This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/mar/24/uk-coronavirus-live-news-lockdown-boris-johnson-sports-direct-abandons-talk-of-opening-stores-as-gove-clarifies-scope-of-lockdown-rules
The article has changed 19 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 13 | Version 14 |
|---|---|
| UK coronavirus live: 12,000 former NHS workers to return and emergency hospital to open as death toll rises | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the latest UK developments in the coronavirus crisis | Rolling coverage of the latest UK developments in the coronavirus crisis |
| Q: What do you say to NHS workers who have had to go into work in full carriages? | |
| Hancock says Transport for London should be running proper services. He implies that Transport for London is not running enough carriages. | |
| Q: Why are you letting construction sites carry on? Is it connected to the large sums donated to the Conservative party by developers? In Scotland they are taking a different approach. | |
| Hancock says the government has at all times been following the expert advice. He says construction should only go ahead if workers can follow the two-metre rule. | |
| Q: Why are you so keen for non-essential workers to go to work? Are you, like Donald Trump, worried about the impact on the economy? | |
| Hancock says the two-metre rule can be applied. In the House of Commons it is very visible, he says. (He is referring to the white lines of the floor of the chamber.) | |
| Q: Should boyfriends and girlfriends living in different homes see each other? | |
| Harries says the government is asking people to stay in their household because the infection risk within a household is much the same. | |
| She says ideally the two partners should stay in their own households. | |
| Alternatively, they might want to test the strength of their relationship and try living together, she says. | |
| But it is switching from one household to another that creates the problem, she says. | |
| Q: Is it right that people who do not want to go into work are made to do so? | |
| Hancock says if people are being asked to work in a workplace that should be closed, then the government will enforce that close. | |
| Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, says most employers are being responsible. | |
| If workers are not comfortable coming into work, they should speak to their employer. | |
| Q: What happens if both parents fall ill and have a young child to look after? | |
| Harries says the government cannot draw up guidelines for every scenario. She says what is important is to apply the principles. | |
| She says you also have to consider the other risks. A small child is vulnerable. If adults cannot look after the child, that is an exceptional circumstance. If no one is able to look after the child, the local authority should be able to help. | |
| Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is holding the daily government press conference now. | |
| He starts by quoting the latest figures for coronavirus deaths. (See 3.54pm.) | |
| He says today he is launching a scheme for NHS volunteers. | |
| He says he can announce that 11,788 former health staff have agreed to return to help out. They include 2,660 doctors, more than 2,000 other clinical staff and 6,147 nurses. | |
| And he says 5,500 final year medical students and 1,800 final year student nurses will be going into work early. | |
| He adds that he can announce a new emergency hospital, NHS Nightingale, is opening at the ExCel centre in London. (See 3.07pm.) He says it will have two wards which each have space for 2,000 patients. | |
| Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has decided against creating a specific support package for the aviation industry, which is suffering from a collapse in demand due to coronavirus, PA Media reports. In a letter to airports and airlines, he said the government is prepared to enter into negotiations with individual companies once they have “exhausted other options” such as raising cash from existing investors. | |
| Karen Dee, chief executive of trade body the Airport Operators Association (AOA), said the aviation industry was “surprised” by Sunak’s decision and will have to “fight on its own to protect its workforce and its future”. She went on: | |
| The Peak District — the oldest national park in the UK - has closed all of its offices, ranger hubs and visitor facilities including car parks and asked visitors to stay away to protect local communities and staff during the outbreak.Sarah Fowler, chief executive of the Peak District National Park, said until very recently it seemed “almost unthinkable that we would arrive at a situation where I have, and must, ask those who do not live in, or work on essential services in, the Peak District to please stay away.” | |
| Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is due to hold the government’s daily press conference shortly. | |
| He will be taking questions remotely, via Zoom, and selected journalists will be taking part and putting the questions to him. The entire press conference will also be on BBC News and Sky. | |
| Fire and rescue services will cease most home fire safety checks and avoid hospitals, care homes, and residences with vulnerable people to limit coronavirus cross-infection between firefighters and the public, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and fire and rescue bosses have agreed. | |
