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Coronavirus news: Britain needs 'big increase in testing,' says government adviser; Euro 2020 postponed for a year – live updates Coronavirus news: Britain needs 'big increase in testing,' says government adviser; Euro 2020 postponed for a year – live updates
(32 minutes later)
UK measures to last at least ‘several months’; Iran temporarily releases thousands of prisoners; Australia tells citizens to fly home. Follow the latest updatesUK measures to last at least ‘several months’; Iran temporarily releases thousands of prisoners; Australia tells citizens to fly home. Follow the latest updates
Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing website Wikileaks, must be released from a British prison before the coronavirus spreads among inmates, accorinding to campaigners for him. • The EU is set to endorse the strictest travel ban in its history as France joined Italy and Spain in full lockdown and Donald Trump told Americans to change their behaviour, acknowledging for the first time that beating the coronavirus could take months.EU leaders are expected on Tuesday to suspend all travel into the passport-free Schengen zone by non-EU nationals for at least 30 days in a bid to instil uniformity across the bloc after some member states, including Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, unilaterally began imposing border checks.
• Donald Trump has referred to the coronavirus as “the Chinese virus”, escalating a deepening US-China diplomatic spat over the outbreak.After giving an address on Monday warning of a possible recession, the US president posted on Twitter: “The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!”China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Trump should take care of his own matters first.
• This summer’s European Championship has been postponed until 2021, Uefa has decided, as it contemplates the unprecedented disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.European football’s governing body held its scheduled conference call with the continent’s 55 national football associations at noon UK time and 17 minutes later the Norwegian FA was the first to tweet the news that the tournament has been postponed until next year. Shortly after 2pm GMT, Uefa confirmed the news in a statement.
• As Britons were advised agains all but essential travel abroad, the UK’s chief scientific advisor said that around 55,000 people in the country have coronavirus and the aim is for fewer than 20,000 people to die from it.Sir Patrick Vallance said the number of predicted deaths was “horrible” and there would still be a huge amount of strain on the health service from Covid-19. He also suggested people should not take ibuprofen. French health minister Olivier Veran has suggested that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen the infection.
• Amid massive pressure on the aviation industry globally, Britain’s three largest airports have warned that they may have to close down operations unless there is government intervention to help them weather the coronavirus crisis.The call by Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports came as the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said about only 30 of more than 700 airlines operating commercial flights around the world were likely to survive the next few months without help.
• Saudi Arabia, the current chair of the group of the 20 most industrialised nations, is to stage a virtual G20 summit in the coming days in a bid to show world leaders have coordinated medical and economic plans to control coronavirus.Members of the G20, mainly western nations and Japan, held a smaller virtual summit on Monday promising to do whatever it takes to bring the west through the crisis. The G20 also brings in China, India, Brazil, Russia, Korea, Turkey, Australia and South Africa, and other big drivers of the world economy.
• Iran has temporarily freed a total of 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, a spokesman for its judiciary said on Tuesday, adding that the prisons were responding to the threat of a coronavirus epidemic in jails.“Some 50% of those released are security-related prisoners. Also in the jails we have taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak,” the spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said.
A claim by Britain’s chief scientific adviser in testimony to MPs ( reported earlier) that Taiwan has been successful in containing coronavirus without closing schools is at best somewhat disingenuous, at worst inaccurate.
Taiwan was already on winter break for the Chinese Lunar new year holiday when the scale of the threat became evident to its leadership, which includes an epidemiologist, the vice-president, Chen Chien-jen.
In response, they extended the winter break. They also promised to extend the summer term, so holidays in July would start two weeks later and as a result children wouldn’t lose any of their classroom time. That may have been the basis of the claim by Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser.
But there is no question that schools were closed in February when they would normally have been open. And when the closures were announced, the minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung specified that disease control specialists had “suggested pushing back the start of classes to reduce the risk of clustered infections”, according to the Taipei Times.
The government even brought in a special type of parental childcare leave “to prevent infection”, for those workers who needed time off to care for school-age kids.
Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing website Wikileaks, must be released from a British prison before the coronavirus spreads among inmates, according to campaigners for him.
The Don’t Extradite Assange (DEA) campaign added that prison authorities had signalled that prison inmates will be especially vulnerable to the virus.The Don’t Extradite Assange (DEA) campaign added that prison authorities had signalled that prison inmates will be especially vulnerable to the virus.
