Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and David Beckham were among the stars paying tribute yesterday to NHS staff risking their lives fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
In a video shared online by NHS England, celebrities from film, TV, music and sport held up a placard bearing the slogans #OurNHSPeople and #ThankYouNHS.
Sir Elton, Sir Paul and Beckham were joined by A-listers including Sir Mick Jagger, Kate Winslet, Daniel Craig, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Dame Kristin Scott Thomas. Kylie Minogue, Naomi Harris, Eddie Redmayne Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Mo Farah also featured.
The video was shared hours before the nation saluted key workers for a second successive Thursday.
The tribute came after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has recovered from Covid-19 and came out of self-isolation yesterday to give the Government's latest coronavirus update, paid an emotional tribute to those who have died of the illness, including doctors, nurses and mental health professionals.
He said the Government would “strain every sinew to defeat” coronavirus once and for all, and pledged that 100,000 Covid-19 tests will be carried out per day in England by the end of April, as he set out a new five-part strategy to increase testing across the country.
Mr Hancock also said he came back “redoubled in my determination to fight this virus with everything I’ve got”.
He also announced that 2,921 people in the UK have now died after testing positive for the virus.
Just hours later, up and down the country, grateful Britons stood on their doorsteps and hung out of windows at 8pm last night to clap, cheer and bang pots and pans to show their appreciation for key workers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson emerged from self-isolation to join in.
The first Clap For Carers took place on Thursday, March 26 and is expected to continue on a weekly basis.
4,000 bed coronavirus hospital to open today
The Prince of Wales is to officially open London’s new NHS Nightingale Hospital which will treat intensive care Covid-19 patients, Clarence House has said.
Charles, who earlier this week completed self-isolation following his Covid-19 diagnosis, will launch the 4,000-bed temporary facility at the ExCel convention centre in east London today, via video-link.
From his Scottish home of Birkhall, the prince is expected to say a few words in tribute to all those who have worked to create the new medical facility, and to people across the UK who continue to deliver frontline care to those affected by the coronavirus crisis.
The Nightingale, named after nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, will need an army of up to 16,000 staff in clinical and ancillary roles to keep it running.
Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
It was set up by NHS contractors, with the assistance of around 200 military personnel, in a matter of weeks.
But health officials fear communications and a lack of clinically trained staff will present some of the biggest challenges for the new facility.
Leaked documents seen by the Health Service Journal reveal communication is envisaged to be a problem due to the building’s poor acoustics and because all staff will be working in an unfamiliar setting in a team of people they have never met before.
The papers also warned that non-specialist nurses may be asked to perform “unfamiliar” tasks, such as dealing with complications arising from intubation, normally only done by intensive care nurses.
Worst month on record for high street
Britain’s high street retailers suffered their worst month on record in March as they were hammered by the Covid-19 lockdown, according to new figures.
The latest monthly BDO high street sales tracker saw total like-for-like sales dive 17.9% for the month as shoppers stayed indoors.
In-store sales were particularly badly hit, plunging 34.1% after non-essential stores were told to shut their doors in the face of the pandemic.
Reduced footfall due to social distancing protocols also hit stores during the month, while shoppers’ attentions were diverted to essential items, such as groceries.
Fashion stores saw sales dive 40.4% over the month, while lifestyle shops also reported a 24.6% decline.
Elsewhere, homeware store sales declined by 26.1% after sales vanished at the end of the month.
Shoppers turned their attentions online, with non-store like-for-like sales increasing by 13.7%.
However, this online growth was not consistent for all retailers, with fashion retailers also reporting lower online demand.
Sophie Michael, head of retail and wholesale at BDO, said: “It’s no surprise that March was the worst month on record for the high street, as the Covid-19 outbreak had an immediate impact on consumer demand for discretionary items.
“Understandably, shoppers are being very cautious with their pounds, as concerns about job security grip the nation.
“For most retailers, in-store sales make up the largest portion of their revenue, so they are having to rely solely on non-store channels and adapt aggressively to survive.
“It is likely that the pandemic has only sped up the shift away from in-store shopping as consumers become even more accustomed to buying online.”