| Firefighters and control staff will provide a “critical risk-based service” to ensure that residents remain protected during the Covid-19 outbreak. Any requests from central or devolved governments for further support will be considered by all sides. | |
| Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: | |
| The Church of England is closing all its churches, including for private prayer and funerals, with immediate effect. | |
| The only churches permitted to stay open under strict limits are those running food banks. | |
| Church weddings and funerals are banned, and the only baptisms will be emergency ones in a hospital or private home. Even priests are barred from praying in churches. | |
| The church’s bishops, along with the archbishops of Canterbury and York, have written to clergy saying: “Our belonging to Christ has never been measured by the number of people in church on a Sunday morning ... but by the service we offer. | |
| “Therefore, and despite these very harrowing restrictions, please do all you can to minister to your people safely, especially to the sick, the vulnerable and the poor.” | |
| The bishops urge clergy to live stream prayer and worship from their homes. The C of E will offer a weekly service each Sunday which will be broadcast via social media. | |
| The church said about five million people tuned into a service on Sunday led by the archbishop of Canterbury and broadcast on dozens of radio stations. It said it was the largest single “congregation” in the church’s history. | |
| The chief constable of one of England’s busiest police forces has been talking about the pressures on police during the crisis. | The chief constable of one of England’s busiest police forces has been talking about the pressures on police during the crisis. |
| Ian Hopkins, who headsGreater Manchester police (GMP), said officers did not have sufficient personal protection equipment (PPE) and that he had raised the issue with Priti Patel, the home secretary. | Ian Hopkins, who headsGreater Manchester police (GMP), said officers did not have sufficient personal protection equipment (PPE) and that he had raised the issue with Priti Patel, the home secretary. |
| Around a tenth of the force are currently off sick or self-isolating (1,066 police officers and staff ), he said, leaving the rest stretched but still able to respond to true emergency calls. | Around a tenth of the force are currently off sick or self-isolating (1,066 police officers and staff ), he said, leaving the rest stretched but still able to respond to true emergency calls. |
| But he expressed despair after the force received 180 calls between 7am and 10am today to ask questions such as “‘can I take my car for its MOT?” and “‘can I pick my daughter up at Manchester airport?” | But he expressed despair after the force received 180 calls between 7am and 10am today to ask questions such as “‘can I take my car for its MOT?” and “‘can I pick my daughter up at Manchester airport?” |
| He said: | He said: |
| Hopkins said between 3,500 and 4,000 frontline GMP officers were being given “surgical-style” face masks and gloves but that they needed “fluid resistant” face masks: | Hopkins said between 3,500 and 4,000 frontline GMP officers were being given “surgical-style” face masks and gloves but that they needed “fluid resistant” face masks: |
| Charities have expressed shock over the absence of an on-screen British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter during the prime minister’s broadcast last night, calling it “appalling” and “unacceptable”. | Charities have expressed shock over the absence of an on-screen British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter during the prime minister’s broadcast last night, calling it “appalling” and “unacceptable”. |
| Action on Hearing Loss tweeted: “Shocking not to see a #BSL interpreter translate the most important public health message in a generation -@10DowningStreet must do better. We’re working with other organisations to make all public announcements accessible to everyone.” | Action on Hearing Loss tweeted: “Shocking not to see a #BSL interpreter translate the most important public health message in a generation -@10DowningStreet must do better. We’re working with other organisations to make all public announcements accessible to everyone.” |
| The NRCPD said: “We are absolutely appalled that there was no #BSLInterpreter tonight for one of the most important speeches by Boris Johnson. Scotland can do it - why can’t Boris Johnson? This is unacceptable. #Deaf #EqualAccess” | The NRCPD said: “We are absolutely appalled that there was no #BSLInterpreter tonight for one of the most important speeches by Boris Johnson. Scotland can do it - why can’t Boris Johnson? This is unacceptable. #Deaf #EqualAccess” |
| The Royal Association for Deaf People has posted a transcript on its Facebook page. | The Royal Association for Deaf People has posted a transcript on its Facebook page. |
| The British government is not taking part in European Union procurement schemes to buy ventilators, protective gear for medical staff or coronavirus testing kit, the Guardian understands. | The British government is not taking part in European Union procurement schemes to buy ventilators, protective gear for medical staff or coronavirus testing kit, the Guardian understands. |
| UK and EU sources confirmed the government is not currently participating in any of the EU’s bulk-buying schemes linked to tackling coronavirus. | UK and EU sources confirmed the government is not currently participating in any of the EU’s bulk-buying schemes linked to tackling coronavirus. |
