May 20th – Coronavirus News Updates:

Latest data:

Total tests: 2,772,552 tests have now taken place

Positive tests: 248,818 people have tested positive + 2,412 on previous day

Loss of life: 35,341 people have sadly died across all settings, + 545 more deaths since the previous day’s figures

Government daily briefings

Tuesday 19th May

Environment Secretary George Eustice gave the 19 May press briefing, outline the shortage of labour in the agricultural sector, as only one-third of the usual numbers of migrant workers, largely from Eastern Europe, had travelled to the UK for the summer season.

Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 19th May 2020.
Press conference slides and datasets used by The Rt Hon George Eustice MP and Professor Angela McLean, Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser.

Monday 18th May

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave the 18 May 2020 daily press briefing on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

UK’s daily figure for deaths dropped to its lowest since lockdown
Return to work ‘responsibly’ following distancing rules
Reiterated date for reopening of schools of June 1st
Next stage of roadmap would only be introduced when no danger to NHS capacity
Loss of taste or smell recognised as a symptom of coronavirus
60,000 downloads of track and trace app on the Isle of Wight
A ‘definite and sustained decline in new cases’ was also put forward with supporting data from hospitals on new COVID admissions.

Foreign Secretary’s statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 18 May 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Health Secretary’s statement to Parliament
Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 18 May 2020
Press conference slides and datasets used by The Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP.

15th to 17th May

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock gave the 15th May 2020 daily press briefing:

New £600 million Infection Control Fund to spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in care homes.
Prolific testing and lockdown have protected 64% of care homes from Covid-19
All residents and staff in care homes to be tested by early June
Since the peak, ‘the number of Covid deaths in care homes has halved’
R rate believed to be between 0.7 and 1.0

Health and Social Care Secretary’s statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 15 May 2020

Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 15 May 2020
Press conference slides and datasets used by The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP and the deputy chief medical officer for England, Dr Jenny Harries OBE.

Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus press conference: 16 May 2020
Press conference slides and datasets used by The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP and Dr Jenny Harries.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma gave the 17th May 2020 press briefing.

“The country is moving towards level three of the lockdown system”
£84m new fund announced for clinical trial of coronavirus vaccine which is “progressing well”
30 million vaccine doses could be available in the UK by September

Business Secretary’s statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 17 May 2020
Business Secretary Alok Sharma gave the 17 May 2020 daily press briefing on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister’s article in the Mail on Sunday: 17 May 2020

“I made clear from the outset that we can only make changes to the lockdown when it is safe to do so, guided by science. We set five tests, of which three have been met and progress is being made on the remaining two. We are setting up a system of COVID-19 Alert levels, which will be overseen by a new UK Joint Biosecurity Centre designed to assess the spread of the virus and inform decisions over how we lift the lockdown.”

HEADLINE NEWS:

Everyone in the United Kingdom with symptoms now eligible for coronavirus tests
Everyone in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms can now get a test. The government has today announced that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus is now eligible to book a test, ahead of the rollout of the test and trace service. The expansion in testing eligibility comes after all 4 UK Chief Medical Officers confirmed that anosmia has been added as a symptom of COVID-19. Anosmia is the loss of or a change in your normal sense of smell, and it can also affect your sense of taste.

Business interruption insurance Claims: submission close Wednesday 20^th
Financial Conduct Authority have issued a statement saying examples of grievances should be presented by Wednesday May 20. The statement says: “We invite you to put forward your arguments why you consider cover should be available, together with details of policies that you consider have not responded appropriately to a claim and brief relevant facts of the case.”

£37 million to support children with complex needs
Children with special educational needs and disabilities in England will benefit from £37.3million of direct support in 2020-21, which is expected to help more than 75,000 families in England. Families with children that have complex needs and disabilities will receive grants for vital equipment to make their lives easier while implementing social distancing measures, including computers, specialist equipment and educational toys.

Latest figures show millions benefitting from Treasury coronavirus support schemes
New figures on the UK-wide government support schemes for individuals and businesses have been published today, Tuesday 19 May 2020.

New information about coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms has been announced that include loss of taste and smell
From today, all individuals should self-isolate if they develop a new continuous cough or fever or anosmia. Anosmia is the loss of or a change in your normal sense of smell. It can also affect your sense of taste as the two are closely linked. We have been closely monitoring the emerging data and evidence on COVID-19 and, after thorough consideration, we are now confident enough to recommend this new measure.

