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UK coronavirus live: confusion over list of key workers as schools close UK coronavirus live: confusion over list of key workers as schools close
(32 minutes later)
All the day’s developments as schools across the UK close their doorsAll the day’s developments as schools across the UK close their doors
A letter to the chancellor calling for the introduction of a universal basic income to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak has been signed by 150 MPs.
The Labour MP for Enfield, Feryal Clark, tweeted a copy of the letter, which said the crisis “must act as a catalyst for innovative and bold solutions”.
The letter reads:
The letter followed a similar call from almost 500 experts, organised by Dr Neil Howard of the University of Bath.
One of London’s most famous live music venues which has hosted David Bowie, Adele and Amy Winehouse is to reopen on Monday as a hub for the local coronavirus response. The Union Chapel in Islington has cancelled forthcoming performances but will become the base for the local Covid-19 task force supporting rough sleepers. It will host a food bank and an initiative to proactively contact the most vulnerable people who may be in self-isloation. Staff including sound and lighting engineers will be asked if they want to take roles helping handle and distribute donations of food, but particularly hand sanitiser and soap which they plan to distribute to rough sleepers.
The venue, which doubles as a non-conformist church, will also periodically open bathrooms to allow rough sleepers to wash themselves regularly to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. The food and soap collection and distribution is being operated with Islington Council, the Museum of Homelessness and Streets Kitchen, while the venue will work with the charity Help on Your Doorstep to contact the vulnerable in isolation.
It will also continue to operate a night shelter for rough sleepers, providing hot meals and a place to wash clothes, alongside advice.
Michael Chandler, the chief executive, said:
The British Fashion Council, the not-for-profit organisation that promotes British design globally, has put a call out asking those with “production capacity” to help with shortages.
Saying in a post on Instagram that “in times of need, the fashion industry can be of service,” they are working with both the Department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) and the Department for health and social care (DHSC) to manufacture essential products such as facemasks. The call follows some designers already taking matters into their own hands: Phoebe English, a London-based designer known for her focus on sustainability, announced earlier this week she would be turning her sewing machines to making face masks for medical professionals. While Kerby Jean-Raymond, the New York-based designer of Pyer Moss, has made his head office into donation centre.
A third person has died in Wales after contracting coronavirus, the chief medical officer for the country has confirmed.
They were aged 71 and had underlying health conditions, and were being treated at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.
The Police Federation has called for officers in Northern Ireland to be tested for Covid-19 amid fears the spread of the virus could result in a skeleton workforce.
The representative body for Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers has also called for personal protective equipment to be made available for officers, including masks, gloves and scenes-of-crime white suits, as well as “spit and bite guards”.
There are currently around 200 coronavirus tests being conducted each day in the region. Only people being admitted to hospital and those in care settings are being routinely tested.
Plans were announced yesterday to increase that number to 800 within the next 10 days and also to widen the scope of the testing to cover certain groups of healthcare workers.
Police Federation chairman Mark Lindsay stressed the importance of testing for PSNI officers, saying it will allow many more to remain at work:
There is still a lot of confusion about provision of school places for the children of key workers.
What we do know however is that the government has now clarified in its latest advice that households with at least one parent or carer identified as a critical or key worker will be able to send their children to school if necessary.
This is important because previously the Department for Education had advised that if just one parent was a critical worker, the other would be expected to stay at home to look after the children, but the changed guidance will be a relief to many families.
It’s perhaps inevitable in such a fast moving and unprecedented scenario that advice will adapt and change.
Much of the detail about how this emergency school/childcare system will work is still to emerge, but schools will be expected to be flexible to demand.
Some parents who are key workers may need only part-time care for their children in the emergency setting, others may choose not to send their children to school, but find alternative arrangements instead.
The government has published this Q&A for parents, but there are still many uncertainties for parents and headteachers who will close their schools for most children this afternoon, but will be working over the weekend to draw up plans for their new-look school on Monday.