| The UK’s absence from the schemes emerged as the European commission declared on Tuesday that a joint effort to buy protective medical gear on behalf of 25 member states was “a success”. | The UK’s absence from the schemes emerged as the European commission declared on Tuesday that a joint effort to buy protective medical gear on behalf of 25 member states was “a success”. |
| Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, said a joint procurement initiative had generated “concrete offers of considerable scale at short notice” to supply EU countries with different kinds of surgical masks, gloves, goggles, face shields and overalls. She said: | Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, said a joint procurement initiative had generated “concrete offers of considerable scale at short notice” to supply EU countries with different kinds of surgical masks, gloves, goggles, face shields and overalls. She said: |
| The commission said it expected the equipment to be available two weeks after the member states leading the procurement sign the contracts. | The commission said it expected the equipment to be available two weeks after the member states leading the procurement sign the contracts. |
| Two other procurement schemes, to supply ventilators and laboratory equipment needed for coronavirus testing, are at an earlier stage, with calls for tenders launched last week. Nearly all EU countries, 25 out of 27, are participating in the procurement scheme on ventilators, while 19 are joining forces to buy laboratory equipment. | Two other procurement schemes, to supply ventilators and laboratory equipment needed for coronavirus testing, are at an earlier stage, with calls for tenders launched last week. Nearly all EU countries, 25 out of 27, are participating in the procurement scheme on ventilators, while 19 are joining forces to buy laboratory equipment. |
| The Brexit transition agreement means the government has the right to take part in EU joint procurement. Under David Cameron, the government signed the EU’s joint procurement agreement in 2014, which was drawn up after some member states experienced shortages of medical kit during the H1N1 pandemic. | The Brexit transition agreement means the government has the right to take part in EU joint procurement. Under David Cameron, the government signed the EU’s joint procurement agreement in 2014, which was drawn up after some member states experienced shortages of medical kit during the H1N1 pandemic. |
| The logic behind joint procurement is to reduce administration, get better prices through bulk purchasing power and take advantage of medical purchasing skills that may not be equally shared (something especially useful for smaller countries). | The logic behind joint procurement is to reduce administration, get better prices through bulk purchasing power and take advantage of medical purchasing skills that may not be equally shared (something especially useful for smaller countries). |
| British officials have not ruled out joining an EU procurement scheme and stress the NHS will get everything it needs to tackle the pandemic. Meanwhile Boris Johnson recently called on manufacturers to make 20,000 ventilators “at speed”, as the government prepares for a surge in people needing intensive care. | British officials have not ruled out joining an EU procurement scheme and stress the NHS will get everything it needs to tackle the pandemic. Meanwhile Boris Johnson recently called on manufacturers to make 20,000 ventilators “at speed”, as the government prepares for a surge in people needing intensive care. |
| Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, says he is asking retired rail staff to return to work to cover for any shortages generated by coronavirus. | Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, says he is asking retired rail staff to return to work to cover for any shortages generated by coronavirus. |
| As of 9am on 24 March, a total of 90,436 have been tested: 82,359 negative. 8,077 positive. | As of 9am on 24 March, a total of 90,436 have been tested: 82,359 negative. 8,077 positive. |
| As of 1pm, 422 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died. | As of 1pm, 422 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died. |
| NHS England said a further 83 people had died in England, bringing the total number of deaths there to 386. | NHS England said a further 83 people had died in England, bringing the total number of deaths there to 386. |
| Patients were aged between 33 and 103 years old and all were in vulnerable groups including those with underlying conditions. | Patients were aged between 33 and 103 years old and all were in vulnerable groups including those with underlying conditions. |
| A children’s nursery in Cornwall has been forced to close for key workers after burglars caused extensive damage. | A children’s nursery in Cornwall has been forced to close for key workers after burglars caused extensive damage. |
| Daisy Fays Nursery in Chiverton Cross, near Truro, was broken in to over the weekend. Two gas canisters were stolen and significant damage caused to the front entrance. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said: | Daisy Fays Nursery in Chiverton Cross, near Truro, was broken in to over the weekend. Two gas canisters were stolen and significant damage caused to the front entrance. A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said: |
| The force was appealing for anyone with information to get in touch. | The force was appealing for anyone with information to get in touch. |