Police admit mistake in charging woman for breaching Covid-19 rules
A woman who was fined £660 for breaking new coronavirus lockdown rules could have her conviction set aside after it emerged police misinterpreted the legislation.
Marie Dinou, 41, from York, was arrested at Newcastle Central Station on Saturday after she allegedly failed to tell officers why she needed to travel, British Transport Police (BTP) said.
She was arrested on suspicion of breaking restrictions imposed under the Coronavirus Act 2020 and subsequently fined at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
But the BTP said that, following a joint review with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), it had established that she was charged under the incorrect section of the Coronavirus Act.
The BTP said it has now agreed to contact the court and ask for the case to be relisted and the conviction set aside.
In a statement, deputy chief constable Adrian Hanstock said: “There will be understandable concern that our interpretation of this new legislation has resulted in an ineffective prosecution.
“This was in circumstances where officers were properly dealing with someone who was behaving suspiciously in the station, and who staff believed to be travelling without a valid ticket.”
Mr Hanstock said his officers were “rightfully challenging her unnecessary travel”.
He added: “Regardless, we fully accept that this shouldn’t have happened and we apologise.
“It is highly unusual that a case can pass through a number of controls in the criminal justice process and fail in this way.”
The BTP confirmed it would not pursue any alternative prosecution in the matter.
Mr Hanstock said frontline officers have since been provided with the latest guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council to “help them” interpret the new legislation.
“I must remind the public that officers will continue to engage with people and seek to understand their reasons for their journeys,” Mr Hanstock said.
“Where we determine that there is no justifiable purpose for them being on the transport network, we will explain to the public why they should not travel.”
He said the new coronavirus law would be applied “as a last resort” and “where situations develop”.
The BTP said it will undertake a more detailed review of the case with the CPS to “ensure that any lessons to be learned are integrated into our shared justice processes”.
Under schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act, it is illegal to fail to comply with the instructions of police officers without reasonable excuse.
The maximum penalty is a fine of £1,000.
Help for British heritage sites
The National Lottery has set up a £50 million emergency fund for British heritage sites after almost 50% said they will not survive beyond six months if the coronavirus shutdown continues.
Grants of between £3,000 and £50,000 will be available to sites already funded by the organisation, primarily to train the workforce in digital skills to help them through the Covid-19 crisis.
These include digital fundraising, social media and online communications, and how to run online events and activities.
A survey by the National Lottery Heritage Fund of more than 1,250 organisations in late March found 82% reported the shutdown was a high or moderate risk to their long-term viability.
About 35% said their financial reserves would be depleted within four months, and 46% said they would not be able to survive more than six months.
Asked what support they needed from the Heritage Fund and its partners, 75% said greater flexibility for existing projects and grants, and 53% said emergency funding.
The £50 million emergency fund will use cash diverted from planned new grants, with all new awards halted with immediate effect, the National Lottery Heritage Fund said.
It said priority will be given to sites where there is limited or no access to other sources of support, or where heritage is most at risk.
The organisation said it will continue to support 2,500 projects already in delivery – a commitment of £1.1 billion.
Eilish McGuinness, executive director of business delivery at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We know that circumstances are incredibly challenging for our heritage community right now and we want to do everything we can to support them.
“We hope this new emergency fund and our investment in digital capability will be a lifeline for organisations affected.
“Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, creating economic prosperity and supporting health and wellbeing.
“All of these are going to be vitally important as we emerge from this current crisis.”
Heritage minister Nigel Huddleston said: “It is important that we do all we can to ensure our nation’s remarkable heritage landscapes, buildings and monuments – and the hardworking organisations that protect them – are supported at this difficult time.
“Heritage plays an important role in our communities by supporting jobs and economic growth as well as helping us to understand our shared past.”
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, welcomed the fund, adding: “We are also planning emergency financial support to run alongside this and other measures introduced by the Government and our partners in the heritage and cultural sectors, and will announce details soon.”
Gerald Vernon-Jackson, chairman of the Local Government Association’s culture, tourism and sport board, also welcomed the announcement.
