"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 28th May 2020
News Highlights
U.S. coronavirus deaths pass 100,000 as Trump urges end to lockdowns
The U.S. surged past 100,000 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, surpassing the number of American lives lost in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. At the same time, Las Vegas casinos are making plans to reopen, thousands of unmasked Americas are heading to the beach and President Donald Trump is pressurising state governors to reopen their economies
Watching theatre as a solo experience
A German theatre company has offered a look into what it says will be the 'new reality' of watching plays for the forseeable future. The Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin has arranged seats in groups of one or two, spread metres apart, and the theatre that normally seats 700 people will only seat 200 people when it reopens in September.
Italian grandparents now wary of playing role of childminders
Compared to American and British grandparents, Italian grandparents have traditionally been much more amenable to minding their grandchildren, especially in households where both parents worked. However the pandemic may put a strain on that system, as the vulnerable elderly now fear catching the infection from the children and their friends
Denmark opens up economy and opens borders to divided lovers
Denmark, one of the first European nations to have locked down, was also the first EU nation to reopen primary schools, restaurants and other businesses. Authorities are promising massive testing to minimise the risk of a second wave. Meanwhile, Danish authorities are now allowing cross-border couples, stuck in different countries because of the coronavirus lockdown, to visit their partners in Denmark.
Lockdown Exit
Coronavirus toll on Italy's elderly strains 'nonni' safety net
A report by national statistics bureau ISTAT in February showed that in households where both parents worked, Italian grandparents were the primary childminders in slightly over 60% of cases where children were aged between 0 and 5 years. This fell to some 47% when children were between 5 and 10. By comparison, a 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center said 22% of grandparents in the United States provided regular child care. A 2014 report by King’s College London showed just 17% of British grandparents provided at least 10 hours of care a week. “We have taken care of our grandchildren since they were little,” said Paola, a former middle school teacher who lives in a quiet village in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna. “But I think we will be somewhat scared of them when they start meeting their friends again.”
La dolce vita? Italians embrace their freedom but crowded beaches and nightlife worry officials
Italians are embracing their freedom from a strict coronavirus lockdown. Many people have been heading to the country’s beaches and piazzas to enjoy the lifting of restrictions. Footage broadcast on Italian TV at the weekend showed young Italians partying and drinking in groups prompting some restrictions to be reimposed.
Madrid toasts lockdown easing as outdoor terraces partially reopen
A year ago, it would have seemed like a perfectly ordinary spring day in the Spanish capital, but for most of its residents today, it was almost a landmark event.
It was the first day after more than two months of a strict lockdown that citizens were able to meet up with friends and family from other households in groups of no more than 10 people. Monday was also the first day that the city’s restaurants, cafes and bars could reopen outside seating areas, albeit partially, as part of the first phase of the government’s four-stage easing of the lockdown. The terrace itself was sparsely populated, just four of the usual eight tables laid out with a distance of two meters between each. Wearing gloves and a mask, the waiter milled around the handful of people who had managed to grab a seat.
Students return to school in South Korea
More than 2 million more South Korean students returned to school Wednesday as the country saw a resurgence of confirmed novel coronavirus cases. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed a total of 40 new cases, highest in 49 days, in the morning. Among them, 36 cases were reported in densely-populated Seoul and its surrounding areas. The rise in the number of cases is largely attributed to local transmissions from a club cluster infection that started in the nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul in early May. Amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, some 560 schools and kindergartens across the country postponed their reopenings.
Concern over ‘silent’ oxygen deprivation prompts new approach to virus
Silent hypoxia is “quite newly observed but also quite significantly concerning”, said Jeremy Rossman, lecturer in virology at the University of Kent. Although telling people to self-isolate at home helps curtail the spread of the virus, some cases of serious illness are being “missed” until people are “critically unwell,” he said. A Covid-19 guide published by the UK’s health service in April warned that “‘silent hypoxia’ is common”, though the NHS could not provide any data to support the claim. A guide published by a group that represents London doctors said pulse oximeters — simple, clip-on-the-finger devices that measure oxygen — could be “a very useful tool in helping to monitor and assess patients”. In Brazil, Esper Kallas, an infectologist and professor at the University Hospital of São Paulo, said that by the middle of April: “We had begun to see a lot of people arriving at the hospital when they were already very sick. Most of them didn’t know they had hypoxia and were not feeling any shortage of breath.”
Coronavirus: Film workers among 150 given exemptions to enter NZ amid border lockdown
Film workers are among a few thousand people allowed past New Zealand’s closed borders amid the Covid-19 lockdown. It comes as the Government undertakes a review of its current strict border restrictions. It is understood Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford was given special powers on April 21 to use his discretion to let in key individuals from the screen industry.
How Europe has gone back to the shops after coronavirus lockdown
The UK's plan to re-open shops on June 15 comes more than two months after Austria started opening stores. Safety measures include compulsory masks, plexiglass screens and maximum numbers of people in shops. Some Italian stores say they will not get enough business because there are still few tourists and commuters
The iconic venues that might be lost to social distancing rules
Could reopening under social distancing guidelines be doing more harm than good to our favourite bars and restaurants? Throughout the lockdown, worries have been high about the impact of forced closure on the global hospitality industry. But as we emerge from stasis, it’s becoming clear that the way bars and restaurants around the world are being asked to reopen may be just as damaging. Italy was among the latest countries to allow such venues to reopen on May 18, but many cafés, bars and restaurants weren’t rejoicing. Most notably, Harry’s Bar in Venice, an 89-year-old institution, publicly announced it would not be resuming service; potentially not ever. The reason? Social distancing
Covid-19: Daily hospital deaths in France remain below 100 despite easing of lockdown
French officials have said there is no sign yet that the relaxation of the nationwide lockdown on May 11 has led to an increase in cases. But caution is urged, with President Emmanuel Macron warning that the epidemic is not over. The government is to announce on Thursday what measures can be eased in the next stage of the relaxation on June 2.
Exit Strategies
Putin says worst case coronavirus scenario in Moscow averted as lockdown unwinds
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak, had succeeded in preventing what he called worst-case scenarios as the city announced it would ease tough lockdown measures within days.
Pandemic Lockdowns Loosen as U.S. Deaths Near 100,000
Crowds hit beaches in Florida, Italy; protections on foreclosures and evictions lifted
What can and can't you do as the coronavirus lockdown rules ease across the UK?
It's a long way from life as we knew it but the lockdown measures have been easing across the UK as our “new normal” continues to evolve. All four nations have been independently reviewing their measures every three weeks and expanding the freedoms of residents as the rate of coronavirus cases lessens. So what can you do now in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that you couldn’t before? What are you still stopped from doing? And when might that change?
Coronavirus: How many of the five tests has the UK passed to ease lockdown?
The government has set out five tests the UK needs to meet before it can ease lockdown restrictions further. These are: knowing the NHS can cope, a sustained fall in daily death rate, a drop in the infection rate to manageable levels, adequate testing capacity and protective equipment supply, and the confidence that a second wave of infections won’t hit. England is set to reopen schools for reception, year 1 and year 6 pupils from 1 June. Open-air markets and car showrooms will also open up again from this date and all non-essential shops can trade from 15 June if they follow social distancing. But how many of the five tests has the UK actually passed?
New lockdown plans ‘to be announced tomorrow’
The government is expected to announce a review of lockdown at the daily press briefing tomorrow, which is likely to give the all-clear for schools to begin reopening next week. Downing Street said the announcement on lockdown plans would happen after ministers consider advice from Sage – the group of advisers responsible for giving scientific information to the government during times of crisis. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told to a Westminster briefing: ‘Cabinet has discussed the road map and the decision which the Government would like to implement on the proviso that it’s in line with the five tests and any package we bring forward wouldn’t risk a second spike in the virus that would overwhelm the NHS.’
Coronavirus UK: Whole towns could be put in lockdown 'from tomorrow'
Whole towns could face tough ‘local lockdowns’ if there are regional ‘flare-ups’ of coronavirus. The Prime Minister is set to announce more about the new measures and the Government’s ‘track and trace system’, which could be thrown in place from Thursday. Boris Johnson had pledged to introduce the system by June 1, but it is being rushed forward before primary school classes return on Monday, The Sun reports. An army of 25,000 contact tracers will reportedly begin work hunting down new cases so coronavirus sufferers can be rapidly isolated.
