17th September – Coronavirus News Updates

UK STATISTICS

Total UK Cases: 7,339,009 positive tests
Latest UK daily figure: 26,911 new cases
Number in UK hospital: 8,339, 1 fewer than on previous day
New deaths across UK: 158
Total UK deaths: 134,805
England Cases per 100,000: 297.2
R number in UK: 0.9 to 1.1

Vaccine data:

Total 1^st doses given: 48,503,181 – 89% of UK aged 16+
Total 2^nd doses: 44,229,777 – 81%
Daily 1^st doses: 23,003
Daily 2nd doses: 59,404

Latest Cheshire East data:

Total Cheshire East cases: 37,354
New cases in past 7 days: 1,368 to 12 Sep
Total deaths: 834
Cases per 100,000: 353.8 per 100,000
R number in North West: 0.9 to 1.1

Coronavirus cases in the UK: daily updated statistics
The latest number of coronavirus (COVID-19) tests, cases and deaths in the UK. The way deaths are reported is based on a 28-day limit between the date of a positive lab-confirmed test and date of death.

Slides, datasets and transcripts to accompany coronavirus press conferences
Slides, datasets and transcripts from press conferences at 10 Downing Street in response to coronavirus

COVID-19: background information
Information on COVID-19 including epidemiology, virology and clinical features – updated with latest global case numbers.

UK NEWS UPDATES:

Government announces plans for regulatory reforms following EU departure
The UK government has established plans for how it will reform regulatory legislation following the country’s departure from the European Union (EU). In the coming weeks, proposals are expected to be set out for reviewing ‘Retained EU Law,’ particularly pertaining to maintaining the UK’s position as a centre for innovation and technology in a number of key areas including:

Artificial intelligence and future technologies in transport, such as autonomous marine vessels and self-driving cars and drones
Gene-edited organisms for more sustainable and efficient farming
Digitisation of documents, including driving licenses, trade documents and share certificates
Clinical trial frameworks and medical devices regulations

Ryanair announces 5000 new jobs and 200 new planes as part of Covid recovery Despite fears around the future of aviation and international travel Ryanair announces big plans and investments over the next five years. Subject to no adverse Covid developments, and vaccinations remaining at above 90 per cent across Europe, Ryanair will take delivery of 210 B737 Gamechanger aircraft over the next five years. According to Ryanair, these new planes deliver industry lowest costs, reduced emissions, and will enable Ryanair accelerate its post-Covid growth, as opportunities open up at primary and secondary airports all over Europe, particularly where legacy carriers have failed or reduced fleet sizes as a result of Covid and State Aid.

Survey: Most workers will never return to the office full-time
A total of 70% of 1,684 people polled predicted that workers would “never return to offices at the same rate”. The majority of workers said that they would prefer to work from home either full-time or at least some of the time. But managers raised concerns that creativity in the workplace would be affected. Half of 530 senior leaders also surveyed by polling organisation YouGov for the BBC said that workers staying at home would adversely affect both creativity and collaboration – against just 38% of ordinary people. Managers and members of the public surveyed for the BBC agreed, however, that neither productivity nor the economy would be harmed by continuing work-from-home policies. According to the research, more than three-quarters of people believe their boss will allow them to continue.

Most vulnerable to be offered COVID-19 booster vaccines from next week
Millions of the UK’s most vulnerable are to be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine from next week.

Business and industry challenges in filling vacancies
Analysis of UK businesses’ ability to fill job vacancies across different industries, and reasons for any recruitment challenges. The data cover summer 2021, primarily after coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were eased.

REGIONAL & LOCAL NEWS:

Cheshire East Council invites business to apply for further Covid-19 support grants
Applications are now open for businesses to apply for an Extended Restrictions Grant for those affected adversely by the extension of restrictions to 18th July.

North-west businesses received £94 million from Start Up Loans scheme
Businesses in the North-West have now secured a total of £94 million in Start Up Loans from the British Business Bank, the highest of any UK region outside London. The government investment bank has surpassed a total of £600 million worth of loans given to new businesses across the UK since the Start Up Loans scheme launched in 2012. Over 10,000 North West businesses have benefited from the scheme, receiving on average over £8,600. The £94 million provided to the region’s businesses since 2012 represents over 12% of the total lent in the Start Up Loans programme, provides mentoring, support and funding to aspiring business owners in addition to finance. 39% of the total provided in the North-West went to female entrepreneurs and their businesses.