BBC: Rail networks introduce new measures to manage safe flow of passengers
New measures have been deployed on trains and at stations amid fears that more people might use public transport to return to work in England this week.
Security guards with crowd management training will be at some stations but the message remains only to use public transport if absolutely necessary.
And more radical steps, such as requiring passengers to book time slots for when they can arrive at a station, are being considered. Avanti West Coast has said it would not allow carriages to be more than a third full.

COVID-19 detection dogs trial launches
Trials for specially-trained ‘COVID dogs’ that may be able to detect coronavirus (COVID-19) in humans, even before symptoms appear, are set to begin as part of new research.

Government begins large scale study of coronavirus immunity
A major long-term study will track spread of coronavirus in general population. Up to 20,000 people are being asked to take part in a new government-funded study to further track the extent of the coronavirus spread across England, Scotland and Wales. The research will measure blood antibodies to help determine what proportion of the population has already had the infection, the duration of immunity after being infected, and why the virus affects people differently.

Led by UK Biobank and supported by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), the study, which was developed with the Wellcome Trust, also draws on the world-leading scientific expertise of the University of Oxford. It forms part of Pillar 4 of the Government’s COVID-19 testing strategy to conduct UK-wide surveillance testing to learn more about the spread of the virus.

LOCAL / REGIONAL NEWS & UPDATES:

Observer: GM Mayor Andy Burnham calls for greater devolution as Government eases lockdown
Speaking on the BBC and writing in the Observer on Sunday, Andy Burnham is calling on the government to ‘draw a line under last week’ and to consider the variances between regions across the UK before taking a blanket approach to easing lockdown and reopening schools. While the number of new cases in the south of the UK is drastically reducing and the national ‘R’ rate (the rate at which the coronavirus is reproducing) is reported to be between 0.5 to 0.9, Mr Burnham believes the rate across the North West may be greater.

North West: £244m scheme to improve the transport network
Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians beginning to return to streets across the North West are set to benefit from a £244m investment designed to make journeys quicker and safer.
The cash boost is part of the £1.7bn Transport Infrastructure Investment Fund announced by the government, which will be used to improve roads, repair bridges and fill in millions of potholes across England. In the North West, about 1.5 million nuisance potholes will be targeted with smaller improvements earmarked for local networks.

CHARITIES:

UK aid boost for charities fighting coronavirus
A total of 40 charities and NGOs will receive funding from the Department for International Development’s (DFID) £20 million humanitarian support package, announced last month, or the £100 million global hygiene partnership with Unilever, unveiled in March. From 18 May 2020, up to £30million of new grants will also be made available to small and medium-sized UK charities through the next round of the UK Aid Direct programme. Each charity will be able to bid for a grant up to £4 million for programmes that focus on tackling the coronavirus crisis.

COMMUNITIES:

New taskforce developing plan to reopen places of worship
Faith leaders and government agree to develop plan to enable phased and safe reopening of places of worship.

Staying safe outside your home
We have added a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste (anosmia) as a symptom of coronavirus to the principles you should follow to ensure that time spent outside your home is as safe as possible.

COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection
Updated information on symptoms including loss of smell or taste to stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

COVID-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol
Updated information on symptoms including loss of smell or taste added to COVID-19 guidance for commissioners and service providers for those dependent on drugs or alcohol

COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable
Updated information on symptoms including loss of taste or smell added to information for shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19.

CONSTRUCTION:

Social distancing on site: Picture special from Wilmott Dixon
Willmott Dixon has issued a series of photos showing how its projects have adapted to working while trying to minimise the risk of covid-19

The contractor has over 95% of its sites open after implementing the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Site Operating Procedures to ensure they remain safe.

Covid-19 compliance check lists for site managers
The industry’s training body and the Construction Leadership Council have issued a comprehensive set of checklists and forms to help site managers brief workers and operate sites safely.
Guidance is designed to give workers a clear understanding of the latest agreed site operating procedures and covers issues such as close working, cleaning and what employees should do if they become unwell.
CC01: COVID-19 – Site operating procedures compliance checklist

EDUCATION:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for educational settings
Updated information on symptoms including loss of taste or small to guidance for schools and other educational settings about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak
Updated section 19.4 to clarify how meetings should proceed in guidance for what schools need to do during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Department for Education: Publication of a response to issues raised regarding the science on coronavirus
The response draws on information from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and its sub-group the Children’s Task and Finish Working Group, as well as the broader advice from engagement with Public Health England

Overview of scientific information on coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Department for Education’s response to issues raised regarding the science on coronavirus (COVID-19).

Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak
What schools need to do during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Updated guidance with the actions that schools will need to take in preparation for the wider reopening of schools on 1 June 2020.

Providing free school meals during the coronavirus outbreak
Updated information about claiming for additional costs, providing meals or food parcels through your food provider and ordering vouchers to cover multiple weeks.

Education Secretary’s statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 16 May
Education Secretary on the Government’s response to the outbreak of coronavirus and plans to begin returning to school safely

Supporting vulnerable children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Guidance for education settings and local authorities about children supported through social care, with EHC plans or identified as vulnerable by their school or local authority – updated guidance to reflect wider plans for more year groups to return to education settings, stating that vulnerable children and young people remain a priority, and are expected to attend if appropriate. We have not changed the groups included in the definition of vulnerable children, but have provided further examples of what types of children might be considered to be ‘otherwise vulnerable’, at the education provider’s discretion. We have also included updated links to Public Health England advice.

Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus outbreak
Updated guidance including adding a new section clarifying the position on welcoming back all children to early years settings from 1 June, information on when childminders can reopen to more children, and what provision they can currently provide, information on testing for essential workers, and information for parents on temporary changes to the 30 hours free early education entitlements.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for educational settings
Added clarification on guidance and legislation to guidance for schools and other educational settings about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings
Added ‘Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care’ to guidance and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19) in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students.

EMPLOYERS / BUSINESS FINANCE:

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) apply by 20^th May for May payment
As many businesses prepare to make another claim in order to receive money by the end of May, you need to apply by Wednesday 20?? May, you’ll receive the money within six working days.
On 12 May, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the CJRS scheme will be extended until the end of October. The scheme will continue in its current form until the end of July. From 1?? August to the end of October, employers will be able to bring their furloughed employees back to work part-time and contribute to paying employees’ wages while still receiving support from the scheme. More details of how this will work will be published by the end of May.

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.

ENVIRONMENTAL:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice to local authorities on prioritising waste collections
A guide to help waste collectors prioritise their collection services during the coronavirus pandemic. This includes managing household waste recycling centres. Managing Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in England during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to reflect changes to the rules on necessary journeys.

HEALTH & WELLBEING:

As part of Mental Health Awareness week, Samaritans has launched a self-help app to help people be kind to themselves every day.
The app features techniques to help people challenge and tackle difficult feelings, a mood tracker and a safety plan for those in crisis.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance
Updated information on symptoms including loss of smell or taste to guidance about coronavirus (COVID-19) for health professionals and other organisations.

Everyone in the United Kingdom with symptoms now eligible for coronavirus tests
Everyone in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms can now get a test.

Mental Health Week: FSB offer mental health support package

The FSB offer a mental health support package as part of our FSB Care plan for members to access. “It’s something we take very seriously as small business owners are actually more at risk from mental health issues than employees due to stresses of running a business. Our chosen charity this year is Heads Together, which Prince William is closely involved.”

Government publishes latest R number
On Friday 15^th May, the Government Office for Science published the latest R number range for the UK. The range of 0.7-1.0 is an estimate based on latest data available to determine infection and transmission rates. Data such as contacts, hospital admissions, ICU admissions and deaths generally takes 2 to 3 weeks for changes in R to be reflected in these data sources, due to the time between infection and needing hospital care.

Care home support package backed by £600 million to help reduce coronavirus infections
A new £600 million Infection Control Fund has been introduced to tackle the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in care homes.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): support for care homes
Sets out the support package to keep care homes safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Government begins large scale study of coronavirus immunity
Led by UK Biobank and supported by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), the study, which was developed with the Wellcome Trust, also draws on the world-leading scientific expertise of the University of Oxford. It forms part of Pillar 4 of the Government’s COVID-19 testing strategy to conduct UK-wide surveillance testing to learn more about the spread of the virus.

Funding and manufacturing boost for UK vaccine programme
UK’s top researchers rapidly working to find a coronavirus vaccine will benefit from £84million of new government funding.

Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre to open 12 months ahead of schedule
Race to manufacture millions of doses of a coronavirus vaccine boosted with a multi-million-pound government investment.