UK plans to further ease lockdown as new case rate remains high
“Lockdown is being released very gradually, as has been the case in many other countries,” says Linda Bauld, a public health specialist at the University of Edinburgh, UK. “Most of the changes at the moment involve more activity outdoors, where the risk of transmission is low and therefore we wouldn’t expect this to result in a rapid rise in cases if social distancing is maintained.” But the scandal surrounding Dominic Cummings, the prime ministerial aide who drove more than 400 kilometres from his London home with his son and ill wife in March, at a time when the UK government was urging the public to “stay home”, may put this progress in jeopardy.
This is what theatres could look like when they reopen after lockdown
A theatre company in Germany has offered a first look at how social distancing will work when audiences return. Normally there is space for around 700 people in the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin – but, amid the coronavirus crisis, only 200 guests will be welcomed to watch plays at one time. A picture posted to the Berliner Ensemble’s social media shows the bizarre circumstances theatre-goers will find themselves under, with seats arranged metres apart, in groups of one or two. Speaking on Twitter, the theatre company said it would be the ‘new reality’ from when it reopens in September.
Germany's government have agreed to extend social distancing rules until June 29
Germany's government and its state premiers have agreed to extend social distancing rules until June 29 to contain the coronavirus pandemic, a government spokesman said. Tuesday's deal, confirmed by the spokesman after being revealed to Reuters by a source, follows a dispute over how quickly to ease lockdown measures that have helped Germany weather the outbreak with far fewer deaths than European peers. Under the agreement, public gatherings of up to 10 people would also be allowed from June 6, the government spokesman said.
Covid-19 news: Boris Johnson admits UK was unprepared for pandemic
Covid-19 news: Boris Johnson admits UK was unprepared for pandemic. Johnson admits the UK was unprepared for the coronavirus crisis. “We didn’t learn the lesson on SARS and MERS,” UK prime minister Boris Johnson said today as he faced questions from the House of Commons Liaison Committee, referencing the government’s pandemic planning and a lack of capacity at Public Health England to detect outbreaks of coronavirus around the country.
Coronavirus: Spain could lift lockdown faster to be ready for tourists
Spain is considering easing its lockdown more quickly to avoid having millions of citizens under travel restrictions when foreign tourists jet in to soak up the sun.Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister,
US deaths from the coronavirus surpass jarring 100,000 milestone
The U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. “It’s a striking reminder of how dangerous this virus can be,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. The once-unthinkable toll appears to be just the beginning of untold misery in the months ahead as Las Vegas casinos and Walt Disney World make plans to reopen, crowds of unmasked Americans swarm beaches and public health officials predict a resurgence by fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, issued a stern warning after watching video of Memorial Day crowds gathered at a pool party in Missouri.
Coronavirus: Spain seeks lockdown exit before tourist flights land
Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, said this week that he would welcome visitors from abroad and that they would not be quarantined on arrival. Health experts have said that to meet a deadline of mid-June and please the tourism sector may involve loosening Spain’s cautious plan to ease restrictions for its citizens. The government presently envisages the country coming out of lockdown towards the end of June, in four steps, each lasting two weeks and dependent on criteria including infection rates and the readiness of health services.
Malaga and Granada expected to move into Phase 2 of Spain’s Lockdown in less than a week
The President of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, believes that Malaga and Granada provinces have now met the requirements to move into the next phase of the lockdown. Business owners in Malaga and Granada were dismayed recently when other regions were allowed to move into the next phase and petitioned the government heavily regarding the move against them. “With infections and death rates well down there is no reason why the move to Phase 2 can not be allowed,” said a local Costa del Sol bar owner. “We need to hurry up and open before the season is lost,” he went on to say.
High hopes as French PM prepares to reveal second phase of lockdown exit
After a defence council meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is expected to announce measures that could pave the way for the reopening of restaurants, cinemas and high schools and put an end to rules limiting movement to within 100 kilometres. Lockdown restrictions were first eased on 11 May according to a colour-coded map of France indicating where the coronavirus causing Covid-19 was most dangerous, with more stringent measures maintained in designated “red zones”.