MAG CEO urges Government to restore traveller confidence
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has called for the UK’s rules on international travel to fall in line with the rest of Europe following the publication of the Prime Minister’s Winter Plan for Covid-19. In a statement, MAG CEO Charlie Cornish welcomed the structural review proposed in the Winter Plan but called for concerted action from government to restore consumer confidence in booking foreign holidays and spark recovery in the aviation sector. The statement comes following ONS statistics that have shown the aviation sector to be the hardest hit by economic and travel restrictions during the pandemic, and is recovering slower than other industries.

Andy Burnham raises concerns over October circuit breaker and opposes return of regional lockdowns
During a virtual press conference, the Labour mayor said he sees significant practical difficulties with the potential move by the Government and that it might not even work if it was introduced. He also told journalists that how effective a circuit breaker would be is an “open question”. He instead said that a better alternative is a return to more consistent messaging from Westminster and that people should not have the choice whether to wear a mask on public transport. However, he said it is “hard to put the genie back in the bottle” in that regard. Mr Burnham added that instead of talking about the Government’s plan B, which was outlined earlier this week, there are some things that ‘should be done now in order to return to discipline’, such as face masks. The mayor also said that employers should be looking at the potential for working from home as the country goes through the autumn.

Radiotherapy machines and scanner delivered to The Christie at Macclesfield
The delivery of new machinery marks the latest milestone in the development of the new facility which is due to begin seeing patients in December 2021.

SECTOR SPECIFIC CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS:

BUSINESS:

BBC: Five ways the office could change
The majority of people think that the world of office work has changed quite radically due to covid, surveys for the BBC suggest. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic many office-based workers worked from home during lockdowns. As pandemic restrictions eased, workers in England were urged to gradually return to the office.

But bosses (79%) and the general public (70%) think future work will not be as office-based as before the pandemic. 60% of workers said post-pandemic their preference would be to work from home either all of the time (22%) or at least some of the time (38%) – source: YouGov for BBC Read the full data

Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)
Find out how to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in your workplace – shops, branches, and close contact services – Minor updates to sections on face coverings and working from home, in line with the government’s autumn and winter plan.

COVID-19: ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus
Guidance on the ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Kickstart Scheme for employers
Employers can apply for funding to create jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit.

Apply online for a Kickstart Scheme grant
If you’re an employer looking to create jobs for young people, you can apply online or funding as part of the Kickstart Scheme.

CARE:

Temporary medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes
A letter from the Director of Adult Social Care Delivery to local authorities, directors of adult social services, care home providers, care home managers and agencies.

COMMUNITY:

Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread
Find out how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of coronavirus – updated guidance following Prime Minister’s statement on the autumn and winter plan.

Private providers of coronavirus (COVID-19) testing
Lists of and information about private providers who have self-declared that they meet the government’s minimum standards for the type of commercial COVID-19 testing service they offer.

EDUCATION:

Covid jab rollout for 12 to 15 olds to start in schools in England
Invitations for the jab will begin next week with parental consent sought for the schools-based vaccination programme. It follows advice from the UK’s chief medical officers, who say the jab will help reduce disruption to education.

COVID-19 vaccination: resources for children and young people
Information for eligible children and young people on COVID-19 vaccination – updated consent form for children, young people or parents and carers.

COVID-19 vaccination: resources for schools
COVID-19 vaccination guidance and resources for schools.

HEALTH & WELLBEING:

Technical article: Updated estimates of the prevalence of post-acute symptoms among people with coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK, 26 April 2020 to 1 August 2021
A range of estimates of the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) who experience ongoing symptoms, broken down by demographic and viral characteristics, using UK Coronavirus Infection Survey data.

COVID-19 vaccination programme
Documents relating to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme – added COVID-19 vaccination: booster dose resources.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: antibody and vaccination data, 16 September 2021
Antibody and vaccination data by UK country and regions in England from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey. This analysis has been produced in partnership with University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Public Health England, and Wellcome Trust. This study is jointly led by the ONS and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) working with the University of Oxford and UK Biocentre to collect and test samples.

COVID-19 vaccination: booster dose resources
Information on the booster dose for eligible individuals.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing: privacy information
Privacy notice for NHS Test and Trace virus testing for all users of the service – added an extra annex to Tested for coronavirus: privacy information about Direct LAMP testing within the Test and Trace Programme.