WikiLeaks ambassador Joseph Farrell said: “With the authorities about to end social visits it’s essential that Julian Assange be included in any release policy. His health is already in jeopardy and further isolation would be damaging in itself, let alone the threat that he might contract the virus itself.”WikiLeaks ambassador Joseph Farrell said: “With the authorities about to end social visits it’s essential that Julian Assange be included in any release policy. His health is already in jeopardy and further isolation would be damaging in itself, let alone the threat that he might contract the virus itself.”
Assange is fighting extradition to the US, where he faces 18 charges in the US of attempted hacking and breaches of the Espionage Act over the publication of classified US cables a decade ago.Assange is fighting extradition to the US, where he faces 18 charges in the US of attempted hacking and breaches of the Espionage Act over the publication of classified US cables a decade ago.
His defence argues that he should be protected from extradition because the US-UK treaty rules it out for political offences.His defence argues that he should be protected from extradition because the US-UK treaty rules it out for political offences.
Far from taking the coronavirus threat seriously, thousands of Argentines, rather than going into self-isolation during the government-mandated two-week leave of absence from non-essential jobs, are rushing to the beach in the last days of Argentina’s southern hemisphere summer. Far from taking the coronavirus threat seriously, thousands of Argentinians, rather than going into self-isolation during the government-mandated two-week leave of absence from non-essential jobs, are rushing to the beach in the last days of Argentina’s southern hemisphere summer.
A line of cars two kilometres long queued outside the Atlantic beach resort of Monte Hermoso Monday, waiting to get in and take advantage of the warm weather. A line of cars two kilometres long queued outside the Atlantic beach resort of Monte Hermoso on Monday, waiting to get in and take advantage of the warm weather.
“There’s a lot of irresponsibility and little understanding by people,” Monte Hermoso mayor Alejandro Dichiara, said in a radio interview. “There’s a lot of irresponsibility and little understanding by people,” the Monte Hermoso mayor, Alejandro Dichiara,, said in a radio interview.
“We need to stay home and not contaminate.”“We need to stay home and not contaminate.”
“Can somebody explain to me why so many people are going to Monte Hermoso at this hour? It’s a quarantine.. not holidays! We never learn,” Leandro Grecco, a resident of the city of Ingeniero White, in the same province of Buenos Aires as Monter Hermoso, asked in the caption to a video he tweeted of the long line of cars. “Can somebody explain to me why so many people are going to Monte Hermoso at this hour? It’s a quarantine ... not holidays! We never learn,” Leandro Grecco, a resident of the city of Ingeniero White, in the same province of Buenos Aires as Monte Hermoso, asked in the caption to a video he tweeted of the long line of cars.
Argentina reported nine new cases of coronavirus Monday, including a health worker, bringing the total number of cases to 65, including two reported deaths, almost all recent arrivals from Europe, at least one from the US and another from Israel. Argentina reported nine new cases of coronavirus on Monday, including a health worker, bringing the total number of cases to 65, including two reported deaths, almost all recent arrivals from Europe, at least one from the US and another from Israel.
A letter has been sent to UK hospitals postponing all non-urgent elective surgery until April, reports James Illman of the Health Service Journal. A letter has been sent to UK hospitals postponing all non-urgent elective surgery from the middle of April, reports James Illman of the Health Service Journal.
People need to urgently change their behaviour in order to limit how coronavirus is transmitted, according to academics whose research in the UK suggests that workplaces were “hotspots” for transmission by younger people. But for the over-65s, it’s shops and restaurants.People need to urgently change their behaviour in order to limit how coronavirus is transmitted, according to academics whose research in the UK suggests that workplaces were “hotspots” for transmission by younger people. But for the over-65s, it’s shops and restaurants.
That comes from a piece in the Guardian by Petra Klepac, assistant professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.That comes from a piece in the Guardian by Petra Klepac, assistant professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The sensible thing at the moment would be to avoid ibuprofen in cases of people who have coronavirus amid some uncertainty about its impact, MPs have been told by the UK’s chief scientific adviser.The sensible thing at the moment would be to avoid ibuprofen in cases of people who have coronavirus amid some uncertainty about its impact, MPs have been told by the UK’s chief scientific adviser.
Take something else such as paracetamol, added Sir Patrick Vallance.Take something else such as paracetamol, added Sir Patrick Vallance.
His comments, in answer to a question at a parliamentary committee, come after experts criticised Britain’s NHS advice that people self-isolating with Covid-19 should take ibuprofen, saying there is plausible evidence this could aggravate the condition.His comments, in answer to a question at a parliamentary committee, come after experts criticised Britain’s NHS advice that people self-isolating with Covid-19 should take ibuprofen, saying there is plausible evidence this could aggravate the condition.