Entire towns could face local lockdown from tomorrow to strictly isolate new COVID-19 sufferers
Parts of the UK will have to undergo very tough local lockdowns in a bid to control the virus. From tomorrow onwards, certain areas of Britains might need to enforce strict local lockdowns to isolate new coronavirus sufferers. The Sun announced that Boris Johnson's new track and trace programme is set to be announced tomorrow, with its purpose being to stamp out any new COVID-19 contagion trails. The Prime Minister has stated the programme is set to go ahead either tomorrow or Friday, when a whopping 25,000 contact tracers will begin their work in finding out where all of the new cases are.
India will ruin its economy very quickly if it had a severe lockdown: Swedish health expert to Rahul
Professor Johan Giesecke of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden claimed that India will ruin its economy very quikly if it had a severe lockdown. Claiming that a strict lockdown may disrupt India's economic growth, Giesecke during an interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said "In India, you will do more harm than good with strict lockdown measures."
Coronavirus: China's plan to test everyone in Wuhan
China has been carrying out an ambitious plan to test everyone in Wuhan, the city where the Covid-19 pandemic began, following the emergence of a cluster of new infections. The authorities had pledged to test the city's inhabitants over a 10-day period, starting on 14 May. We've looked at what was achieved, and over what period of time.
What is phase 2 of lockdown? New rules for England explained, and when the rest of the UK will lift restrictions
While lockdown measures have slowly begun to ease, a further lifting of restrictions will soon be implemented across England. The UK government must review lockdown measures every three weeks, with the next update due to take place on 28 May. Any amendments made to the current rules will then come into force a few days later, from 1 June.
First to close — first to reopen: Denmark’s gain from virus response
Its swift response seems to have paid off. As Covid-19 cases plummeted, Denmark last month became the first EU nation to reopen primary schools. Its restaurants, hairdressers, shops, museums and zoos have now all followed suit. The authorities in Copenhagen are promising a massive ramping up of testing to minimise the risk of a second wave of infections. “Denmark is top of the class when it comes to a fast response. We have built a bubble around Denmark,” said Soren Riis Paludan, professor of virology and immunology at Aarhus University. But he added that the country’s biggest challenge was not a second wave of infections but ensuring the economy recovered. “We have been hit at the very heart of our economy and our culture. We are an outward-facing nation and we can’t be that at the moment — that is the challenge,” he said.
Coronavirus: Denmark opens borders to divided lovers
Denmark has opened its borders to couples who were separated from their partners by the coronavirus lockdown. As of Monday, cross-border couples who reside in the Nordic countries or Germany can now visit Denmark. Rules currently require people to prove their relationship with photos, text messages and emails. But the justice minister has announced these regulations will be relaxed in the coming days, so all that is needed is a letter signed by both parties. "If you say you are a boyfriend and sign [the letter], we will assume it [is true]," Justice minister Nick Hækkerup told broadcaster TV2.
More COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions to Be Eased in New Zealand
“The shift to [a] 100-person maximum means many more gatherings will be able to occur from now on," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. "These changes are good news for business and for those looking to plan larger gatherings. It is another step in [the] renormalizing of life as we continue to stamp out the virus. It is the government’s view that we should also move as quickly as we safely can to alert level one.”
What are New Zealand’s social bubble rules as UK considers system?
New Zealand has been widely praised for its approach to fighting the spread of coronavirus and for the country’s success in all but eliminating the virus. One of many measures implemented by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her government to ease New Zealand’s lockdown restrictions has been to introduce a so-called ‘social bubble’ strategy to allow the public to socialise with people outside of their households. This model is one that the UK government is said to be considering when further easing lockdown over the next few months. But how does New Zealand’s social bubble strategy work and when will families and friends be able to see each other again in the UK?
Here’s How Wuhan Tested 6.5 Million for Coronavirus in Days
In Wuhan, medical workers armed with coronavirus test swabs scoured construction sites and markets to look for itinerant workers while others made house calls to reach older residents and people with disabilities. Officials aired announcements over loudspeakers urging people to sign up for their own good. These are the front lines of an unprecedented campaign to screen virtually all 11 million people in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began. Nearly two weeks in, the government is getting close to reaching its goal, with 6.5 million tested so far. “Our community was checked in a day,” said Wang Yuan, a 32-year-old resident who lined up under red tents near her home and had her throat swabbed by medical workers wearing protective suits and face shields. She expected to get her results within two to four days. While other governments have struggled to provide testing for their populations on a broad scale, China has embarked on a citywide campaign to prevent a resurgence of infections at all costs. It has succeeded, according to residents and Chinese news reports, by mobilizing thousands of medical and other workers and spending hundreds of millions of dollars.