After the Department for Education issued its guidance on occupations to be classed as key workers who qualify for childcare in school over the coming weeks and months, school and business leaders have reacted with their concerns.Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said parents should keep their children at home if possible from Monday, and to only send them to school if there was no safe alternative:
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, wants the government to offer more clarity, amid worries that the number of potential children attending could be far higher than the 10% figure suggested by Gavin Williamson, the education secretary for England.“School leaders have many questions that remain unanswered about how this will work in practice. We will continue to work with Government throughout the day to provide greater clarity to schools to enable this reduced offer to be up and running as soon as possible,” Whiteman said.
Matthew Fell, the CBI’s director of UK policy, said:
The World Snooker Championship has been postponed until at least July, PA reports.The World Snooker Championship has been postponed until at least July, PA reports.
The installation of the next Fourth Plinth sculpture in Trafalgar Square has been postponed because of coronavirus.The installation of the next Fourth Plinth sculpture in Trafalgar Square has been postponed because of coronavirus.
Heather Phillipson’s The End - a sculpture of a whirl of cream topped with parasites - was due to be installed on 26 March.Heather Phillipson’s The End - a sculpture of a whirl of cream topped with parasites - was due to be installed on 26 March.
Anywhere but Westminster is back, and needs your help covering the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the UK.Anywhere but Westminster is back, and needs your help covering the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the UK.
John and John are aiming to produce a weekly film, centred on how people and places are responding to the crisis, dealing with the issues they have always covered: questions about power, community, and how everyday life is actually lived.John and John are aiming to produce a weekly film, centred on how people and places are responding to the crisis, dealing with the issues they have always covered: questions about power, community, and how everyday life is actually lived.
More details on the new project and how you can take part here.More details on the new project and how you can take part here.
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle has been cancelled until further notice, ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship reports.The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle has been cancelled until further notice, ITV’s royal editor Chris Ship reports.
A man has been arrested on the Isle of Man for failing to self-isolate, Sky News is reporting.A man has been arrested on the Isle of Man for failing to self-isolate, Sky News is reporting.
The detention of the man, reportedly aged 26, came after the Crown dependency’s government announced earlier this week that everyone arriving on the island must self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle said anyone breaching the quarantine regulations could face a fine up to 10,000 or three months in jail.
The coronavirus crisis could push the vulnerable ambulance service over the edge, writes NHS paramedic Jake Jones.The coronavirus crisis could push the vulnerable ambulance service over the edge, writes NHS paramedic Jake Jones.
You can read the full piece here.You can read the full piece here.
The Rugby Football Union has announced the end of the season for all league, cup and county rugby in England, except the Gallagher Premiership, PA reports.The Rugby Football Union has announced the end of the season for all league, cup and county rugby in England, except the Gallagher Premiership, PA reports.
The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, is self-isolating after showing symptoms of coronavirus.The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, is self-isolating after showing symptoms of coronavirus.
The news, which was reported by various sources today and attributed to the UK government, comes after Frost’s EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, said he had tested positive for the disease yesterday.The news, which was reported by various sources today and attributed to the UK government, comes after Frost’s EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, said he had tested positive for the disease yesterday.
If you had any reservations about the government’s response to the crisis, Politico’s Jack Blanchard has highlighted its capacity to copy and paste is still going strong, to put your mind at ease.
A critical care nurse has made a tearful appeal to members of the public to stop stripping supermarket shelves of food after she came off a shift and was unable to buy supplies for her family.
“Those people who are stripping the shelves of basic foods. You just need to stop it because it is people like me who will be looking after you when you are at your lowest, so just stop it,” said the nurse, named as Dawn.
The British Museum has seen a surge in online visitors with the Benin Bronzes and the Lewis Chessmen in the top 10 of searches.
It said the number of online visitors between 1-18 March was 978,548, up from 472,890 in the same period last year. Most of the increase has happened over the last 7 days.
The largest number of online visitors are people from Italy: 203,250 in March so far, followed by the UK (175,734), USA (113,741), Spain (111,707), Turkey (54,133), Russia (22,764), Canada (15,610), Australia (15,575).
The reasons are obvious. Every UK museum and gallery closed down this week so people self-isolating at home are desperate for a diversion.
The top 10 searches are: Egypt, Virtual tour, Benin bronzes, Rosetta stone, Netsuke franks, Lewis chessmen, Virtual, Rosetta, and Vase Exekias.
The museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer, said:
Sales at Wetherspoons have been falling after Boris Johnson told members of the public to stay at home and not visit pubs.
The pub chain said that sales, which had risen by 3.2% in the previous six weeks, started falling by 4.5% in the week ending March 15, as the coronavirus pandemic scared customers off.
The decline picked up even further when the prime minister told people that it was vital they do not visit pubs in order to slow the spread of the highly infectious disease.
“In the early part of the current week ... sales have declined at a significantly higher rate,” Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin said in a statement to shareholders on Friday.
Earlier this week the Guardian reported on how staff at the pub chain had spoken of their fears about having to continue working in busy pub environments without masks, hand gel or other protective equipment.
They spoke out as the company announced that its pubs would remain open – but customers would have to pay by card, avoid standing at the bar and sit at alternate tables.
“We’re effectively going to become petri dishes,” said one worker who added that he and others should be provided with hand gel, gloves and face masks.
An iconic Italian deli which has served London for more than 75 years is raising money so it can supply pasta and sauce to people in need amid the coronavirus crisis, reports London’s Evening Standard.
Lina Stores, which has a site in Soho and another in King’s Cross, wants to make provisions for hospitality staff whose jobs have been cut and people in at risk groups.
“We want to look after London - the community that has been supporting us for over 75 years,” the store, which opened in the 1940s, said in a Go Fund Me page, which has raised more than £11,000 so far and has an aim of £20,000.
Rail services in Scotland will move to a reduced timetable from Monday 23 March onwards as people follow the extraordinary advice to limit social contact and stay at home.
Network Rail Scotland and ScotRail announced they would be operating a reduced service so emergency staff can travel and will prioritise moving goods and emergency supplies such as medicines can be moved around the country.
David Simpson, ScotRail Operations Director, said: “We are facing an unprecedented challenge on Scotland’s Railway and the revised timetable will help to provide a critical service for the key workers across the country.
“Our own people are absolutely committed and are working flat out on the frontline to help keep the country moving, while also keeping themselves and customers safe.
Scottish transport secretary Michael Matheson said the government is in discussions with rail unions to protect rail staff during unprecedented times.
“We are also investigating ways to provide proportionate relief to operators, while also ensuring contractual incentives remain to mitigate the impact of doing so. Any changes to rail franchise contracts, including funding mechanisms, will be made in the best interests of the public and business communities.”
BT is to remove all caps on home broadband plans to give customers unlimited data while working from home or self-isolating.
Questions remain unanswered about how school places will remain open to the children of key workers, Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT, the school leaders’ union, has said.
In a statement he said:
The Conservative MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield, has said she will be returning to the NHS to support efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
She told PA Media she had kept her nursing registration since becoming an MP in 2015 and would return to her job as a nurse alongside her political role.
Her announcement follows a call from the health secretary Matt Hancock for doctors and nurses who have recently left the NHS to return to help fight Covid-19.
She said she was returning to nursing because “the NHS will be getting unprecedented numbers of patients needing care, but also because staff are liable to get sick themselves. They can only go at 110% pace for so long and will need breaks themselves.”
Good morning. As schools close to most children across the UK today, the government has published a list of key workers whose children will still be able to go to school, following some confusion over who would be classed as a “key worker” after the announcement on Wednesday. It includes doctors, nurses, midwives, teachers, nursery staff, police, transport workers and others.
Later, at the daily coronavirus press conference, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is set to announce an employment and wage subsidy package to try to protect millions of jobs, with many firms including Marks & Spencer and Next warning of collapse. Letters are also being sent to more than 65,000 retired doctors and nurses in England and Wales asking them to come back to help the NHS fight the outbreak. Train services across Britain are to be stripped back from Monday after Covid-19 caused a 70% drop in the number of passengers. And the Catholic Church will suspend public masses from this evening until further notice.
We will be covering the latest on this, and all other UK coronavirus developments, as the day goes on.
For the worldwide picture, do read our global coronavirus outbreak live blog.
You can find all the latest Guardian coronavirus articles here, including this morning’s edition of Today in Focus on social distancing and the new normal – here.
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