Shielding programme ends for most vulnerable
The government has agreed to end the requirement for shielding guidance for people previously considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable.

Wider impacts of COVID-19 on health monitoring tool
National monitoring tool that brings together metrics to assess the wider impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) on health.

Weekly statistics for NHS Test and Trace (England): 2 September to 8 September 2021
Experimental statistics on NHS Test and Trace since its launch on 28 May 2020. Includes reports on NHS Test and Trace (people tested and contact tracing) and rapid (lateral flow device) testing for people without symptoms.

COVID-19 surveillance and immunity studies
An overview of national surveillance programmes to understand how COVID-19 is present and affecting the wider population.

MINISTRY of DEFENCE:

Number of COVID-19 tests in defence and positive cases in the UK Armed Forces 2021
Summary statistics on the number of defence personnel who have had a COVID-19 test; and for the UK Armed Forces, the number of positive cases of COVID-19.

PROPERTY:

Redrow happy for staff to keep working from home
Redrow is happy for its 2,300 staff to continue working “where they are most efficient.” The house building giant confirmed an extension of flexible working practices in its latest annual results. Group Chief Executive Matthew Pratt said: “We have also introduced flexible working and many colleagues have been working from home during the pandemic. “This has proved to be very effective and, going forward; colleagues will be able to work from where they are most efficient, whether that be at home, site or within divisional offices.”

Temporary measures to support customers
How we are delivering our services and how long we take to process applications – we’ve updated application processing times for updates to the register.

RETAIL:

First half food sales at the Co-op increase on pre-pandemic levels
Half-year food sales at the Co-op have increased on pre-pandemic levels, but says it remains cautious with its future outlook. Food sales at the Manchester-headquartered retailer excluding fuel saw a significant 6.5 per cent increase on pre-pandemic levels in its interim results for the 26 weeks to 3 July 2021. Food sales were at £3.6bn compared to £3.4bn in the first half of 2019, although they were down 2.8 per cent on the same period in 2020. Total group revenue was up £200m at £5.6bn against pre-pandemic levels of £5.4bn, with growth across its food, legal services and newly launched insurance business, however it was down from 3.2 per cent from last year’s £5.8bn. Its underlying operating loss before tax was £15m, down £71m on 2020, but generally consistent with 2019 which had an underlying operating loss of £11m.

TRAVEL:

Quarantine and testing if you’ve been in an amber list country
What to do before and after you arrive in England if you’ve been in an amber list country in the 10 days before you arrive – added content to make it clear that you cannot use NHS COVID-19 tests for your day 2 or day 8 travel tests. Added a new paragraph explaining that advice not to take PCR tests if you’ve had a positive test result in the last 90 days does not apply to travel tests.

Useful Links:

Coronavirus Roadmap out of lockdown – what and when?

From 29 March:

People will be allowed to meet outside, either with one other household or within the “rule of six”, including in private gardens
The stay at home rule will end, but the government will urge people to stay local as much as possible
Outdoor sport facilities will reopen, including golf courses and tennis and basketball courts, and formally organised outdoor sports can restart
Weddings attended by up to six people can take place in any circumstances

Stage two (no earlier than 12 April):

All shops allowed to open, along with close-contact services, including hairdressers and beauty salons (including in people’s homes)
Restaurants and pubs allowed to serve food and alcohol to customers sitting outdoors Gyms and spas can reopen, as can zoos, theme parks, libraries and community centres
Members of the same household can take a holiday in the UK in self-contained accommodation
Weddings attended by up to 15 people can take place

Stage three (no earlier than 17 May):

People can meet in groups of up to 30 outdoors
Six people or two households can meet indoors
Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues can seat customers indoors
Up to 30 people can attend weddings or other life events, like christenings
Remaining outdoor entertainment, such as outdoor theatres and cinemas can open
Indoor entertainment such as museums, theatres, cinemas and children’s play areas can open
Performances and large events can restart, but with limits on audience numbers
Hotels, hostels and B&Bs can reopen
International leisure travel may resume
Adult indoor group sports and exercise classes can restart

Stage four (expected 19th July):

All legal limits on social contact will be removed
No legal limits on the number of people who can attend weddings, funerals and other life events
Nightclubs will be allowed to reopen

Publishing information about your claimsIn January HMRC published the list of employers who claimed under the CJRS for periods from December onwards, on GOV.UK.