Partisan Exits
Husband of ‘Reopen North Carolina’ leader says he is ‘willing to kill’ in fight against lockdown
The husband of a leading protester campaigning to “reopen” North Carolina has said he and his fellow protesters are “willing to kill people” as they fight to overturn their state’s lockdown order. Adam Smith, whose wife Ashley was arrested at a recent protest in the state capital of Raleigh, said in his video that the only just response to the lockdown was to treat it as a fight against tyrannical government domination.
Head of Italy's Lombardy Region Given Police Escort as COVID Anger Mounts
The governor of Lombardy, the northern region at the epicentre of Italy's coronavirus outbreak, said on Wednesday that he had been given a police escort after growing criticism of his administration's handling of the crisis. Lombardy, Italy's richest and most populous region and the motor of its economy, is one of the worst affected areas of the world by the coronavirus, accounting for around half of the country's more than 32,000 dead.
Putin Schedules Russian Victory Day Parade for June
Under pressure over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s faltering economy, President Vladimir Putin said the country would hold its showcase annual Victory Day military parade next month. The parade, a potent symbol of state power in Russia, has additional significance this year as it marks the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. It was pushed back from its May 9 date as part of a series of measures to contain the spread of the pandemic, which has seen Russia rise up the ranks of worst-affected nations behind the U.S. and Brazil. It has registered more than 360,000 confirmed cases and an official death toll of 3,807.
No masking it: Biden eyes stark contrast with Trump over coronavirus
A hunkered-down Joe Biden finally emerged from his Delaware home on Memorial Day wearing a mask, signalling he is putting the coronavirus front and center during the US presidential race in a nation increasingly divided over the pandemic.
US Barbers Protest against Lockdown
Barbers in the US state of Michigan say the lockdown there has gone on too long. So, they've defied government orders to stay home. They protested on the steps of the capitol, giving free haircuts to those who came out to support them. NHK World's Catherine Kobayashi reports.
No matter what our leadership suggests, we must ease out of lockdown together
One of the discoveries about our own country during the pandemic is the realisation that we don’t have a National Health Service; we have at least four separate services in the four nations. Meanwhile, areas like Cornwall have sent very strong signals that they don’t want to have to treat patients from elsewhere. Amongst the four, there has been serious divergence.
Coronavirus anti-lockdown movement surges in the US after Donald Trump's 'Liberate' tweet
Protests targeted at political enemies has been a common trend not just from Trump's administration, but more generally in his public life. The birther conspiracy theory, Obamagate and even the debunked Joe Scarborough murder conspiracy theory all bear the hallmarks of this ability to identify grievances involving his political enemies, and to amplify them. In a limited sense, it's worked too. When broken down by which states endured the largest per cent increase in protests between March and April, there is a clear trend of states that are conservative or at least moderate who have Democratic governors (responsible for implementing lockdowns).
New Zealand deputy PM breaks ranks to urge Ardern to lift Covid-19 lockdown
The deputy leader of New Zealand’s government has broken ranks with the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, decrying her refusal to drastically loosen the country’s lockdown rules and immediately establish a trans-Tasman travel “bubble” with Australia. “We’ve been in compulsory lockdown for far too long,” said Winston Peters, who is the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, but is not a member of Ardern’s Labour party. “Everybody who has put their heart into the future, the country’s future, and their family’s future realise there is only one way out of this - to think smart and work harder,” he added, during a radio interview on Tuesday. He had been asked by the interviewer whether he supported Ardern’s suggestion of extra public holidays to bolster the country’s flailing tourism sector.
Trump urges end to lockdowns as US COVID-19 deaths near 100,000
Even as the United States approached the grim milestone of 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, President Donald Trump is continuing to pressurise state governors to reopen their economies and allow the "transition to greatness" he has adopted as a new campaign slogan to proceed full speed ahead.