COVID-19: guidance for care of the deceased
Added clarification on guidance and legislation to advice to assist people required to manage bodies of deceased persons infected with coronavirus (COVID-19).

COVID-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol
Added clarification on guidance and legislation to COVID-19 guidance for commissioners and service providers for those dependent on drugs or alcohol

HOUSING:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): letter to social housing residents
Letter from the Minister of Housing setting out the measures that are in place to support social housing residents during the next phase towards reopening society.

IT & CYBER FRAUD:

North West becomes UK’s new fraud hotspot outside of London
Fraudsters are understood to be taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic – but figures are just ‘tip of the iceberg’ according to accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP, the total value of fraud in the region reached £500m in 2019 – up from £52m the previous year. The average value of fraud also increased dramatically to more than £9m. This analysis, based upon reported fraud cases over £50,000 in the UK, reveals that the UK-wide picture shows a rise in value, but the number of reported cases has dropped by 12% – with 464 cases of fraud reported in 2019 compared with 525 in 2018.

MANUFACTURING:

Industry fears a long road back to recovery to pre-coronavirus trading conditions
According to the latest COVID-19 Manufacturing Monitor from Make UK, more than a third of companies (36%) now believe it will take more than a year, which compares to 17% in the last survey two weeks ago. Make UK also warned that sales and orders are continuing to fall at an alarming rate while almost a fifth of companies are planning to increase the number of staff on furlough in the next two weeks.

MEDIA & MARKETING:

Government welcomes broadcasters’ move to get the cameras rolling again

Our nation’s favourite soaps are expected to resume production in the coming weeks, after new industry guidance is published by broadcasters today. The new guidance sets out steps for a safe return to television production in a significant move towards getting the cameras rolling again on some of the nation’s favourite shows.

PROPERTY:

Beyond Covid-19 Reopening Guides
The RICS has published a number of guides to support building and facilities managers, commercial tenants and landlords to prepare to safely reopen commercial buildings.

RETAIL:

BRC latest footfall data sees decline as impact of Covid-19 takes toll on footfall
UK Footfall decreased by 84.7% in April, due to the mandatory lockdown. This was a record decline for the industry that has seen unprecedented challenges during the month.

Footfall on High Streets declined by 81.8% year on year. They fared better in comparison to Shopping Centres, as local convenience stores saw a rise in popularity.

Retail Parks saw footfall decrease by 62.4% year on year. Thanks to wider open spaces in comparison to other locations and a higher proportion of supermarkets helped to shelter Retail Parks from a steeper decline.

SPORT:

Thinktank Onward: Report for sports clubs and associations – A Sporting Chance
This report by Will Tanner, Ted Christie-Miller and Francesca Fraser investigates the financial state of sports clubs across the UK, and calls on ministers to act urgently “to protect the clubs that are the pride of many communities, which will be needed to bring the country back together again once the crisis is over.”

TRANSPORT:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for the freight transport industry
Added clarification on guidance and legislation to guidance for the freight transport industry on international travel following government advice for British nationals.

Government invests £35 million to protect critical freight routes
Ensuring there is enough freight capacity to prevent disruption to the flow of critical goods, such as food and medical supplies.

TRAVEL:

Lufthansa to restore more UK and Ireland services from 1^st June
Lufthansa Group is set to resume services from Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Dublin next month, and increase frequencies on flights departing Heathrow as it looks to rebuild its schedule.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): recreational general aviation
Limited relaxation of restrictions on general aviation in England added to guidance on recreational general aviation (GA) flying during the coronavirus outbreak.

UK to quarantine all arrivals from next month
Secretary Grant Shapps told parliament the controversial scheme would include all arrivals from abroad but added it could be modified to exclude countries where the Covid-19 infection rate was below the rate of one.

More than a third of people say they might rethink the way they travel once the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted
According to a new survey, the findings were revealed in a poll carried out by YouGov on behalf of the national cycling charity, Cycling UK, which also shows that just under one in ten (9%) people in the UK are cycling more during the crisis.

If that trend was replicated across the UK, that could represent almost six million people getting out on their bikes more. Thirty-six per cent of people questioned agreed that they could rethink their travel habits in the future to use cars and motor vehicles less.

Useful Links

Cheshire East Council – Business rates grants
https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/business/business_rates/business-rates-relief/coronavirus-covid-19-help-for-business-rates-customers.aspx

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