“Preserving heritage sites – war memorials, ancient castles and houses – contributes to local priorities by boosting economies, attracting visitors, developing workforce skills and creating great places to live,” he said.
“So it is important that this funding is available to ensure that our heritage sites are ready to open for business as usual when the coronavirus pandemic is over.”
Heathrow to close runway
Heathrow will close one of its runways next week as air traffic continues to fall globally amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The London hub will operate its landings and takeoffs from one strip from Monday April 6 to “increase resilience and safety for staff, passengers and cargo” throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.
The airport has two runways and will alternate which one they keep open on a weekly basis, a spokesman said.
They added: “Although we are seeing significantly fewer flights at the moment, Heathrow will remain open so that we can continue to play a crucial role in helping to secure vital medical goods and food for the nation during this unprecedented epidemic.”
In 2018, Heathrow served 80.1 million passengers, according to their website.
A total of 475,624 flights took off from the west London site in the same year.
The news comes after British Airways said it was putting more than 30,000 staff on furlough.
The airline has introduced its own job retention scheme similar to the Government’s, which will still give staff 80% of their pay plus 80% of their allowances.
A BA spokesman said on Thursday: “Our colleagues have done a brilliant job keeping vital routes open to reunite customers with their families, and bring back supplies to our hospitals, factories and shops.
“But with the challenges of coronavirus, like many airlines, we have been in touch with colleagues to advise that we are implementing the furlough scheme to minimise the financial impact on them.”
Gatwick Airport has also significantly scaled back its operations.
From Wednesday (April 1) the West Sussex airport closed one of its two terminals, and its runway will only be open for scheduled flights between 2pm and 10pm.
The measures will be in place for a minimum of one month.
Gatwick recorded 47 million passengers last year.
Covid-19 fears for migrants
More migrants have been brought ashore in Dover amid fears the coronavirus pandemic has reached refugee camps in northern France.
Suspected migrants in hats and blankets were seen at the Kent port after being met by Border Force officials.
Sea conditions in the English Channel – the busiest shipping lane in the world – were slight with only a gentle breeze on Thursday morning.
It is not yet clear how many boats were intercepted in the Channel on Thursday, but Border Force cutters were active in the Dover straits from the early hours.
Pictures taken at the Port of Dover show a handful of suspected migrants being processed by Border Force staff, many of whom were apparently not wearing any personal protective equipment (PPE).
The latest activity follows a surge of crossing attempts on March 25, when 169 people were rescued trying to make the treacherous journey.
Following that incident, the Home Office denied the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting its ability to respond to migrant crossings and insisted it still has the resources it needs.
On Wednesday night, Care4Calais charity founder Clare Moseley said the organisation had learned at least one case of Covid-19 has been found in a camp near Dunkirk.
Speaking to the PA news agency, she said she is “very scared” about the implications of the virus spreading to the migrant camps, where access to soap and food is limited.
She called on French authorities to act, saying: “They have to do something now. They have to get them the ability to isolate and separate up because everybody in the camps is going to have it.
“It’s literally a humanitarian disaster. Something has to be done now.”
Tony Eastaugh, Home Office director for crime & enforcement, said: “The people facilitating these small boats crossings are doing so illegally and we are determined to stop these reckless criminal acts.
“We are working around the clock with law enforcement agencies in the UK and France to tackle illegal migrant crossings.
“Our priorities are to arrest and dismantle the organised crime gangs who are prepared to gamble with the lives of others and returning those who have come here illegally, from a safe country.
“Since we intensified our work against people smugglers 16 months ago, the courts have convicted and imprisoned 110 offenders.”
Entertainment - Latest - Google News
April 03, 2020 at 01:18PM
https://ift.tt/2X4T5e7
Latest Covid-19 news as high street suffers worst month on record and nation turns out to thank NHS - Leicestershire Live
Entertainment - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2AM12Zq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Latest Covid-19 news as high street suffers worst month on record and nation turns out to thank NHS - Leicestershire Live"
Post a Comment