Continued Lockdown
Coronavirus: Parents of disabled children 'cut off and ignored'
The coronavirus lockdown has placed additional pressure on many families. But what happens if you lose your work, your support network, and have a disabled child to care for? "You know what? It's needs must," says Gail Bedding, from near Grayshott in Hampshire. "We needed to pay the bills, we needed to pay the mortgage - and suddenly there's no money coming in." Gail's work has stopped - but there's another bigger factor dominating her life. She's the mother of a severely disabled 16-year-old son, Fergus, who is completely dependent on the care of his family. He is in a wheelchair, non-verbal and fed through a tube.
Coronavirus: Britons increase TV and cooking time in lockdown - but lowest earners spend even longer at work
If you believed social media, most of us spent the first month of lockdown either baking sourdough or being outraged about the lack of toilet paper in supermarkets.
But according to an Office of National Statistics (ONS) report, the reality was even more sedentary than that - trapped at home because of COVID-19, we travelled less, slept more and watched more TV. The online study looks at exactly how people in England and Wales saw their day-to-day lives change between 28 March and 26 April during the coronavirus lockdown, compared with 2014 to 2015.
Domestic violence calls for help surge 66% as coronavirus lockdown continues, U.K. charity says
The charity that runs Britain's national domestic abuse helpline, Refuge, says demand for its services since under the national coronavirus lockdown has continued to rise, with calls to its helpline jumping 66% since stay-at-home measures were implemented in March and visits to its website up 950%. "The window for women experiencing domestic abuse to reach out for help is ordinarily very limited — with this window narrowing further when isolating with an abusive partner," Refuge said in a statement. "This spike in demand points to the sheer number of women affected."
Coronavirus UK: Police powerless to stop 300 people at lockdown rave
Police attended a lockdown rave of some 300 people but couldn’t break it up due to the ‘sheer volume’ of intoxicated revellers. Dozens of officers stormed the mass gathering in the Paston area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. They were initially called at 8.20pm on Monday to reports of seven or eight cars and 20 to 30 people gathering on a road. They found hundreds more then they arrived and decided there were insufficient numbers to safely move people on from the area. Just after 10pm the ambulance service contacted police to say someone had suffered minor injuries after being struck by a vehicle.
Coronavirus: 'Mums do most childcare and chores in lockdown'
Mums appear to be doing most of the housework and childcare during lockdown, according to a new study. Research suggest that in homes where there is a working mother and father, women are doing more chores and spending more time with children. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and University College London (UCL) interviewed 3,500 families. They found that mums were only able to do one hour of uninterrupted work, for every three hours done by dads. "Mothers are doing, on average, more childcare and more housework than fathers who have the same work arrangements," said Lucy Kraftman, a research economist at the IFS.
Coronavirus: Lockdown measures could widen gender pay gap in UK
Mothers are much more likely than fathers to have lost their job since the beginning of the UK-wide coronavirus lockdown, a development that could widen the gender pay gap, according to new research. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that mothers are 1.5 times more likely to have quit or lost their job since the lockdown was imposed in March. Because women are also more likely to have been furloughed, they are nine percentage points less likely to be currently working for pay than fathers, the research found. The IFS warned that there was a risk that the differences could result in “larger detrimental effects” on the career progression and earnings of mothers than of fathers.
‘The support has fizzled out a bit’: frontline workers on lockdown easing
In early April, frontline workers including a bus driver, a care home manager and a cemetery worker spoke to the Guardian about their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Two weeks later we checked in to hear how they had been coping with the peak of the virus. Now, another month on, with lockdown restrictions easing, we catch up with the workers to see how things have changed.
The Spanish Government is in Talks for the “Last Lockdown” Extension-But will Spain be Ready by Then?
The Spanish government is considering the 6th state of alarm extension but Ministers are worried that Spain is not fully ready yet. Consider this for a moment, the whole of Spain has been in various states of lockdown since the 14th of March this year. Thousands of people had sadly died, some sufferers are still in hospital fighting the disease, others have recovered but still bear the marks of a battle they never want to fight again. Last week, Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez, asked for a further month for the emergency lockdown to continue but he was out-voted and had to accept 14 days instead.
S.African migrants face hunger, xenophobia during virus lockdown
Even as a strict lockdown to slow the coronavirus pandemic is eased, many foreigners living in this country have no work and are hungry. South Africa is the continent's second-largest economy and a magnet for millions of refugees and migrants from elsewhere. But the vast majority of them depend on day-to-day work -- and this informal source of income catastrophically dried up from one day to the next because of the lockdown. In a country considered by the World Bank to be the most unequal in the world, many of these luckless people now have nothing. "I see a lot of community members suffering because of this lockdown," said Alfred Djang, a 50-year-old lawyer who left the Democratic Republic of Congo 19 years ago. Some had been working in shops, "they were selling things on street corners, but they are not allowed to do it anymore," Djang said
Private jet demand rises as wealthy Russians spend lockdown in West
Some private jet companies have seen a rise in demand from wealthy Russians who want to spend time in the West during the coronavirus crisis but who were unable to take commercial flights amid tight restrictions by airlines and governments.
179 Pakistan nationals, stranded in India due to lockdown, repatriated via Attari-Wagah border
As many as 179 Pakistan nationals, who were stranded in India due to COVID-19 lockdown, were repatriated via Attari-Wagah border on Wednesday.
'Health must come first': Gym owner slams lockdown rules allowing alcohol and gambling while gyms stay shut and even YOGA is banned
'Health must come first': Gym owner slams lockdown rules allowing alcohol and gambling while gyms stay shut and even YOGA is banned. A gym owner has slammed reopening pubs and gaming venues ahead of gyms. Up to 50 customers will be allowed in NSW pubs and restaurants come June 1. The state government has also given beauty salons the green light to reopen. The NSW Government has not indicated when gyms across the state will open
Scientific Viewpoint
Dangerous blood clots pose a perplexing coronavirus threat
Tiny clots that can damage tissue throughout the body have been seen in hospitalized patients and in autopsies. This feature of the disease is confounding doctors' understanding of what was once considered mainly a respiratory infection.
It's also raising questions about prevention and treatment. Some conditions that make some COVID-19 patients vulnerable to severe complications, including obesity and diabetes, can increase clot risks. But many authorities believe how the virus attacks and the way the body responds play a role.
Blood markers discovered for COVID-linked syndrome in children
Findings from a large, multinational study could help speed development of an accurate diagnostic blood test for the mysterious inflammatory illness.
Coronavirus tracked: UK's daily death rate is now the highest in the world
The UK now has the highest rate of confirmed deaths from Covid-19 worldwide, averaging close to 5 in every million people per day. Figures from the last seven days show that the average death rate in the UK is now more than that of France and Italy combined. The second highest death rate over the last seven days is in Sweden, where the government decided against imposing a lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases may be more common than suspected
New estimates of the number of asymptomatic people with the coronavirus suggest that "silent" COVID-19 is much more prevalent than once thought, according to two studies published Wednesday. The first study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that 42 percent of cases from a group of people in Wuhan, China, were asymptomatic. The second study, published in Thorax, found much higher rates of asymptomatic individuals: 81 percent of cases on a cruise to Antarctica.
Public disclosure of COVID-19 cases is more effective than lockdowns, study shows
South Korea is a standout in the current battle against COVID-19, largely due to its widespread testing and contact tracing; however, key to its innovation is publicly disclosing detailed information on the individuals who test positive for COVID-19. These measures prove more effective at reducing deaths among than comprehensive stay-home orders, according to new research from University of California San Diego, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Chicago.
WHO warns that 1st wave of coronavirus pandemic not over
As Brazil and India struggle with surging coronavirus cases, a top health expert is warning that the world is still very much in the middle of the outbreak, dampening hopes for a speedy global economic rebound and renewed international travel. "Right now, we're not in the second wave. We're right in the middle of the first wave globally," said Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's executive director.
"We're still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up." Ryan pointed to case loads in South America, South Asia and other parts of the world.
Coronavirus Resurgence
South Korea reports biggest jump in virus cases in almost two months
South Korea, which won praise for containing the coronavirus without mass lockdowns, reported its biggest daily surge in infections in seven weeks, underscoring the challenge in permanently taming the illness in the absence of a viable vaccine. The Asian nation reported 40 new cases for Tuesday, the biggest one-day increase since April 8, according to data from Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, or KCDC, with most of the cases connected to a distribution center of an e-commerce firm. This takes the total tally to 11,265 cases while the virus-linked deaths were unchanged at 269.