Repayment period for Bounce Back Loans extended to ten yearsBusinesses that took out government Bounce Back loans to help them through the Coronavirus crisis now have more time to repay. Companies will be contacted with options to extend the length of the loan from six to 10 years as part of a new ‘pay-as-you-grow’ initiative. The new proposals give businesses three new options:

1. Extending the length of the loan from six years to 10;

2. Making interest-only payments for six months, then repaying the principal on a phased basis with other interest-only periods;

3. Delaying repayments entirely for up to six months.

COVID-19 Winter Plan
The government’s plan for managing COVID-19 through the end of 2020 and into the start of 2021.

Government extends JRS furlough scheme at 80% for period of lockdown
The government has said the furlough scheme, due to have closed on 31^st October, would now be extended until December.

Check if your employer can use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Check which employees you can put on furlough to use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Calculate how much you can claim using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Steps to take before calculating your claim using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Check if you can claim for your employees’ wages through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

New National Restrictions from 5 November
Information on the new national restrictions, including what they mean for working from home and business closures, why they are being introduced and the financial support available.

Job Retention Bonus (JRB)
Employers are able to claim a one-off payment of £1,000 for every eligible employee furloughed and claimed for through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), kept continuously employed until at least 31 January 2021 and who meets the other eligibility criteria. Claims can be made between 15 February and 31 March.

Become a Green Homes Grant Supplier II – Trustmark and PAS 2030The new Green Homes Grant will give over 600,000 homeowners in England up to £10,000 to install insulation, heat pumps, draft proofing and more to help households cut energy bills.

Check if you’re eligible for the coronavirus Local Restrictions Support Grant
The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) supports businesses that have been required to close due to temporary COVID-19 local lockdown restrictions imposed by the government.

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant extension
The grant is being extended from 1 November 2020. Find out if you’re eligible and how much you can get.

Hospitality venues in England are now legally required to enforce the rule of 6 or face a fine of up to £4,000.
Designated businesses and organisations, including hospitality, close contact services and leisure venues, will also be legally required to log details of customers, visitors and staff for NHS Test and Trace and required to display official NHS QR code posters under law

NHS Test and Trace service in the workplace
Guidance on the NHS Test and Trace service for employers, businesses and workers updated to reflect the new legal requirements for designated venues to collect contact details and display official NHS QR code posters from 24^th September

Claim money back through the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme
Find out how to claim the reimbursement for discounts given to diners with the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme. The Eat Out to Help Out Scheme closed on 31 August 2020 – the page updated with removal of registration links.

Kickstart Scheme
The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds.

Kickstart Scheme employer resources
If you’ve been offered Kickstart Scheme funding, you can use these resources to show your support for the scheme.

Kickstart Scheme employer contacts
List of regional contacts for employers applying for a grant through the Kickstart Scheme.

Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do
Frequently asked questions on what you can and can’t do during the coronavirus outbreak – guidance updated in line with new regulations coming into force on 4 July

Business Survey:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-coronavirus-impact-business-survey/dcms-business-survey-headline-measures

Apply for the coronavirus Future Fund
The Future Fund will provide UK Government loans to UK-based companies ranging from £125,000 to £5 million, subject to at least equal match funding from private investors.

Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme set to launch
Employers will be able to make claims through the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme from 26 May.

Government – Guidance on Returning to Work safely
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Government – Setting out of Road Map to recovery – 11^th May 2020
Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s 60 page COVID-19 recovery strategy
The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy. The strategy sets out a cautious roadmap to easing existing measures in a safe and measured way, subject to successfully controlling the virus and being able to monitor and react to its spread.

Coronavirus Act 2020: status
A table setting out the status of each measure in the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Government – Financial Support
New 100% government backed loan scheme for small business

Government – Financial Support
CBILS – A guide to whether it may be the best options for a business

Government – Financial Support
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – online claims portal open

Government – Business Support:
Government launches new coronavirus business support finder tool

Government – Business Support Hub:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support

Government – Financial Support: HMRC has published guidance on how it will work out income and profits for the self-employed or those in a partnership who have lost profits due to coronavirus.

Government – Business Support:
https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/

Government – Business Support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19

Government – Financial Support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding

Government – Business Support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

Bank of England – Financial Support: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/2020/march/the-covid-corporate-financing-facility

Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub