurate as of 9am on Thursday , according to the Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC ) .
In England , there were 25 cases in London , 17 in the north-west , 17 in the south-east , 15 in the south-west , nine in the Midlands , eight in the east , and four whose locations are still to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing positive is still very low : As of this date , 18,083 people had been tested in the UK , of which 17,968 were confirmed negative and 115 were positive .
Chris Whitty , the chief medical officer , announced on Thursday evening that a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 had died .
`` The patient , who was being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital , was an older patient who had underlying health conditions , '' he said .
`` We believe they contracted the virus in the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said : `` The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons , but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus . ''
There has been some confusion over whether the government will publish the locations of each case .
Before Wednesday this week , the government had published daily updates on both the numbers and locations ( at the county level ) of new coronavirus cases in the UK .
However , they announced on Wednesday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekly roundup every Friday .
This caused an outcry among some health experts who said the public had a right to know where the virus had hit .
On Thursday , DHSC clarified that it would now release daily updates of geographical breakdowns at a local authority level .
The first will be published on Friday .
Boris Johnson came under fire over this on ITV ’ s This Morning , as presenter Phillip Schofield said he needed local data to know if his elderly mother should go out shopping or stay at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns — he insisted he wanted to “ overcommunicate ” with the public — but officials wanted to make sure they had completely accurate information before publishing .
Whitty told the House of Commons health select committee that officials were working on a digital “ dashboard ” so that people could see at a glance where the virus had hit .
But he warned against releasing geographical data at “ street level ” because this could lead to patients being identified .
He accused some media outlets of the “ vilification ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a likely reference to the use of the loaded term “ super spreader ” .

The first death from COVID-19 in the UK was announced late on Thursday, as the government’s chief medical officer said the disease was likely now being transmitted between people who had no connection to cases overseas.
The UK is moving to the second stage of its plan to tackle the novel coronavirus — which causes the illness COVID-19 — from the “contain” phase, which was effectively a bid to stop it spreading altogether, to “delay”, which aims to slow down its spread in order not to overwhelm the NHS. Here’s the latest information we have on the virus in the UK.
The number of cases in the UK has risen to 115, up from 85 on Wednesday.
That number was accurate as of 9am on Thursday, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). In England, there were 25 cases in London, 17 in the north-west, 17 in the south-east, 15 in the south-west, nine in the Midlands, eight in the east, and four whose locations are still to be determined.
But the proportion of people testing positive is still very low: As of this date, 18,083 people had been tested in the UK, of which 17,968 were confirmed negative and 115 were positive.
Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, announced on Thursday evening that a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 had died. "The patient, who was being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, was an older patient who had underlying health conditions," he said. "We believe they contracted the virus in the UK and contact tracing is already underway."
The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said: "The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons, but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus."
There has been some confusion over whether the government will publish the locations of each case.
Before Wednesday this week, the government had published daily updates on both the numbers and locations (at the county level) of new coronavirus cases in the UK. However, they announced on Wednesday that locations will instead be released in a weekly roundup every Friday. This caused an outcry among some health experts who said the public had a right to know where the virus had hit.
On Thursday, DHSC clarified that it would now release daily updates of geographical breakdowns at a local authority level. The first will be published on Friday.
Boris Johnson came under fire over this on ITV’s This Morning, as presenter Phillip Schofield said he needed local data to know if his elderly mother should go out shopping or stay at home. Johnson said he understood the concerns — he insisted he wanted to “overcommunicate” with the public — but officials wanted to make sure they had completely accurate information before publishing.
Whitty told the House of Commons health select committee that officials were working on a digital “dashboard” so that people could see at a glance where the virus had hit. But he warned against releasing geographical data at “street level” because this could lead to patients being identified. He accused some media outlets of the “vilification” of coronavirus patients in recent weeks, in a likely reference to the use of the loaded term “super spreader”.


buzzfeed--2020-04-04--An Old Conspiracy Theory Known As "Agenda 21" Has Been Rebooted By The Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus crisis has brought new life to an old conspiracy theory about a totalitarian world government seeking to kill most of the world ’ s population as part of a UN plot dating back to 1992 .
A BuzzFeed News analysis of Twitter , Facebook , YouTube , and Instagram shows a sharp uptick in posts mentioning `` Agenda 21 '' in recent weeks as the coronavirus crisis has taken hold around the world , although posts are often removed for breaching the platforms ’ rules .
These posts and videos often link Agenda 21 with other tried-and-tested tropes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Bill Gates , George Soros , and 5G networks .
Many of the theories brought together by Agenda 21 are included in the list above , which has been shared hundreds of times after being posted in a Facebook Group called `` Yellow Vests Canada '' last week .
`` Agenda 21 '' was a nonbinding UN resolution signed in 1992 that provides an action plan for governments with regard to sustainable development .
But in the 22 years since it was signed , extremists have recast it as a secret plot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nefarious effort to crush freedom in the name of environmentalism , according to a 2014 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center .
“ Fears are running rampant in the far right that [ the coronavirus ] is some part of a conspiracy , maybe by the Chinese government , other global actors , even George Soros , to do 'something ' to conservatives or Americans , ” Heidi Beirich , one of the authors of the 2014 report , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s not surprising that Agenda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environment.
” Agenda 21 content is rife on YouTube , which has long had an issue with conspiracy theories .
One YouTube video , which has been viewed more than 200,000 times since being uploaded by `` the Atlantis Report '' stated : “ Agenda 21 will reduce the human population from almost 8 billion to around 750 million .
This means that the UN is planning on killing just over 90 % of the global population .
”

The coronavirus crisis has brought new life to an old conspiracy theory about a totalitarian world government seeking to kill most of the world’s population as part of a UN plot dating back to 1992.
A BuzzFeed News analysis of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram shows a sharp uptick in posts mentioning "Agenda 21" in recent weeks as the coronavirus crisis has taken hold around the world, although posts are often removed for breaching the platforms’ rules.
These posts and videos often link Agenda 21 with other tried-and-tested tropes of anti-government conspiracy theories, including vaccinations, Bill Gates, George Soros, and 5G networks.
Many of the theories brought together by Agenda 21 are included in the list above, which has been shared hundreds of times after being posted in a Facebook Group called "Yellow Vests Canada" last week.
"Agenda 21" was a nonbinding UN resolution signed in 1992 that provides an action plan for governments with regard to sustainable development.
But in the 22 years since it was signed, extremists have recast it as a secret plot to impose a totalitarian world government and a nefarious effort to crush freedom in the name of environmentalism, according to a 2014 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Fears are running rampant in the far right that [the coronavirus] is some part of a conspiracy, maybe by the Chinese government, other global actors, even George Soros, to do 'something' to conservatives or Americans,” Heidi Beirich, one of the authors of the 2014 report, told BuzzFeed News.
“It’s not surprising that Agenda 21 would pop up again in that environment.”
Agenda 21 content is rife on YouTube, which has long had an issue with conspiracy theories.
One YouTube video, which has been viewed more than 200,000 times since being uploaded by "the Atlantis Report" stated: “Agenda 21 will reduce the human population from almost 8 billion to around 750 million. This means that the UN is planning on killing just over 90% of the global population.”


buzzfeed--2020-04-04--During Lockdown, LGBTQ People Are Finding New Ways To Help, Support, And Entertain Others

In east London , volunteers leave groceries on doorsteps for the elderly or walk dogs for those now told to stay indoors .
Charity workers take calls to the helpline from their own front rooms .
In Manchester , condoms that used to be given out in bars are now stuffed into envelopes to post .
A new befriending scheme for the over-70s is nearly ready .
Elsewhere , an entire online scene is forming : Zoom room clubbing , virtual gyms , a community centre with space to talk and to grieve .
This is queer Britain in 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time in the face of the coronavirus .
Isolation is not new here .
It is the cold air from everyone ’ s past : the closet .
Many are not novices to community efforts either , having gathered on tiny marches in the 1970s just to be seen , or galvanised in the 1980s for a pandemic that was allowed to happen — or more recently , marching for Pride , or signing a petition against threats to hard-won rights .
Today ’ s threat is to everyone .
But pandemics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the instinct to shield and fight back is felt as much as ever .
It has led to the launch of a London “ mutual aid ” group to provide targeted support during the coronavirus outbreak , as organisers fear the most vulnerable within this community are at particular risk from poverty , isolation and serious illness .
It forms part of a nationwide effort from a vast range of LGBTQ businesses , charities , individuals , and voluntary organisations to protect lives , mental health , and human connection during the worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mutual aid groups have sprung up across the country to help others in the local area , but as these are based on locality rather than any particular community , Carla Ecola , a homelessness worker , spotted a gap through which some could fall and cofounded the London LGBTIQ+ COVID-19 Mutual Aid group .
“ People do n't always feel safe or comfortable with neighbours knowing their identity , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ Some people may have already fallen out with their neighbours or experienced low-level hate crimes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those trannies , those queers ’ .
If they do n't trust their neighbours , or feel safe in contacting them , they may not feel uncomfortable in joining those kind of [ mainstream ] mutual aid groups.
” Research by the University of Surrey in 2018 of LGBTQ people in social housing found that a third felt that their neighbourhood was unsafe for their community and that a fifth of gay men modify things in their home that might reveal their sexuality before a repairs person or landlord visits .
Earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commissioner for Equality , issued a call to all member states to address particular challenges faced by LGBT+ people during the coronavirus crisis , including to ensure this community are “ protected against domestic violence … .
Have access to prevention and protection measures for homeless persons and access to equal social protection and healthcare services ” .
Ecola ’ s group , which now has over 100 volunteers and over 1,000 members , aims to bypass the obstacles that can face vulnerable LGBT people trying to access help .
Members can join @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request for anything they might need during self-isolation or shielding .

In east London, volunteers leave groceries on doorsteps for the elderly or walk dogs for those now told to stay indoors. Charity workers take calls to the helpline from their own front rooms. In Manchester, condoms that used to be given out in bars are now stuffed into envelopes to post. A new befriending scheme for the over-70s is nearly ready. Elsewhere, an entire online scene is forming: Zoom room clubbing, virtual gyms, a community centre with space to talk and to grieve.
This is queer Britain in 2020; a community mobilised once again, this time in the face of the coronavirus. Isolation is not new here. It is the cold air from everyone’s past: the closet. Many are not novices to community efforts either, having gathered on tiny marches in the 1970s just to be seen, or galvanised in the 1980s for a pandemic that was allowed to happen — or more recently, marching for Pride, or signing a petition against threats to hard-won rights.
Today’s threat is to everyone. But pandemics exploit inequality, and for LGBTQ people the instinct to shield and fight back is felt as much as ever. It has led to the launch of a London “mutual aid” group to provide targeted support during the coronavirus outbreak, as organisers fear the most vulnerable within this community are at particular risk from poverty, isolation and serious illness.
It forms part of a nationwide effort from a vast range of LGBTQ businesses, charities, individuals, and voluntary organisations to protect lives, mental health, and human connection during the worst pandemic since the AIDS crisis.
Mainstream mutual aid groups have sprung up across the country to help others in the local area, but as these are based on locality rather than any particular community, Carla Ecola, a homelessness worker, spotted a gap through which some could fall and cofounded the London LGBTIQ+ COVID-19 Mutual Aid group.
“People don't always feel safe or comfortable with neighbours knowing their identity,” she told BuzzFeed News. “Some people may have already fallen out with their neighbours or experienced low-level hate crimes on their street with comments like, ‘those trannies, those queers’. If they don't trust their neighbours, or feel safe in contacting them, they may not feel uncomfortable in joining those kind of [mainstream] mutual aid groups.”
Research by the University of Surrey in 2018 of LGBTQ people in social housing found that a third felt that their neighbourhood was unsafe for their community and that a fifth of gay men modify things in their home that might reveal their sexuality before a repairs person or landlord visits.
Earlier this week, Helena Dalli, the EU Commissioner for Equality, issued a call to all member states to address particular challenges faced by LGBT+ people during the coronavirus crisis, including to ensure this community are “protected against domestic violence …. Have access to prevention and protection measures for homeless persons and access to equal social protection and healthcare services”.
Ecola’s group, which now has over 100 volunteers and over 1,000 members, aims to bypass the obstacles that can face vulnerable LGBT people trying to access help. Members can join the group on Facebook and submit a request for anything they might need during self-isolation or shielding.


buzzfeed--2020-05-11--Keir Starmer Told Boris Johnson The UK Needs "Clear Directions" On Its Coronavirus Strategy After A

Keir Starmer Told Boris Johnson The UK Needs "Clear Directions" On Its Coronavirus Strategy After A Chaotic 24 Hours

Labour leader Keir Starmer called for `` clear directions '' from the government on its coronavirus lockdown exit strategy in his first televised address to the nation since being elected to lead the party a month ago .
It followed the prime minister facing pressure in the House of Commons earlier on Monday when he presented MPs with his lockdown exit strategy .
Boris Johnson laid out some details from the government 's `` road map '' in a televised address to the nation Sunday night ahead of a statement in Parliament the next day , where members were able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ document .
However , there was confusion surrounding the details on Monday morning , with people unsure about which employees would be expected to work , what the guidelines were on social distancing and households , and how the measures would differ across the devolved UK , among other questions .
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab added to the confusion after giving incorrect information about meeting relatives in a radio interview on Monday morning .
The Labour leader — while supporting lockdown measures — has consistently called for the government to publish details of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again safely .
In his televised statement , which was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 , Starmer criticised the prime minister for leaving people with unanswered questions and failing to provide `` clear directions '' for exiting the lockdown .
The Labour leader also said the government had failed to provide assurances that the UK 's testing programme was fully up to speed and that those who had been asked to return to work would be safe to do so .
`` What we needed from the prime minister last night was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We needed to hear that nobody would be asked to go to work or send their children to school without it being safe to do so .
`` We needed to know that the huge problems we ’ ve seen with protective equipment are over .
That the crisis in our care homes has finally been gripped .
That everybody who needs a test can finally get one .
Above all , we needed to know when we could see our loved ones again .
`` The prime minister said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but if we ’ re to complete the journey safely , a road map needs clear directions .
So many of us have questions that need answering . ''
Following Johnson 's speech on Sunday , trade union leaders and opposition politicians said the government had failed to provide adequate guidance on how employees could be kept safe .
Trades Union Congress leader Frances O'Grady said : `` The government still hasn ’ t published guidance on how workers will be kept safe .
So how can the prime minister — with 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be going back to sites and factories ?
It ’ s a recipe for chaos.
” Johnson faced criticism from MPs in the House of Commons chamber earlier in the day , including from Starmer ahead of his televised address .
`` What the country needs at this time is clarity and reassurance , and at the moment both are in pretty short supply — and at the heart of the problem , it seems , is that the prime minister made a statement last night before the plan was written , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has caused considerable confusion , '' Starmer said .
He pointed out that on Sunday , people were told to return to work from Monday , but when the detailed document was published , it said that these instructions did not apply until Wednesday — and that safety guidelines were still yet to be published .
Starmer asked whether the guidelines would be published on Tuesday , adding : `` If not , is he seriously asking people to go back to work without the guidelines ? ''
In response , Johnson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been proceedings `` in a way that respects social distancing , that is as COVID-compliant as possible , '' and said that the guidelines would be published on Monday night .
The Scottish National Party 's Westminster leader , Ian Blackford , also criticised a lack of clarity , saying that `` mixed messaging risks lives '' .
He added , `` It is obvious that the last 24 hours has fed confusion ; what the public desperately needs today is to be given some clarity . ''
He also pointed out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from the message to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives , and that the new slogan had not been shared with leaders of the devolved administrations , who had found out about the change of messaging from the Sunday newspapers .
Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts added to Blackford 's criticism , saying : `` I understand the sense of optimism the prime minister wishes to convey , and I understand that people need hope , but we must not forget that over 31,000 people are dead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ three-nations approach '' , with Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland agreeing on an approach and the prime minister acting as the `` prime minister of England '' .
Johnson said , `` I reject that completely '' , adding that his plan was `` perfectly good advice for the whole of the United Kingdom '' .
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn added his own criticisms , saying that Johnson 's statement had `` given a carte blanche to many employers to try and force people to come back to work without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , without consideration of the dangers that they 're going to suffer in travelling to work '' .
Corbyn said that easing restrictions while the death rate and infection rate are still at current levels `` will probably make the situation worse , not better '' .
In response , Johnson said there had only `` been a change of emphasis '' and that people should go to work provided that their workplace and the transport networks that get them there are `` COVID-secure '' .

Labour leader Keir Starmer called for "clear directions" from the government on its coronavirus lockdown exit strategy in his first televised address to the nation since being elected to lead the party a month ago.
It followed the prime minister facing pressure in the House of Commons earlier on Monday when he presented MPs with his lockdown exit strategy.
Boris Johnson laid out some details from the government's "road map" in a televised address to the nation Sunday night ahead of a statement in Parliament the next day, where members were able to scrutinise the details in the 60-page document.
However, there was confusion surrounding the details on Monday morning, with people unsure about which employees would be expected to work, what the guidelines were on social distancing and households, and how the measures would differ across the devolved UK, among other questions.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab added to the confusion after giving incorrect information about meeting relatives in a radio interview on Monday morning.
The Labour leader — while supporting lockdown measures — has consistently called for the government to publish details of its plans to get the country moving again safely.
In his televised statement, which was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Starmer criticised the prime minister for leaving people with unanswered questions and failing to provide "clear directions" for exiting the lockdown.
The Labour leader also said the government had failed to provide assurances that the UK's testing programme was fully up to speed and that those who had been asked to return to work would be safe to do so.
"What we needed from the prime minister last night was clarity and reassurance," Starmer said. "We needed to hear that nobody would be asked to go to work or send their children to school without it being safe to do so.
"We needed to know that the huge problems we’ve seen with protective equipment are over. That the crisis in our care homes has finally been gripped. That everybody who needs a test can finally get one. Above all, we needed to know when we could see our loved ones again.
"The prime minister said he was setting out a road map — but if we’re to complete the journey safely, a road map needs clear directions. So many of us have questions that need answering."
Following Johnson's speech on Sunday, trade union leaders and opposition politicians said the government had failed to provide adequate guidance on how employees could be kept safe.
Trades Union Congress leader Frances O'Grady said: "The government still hasn’t published guidance on how workers will be kept safe. So how can the prime minister — with 12 hours’ notice — tell people they should be going back to sites and factories? It’s a recipe for chaos.”
Johnson faced criticism from MPs in the House of Commons chamber earlier in the day, including from Starmer ahead of his televised address.
"What the country needs at this time is clarity and reassurance, and at the moment both are in pretty short supply — and at the heart of the problem, it seems, is that the prime minister made a statement last night before the plan was written, or at least finalised, and that has caused considerable confusion," Starmer said.
He pointed out that on Sunday, people were told to return to work from Monday, but when the detailed document was published, it said that these instructions did not apply until Wednesday — and that safety guidelines were still yet to be published.
Starmer asked whether the guidelines would be published on Tuesday, adding: "If not, is he seriously asking people to go back to work without the guidelines?"
In response, Johnson said that "plenty of businesses" have already been proceedings "in a way that respects social distancing, that is as COVID-compliant as possible," and said that the guidelines would be published on Monday night.
The Scottish National Party's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, also criticised a lack of clarity, saying that "mixed messaging risks lives".
He added, "It is obvious that the last 24 hours has fed confusion; what the public desperately needs today is to be given some clarity."
He also pointed out that the devolved nations have not moved away from the message to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives, and that the new slogan had not been shared with leaders of the devolved administrations, who had found out about the change of messaging from the Sunday newspapers.
Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts added to Blackford's criticism, saying: "I understand the sense of optimism the prime minister wishes to convey, and I understand that people need hope, but we must not forget that over 31,000 people are dead."
She said there was a "three-nations approach", with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland agreeing on an approach and the prime minister acting as the "prime minister of England".
Johnson said, "I reject that completely", adding that his plan was "perfectly good advice for the whole of the United Kingdom".
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn added his own criticisms, saying that Johnson's statement had "given a carte blanche to many employers to try and force people to come back to work without proper consideration of their health and safety, without consideration of the dangers that they're going to suffer in travelling to work".
Corbyn said that easing restrictions while the death rate and infection rate are still at current levels "will probably make the situation worse, not better".
In response, Johnson said there had only "been a change of emphasis" and that people should go to work provided that their workplace and the transport networks that get them there are "COVID-secure".


buzzfeed--2020-04-21--"The Room Is Like A Jail": This Man's Workout Landed Him In COVID-19 Solitary Confinement

Since Saturday night , Edmond has not left the tiny room with just a bed , shower , toilet and sink .
The 38-year-old Cameroonian refugee had been getting back into exercise , doing big workout sessions over three days last week .
By Saturday , his body was hurting all over .
Amid Melbourne 's cold weather , he had a little bit of pain in his throat and thought he might have a mild fever coming on .
So Edmond , who has been detained at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation ( MITA ) detention centre for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guard for two Panadol .
The guard called a nurse , who asked him a few questions over the phone .
The nurse then called her boss , who ordered Edmond into quarantine .
He was taken to MITA North , a high-security compound he had never been to before , and locked in the small room he is now very familiar with .
`` I 've never been in a jail , but the way they have built the room is like a jail , '' Edmond told BuzzFeed News by phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not jail .
Quarantine means they put you in isolation . ''
Guards pass his food in through a window in the door .
He communicates to them by pressing a button on the wall .
The shower is built into the room , with no door , curtain , or anywhere to put his towel .
A window that looks outside was covered up on Monday morning .
The sink , where he keeps his toothbrush , is built into the top of the toilet .
A camera films him everywhere in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` When I 'm going to the toilet , the camera is in front of me , '' he said .
`` My privacy is out . ''
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread through Australia , the government has resisted loud calls to release immigration detainees .
Its strategy instead is to prevent people from bringing the coronavirus into detention facilities , by banning visits , and to test and isolate any suspected cases .
Edmond 's experience shows just how cautious authorities are being .

Since Saturday night, Edmond has not left the tiny room with just a bed, shower, toilet and sink.
The 38-year-old Cameroonian refugee had been getting back into exercise, doing big workout sessions over three days last week. By Saturday, his body was hurting all over. Amid Melbourne's cold weather, he had a little bit of pain in his throat and thought he might have a mild fever coming on.
So Edmond, who has been detained at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) detention centre for the last eight months, asked a security guard for two Panadol.
The guard called a nurse, who asked him a few questions over the phone. The nurse then called her boss, who ordered Edmond into quarantine.
He was taken to MITA North, a high-security compound he had never been to before, and locked in the small room he is now very familiar with.
"I've never been in a jail, but the way they have built the room is like a jail," Edmond told BuzzFeed News by phone on Monday night. "Quarantine is not jail. Quarantine means they put you in isolation."
Guards pass his food in through a window in the door. He communicates to them by pressing a button on the wall. The shower is built into the room, with no door, curtain, or anywhere to put his towel. A window that looks outside was covered up on Monday morning. The sink, where he keeps his toothbrush, is built into the top of the toilet. A camera films him everywhere in the room, at all times.
"When I'm going to the toilet, the camera is in front of me," he said. "My privacy is out."
As the coronavirus pandemic has spread through Australia, the government has resisted loud calls to release immigration detainees. Its strategy instead is to prevent people from bringing the coronavirus into detention facilities, by banning visits, and to test and isolate any suspected cases. Edmond's experience shows just how cautious authorities are being.


buzzfeed--2020-04-13--Nearly 100 Care Homes In The UK Have Reported Coronavirus Outbreaks In The Last 24 Hours

The chief medical officer for England , Chris Whitty , has revealed that 13.5 % of care homes in the UK have so far reported coronavirus outbreaks , including 92 care homes in the last 24 hours alone .
The revelation came as the government faced questions at its press conference on why daily death figures did not include those from outside hospitals , particularly from care homes where many elderly and vulnerable people were dying from the virus .
Whitty said the Office for National Statistics published figures on deaths from outside hospitals but acknowledged these were `` delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was `` trying to shorten that period '' .
The latest statistics were for the week ending March 27 .
Some 11,329 people with coronavirus have so far died in UK hospitals as of 5pm on Sunday , according to the latest government figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care .
The UK government has also warned that the lockdown will remain in place in the coming weeks , as deaths continue to rise across the country .
Chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on Monday that the UK had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but suggested this could happen in a few days ' time , followed by a `` plateau '' in deaths lasting two to three weeks .
It means the UK is unlikely to see an easing in strict social distancing measures until mid-May at the earliest .
Prime minister Boris Johnson , who is recovering after being hospitalised with coronavirus himself , announced the UK lockdown on March 23 .
People are only allowed to leave their homes for one of four reasons : to shop for basic necessities , to take one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any medical need , such as providing care for a vulnerable person , or to travel to and from work `` if absolutely necessary '' .

The chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, has revealed that 13.5% of care homes in the UK have so far reported coronavirus outbreaks, including 92 care homes in the last 24 hours alone.
The revelation came as the government faced questions at its press conference on why daily death figures did not include those from outside hospitals, particularly from care homes where many elderly and vulnerable people were dying from the virus.
Whitty said the Office for National Statistics published figures on deaths from outside hospitals but acknowledged these were "delayed by days" and insisted the government was "trying to shorten that period". The latest statistics were for the week ending March 27.
Some 11,329 people with coronavirus have so far died in UK hospitals as of 5pm on Sunday, according to the latest government figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The UK government has also warned that the lockdown will remain in place in the coming weeks, as deaths continue to rise across the country.
Chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on Monday that the UK had not yet reached its peak death rate but suggested this could happen in a few days' time, followed by a "plateau" in deaths lasting two to three weeks.
It means the UK is unlikely to see an easing in strict social distancing measures until mid-May at the earliest.
Prime minister Boris Johnson, who is recovering after being hospitalised with coronavirus himself, announced the UK lockdown on March 23. People are only allowed to leave their homes for one of four reasons: to shop for basic necessities, to take one form of exercise a day, for any medical need, such as providing care for a vulnerable person, or to travel to and from work "if absolutely necessary".


buzzfeed--2020-04-15--Local Politicians Are Sharing Conspiracy Theories About The Coronavirus

The posts are just the latest example of the growing number of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus being shared on social media during the UK ’ s lockdown .
One such post was shared by Inspire EU , an anti-Brexit Facebook page with over 35,000 followers which is run by Jack Dart , a Liberal Democrat councillor in Devon .
An Inspire EU post on Tuesday said “ from death ’ s door to sprightly Easter Sunday riser in two days ?
Possible , but then Boris Johnson is a compulsive liar , and Dominic Cummings is an amoral , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared a tweet by lawyer Marcus Ball , who claims to have “ sent an FOI request to St Thomas ’ s NHS Trust requesting confirmation/proof that @ BorisJohnson wasn ’ t lying about being admitted there or the severity of his condition ” .
The post disappeared after BuzzFeed News requested comment , though it was not clear whether it was removed by Facebook or by Inspire EU .
On Tuesday , the same page shared an article from a website called TruePublica entitled `` Editor at the Economist : ‘ Something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Intensive Care Stay ” .
The article references a tweet by Chris Lockwood , Europe editor of the Economist , who shared a video of Johnson and said , “ This is not someone who was at death ’ s door a few days ago .
Something incredibly fishy about the whole business.
” Lockwood later retracted his tweet and apologised , but the TruePublica article is still up , as is the “ Inspire EU ” post quoting it , which has been shared over 600 times .

The posts are just the latest example of the growing number of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus being shared on social media during the UK’s lockdown.
One such post was shared by Inspire EU, an anti-Brexit Facebook page with over 35,000 followers which is run by Jack Dart, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Devon.
An Inspire EU post on Tuesday said “from death’s door to sprightly Easter Sunday riser in two days? Possible, but then Boris Johnson is a compulsive liar, and Dominic Cummings is an amoral, Machiavellian sociopath, so…”
This post shared a tweet by lawyer Marcus Ball, who claims to have “sent an FOI request to St Thomas’s NHS Trust requesting confirmation/proof that @BorisJohnson wasn’t lying about being admitted there or the severity of his condition”.
The post disappeared after BuzzFeed News requested comment, though it was not clear whether it was removed by Facebook or by Inspire EU.
On Tuesday, the same page shared an article from a website called TruePublica entitled "Editor at the Economist: ‘Something Fishy’ About Boris Johnson’s Intensive Care Stay”.
The article references a tweet by Chris Lockwood, Europe editor of the Economist, who shared a video of Johnson and said, “This is not someone who was at death’s door a few days ago. Something incredibly fishy about the whole business.”
Lockwood later retracted his tweet and apologised, but the TruePublica article is still up, as is the “Inspire EU” post quoting it, which has been shared over 600 times.


buzzfeed--2020-04-15--The New NHS Coronavirus App Won’t Work Without A Huge Increase In Testing And People To Do Contact T

The New NHS Coronavirus App Won’t Work Without A Huge Increase In Testing And People To Do Contact Tracing

In a blog post published earlier this week , a government official behind Singapore ’ s contact tracing app wrote : “ If you ask me whether any Bluetooth contact tracing system deployed or under development , anywhere in the world , is ready to replace manual contact tracing , I will say without qualification that the answer is , ‘ No ’ .
” Jason Bay , the senior director of the Singapore government ’ s digital services agency , added : “ You can not ‘ big data ’ your way out of a ‘ no data ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , titled “ Automated Contact Tracing Is Not a Coronavirus Panacea ” , Bay went on to say : “ We use TraceTogether to supplement contact tracing — not replace it.
” Singapore ’ s TraceTogether app was launched in mid-March .
Previously , contact tracing relied on the memory of interviewees who tested positive for the coronavirus and were asked to recall all their recent contacts and movements in detail .
The app works by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other app users in close proximity , recording those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests positive for the virus , that information can be more easily shared with contact tracers .
However , Bluetooth-based contact tracing solutions do not , by themselves , record location and environment data — that means it can ’ t tell where contact between mobile phones actually took place , whether , for example , it occurred in a park or in adjacent rooms of the same building .
As a result , any automated mechanism will necessarily generate both false negatives and false positives .
Further , the technology does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind a mobile phone and number .
All this information still needs to be gathered by a human-led process of interviews .
A partnership between Google and Apple announced earlier this month will help with mass user adoption — which is a prerequisite to any solution functioning effectively — and to overcome technical challenges such as gathering data while an app is in the background and not being actively used .
But the solution would still be reliant on Bluetooth , according to the specifications released by Apple : `` The Contact Tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proximity detection .
It strictly uses Bluetooth beaconing to detect proximity . ''
The technology behind the NHSX app is understood to work in a similar way to Singapore ’ s app .
Once installed , the app will log the distance between a user 's phone and other phones nearby that also have the app installed .
It uses a low-energy form of Bluetooth to calculate the distance between users by measuring the signal strength of their respective devices .
A log of anonymous proximity information is stored securely on a user @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which other app users should be notified will be determined by a `` contact risk model '' within the app — which will be continuously updated to make it as accurate as possible , an NHS source told BuzzFeed News .
Singapore ’ s TraceTogether app has some 1 million users — about a sixth of the population — and the island nation has open-sourced the code and made the underlying protocol available to governments and organisations in other countries .
A white paper that accompanied the release underlines the need to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing .
The paper says : “ A human-out-of-the-loop system will certainly yield better results than having no system at all , but where a competent human-in-the-loop system with sufficient capacity exists , we caution against an over-reliance on technology.
” It concludes : “ The experience of Singapore ’ s contact tracers suggest that contact tracing should remain a human-fronted process .
Contact tracing involves an intensive sequence of difficult and anxiety-laden conversations , and it is the role of a contact tracer to explain how a close contact might have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and provide assurance and guidance on next steps.
” Asked about the number of people involved in contact tracing , a Singaporean government spokesperson referred BuzzFeed News to a statement made by the health minister to the country ’ s Parliament in March .
The minister said that up to 4,000 contacts could be traced each day and that contact tracing capacity had grown from 3 to 20 teams and would continue to scale up as needed .
Up until mid-March , Public Health England had traced some 3,500 people in total , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 % of contacts found to be positive during the containment phase of the outbreak and advised to self-isolate .
According to a report in the Guardian , PHE 's contact tracing response team consisted of just under 300 staffers at the time .
But contact tracing was scaled back in the UK when the number of cases started growing exponentially and the government strategy changed from containing the virus to delaying its spread .
A key factor in this decision was the limited testing resources the UK had put in place .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of about 12,800 per million people , the UK has managed only about 6,044 tests per million people .
After coming under widespread criticism , the government has pledged to increase testing capacity to 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month , but it 's still well short — on Tuesday , it conducted fewer than 16,000 tests .
When the UK recorded its first COVID-19 cases at the end of January , PHE said it was tracing people who had been in contact with the infected .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson told the Guardian that contact tracing was no longer useful because “ with such a level of sustained community transmission there is limited value in doing so ” .
The official PHE blog charts this shift in strategy .
On Feb. 13 , Nick Phin , deputy director at PHE ’ s National Infection Service , wrote : `` At the moment we undertake contact tracing to prevent the infection spreading further .
Contact tracing is a fundamental part of outbreak control that ’ s used by public health professionals around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ page now reads : “ In the contain phase of the outbreak , we were identifying all cases , tracing their contacts and following up with them to determine their level of risk and giving them advice and information on what to do should they become unwell .
“ Now , because the virus is more widespread , we will not necessarily be able to determine where someone has contracted the virus and we will have a more targeted approach to contact tracing .
“ The targeted approach will likely include tracing close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , those in care homes or other institutions.
” A PHE source told BuzzFeed News that contact tracing would have a role in preventing a resurgence of the virus .
Using the experience gained during the contain phase , PHE has carefully designed plans to scale up contact tracing rapidly if needed , they said .
PHE was also strengthening surveillance activities to monitor the impact of outbreaks to support local contact tracing .

In a blog post published earlier this week, a government official behind Singapore’s contact tracing app wrote: “If you ask me whether any Bluetooth contact tracing system deployed or under development, anywhere in the world, is ready to replace manual contact tracing, I will say without qualification that the answer is, ‘No’.”
Jason Bay, the senior director of the Singapore government’s digital services agency, added: “You cannot ‘big data’ your way out of a ‘no data’ situation. Period.”
In the post, titled “Automated Contact Tracing Is Not a Coronavirus Panacea”, Bay went on to say: “We use TraceTogether to supplement contact tracing — not replace it.”
Singapore’s TraceTogether app was launched in mid-March. Previously, contact tracing relied on the memory of interviewees who tested positive for the coronavirus and were asked to recall all their recent contacts and movements in detail.
The app works by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals between phones to detect other app users in close proximity, recording those encounters over time so that when someone tests positive for the virus, that information can be more easily shared with contact tracers.
However, Bluetooth-based contact tracing solutions do not, by themselves, record location and environment data — that means it can’t tell where contact between mobile phones actually took place, whether, for example, it occurred in a park or in adjacent rooms of the same building.
As a result, any automated mechanism will necessarily generate both false negatives and false positives.
Further, the technology does not automatically reveal the identity of the user behind a mobile phone and number. All this information still needs to be gathered by a human-led process of interviews.
A partnership between Google and Apple announced earlier this month will help with mass user adoption — which is a prerequisite to any solution functioning effectively — and to overcome technical challenges such as gathering data while an app is in the background and not being actively used.
But the solution would still be reliant on Bluetooth, according to the specifications released by Apple: "The Contact Tracing Bluetooth Specification does not use location for proximity detection. It strictly uses Bluetooth beaconing to detect proximity."
The technology behind the NHSX app is understood to work in a similar way to Singapore’s app. Once installed, the app will log the distance between a user's phone and other phones nearby that also have the app installed. It uses a low-energy form of Bluetooth to calculate the distance between users by measuring the signal strength of their respective devices. A log of anonymous proximity information is stored securely on a user's phone.
The decision of precisely which other app users should be notified will be determined by a "contact risk model" within the app — which will be continuously updated to make it as accurate as possible, an NHS source told BuzzFeed News.
Singapore’s TraceTogether app has some 1 million users — about a sixth of the population — and the island nation has open-sourced the code and made the underlying protocol available to governments and organisations in other countries.
A white paper that accompanied the release underlines the need to use an app in conjunction with human-led contact tracing. The paper says: “A human-out-of-the-loop system will certainly yield better results than having no system at all, but where a competent human-in-the-loop system with sufficient capacity exists, we caution against an over-reliance on technology.”
It concludes: “The experience of Singapore’s contact tracers suggest that contact tracing should remain a human-fronted process. Contact tracing involves an intensive sequence of difficult and anxiety-laden conversations, and it is the role of a contact tracer to explain how a close contact might have been exposed — while respecting patient privacy — and provide assurance and guidance on next steps.”
Asked about the number of people involved in contact tracing, a Singaporean government spokesperson referred BuzzFeed News to a statement made by the health minister to the country’s Parliament in March. The minister said that up to 4,000 contacts could be traced each day and that contact tracing capacity had grown from 3 to 20 teams and would continue to scale up as needed.
Up until mid-March, Public Health England had traced some 3,500 people in total, including on flights and cruises, with 3% of contacts found to be positive during the containment phase of the outbreak and advised to self-isolate. According to a report in the Guardian, PHE's contact tracing response team consisted of just under 300 staffers at the time.
But contact tracing was scaled back in the UK when the number of cases started growing exponentially and the government strategy changed from containing the virus to delaying its spread.
A key factor in this decision was the limited testing resources the UK had put in place. While Singapore has been testing at a rate of about 12,800 per million people, the UK has managed only about 6,044 tests per million people.
After coming under widespread criticism, the government has pledged to increase testing capacity to 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month, but it's still well short — on Tuesday, it conducted fewer than 16,000 tests.
When the UK recorded its first COVID-19 cases at the end of January, PHE said it was tracing people who had been in contact with the infected.
After tracing was scaled back, a PHE spokesperson told the Guardian that contact tracing was no longer useful because “with such a level of sustained community transmission there is limited value in doing so”.
The official PHE blog charts this shift in strategy.
On Feb. 13, Nick Phin, deputy director at PHE’s National Infection Service, wrote: "At the moment we undertake contact tracing to prevent the infection spreading further. Contact tracing is a fundamental part of outbreak control that’s used by public health professionals around the world."
The updated coronavirus information page now reads: “In the contain phase of the outbreak, we were identifying all cases, tracing their contacts and following up with them to determine their level of risk and giving them advice and information on what to do should they become unwell.
“Now, because the virus is more widespread, we will not necessarily be able to determine where someone has contracted the virus and we will have a more targeted approach to contact tracing.
“The targeted approach will likely include tracing close contacts of vulnerable people. For example, those in care homes or other institutions.”
A PHE source told BuzzFeed News that contact tracing would have a role in preventing a resurgence of the virus. Using the experience gained during the contain phase, PHE has carefully designed plans to scale up contact tracing rapidly if needed, they said. PHE was also strengthening surveillance activities to monitor the impact of outbreaks to support local contact tracing.


buzzfeed--2020-05-01--Meghan Markle Has Lost The First Stage Of Her Court Battle With The Mail On Sunday

Meghan Markle has lost the first stage of her High Court case against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday newspaper , it was announced on Friday .
A judge decided that parts of the case should be struck out , though he said these could be revived at a later date .
The case concerns a letter written by Meghan to her estranged father Thomas Markle in August 2018 , parts of which were published by the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline the following February .
Meghan is seeking damages for alleged misuse of private information , copyright infringement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act by Associated Newspapers , which is also the publisher of MailOnline .
Mr Justice Warby delivered his ruling following an application by Associated Newspapers last week .
He struck out three allegations from the case , including that Associated Newspapers acted `` dishonestly and in bad faith '' , that it `` deliberately dug up or stirred up '' conflict between Meghan and her father , and had an `` obvious agenda of publishing intrusive or offensive stories '' about her .
`` The grounds of attack on each aspect of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in law , or inadequately particularised , or that it would be disproportionate to litigate the issues raised so that they should be excluded from the scope of the case on case management grounds , '' the judge wrote .
The first hearing was held remotely last week because of the coronavirus , with Meghan and her husband Prince Harry listening from Los Angeles .
Meghan 's lawyers have accused Associated Newspapers of `` harassing , humiliating , manipulating and exploiting '' her father , whom they describe as `` vulnerable ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year via a statement in which the Duke of Sussex accused newspapers of a “ ruthless campaign ” against his wife .
Meghan and Harry recently announced they were cutting off the Daily Mail and three other British tabloids , giving them `` no corroboration and zero engagement '' , saying that their coverage has been unfair .
Lawyers for the firm representing Meghan said the ruling does not change the `` core elements '' of the case .
“ Whilst the Judge recognises that there is a claim for breach of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see that his ruling suggests that dishonest behaviour is not relevant .
We feel honesty and integrity are at the core of what matters ; or as it relates to the Mail on Sunday and Associated Newspapers , their lack thereof , '' a Schillings spokesperson said .
`` Nonetheless , we respect the Judge 's decision as the strong case against Associated will continue to focus on the issue of a private , intimate , and handwritten letter from a daughter to her father that was published by the Mail on @ @ @

Meghan Markle has lost the first stage of her High Court case against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday newspaper, it was announced on Friday.
A judge decided that parts of the case should be struck out, though he said these could be revived at a later date.
The case concerns a letter written by Meghan to her estranged father Thomas Markle in August 2018, parts of which were published by the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline the following February.
Meghan is seeking damages for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement, and breach of the Data Protection Act by Associated Newspapers, which is also the publisher of MailOnline.
Mr Justice Warby delivered his ruling following an application by Associated Newspapers last week.
He struck out three allegations from the case, including that Associated Newspapers acted "dishonestly and in bad faith", that it "deliberately dug up or stirred up" conflict between Meghan and her father, and had an "obvious agenda of publishing intrusive or offensive stories" about her.
"The grounds of attack on each aspect of the case are that the allegations are irrelevant in law, or inadequately particularised, or that it would be disproportionate to litigate the issues raised so that they should be excluded from the scope of the case on case management grounds," the judge wrote.
The first hearing was held remotely last week because of the coronavirus, with Meghan and her husband Prince Harry listening from Los Angeles.
Meghan's lawyers have accused Associated Newspapers of "harassing, humiliating, manipulating and exploiting" her father, whom they describe as "vulnerable”.
The legal action was announced in October last year via a statement in which the Duke of Sussex accused newspapers of a “ruthless campaign” against his wife.
Meghan and Harry recently announced they were cutting off the Daily Mail and three other British tabloids, giving them "no corroboration and zero engagement", saying that their coverage has been unfair.
Lawyers for the firm representing Meghan said the ruling does not change the "core elements" of the case.
“Whilst the Judge recognises that there is a claim for breach of privacy and copyright, we are surprised to see that his ruling suggests that dishonest behaviour is not relevant. We feel honesty and integrity are at the core of what matters; or as it relates to the Mail on Sunday and Associated Newspapers, their lack thereof," a Schillings spokesperson said.
"Nonetheless, we respect the Judge's decision as the strong case against Associated will continue to focus on the issue of a private, intimate, and handwritten letter from a daughter to her father that was published by the Mail on Sunday."