French authorities have warned against taking widely used over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. The country’s health minister, Olivier Véran, a qualified doctor and neurologist, tweeted on Saturday: “The taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, cortisone … ] could be a factor in aggravating the infection. In case of fever, take paracetamol. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs, ask your doctor’s advice.”French authorities have warned against taking widely used over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. The country’s health minister, Olivier Véran, a qualified doctor and neurologist, tweeted on Saturday: “The taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, cortisone … ] could be a factor in aggravating the infection. In case of fever, take paracetamol. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs, ask your doctor’s advice.”
Vallance’s testimony has now ended.Vallance’s testimony has now ended.
The number of people to test positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Tuesday is 1,950, up from 1,543 on Monday, the country’s Department of Health has said.The number of people to test positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Tuesday is 1,950, up from 1,543 on Monday, the country’s Department of Health has said.
A total of 50,442 people have been tested with 48,492 negative results. The department said an update on the number of deaths would be announced later on Tuesday.A total of 50,442 people have been tested with 48,492 negative results. The department said an update on the number of deaths would be announced later on Tuesday.
This summer’s European Championship has been postponed until the summer of 2021, Uefa has decided, as it contemplates the unprecedented disruption caused by the coronavirus.This summer’s European Championship has been postponed until the summer of 2021, Uefa has decided, as it contemplates the unprecedented disruption caused by the coronavirus.
European football’s governing body held its scheduled conference call with Europe’s 55 national football associations at 12pm UK time, and 17 minutes later the Norwegian FA was the first to tweet the news that the tournament had been postponed until next year. Shortly after 2pm GMT, Uefa confirmed the news in a statement.European football’s governing body held its scheduled conference call with Europe’s 55 national football associations at 12pm UK time, and 17 minutes later the Norwegian FA was the first to tweet the news that the tournament had been postponed until next year. Shortly after 2pm GMT, Uefa confirmed the news in a statement.
The proposed new dates are 11 June until 11 July 2021, with decisions on dates for other club and international competitions for men or women to “be taken and announced in due course”.The proposed new dates are 11 June until 11 July 2021, with decisions on dates for other club and international competitions for men or women to “be taken and announced in due course”.
Meanwhile, on the UK footballing scene National League club Barnet have responded to the suspension of football during the coronavirus crisis by putting all the club’s non-playing staff on immediate notice of redundancy.Meanwhile, on the UK footballing scene National League club Barnet have responded to the suspension of football during the coronavirus crisis by putting all the club’s non-playing staff on immediate notice of redundancy.
The club’s owner, the businessman Tony Kleanthous, told the Guardian there are approximately 60 employees being laid off, and he was holding meetings with them all on Tuesday.The club’s owner, the businessman Tony Kleanthous, told the Guardian there are approximately 60 employees being laid off, and he was holding meetings with them all on Tuesday.
Kleanthous said that as players’ contracts are protected in football and cannot be terminated early, clubs’ general employees are the ones vulnerable, and with no money coming in, he said he had no choice but to lay everybody off.Kleanthous said that as players’ contracts are protected in football and cannot be terminated early, clubs’ general employees are the ones vulnerable, and with no money coming in, he said he had no choice but to lay everybody off.
He called on the Football Association to give more leadership in the crisis, and for the Premier League to set up financial assistance for clubs lower down the football pyramid.He called on the Football Association to give more leadership in the crisis, and for the Premier League to set up financial assistance for clubs lower down the football pyramid.
The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has been providing his daily update, which you can follow here:The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has been providing his daily update, which you can follow here:
School closures have all sorts of complicating effects, including leading to children being with grandparents and having an impact on the workforce, MPs have been told by the chief scientific adviser.School closures have all sorts of complicating effects, including leading to children being with grandparents and having an impact on the workforce, MPs have been told by the chief scientific adviser.
He points out that Taiwan - which has been very successful in suppressing the virus - has not closed their schools. But it is still on the table here in the UK and one of the levers which could be pulled.He points out that Taiwan - which has been very successful in suppressing the virus - has not closed their schools. But it is still on the table here in the UK and one of the levers which could be pulled.
You can watch Vallance’s evidence here by the way.You can watch Vallance’s evidence here by the way.
Britain needs a big increase in testing, MPs have been told by Britain’s chief scientific adviser, who added that he is “pushing for it very hard”Britain needs a big increase in testing, MPs have been told by Britain’s chief scientific adviser, who added that he is “pushing for it very hard”
“The quicker we can get to a true community-based test the better,” said Sir Patrick Vallance.“The quicker we can get to a true community-based test the better,” said Sir Patrick Vallance.
He went on to say that at the moment entire households are being put into quarantine even if they do not have it, and may have to be put into quarantine again, but that is still the right thing.He went on to say that at the moment entire households are being put into quarantine even if they do not have it, and may have to be put into quarantine again, but that is still the right thing.
On tests, there are lots of laboratory tests being done and lots of people claiming to have them but a lot of work was being done in the UK now on that front.On tests, there are lots of laboratory tests being done and lots of people claiming to have them but a lot of work was being done in the UK now on that front.
Vallance suggested that the private sector could play a big part in testing being ramped up.Vallance suggested that the private sector could play a big part in testing being ramped up.
There was a question from Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, about whether Britain could and should follow the example of some Asian countries in using mobile phone tracking to identify movements of people who may have the virus - even though there may be civil liberties implicationsThere was a question from Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, about whether Britain could and should follow the example of some Asian countries in using mobile phone tracking to identify movements of people who may have the virus - even though there may be civil liberties implications
That approach would have made total sense back in January, replied Vallance, and may well yet come back into play at a later stage. But he knows that people are working very, very hard in the UK and elsewhere in developing that approach.That approach would have made total sense back in January, replied Vallance, and may well yet come back into play at a later stage. But he knows that people are working very, very hard in the UK and elsewhere in developing that approach.
The social distancing measures that have now been introduced in the UK should reduce the peak of the spread by around 50%, MPs have been told by Britain’s chief scientific adviser.The social distancing measures that have now been introduced in the UK should reduce the peak of the spread by around 50%, MPs have been told by Britain’s chief scientific adviser.
Sir Patrick Vallance also answered a particular question that has been exercising the minds of many people: why Britain has not continued with the mass testing in place in some other countries.Sir Patrick Vallance also answered a particular question that has been exercising the minds of many people: why Britain has not continued with the mass testing in place in some other countries.
Public Health England has done 44,000 tests so far, which is in the top three or four countries and the state body has a capacity of about three or four thousand a day, he said.Public Health England has done 44,000 tests so far, which is in the top three or four countries and the state body has a capacity of about three or four thousand a day, he said.
He went on to explain that one of the recommendations from the UK government’s “Sage” expert committee is that testing should be put in “the right place”. As capacity ramps up, it will be extended to other groups from the current focus on groups such as those now in hospital.He went on to explain that one of the recommendations from the UK government’s “Sage” expert committee is that testing should be put in “the right place”. As capacity ramps up, it will be extended to other groups from the current focus on groups such as those now in hospital.
The second type of testing – which is incredibly important – will be for those who have already had the virus and may be asymptomatic.The second type of testing – which is incredibly important – will be for those who have already had the virus and may be asymptomatic.
“it will change a lot if we can understand that,” he added.“it will change a lot if we can understand that,” he added.
The travel and tourism sector is in a fight for its very survival and governments should pursue a raft of measures to preserve as many as 50 million jobs at risk globally, a global trade body has warned.The travel and tourism sector is in a fight for its very survival and governments should pursue a raft of measures to preserve as many as 50 million jobs at risk globally, a global trade body has warned.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has implored governments around the world in an open letter to take drastic and immediate action to protect and preserve the travel & tourism sector.The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has implored governments around the world in an open letter to take drastic and immediate action to protect and preserve the travel & tourism sector.
The WTTC said that its figures show travel and tourism contributes 10.4% of global GDP, and 320 million jobs.The WTTC said that its figures show travel and tourism contributes 10.4% of global GDP, and 320 million jobs.
The WTTC president, Gloria Guevara, said:The WTTC president, Gloria Guevara, said:
In Britain, the archbishop of Canterbury has announced that public worship is “suspended until further notice”, but a Church of England spokesman said weddings and funerals could still go ahead.In Britain, the archbishop of Canterbury has announced that public worship is “suspended until further notice”, but a Church of England spokesman said weddings and funerals could still go ahead.
Justin Welby, who is the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, said in a joint statement with John Sentamu, the archbishop of York, that it was now necessary to put public services on hold until further noticeJustin Welby, who is the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, said in a joint statement with John Sentamu, the archbishop of York, that it was now necessary to put public services on hold until further notice
But they added: “We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people. And we can certainly offer practical care and support.”But they added: “We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people. And we can certainly offer practical care and support.”
This is Ben Quinn picking up the liveblog again.This is Ben Quinn picking up the liveblog again.